Posted on 07/28/2015 3:01:13 AM PDT by markomalley
Remember that picture of Chris Matthews looking upset at the announcement of a Republican sweep in the midterm elections?
There he was — arms crossed, frowning intensly — looking at the results like a man who just lost a lot of money at a game of cards.
It was gleefully shared around by Republicans and conservatives rejoicing in the fact that Congress was now back in the hands of the GOP, with the hope that President Obama’s agenda would finally be put in reverse.
If only Matthews and those same Republicans could see what would happen in the GOP-controlled Senate on July 26.
The MSNBC host’s frown would’ve turned into an ear-to-ear grin. All those optimistic conservatives would’ve shed a few tears at the thought of the brutal disappointment that awaited them this congressional term.
On Sunday, Sen. Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders kneecapped conservative amendments to a highway bill proposed by conservatives including Ted Cruz and Mike Lee. This action protected funding for Planned Parenthood, killed legislation targeting sanctuary cities and resuscitated the Export-Import bank.
Planned Parenthood, sanctuary cities and the Export-Import bank are anathema to grassroots conservatives. Two of the measures — on Planned Parenthood and sanctuary stories — had outrageous national stories that provided the needed impetus for action.
Instead, the future of Planned Parenthood’s half-billion-a-year funding, sanctuary cities and the Ex-Im bank were all saved from the jaws of defeat by Republican leaders.
It would be easy to say this result was shocking. But it’s not. This latest incident is par the course from the Republican masters of Congress. But it was.
Up until to Election Day, these GOP chieftains promised to bring sweeping change to D.C. and duke it out with Obama.
They have done everything but what they promised to do.
On executive amnesty, they rolled over and played dead.
On Obamacare, they put half-a-fight before giving it more funding.
On abortion, they previously allowed a few moderate members to derail popular legislation on the eve of January’s March for Life.
The only thing Republican leaders have shown any muscle in trying to get through is Trade Promotion Authority — a measure requested by Obama to give him more power and less congressional oversight.
Naturally, Trade Promotion Authority is despised by the base and could hurt the GOP in the upcoming election season.
To call Republican leaders useless would imply that they are, in fact, doing nothing on behalf of their core constituency. It’s worse than that. Republican leaders seem to doing their most to fight against their own base.
And it’s not like powerful GOP figures don’t publicly air their contempt for the people who keep them in office. John McCain called all the people who showed up to hear Donald Trump speak in Arizona “crazies” — even though those same people narrowly saved him from an electoral upset in 2010 after the senator acted like a border warrior in the primary race.
It’s not much of a surprise, then, that rank-and-file Republican lawmakers now have a historically-low favorability rating among voters in their own party.
Anyone wondering why Donald Trump keeps surging in polls in spite of all the establishment hand-wringing can stop wondering.
Congressional Republican leaders have no one to blame but themselves for the unhappiness of conservative voters. What’s the point in voting Republican if the party is going to do nothing it promised when it attains power?
This question is rarely posed to Democrats, who always seem intent on pushing their agenda and working for their interest groups. It would be one thing if Republicans were alienating conservative voters to uphold principles, but thaT’s certainly not the case.
There’s a argument to make that the Republican Party simply exists to perpetuate the personal prestige and power of its leader rather than to promote the principles and interests of its followers.
That’s why nearly a third of Republican voters are choosing a reality-TV star with a treasure trove of insults over veteran politicians this election cycle.
A positive result of this tumult could be the party getting a clue and adopting a firmer posture and an agenda more in tune with its “Silent Majority.”
However, the GOP could very well double-down on its current path and pave the way for even more disappointments and failures in the future.
The rising level of alienation in the party is due to a majority of the base feeling that it is being taken for granted. The GOP expects conservatives to show up Election Day, no matter which policies or candidates are on the ballot — as long as they come with the elephant brand.
Republican lawmakers seem more interested in taking stances on issues like immigration, trade and corporate welfare which are very much out of line with their most reliable voters. At the same time, they expect the core constituency will still vote Red when it comes down to a choice between a Republican and a Democrat.
But the growing discontent and the embrace of Trump should send a clear signal to Republican upper echelons that this demographic is tired of its low priority and lack of respect.
They want their voices heard and their issues addressed.
Three Senators and House leadership every year.
The message of Cantor carried little weight.
> I’m afraid you will have a lot of company. We have stopped any contributions to the rinos. When called by their solicitors, we advise them as to why we are no longer supporting them. Our thoughts and reasons must be falling on deaf ears s nothing is changing or has changed. A third party will all but insure a demodummie victory in 2016.
They don’t need our money. They got Soro’s...
There’s only so many token gestures these guys can make toward a base they have zero intention of representing the interests of, before that base looks for other options.
When is the last time you remember Congress having approval ratings out of the teens?
Does anyone remember Congress not having underwater approvals?
For Conservatives that would be a bridge too far. I just don’t see us, right now, having the kind of organizing capability for more than one concerted removal effort.
Plus it risks electing two too many Democrats who might be impossible to get out six years down the road.
People love to hate Congress, but usually like their own Congressman.
So the generic Congressional opinion numbers are worthless.
The tea party—no, not the huckster national “leaders” of the tea party, but the original tea party idea and foot soldiers should organize as a party to back their candidates on the GOP ticket. If that doesn’t work, then they’ll at least have the organization to start challenging them directly.
That is the conventional wisdom, but thinking about it, does it make any sense really that such a huge majority are going to accept that the country is headed the wrong way and that Congress stinks WITHOUT taking the first offramp that presents itself on the highway to hell?
The GOPe I think has talked itself into believing that powder kegs make stable and safe seating options.
I think a very prophetic clip would be a video, morphing Chris Mathews’ grim frown in to the grim frown Sean Hannity is going to be wearing election night 2016.
At rate the GOPe is going, I suspect the Republican conservative turnout will be around 10%. My guess is most of us will be voting third party or independent or just hanging out. Drinking heavily.
No, the Dem voters are quite happy with their representatives.
Spot on.
(Soul of the South says)"The progressive country club wing of the GOP is in charge.
" After what happened with the Thad Cochran, McConnell thing it seems to me that corruption at the voting booth may be the biggest problem conservatives must solve IF they want to accomplish anything.....
From my prospective here in southern Ohio I find McConnell's reelection....baffling.
>>I don’t think you understand how the “political frat brothers” think and how they have their noses up the asses of anyone who may boost their political career while ignoring their real job of representing the voters who put them there.
I don’t think you understand. I responded to a post that talked about the gains we’ve made. These frat brothers are asses in seats, but are not “gains”. We have to have the short term loss of creating a new party so we can make real gains. The ones who are willing to leave the frat are welcome. The rest are just Progs with an R after their name and do us more harm than good.
Absolutely! I thought we missed a chance in 2010 when we had the wave of new conservatives in Congress. When it was clear that it was business as usual, I had hoped that a third party could be formed right there in Congress. Band conservatives together and caucus with the Republicans, but on terms more agreeable to us. Right now, Yurtle and Boner feel free to ostracize any conservative they wish. With a 3rd party, the conservatives are free to caucus with either party, whichever gives them the more favorable terms.
“People love to hate Congress, but usually like their own Congressman.”
Loyalty is a two-way street. This article nails it.
My representative is a Boehner sycophant and is always sending me surveys and boilerplate prepared by the speaker’s office.
I believe he understands that as far as I’m concerned along with most conservatives in northeast Indiana, he’s on his own.
Yes, that’s a political axiom and usually you would be right but these are extraordinary times.
The GOP are the Whigs, divided into two major factions by too many issues—from infanticide to national security to the proper functions of government—and it is 1851 again.
Five years later, after they failed to select their incumbent to run for president, politicians like Lincoln had taken a break from politics, then switched to Republican and the Whigs were no longer a viable political party.
In a nutshell, we—the mouse in my pocket and I—we’re fed up with the McCain-like behavior that has become the norm, the GOP’s two-faced BS.
“would throw away all the gains made at the state level.”
You understand what the Founders did to fight British tyranny.
You first secure your neighborhood by electing conservatives to town councils, county boards and schoolboards. This establishes a secure political base to operate from. You also elect a pro-2nd amendment, Constitutional sheriff in your county.
It’s much easier to take back America county by county than trying to clean out the Washington DC swamp.
These simple acts of voting locally give you legal, investigative and armed muscle to take on the Washington fascists. By controlling counties, a thousand brushfires can be set. The federal fascists simply don’t have the manpower to tamp out local rebellions in a thousand different counties.
This talk about forming a national third party is complete nonsense at this time. It’s possible on a local level but not nationally.
>>Absolutely! I thought we missed a chance in 2010 when we had the wave of new conservatives in Congress. When it was clear that it was business as usual, I had hoped that a third party could be formed right there in Congress. Band conservatives together and caucus with the Republicans, but on terms more agreeable to us. Right now, Yurtle and Boner feel free to ostracize any conservative they wish. With a 3rd party, the conservatives are free to caucus with either party, whichever gives them the more favorable terms.
You are the rare person who actually gets it! Well said.
Even purple VA at the state level is rock solid conservative.
Ditto.
If the RINOs cared about my support, they would have supported Republican Tea Party candidates in 2010, gained control of the Senate, and been capable of blocking the ACA. I’m not certain this was something they wanted to accomplish. Instead, they were more concerned about controlling the party. Either Miller, O’Donnell, or Buck would have provided a blocking vote.
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