Longtime GOP insider Vic Gold jumps ship, new book charges Bush admin for hurting the GOP

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040101211.html

Rightist Indignation
GOP Insider Vic Gold Launches a Broadside at the State of the Party


By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 2, 2007; Page C01


<snip>

His book, to be published this month by Sourcebooks with an initial print run of 20,000 copies, offers quite a different assessment of the two most powerful men in Washington. Under Bush and Cheney, he argues, the GOP has moved away from principles of small government, prudent foreign policy and leaving people alone to live their private lives -- all views Gold associates with his hero, Goldwater. "Invasion of the Party Snatchers" makes plain Gold's contempt for the direction of his party and the guidance of its leaders.

"For all the Rove-built facade of his being a 'strong' chief executive, George W. Bush has been, by comparison to even hapless Jimmy Carter, the weakest, most out of touch president in modern times," Gold writes. "Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots."

Gold is even more withering in his observations of Cheney. "A vice president in control is bad enough. Worse yet is a vice president out of control."

For Gold, Cheney brings to mind the adage of Swiss writer Madame de Stael, who wrote, "Men do not change, they unmask themselves." Cheney has a deep streak of paranoia and megalomania, Gold suggests -- but he says he did not see it at first.

...

Lynne Cheney declined to comment for this article. But after being informed about his new book, she called her former co-author on Thursday, inquiring whether it was just an "April Fool's" joke, according to Gold. When Gold told that it was not, Cheney merely said, "I am sorry to hear that."

[Wickerman]

1. And if ANYTHING those idiots tried would have succeeded

this tool would've thought they were the second coming of St Ronnie. Since they failed, and failed miserably, this clown can write a tell-all about how they damaged the Republicon party. Boo-Freakin'-whoo. What about the damage to the Country?

Don't Buy Books from Crooks.

[wakeme2008]

2. LOL

Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots."

[sabra]

4. LOL indeed!

[jwirr]

3. Glad to see that - but I am not letting those who voted him in off the hook.

[Marr]

5. I just laugh when I hear conservatives complain about this. As if

Reagan was about "small government, prudent foreign policy, and leaving people alone". Reagan would've done almost exactly what Bush has done if he'd had a Republican Congress to support him. GW Bush represents *true* Republican ideals; authoritarianism, pro-corporate/anti-labor policies, the desire to drown the federal government in debt while handing all our tax dollars to the defense industry, and cutting social programs.

Those are the Republican Party's *true* values, and anyone who still believes this "small government" crap is profoundly stupid.

[ginnyinWI]

7. a little gridlock can be a good thing.

It's also known as Checks and Balances. Keeps Presidents from making their most extreme wishes come true--and looking stupid for it.

[orwell]

9. Bingo...n/t

[gratuitous]

6. The trickle becomes a freshet, soon to become a flood

As all the little enablers try to cash in on their access, and tell America what is increasingly obvious to all but the most stone-brained: The Bush administration has been a cesspool of corruption, subverting our system of government and stealing our freedoms one piece at a time.

No duh, Ralph.

And when these weasels were in a position to say or do something about it? They kept their traps shut and sealed. They attacked anyone who gave voice to the doubts they now say they had, and they just kept going with the flow of decadence. Now, they're off the teat, and suddenly they're all ready to tell us what we are finally finding out, now that some portions of the popular media have recovered their voice.

Fuck off, you filthy little quislings. I hope you all get a nice stay at a federal gray bar hotel, and that right soon.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. The only thing that Bush is guilty of, is giving them everything they

asked for.

[underpants]

10. Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy-Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP

:rofl:

I saw this on Crooks and Liars and was about to post it.

Well...turns out we were right about all that too

I would say this is beginning to become a trend.

[Solly Mack]

11. Oh spare me the whining

You all own Bush. Own him and everything he has done.

You embraced him and propped him up. You enabled him and profited from it in the doing.

Take your revisionism and shove it up your collective asses.

[salin]

12. I still have family and associates who see themselves as repub but

can no longer abide by bushjr. They look at the admin as an aberation - bad apples so to speak. I want to read this book -and if it lays out the characteristics that make these guys so awful - and points out how many high leaders in the current GOP are cut from the same cloth... then I will buy a number of copies and pass them on to these folks and ask them, if they find it interesting, to pass it on to another person with the same request. Just a small way to try to get folks to recognize this isn't about bad actors - this is about bad faith service to the country and its citizens. I don't want to see a repub resurgence in a couple of years because folks still view jr/cheney as "bad apples". The modern GOP needs to be recognized for what it is - and moderates and independents need to become as aware of that as we are - to keep these folks out of power and too far from power to wreak any more havoc on our country and the world. Every now and again, in our history, a major party has faded and been replaced by another party. I wonder if we are not possibly entering such a period in history?

[Solly Mack]

13. I think, at this time - and barring any event that just forces change-

that the GOP will be successful in painting Bush/Cheney as an aberration and not a symptom

I think this because America wants to view what is happening now as an aberration and not a symptom.

People, far too many, are all too willing to believe this - this being war of lies, torture, spying, etc...just pick a Bush crime, outrage or abuse of power - could not have happened under anyone else and won't happen again...that everything over the last several years has been an aberration....so by blaming it all on the coming of Bush, both purposes are served.....both are fed and supported by the other

America was going through a "crazy" period and everything that happened was a simply an aberration...and the GOP was invaded by those "bad apples" who caused the aberration

Nevermind the GOP was building toward Bush for years or that America herself was in such a state of being that allowed for someone like Bush to come to power as well...

[salin]

15. I absolutely agree. Another book on my circulation route is Dean's

Conservatives without Conscience. An excellent book. I have been heartened to hear some of the language he used and explained (from academics) get into more mainstream discussions/writings about poltiics - esp on Authoritarians. One of the academics whose work he drew upon has also started getting more coverage/writing/media time (Dont recall the name but I believe he is out of Toronto). Sometimes these books can help explain more and open more eyes to those who desperately HOPE/want to believe the aberation explanation. But I agree this admin and their work was in the making for years.

[Solly Mack]

16. I think the books help. Wish more people would read them

People don't want to know they've been indoctrinated - they don't like what they think that says about them. They'd rather continue to believe a lie than to admit they were fooled and controlled in the process. When they should get angry with those who did the indoctrinating - they get angry at those who pull the blinders off instead.

That's just one aspect of the problem we're up against.

The more info that's out there the better...but people will still be people and all that implies. We don't tend to let go of our defense mechanisms willingly.

[SoCalDem]

14. While i am happy for him, for seeing the light, I have no pats on the back for him, OR

any of the other recent "converts".

These were people ON THE INSIDE, who could have spared us all a LOT of grief..and yes.. they could have actually SAVED lives, if they had not weaseled out and stayed tucked under George's petticoats.

He's the lamest of lame ducks, so it's relatively safe for them to "come out now" when there's nothing to lose from doing it.

they remind me of all the media sycophants who gleefully drank all the koo laid they were given, and saved the "best" bits of their investigations...for their books.. on sale now for only $42.95..:grr:

Their papers paid them to get the story, and they doled out just enough to keep their jobs, while squirreling away the juicy stuff for years..until they had enough for their book,

[Jade Fox]

17. "but he says he did not see it at first"

Then he must of been in a comma. Cheney hasn't changed much.

Now that it's safe to criticize Bushco, when Bush is polling in the 30s, these people come out of the woodwork. They could have spoken out before and done some good, but they didn't have the guts to endure the treatment Richard Clark got.

It makes one kind of cynical.