"Bush aide: 'GOP is shrinking daily before our eyes'"

[applegrove]

Bush aide: 'GOP is shrinking daily before our eyes'

By Steve Benen at the Maddow Blog

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/12/27/16192232-bush-aide-gop-is-shrinking-daily-before-our-eyes

"SNIP..............................................


When center-left pundits are critical of Republican extremism, it's expected. When a former aide to George W. Bush and John McCain does it, the criticism resonates a little louder. In this case, it's Mark McKinnon, who wants "a new Republican Party."

Increasingly, it is becoming clear that the party is against everything and for nothing.

Nothing on taxes. Nothing on gun control. Nothing on climate change. Nothing on gay marriage. Nothing on immigration reform (or an incremental, piece-by-piece approach, which will result in nothing). It's a very odd situation when the losing party is the party refusing to negotiate. It may be how you disrupt, but it is not how you govern, or how you ever hope to regain a majority.

And so, we have a Republican Party today willing to eliminate any prospect for a decent future for anyone, including itself, if it cannot be a future that is 100 percent in accordance with its core beliefs and principles. That's not governing. That's just lobbing hand grenades. If you're only standing on principle to appear taller, then you appear smaller. And the GOP is shrinking daily before our eyes.

..............................................SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. In Canada the conservatives have refused to meet with provincial premiers. Why?

Because they don't want to promote any new legislation. New legislation means more governmnet spending or regulation don't ya know. The 'party of nothing' is the correct term for them.

[calimary]

2. Shrinking down small enough to drown in a bathtub?

(She said, with hope in her heart...)

[Chorophyll]

9. I see what you did there.

[lrellok]

24. BLub, blub, blub

[calimary]

27. Welcome to DU, lrellok!

Good to have you with us! I'm afraid we'll be plagued by these assholes for awhile. I dream of the day when they're GONE, but then I keep returning to the old cliche - "better the devil you know."

[dixiegrrrrl]

52. my image exactly! Karma is such a bitch.

[Salviati]

55. I'm hoping small enough to drown in a bedpan.

[calimary]

57. Hey, I like that one even better! A just-used bedpan, preferably.

grover norquist should be dipped in shit and freeze-dried. And then put on trial for treason as a domestic terrorist and the new Public Enemy #1. What he has done, overseen, and advocated, has been horribly damaging to this country and all of the people in it. Yes, even the rich.

[roguevalley]

3. ditto calimary. this is the end for them and their thought.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

13. I wouldn't be so sure of that.

That's what they said in 2008. Never underestimate the Democratic Party's knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[robinlynne]

16. unfortunately true.

[randome]

33. I think this is different. The demographics, gay rights, contraception, etc.

The GOP is fading away. Slowly, but still fading. They are only holding onto power now by their fingertips.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

36. Let's hope so.

Maybe a dramatic shift will occur. We can dream.

[Raksha]

41. I never do underestimate it. n/t

[Cha]

4. Whadda mean, Mark? they stand for..

http://theobamadiary.com/

Thanks applegrove

[AverageJoe90]

25. LMAO! Thanks for the laughs, man. n/t

[freshwest]

5. I'll hold my applause until the dancing starts:

[applegrove]

6. LOL!

[Chemisse]

12. Nice!

[SoapBox]

21. Hilarious.

Sprockets!

"Now is ze time on Sprockets vhen ve dance!"

[warrior1]

7. Praise Mother Earth

[arely staircase]

8. Mark Mckinnon is a Judas sellout POS

He was a known and well-liked liberal dude until W dangled 50 sheckles of silver in front of him to be come his Texas Leni Reifensthal - and now he's whining about the extremists he hitched his wagon to. cry me a river.

[dflprincess]

10. "If you're only standing on principle to appear taller, then you appear smaller"

You might also want to examine your principles when the only ones who agree with them are the 1% and tea bagger wackos.

[loyalkydem]

11. I have a lot of moderate republican friends

is there any chance they can take their party back from the extremist?

[Chemisse]

14. If the Republican primaries are any indication, the answer is no.

Nobody (other than Huntsman) dared breathe a word that did not thoroughly kiss the asses of the racist and sexist teapartiers.

It was a shocking display, epitomized by the cheering of the execution of a Texas prisoner, applauding of the death of an uninsured young man, and the booing of a gay soldier.

An SNL skit soon afterward had the primary moderator apologizing for a late start, saying, "There was a six car pile-up on route 20 that burst into flames," a comment that was met with wild cheering and applause. Really funny, but only because it was so close to what the right-wingers showed they were capable of.

http://digitaljournal.com/article/311934#ixzz2GJZtvIOe

[loyalkydem]

15. I was afraid you were going to say that

[JHB]

43. Yes. Get active and fight them, or support liberals for the next 20 years.

Either way, they have to help drag the window of acceptable political debate and what counts as "realism" and "pragmatism" leftward until the extremists are considered the ranting cranks that Eisenhower was referring to in his "and they are stupid" comment.

[ErikJ]

17. We're losing 1000's of the Republican base a day from death.

[Jamaal510]

18. The GOP's only formula for success is to hope for the opponent to beat themselves

like in 2010. They can't win in a fair election where both sides are fully motivated to show up to the polls. Hence the voter ID laws.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

19. This is what happens when a political party lets itself be ruled by its extreme fringe

They're fringe for a reason. I'm constantly amazed at how the GOP hasn't figured this out.

[SoapBox]

20. Darn, that shrinkage!

[JazzQuipster]

22. I view the shrinking of the GOP...

...as a good thing. The sooner they're marginalized, the better.

[alfredo]

23. The Friedman piece is pretty direct too.

[lrellok]

26. when ever i heard conservitives talk about smaller government

I am always reminded of this scene. [link:http://

|
Knights are the republican'ts
the old guy is us
and the "Monster" is government.

The thing about Grover Norquist's "Starve the beast" strategy is that starved beasts do not just roll over and die. Starved beasts tend to come up with fascinating new definitions of food, definitions that frequently include whomever is making them starve.

[calimary]

32. And usually with not a little bit of ferociousness!

A starved beast is usually kind of upset about it - and ready to act out. Hmmm... y'know, that grover norquist dude does have kind of a nice-looking padding of fat on him, now, don't you think?

[Cobalt-60]

44. Plump- but toxic. too malodorous for the table

BUt it looks like good sterno

[Jackpine Radical]

53. No need to render him obsolete

when you can just render him.

[B Calm]

28. The republican party is dead! Great News!!

[tk2kewl]

29. the problem is that the democratic party has move right to fill the void

Last edited Fri Dec 28, 2012, 12:23 PM - Edit history (1)

[MissMillie]

35. spot on

I've been saying this for a while.

[closeupready]

30. Fine with me. Keep shrinking. K&R

[Skidmore]

31. That's rich given that Bush policies started that ball rolling down the hill.

This is their legacy. I wish I could laugh in this guy's face.

[riqster]

34. They forgot the tale of the camel's nose nt

[indepat]

37. For the good of America, may the GOP shrink and shrivel sufficiently so it can be drowned in a

bathtub.

[undergroundpanther]

38. maybe they'll disappear.

fuck the billionaire party the corporatist and their paid- for chicken shit,sociopath lapdogs fuck 'em all.

Humanity can live without billionaires & corporations.

[Raksha]

42. Good to see you again, Panther.

I hope the Repuke Party hurries up and dies so the Democratic Party will split in two, and I can join the Progressive wing.

[loyalkydem]

46. I remember you, good to see you again...

[FiveGoodMen]

39. Unfortunately, that doesn't save us

As long as the Dems promote the same policies (even if somewhat tempered) then we'll all wind up in the same place.

It's not about the letter next to the name, it's about whether we ever get to retire.

It's about whether we still have any civil rights (or are they ALL priviledges, now?)

We only win if the bad things stop happening.

[KansDem]

40. Maybe the expansion of Murdoch's media empire...

...will help resuscitate it.

Who Wants to Buy the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune?

After all, fertilizer works wonders in helping things grow and there is no horseshit like the horseshit that flows from the mouths of Murdoch's minions at FOX News...

[6502]

45. [AND] when these "Centrists" come sniveling...

... to the Democratic Party hoping for refuge,
WE GIVE THEM A LITMUS TEST!!!!

They will not bring their Right-Winginess or their "Centrism" or the "Moderate" positions in the Democratic Party.

We are not for half measures on LBGT Equality Rights, Civil Rights, the poor, the working people, taxes, Women's Rights, Healthcare, etc... etc... etc...

If they are not on board, send them on their way!
Let them go and try to make a new party of their own.

Those types will be in disarray into the next two centuries and will whither away on their own.

The Republican Party is already falling apart:

The Libertarians will finally group into their own entity apart from the GOP. And they are small and meaningless.

The Religious-RWers will form their own faction. Again... too small to be effective.

The Corporatists and the Oligarchists will be forced into their own block... still rich, but without the single handed control of a single GOP coalition.

The Teabillies will become irrelevant: they were a noisy minority anyway.

The gun-nuts... noisy minority, too.

Let them disperse their energy.

If they just disperse their engeries in half of the ways I described above it is WE who get to define the future.

One of equality, fairness, and justice for all.

[loyalkydem]

48. It's a shame we can't be like Canada

the conservatives and the liberals up there treat each other with respect

[6502]

58. We don't need to get along with Conservatives....

... That'd be like coyote and a lamb sitting down to decide what to have for dinner.

Conservatives are the enemy of all things progressive.

It is silly to even try to suggest that they are reasonable...
... or that there is some kind of reasonable middle ground between Democrats/Progressives/Liberals and a bunch of minority hating, gay bashing, women disrespecting, poor crushing, worker exploiting Conservatives.

I mean, what's the middle ground there?

Mixing Conservativesi deas with Liberal/Progressive ideas is like
POURING SHIT IN YOUR CORN FLAKES!!!

No matter how little shit you pour on your corn flakes
IT IS ALWAYS GUT CHURNINGLY DISGUSTING!!!!!!

Conservatism is ALWAYS the enemy of society.

[L0oniX]

47. Does anyone know what the GOP's core beliefs and principles are?

...besides the one main goal to get rid of Obama.

[6502]

49. [CHESHIRE CAT SMILE]=> Oh... we already...

... know...

Oh, God... we so already know:

* Blacks are our slaves.
* Native Americans are not our slaves, but when we talk with them we will lie.
* Women are not slaves, really. They're more like special class slaves.
And they should be happy for the privilege.
* Latin Amercians need to just go "home". I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?
* Oh, those Asians are good at that math! We'll keep a few of those around... but only a few.
* The Gays are E.V.I.L.
* Child labor builds character.
* We don't pay taxes because you need us to give you jobs. We build your beautiful world.
* The Constitution is the "Bible" and the 2nd Amendment (Right to Bear Arms)
is important because it is a part of this "Bible" and universally applies to everyone.
* The 1st Amendment doesn't count for those Blacks and what-nots.
* Oh! And the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to them Blacks... or the Latinos...
or the... Oh, heck!! None of them low-lifes!
* The poor should be happy they have a job.
* Healthcare is a personal choice.
* Food is a personal choice.
* The Gays are E.V.I.L. Oh, we said that already.
* All White folks think the way we do... or they should... and if they don't, see the 2nd Amendment.

[Scurrilous]

50. K & R

[Warpy]

51. They're just like an abusive husband

who kills the kids because the wife wants to leave him to save her life. Republicans will kill off the whole country rather than cede the power they held when Stupid was in office.

[Last Stand]

54. They have ZERO base under 35 y/o.

The young generation knows they are being ponzied out of the economy, they don't understand the hate and they know that they can't afford what it takes to get a fair shake.

[BeyondGeography]

56. See "Bush, George W."

McKinnon will never admit it, but "compassionate conservatism" was the ultimate crock; window dressing for trickle down. The problem with today's GOP goes back to Reaganomics, which never added up and led to all of the structural debt and income distribution problems that we are only beginning to belatedly address, without any help from the shrinking GOP. He does have that part right.