Political Musings on the Current GOP Internal Conflicts

Political Dialog on the Current GOP Internal Conflicts

2 cents worth - FWIW We're not at the starting line. Not yet gathering for the race. Nowhere near close to the arena. We don't even know who will qualify for the party primaries. We are a long long way off from 2016. So let's digress to early 2007 and the plethora of Dem candidates. Remember? And then we ended up with WHO on 4nov2008 ? Jeez! How did that happen? We enjoy the game of predicting only because predicting is deeply innate to our human nature. But even a bookie in London or Las Vegas wouldn't lay odds now. Anything and anyone is possible at this stage of the game - especially so for those with power, money, and a strong organization behind them (like Jeb). So yes indeed, it's way way too early to count old Jeb out. (But I'll stretch the boundaries of prudent rationality and rule out Condi anyway - But no one else. Shame on me.)

Everything in Moderation I'm no longer counting Rand Paul or Rubio out at all - especially not Rand Paul - not now. But you've hit the nail on the head - there are "marginal" Dems who can be persuaded to vote GOP - if the candidate is attractive and the policies sound "pleasantly" conservative (without anything obtuse to muck up the works). I am convinced that the fumble-tongues of Todd and Mourdock not only cost them their senatorial bids it cost the GOP marginal votes all over the country. And to me - today's winner has to capture the marginal votes first. With all that the Dems sing and tout Obama's victory as a runaway - it wasn't. Obama beat Romney all along the margins. Even in Florida the election was won through the marginal voters. I've long maintained that a "moderate" conservative would win over any progressive - if he captures the marginal voters.

Political Musings on the Current GOP Internal Conflicts

The more the smoke clears the more it becomes apparent that Romney and the GOP lost because they were guzzling down their own political BS in excessive quantities - without a serious gut-check. It was hubris to the Nth degree plain and simple. If they had spouted their own brand of political BS out the front door solely for consumption by the willing public- but kept a vigilant eye on the realities of the landscape through the backdoor - they wouldn't have been so surprised. There were too many happy-faced Pied Pipers (Rove, Rush, Rasmussen, Gallup, et al,) who had the GOP "blindly" convinced they were all headed to Nirvana. They all failed to check their own political "assumptions". But you can't gut check your own political "assumptions" with a clear head if you're stuck in the broken record track of a rigid political dogma that is hell bent on "exclusion" and not "inclusion". All that talk about "RINOs" doesn't help the GOP - it isolates the party. There was a stupid assumption that the right-wing elite could denigrate the RINOs with impunity and the RINOs would still vote GOP - and that proved to be a stupid assumption. Some RINOs retaliated with the pejorative term "RAABBITs" = Republican And a Blind Bigot Idiot Twit". We're in an era where every vote counts - exclusion only chases potential votes away. Why chase votes away? And from the way Rand Paul is talking - irrespective of his true personal feelings and beliefs - he won't travel down the public road of "exclusion" to perdition.

A Glimmer of Hope
Well - I guess there may be a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered GOP. CPAC was pretty much a grand-poobah cheerleading conference - with the vast majority singing the same old GOP losers song wearing way too many blinders on..."Ain't nothing wrong with us - We like us as we are - So let's not change a thing. And off to OZ we go!" When GOP reformers for "inclusive" change spoke, they all got a very poor (not-invented-here) reception those very poor receptions included Jeb Bush as well as Bobby Jindal. When reformers for GOP "exclusivity" ranted on - they all got great receptions. Rubio's offered nothing new under the elephant. And Sara Palin just had to openly criticize Karl Rove in her speech. Meanwhile Rand Paul wants to eliminate the Federal Reserve, the IRS and income taxes (?), along with the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and the EPA - all in one fell swoop. (All of which were old Ron Paul rehashed ideas.) For the most part, CPAC was a comic futile exercise where the GOP was increasingly marginalizing itself and losing ground with the realities of new demographics. (It's all just a bad dream. If you ignore it - it will go away.)

Political Musings on the Current GOP Internal Conflicts

HOWEVER, near the end of CPAC, there was indeed a glimmer of hope for the realistic, the rationale and the prudent. Reince Preibus (the RNC Chairman) actually provided an objective comprehensive party " autospy" report with over 200 issues that killed the GOP in the 2012 election. Then at the end of CPAC, Reince Preibus (RNC Chairman) announced a national GOP outreach program to minorities. It includes political directors for Latinos, Asians, and Blacks. And it actually sounds logical and practical. (Except that a GOP Race-Relations strategy workshop turned into a shouting matching filled with racial slurs.) So - first we'll see if the GOP can execute the Priebus program - then we'll see if it makes a significant difference with voters. It was probably one of the very few things that CPAC did right this year.

The Paul & Paul Conspiracy

The issue of GOP conflict is much bigger than mere internal party friction between the GOP Raabbits and Rhinos.
Ron and Rand Paul have been jointly laying the ground work to split the GOP for quite some time. Ron and Rand Paul have realized that the internal GOP schism is much worse than outsiders realize. I made the call that Ron and Rand Paul were seriously looking to split the GOP when Rand Paul gave his rebuttal to Obamas SOTUS by deliberate design it was clearly a middle finger up the noses of GOP hierarchy (including the backroom power-brokers). They are burning political bridges and they realize it. Did you notice that Rand Pauls SOTUS rebuttal received almost NO media play at all. Not just the MSM ignoring him outright but also the vast majority conservative media sources as well as liberals barely a smidgen from FOX at 3am in the morning only. Nada, nada, nada compared to the coverage of Rubio. Ron and Rand Paul have decided that now is the time for Rand to make his move to split the GOP in two. Win, Lose or Draw even go for a 3rd party if necessary actually most likely. VERY serious stuff. Ron Paul already has a large loyal base to get the new ball rolling AND Ron and Rand Paul will start off controlling this 3rd Party for quite some time. Ron Paul is maneuvering Rand to be POTUS eventually. McCain, Graham, et al, who criticized Rand Paul were voicing internal opposition to a split party purposely designed to look like mere disapproval to the public. Watch and see how long it takes for ANY of the media sources to take Rand Paul seriously. Yes, Ron and Rand Paul are well aware that a split GOP will mean that 2016 is already toast for a POTUS conservative but long term strategies only take hold over the long term (go back and read Mao). The T-Party started something very dangerous not when it started but later on when it let the GOP usurp the T-Party in toto. The GOP never thought it would lead to a serious external party split. But we are right on the precipice right here and now. The sad part is that Ron and Rand Paul are semi-delusional they are the same-old-same-old Ron Paul philosophy playing over and over like a broken record nothing new. Rand Paul is the new mouthpiece thats

Political Musings on the Current GOP Internal Conflicts

all. As a result they havent got a chance in hell of putting together a functional coalition of made up of Old White Men and Young Minorities. Ron and Rand Paul havent accepted the reality that the US is now into coalition government. Its no different than how Israel functions politically its a coalition government or nothing in Israel - - - except that in Israel the different political philosophies are represented by separate official political parties. The US hasn't evolved that far politically with official multiple political parties - - - - not just yet. BUT mark my words that will be the next step for the US - a true, bloodless political revolution that will break the strangle hold duopoly of GOP & Dems. And thats where Rand Paul is headed under the sheeps clothing of a new Republican party - - when its really nothing more than the old Ron Paul political party. Dangerous times a head when you destroy the existing power structure - - a la the USSR break up. History is very clear - when you destroy the existing power structure - - - things hardly ever go as planned. More later as the universe unfolds.............