Talking heads' lack of civility hurting GOP, ex-leader says (RINO Barf Alert!)

The Columbus Dispatch ^ | September 12, 2009 | Mark Niquette

[The Wizard]

Go Joe, Go

[DGHoodini]

Imcivility? You talk about *Republican* incivility?
No wonder the GOP under you, was incompetant and short sighted. Robert T. Bennett No one cares what you think, because you are a nowhere man Robert T. Bennett. How’s that for incivility. Apparently you think civility means letting lying screaming temper tantrum throwing criminal opponents running all over you, with their Army Surplus boot marks all over your face.

[Grunthor]

“Robert T. Bennett The former longtime chairman of the Ohio Republican Party”

Part of the problem.

[JoeFromSidney]

I was republican Central Committee Chairman for my county when Bennett was State Chairman. I was really appalled at how he went out of his way to discourage conservative candidates. One good man backed out of the primary for State Rep when he was told by Bennett that even if he won the primary, there would be no money for him from the State Committee. I was one of the first to encourage Ken Blackwell to run for Governor. When he finally did, Bennett quietly sabotaged the campaign. He may have been a Republican, but he was no conservative.

[buccaneer81]

I agree completely. 15 years ago the late Gene Watts (solid conservative Vietnam vet) was my state senator. He and Bennett butted heads constantly.

[1035rep]

The latest Rasmussen Reports shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

This is now the 11th straight week GOP candidates have held the advantage.

Support for both parties rose one point over the past week, giving Republicans their highest level of support of the past several years. Support for Democrats last week reached its lowest point during that same time period.

[Las Vegas Dave]

Thanks for the ping, (I see TonyRo76 has pinged the list).

[GWMcClintock]

I think Robert T. Bennett is an idiot. Period.

[xzins]

Long before George W. Bush the democrats killed civility (Bork and Reagan for example), but they murdered it with the treatment of George W. Bush.

In fact, they aided and abetted our enemies, and they led to greater deaths of our own troops with their near-immediate counting of the dead and clamoring for withdrawal from Iraq. They orchestrated that. They did. I will never forget it. And, with Vietnam, I will NEVER forgive them.

I am not a republican.

[MikefromOhio]

I don’t think it’s hurting anything, yet.

However, most of the time in the past decade (going back to the Lewinsky stuff), the Right/GOP has consistently over played its hand each and every time when there was an advantage to be had.

And like now, since they have aces over kings, they need to extract the MAXIMUM advantage out of the hand. If they go all in too early the other side will fold and not follow them into the hand.

[Pontiac]

Long before George W. Bush the democrats killed civility (Bork and Reagan for example), but they murdered it with the treatment of George W. Bush.

Yes and it deffinitly seems to work for them.

For a large number of voters passion seems to turn some kind of primal switch in their heads. They seem to equate passion with truth. “That guy really seems to believe what he is saying. I think I believe it too.”

Sort of the old tent revival meeting effect; a so called come to Jesus moment, people respond to perceived honest passion.

Can you argue with success?

I do see Republicans like Bennett as a problem not for his desire for civility, I to would like civility in politics, but for his choice in when he chooses to advocate for civility.

Joe Wilson had an honest objection to Obama’s lack of honesty in his speech and he voiced that objection, heard a lie and he called Obama on that lie.

Had the speech been made by a Republican to a majority Republican congress and Wilson been a Democrat the Democrats would have run to his defense and voiced the need for a strong minority as a democratic ideal, and made points about the “Rights of the Minority.”

It is about time that the GOP starts learning how to use the successful techniques of the Democrats. We can not become an enduring majority party until we learn how to use passion to influence the swing voters.

We must defend our own as the Dims do and not attack them when they voice honest opposition to the lies the Dims try to spread.

I do wish that we could have civil discourse in politics but as GWMcClintock has said it is dead, killed by the radical Left. The old guard Republicans have been performing CPR for 15 years now and I do not see any signs of resurrection on the Left. It is high time to call the time of death.

[calex59]

I guess we will have to just live with it,eh?

Their lack of civility OTH, is justified and shows how classy they are./SAR