Republicans in the Twilight Zone

What exactly is going on inside the GOP? Have they lost their minds?  The Congressional leadership appears to have sold out to the Democrats and Rinoism, the home office for party officials appears to have “gone wobbly,” and the party communications apparatus appear to be missing clear opportunities to score gains among the American people. I feel like I am watching something from the twilight zone. 

First, there is the mighty Congressional Leadership, particularly Speaker Boehner, but also certain voices in among the Senate Republicans. Apparently, Speaker Boehner has cultivated something that looks like a bi-partisan majority. (For Alaskans, that is what we just got rid of in the Alaska Senate.) This “bi-partisan” majority certainly is not something obvious from committee assignments, but is one that exists in voting blocks.  Through a group of “moderate” Republicans and Democrats most of the issues of value to conservatives, such as Obama Care, tax reform, and spending cuts, are being swept under the rug.   It apparently escaped Speaker Boehner’s attention that he became Speaker through the Tea Party influence.

Leaders in both houses of Congress seem be capitulaters rather than the defenders and voices of fiscal conservatism that we hoped they would be. Newt Gingrich had asserted early into the 2013 legislative season that there seemed to be a surrender caucus forming among the GOP Congressional leadership. He sure seems to be on the money in his observations.  Just as media personalities such as Bill Maher begin to talk about liberals losing him on the issue of taxes, Senate Republicans like Lindsey Graham and John McCain seem to be interested in raising taxes rather than tax cuts that would increase revenue. (Note to Senator Graham: I knew about your dinner plans and I live in Northern rural Alaska; not much of a "secret."). Once again,  Republicans are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Rather than being strong and holding firm, they appear to be caving and going all wobbly.

Second,  we have the members of the home office of the RNC. Rather than basking in the glow of CPAC and the swelling numbers of the conservative movement and winning the future, they issue a report on pandering to constituencies by the consultant class. You know, the report that never once mentions "Get Out the Vote (GOTV)." If there was ever a master of chilling hope for the future of the party, it is Reince Priebus. Rather than sitting on the report for a week, or rather than releasing it prior to CPAC to give speakers an opportunity to respond to it, the timing of the report’s release demonstrated that the Republican Party is absolutely not interested in anything that the conservative movement has to offer, short of money and votes. The document itself is a master piece of consultant class on how the Republican Party can become the party of Democrat lite and engage in niche pandering.  It is a document that attempts to use the franchise model to counter a competing franchise and counter niche marketing with niche marketing. In this aspect, it fails miserably. Particularly troublesome is the document’s recommendations on pandering to constituencies rather than Americans. It grants voter niches rather than unifying Americans.

Third is the communication aspect of the GOP. Beyond troublesome, the timing of the release of the document shows a lack of sincerity by the party with respect to the very group they hope to solicit support.   As they released the report, they appeared absent from defending Ted Cruz, a leading Hispanic voice in the party and freshman Senator. As the lead counsel on the Heller decision, media outlets like the Morning Joe trashed Cruz as “ignorant” of the Heller decision!  It was an easy defense! Where was the party’s communications apparatus? Well, the quiet was deafening, and they certainly were not defending Cruz! The casual observer might think they were part of the attack!

I noticed that they seemed more content to attack Sarah Palin rather than defend Ted Cruz! Prominent on Breitbart's web site was a story about Tucker Carlson of the Daily Caller making snarky comments about Sarah Palin's activities. I noticed Karl Rove's cagey responses on Sarah Palin's CPAC speech, but I did not see the party out there defending Senator Cruz. Indeed, I wondered when Tucker Carlson switched his party affiliation to D, for he certainly sounded more D than R on St. Patricks' Day.

It seemed that the party apparatus was enjoying a dish of Palin flesh rather than corned beef, black beans, and green tea.

Where has the communications arm of the party been at all? Why would any minority ever support the GOP at this point? The GOP threw the Tea Party under the bus after coming to power through their ranks. They had Congressman Allen West. They threw him under the bus in his re-election effort. They attack Sarah Palin at every turn, then wonder why the Democrat's "War on Women" meme stuck.  Do they not get that their actions suggests a lack of sincerity on the part of the RNC. Do they not see it is their own actions that give the meme credibility?

Indeed, the party apparatus has been rather absent. Rather than pushing back on issues, they seem all too cheerful to capitulate to Obama’s agenda, all too willing to throw their own future leaders and past supporters under the bus.  It really does seem to be a surrender caucus.

I have a news flash for the RNC. Do you want to grown the Republican Party? How about building on your strengths?  Do you want the support of minority Americans? How this is: defend the ones you have. Quit throwing American conservatives, particularly those who are members of minority constituencies, under the bus. Minority constituencies see this, and they conclude you are pandering and lack sincerity.  Do you want the support of women? Quit attacking Sarah Palin.  These groups can’t hear your message because your actions communicate a lack of sincerity.

No American, minority or otherwise, will regard your voice as sincere when you go all wobbly when the rubber meets the road.  Here is what people see: The Congressional leadership threw the Tea Party concerns out the window and failed to defend them in the media. The party leadership failed to back the minority conservatives once they are in office. Indeed, they seem to participate in the feeding frenzy of attack.  They see a consultant class running the party that is all to happy to take their money but not the least bit interested in what they think. The people on the ground don't need a consultant to hear it, they KNOW because it is in their face. Quit telling me what you THINK you know and start listening to what people have to SAY.

Oh, and RNC, quit attacking Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin empowers women. You do realize that when you do that, you give the "War on Women" mantra credibility, right? You do realize that Sarah Palin has a loyal cadre of supporters? Has it escaped your attention that Alaska elected a record number of conservative women to their state legislature?  In case it escaped your attention, the Senators in the filibuster were all candidates that Palin strongly backed?

Americans of all colors do not value appeasers, capitulaters, wussies, and weasels. The only thing about a flaccid posture is that it is all over the place. You can’t say you want a strong America when you are a weak on your values. Get your communications apparatus revved up and start defending Cruz. Get it revved up and start educating the American people that lower taxes mean more revenue. Get to the bottom of Benghazi, for even Democrats are saying there are impeachable offenses in that investigation.  Get it revved up on how a strong economy is the best defense of America. Promote American exceptionalism as something to be valued by all Americans.  

And GOP, where is your offense against Nanny State, gun grabbing Bloomberg?

The twilight zone appears before sun rise and sunset. A GOP with a back bone will rise; a GOP without one will set. If you want the party to rise, grow a back bone.