GOP watch: The elephant in the room

Posted: Monday, November 09, 2009 9:10 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans

The Washington Post has launched a new series looking at GOP’s political condition -- “The Elephant in the Room: Examining the State of the Republican Party.” Dan Balz opened the series yesterday. “One year after hitting bottom in the aftermath of President Obama's election, Republicans have taken their first concrete steps toward recovery. But they remain an embattled and divided force, facing an electorate still skeptical about their capacity to govern and embroiled in a struggle between party regulars and populist conservative forces over how to return to power.”

Pawlenty was in Iowa over the weekend. "Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty criticized health care legislation in Congress as he appeared in what may be an early audition for a 2012 presidential bid," Bloomberg writes. "'We’ve got Congress -- Democratic-controlled Congress -- messing around with a miserable health care bill,' he said. 'They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure-spreader in a wind storm.' Pawlenty’s speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines is the first high-profile event of the early try out season in the state that holds the nation’s first presidential caucuses. 'They can’t even get us, in a reasonable time, a vaccine for the H1N1 virus,' said Pawlenty, 48. 'How are they going to manage our health care?'"

So was Mike Huckabee. “2008 Iowa Republican caucuses winner Mike Huckabee spent his Sunday in Davenport, Cedar Rapids and West Des Moines, signing copies of his new book, ‘A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories That Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit.’ But many of the 300 people who turned out for his book-signing in West Des Moines weren't focused on a holiday that's seven weeks away. Their minds were on 2012.”

As for Sarah Palin, she was firing up some Facebook "Notes" over the weekend, crediting Ronald Reagan in part for the fall of the Berlin Wall; blasting House Democrats for the health care vote; and telling the press again to "quit making things up" because of an event in Wisconsin in which cameras weren't allowed.

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Comments

When it comes down to what is right and just, there is no substitute for the one they call Sarah Palin.

The libs love/hate relationship with her is as forthright as the constant headlining of her name on this very blog. "Let's see, we've got to find a way to get Palin in again."

Full Moon (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:19 AM)

I have no desire to hear anything Pawlenty,Huckabee or Palin has to say. I have heard them for over a year and it is just more hate. Pawlenty should be out inspecting bridges.

Seattle Sue (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:23 AM)

'They can’t even get us, in a reasonable time, a vaccine for the H1N1 virus,' said Pawlenty, 48. I didn't know that Congress was involved in the making of the vaccine. However, perhaps if his fellow republicans like Joe Wilson voted "yes" instead of "no" for the funding, it may have gotten here quicker.

Jamie, Elmwood Park, IL (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:23 AM)

Pawlenty is right - - focus on jobs first. The number one issue for Americans. You hear that, Barry??

Willing to Work (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:24 AM)

Maybe the Wash Post should examine the Democrats, whose accomplishments are stuck on zero while their President is stuck on stupid.

Sammie in Miami (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:24 AM)

Has anyone ever listened to Huckabee on his radio program?
What a religious, right-wing hack THIS goober is.
Hope they run him in '12, though.
Or, maybe, Palin.
Or, Pat Robertson or Jimmy Swaggart.

Some sort of Taco Bell dog....and his friends. (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:24 AM)

These right wingnuts are so full of hate and insanity regarding anything that the majority of the American public wants, and for them to be out stirring out up their intolerant base further, is all that we can expect. I just hate that we have to endure these losers and paw paw until 2012. We should all be
sick of their foolish rhetoric by now.

shirley, atlanta,ga (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:25 AM)

Easy for Pawlenty to say Pres Obama should be focused solely on jobs but the reality is that any president must deal with multiple problems at the same time. If Pres Obama spent 24/7 on jobs, the republicans would be criticizing him for ignoring energy, terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan and so on. The GOP and many Americans fail to recognize that health insurance costs ARE a huge impact on the economy and on employers' ability to create more jobs. Just once I would like to see hosts on various news programs ask republicans like Pawlenty to explain why health care costs and insurance costs do not impact the economy. The GOP can't and journalists fail to ask the GOP the tough questions.

Jody, Iowa (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:29 AM)

While the Dems are busy fixing problems caused by the GOP, the GOP is acting like a bunch of sore losers on the playground after they didn't get picked to play on one team or the other. Gosh, I wonder why . . . ?

Jay Belford, Austin Tx (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:39 AM)

Well, liberal MoveOn has announced it will launch a $500,000 ad blitz, which will start in the middle of the week, targeting Dems who voted against it,
-----------------

Most posting here think MoveOn's action is just fine. Yet, you had denigrated and criticized individual citizens for expressing their concerns at the Tea Parties. They don't $500,000 to do that; they just have a will and a pride in our country.

Tea anybody/ (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:40 AM)

Did we or did we not lose out on a new Honda plant a few years back to Ontario? My recollection is that we lost out partially because of Canadian health care. Health care IS a jobs issue.

Marcus Wealthy, MD (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:45 AM)

Seattle Sue (above)

You just want to hear yourself talk.
You have little faith in anybody.
A child of the corn.

Pablo Peso (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:55 AM)

When did T-Peeuww become Henny Youngman?
What a faux-populist-failed-elitist idiot.

Whats that smell you say? (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:55 AM)

The state of journalism in this country can be seen in microcosm from the name of the series "Elephant in the Room." Get it? It's a witty pun! Sigh... This inauspicious begining belies the notion that we can get anything like serious analysis from the WaPo on this topic that, quite simply, hasn't the first clue as to the mindset of conservatives and even less of an idea of how to explain that mindset to people who are not conservative in any satisfactory way.
It not clear if this is more or less eggregious than the conservative press (Fox, Washington Times, NR, etc.) that are at least unambigious in there desire NOT to understand the mindset of anyone else other than conservatives but instead to deamonize and pillory them for being different.

William L., Richmond, Texas (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:56 AM)

Opposing a public option in a health care plan on the grounds that it is government funding abortion is another example of "pro-life" tunnel vision. How many people die today for lack of adequate medical insurance? Pro-life is not exactly correct - pro-birth is more fitting.

grace erskine, charlotte, nc (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 9:59 AM)

Sarah Palin thinks the Earth is 6,000 years old and cavemen roamed with dinosaurs. The elephant in the room is stupidity.

MarkD (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 10:01 AM)

Jobs, first? You can't work if you're not healthy and what about those who are working and still don't have insurance? The GOP, especially the extremists on the right, just don't get it. Also, let's not forget that the economic debacle we are currently in, and at long last beginning to pull out of, is due to the political ideologies of the GOP. So, let's repeat: you lost the presidency and most of Congress because you are completely out of touch with the saner majority. Most Americans reviewed the wreckage of the landscape left behind after 8 yrs. of Bush and decided "to hell with this..." and opted for massive change. And BTW to Palin: your hero Reagan began the process of dismantling America -- especially American job security -- but did nothing to abet the fall of Communism; the failure of Communism did that on its own. Reagan just benefited from timing -- the appearance that he, in fact, scared the Russians into submission. A ridiculous suggestion --like all your others.) The GOP needs to rollover and make way for the steamroller of change that most of us really want and sorely need.

Maureen, Momence, IL (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 10:06 AM)

The Modern Whig party is the answer to the Republicans who want both true fiscal conservatism within a context of progressive ideas and not just the politics of "No". There are no new ideas in the Republican party and they aren't fiscally conservative.

Modernwhig.org

Dennis Schneider, Round Rock, Texas (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 10:06 AM)

The premise of this article series is dumb. The republicans will "recover" simply because we have democrats in the whorehouse and controlling congress. They'll pick up seats in the midterm even if they do almost nothing. The party in opposition can easilly make the party in power own every problem. How do you think the democrats got into power in the first place?

But I guess writing about macro political cycles doesn't sell as many web ads.

Charles (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 10:10 AM)

Tim Plenty o' Trouble. Gov from my home state (sigh.) What a vindictive, whiney, sound bite spewing little weasel this guy is. If he runs for President in '12 the American publeic should do itself a favor and read between the lines of his vitriol. The stuff he says here in MN would be comical if it werent more of the same GOP poisoned kool-aid. Go away little man.

WontBFooledAgain (Sent Monday, November 09, 2009 10:19 AM)

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