BOB DOLE: GOP "Needs A Timeout" To Tone Down The Antigovernment rhetoric.

[kpete]

Dole was right " “I thought when I was elected I was supposed to do something"

As Dole sat in his Washington law office in February, still stunned by the outcome, he blamed his own party and suggested a headline: “Republican Party closes its doors to make repairs.” The GOP, added Dole, one of the party’s most revered figures, “needs a timeout” to tone down the antigovernment rhetoric.

WAY more:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/24/1196592/-Bob-Dole-Calls-out-Current-Republicans

[yourout]

1. Good luck with that....the tea baggers pulled that train from the rails a few years ago.

[Frustratedlady]

2. Finally, one of the old crowd speaks out.

I haven't always been a Dole fan, but he was usually able to work across the aisle and be friends with the Democrats beyond the chamber. I suppose a lot of those are long gone, but if not, they should also speak up before their party goes down the tubes for real.

[StrayKat]

5. But what influence does he have?

I still cringe recalling the way his party treated him with the UN disabilities treaty vote.

[tblue37]

13. One of my problems with Dole is the same as my problem with most of the other

"sane" members of the Republican Party. They say the right thing when it doesn't matter, but when it is time to use their influence to help inform voters, they use their reputation to back their party in its attempts to gain elected offices and thus to wield power.

When Kerry was being swiftboated, Dole was on TV programs advocating for the election of Bush and other far RW Republicans. I saw a video once of how he spoke to the interviewer when they were on commercial break. For example, one interviewer mentioned to him that Kerry was outraged that his war record was being falsified and slimed. Dole responded, sotto voce, "He should be!" But when the break was over and they were on air again, he jumped right back in to slam Kerry and to support all the RWers.

I also heard him on a radio show doing the same sort of thing. When they were on break, he spoke like a sane moderate, but as soon as the break was over, he spouted all the Republican talking points.

Powell, Wilkerson, Sandra Day O'Connor--all these opportunists say the right thing when it doesn't matter, when it can't make a difference, but when they are in a position to make a difference, they always fall in line behind their party, no matter how terrible the party has become, because when push comes to shove, getting their party into power is all that really matters to them.

(Of course, his wife is a far RWer, so she probably has a lot of influence on his willingness to speak out.)

[randome]

3. Republicans are the laziest creatures on the planet!

They want to be part of the government so they can do as little as possible. What's the difference between this sort of career choice and that of those they claim want to suckle on the government's teat?

[Raine]

16. Yes, EXACTLY. nt

[malaise]

17. Not true

They want to part of government to enrich themselves - to loot the government and privatize as much as possible to themselves and their cronies.

[TwilightGardener]

4. The teapublicans aren't there to solve problems, or "do something".

They're there to get pork for their state or district, roll back anything that ever benefitted regular people, and obstruct government. That's it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. My dad was Bob Dole's age and grew up in western KS, like Dole

Dad was a lifelong Democrat. And he LOVED Bob Dole. Didn't agree with him much politically and didn't always vote for him, but he deeply respected him.

Sadly, those days, when you could respect and admire someone in the opposing party, are long gone.

[Frustratedlady]

11. I agree and that is the major problem with the US, these days.

Three things happened:

1) Bush came onboard, pulled us into two wars and split the country right down the middle,

2) The Tea Party added their hatred and bigotry after Obama announced a run, shut down Congress and turned one faction of the US against the other...Civil War II, here we come!

3) The new (and, improved?) Republican party grossed out the old camp and we basically ended with the New Tea Party removing any decency or respect for the POTUS and his party, as well as inciting the rabid Republicans to deny any sense of cooperation with the POTUS so they could, once and for all time, show that an African American couldn't be POTUS in the future...Obama had to fail!

I keep thinking someone is going to be called out for treason....surely.

[Snotcicles]

7. Our sworn enemies couldn't do a better job of tearing our government down.

Or maybe they are just working from within.

[GoCubsGo]

10. "...maybe they are just working from within."

No "maybe" about it.

[pansypoo53219]

8. they shouldn't be ANTI-GOVERNMENT AT ALL. this is why they can't DRIVE it.

[GoCubsGo]

12. They're driving it like Thema and Louise.

Intentionally off the cliff. But, unlike Thelma and Louise, their intentions are not so noble.

[surrealAmerican]

9. They won't listen to him ...

... or anyone for that matter. They GOP does not have "revered figures" any more. All they have left is hatred. If they did "tone down the anti-government rhetoric", they'd be left with only their failed policies.

[tblue37]

14. They certainly felt comfortable ignoring him when he came to the Senate in his wheelchair to

encourage them to vote for an international treaty encouraging benefits for the disabled. The video showed that most of them didn't even look at him as they walked past him.

[indepat]

15. The gipper's "government is the problem" was a sordid pack of lies that keeps on giving: the problem

is the rasher of sons-of-bitches who get in government to either tear it down or fail to promote the general welfare by instead promoting the welfare of corporate and monied interests.

[spanone]

18. they quit listening to bob doyle or any reThug with a whit of sense

[Raine]

19. The GOP has never liked Dole. I'll never forget the 1976 convention

I was a Ford repug at the time. The hate from the Raygun supporters toward Ford and Dole was DISGUSTING. The Raygunites wanted Raygun to be Ford's running mate, when they didn't get it they acted like spoiled brats. Everytime the Ford people spoke they used huge horns to interrupt and had hateful anti-Dole signs ... "Dull, Dull Dole". After that myself and my family had had enough and became Democrats before the time of the next election.