GOP Civil War Begins

The morning after the election has brought an opening salvo in what could become a contentious battle of recriminations for the GOP, as various factions lay blame and beg for immunity in what has been, since 2004, a slow disintegration of their power in Washington. Just after noon, House Republicans feathers began to ruffle, as it was reported that Minority Leader John Boehner released a letter to his colleagues, officially asking to retain his job:

I'm deeply disappointed by the outcome of Tuesday's election. But I'm equally committed to building a lasting majority on the reform principles that define us and inspire our citizens. For this reason, I'm writing today to announce my candidacy for Republican Leader in the 111th Congress, and to request the honor of your vote.

As your Leader, I've worked tirelessly for our team, and tried to lead by example. I'll always be straight with you, and I'll always be open to your ideas. You deserve nothing less. I can't ask for the best from you unless I'm willing to give it myself.

Winning the majority and rebuilding our party will require the best from all of us. But this is not unfamiliar territory. We've faced and overcome these challenges before, and working together as a bold, unified, and energetic team, we'll do it again.

I'm ready to get started today. I'm confident you are too. I look forward to speaking with you in person and outlining our plans for the future. It's time for the losing to stop. And my commitment to you is that it will.

I humbly ask for your support and the privilege of serving as House Republican Leader in the next Congress.

It's probably no coincidence that around the same time, word got out that Virginia Representative Eric Cantor was gunning to replace Roy Blunt as House Whip. Honestly, it's hard to see how any of the GOP leadership in the House survives -- these were the people who went schizo on the bailout bill, pinning their lack of support to the 5,437th instance of Nancy Pelosi criticizing George Bush, after all. And, who can forget their brilliant plan to center their re-election hopes around a slogan stolen from an anti-depressant?

But if there's a real crisis in the House right now for the Republican Party, it's the gradually diminishing voice of moderation. Virginia's Tom Davis famously criticized his cohorts earlier this year, saying that "the Republican brand is in the trash can...if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf." This morning, Davis can take comfort in the fact that he read the political landscape correctly. Unfortunately for the GOP, he'll also be retiring -- one more non-shrill voice who won't be participating in the process. This morning, Davis took a shot at the Club For Growth, an anti-tax zealotry outfit who've taken great pains to increase the fringe faction in the GOP side: "We call it the Club for Democratic Growth," Davis told WAMU Public Radio today.

And the fact is, the GOP appears set to double down on a rightward tilt, putting the moderates that Davis leaves behind in increasing isolation. Boehner, in his letter, makes this pretty clear:

America remains a center-right country. Democrats should not make the mistake of viewing Tuesday's results as a repudiation of conservatism or a validation of big government. Neither should we. Instead of throwing in the towel, as our opponents demand, we must redouble our efforts to develop forward-looking solutions to the challenges Americans face - solutions rooted in the enduring principles of reform that define us as a party. We need to focus on winning the issues, one by one, and presenting principled, superior alternatives that reflect the center-right priorities of the American people, rather than the self-serving priorities of Washington.

Center-right cheerleading? GOP versions of "forward-looking" solutions? A paean to somebody's idea of "reform"? And one last shot at "Washington?" It seems to me that these are the ingredients of the casserole of bad thinking that America just summarily rejected at the polls. Rather than naively asserting a center-rightness that doesn't exist -- after all, it can now be definitively said that widely-supported ideas such as Iraq withdrawal and universal health care are mainstream positions -- the GOP needs to find the new center, and blaze the sort of path suggested by authors Reihan Salaam and Ross Douthat in Grand New Party, which imagines a less zombie-like Republican party that seeks to win with a working-class coalition.

But John Boehner says, "It ain't gonna happen. It must not happen." And indeed, this is the party that's leaning toward running Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin in 2012. If Boehner gets things his way, maybe he'll be joining Davis on the golf course sooner than he'd like.

Comments

[hannitysux]

Put them all back to back in a big circle, give them all guns and 20 paces...

[WasteNJ]

Let them eat themselves, let them regurgitate more bad ideas as new, let them crow on about "values" while their longest-serving Senator awaits sentencing on 7 felony counts yet runs for re-election, and lastly, let the all huddle around Sarah Palin like their savior, it'll ensure their extinction.

And the rest of us will just keep on livin'!

[repugnicansfearme]

PLEASE, this is serious!!?? SOMEONE PLEASE CHECK ON JOE THE PLUMBER!! HE has not been seen for days. The last time someone saw him, he was purchasing a can of Drano and was mumbling about a canceled recording contract. HOLY HUMANITY!

[hannitysux]

Cheers Joe!

[metivo]

Hey Joe! Get rich. Spread the wealth!

[medici]

Maybe he's thinking about buying a plumber's license.

[rand carter]

How can America not be center right if California, one of the most liberal states in the US, just banned gay marriage?

[rand carter]

America is still center-right if abortion rights are still debated and Obama's tax plan can be called socialism with a straight face. Or let me put it this way; what's considered liberal here is fairly par for the course in Europe, while conservative America pushes the balance from this already moderate "liberal" far to the right. At best, with the last election, America is merely moderate.

[SecondBase]

Mmm... maybe. But then again, we want to be careful of confusing "center-right" with "just plain stupid."

[ResistanceisFutile]

We need to arm every Republican in Congress, sit back and enjoy the show.

[sophistwatch]

President Obama and the Democrats in the House and Senate do, in fact, have an unequivocal mandate. Short of a Republican which hunt, the majority of this nation clearly agrees with Obama's stated plans going forward.

If nothing else, this election has proven that America is not a center Right country. The people have clearly given President Obama and the Democrats the political capital necessary to address this nation's needs. Hopefully they will spend this capital wisely.

While this election has restored the faith of many here in America and abroad, to truly demonstrate we are worthy of respect we need to show the world that we expect accountability of those in our elected offices.

Lastly, I really get a chuckle out of people like John Boehner, Tom Delay and Bob Kerry warning the Democrats not to "overreach".

[dimplesmile7]

The GOP claims to be so smart, but yet so dumb. You need to stop letting the Neocons run the party. They are the one with the biggest voices. They are making you look like a bunch of racist and hate mongers. Your party look like a through back from the 50's. No diversity and did not take advantage of the internet during the election, text messaging (did not exist but you did not utilize it), just like the 50's. You can open the doors to new things or go down like the dinosaur. GOP the dying party!

[Pdubya]

WWW.CAMPAI­GNFORLIBER­Y.COM

we're kicking the neo-cons out.

[grayforester]

Libery? Really? That is SOME URL you guys chose.

[Ladyteguesian]

Page Not Found.. hmm.. hopefully that translates in 2010 to Repugs not found

[grizhead63]

Did it mean Bribery?

[exhale09]

If the Republicans who still have any integrity left and who really believe in right if center governing have any sense, they will welcome a civil war within their Party, and they will win it, and take back their Party from the extremist off the charts RIGHTWING hate monger idealogues, who have held it and our country hostage for so many years, and kept us from making any progress as a nation, due to their rigidity and authoritarian rule.

As a Democrat, I say to those reasonable Republicans I say...TEAR DOWN THAT WALL in our Government that the extremists in your Party have worked so hard to build between us.

[gitrdone]

Excellent point. The Sean hannity's, the Rush Limbaugh's and the Bill Kristol's who represent the neo-conservative ideology have hijacked the Conservative movement in the country. The whole party needs to reinvent themselves for the 21st century. You can't keep ignoring global warming, you can't ignore science, you can't ignore education, you can't ignore the growing diversity and you can't ignore the technological age!

The world is changing and so too should the Republican party.

[Pdubya]

it is: www.campaignforliberty.com

btw. ron paul got the highest grade by the techies.

[hhnews]

Elite effete. When did southern baptists become evangelical christians, right to life become right to be forgotten, fiscal conservative became $10 trillion ntional debt legacy -- let's see those Dems deliver with that burden! But Kenny Boy did no day in jail, nor Scooter Libby, and Cheney puppet master jumps from Senate to Executive Privelege at will. Catharsis is vital to healing.

[Horus45]

The Republicans will continue to block legislation in the Senate in order to make the Democrats look like they are not getting anything accomplished.

Harry Reid needs to do things differently this time around, instead of just allowing them to block legislation by the mere threat of a Filibuster he needs to MAKE them actually Filibuster so that the Nation can see who is responsible for subverting progress and blocking Change.

[gitrdone]

Make their names famous!

[ResistanceisFutile]

If the Dems have any guts they will execute the Bill Frist "nucklear option", essentially eliminating the filibuster and making every vote a George Bush "Up or Down Vote".

Payback should be the order of the day. Bi-partisanship only leads to compromise and that is just another word for bad legislation.

[TMann99821]

We now have a President that advocates unity and bi-partisanship. However, I come here and find numerous comments advocating hatred and bias towards their fellow Americans. If I were to meet some of you face to face, would this attitude rear its ugly head or would you approach me with civility? Barack Obama himself said John McCain could attack him behind his back but not to his face. This says a lot about a person’s character. Many choose to anonymously slander and attack others while expecting those they attack to respect their civil rights.

“The other side does it too” is no excuse. The American eagle has two wings; a left wing and a right wing. It needs both operating equally to soar. If one wing dominates, it will only circle over our heads.

I strongly urge you to put away your petty bickering and work together to put this country back on the right track. A few nights ago, while suffering through a bout of insomnia, I happened to see part of an episode of “Malcom in the Middle.” Malcom’s mother got into a fight in a parking lot over a door ding. This escalated into an all out car crashing frenzy until neither car would move. As the camera panned out, they each had a bumper sticker that read “End the War in Iraq.”

[armstp]

"Petty bickering" what?

The people are angry with what you, the right and your Republican party has done to this country. People have every right to trash you and your party. You have driven this country into the ditch. Your party lied us into a war, destroyed the people of Iraq, killed our reputation around the world, create the largest deficits in history, which our children will pay for, driven us in to the biggest recession since the great depression, did nothing on the environment, etc. etc. etc.

Many of your Republican leaders should be in jail and not just out of a job. It is going to take us a generation to fix the problems you and your Republican party have created.

[Pdubya]

who's going to lock them up? pelosi? reid? frank?....

there's crooks in both camps.

[TMann99821]

The petty bickering I'm talking about is the non-issue stuff. The finger pointing and name calling. You do have a right to disagree with Republicans but you have no right to trash me as an individual. You don't know me or anything about me. You don't even know if I am a Republican yet you choose to assume I am just because of what I said.

At least Bush got Congressional approval for Iraq. LBJ lied about a phony attack in the Gulf of Tokin and sent 500,000 troops to Vietnam which escelated this country into the the most war protest we had ever seen.

So yes, both parties are guilty of lying to the American people. So don't come to me with your holier than thou attitude and expect me to take it.

Until we can agree to disagree in a civil manner, this country will suffer the fates of the past.

[Montressor]

There was a lot of hate for Muslims in this country not very long ago. There was a tacit approval and even occasional defense of this from conservative leaders, who used the argument that no denunciation of these actions was tantamount to approval and endorsement of terrorism.

Well, that argument now boomerangs on conservatives. Conservative leaders undertook immoral, ineffective and even illegal actions and nearly destroyed our country. Conservatives as a whole either stood by and watched or actively endorsed these policies and actions.

The general feeling in this country - as evidenced by the last election - is that the country will be better off without conservative leadership.

[TMann99821]

For now, until the Democrats make another mistake. The balance of power has shifted one way or the other since we have been a country. No party is perect and never will be. Right now the Democrats are riding on a false euphoria of perfection.

Also, I think you have misunderstood my point about the bumper sticker. At present, the left wing liberals have launched an all out war on right wing Conservatives. The irony of it is they are against war.

Until we can put down our guns and fist's and treat each other as human beings, we will not win this war against ourselves.

[degenerate1991]

And what did the Democrats do to stop them?

[b0tterman]

Everybody.­..leave the Repubs alone. Forget about 'em. Just focus and lead without arrogance. Don't do what the Repubs have done for 8 years and create a completely oppressive atmosphere in Washington, rejecting dissent and becoming drunk with their own power. Allow dissent and listen to ideas even from the center-right. It's the only way to go forward. The only thing we can absolutely reject is the far-right who have hijacked the Republicans. They will whither away if we can work with the centrists. Please don't be arrogant and don't rule from the left. I'm a lefty, for sure, but I don't see our future in dividing this country any more than it is already. Listen to Barak...he­'s correct and has been consistently correct. He'll work from the center. Please drop the arrogance.

[Harinama]

nope, i reserve the right to STICK THIS ELECTION IN THEIR FACE for a while. Their selfishness, ignorance and racism came back to bite them, and we want to make sure THEY DONT FORGET IT.

The 100th monkey has voted, and this country is in for a paradigm change. Extremists on the right will either change their ways to be ignored COMPLETELY as we move into a truly multiracial and multicultural age for America.

[NPA]

What Joe the plumber not going to be the leader of the GOP?! Gasp....

[avvocato]

The dream ticket ...
The Wasilla Hillbilly and Joe the plumber (unlicensed and tax cheat) !

[minerva117]

Anyone else notice that we haven't seen JTP on TV lately? I predicted that he would go from "hero" on Monday to Kicked to the curb on Wednesday. (Sigh) The trials of being a lying self promoting tool!