GOP - Throwing Out Their Hands In Disgust

Moderate Republicans. Libertarian Republicans. Conservative Republicans. Street Corner Conservative Republicans. Neoconservative Republicans. Log Cabin Republicans. Reagan Republicans. Eisenhower Republicans. Pro-War Republicans. Anti-War Republicans. Even Liberal Republicans.

How many factions of Republicans are there, anyway? And are you catching the irony in what I'm asking here?

Let's take a shovel to this "The Republicans Are SOOOOOO United In Their Message" nonsense. They're not. They're more splintered than they've ever accused the Democratic Party of being. We've worn the "herding cats" neon sign on our heads long enough. Can we stop using that fairy tale as an excuse already and step up our PR game by pinning this on the Grand Obtuse Party? Thanks.

That said...many Republicans are now admitting their party has crapped the bed.

GOP Moderates Weigh Loyalty To Bush vs. Political Realities

With a difficult war debate looming and presidential vetoes for a host of popular legislation threatened, moderate Republicans in Congress are facing a tough choice: Stand by President Bush or run for their political lives.

Votes are due soon on Iraq, an expansion of a children's health insurance program and an array of spending bills. GOP leaders hope to use them to regain credibility with their base voters as a party for strong defense and fiscal discipline. But moderates, many of them facing the possibility of difficult reelection bids next year, are dreading the expected showdowns.

"We are at a very significant juncture," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (Minn.), a moderate who on Monday joined seven other Republicans in announcing that he will not seek reelection. "I'd use a metaphor, but it can't be printed -- something about something hitting the fan."

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Six House Republicans and two GOP senators -- including independent-minded lawmakers such as Ramstad, Pryce and Rep. Ray LaHood (Ill.), as well as Sens. John W. Warner (Va.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) -- have announced their retirements.

At a gloomy meeting of House Republicans yesterday, lawmakers hashed over the updated list of retirements while leaders again exhorted their rank-and-file to get out and raise money if they do not want to be in an even deeper hole in November 2008.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said a meeting that once would have been depressing has become so commonplace that it is now boring.

"People are taking very seriously the notion that Democrats are far ahead of us in having top-tier candidates for the White House and are well-positioned to defend their own on Capitol Hill," LaHood said. "There are no illusions out here."

 

Comments

[oldgringo]

Geewhizzers!!!!!!!
The free wheeling pork barrelling WAR MONGERS, the homophobic homos, child molesters, bribed and bribers, "fundie-family-values-pedophiles of the RIGHTOUS RIGHT GANG OF PIRATES are now so scared that they will grab their sky-high retirement packages and run to some place far from the wrath of a very irate people.....
Ain't it just sooooooooo SAD??????
But then, THEY are doing finally what MAY HELP US GET OUT, not only from IRAQ, but from more BUSH/CHENEY/LIEBERMAN IDIOCY!