Subscribe"In the latest instance of a high-profile GOP member taking a passing swipe at the party's 2008 vice presidential candidate, former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney jokingly dismissed Sarah Palin’s inclusion on Time’s list of influential people in an interview broadcast Sunday.Oh, the fucking irony, Flip Romney!
He asked, was 'the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?'
Romney, appearing on CNN’s 'State of the Union,' was replying to a question from moderator John King on whether Time’s inclusion of Palin and talk show host Rush Limbaugh on their list of 'The World’s Most Influential People' was good or bad for the Republican Party.
Romney, who has not ruled out another White House bid, said he wanted more influential Republicans on the list before adding pointedly: 'I think there are a lot more influential Republicans than that would suggest.'
'But was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?' he continued. 'I'm not sure. If it's the most beautiful, I understand. We're not real cute.'"
"'It is about time to be an inclusive as we can,' said Cantor recently of the town halls, which are being organized by a new group -- that he is leading -- known as the National Council for a New America. 'What we are aiming to do it to join together in hopes of beginning a conversation with the American people.'
...That same poll showed that social issues -- like gay marriage -- are of declining potency in a political context. Forty-nine percent of the sample said they supported the idea of gay people being allowed to marry while 46 percent opposed it, a drastic shift from a 2006 Post/ABC poll where opposition (58 percent) to gay marriage far outstripped support (36 percent) for the idea."
But the political climate is much different now than it was in 1993; he can't erase either the damage wrought upon the Republican brand by the Bush administration, nor -- at least in the near-term -- Obama's sky-high approval ratings.Replace "1993" in that sentence with "2004" and it's still true. It's not "smug" to notice that the Republican party has done some pretty heinous damage to itself over the past decade.
because what's going on in Washington right now is not reflective of the mainstream of this country.You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.
"Gay marriage legalization in several states and the public's growing acceptance of same-sex unions have Democrats sensing political opportunity and some Republicans re-evaluating their party's hard-line opposition to an issue that long has rallied its base.
In recent weeks, Vermont and Iowa have legalized same-sex marriage, while New York, Maine and New Hampshire have taken steps in that direction. Polls show younger Americans are far are more tolerant on the issue than are older generations. For now at least, the public is much more focused on the troubled economy and two wars than on social issues.
In addition, over the past decade, public acceptance of gay marriage has changed dramatically.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found that a majority of people questioned, by a 55-38 percent margin, oppose gay marriage. But it also found that people, by a 57-38 percent margin, support civil unions that would provide marriage-like rights for same-sex couples, indicating a shift toward more acceptance.
With congressional elections next year, Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan analysts say the changes benefit Democrats, whose bedrock liberals favor gay unions, and disadvantage Republicans, whose conservative base insists that marriage be solely between a man and a woman.
'This is not a sea change. This is a tide that is slowly rising in favor of gay marriage,' creating a favorable political situation for Democrats and ever-more difficulty for Republicans, said David McCuan, a political scientist at Sonoma State University in California.
Democrats have a broader base filled with more accepting younger voters, as well as flexibility on the issue. Hard-core liberals support gay marriage, while others, including President Barack Obama, take a more moderate position of civil unions and defer to states on gay marriage.
Conversely, the GOP base is older, smaller and more conservative. Republicans have no place to shift on the issue but to the left, because the party has been identified largely with its rock-solid opposition to gay marriage and civil unions. Also, the GOP has no titular head setting the tone on this or other issues." [more]
"Republicans looking to recover from Bush-era defeats are turning to an unlikely source for advice: top aides to former President George W. Bush.Oh, my. Oh, my.
Former White House press secretary Dana Perino, former Bush counselor Ed Gillespie and former White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto are among those set to provide words of wisdom to House Republican press secretaries at their annual workshop this Friday.
GOP House Conference Communications Director Matt Lloyd said Perino, Gillespie and Fratto represented 'the gold standard for Republican communications professionals' and were obvious choices to advise the party’s messengers.
But Democrats are deriding the move to bring in the Bush veterans, calling it proof that the GOP has failed to recognize that Bush’s policies are at least partly to blame for the party’s minority status.
'Reuniting the Bush operation is like making a sequel to a very bad movie. House Republicans are better off staying home, watching soaps and coming up with new ideas for their out-of-touch party,' said Doug Thornell, spokesman for Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)."
Palin "looks forward to doing all she can to bring about positive change many desire and deserve, across Alaska and our great nation, through this National Council for a New America and others," Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for SarahPAC, said in an e-mail.My heavens what good news.
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posted by Damn That Television at 1:35 PM on May 4 [4 favorites]