Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

GOP isn’t learning from its mistakes
politico.com ^ | 10/18/13 | Joe Scarborough

Posted on 10/18/2013 12:59:26 PM PDT by cotton1706

My children and I love watching Peter Pan. In fact, we’ve seen the Disney classic so often through the years that we could probably recite most of the movie from memory. Maybe that’s why the opening lines came so easily to my mind earlier this week while watching a far less joyful tale unfold on Capitol Hill.

“This has all happened before and it will happen again” are the first words to that sweet movie about eternal youth. Unfortunately, those lines also fit a bit too snugly on the carcass of a political movement that seems incapable of learning from past mistakes. Chances are good that Republicans will continue getting blindsided by political events until Republican leaders stop cowering to public figures who insist on filtering out all realities that are in conflict with their preexisting worldviews.

If this sounds all too familiar, it’s because Republicans were licking their wounds around this time last year after being blindsided by a presidential election whose outcome they should have seen coming a mile away. But ignorance was bliss as conservative politicians and talkers pushed bogus polls and political fairy tales to angry voters who were once again on the losing side of history. Media outlets that released polls showing President Obama winning were attacked as biased and conservatives who warned of Romney’s weaknesses were rhetorically burned at the stake as heretics.

Barack Obama won again and Republican leaders swore that next time would be different.

Well, next time came one year later, and one year later, way too many conservatives once again found themselves shocked by the obvious. The Shutdown Strategy was doomed from the start even though conservatives like myself, Scott Walker, Tom Coburn and Charles Krauthammer agreed with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page’s early assessment that Ted Cruz’s approach would lead to political disaster. It did, and yet I understand why Cruz and his allies ignored smart conservative advice. It wasn’t so long ago that congressmen like Steve Largent, Matt Salmon, Tom Coburn and myself saw similar political warnings from senior Republicans as a sign of timidity and weakness. And then Bill Clinton cleaned our clocks, got reelected, and put the 1994 Revolution on its heels for good. Two decades later, conservatives wandered into that ambush again.

The costs have been pretty big to the GOP. This shutdown drove the Republican brand into the ground, with only 24 percent of Americans approving of the party’s performance. That may not hurt conservative senators from Alabama or Texas, but it is a nightmare for Republicans representing states like New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. More troubling is just how divided this episode left us. I’m not sure how it happened but the Grand Old Party is now divided in two camps over something as grubby as legislative tactics.

That is the crazy thing about the GOP’s latest battle. As Jonah Goldberg noted in National Review, this is not an epic ideological battle between Rockefeller Republicans and Goldwater conservatives. It is instead a legislative skirmish between Republicans who oppose Obamacare and wanted to use a two-month continuing resolution as a legislative device to undermine the law, and on the other side those who oppose Obamacare but did not think that tactic would work.

This was a big, fat nothing-burger turned into a gladiatorial grudge match by a blizzard of 30-second ads and tactical ignorance. As the smoke clears, we now see a Republican Party holding on to its lowest ever ratings in both the Gallup and the NBC News/WSJ polls. There is enough blame to go around but the bottom line is this: Republicans will not win the White House back again until they unite behind a candidate who wins the vote of Ted Cruz and Colin Powell. The GOP used to manage that feat and that’s why nominees like Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon won 49 states against a hapless Democratic Party. Unless a unified Republican Party comes together, the conservative movement will keep getting blindsided by history, and what has happened before will come back to haunt us all once again.

A guest columnist for POLITICO, Joe Scarborough hosts “Morning Joe” on MSNBC and represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. He is the author of the forthcoming book “The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics — and Can Again.”


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: deadinternjoe; joesdeadintern
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last
Oh,yes we are. John McCain was a mistake, Mitt Romney was a mistake, Bob Dole was a mistake, Arlen Specter was a mistake, Jim Jeffords was a mistake, Lincoln Chafee was a mistake, Kelly Ayotte was a mistake, Bob Corker was a mistake, Charlie Crist was a mistake, Lisa Murkowski was a mistake, Olympia Snowe was a mistake, Susan Collins was a mistake, Kay Bailey Hutchison was a mistake, Roy Blunt was a mistake, Jerry Moran was a mistake, Saxby Chambliss was a mistake, Elizabeth Dole was a mistake, Lamar Alexander was a mistake, Lindsey Graham was a mistake, Mitch McConnell was a mistake, Orrin Hatch was a mistake.

I could go on...and on...and on.

1 posted on 10/18/2013 12:59:26 PM PDT by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

The shutdown was bait. It is not the issue. Would be nice if Republicans would stop taking the bait tossed out by Jarrett, Reid, and most of all, the media.


2 posted on 10/18/2013 1:01:55 PM PDT by mbarker12474
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
I love watching Peter Pan

I would bet a substantial amount of money that he has fantasies of Barack Obama playing that role.
3 posted on 10/18/2013 1:02:12 PM PDT by jjsheridan5 (what would efren do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Joe is just another GOP Rino telling we conservatives what we did wrong.
And again he offers no counter strategy about what his strategy would be.
So Joe, what is your strategy going forward?


4 posted on 10/18/2013 1:03:57 PM PDT by tennmountainman (Just Say No To Obamacare)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

They make the assumption that the GOPe wants to win. They don’t. They are perfectly happy with where they are. They get all the perks that come with being DC insiders. And they have none of the responsibility, they don’t have to lead, they can just whine, either about the Democrats, or the Tea Party.


5 posted on 10/18/2013 1:04:02 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

I wonder if we could trade Joe to the Dem’s for Pat Cadell? Maybe we could even get a player to be named later.


6 posted on 10/18/2013 1:05:24 PM PDT by amnestynone (Lindsey Graham is feckless, duplicitous, treacherous, double dealing backstabbing Corksucker.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Add former New Hampshire governor and senator Judd Gregg to that list.

I watched him on “Charlie Rose” last night.

He went on a Hard Left MSM political program and trashed Conservatives and the Tea Party.


7 posted on 10/18/2013 1:05:26 PM PDT by zeestephen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
If this sounds all too familiar, it’s because Republicans were licking their wounds around this time last year after being blindsided by a presidential election whose outcome they should have seen coming a mile away. But ignorance was bliss as conservative politicians and talkers pushed bogus polls and political fairy tales to angry voters who were once again on the losing side of history. Media outlets that released polls showing President Obama winning were attacked as biased and conservatives who warned of Romney’s weaknesses were rhetorically burned at the stake as heretics.

This paragraph shows me how everyone in the media doing polling, including Joe Scarecrow, KNEW IN ADVANCE the amount of poll flipping, absentee ballot fraud, same day registration fraud, dead people, non-voters names being voted, etc. it would take to flip four or so states to Obama. It tells me they're in on it.

8 posted on 10/18/2013 1:09:16 PM PDT by Big Giant Head
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FReepers; Patriots; FRiends
The US Senate’s Yea’s List: Up for Re-Election in 2014:

1. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee):
Primary challenger is State Rep. Joe Carr: http://www.carrfortn.com/

2. Max Baucus (D-Montana), retiring

Republicans Candidates are
State Rep. Champ Edmunds:
http://www.champ2014.com/
And U.S. Rep. Steve Daines (R) is expected to be entering the race.

3. Mark Begich (D-Alaska)

Republican Candidates are
Joe Miller
http://joemiller.us/
Mead Treadwell
http://www.treadwellalaska.com...
Dan Sullivan
http://sullivan2014.com/

4. Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), retiring

GOP Primary Candidates are
Jack Kingston
http://www.jackkingston.org/
Phil Gingrey
http://www.gingrey.com/
Paul Broun (Ron Paul Endorsed)
http://paulbroun.com/
Karen Handel (Sarah Palin Endorsed her for Governor in 2010)
http://www.karenhandel.com/
David Perdue
https://perduesenate.com/

5. Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi)

Sen. Cochran hasn’t announced if he will run for re-election or retire.

The Republican Candidate is Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel,

chrismcdanielforsenate.com

6. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Sen. Collins is currently the only candidate on the Republican side.

7. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)

The Republican candidate is businessman Doug Truax: http://dougtruax.com/

8. Al Franken (D-Minnesota)

The Republican candidates are
Julianne Ortman
http://julianne.mn/
Mike McFadden
http://www.mikemcfadden.com/

9. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina)

The Primary Challengers are
Lee Bright
http://www.brightforsenate.com...
Nancy Mace
http://nancymace.org/
Richard Cash
http://www.richard-cash-for-se...

10. Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina)

The Republican Candidates are
Dr. Greg Brannon
http://gregbrannon.com/home
Heather Grant
http://heathergrantnc.com/
Mark Harris
http://markharrisforsenate.com...
Thom Tillis
http://thomtillis.com/

11. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), retiring

The Republican Candidates are
Matt Whitaker
http://mattwhitaker.org/
Sam Clovis
http://iowans4samclovis.com/
David Young
http://www.youngforiowa.com/
Jodi Ernst
http://www.joniforiowa.com/
Scott Schaben
http://scottschaben.com/

12. Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), retiring

The Primary Candidates are
Shane Osborn
http://www.shaneosborn.com/
Bart McLeay
http://www.bartmcleay.com/
Ben Sasse
http://sassefornebraska.com/
Sid Dinsdale
http://www.sidforsenate.com/

13. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), retiring

The Republican Candidates are
Mike Rounds
https://roundsforsenate.com/
Larry Rhoden
http://larryrhoden.com/
Annette Bosworth
http://bosworthforsenate.com/
Stace Nelson
http://stacenelson.com/

14. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana)

The Republican Candidates are
Bill Cassidy
http://www.billcassidy.com/
Rob Maness
http://robmaness.com/

15. Carl Levin (D-Michigan), retiring

The only Republican candidate is former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.

16. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)

The Primary Challenger is Matt Bevin: https://mattbevin.com/

17. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)

The Republican Candidate is Jo Rae Perkins: http://www.perkinsforussenate....

18. Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas)

The Republican Candidate is Tom Cotton: https://www.tomcotton.com/

19. Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia)

The Republican Candidates are
Shelley Moore Capito
http://www.capitoforsenate.com...
Pat McGeehan
http://www.mcgeehan2014.com/

20. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire)

The Republican Candidates are
Jim Rubens
http://jimrubens.com/
Karen Testerman (exploring)
http://karentesterman.com/

21. Mark Udall (D-Colorado)

The Republican Candidates are
Ken Buck
http://www.buckforcolorado.com...
Owen Hill (Ron Paul Endorsed)
http://www.owenhillforsenate.c...
Randy Baumgardner
http://www.baumgardnerforussen...
Jaime McMillan
http://www.mcmillanforcolorado...
Any Stephens
http://www.amyforcolorado.com/...

9 posted on 10/18/2013 1:09:25 PM PDT by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

“Republicans representing states like New Hampshire”

Since the Republican from that state is a huge RINO and isn’t even up in 2014, forgive me if I don’t care.

I only realized at the end that this was written by the biggest loser on MSDNC. The Morning Schmoe.
When he isn’t murdering interns or calling Republicans racist, he’s giving us crappy advice.


10 posted on 10/18/2013 1:09:32 PM PDT by Viennacon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: zeestephen
Add former New Hampshire governor and senator Judd Gregg to that list.

He was "oh, so close" to joining the Obama administration, in a backdoor attempt to give Democrats a cloture-proof majority in the Senate.

-PJ

11 posted on 10/18/2013 1:09:45 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Exactly. The GOPe’s get a large piece of the pie regardless of if they
are the majority or minority.


12 posted on 10/18/2013 1:10:22 PM PDT by tennmountainman (Just Say No To Obamacare)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Big Giant Head
If this sounds all too familiar, it’s because Republicans were licking their wounds around this time last year after being blindsided by a presidential election whose outcome they should have seen coming a mile away

But.....but.....we were told he just had to nominate Mitt, because he could win.

13 posted on 10/18/2013 1:10:36 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: cotton1706; PJ-Comix; FReepers; Patriots; FRiends

Joe Scarborough Divorce: He Earns $99,000 A WEEK



... HOWEVER...

For starters, the divorce docs state Joe will NOT be paying child support, and what his alimony amounts to is a morsel of his enormous salary.

16 posted on 10/18/2013 1:16:02 PM PDT by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Rot and die, GOP. I’m a Tea Party advocate!


17 posted on 10/18/2013 1:16:52 PM PDT by onedoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
>"GOP isn’t learning from its mistakes "

Maybe they weren't mistakes, but outright treason by representing the house of saud!

Maybe, just maybe, the troofers had a point that wasn't on the top of their heads.

18 posted on 10/18/2013 1:18:41 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (Jeremiah 50:32 "The arrogant one will stumble and fall ; / ?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Country club republicans use to speak about Reagan in the tone that RINO Joe Scarborough speaks about Cruz.


19 posted on 10/18/2013 1:27:04 PM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
I'm going to scream this from the rooftops all day, but: UNTIL WE ASSAULT THE KING'S PROPAGANDIST MEDIA, INCLUDING THEIR BOGUS POLLS SKEWED TO PROJECT AND SHAPE OPINIONS OF THOSE TOO STUPID TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

It doesn't matter WHAT the Republicans do, even if they improve their collective message, UNTIL THE KING'S PROPAGANDIST MEDIA IS CHALLENGED AND HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR IT'S UNRELENTING BIAS, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

We must nip this 'War on Women' thing in the bud NOW because it's going to rear it's ugly head in 2014, then go away then come back again with Hillary in 2016!!! Unfortunately, WE MUST ENGAGE IN THE BATTLE FOR THE MINDS OF THE 'LOW INFORMATION VOTER (LIV)' because they are a huge voting block. Reid, Pelosi, Schumer etc., all know HOW TO FRAME THEIR MESSAGE FOR THE LIV's.. 'War on Women', etc.. WE MUST ENLIGHTEN SINGLE FEMALES TO THE FACT THEY ARE BEING MANIPULATED BY FEAR MONGERING and point out the fact that a WAR (War on Women) simply does not start and go away then start again only at election time!!!!

We must GRAB THESE OBAMABOTS BY THE SHOULDERS AND MAKE THEM REALIZE THAT THE DEMS ARE MANIPULATING THEM WITH FEAR TACTICS TO GET THEIR VOTE. If there REALLY WERE a 'War on Women', WHERE THE HELL IS IT? WHERE DID IT GO? It's in a closet collecting dust, only to be dragged out again at election time. IT'S A FARCE!:

MYTH:

FACT:

MEN GET SCREWED BY OBAMACARE.. NOTHING NEW FOR MEN"

20 posted on 10/18/2013 1:29:09 PM PDT by Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America (If Americans were as concerned for their country as Egyptians are, Obama would be ousted!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson