Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
So I must say -- speaking only for myself -- that I'm not thrilled by the Delaware result. I'm a conservative, but I can do basic math. To me the whole thing looks like it came right out of Harry Reid's dream journal. I think the primary voters decided, and it is their decision to make, to toss away a sure-thing GOP Senate pick-up for, well, I'm not sure what. I can say that with a GOP majority now a longer shot, heads are exploding throughout the GOP Senate caucus.
That said, let me make a suggestion to the snarling combantants in the GOP's looming civil war. Let's settle the argument once and for all. I think the architects of the O'Donnell putsch, namely S.C. Senator Jim DeMint and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, should both temporarily move to Delaware full time and personally lead the O'Donnell campaign. Control it, direct it, and own it. Show that Georgetown cocktail party addicted and hapless GOP establishment how it's really done. I've got my notebook out, and I'm ready to learn. Call me a peacemaker.
RAHE > The Significance of the Upset in Delaware
ROBINSON > The Delaware Primary and What Happens Next
- Comment (162)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (5)
Comments :
Aug '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
No, Mr. Riscili, we have had enough of this dopey, McCainian strategy. We need to beat the ever-living political daylights out of the Democrats and we are willing to work through even inevitable losses to get the principled arguments into the hearts and minds of the people who really count: the American public. This is going to be a politically bloody battle. This is the moment when we hear our Colonel, low on ammo, low on prospects, with enemies mounting the hill towards us, cry out in that ominous, desperate but determined command, "COMPANY!. ...fix bayonets!" Honest to God, Mr. Riscili, we are going to run these bastards through. Got it?
Jul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
I got to the party late (as always, stupid International Date Line), but while reading through all 99 posts that were up when I started, another 15 appeared. This has got to be some kind of record.
I agree wholeheartedly with Aaron's comments (about 45 comments ago, maybe). There is absolutely nothing to be gained for the party by smearing a primary victor. It only gives fodder to the Democrats in other races. If you are against Ms. O'Donnell on principle (as I am), God bless you, but there is no reason to run into the streets, banging cymbals and screaming like a banshee about how horrible she is.
Mr. Murphy displays an ironic lack of pragmatism by coming out so strongly and so openly against Ms. O'Donnell after the primary. In doing so he has weakened the Republican Party as a whole, not just in Delaware, this comment thread included in ammunition for the Left to make the crazy case that the GOP is imploding.
Edited on Sep 15, 2010 at 9:03pmJul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
There is something to be learned from this imbroglio:
The Tea Party, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint should do at least as much background checking before they endorse as I do before hiring a janitor.
Edited on Sep 15, 2010 at 9:12pmJul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Humza Ahmad: If you are against Ms. O'Donnell on principle (as I am), God bless you, but there is no reason to run into the streets, banging cymbals and screaming like a banshee about how horrible she is.
Mr. Murphy displays an ironic lack of pragmatism by coming out so strongly and so openly against Ms. O'Donnell after the primary. In doing so he has weakened the Republican Party as a whole, not just in Delaware, this comment thread included in ammunition for the Left to make the crazy case that the GOP is imploding. · Sep 15 at 9:01pm
Edited on Sep 15 at 09:03 pm
It's never fun to get into these intra-party tussles, but Mike Murphy's not the one who crashed the party -- Christine O'Donnell is. And while I agree that this squabble hands ammo to the Left, I think the national GOP has more to gain if it does everything it can to dissociate itself from O'Donnell. She's an embarrassment, and she'll continue to hurt us as long as it seems that she's got the support of the party at large.
Jul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Kenneth: There is something to be learned from this imbroglio:
The Tea Party, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint should do at least as much background checking before they endorse as I do before hiring a janitor. · Sep 15 at 9:04pm
Edited on Sep 15 at 09:12 pm
Kenneth, we've had our disagreements, but this line provided the heartiest (and undoubtedly most needed) chuckle on the comment thread thus far.
Jul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Charlie Dameron
Kenneth: There is something to be learned from this imbroglio:
The Tea Party, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint should do at least as much background checking before they endorse as I do before hiring a janitor. · Sep 15 at 9:04pm
Edited on Sep 15 at 09:12 pm
Kenneth, we've had our disagreements, but this line provided the heartiest (and undoubtedly most needed) chuckle on the comment thread thus far. · Sep 15 at 9:15pm
My hometown elected a cleaning lady mayor. Hmm. I guess that was a step in the right direction. Think of the slogan possibilities...
Sep '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
There has been a lot of chatter on this thread about political in-fighting, a Republican power struggle, and a "civil war" within the GOP. I, myself, have pointed out that the Old Republican Guard feels threatened by the rise of the Tea Party. If History teaches us anything, it is that entrenched bigshots never give up power easily.
Here's how the thing will shake out:
It seems almost certain that November will see a crushing Republican victory.
In the wake of that victory, the Tea Party will (deservedly or not) get all the credit. And that may very likely result in a true paradigm shift in American politics.
I see two probable results:
(1) The Tea Party entirely absorbs the Republican Party.
Or:
(2) The Tea Party displaces the Republican Party, which is reduced to minor third-party status.
The Old Republican Guard has a right to be scared.
One thing is certain: the Republican Party will not absorb the Tea Party and they will never bring it to heel. The thing is too big, and now well beyond their control.
Aug '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
It seems like half the posters in this thread think Mike Murphy is down on O'Donnell's candidacy because she's not part of the establishment. Mike Gallagher made basically the same charge today about Charles Krauthammer and Karl Rove. But I don't get that feeling at all from Mike's post, and I've never felt that Krauthammer and Rove were knee-jerk establishmentarians. Measured by the political positions they take, O'Donnell isn't that different from Sarah Palin, for whom both Krauthammer and Rove have nothing but respect and admiration.
Everyone seems to accept the idea that had Castle won the nomination, he'd be a shoo-in for the Senate. I think the idea that O'Donnell is unlikely to win is a respectable position, and because Murphy, Krauthammer, Rove and others argue exactly that, it doesn't mean that they're threatened by her outsider status, or hold her supporters in contempt.
In seven weeks we'll find out if she wins or loses. If she does in fact lose, will those who denounced the "establishment" for warning of her unelectability think it was all worth it, or pine for for Senator Castle?
Sep '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
[Ed.'s Note: This comment has been deleted due to multiple violations of the Code of Conduct]
Edited on Sep 15, 2010 at 10:20pmJul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
That sort of name-calling is way too hostile for a community like this. Murphy generated one of the most spirited conversations in Ricochet's recent memory. I'm sure he's got competing claims on his evening (like, perhaps, sleep. It is past 1 am Eastern time).
Let's keep this civilized.
Edited on Sep 15, 2010 at 10:22pmJul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Charlie Dameron
Kenneth: There is something to be learned from this imbroglio:
The Tea Party, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint should do at least as much background checking before they endorse as I do before hiring a janitor. · Sep 15 at 9:04pm
Edited on Sep 15 at 09:12 pm
Kenneth, we've had our disagreements, but this line provided the heartiest (and undoubtedly most needed) chuckle on the comment thread thus far. · Sep 15 at 9:15pm
I'm serious. With an internet connection, a telephone, $19.95 and one or two days, any competent HR person could have discovered way more than enough on O'Donnell to put her out of the running.
Instead, the Tea Party people, Palin and DeMint relied on cursory interviews and came away finding O'Donell charming.
Of course she's charming: con artists always are.
Jul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Hmmm....Michelle Malkin is reporting that Castle has been on the phone today with Obama and Biden.
Sep '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
"Who approached you? Tattaglia? Or Barzini?"
More specifically, Biden and Obama (in that order) called Mike Castle. Whatever was discussed, they made the overture. Naturally, this has stirred up all kinds of speculation. In the comments section at Michelle's site, "Truesoldier" posted a plausible explanation: "My guess is that they are trying to convince him to run as an independent to siphon votes from O'Donnell in exchange for either a Czarship or one of those "unpaid" positions they offered Sestak."
That sounds about right to me. At the least, they may have asked him to endorse Chris Coons.
As of this posting, Mike Castle has not called to congratulate O'Donnell and refuses even to mention her in his emails to supporters. I seriously doubt that he will endorse her.
And now he might turn traitor.
Christine O'Donnell has been criticized for having a poor character. That's better than having no character at all.
The "smart guys" in the Old Republican Guard backed Castle and gave him money. My faith in their wisdom diminishes with each passing hour.
Edited on Sep 16, 2010 at 1:13amMay '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
David Schmitt
No, Mr. Riscili, we have had enough of this dopey, McCainian strategy. . . Honest to God, Mr. Riscili, we are going to run these bastards through. Got it? ·
I got it but, we need enough competent people on the front lines to hold off the enemy advance until reinforcements arrive. I'm afraid it will do us no good to charge up the hill undermanned, without proper ammo and supplies.
This is not about compromise, which has been the McCain strategy. The gist of what I am saying is that we need to be willing to sustain short term losses in order to remake the party so that it can have a sustainable conservative majority going forward. I'm actually against the very practicality that has gotten us to this point. I'd rather take 5 Senate seats with truly conservative candidates than 10 seats if 5 of those are RINOs. I don't think we can lose 10 seats in the short term and expect that we will ever get the country back,
May '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
O'Donnell's biggest problem going forward will be that the Delaware state GOP establishment, and the RNC and NRSC generally, will flip into passive-aggressive mode and quietly undercut her at every turn. That's how it works in Illinois, I'd be surprised if it didn't work that way in Delaware.
Likely one of the major factors in Castle's defeat was that over time he simply made himself so odious to so many people that when the conservatives had a real chance of giving him a comeuppance, they did. Castle got too comfortable as an "Emir of Incumbistan" as Mark Steyn puts it and simply "had it coming."
Voters this year are a lot angrier and impatient to "throw the bums out" than was thought by party higher-ups on both sides of the aisle. For example, John Boehner's equivocation on earmarks, hemming and hawing around about tax cuts last Sunday, and stumbling, bumbling, fumbling around generally does nothing but convince the voters that the GOP beltway types still "don't get it" and that if returned to power will return to business as usual ante-2004.
Edited on Sep 16, 2010 at 3:54amJul '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Please Kenneth "You're ignoring the lawsuit. Read it. Disgusting."
I guess you've never been divorced? Or seen a sexual harassment suit? What to make of Justice Thomas? Did you read those allegations?
/shakes head
...Disgusting...
Plus, you know, she dropped the lawsuit.
Edited on Sep 16, 2010 at 4:43amJun '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
This entire thread has me convinced that Professor Codevilla got it right. I'm usually loathe to engage in class warfare, but I'm getting my face rubbed in the guano by smug elitists, only this time it's coming from the right. Rove, Krauthammer, and now Murphy only confirm the Codevilla thesis. The us versus them conflict is now defined as the ruling elites versus the citizenry. This is a republic, dammit! Whether I label the opposition as elitist, aristocratic, or oligarchic, it all amounts to the same thing. So far very few people seem to understand the significance of the Codevilla essay. The paradigm has shifted. This thread is the proof.
So to the elites, I say it's time you listened to us. RINO's will be hunted to extinction. We will accept the short term losses because we are looking ahead to 2012 and beyond. We're going to take back the Republican Party. Then we take back the nation based on our founding principles. Mr. Lott stated that new candidates must be co-opted into the party. He has it exactly backwards. We the People intend to have our nation back. You have been warned.
Edited on Sep 16, 2010 at 5:30amAug '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Paul, in my case, the answer is, "No." Cleaning out squishy Republicans is not going to be a pretty job. Were the Delaware election to turn out against our wishes, my question would be, why not someone other than Castle in the primary? Castle was the basic problem. Only one, actually small, part of politicking is campaigning for candidates. The real life of politics is discovering and promoting sound ideas for our civic venture. Elections are secondary to that. (That does not mean that elections are unimportant and do not demand great effort.) Let's not turn politics over to technicians of electioneering. Were I closer to the events in Delaware earlier on, I might have had a different view of the primary. Shame on the Republican leadership for not taking care of that sooner. Had the Republican leadership taken the Tea Party seriously a year ago, things could possibly turned out differently. Actually, Republican arrogance and deafness has been decades in the making.
Aug '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
Kenneth: There is something to be learned from this imbroglio:
The Tea Party, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint should do at least as much background checking before they endorse as I do before hiring a janitor. · Sep 15 at 9:04pm
Edited on Sep 15 at 09:12 pm
Quite right. On the other hand and as a general rule, I think we can live with some imperfections in politicians. Republicans are more fearful concerning insinuations than Democrats--and that can be a good sign, to a degree.
Edited on Sep 16, 2010 at 5:57amJun '10
Re: Civil War in the GOP? A Peacemaker's Proposal...
I see this morning that C. Edmund Wright at American Thinker takes on Karl Rove. More proof that the Republican Party has a genuine insurgency on its hands. As far as I can see the only big gun standing with the insurgents is Rush Limbaugh. Like him or hate him, you have to respect his political acuity. I said it before, but now I'm going to double-down: "The Codevilla Essay will be the founding document for a second American Revolution." To my insurgent brethren, I say, stand resolute my brothers and sisters. We have a nation to take back. And we are legion.