THE GREAT GOP MELTDOWN

Once upon a time the GOP stood for the GRAND OLD PARTY.  But lately the Republican Party has been anything but "grand" and is now in fact a party in turmoil.  Infighting between varying factions, lack of an identity or a legitimate leader, and a far right conservative message that's having difficulty connecting with up and coming new generations, the GOP appears to be outdated, obsolete, out of control and on a downward spiral to crash and burn. 

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Exactly when, how, and why did the great meltdown of one of the major political parties in America begin?  Where can blame be placed? Eight years of the failed George W. Bush presidency is certainly a huge factor.  But there has to be more.  The Republican party is primarily 3 parties in one:  the FISCAL CONSERVATIVES (no to affirmative action, yes to tax cuts for the wealthy, yes to trickle-down economics); the CHRISTIAN COALITION (no to gays, no to abortion, and other 21st Century ways of thinking); and the SOUTHERN RACIAL SEGREGATIONISTS (dislikes blacks, mexicans, jews, etc.).  Each of these factions have their own strengths and followings,  and each wants the party run "their" way with "their leader.  But that sort of clash is bound to be catastrophic.
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Right now there's a tug-of-war brewing within the Republican party for exactly which wing will control the GOP, and it's getting nasty.  Many Republicans simply do not like, respect, or want Michael Steele as their leader, and he has quickly become a whipping boy and scapegoat for the party's ills.  But in light of Steele's embarrassing rhetorical flourishes to his bizarre public fight with Rush Limbaugh, he certainly hasn't helped much.  He recently compared Republicans to drunks in need of a 12-step program and to the mentally ill.  And he has promised a “hip-hop makeover” that would attract even “one-armed midgets” to his party.  “I’m trying to move an elephant that’s become mired in its own muck,” Mr. Steele said in an interview last week in his  Capitol Hill office.  Naturally the other Republican factions were not amused.
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Why Chairman Steele feels compelled to recreate the GOP into the "hip hop" party is an absolute mystery, and it calls into question the very motives behind his ascension to chairman.  Was he propped up as sort of a "Republican Obama?"   Did someone in GOP-Land think putting a brown face on the Republican brand would somehow make it more appealing?  Already Steele's pledge to recruit black voters is in question. Raynard Jackson, a Republican consultant, said that he and fellow African-Americans are glad about Mr. Steele’s election but uneasy about its timing. It looks too much like “let’s get a black person out there and let him attack the first black president,” Mr. Jackson said.  Last week, Ada Fisher, one of a handful of black Republican National Committee members and a persistent critic of Mr. Steele’s, called on him to resign, arguing in an e-mail message to the entire committee that he “makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish.”
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It can't be easy being the first African-American to lead the Republican party, but many within the party are already laying in wait to watch him fail.  Said one conservative critic of Steele:  "Michael Steele wanted to be a priest, but that didn't work out. He wanted to be a successful lawyer, but that didn't work out. He wanted to run a consulting firm, but that didn't work out. Steele parlayed this 'success' into a role as Maryland's Lieutenant Governor, but that didn't work out, either -- he was booted out after one term, and didn't follow through on his own hand-picked projects. He then wanted to be a U.S. senator, but that didn't work out.  Remind me, why did the Republican National Committee pick Steele as its chairman?"

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Katon Dawson, who came in second in the January RNC vote, is said to be quietly organizing a vote and is getting the support of several state party chairmen who want to dump Steele.  But if she's successful, then what?  Just who exactly is the REAL leader of the Republican Party?  Is it former President George W. Bush?  Is it failed Republican candidate John McCain?  Is it 2012 hopefuls Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal?  Is it conservative bullhorn Rush Limbaugh?  Which faction of the party will prevail?  And once a true leader is determined will their message and ideology be enough to keep the party relevant and competitive, particularly within the 21st Century and amidst a new generation of voters?  As CNN's Jack Cafferty recently put it:  "The Republican Party is marching double-time down the road to irrelevancy and they don't even know it!"

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SPLITSVILLE!

Remember last summer when it was revealed that Sarah Palin's teenage daughter Bristol was pregnant?  And remember when the McCain/Palin campaign used political spin to make it a beautiful occurrence, claiming Bristol and her high school senior beau Levi Johnston were planning to marry and become a perfect family?  And remember all the uncomfortable pictures from when they rolled good old Levi out and forced him to participate on camera and on stage in all the political appearances with John McCain?  Well put down the shotgun Grandma Sarah, because this wedding is off!

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Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have officially announced they are no longer a couple and in spite of their newborn son Tripp, have gone their separate ways.  In fact, Levi went even further and made it known they broke up some time ago and have long since moved on with their own lives.  Could it be possible that the two love-sick teenagers were never really meant to be together for life, but that the whole marriage thing was a slick attempt to smooth over the unplanned and out of wedlock pregnancy of the daughter of the Christian Conservative Sarah Palin?  Oh, say it ain't so!
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WATCH as Bristol Palin explains that sexual abstinence is unrealistic:

WHERE'S THE HONEYMOON?

President Obama has now officially been in office for 50 days of the proverbial "100 DAYS IN OFFICE" that many like to follow.  Traditionally, members of the opposing party allow the president 100 "grace" days to try some things, make a few mistakes, and basically settle into office without them meddling or presenting much opposition.  However, the Republican party seems to have ditched the "honeymoon" concept almost immediately into the Obama presidency, which poses the obvious question:  WHERE'S THE HONEYMOON?

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The day following his inauguration, President Obama hit the ground running --- literally.  With an economy in recession, a foreign policy in turmoil, and the remnants of a failed Bush presidency to clean up, Obama came into office with a very full plate.  Time was of the essence and he had a lot to do within a little amount of time.  He undid many of the illegalities from the Bush years.  He spent day and night with an economic team looking for ways to stimulate a stalled economy.  He sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton out into the world to repair our tarnished international image.  And he tried ever so hard to keep to his promise of bipartisanship, even hosting luncheons, parties, and movie nights at the White House for members of the GOP and their families.  But the Republicans would hear none of it, and launched a powerful and united attack against the president and his new ideas almost immediately.  Sad they would put party ideology over what's best for America, but I can sum up in one word why they did it:  FEAR.  

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President Obama is soaring with incredibly high public approval ratings, and a large majority of the country trusts and believes he can and will fix the ills of the nation and get us back on the right track.  That's a scary thought for a Republican party ripe with infighting, a failed message, and a confused identity.  Because if President Obama succeeds, the Republican party as we know it could very likely fail and become obsolete.  So they're fighting for their lives.  Why give a "head start" honeymoon to the man who could be driving the final nail in your political coffin?

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Check back tomorrow for a blockbuster of an article entitled: THE GREAT GOP MELTDOWN.

SNL PARODIES RUSH AND STEELE

Saturday Night Live has done it again!  After becoming a political house of comedy during the reign of John McCain and Sarah Palin in the general election, SNL garnered a reputation for taking on political humor in an uncanny and timely way.  They've done President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and even former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his appointed cronie Roland Burris.  Now in light of the recent public feud between Rush Limbaugh and RNC Chair Michael Steele, SNL has once again tackled the political moment with a hilarious outcome.  WATCH:

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I'M SORRY, RUSH!

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 A MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE:

Picture this. You're a Republican who just accidentally offended your leader Rush Limbaugh. You know that your only option is to bow down to King Rush and offer a groveling apology. But you have to do it fast before Leader Rush calls you out. What can you do?

Luckily, we've uncovered the secret Republican Apology Machine. As a member of the DCCC's Rapid Response, we want to give you the chance to give it a try.

Check out I'M SORRY, RUSH!, the fastest and easiest way for a Limbaugh-Loving Republican to express the error of their ways to the king himself.

Now you can draft your own "apology" to Rush just like the pros do it. Best of all, we'll share your "apologies" with Rush personally.

Check it out.

Brian Wolff
Executive Director, DCCC

LIAR!

Last Tuesday during his rebuttal speech following President Obama's address to Congress, Bobby Jindal told a touching tale of how during Hurricaine Katrina he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff who was battling government red tape to try to rescue stranded victims.  According to Jindal Sheriff Harry Lee was yelling into the phone at a government bureaucrat who was refusing to let him send volunteer boats out to rescue stranded storm victims, because they didn't have the necessary permits. Jindal said he told Lee, "that's ridiculous," prompting Lee to tell the bureaucrat that the rescue effort would go ahead and he (or she) could arrest both Lee and Jindal.  Well, as it turns out, there's one thing wrong with that story....IT'S A LIE!

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Over the past several days various news organizations raised serious questions about the story, based in part on the fact that no news reports could be found to place Jindal in the affected area at the specific time of his tale.  But now, a Jindal spokeswoman has admitted the story is "inaccurate" and that in reality, Jindal overheard Lee talking about the episode to someone else by phone "days later." Since Sherrif Lee died in 2007, it was an easy story to get away with telling without accountability.  Although Jindal's office is now playing defense trying to spin the story and his choice telling it into something more positive, the fact remains it just wasn't true.  Perhaps honesty really is the best policy after all!  WATCH:

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FAMILY FEUD

There seems to be a family feud brewing within the ranks of the Republican Party, between the elected leader of the GOP Michael Steele and the real "FACE" of the GOP Rush Limbaugh --- and it's a good one.

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As an African-American, Michael Steele was elected to supposedly "shake-up" and salvage the fledgling party, drag it into the 21st century, and try to create a more diverse and inclusive party that would appeal to the newly enthused youth voter.  But after a raucous appearance last Saturday before the Conservative Political Action Conference by Rush Limbaugh, it was quite evident there's a powerful wing of the GOP that is ready, willing, and able to clash with Chairman Steele and his lofty plans.
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On a Sunday appearance on CNN Steele was asked if Limbaugh was the real face of the GOP, to which Steele made it clear HE is the leader of the Republican Party and noted Rush Limbaugh is an "entertainer" whose positions are often "incendiary" and "ugly."  But apparently those were fighting words to Rush and he was to have none of it. So on Monday Limbaugh put on his boxing gloves and brazenly criticized Steele for having the audacity to lambaste the conservative radio talk-show host,  prompting a swift public apology from Steele who clearly doesn't want to ruffle the feathers of the powerful Limbaugh and his constituents. A tug of war for control of the party is almost certainly in the works, especially from those who may not yet be ready for the African-American Steele to be calling the shots for their Grand Old Party.  Now the stage is being set for what could soon become a very ugly public family feud.  Here is a clip of the comments by Michael Steele and Rush Limbaugh from Round 1 of what is surely more to come.  WATCH:

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