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The GOP's Suicide Mission
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Memo to my party: Blasting targets like Sonia Sotomayor and Colin Powell is a surefire strategy to guarantee our extinction.
Plus, more Daily Beast contributors react to Sotomayor's nomination.
If the GOP is ever to be resurgent, it has to pick its fights carefully. The tendency is, unfortunately, to shoot at everything that moves.
Here are a couple of fights we don’t need: Colin Powell and Sonia Sotomayor.
Let’s face it, Sotomayor is a political trifecta. Woman. Hispanic. Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval from George H. W. Bush.
Yes, Mitch McConnell has to make his pro forma gestures about doing due diligence. And it is important to fully examine Judge Sotomayor’s judicial record. But, every day this confirmation battle gets unreasonably extended is a good day for Democrats and a bad day for Republicans.
We should be on our knees praising Colin Powell for declaring that he has not, despite the desire of some narrow and vocal forces within the GOP, left the party. Because if he does, we might as well turn the lights out.
Sotomayor is going to be confirmed. There is little doubt about it. So, going into weeks or months of paroxysms and hysterics about alleged “judicial activism” is just going to make the party look bitter, mean, tone deaf, and out of touch.
And we should be on our knees praising Colin Powell for declaring that he has not, despite the desire of some narrow and vocal forces within the GOP, left the party. Because if he leaves the party, we might as well turn the lights out. This is a man who, arguably, could have been the first African-American president had he made the decision to run against Bill Clinton in 1996.
Powell is a man of unquestioned military experience and diplomatic skill, the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of State under a Republican president. And yet, some attack him as just not “Republican enough.” Not a good message for independent and swing voters.
No one is suggesting that Dick Cheney or Rush Limbaugh leave the party. So why are they insistent on defining the party as such an exclusive club? Because if they keep it up, they’ll offend enough Republicans so that’s just what the party will be: exclusive. It’s a recipe for permanent minority status.
I admittedly and proudly align myself with the more centrist, Powell wing of the party. But I think it’s great that there are strongly conservative voices in the party. Hell, I loved seeing Liz Cheney out burning up the TV circuits defending the policies of President Bush. She’s a superstar in the making. I don’t agree with everything she says, but I think it’s good that the party has a broad chorus singing the hymns. Even if it’s not in perfect harmony.
So, for the good of the party, after applying reasonable due diligence, we ought to be prepared to wave a white flag on Sotomayor, give Colin Powell a big bear hug and sincere thanks for sticking it out, and move on.
Xtra Insight: More Daily Beast contributors react to Sotomayor's nomination.
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, causes, and individuals, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
Myra Adams is a media producer, writer and political observer. Her media clients have included national associations, political interest groups and corporations. She was on the creative team with Mark McKinnon that created the now infamous John Kerry "Windsurfing" ad for the Bush 2004 presidential campaign and served on the McCain Ad Council during the 2008 McCain campaign. Myra's web site www.TheJesusStore.com contributes all profits to Christian charity.
Grill Him Again!
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
Not a Game-Changer
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
cbeenthere
What did it take Rove four seconds to start in on her? I wish you luck with you plea to your party. No comments yet here that say they get your line.
Banjo1
McKinnon is another one of Tina's apparently large stable of RINOs. If there are no Republican principles to defend, why bother having a party. Powell walks and talks like a Democrat. Why take his word for it that he is a Republican?
jdcarmine
RINO my eye numb skull. Republicans actually are allowed to have brains, really.
troublemonkey
Hey, keep it up, Banjo, you're exactly what the Dems need!
LOL.
PamT726
No, Banjo1! Powell walks and talks like a human being first, a man second. I know being human is rather foreign to that Grand Ole-Ass Party, but I'd be careful before trying to kick out the only person in your group who speak with some semblance of humanity and a little commonsense. Bless your hearts -- Christians are not welcome in your party (unless Pat Roberts gives his seal of approval), anyone who is not staunchly entrenched in the ditches of the conservative insanity are extremely suspect; certainly everyone of color is villified, and penis-less humans are a big no-no (unless they are Bachman-like insane). So, what is the criteria? Pill popping? Friend shooting? One foot in the grave? Corporation owning? Global warming dismissing? Thinkers? Users of Commonsense? Who's left?
warmonkey
Banjo, the RINOs, if you must, are indeed a " large segment"- of the party as a whole. I was registered Rep for 22 years, [now Independent, check the stats! ]Why can't you see that the extremist hard right should not get to say who is a Republican? Your kind is maybe 40% of the party, maybe 10% of the voters? You have to realize, without the RINOs, you are OVER!
I had to change party affiliation when the Christian Coalition gained too much power. I am a Left-Leaning Libertarian, but many of my values are reflected in the ,former, party of Reagan. I would like to support more conservative policies, and legistators, but the stranglehold of Extremist Ideology prevents me sometimes.
How are you gonna build your party and dismiss so many?
Progressive2
they listened to your advise Dick Cheney said he welcomes Colin Powel to the party, well at least it's a start.
PamT726
To be welcomed anywhere by Dick Cheney is an insult! Powell had better not accept any invitations to go hunting!
TexasConservative
Leftist enjoy preaching inclusion to the Republican Party but I am wondering where are the pro-life, peace through strength, anti-illegal immigration persons in the Democrat Party? Republicans sided with Arlen Spector against a conservative candidate and were rewarded by his joining the opposition party. Colin Powell endorses the most left-wing Democrat to run for President and has the audacity to tell conservatives that they are hurting the Party? Obama wanted to fillibuster Alito and Roberts yet Republicans must stand aside for his controversial nominee? This kind of nonsense is what has gotten the Party to where it is. Why anyone would consider this man's opinion to be worth much is beyond me.
xlntcat
Well a college drop-out like Rove is certainly qualified to assess intelligence! Why isn't this man in jail?
jackbutler5555
Good advice, But there are bigger problems to solve. How do you reconcile the differences between the libertarian wing and the social-religious segment, the fiscal conservatives and the deficits-aren't-all-that-bad folks, the neo-conservative hawks and the isolationists, the ethnocentrists and the tolerant?
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n--Y--LordVaderdoko84
i give mark credit for not being totally delusional like most members of the GOP, but if he's going to be a total kiss- ass and say that Liz Cheney is a "superstar in the making", he should just shut the hell up.
what a dolt...
StellaRay
Exactly. If McKinnon thinks Liz Cheney is a superstar in the making then he has missed the entire point of the GOP's massive fail.
section9
Liz will not only be a superstar, she'll be a state governor someday, then a POTUS. She's the next best thing to Palin in our party; Palin's advantage is that Palin can connect with average voters in a way that noone else can.
I look for Liz to run for something in 2012-indeed, I wouldn't be surprised to see her on anybody's VP shortlist. However, she needs executive experience first.
Silly Democrats, you need to get back to ruining the currency, trashing our AAA bond rating, and selling out the country to the Chicoms and the North Koreans before you waste time beating up on Republicans.
stevensnell
Speaking of missing the point...
citivas
section9, the Dems don't ave to focus on any of those things you listed because the Reps had already done them...
troublemonkey
section9 -- "next best thing to Sarah Palin" -- sometimes these clowns inadvertently speak the truth, ROTFLMAO....
Yeah, she'll be President like I'll be the first man to jump a unicorn over ten schoolbuses full of Sasquatches. ; )
Banjo1
Doko84: Do all the Daily Kos Kids agree with you on Liz?
troublemonkey
And do all the ditto-heads stink at logic as badly as you?
LOL.
PamT726
Is that "Sarah Palin" like superstar? Hmmmm. I must have missed the star that makes Liz super.
xlntcat
If the sad, Lizzy Cheney, who has no credentials to comment on anything is the best the GOP has to offer then it will be a long, long time before the "rising." Perhaps, someone could find her a hair dresser. At least she could scratch of poor grooming from her deficits.
EonCrusher
I think it's time to let the tinfoil hat bearers of the republican party head off and form their own elite, "Bears no relation to reality party" and let everyone else not be dragged down by them.
Americain
The GOP will ignore you Mark and this makes me very very happy. They can't embrace these people, it will piss off the base. They can't afford to live without voices likes Powell or Meghan McCain either but they'll turn up their noses at them and continue with the same policies. It's all they know. And I for one will be hoping that they do because we'll need your party to be extinct for awhile in order to clean up the mess that your buddy George, Dick and the rest of the neocon cabal left us. In this case extinction is the best favor you people could do for us.
tsalagi
How does Powell qualify as republican other than the "R" next to his name? Liberals are a threat to my freedom, and my grandsons freedom, and I will not support them.
finderj
There is a difference between disagreement and disparagement.
Be nice if more politically interested persons learned it.
GM2009
Are you supposed to be polite to people that utterly and finally destroyed a once great nation? It's my first time.
stevensnell
Yes, you are always supposed to be polite. Politeness is not the same as weakness. You can politely throw someone into jail for war crimes, for example.
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n--Y--LordVadertroublemonkey
Unfortunately, if you are polite to diseased rats they will eat all your food and piss on what they can't have and give your children rabies.
Sometimes politeness in the face of rabidity is overrated. The Jews were pretty polite to the Nazis, for the most part, snicker-chortle.
toddanthonydirect
Unfortunately, "moderate Repubs" is a smaller and shrinking group. Your advice would only be prudent if it weren't. The bulk of the Republican party thrives on this negative frenzy and they rely on it to reinforce the tribalism that they have cultivated these past ten years or so. Their biggest problem is that they will become too predictable with this kind of attack. And their second biggest problem is that they don't solve problems that need solving. But they can complain and attack like nobody's business.
StellaRay
"The bulk of the Republican party thrives on this negative frenzy and they rely on it to reinforce the tribalism that they have cultivated these past ten years or so."
Brilliant, toddanthonydirect, because you've said it like no one else, and that's hard to do. And yes, their biggest problem is that they have made themselves into a predictable caricature---the party of hell no!
Some may want to cheer McKinnon on for his plea to cool off on Sotomayer and Powell, as if this is the apex of smart thinking for the GOP, but to which I can only respond to with DUH.
How about cool off on trying to push the efficacy of torture down our throats, since you can't win on the legality issue? How about calling torture for what it is instead of giving us the ultimate banality of evil euphemism---"enhanced interrogation techniques." How about standing up and admitting we as a country have agreed torture is illegal in many ways and having the cajones to say, change the law. Having the cajones to run a campaign under the banner of "We want torture to be legal."
For me, Mckinnon undoes any good by cheering on Liz Cheney, who has appeared on the scene as intractable as her father, and who has rudely talked over, filibustered over, everyone who she's been paired against. Just like dear old dad.
eat5vegetables
I agree, toddanthonydirect. I was struck as well by your clarity in calling the problem tribalism. It sums up the "fear of the other," the "us vs them," the "with us or against us" and "dead or alive" mentality that really is becoming a illness of sorts. It is based in fear as an operation mode. The only thing one can trust in such a situation is a member of one's own tribe.
I believe another way to think of this is that the GOP is suffering from a profound and debilitating personality disorder. It is what we call Cluster B in psychiatry, and they have it really bad. When in power they were narcissistic and anti-social. Now, out of power and humiliated, they devolve into histrionics, borderline quasi-psychosis and grotesque projection or denial of their own culpability.
After eight long years it's such a relief to be able to watch all of this with interest rather than the dread and horror I felt while they were in power. I believe that in many ways it is a primitive and even a savage mindset. See for example their arguments for torture. Even relatively benign apologists for the party spend a surprisingly transparent amount of time talking about "pride" and "contributions to the USA" and other easy forms of Patriotism (e.g., Meghan McCain in today's "My Brother's Big Day"). What we don't see is the deep and painful examination of what Patriotism means to an "Adult." This would be a process where an ideal or an abstraction like "Justice", "Rule of Law" and The Constitution would trump the child's desire for control, domination and omnipotence.
What is so chilling is that the sadism and savagery shown by children is seen in these adults every day, and it has become acceptable behavior. Rather than getting the spanking they deserve for such childish behavior, people like Limbaugh and Rove are taking over. The party literally doesn't have a mature "parental" influence, either in the abstraction of ideas and concepts and or in the form of a strong, mature and moral leader with character. There is no one.
The best they can offer is a man from the past named Reagan who played to the magical thinking that childish people exhibit when they want to get away with something. He shifted America's moral compass with this psychology and told us we could eat cake and ice cream for dinner and not get fat. It's ran argument as to how unevolved were are as a species that the greatness started so long ago by our founders could be sold so cheaply.
MOswingvoter
Good lord. So much analysis of the shortcomings of a party with whom none of you sympathize. There is no reason in the world they should listen to any of you. Do you enjoy your echo chamber?
nedmadden
eat5vegetables--Excellent psychoanalysis of the Repugs and their unending selfishness, outbursts of temper and unpleasant, infantile behavior. Of particular importance is the phrase "denial of their own culpability." For the "liberal," self-rebuke is inevitable. For the "conservative," self-rebuke is impossible. For the "cons," a problem, any problem, personal or otherwise, is ALWAYS the fault of someone else. Blame others and never take responsibility is their enduring motto and mode of action. Now, their behavior may seem to be "childish," but I know too many wonderful children to completely buy into immaturity as being the best explanation for the actions of Bush, Cheney and their ilk. Instead, I prefer to think of the Republican Party as a self-dealing criminal organization much like the Mob. The Bushistas, in the spirit of Patriarch Nixon, stole the 2000 and 2004 elections, started an illegal war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, looted the U.S. Treasury, gave sweetheart no-bid contracts to their cronies, broke international and domestic laws, spied on U.S. citizens, engaged in kidnapping and torture and committed sundry other villainous illegalities. It was said of Hitler and his Nazi henchman that they were criminals first and then politicians--political criminals, which is a good description for Bush, Cheney and all the rest of their Repug enablers. Starting with these thugs (who of course used paid muscle to do their killing for them), the entire leadership of the Republican Party should be prosecuted under 1970s-era Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act federal statutes that provide for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. Mark McKinnon, you need to face up to the fact that you belong to a criminal society--the dying rump remnant of the greatest criminal conspiracy in U.S. history: the Old Confederacy. Oh you perfidious assassins of Lincoln and co-opters of his GOP, may you finally succeed in seceding and at last go away completely and forever.
spotted
"Moderate Republican" is virtually oxymoronic.
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n--Y--LordVaderBanjo1
So is "Intelligent, non-Kool-Aid-taking Democrat."
MaliciousDisorder
Where are the so called moderate republicans screaming at the way democrats are treating Burris ? What are colin powells positions on anything ?
No one knows. We know less about him than obama.
Republicans had the most moderate republican running for president against who was the strongest proponent of comprehensive immigration ever. He and every other moderate republican joined him in the chant. If that couldn't get the Hispanic vote I don't know what will. Why bother trying to court the hispanic vote. Moderate republicans are not conservatives. Democrats should take them into there party.
warmonkey
And they will!Mcain backtracked [in a Democrat, you know this as "flip-flopping!] on immigration reform,[that HE introduced], during the campaign. I am not that surprised that you don't know much about President Obama! You don't know much about your own candidate!
Dencal26
The Dems didn't thrive on Bush Hate for 8 years? Michael Moore Films. Insane attacks from the left. Give me a break.
troublemonkey
Thrive? No. Endure? Yes. Like it? No. Comment? Yes. Like chimps flinging sh*t regardless of merit? No.
But of course, if you folks could logically differentiate, you wouldn't hold the views you do at all, LOL.
kevbotx
wow mark. did you really have to bring liz chaney into this discussion? otherwise good points burned beyond recognition on the spittle of a twit.
flyoverland
This guy is kissing so many butts his lips must be chapped. Pal, GHWB also appointed Souter. How'd he work out for us?
seth82
I would love to hear a chorus of people singing the Republican hymns: "Torture is good, torture is great, torture solves all our prooooooooblems!" Give it a rest man. To defend the Bush administration is up there with defending Fascism or Nazis.
strongmind1951
what torture are you speaking of? Waterboarding? I played football in high school and college. Waterboarding would have been easier than the torture we received to earn our varsity letters.
We treated the sub-humans much nicer than our soldiers who had their heads removed -- while alive.
And all those lovely Europeans that you are trying to be friends with. They don't want any of the sub-humans we have locked up either.
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n--Y--LordVadertroublemonkey
Hey, at least you said *Soviet* Socialism! Extra points for clear distinction!
MaliciousDisorder
your such a fool, jack ass nazi
Banjo1
Another moron with zero grasp of history. Unless, that is, you can locate the death camps on a map for all of us to check out.
StellaRay
The GOP has been driven mad from lack of power. In my lifetime I've never seen anything like it.
And Mr. McKinnon, you are delusional if you think that the big mouthed, uber egos of Cheney and Limbaugh will allow you to blend them into a bigger tent.
The Bush/Cheney regime (and they so deserve that term vs. "administration") came way too close to dismantling everything this country stands for. And the majority clearly knows that.
The fact that you cheer Liz Cheney on shows that you have no grasp of the anger and yes, bitterness, many of us feel at having been so diminished by her father.
ynot4tony2
"The GOP has been driven mad from lack of power. In my lifetime I've never seen anything like it."
You must have been asleep from 2000 to 2006 to make such an asinine claim...
kj1234
StellaRay, you must be rather young. The same story plays itself out every time the party in power gets voted out. What is amazing is that so many of my fellow Americans fall for the two party game. We can "Vote the Bums Out", but still end up with just more bums from the same pool of entrenched elites.
Carole65
How quickly you forget how the Democrats wandered in the wilderness until 2006. Guess every dog has his day
TavernWench
The big difference is, we didn't change who we are during the Bush Years. We just sat back and watched you slowly destroy yourselves.
troublemonkey
And mad dogs with rabies usually eventually get put down. But only after they lash out and bite at everything in sight including their own flanks. !!! GOP as Cujo.
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n--Y--LordVaderMaliciousDisorder
YES WE CAN Prop 8 wins
troublemonkey
Yeah, slavery carried a few referendums too.
But every time there's been an attempt to keep down a minority in this country, it's eventually failed. Blacks in slavery, women's voting rights... no one denies stupidity has momentum. But it *does* roll to a stop eventually. If your great-grandchildren were to discover your posts here, they'd burn them in shame and hope what you suffer from is not hereditary. ; )
nonsmoker
McKinnon, people like you have NO right to lecture. You have a foot already in the Democrats door just like Powell. You are an opportunistic elitist inside Washington politician. Just keep straddling the fence. And who cares about Sotomayor anyways. I don't care what they decide. But quit lecturing. You don't own me or my views.
nonsmoker
I am glad at not being associated with an opportunistic elitist Washington whiner like McKinnon. The rednecks and southern hicks and christian evangelists aren't voting for people like you and you have no power now eh.
Newsguy
"I loved seeing Liz Cheney out burning up the TV circuits defending the policies of President Bush."
Yeah it's just great seeing Liz out there defending war crimes and war criminals. Keep up the good work, Liz, letting everyone know what the Republican Party really stands for.
nonsmoker
McKinnon, is this an "either you are with me or against me" declaration? You are welcome by me to have "your party". You and Colin can keep the Republican name. Run with it. Good luck.
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