Why the GOP is in Trouble for 2014/2016

Today at The Daily Beast, Michael Tomasky, has an excellent article asking how bad the GOP needs Chris Christie.  As I read the article, I was nodding my head in agreement.  Then I got to the part I fully agree with on how the establishment GOP has allowed the nutcase hard right (my words) take over the GOP and are afraid to say much for fear of a split of the Party and they will be wandering the political wilderness for years.

What the Republican Party Establishment has done in playing to the hard right was to toss more centrist people like me under the bus.  They refused to listen to us in 2010 that the Tea Party was bad for the GOP as they were from the hard right, the John Birchers, militia, anti-immigration, and in fact pretty racists at least from what I saw around me.  Instead of listening, they embraced the hard right and their earth is 7,500 year old, creationism theories along with demanding that public schools teach the Bible but they didn't stop there.  In short order they started condemning public schools where all of my three children received an outstanding education in various states except for Massachusetts and Ohio.  Didn't make sense until all of a sudden the Charter school movement took off and realized it was run by big GOP donors in places I knew so I assume it is all over.

You could say that 2010 stands out as the year the lunatic, my way or no way fringe was elected to the Halls of Congress followed by more lunatics in 2012.  Their racism and hatred for anyone who are not white knows no bounds.  The idiots at the RNC hold seminars in how to speak to people so not to irritate them.  It is not working.  As a woman, I couldn't be any more disgusted with the GOP today and their war against women.  Women of all ages deserve better then the Republican Party.  If women are staying in the GOP, then it is like a woman who is an abused spouse who cannot bring herself to leave.

Tomasky has done an outstanding job with his article about the GOP today and they need Christie as I have excerpted below:

The fact that the GOP establishment needs to come face-to-face with is that they have no one to blame for this but themselves. They’ve reached the point where they almost have to have a Northeasterner like Christie to run for president, just as they had to settle for Romney last time. They’ve let their party go so far off the deep end that practically no Republican officeholder from any other region of the country could appeal to enough moderates in enough purple and blue states to win back the territory the party ceded to the Democrats in the last two elections. 

Remember: the Republicans come into the next presidential election with 206 reliable electoral votes from states their nominees have won at least four of the last six elections. The Democrats’ corresponding number is 257 (just 13 shy of the victory threshold). These tallies leave five states on the table: Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, and Nevada. And I’m not even sure if, with Clinton in the race, if the last three could even be called purple anymore. The Republicans have a lot of territory to reclaim. 

They were, and I suppose still are, hoping that Christie could win it back for two reasons. First, and more obviously, he’d give them back the White House. But second, a Christie presidential win could paper over the profound and disturbing problems with today’s GOP. This is a party deeply in need of an internal thrashing of heads to pull it out of loony-land and back toward the center. Republican grandees know this, of course, but they’d much rather not have to go through this civil war. Indeed, the war could be cleansing enough that the party splits into two. Only Christie can save them from that possibility. The party would just become whatever Christie wanted it to be, and the Big Conversations could all be shelved. 

Pretty high stakes. So the establishment isn’t going to give up on Christie easily. And of course he can enjoy the benefit in these next weeks and months of becoming a more sympathetic figure to the hard right than he’s ever been, because all he has to do to please that crowd is carry on about how the East Coast liberal media are trying to do him in. And it may just work. 

But ultimately, facts are facts. And if the facts finish him off, and the GOP is stuck with Cruz-Rubio-Paul, or even a right-wing governor like Scott Walker, the establishment will be reaping what it’s spent the Obama years sowing: a party that cares more about feeding its base’s fever-dreams than being nationally electable. And that’s where things stand, as Christie begins a term that there’s a sporting chance he may not even be able to finish.

Wouldn't take a bet on Christie finishing his term.  He reminds me of Richard Nixon only nastier. The day Christie said he wasn't a bully, almost spilled Coke on my keyboard which would have meant off to the OU IT Store to pick up another Apple keyboard.  Next time I am on Campus Corner might pick up another one as a backup just in case.

I burst out laughing at Christie because he that typical New Jersey bully.  The only thought that came in my mind was the #1 bad GOP candidate in 2010 "I am not a witch" Christine O'Donnell, GOP candidate for DE Senate, who was wearing a black dress when she said it.  She had the full support of the Tea Party and establishment GOP when she was one of the biggest loons I have seen run for office. She accused her opponent, Rep Mike Castle, in the primary of lurking behind bushes outside her apartment in order to spy on her.  Yet she won the primary, but fortunately for the Senate, she lost big in the general although she got a lot more votes then I thought as she was not fit mentally to be in the Senate.  Although looking back, she would fit in well with Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, and others who have gone over the edge.

Then the GOP had Sharron Angle opposing Harry Reid who has never been my favorite Senator as his lack of backbone always made me wonder about him.  That said I donated to his campaign because Angle was the #2 bad candidate who after winning primary forgot to campaign or debate and had a campaign manager from MO who spent more time in MO then in Nevada.  She was fully backed by the Tea Party movement.

Must not forget #3 Joe Miller of AK.  Talk about loons, he is stranger then Sarah Palin which gives you some idea how bad he would have been in the Senate.  He beat a sitting Senator Lisa Murkowski in the GOP primary and then many GOP, Indy's, and Democrats encouraged Murkowski to run as a write-in candidate.  GOP laughed at her attempt but then Miller said Eskimos and other tribes who did not speak English should not be allowed to vote.  These people are native to Alaska and have been there a long longer the white man.  With Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor and GOP VP candidate on Miller's side, Murkowski won the write-in over Miller whose name was on the ballot.  Then the Miller camp tried to throw out ballots that didn't have her name spelled correctly but got overruled if the intent was there.  Funniest election I have seen and enjoyed watching Miller go down.

That was a sampling of 2010 hard right candidates for Senate backed by the Tea Party.  There were more but those are my Top Three looney candidates.  It only got worse in 2012 when Texas sent Ted Cruz to the Senate.  It could have been even worse but GOP candidates for Senate in MO and IN made total fools of themselves talking about rape and how a woman cannot get pregnant from rape.

Couldn't take it any more -- office holders I had considered reasonably sane people were sounding like the hard right loons so I told the GOP and their 'my way or no way' crowd to shove it and joined Republicans for Obama and then Obama campaign.  That began my donating to Democrats and working for their election.  Before leaving the GOP, I never posted on Twitter -- was a member but had maybe 20 tweets if that.  Since telling the GOP establishment and the hard right where they could go, I have over 10,000 tweets and loving every minute of leaving the GOP behind and meeting new, reasonable people on Twitter.

Started with Republicans for Obama and then Unite Blue finding a home with like minded people. Then it  expanded to others who share the same philosophy of helping others have a better life along with not telling people how to live.  I want clean air and clean water, environmental regulations enforced, racism ended, every person has a right to vote, women's rights upheld, veterans jobs bill passed along with other jobs bills, access to medical care and the list goes on.  Those are issues that today's hard right Republican Party oppose and no amount of seminars on how to talk to voters is going to change their basic beliefs as they come out almost daily attacking the President and calling him all sorts of names like school yard bullies.

GOP refuses to acknowledge that a lot of us have told them to go jump, take a hike, shove it, and some a lot worse.  I am still getting snail mail telling me to renew my 2014 membership in the RNC.  If I had received my phone calls, email, and snail mail there is no way I would have kept me on their list.

This is what is wrong today with all of their GOP bogus attacks on the President calling him all kinds of names and GOP Senators refusing to allow him to appoint people to his Administration.  Harry Reid and the Democrats ended the filibuster by the GOP minority on appointments because a President of either party that is in office has a right to their own appointees.  GOP claims to be the Party of the Constitution and the only Party that loves America but by their actions it is just opposite as pointed out by Friedman of the NY Times:

Is the GOP Tea Party on Life Support? Not Even Close -- More Spin from GOP!

The vast majority of Republicans in the House, however, allowed that shutdown to happen. Most establishment lawmakers have sat by quietly for years as the party was pushed to the extremes, too afraid of a primary to speak up. Many benefited from secret super-PAC spending provided by the likes of the Koch brothers, or took Tea Party stands without ever really believing in them, all because they liked being back in power and didn’t particularly care what kind of bargain would keep them there.

Former Rep LaTourette sounds good if you are a Republican but you have to remember for years he was Speaker John Boehner's Lieutenant in the House and would do what was necessary to protect him. Is this is what is going on today as they want to raise large sums of money and run ads against Tea Party candidates.  How about getting a backbone and standing up to the Tea Party and the Koch Bros so people know you are serious?  That looks unlikely to happen.

A new Republican group called “Main Street Advocacy” is about to begin running ads against the hard-liners who have done so much to embarrass the party. One of the ads puts losing candidates like Todd Akin and Sharron Angle in a “Hall of Shame,” and ends with the word “defund” — a reminder of the failed attempt to end health care reform, which led to a widely reviled government shutdown. 

“We want our party back,” the group’s leader, former Representative Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio, told Eric Lipton of The Times. “And we are going to do what it takes to accomplish that.”

Call me the skeptic as I don't think any of the GOP have the backbone to stand up to the Koch Bros who are calling the shots and the reason I refuse to support any GOP in 2014!  As stated in an article below we have a case in Oklahoma with a GOP ALEC Governor who has backtracked on what she said about threatening school administrators to basically shut-up or lose school funding.  Then comes along and says she didn't say that and people who say that she did are wrong.  That is how I see what happened in the House of Representatives that led the shut down -- try not to take the blame for what they did.

The minute former Speaker Denny Hastert said there was NO Hastert Rule that required that you have to get a majority of your conference to bring a vote to the floor, he effective yanked the rug out from under Speaker Boehner and his conference.  Then he revealed he never talks to Boehner.  OOPS!  We are starting to see that the House is filled with a group of Republicans who run back to their district saying one thing and voting differently in DC like no one has access to the internet.  Seems Republicans are really stuck in the Way Back Machine.

This from the David Firestone article at the NY Times made me laugh:

Standing up to the speaker and taking a public position on divisive issues would require actual courage, which is rarely on display in the Republican Party. Instead, the moderates would rather raise corporate money and hide behind the anonymity of a TV ad, making fun of easy targets like Christine O’Donnell, notorious for declaring that she was “not a witch.”

Lost track of the number of times I have referenced the "I am not a witch" O'Donnell since I first saw the video and she was dressed in black.  I still chuckle today -- that was a classic video.

Been sitting here today reading and listening to the fallout from elections last night and seems I have a different take on which race to look.  IMHO the key race with the numbers that count is the Lt Governor statewide race in Virginia which gives a better indication of what it is like for a Democrat to take on a hard right Tea Party Republican who won at the Virginia convention for Lt Governor. Republican Jackson, who turned out to be extremely hard right which even caused the GOP candidate for Governor Cuccinelli to back away from him lost big.  Democrat State Senator Northam ran a quiet race and ended up winning the Lt Governor's race 55.14% to 44.49% -- there is your real difference when you have a candidate like Northam who is well liked.

Democrats were concerned about McAuliffe running because of baggage from the beginning.  Looks like even though Cuccinelli was hard right who made some really dumb statements, being a Clintonite hurt McAuliffe with some independents and disgusted moderate Republicans.  Democrats would be well advised if they want to pick up those extra house seats to choose their candidates looking to the general election.  Don't Democrats understand that independents and moderate Republicans don't like the Clintons any better then the Democrats like GW Bush -- call it a standoff.  Independents are an important part of the electorate you need in some states to win.  I say no more Bush's or Clinton's - have had enough.

The Democrats need younger blood to run IMHO as they have some outstanding candidates on their bench versus the hard right of the Republican Party who is still in charge of the GOP.  Last thing we need is an aging baby boomer running with baggage for President from either party.  Don't be fooled into thinking Christie is a moderate who has a hard right base who will push him further to the right. He is pro-life, anti-gay marriage, anti-raising the minimum wage, etc. but he takes credit for it after the Court struck him down on gay marriage and his veto gets overturned on various issues.  Christie will not be able to to play it down the middle if he runs for President.  His record will catch up with him.

Washington Post article by Reid Wilson hails the fact that today would be the time to sell Christie if he was a stock as he most likely has reached as high as he will go:

Chris Christie just won a higher percentage of the vote than any Republican running in New Jersey since 1985. He won a huge majority of independent voters. He made inroads among African Americans, Hispanics, women, even Democratic voters. The northeastern-centric media universe will hail Christie as the savior of the Republican Party. 

All of that is why, if he were a stock, today would be the perfect day to sell shares in Chris Christie. 

Christie has plenty of assets that will serve him well as he prepares his all-but-inevitable presidential bid. He is aggressive at a moment when Americans crave decisive leadership. He is certain of where he stands in an era that abhors flip-flopping. He is highly intelligent and savvy enough to avoid an “oops” moment. He’s even more popular than the average presidential candidate is before launching a bid. 

But the reality is that Christie faces enormous hurdles if he wants to run for president, which means today, as he basks in the glow of an adoring media spotlight after his historic win, is probably at the apex of his political career — at least until he wins his first early nominating process.

These are just a few of my takes on last night.  The days of the Tea Party GOP would be numbered if there were any backbones left in the GOP leadership but when you are bought and paid for by big donors, it doesn't leave much wiggle room when you put your career head of the Country.  There is another example of that coming once again from Pete Sessions (R-TX) (what is with the TX water?):

"Everything we do in this body should be about messaging to win back the Senate,” Sessions said. “That’s it. If you don’t want Benghazis to happen or you want an investigation for Benghazi, if you want an investigation on the IRS as opposed to the excuses that [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid [D-Nev.] is all about, if you do not like what’s happening at the [National Security Agency], then you gain the Senate.” Rep Pete Sessions

Republicans are not there to Govern but obstruct to take the Senate back.  Show the GOP the door from the Congress straight to the unemployment line in January 2015.

NJ Teacher who complained to Gov Chris Christie she deserved $83k actually makes $86k

What a horrible example this union teacher is to students as she lied to the Governor about how much salary she made to score points against his wanting to freeze teacher salaries. Shame on her for using the forum of talking to the Governor to push the union lie freezing teacher salaries "is the greateast assault on public education in the history of the state."

Sounds to us that the greatest assault on public education are the teachers who lie for the union when they should know better because salaries are public record.

Score: Gov Christie: 1 -- Union Teacher: 0

NJ Teacher who complained to Gov. Chris Christie she deserved $83k actually makes $86k

By: Mark HemingwayCommentary Staff Writer

05/26/10 3:48 PM EDT

Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had a little dust-up with teacher Rita Wilson. Upset over Christie’s education budget, Wilson complained that she wasn’t paid enough and got sharp rebuke from the governor:

But borough teacher Rita Wilson, a Kearny resident, argued that if she were paid $3 an hour for the 30 children in her class, she’d be earning $83,000, and she makes nothing near that.

“You’re getting more than that if you include the cost of your benefits,” Christie interrupted.

When Wilson, who has a master’s degree, said she was not being compensated for her education and experience, Christie said:

“Well, you know then that you don’t have to do it.” Some in the audience applauded.
Christie said he would not have had to impose cuts to education if the teachers union had agreed to his call for a one-year salary freeze and a 1.5 percent increase in employee benefit contributions.

“Your union said that is the greatest assault on public education in the history of the state,” Christie said. “That’s why the union has no credibility, stupid statements like that.”

Surrounded by reporters after she spoke, Wilson said she was shaking from the encounter, and worried she might get in trouble for speaking out.

Hmm. Well, based on this PDF from the Rutherford, New Jersey Board of Education — it looks like Ms. Wilson makes a salary of $86,389.

Read more at the Washington Examiner

NJ Gov Chris Christie Interview on CNBC his Plans for the Future of New Jersey

Newly elected Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie had his first interview on CNBC's "Squawkbox" on Thursday morning, Feb 18, 2010, and left the tax and spend crowd of New Jersey fighting for air. Gov Christie has a plan for New Jersey which will put the state on a road to recovery with a strict no frills budget along with not raising any taxes.

Thanks to the former Governor Corzine and his Democrat friends in the Legislature, New Jersey is basically bankrupt. They threw money like it grew on trees at all kinds of new programs to keep the unions happy which in turn has helped bankrupt the state with a downtown in revenue which they ignored. N

Gov Christie has been elected by the voters of New Jersey to clean up the mess left behind by Corzine and the Democrats. His plan is receiving rave reviews from taxpayers and howls from the union heads. That means is plan is a Winner!

Watch the interview and ask yourself if this isn't what we should be doing at the Federal level as well. To implement even a portion of this plan at the national level, progressives need to be sent packing on November 2, 2010.