“Establishment” Republicans

Mitt Romney’s Endorsement By Jeb Bush And What It May Mean

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has had a good 24 hour cycle, with the major win in Illinois, support from a wide band of voting groups, and the endorsement by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Bush is one of the heavyweights in the GOP, and his endorsement, held off to now, is a prized one.

It would seem that former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, ending up 12 points behind, will have less opportunity to move ahead, although he might win Louisiana this weekend. But he would have to win WIsconsin on April 3, and his home state of Pennsylvania on April 24, to remain alive, and nothing in this regard is certain.

Meanwhile, with Newt Gingrich ending up last, behind Ron Paul, in Illinois, it would seem that it is time for the former House Speaker to leave the race, but his ego, and the fact money is still rolling in, means he will wish the publicity to continue running, even though he has only won South Carolina and Georgia.

Ron Paul has won nowhere except the US VIrgin Islands, but he is not about to withdraw either.

The goal of the three stragglers is to prevent 1,144 delegate votes for Mitt Romney on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August, and the promotion of the first contested convention since Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford fought it out on the convention floor in 1976.

Bush’s backing of Romney is certainly a sign that the “Establishment” Republicans want unity, seeing it as essential now to organize against President Barack Obama.

And there is now speculation that Jeb Bush might accept the Vice Presidential nomination with Romney, but that seems highly unlikely. Bush certainly would help with Hispanic and Latino voters, and mainline conservatives, but Bush does not seem like the type to be number two on anyone’s ticket.

Rick Santorum: Another Barry Goldwater, But Far Worse!

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Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum’s victories in Dixie tonight, in Alabama and Mississippi, now sets up the ultimate confrontation between Establishment Republicans and the extreme right wing of the party.

The difference is that Mitt Romney is no Nelson Rockefeller of 1964, and Rick Santorum is no Barry Goldwater of 1964..

Rockefeller worked to fill the centrist position in the party, while Romney has flirted uncomfortably with trying to satisfy the far Right, which sadly cannot be done.

Barry Goldwater was at heart a libertarian, and Rick Santorum is as far from that as anyone can imagine, with his desire to control the social and private lives of Americans.

Nelson Rockefeller would be shocked at the performance of Mitt Romney, and Barry Goldwater would be totally appalled at the social totalitarian mentality of Rick Santorum.

In his time, 1964, Barry Goldwater was considered a “nightmare” by Establishment Republicans, many of whom, including Rockefeller abandoned him, leading to the worst GOP defeat since 1912.

Today, Rick Santorum is considered a “nightmare” by Establishment Republicans, and many will abandon him if he is the nominee of the Republican Party, and Santorum will suffer the greatest defeat since 1964, 48 years ago!

Rick Santorum, if he won the Presidency, would undermine the country with his right wing views, making him the most extremist President EVER in American history! He would make us long for the times of George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, and William Howard Taft, considered the five most conservative Presidents of the 20th century in no special order, but all having some personality traits or views that showed their humanity!

Rick Santorum has NO such visions or leanings!

Rick Santorum Declares War On Two Democratic Presidents: John F. Kennedy And Barack Obama!

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Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum continues to rampage in his “cultural war” against liberals, progressives, and the Democratic Party.

He seems not to understand that what he is doing is political suicide, and if he is selected as the Republican nominee for President, a disaster awaits the party.

Establishment Republicans realize this, and can only hope that Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, can stop Santorum’s ascent in the 14 primaries coming up in the next eight days.

Santorum is stopping at nothing, not only attacking President Barack Obama, but also President John F. Kennedy.

Santorum continued his attack this past weekend on Barack Obama as an elitist, and a snob, for promoting higher education for all young people, continuing to assert that Obama is trying to poison the minds of young people, making them liberal and hating religion, and promoting indoctrination.

And he has attacked Kennedy’s declaration of the absolute separation of church and state that Kennedy uttered during the Presidential campaign of 1960, stating that religion should be part of government as the Founding Fathers intended, except for the fact that they were very clear in agreeing with Kennedy’s statement that religion and politics should not mix.

Santorum seems to be totally out of control, and one can wonder whether he has ever been able to accept those who disagree with him, as he still does not have even one US Senator and only three House members from Pennsylvania willing to endorse him.

The theocracy he is promoting will not be accepted by the American people, and hopefully, Republican primary voters will realize the dangers he presents and repudiate him finally, and send him back to Pennsylvania, where he should be, helping his poor wife and older children take care of his very sick three year old daughter, instead of pontificating on what he calls the “truth”, which is totally false!

The “family values” candidate needs to focus on his own family, and stop pursuing his ego that he is qualified and acceptable to be the President of the United States, which he most certainly is not. There is no way that he could ever unite the American people in any fashion!

The Republican Party Establishment In Panic: Jeb Bush, George Will, Haley Barbour

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The Republican Party Establishment is fully aware that the party is doomed if it follows the crazy path being tread by Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul.

These candidates are absolutely a calamity big time.

Mitt Romney spends time talking about the height of the trees in Michigan; the fact that his wife has two Cadillacs; the concept that he likes firing people; jokes about being “unemployed”; suggests a tax plan that would be worse than that under George W. Bush in cutting taxes on the wealthy; and continues to say that the auto industry bailout was a bad idea even though it saved between one and two million jobs.

Rick Santorum talks about Satan taking over America; attacks public education and higher education as promoting secular humanism; advocates the end of contraception availability to women; condemns homosexuality in the most extreme language; advocates religion in government; and calls for war on Iran immediately.

Newt Gingrich says that Barack Obama is dangerous to American security; calls for immediate action on Day One to wipe out everything Barack Obama has promoted; calls for a moon colony despite no funds available for it anytime soon; brags about his own brilliance and intellect and knowledge; has no shame about his moral lapses; and enjoys stirring a “hornet’s nest” and being a “flame thrower”.

Ron Paul calls for the elimination of the Federal Reserve; the immediate withdrawal of our troops from all nations overseas; the ending of five federal government agencies; is for massive immediate cuts in the federal budget;
believes in no regulation of corporations; and is a total advocate of libertarianism.

All four are a true disaster, and we have heard the lament from Establishment figures.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush deplores the promotion of fear and emotion; while George Will, of ABC’s THIS WEEK and also a Washington Post columnist, states that none of the candidates have made a good case for the nomination; and former Mississippi Governor and Republican National Chairman Haley Barbour also is critical of the performance of the candidates for the Republican nomination.

Whether anything can be done to avoid electoral disaster is very hard to predict at this point, but a sense of foreboding is clearly evident in Republican circles!

A “Brokered” Republican Convention Possible? YES!

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With the struggle going on for the Republican Presidential nomination, a scenario of a “brokered” convention looms.

IF Mitt Romney does not win Michigan and Arizona next Tuesday, and/or loses Ohio and other states on March 6, the “Establishment” Republicans, terrified at the thought of Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich as the party nominee, COULD work together to prevent a majority for either of them, and create a “brokered” convention.

If that were to occur, the first contested convention since 1976, when Gerald Ford defeated Ronald Reagan by fewer than 100 delegate votes (a losing campaign, by the way), then former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, or Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan COULD emerge as the nominee.

It is clear at this time that trying to predict what will happen politically this year is still very much up in the air, as foreign policy or economic crisis could transform the race not just for the GOP, but also for President Barack Obama!

The Growing Hysteria Over Newt Gingrich’s Candidacy For President

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As a result of Newt Gingrich’s smashing victory in South Carolina, the panic and hysteria within conservative ranks and in the Republican Party establishment has grown by leaps and bounds. Critics suggest that Newt as the potential nominee, with an almost 60 percent unfavorable rating in national public opinion polls, about the same as when he was Speaker of the House fifteen years ago, and was on his way out as a result of a conservative Republican move against him in the House of Representatives, will lead to a massive defeat and bring down Republicans in both houses of Congress.

The list is long who is against Gingrich, with an incomplete list following in no special order.

George H. W. Bush, former President of the United States
Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security and Pennsylvania Governor
Chris Christie, New Jersey Governor
Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Senator
Nikki Haley, South Carolina Governor
Tim Pawlenty, former Minnesota Governor
Haley Barbour, former Mississippi Governor and Republican National Chairman
Jon Huntsman, former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China
Mark Kirk, Illinois Senator
John McCain, Arizona Senator
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Senator
Joe Scarborough, former Florida Congressman and MSNBC Talk Show Host
Susan Molinari, former New York Congresswoman
Rush Limbaugh, Conservative Radio Talk Show Host
Ann Coulter, Conservative Activists
Charles Krauthammer, Conservative Activist and Fox News Channel Contributor
Bill Kristol, Publisher of Weekly Standard and Fox News Contributor
David Brooks, NY Times Journalist
Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal Journalist and Reagan Speechwriter
George Will, Conservative Journalist and ABC News Contributor
Peter King, New York Congressman
Glenn Beck, Conservative Radio Talk Show Host
Brit Hume, Fox News Channel Contributor
Jonah Goldberg, Conservative Author and Activist
Roy Blunt, Missouri Senator
Scott Brown, Massachusetts Senator
Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Senator
Rob Portman, Ohio Senator
John Thune, South Dakota Senator
Bob McDonnell, Virginia Governor
Dan Quayle, former Vice President
Bob Dole, former Kansas Senator and Presidential Nominee in 1996
Norm Coleman, former Minnesota Senator
John Danforth, former Missouri Senator
Elizabeth Dole, former North Carolina Senator and Cabinet Member
Judd Gregg, former New Hampshire Senator
John Sununu, former White House Chief of Staff and New Hampshire Governor
Gordon Smith, former Oregon Senator
Jim Talent, former Missouri Senator
John Sununu, Jr, former New Hampshire Senator
David Frum, conservative journalist and former aide to George W. Bush
George Voinovich, former Ohio Senator
Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House of Representatives
Rick Lazio, former New York Congressman
James Baker, former Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff
Robert Bork, former Reagan Supreme Court nominee
John Bolton, former United Nations Ambassador

This list of critics, all supporters of Mitt Romney, fear a calamity in the making, but the battle to overcome Gingrich seems likely to be a long, and possibly, unsuccessful one.

Some predict that a Gingrich candidacy will be similar to Barry Goldwater in 1964, causing a split that will not easily be healed in the short term future.

The Multi Headed Monster: The Republican Party “Bloodshed” Ahead!

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Now that the Iowa Caucuses are over, any semblance of peace and compromise in the battle for the Republican Presidential nomination is a distant dream.

With Rick Santorum ending up ONLY EIGHT votes behind Mitt Romney; Romney gaining SIX FEWER votes than in 2008; Newt Gingrich furious at his so called mistreatment by Romney related PACs bad mouthing him and his record; Rick Perry strangely deciding to reverse himself and fight on in South Carolina; Jon Huntsman ridiculing Iowa and continuing his quest to turn things in his favor in New Hampshire; and Ron Paul continuing his quixotic quest to turn America and the Republican Party against “big” government and “interventionist” foreign policy, we are far from any resolution of the struggle, and lots of “bloodshed” is ahead of us!

The “Establishment” Republicans and Wall Street Republicans want Mitt Romney.

The “Social Conservatives” can choose between Rick Santorum, likely to gain their mantle due to his success, but also Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich competing for their support.

The “Tea Party Movement” Republicans still believe in Ron Paul.

The more moderate and foreign policy oriented Republicans realize that Jon Huntsman is superior to all others in foreign affairs knowledge, but many want a more aggressive attitude on foreign policy, a la the “neoconservatives”, preferring the hard line of Santorum, Perry or Gingrich.

The Republican Party is a multi headed monster which is looking for its “soul”, but it may NOT have one!

The Virginia Presidential Primary: Romney Vs Paul, With No One Else On Ballot!

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A weird development has set up the Virginia Presidential primary of March 6 to be a potential major factor in the GOP Presidential race.

Virginia is a “swing state” with a Republican state government stronger than ever before; with a Governor, Bob McDonnell, who is a potential Vice Presidential nominee; with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, thought to be supportive of the Tea Party struggles against Speaker of the House John Boehner; and a state with northern Virginia very liberal and the rest of the state more traditional Old South. It is a state that Barack Obama won, and is a crucial state for him to win in 2012.

Considering the significance of Virginia, one would think all seven GOP candidates for President would be on the ballot, but instead only TWO are to be listed–Mitt Romney, the candidate of “Establishment” Republicans; and Ron Paul, the libertarian and Tea Party, small government, and cutting back on interventions overseas, candidate!

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry failed to gain enough ballot signatures, and Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman chose not to compete at all in the state.

So, assuming the nomination has NOT been won already, which seems a highly likely scenario, this could be the ultimate battle in many ways of Nelson Rockefeller vs Barry Goldwater, modified of course, but definitely a battle for the soul of the Republican Party in 2012!

Des Moines, Iowa, Republican Presidential Debate On ABC Most Crucial Debate Yet!

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Saturday night, there will be another in a long line of Republican Presidential debates, sponsored by ABC News, taking place in Des Moines, Iowa.

This is the most crucial debate yet, as it comes three weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, and at a time when the Republican Party is demonstrating its internal conflicts more than ever.

Former Speaker of The House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, surging in the polls, is receiving lots of opposition from “Establishment” Republicans and former House colleagues, and many conservative journalists, such as Peggy Noonan, see him as a horror for the party and the nation,

But there is no love lost for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, in many ways reminding those old enough to remember, what the feeling was for Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1964, when the right wing was able to control the Republican convention, and nominate Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona for President, but leading to a total electoral disaster in the Presidential Election of 1964.

In many ways, the Gingrich-Romney battle is a replay of that election, except that Romney is trying to make himself LOOK more conservative than he really is, while Rockefeller made no attempt to declare himself a conservative.

The only person who still, if he does well in New Hampshire, might have a shot at the nomination, is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who in many ways reminds us of Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, seen as an alternative to Rockefeller and Goldwater in 1964, but unable to overcome Goldwater.

The result was a total disaster for the Republican Party, and the promotion of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs. Hopefully, the country will be so disgusted with the Republican move to the far right, and the obstructionism of the House Republicans, and the anti labor Republican Governors and legislatures, and give Barack Obama the re-election victory he deserves in 2012!

Newt Gingrich: Vitriol, Hatred, Confrontation, Tumult, Division, Distortion–The New Joseph McCarthy!

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As former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich continues to surge in the polls for the Republican Presidential nomination, it becomes more obvious that the Republican Party “establishment” is horrified at his rise.

Former Congresswoman Susan Molinari of New York, Congressman Peter King of New York, former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu (who worked as Chief of Staff to the first President Bush), former Florida Congressman and MNSBC talk show host Joe Scarborough, and innumerable others are ringing the alarm bell about the dangers of Newt Gingrich as the GOP nominee.

They and those who know politics best see Gingrich as a disaster for the party, similar to Barry Goldwater in 1964, but in many worse worse than Goldwater.

Goldwater did not have the ethical and moral problems of Gingrich. Goldwater did not set out to be another Joseph McCarthy, as Gingrich has done in modern terms.

Why call Gingrich another Joseph McCarthy? Gingrich, similar to McCarthy, levels ridiculous charges and accusations; utilizes virtriol and promotion of hatred; promotes confrontation and tumult and division and distortion with a great relish; does not care how many corpses he leaves behind in his lust for power; and would make the stalemate and gridlock that exists in Washington even worse than it is now!

Newt Gingrich cannot unite the country; cannot solve any of the major problems we are facing; and likely would take us into more foreign wars; promote more wild spending leading to a greater national debt; cause more corruption and scandals (both in government and personally); create more centralization of the powers of the Presidency in dangerous, abusive ways; and would make us wish for the times of Richard Nixon, the most divisive President of the 20th century!

This man is reckless, dangerous, and does not work well with others of his own party, let alone the opposition and the news media. He is a danger to the nation’s future, and one would hope that he would lose massively to Barack Obama, and cause a reassessment of the right wing madness of the Republican Party!