The New Face of the Republican Party

[we vs us]

It ain't Bobby Jindahl, it ain't Rush Limbaugh.  It's Meghan McCain:

I'm often criticized for not being a "real" Republican, and I have been called a RINO—Republican In Name Only—in the past. Many say I am not "conservative enough," which is something that I am proud of. It is no secret that I disagree with many of the old-school Republican ways of thinking. One of the biggest issues from which I seem to drift from the party base is in my support of gay marriage. I am often criticized for previously voting for John Kerry and my support of stem-cell research. For the record, I am also extremely pro-military and a big supporter of the surge and the Iraq war.

snip

I am sure most extreme conservatives and extreme liberals would find me a confusing, walking contradiction. But I assure you, there are many people out there just like me who represent a new, younger generation of Republicans. It took me almost two years of campaigning across this country and hanging out, on a daily basis, with some of the most famous and most intelligent Republicans to fall in love with the Republican Party. If it took that much time and exposure for me to join the party, how can GOP leaders possibly expect to reach young supporters by staying the course they have been on these past eight years? Where has our extreme thinking gotten us? President Bush will go down as one the least popular presidents in history. I constantly hear stories about Republicans who previously worked for President Bush and my father feeling ostracized, unable to get jobs in D.C. right now.

The whole thing deserves a read.  On the surface it's a repudiation of Ann Coulter (who McCain calls a "trainwreck"), but the post itself is a plea for moderation within the GOP.  She's a smart enough cookie to realize that old skool Republicans just aren't crossing over to younger voters and that it's a generational problem that could plague the party for years and years. Her ability to remain conservative with some proudly "unconservative" values is, IMO, the key to getting out of the wilderness for the GOP.  The problem will be in getting the old ideological warriors to step aside in favor of pragmatism.  Or inclusiveness.  Or big tent politics.  Or any sort of political plurality that includes more than the current interest groups.   

[rwarn17588]

It looks like the linky thingamajig isn't working.

Of course, Meghan ought to tell this to Robert Stacy McCain, who's as big of a wingnut as you'll find. He's written some truly unhinged stuff.

[we vs us]

Thanks.  Fixed it, I think.

[Neptune]

Don't know whether or not she's the new face of the GOP.  IMO, the GOP has way more problems than Rush or Ann.  The GOP is caught in the middle of the monster it created several decades ago.

For the religious right (not the Ann's and Rush's who pander to the religious right), Economic Conservatism has always been an "iffy" proposition because it automatically excludes state action on moral issues (abortion excluded).  Churches are supposed to be charitable, and have been a prime driver of State involvement on moral issues in the past.  The effect seems to be, the religious right is losing numbers (or at least not growing fast enough) to less "right" churches.  They're getting older, crabbier, and less effective.

For the moderate Republicans, you have to keep pumping abortion to get elected.  Evolution in thought processes is your enemy, because as more and more people give up the abortion debate, your base dwindles to where you're no longer electable in some regions of the country.  And "abortion" has never been philosophically consistent with  "Economic Conservatism" or more purely Libertarianism.  The last three decades have been an experiment in how long the GOP can keep the religious-right strung along, without negatively effecting their "electability".

I wouldn't call the GOP "dead".  They'll reorganize.  I think the religious-right's power has dwindled, and a clean break might be called for.  The GOP isn't all bad, they're just hanging around with bad people, and claiming that as their party.  They have to exist, even as a minority party they have to provide some opposition.  The system won't work well without it.

I think the GOP's choice now comes down to "wait it out, wait for the screw-up", "reorganize without the religious-right", or "adopt liberal principles which are more acceptable to the religious-right (turn the religious right into moderates)."

[RipTout]

The GOP is far from dead....let's go Newt!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/open-letter-to-the-republ_b_172822.html

The libs are getting too Huffie....

[Hoss]

The GOP is far from dead....let's go Newt!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/open-letter-to-the-republ_b_172822.html

The libs are getting too Huffie....

If Newt's the best they can come up with, then they're in dire straits for sure.  You remember the ethics sanctions and the fine, right?  Not like that won't be brought up during a Presidential campaign.

The Repubs need to find a more moderate face to project.  Palin?  Too polarizing.  Jindal?  How about that rebuttal!

Good thing is, there's four years until the 2012 Presidential election.

[Conan71]

If Newt's the best they can come up with, then they're in dire straits for sure.  You remember the ethics sanctions and the fine, right?  Not like that won't be brought up during a Presidential campaign.

The Repubs need to find a more moderate face to project.  Palin?  Too polarizing.  Jindal?  How about that rebuttal!

Good thing is, there's four years until the 2012 Presidential election.

Newt won't run.  He knows he's a bag with a plastic nozzle on the end.

As far as Meghan McCain, try again.  Nothing but a petty attention whore.  As Hoss would say, she's in her 16th minute. There was as story about how her father's candidacy wrecked her dating life published last week.  Sheesh, poor, poor Meghan, WGAF about your dating life???  I'm more worried about your dad mortgaging your future!!!

[Hoss]

Newt won't run.  He knows he's a bag with a plastic nozzle on the end.

..snip the rest...

Great way around the censors, Conan!  I have my '16th minute' and now you have this.

You can't make this stuff up.  But yes, I do agree.

And my whole point is, regardless of what some people may think, is that I would vote for a Republican, as long as it was the right Republican.  John McCain almost was until he picked Sarah.  If Hillary had been nominated I just don't think I could have voted for her.  Bill would be too close to the inner workings yet again.  When Obama was, I decided he would get my vote.

I understand the Conservative's need for someone to draw the base to them, but I sure thought they could have done better.  I thought for sure that Pawlenty was getting the nod.  I guess it goes to show you how much crankyank the far-right has within the movement and the Republican party.

Oh well, one thing this last election did for me: it got me interested in politics seriously for the first time in my 41 years on this planet.

[Conan71]

Great way around the censors, Conan!  I have my '16th minute' and now you have this.

You can't make this stuff up.  But yes, I do agree.

And my whole point is, regardless of what some people may think, is that I would vote for a Republican, as long as it was the right Republican.  John McCain almost was until he picked Sarah.  If Hillary had been nominated I just don't think I could have voted for her.  Bill would be too close to the inner workings yet again.  When Obama was, I decided he would get my vote.

I understand the Conservative's need for someone to draw the base to them, but I sure thought they could have done better.  I thought for sure that Pawlenty was getting the nod.  I guess it goes to show you how much crankyank the far-right has within the movement and the Republican party.

Oh well, one thing this last election did for me: it got me interested in politics seriously for the first time in my 41 years on this planet.

Hoss, it doesn't matter to me who someone votes for as long as they understand the process, why they believe the way thay do, and why they need to participate as a voter.  Nothing irks me more than a constant critic of government who REFUSES to vote.  I'm glad you've gotten more involved in the process, now is a great time for every citizen to realize that they cannot afford to let government "happen" to them, they need to participate and have a voice (yes even the poor unwashed masses who disagree with my superior intellect  )  JK guys, don't kill my karma!

[Neptune]

John McCain almost was until he picked Sarah.

That might have been the GOP's last "great" attempt to hold the right for a while.

I think the GOP had some historical evidence on its side which suggested holding "the right" was how they win elections.  Of course, that's never been exactly the case.  Even GWB, the ultimate Christian-right president for many, tried to gain the center 2000.

I think a Moderate Republican can be perfectly honest, avoid pandering to the right, win an election, and never worry about betraying his or her self.  The GOP can not lose "the right."  It's almost an impossibility.  

After the last eight years, if they pander to the right, the GOP can lose everyone else.

[joiei]

Apparently John McCain's mother does not like Rush.  He does not represent her Republican Party. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/14/roberta-mccain-limbaugh-d_n_203458.html

The elder Mrs. McCain told Leno she "belongs to the Republican party," but thinks Limbaugh "has nothing to do" with it:

"I belong to the Republican Party. What [limbaugh] represents of the Republican Party has nothing to do with my side of it. I don't know what the man means, I don't know what he's talking about."

During the brief late night interview, McCain also said she agrees with RNC Chairman Michael Steele's characterization of Limbaugh as an "entertainer."

"I think [Steele] was exactly right when he defined this man as an entertainer. To my horror, the Republican Party made him back up on it."

[Hoss]

Apparently John McCain's mother does not like Rush.  He does not represent her Republican Party. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/14/roberta-mccain-limbaugh-d_n_203458.html

Wonder how long it will be before Rush starts bashing a 90-plus year old woman?

[joiei]

It will be interesting to see if he trys to make her retract her statements. 

[guido911]

Apparently John McCain's mother does not like Rush.  He does not represent her Republican Party. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/14/roberta-mccain-limbaugh-d_n_203458.html

Noticed your post omits her bashing Olbermann as well.

[Nik]

Noticed your post omits her bashing Olbermann as well.

two sides of the same coin.

and this post was about the Republican party, so naturally olbermann was left out. if i could only count the times you have selectively cropped parts from articles.