November 09, 2006
11/9: Timing Is Everything
Our two top stories emanating from the righty 'sphere both deal with the timing of recent and upcoming GOP events. Like some analysts, many on the right want to know why Pres. Bush waited til 11/8 to announce the resignation of Sec/Def Donald Rumsfeld, when that information could have helped some candidates in close races. Other bloggers are focussing on 11/17's anticipated House GOP leadership elections and are suggesting a postponement so that "its troops" can better vet the potential candidates.
BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY: Slow Down, You're Voting Too Fast
Led by Townhall's Hugh Hewitt righty bloggers are pushing for a postponement of House leadership races to allow more time for "careful introspection and analysis that the loss of the majority should automatically trigger." Hewitt writes: "In no other company or organization would a leadership change take place on such a schedule and with so little input from key constituencies. At a minimum the GOP needs to give its troops and especially its donors the opportunity to weigh in, and to allow for candidates to declare."
N.Z. Bear adds: "I don't claim to speak for right-leaning bloggers as a whole; I speak only for myself. But if you ask me, the imperative right now for the GOP is clear: to slow the heck down, and to take the time necessary to consult with the true grassroots of the party to find the absolute best leadership team possible that will lead the GOP back into majority in 2008."
Onto the race itself, Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham, Human Events and RedState have all come out in support of Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) for minority leader. RedState also disparages Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) as the "status quo."
Pence's online support is not universal. While not endorsing or opposing him National Review Online's Kathryn Jean Lopez notes Pence has some problems with "that amnesty stuff." And Right Angle Blog's Mac Johnson dissents from Human Events endorsement of Pence on immigration grounds.
National Review Online's Rich Lowry handicaps the leader and whip races. Short versions: "Pence will have a tough fight" and "[John] Shadegg should be in a real strong position here."
On the left, MyDD's Matt Stoller voices widespread netroots support for Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) over Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), despite Murtha's "little pork problem." For Stoller "Hoyer too much wants to be liked by his abusive Republican boyfriends" and will too easily succumb to "date rape bipartisanship."
TERROR POLITICS: Once Again, Things That Could've Been Brought To My Attention Yesterday!
Many on the right questioned why Pres. Bush did not make his Def. Sec. Donald Rumsfeld decision early enough to help GOP chances this fall. Among these, National Review Online's Rich Lowry: "As a friend points out, a lot of Republicans are probably yelling right now, "Why didn't you do it BEFORE the election?" Of course, he couldn't have done it right before the election, but a few months ago it might have been a step toward giving the public the fresh look/approach it wanted with regard to Iraq." Also at The Corner, Mario Loyola speculates that Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) likely elevation to to Chairman of Armed Services played a role in the timing of Rumsfeld's resignation.
Righty blogger reaction to the actual resignation was mixed. RedState's Erick Erickson writes: "Dear Mr. President, Right now I think I'd rather you keep Mr. Rumsfeld and replace yourself with Mr. Cheney." National Review Online's Mark Levin warns: "Warning to the White House: Nixon tried buying peace with the Left. Hence, we have the EPA, OSHA, affirmative action, etc., and it didn't work."
The selection of ex-CIA dir. Robert Gates was also underwhelming. The CornerMichael Rubin worries about Gates' past position on Iran but hopes once in power gates will "may overcome his inclinations." Power Line's Paul Mirengoff argues the selection only makes sense if the impending Baker Commission plan closely matches with administration plans for Iraq already. Austin Bay thinks it does: "One of the very smart young officers I know suggests the resignation is political prep for prosecuting the war even more vociferously. I think he's on to something." (Bay is also on The Glenn and Helen Show with Jim Dunnigan discussing Rumsfeld, the Elections, and the War on Terror)
TAPPED's Blake Hounshell sums up lefty blogger reaction to Gates' appointment: "Gentleman, Start Your Googling." DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas links to reports showing Gates "was close" to many Iran/contra figures and comments: "Brilliant. Bush's penchant for bringing out the most corrupt of retreads of past Republican administrations continues.
TAPPED's Ezra Klein explains why Rumsfeld's departure is another victory for Dems and Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall comments: "Watching this Bush presser, one thing about Republicans: man, they dispatch their dead quickly, don't they?"
BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY II: The Paternity Debate Begins
MyDD's Chris Bowers argues "it is vitally important for the netroots and the people-powered movement" "declare victory and be recognized as playing a (the) key role" in 11/7. Bowers goes on to list things the netroots brought to the table: "the silent revolution, the small donor explosion, the fifty-state strategy, new progressive media, confrontational opposition to Bush and Republicans, serving as media watchdogs, developing new online campaign techniques, bringing about the revival of campaign volunteer activism, keeping the base excited, building new communities and infrastructure, holding our advocacy groups and consultants up to the light, running primaries against Democrats complicity with the Republican machine."
Bowers concludes: "Had it not been for all of the progressive movement and netroots innovations developed over the last four or five years, there is no doubt in my mind that we would not have won yesterday." The New Republic's Rick Perlstein looks at netroots success 11/7 and argues "the rest of us" ought to start taking the netroot seriously.
The Washington Monthly's Zachary Roth, The Nation's Ari Melber, and The Plank's Ryan Lizza and Noam Scheiber all throw water on the idea that the netroots deserve more credit than DCCC chair Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) does. Each of the posts argue that many netroots candidates received both DCCC and netroot supports, and they point out that Perlstein cherry picked his results when trying to demonstrate that the netroots did better in races where the DCCC picked a different candidate.
MyDD's Matt Stoller is particularly frustrated with any credit given to Emanuel for Dem wins: "Rahm Emanuel did everything he could to lose the House. His recruiting and use of money was strategically unwise, and he was bailed out by a national trend that brought us the Senate, the Governorships, state legislative chambers, and state constitutional officers all over the country."
Firedoglake's Christy Hardin Smith is specifically unhappy with Washington Postreports that: "In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party's liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year." Smith reacts: "Let me get this straight, we have just taken back the House and, looking more likely as of this morning, the Senate, and Rahm's first priority is to shore up his power base and his ties to KStreet. Heckuva job, Rahm. If you think for a moment that those of us who just worked our asses off for a win are simply going to roll over and say thank you when you spit on us, you can think again.
BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY III: Who Are We? Why Are We Here?
Righty blogger consensus on the reason behind defeat 11/7 is clear: too much spending:
- Tapscott's Copy Desk: "When Republicans worry more about staying in government than about limiting government, they get thrown out of government. That's the lesson of Nov. 7, 2006."
- RedState's Dan McLaughlin: "Until the Republican party can clearly and firmly demonstrate that it will spend less of the public's money than the Democrats, the GOP will be playing with a significant self-imposed handicap on what ought to be one of its defining signature issues."
- RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh: "Republicans lost because we forgot who we were. We were supposed to be the small-government, low taxes party. We got the "low taxes" part right but we forgot about that all-important "small-government" aspect. In doing so, we angered and infuriated our base, many of whom decided that divided government was a better and more effective way of achieving small-government goals than was electing Republicans."
GIULIANI: So, By Spring Training At Least?
Townhall's Hugh Hewitt talked with ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani 11/8 including:
HH: And when do you think you have to make a decision by? RG: Next year, and probably the early part. HH: The first quarter? Maybe January? RG: Well, at least take some real serious steps toward it. I mean, I don't know exactly the process you follow, but I think just from what I can see now, that might change. But it seems to me that you've got to be prepared to start putting an organization together by the beginning of the year.MCCAIN: We're Glad Somebody Stated The Obvious
Townhall's Hugh Hewitt begins his take on the GOP's defeat: "The post-mortems are accumulating, but I think the obvious has to be stated: John McCain and his colleagues in the Gang of 14 cost the GOP its Senate majority while the conduct of a handful of corrupt House members gave that body's leadership the Democrats."
ROMNEY: Isn't That Somebody Else's Nickname?
Under the header "The Comeback Kid" Right Angle Blog's D.R. Tucker acknowledges: "There's no question that Tuesday's defeat of Romney's lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey, at the hands of former Clinton Administration official Deval Patrick represented a repudiation of Romney's social conservatism by liberal voters in the Bay State." However, Tucker concludes: "Romney left the state of Massachusetts in a far better condition than when he found it. Despite the results of Tuesday's gubernatorial election, voters in 2008 are still likely to conclude that he'll make similar improvements for the country as a whole."
SPITZER: That's What You Get For Winning By Forty Points
MyDD's Jerome Armstrong notes a New York Timesstory on weak NY DSCC fundraising and the failure of Dems to take the state senate and remarks: "I think all the '12 chatter about Spitzer just got flushed."
BLOGGERS VS. MSM: Fred Barnes, Genuine Netroots Hero
DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas takes on MSM suggestions ("one of the most moronic media lines last night") that winning Dems 11/7 were more conservative than the rest of the party. Markos runs through many of the victors positions including:
- Jon Tester, MT: One of the people accused of being a "conservative" Dem, yet he's against flag burning amendment, against an amendment banning gay marriage, against the Patriot Act, and against the war. He's an economic populist, social libertarian, pro-choice Democrat. He may be one of the very few senators who actually lives paycheck to paycheck. He's an organic farmer.
- Jim Webb, VA: Politically very similar to Tester. He's libertarian on social issues, an economic populist. He wants out of Iraq and he has a personal stake in the war -- his son is actually deployed to Iraq. Sure, he served in the Reagan Administration, and sure, he can be classified as a "moderate" (whatever that means), but he's no "conservative".
TAPPED's Ezra Klein also calls on bloggers to "punch back against the remarkably coordinated and quick campaign from the right (and sometimes the right includes the left) seeking to paint this election as some sort of victory for ... conservatism." Glenn Greenwald obliges: "Many of the Democrats who won were exactly those candidates who were supported most enthusiastically by the most liberal blogs. ... Given those facts, the idea that this was some great repudiation of the blog-wing of the Democratic Party or that it was an endorsement of Broder-like, plodding centrism is purely wishful thinking on the part of those who wish it were so."
Firedoglake's Jane Hamsherr congratulates Fred Barnes for pointing out that MSMers are "exaggerating the number of these unconventional Democrats." Hamsher comments: "It might take a while for journalists who like to have their stories pre-chewed by crack teams of DC establishment PR flacks to catch on, but this "triumph of the centrists" meme is a Rahm Emanuel spittle-soaked fantasy. The country ran from conservatives like a bad case of crotch lice and no amount of PR spin can re-write that."
ETHICS: Late To The Game?
DavidNYC announces the DailyKos, MyDD and Swing State Project endorsement of state Rep. Karen Carter over "corrupt" Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). David writes: "This race matters because we need to send a strong message, a message that the Democratic Party won't tolerate corruption on either side of the aisle."
Over at TPM Muckraker, Justin Rood has a "Tribute to the Fallen" on GOPers brought down by scandal this cycle.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Turdblossum Has No Clothes
Matthew Yglesias tries to "demolish the Myth of Karl Rove" arguing the GOP should have focussed all their efforts on VA, MT,MO, and TN instead of trying "an ambitious strategy of picking off Democratic seats in New Jersey and Maryland, two solidly blue states." Yglesias concludes:
Interestingly, Rove made the exact same error in 2000, engaging in an absurd late-game effort to campaign in California. He then lost the election, only to wind up with Bush securing the White House through a series of incredibly unlikely events plus a partisan Supreme Court. Then in 2004, he did something similar with weird last minute gambits in Hawaii and New Jersey that put his candidates perilously close to losing Ohio (and with it the presidency) not withstanding a decent-sized popular majority. Learning nothing from his good fortune except an unhealthy sense of infallibility, he proceeded to do it again and then, finally, have things genuinely blow up in his face.
LEST WE FORGET: He Forgot, "The Conrad Burns Guide To Firefighting"
National Review Online's John Podhoretz surveys book titles "Soon to Hit the Remainder Table" including: The Collected Literary Criticism of George Allen, How to Be Sensitive to People in Wheelchairs by Barbara Cubin, and Bush Country.
Posted by Conn Carroll at November 9, 2006 12:37 PM
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