Posted on 08/16/2013 1:31:08 PM PDT by bkopto
Its clear by now that if conservatives are ever going to even begin to roll back the overt, ongoing and worsening lawlessness of the Obama administration, theyre going to have to go over, through, or around the Republican party first. The GOP leadership, as presently constituted, is nothing more than the lesser half of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Government, content to munch its cud and occasionally low in the direction of constitutional propriety, and then resume its own modest but lucrative role in fertilizing the two-party system.
As evidence, consider Bob Costas piece today on Senator Ted Cruz, and the consternation hes causing in the ranks of the Republican establishment, who are already sensing the first tiny temblors and dont like it one bit. Upset the racket? What the heck is he thinking?
These days, there are are two silos of the Republican party: the regular Republicans, if you will, and the movement-conservative coalition thats united by anti-establishment rhetoric and populism, explains Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who has worked for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain of Arizona. If Cruz runs, he is going to be the strongest candidate in that movement-conservative silo. Hes charismatic and highly intelligent and says what the base wants to hear. He could maybe even win the nomination, and on the way, hed be a huge obstacle to Santorum, Huckabee, and Paul. But hed be a disaster in a general election a Republican George McGovern.
My old friend Mike Murphy is right about the divisions in the party, of course, and about Cruzs place in it. (I dont think either Santorum or Huckabee is going to be a factor in 2016, and I dont know anybody who does theyre both far removed from their glory days, or even their days in office.) But a disaster in a general election? As opposed to Romney and McCain?
And then theres this:
Beyond the right of the GOP, theres less fear of Cruz. Sources close to former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Rubio tell me that theyre still expecting the Cruz buzz to fizzle as new issues pop onto the Republican radar in the coming year. I havent figured Cruz out yet, says former New Jersey governor Tom Kean Sr., a Christie confidant. I think the party is going to be looking for some unity and national appeal in the next presidential election, and if they want someone who can be as abrasive as Cruz, Christie would easily compete with him on the question of who can throw a good punch. If the party wants to win, its going to go with someone who can unite us and not divide the party into narrow groups.
Ok, kids, which side would you rather be on? The side of proven losers such as Romney and McCain, the superannuated GOP moderates (like Tom Kean, who left office 23 years ago), and the amazing one-trick wonders of Christie and Rubio, who managed to kill his career in record time and is now scrambling to grab ahold of Cruzs coattails on Obamacare? Or the guys who actually want to fight? The thing that the krack kadres of kampaign konsultants forget is that there isnt going to be any general election in 2016 not a truly contested one, anyway without a clear ideological choice between the two parties; winning is winning and losing is losing, and the point spread doesnt matter.
What Cruz and Paul realize and what the others dont is that their first order of business is to destroy or at least render completely impotent the current leadership to, in effect, reverse the equation under which the Republicans got defeated twice by a nobody from nowhere with no record of accomplishment except a huge chip on his shoulder. Under the old formula, the notion was to lie to the conservative base during the primaries (Romneys instantly risible and now infamous severely conservative self-characterization) and then abandon it in the general election for a defanging and declawing makeover so as not to frighten the media. The theory was that after some grumbling, conservatives would come home in November and all would be well.
And how has that worked out? As McCain, formerly so beloved of Capitol Hill reporters, learned the hard way, all that love goes out the window the instant you threaten the Democrat-Media Complexs hegemony. I used to really like McCain, a close friend of mine and campaign correspondent told me during the 2008 election, but I dont know whats happened to him. Now, of course, McCains back in their good graces, constantly appearing on television and being quoted in all the papers, and all is well once more with the senior senator from Arizona.
So why not try a flip? Nominate the most conservative candidate and then wait for the moderates to come home; the GOP couldnt do any worse than its been doing. Cruz and Paul know the knives are already being sharpened for them by members of their own caucus; what have they got to lose? If you set out to take Vienna, said Napoleon, take Vienna. No wonder the milquetoasts of the GOP are already afraid. Why, that would upset the Peace of Westphalia, or something. Heres Bobs kicker:
Meanwhile, whatever the speculation in Washington and elsewhere, Laudner reminds me that Cruz is out there, in Des Moines and Ames, shaking hands, building relationships, and getting ready. Hes caught us by surprise this summer, and it seems like hes just beginning. Some Republicans may not like this development, but were all paying attention.
I bet they are. Because, this time, the road to Vienna passes right through Washington, D.C.
Its interesting that the GOP-e cannot get over the defeat of Barry Goldwater, but are content to be defeated time and time again, by going with the likes of Bob Dole, Juan McCain and Mittens.
Senator Cruz is the real deal.
Senator Rand Paul CAN be the real deal, IF he walks back his Amnesty Proposal. Until he does that, he is a Traitor to the conservative cause.
Great article. BUT, give me a kick-ass republican to vote for, not a milk-toast like the last two. We need an in your face candidate, that will take on the MSM with a vengeance, and not be afraid to respond to them. A candidate that stands up for what he believes and not cave in to the whims of a few controlling party hacks. I hate the thought of a 3rd Party, but in the past 8 years, all I see is a one party system under two names. Our government members have become a separate privileged society. What DC needs most is someone who has the balls to give it an enema. I’ll vote for anyone who can pull that off.
“Its interesting that the GOP-e cannot get over the defeat of Barry Goldwater, but are content to be defeated time and time again, by going with the likes of Bob Dole, Juan McCain and Mittens.”
Not to mention the defeat of George H.W. Bush in 1992 once the people discovered he was a globalist statist and not a Reagan conservative. It should also be noted Al Gore defeated George W. Bush in the popular vote in 2000. The “compassionate conservative” junior Bush was rejected by the American people but won the Electoral College thanks to Ralph Nader siphoning off enough liberal votes to swing Florida to Bush.
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