Jezebel: republican party

Purity Balls: Republican Party Proposes Test For Politicians

LatoyaPeterson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

A new purity test for Republicans seeking party support asks if potential GOPers support of the Defense of Marriage Act, are against government funding for abortion, and are ready to bow down and fellate the ghost of Ronald Reagan.

The Wall Street Journal (natch) provides the most concise summary of the resolution and the text of the actual proposal.

But first, writer Peter Wallsten offers this interesting observation:

RNC meetings, traditionally fairly staid affairs focused on mundane rules and convention planning, have become lively in recent years as the party has slipped into minority status. Many committee members are elected by conservative party activists in their home states, and some pushed resolutions in the waning years of the George W. Bush presidency challenging his support for more open immigration laws.

Organizers of the new purity test said they decided to allow deviation on no more than two issues in deference to the mantra of the late President Ronald Reagan, who, as the resolution states, believed "that someone who agreed with him eight out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent."

Still worshiping at the altar of Reagan? Good to know!

The actual proposal is even better - was there any Republican Party before Ronald Reagan - and reads as follows (all emphasis mine):

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan believed that the Republican Party should support and espouse conservative principles and public policies; and

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan also believed the Republican Party should welcome those with diverse views; and

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan believed, as a result, that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent; and

WHEREAS, Republican faithfulness to its conservative principles and public policies and Republican solidarity in opposition to Obama's socialist agenda is necessary to preserve the security of our country, our economic and political freedoms, and our way of life; and

WHEREAS, Republican faithfulness to its conservative principles and public policies is necessary to restore the trust of the American people in the Republican Party and to lead to Republican electoral victories; and

WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee shares President Ronald Reagan's belief that the Republican Party should espouse conservative principles and public policies and welcome persons of diverse views; and (Wait, is this a repeat from three lines ago?)

WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee desires to implement President Reagan's Unity Principle for Support of Candidates; and

WHEREAS, in addition to supporting candidates, the Republican National Committee provides financial support for Republican state and local parties for party building and federal election activities, which benefits all candidates and is not affected by this resolution; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee identifies ten (10) key public policy positions for the 2010 election cycle, which the Republican National Committee expects its public officials and candidates to support [...]

And what are these ten key public policy positions? Here's a hint - the list is defined by what they oppose, not what they support.

1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama's "stimulus" bill;
(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare;
(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;
(4) We support workers' right to secret ballot by opposing card check;
(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;
(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;
(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;
(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;
(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing, denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and
(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership; be further,

RESOLVED, that a candidate who disagrees with three or more of the above stated public policy positions of the Republican National Committee, as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee [...]

The Party of NO has spoken. (And in the case of number nine, spoken in circles. Isn't denial of health care and rationing occurring because of this prohibition on government funding of abortion? Whatever, details, details!)

The NY Times' Caucus blog accurately summarizes the nature of the proposal by explaining:

The resolution invokes Ronald Reagan, and noted that Mr. Reagan had said the Republican Party should be devoted to conservative principles but also be open to diverse views. President Reagan believed, the resolution notes, "that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent."

Hence the provision calling for cutting off Republicans who agree with the party on seven of 10 items.

The Times also explains how the proposal is going to cause problems for RNC Chairman Michael Steele:

While it is unclear whether the test will be adopted when it is put up for consideration before the Republican National Committee early next year, its drafting is a striking example of the intensified internal debate among Republicans about how best to handle pressure from conservatives to move the party more to the right and to recapture control of Congress and the White House.

Its introduction increases pressure on the party chairman, Michael Steele, as he tries to maintain a balance between those in his party who have been saying the road to a Republican comeback is to include divergent views and appeal to the political center, and those who say the party needs to more fully embrace conservative principles.

The Times reached out to spurned GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, who was so thoroughly attacked for her "liberal" views by the Republican establishment that she ultimately ended up endorsing a Democrat earlier this month:

The list was clearly influenced by the divisive Congressional race in upstate New York this fall, when conservative activists deemed the Republican nominee for the seat, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, too liberal and instead supported a third-party candidate, Douglas L. Hoffman.

Under conservative pressure, Ms. Scozzafava withdrew from the race but supported the Democratic nominee, Bill Owens, whose victory removed the seat from Republican hands for the first time in more than 100 years.

On first blush Ms. Scozzafava said she found the new proposal "ridiculous," though she said she would have to read it in full before drawing a final conclusion. "I'm not a big fan of pledges," she said in an interview, "because things don't always fit through a keyhole and governing isn't always that easy."

However, by choosing to create the we-embrace-diversity-until-we-don't doctrine, the GOP has assured the prediction from BarbinMD over at DailyKos: "They're all teabaggers now."

The Ten Types Of Republicans @ Yahoo! Video

Some Conservatives Push a ‘Purity Test' for GOP Candidates [Wall Street Journal]
G.O.P. Considers ‘Purity' Resolution for Candidates [NY Times]
Conservatives Make a List to Measure Candidates' Commitment [NY Times]
Purity Now, Purity Tomorrow, Purity Forever ... [Daily Kos]

Heavy Lifting

Anna — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:10:00 EST

[Washington, D.C., November 20. Image via Getty]

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 20: A Republican Senate aide carries a copy of the 20-pound health care reform bill into a news conference at the U.S. Capitol November 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Republican senators accused the Obama Administration of rationing health care after a panel of doctors announced that women should begin getting regular mammogram at age 50 instead of 40. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pimp My GOP: How The Republican Party Can Become Relevant Again

LatoyaPeterson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Friends, the Grand Ol' Party ain't looking so grand these days. Even John McCain is saying he thinks the GOP needs a makeover. And while I don't work for Style or We, I think I have a few tips.

1. Oust the Puppets Who Think They Are Masters

In a NY Times op-ed today, David Brooks notes:

Republican voters have not heeded their masters in the media. Before long, South Carolina looms as the crucial point of the [2008 Primary] race. The contest is effectively between Romney and McCain. The talk jocks are now in spittle-flecked furor. Day after day, whole programs are dedicated to hurling abuse at McCain and everybody ever associated with him. The jocks are threatening to unleash their angry millions.

Yet the imaginary armies do not materialize. McCain wins the South Carolina primary and goes on to win the nomination. The talk jocks can't even deliver the conservative voters who show up at Republican primaries. They can't even deliver South Carolina!

So what is the theme of our history lesson? It is a story of remarkable volume and utter weakness. It is the story of media mavens who claim to represent a hidden majority but who in fact represent a mere niche - even in the Republican Party. It is a story as old as "The Wizard of Oz," of grand illusions and small men behind the curtain.

And much of the problems plaguing the party are based on these illusions of power. But who actually possesses the type of power to create trust and move the people? As Steve Schmidt admits, Sarah Palin does not possess this trait. Neither does Rick Santorum. Nor Michael Steele.

2. Ensure Your Outreach Is Actually Reaching Out

What kind of person is the GOP looking to attract? And who is doing the recruiting? Having met far too many black Republicans who feel the need to make it known (within minutes) that they aren't like other black people and that they are real original thinkers, I have one thing to say to the Republicans: condescension is not a recruitment tactic. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT HELPING YOU. Get them off the circuit.

In the latest issue ofWords. Beats. Life (peer reviewed global journal of hip-hop culture) recently, and in their "It Ain't My Fault: Blame It On Hip-Hop" issue, they have an interview with Brandon Brice of the Hip-Hop Republicans. He says:

You know in the eighties we were dealing with the struggle. There was a lot of rap music directed toward Reaganomics. But a lot of that—and I question did people really understand it— Reaganomics. There was a lot of negativity towards a lot of the economics policies that President Reagan put out there. And so questioning it is one thing. But actually understanding it and knowing exactly what it is, and breaking it down, I think that's a disservice. I think music is a center of all. And when you are taking your view of things — this is what it is — and you don't have anyone else challenging you, then I think it's a disservice to the listener.

But what is Brice really saying here? Why is there the assumption that people did not understand Reaganomics? Most folks I know didn't like it or were negatively impacted by policies they could trace directly back to Reaganomics. And if there was misinformation about Reaganomics, why was there no example provided of a way those policies benefited the black community?

3. Make Sure Your Party Walks The Talk

You know, perhaps embracing the social conservatives so tightly wasn't such a good idea after all. Aside from the sticky issues of not living up to those lofty ideals on fidelity and heterosexuality, the idea of playing down the intellect and playing up the "folksy" "real American" appeal of the GOP has started to erode a key part of their base.

As Steven F. Hayward writes in the Washington Post:

Today, however, the conservative movement has been thrown off balance, with the populists dominating and the intellectuals retreating and struggling to come up with new ideas. The leading conservative figures of our time are now drawn from mass media, from talk radio and cable news. We've traded in Buckley for Beck, Kristol for Coulter, and conservatism has been reduced to sound bites. [...]

The best-selling conservative books these days tend to be red-meat titles such as Michelle Malkin's Culture of Corruption, Glenn Beck's new Arguing with Idiots and all of Ann Coulter's well-calculated provocations that the left falls for like Pavlov's dogs. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these books. Politics is not conducted by Socratic seminar, and Henry Adams's dictum that politics is the systematic organization of hatreds should remind us that partisan passions are an essential and necessary function of democratic life. The right has always produced, and always will produce, pot-boilers.

Conspicuously missing, however, are the intellectual works. The bestseller list used to be crowded with the likes of Friedman's Free to Choose, George Gilder's Wealth and Poverty, Paul Johnson's Modern Times, Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, Charles Murray's Losing Ground and The Bell Curve, and Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man. There are still conservative intellectuals attempting to produce important work, but some publishers have been cutting back on serious conservative titles because they don't sell.

Dubious selections aside (The Bell Curve? Are you serious?) it is increasingly difficult to gauge the stance of a party that is in a values crisis so severe that the only people speaking are the ones willing to bum rush any microphone to broadcast their nonsense. I suggest they re-evaluate, and take the changing demographics of this country into consideration when they do. And knock the Bell Curve off any and all conservative reading lists.

4. Haters Never Prosper

Enough said. Start making actual plans instead of just jeering at what the Dems are doing. And celebrating that we lost the 2016 Olympic bid is just bad form.

5. More Policy, Less Pomposity

Generally, the people speaking for the Republicans generally aren't actual members of the party, who seem to be too busy with sex scandals to be bothered with work. Instead, there are people like Rush Limbaugh (who responded to David Brooks' op-ed with what was essentially "Don't you know who I am? Don't you wish your column was hot like me?") and Glenn Beck becoming the de facto mouthpieces of the movement. What the Republicans need are smart, talented leadership that can work with real issues instead of relying on the bully pulpits of talk radio to stir up animosity that they can play into. Republicans need to sell ideas, not rage.

To conclude, Republican party needs to add Kelli Goff's book Party Crashing: How the Hip Hop Generation Declared Political Independence to the general reading list. (Hey, strategists: Put down The Bell Curve and read something that might actually help you. And stop reinforcing the racism, it's strong enough in the party.) Guess what - young black people are dying to leave the Democrats! We are ready to go! There are lots of conservatives and moderates of all backgrounds currently with the Dems who would love to cross the aisle. After all, it gets really easy to be taken advantage of if a political party thinks your constituency is on lock. So come on people, work with us. As soon as the GOP starts seeing us as a little more than macacas, border jumpers, dangerous/stupid foreigners, and ingrates who should be thankful for the white man's salvation, we're totally over there. And guys - which I say because there is little to no female leadership - you may want to start fast. It's going to take a while before we start to believe you.

John McCain's Mission: A GOP Makeover [Politico]
The Wizard Of Beck [New York Times]
Schmidt: Palin Would Be Catastrophic [Politico]
Hip Hop Republican [Hip Hop Republican]
Where HipHop and Libertarianism Meet [Official Site]
Words. Beats. Life[Official Site]
Bad Day For USA. Good Day For GOP? [Politico]
Rush Limbaugh On David Brooks: 'JEALOUS' [Politico]
Party Crashing: How The Hip Hop Generation Declared Political Independence [Amazon]

Earlier: Top 10 Ways Male Politicians Confess To Extramarital Affairs

Roberta McCain Is No Dittohead

Margaret — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:20:00 EDT

Last night on The Tonight Show, John McCain's mom, Roberta, bashed Rush Limbaugh saying, "I don't know what he is. But he does not represent the Republican Party that I belong to." Grumpy Grandmas FTW.

Rush's response here.

Did Hillary's Appearance On O'Reilly Actually Make Me Like Her More?

Moe — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:30:00 EDT

Fox is the only news channel that gets any audio on my cable box. This is something, like the interminable nature of this campaign, I generally regard as a negative. But yesterday I had a revelation. See, Hillary Clinton just went on Bill O'Reilly, and when they aren't rerunning clips of the really boring interview, the Fox News talking heads are creaming their pants over how well she's held up, what a "fighter" she is, etc. And it hit me: has Hillary Clinton's stubborn refusal to drop out maybe been good for America? All the phony, cynical and self-serving praise she's had heaped upon her pantsuited self from Rush and Ann and the Weekly Standard and the "Fair And Balanced" regime has started, ever so gradually, to convert into something genuine: respect. Anyway, The Indianapolis Star just endorsed Hillary, a Baptist minister got ushered out by Secret Service for asking John McCain if he really called his wife a "cunt", and Barack Obama drank shit beer at a VFW and the whole thing has lasted so long it's starting to feel like life itself, and Megan and I decided to look at it on the beer-glass half-full side today.

MOE: OK I guess we gotta do this today like every day but I got nothin but a sharp pain in my right temple.
MEGAN: Yeah, dude, today sort of sucks for news. Where was everyone yesterday?
MEGAN: It's so slow, Politico has a column about what Obama should go dirty about if he went dirty.
MOE: Well the DC madam was en route to... the big brothel in the sky? And NY State Supreme Court Justice Robert Doyle was in the parking lot, arraigning a guy who was too fat to squeeze into the courtroom. I was getting a facial and buying shoes and going to the National Magazine Awards, which were incredibly exciting. Hillary was getting her ass licked by everyone on Fox News for her courage and grace under the pressure of "The master" Bill O'Reilly.
MEGAN: Also, Congressman Vito Fossella got arrested for a DUI in Alexandria. Dude, that's what interns are for,

MEGAN: to drive your drunk ass home
MOE: I do kind of love something about this:

"You're a polarizing personality," Mr. O'Reilly chuckled during the interview. "You're like I am, and I hate to say that," he said.

MOE: I bet I know exactly where Vito was stopped.
MEGAN: On the GW Parkway, I assume.
MEGAN: Or, rather, on "Washington Avenue".
MOE: No it's Washington Street.
MOE: And yeah there are a bunch of hidden cop cars there.
MOE: There is also a cop car you'll always see on Ft. Hunt Road but I'm pretty sure it's just because a cop lives in the house.
MEGAN: There always are. It's why I don't go out drinking in Old Town. It's too expensive to cab there and back, the bars are too far from the Metro station and I hate being the DD.
MOE: We could also add the matter of EVERY BAR THERE SUCKS to the laundry list.
MEGAN: Well, yes, but I'll go to sucky bars for cheap drinks. I went to the Continental last week in New York. $4 rum and cokes make up for a lot.
MOE: The credibility of American Idol has been jeopardized! Because Paula Abdul fucked up! Imagine entrusting the credibility of your show to Paula Abdul, and having her falter under pressure. Of all people. And yes I am sick of places that charge six bucks for a beer too.
MEGAN: I have to say, I went out with a friend last night to the bar we refer to as Headquarters and were served a bottle of a wine plus a glass and were charged for 3 glasses total. I love that place. I like the place by you, too, but I'm partial to places where the batenders flirt and don't charge me for all that I can/should not drink.
MOE: I forgive the Marshall Stack its somewhat parsimonious approach to buybacks namely because it is literally two feet from my house. But there's another "headquarters" I've been known to frequent that started buying every third beer on my third or fourth visit, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Did I really deserve it? Is this just built into your business model like so many buy one get one half off promotions at Foot Locker, or is it actually a statement on your appreciation for the combination of liberal tipping habits and apparent dearth of disposable income to be lavishing on your tips and advanced age and tastes in beverage I secretly hope are enough of an advantage to continue surviving in this city as an irredeemable drunk...
MEGAN: I think it's liberal tipping, or my stunning personality. Or the fact that I am constantly in there, bringing people in and being, like, actually pleasant to bartenders. One of my friends thinks going out with me is hilarious because I know bartenders in so many different bars and I'm like, do you know how rarely people say please and thank you and treat them like humans rather than automatic drink dispensers?

MOE: Yeah or when you just learn that the "that bartender is TOTALLY IGNORING ME BECAUSE SHE HATES ME" sensation is a very self-obsessed one and that, if you just chill, they will come. Although sometimes at the Magician it can feel like it is taking a hysterically long time for the bartenders to remember there is another side of the bar. But hey people spend three days in line for bread in Venezuela.
MEGAN: And prolly longer for good dirt cookies in Haiti. You know, I will admit that I have in past years done better with male bartenders than female (cleavage=attention getting device) but lately I've been making friends with lady bartenders, too. I have one's card from last Friday night. She was fun. I taught her how to make a new champagne cocktail.
MOE: I don't know why I am talking so much about alcohol on this hangover but I do enjoy a Kir Royale once in awhile. I always figure bartenders respect that I stick to whiskey and the snobbiest ales they have on tap. But I flatter myself. And male or female it doesn't seem to matter in my case. Although making out at a bar you are more likely to be kicked out by females I think.
MEGAN: I've never been kicked out of a bar for making out. Being rowdy, yes. Making out, no.
MOE: Yeah, the Magician again. I guess I have some unresolved hostility toward that place.
MOE: Never kicked out for being rowdy though.
MOE: Oh wait I missed my segue.
MEGAN: Seg away!
MOE: Obama drank crap beer
MEGAN: God. Panderer.

MEGAN: Oooh, a minister asked McCain about the cunt thing! And he wouldn't say.
MOE: It worked!

Obama greeted George L Sheneman, 80, who pulled out a yellowed letter which Obama read and thanked the man for his service. Your pooler chatted later with Sheneman, who was born in North Liberty and who said he is now an Obama supporter. The letter was one of gratitude from President Truman, written in 1947 when he was discharged from Korea. He served there before the war.

MEGAN: We were in Korea before the war? Goddammit. Fucking military industrial complex.
MOE: Oh yes, okay, this guy who asked, Marty Parrish — was escorted by Secret Service agents for asking that? Seriously? What the fuck?

"We have a man whose temper can get the best of him," Parrish said. "What I am worried about is his temper. Our country is in a serious crisis. This election is the most significant one since 1860. It appears America is asleep — so I stood up and asked the question."

MEGAN: Since 1860? Awesome. Less awesome? Secret Service agents manhandling ministers. McCain handled it well (not the not answering part) but the escorting the guy out was stupid.
MEGAN: When did it become the Secret Service's mission to keep politicians from uncomfortable questions?
MOE: That really makes no sense to me.

MOE: Okay, I'm going to say something about Hillary.
MEGAN: WARNING: CONTROVERSIAL PARTISAN CONTENT TO FOLLOW
MOE: Maybe I am glad she has stayed around this long. Because the Republicans who are suspicious of Obama, namely because he breathes new life into Old Liberal Values and is, truly, "transformative" in terms of the ideological battle between left and right in this country, have been forced to reconsider Hillary entirely. And what started as "grudging self-serving respect" seems to have turned into something more genuine. I truly think some of the same Angry White Men who made her ankles and her cookies and her arrogance into such the Machialesbian Menace have changed their minds. I think the respect is more genuine today. I think they are listening to her when she talks. I could be wrong and it could all be a put-on. But hearing Fox News on the subject of Hillary is about the only thing I can really bear to hear them discuss that isn't, you know, celebushit.
MEGAN: I think part of it's put on, but I'd agree that being in it long enough had brought her more respect than she had before.
MEGAN: However, part of me selfishly wishes that the stupid thing was already decided.
MOE: I mean, of course it is. But in the put on I think a lot of partisan right wingers have really been forced to genuinely rethink Hillary. Ann Coulter is 95% satire, but there was some genuine fondness in her various pro-Hillary screeds, and I'd possibly say the same for Rush, and I think it's really fascinating. Because I never understood in the first place how she was so polarizing — I always thought she was just beholden, and possibly too interested in power for power's sake, and I hate Bill Clinton — and Bill O'Reilly's deference toward her I think was something of a watershed.

MOE: Oh also black churchgoers feel the same way we do about Jeremiah Wright
MEGAN: I think that's sort of where the sexism comes in. Plus they hate Bill Clinton, too, for coopting their messages and being a better politician than them. And possibly for fucking their wives/sisters/daughters.
MOE: I think the campaign has forced a lot of sexists to acknowledge their own sexism definitely. also
MOE: This funny blog called Jeremiah Wright an example of "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" and I just got a reallll bad case of Chapelle nostalgia.
MOE: Where the Fuck is Dave right now for this election
MEGAN: Aw, Dave Chapelle! If it helps you come back, I'll totally pretend to not find you funny!
MEGAN: Jerking off into piles of cash?
MOE: Yeah I will come see you and bring 9 black people with me!
MEGAN: And I'll pretend to be shocked and slightly horrified by your comedy!