The Rethuglican Makeover: More Lipstick on an Elephant

From Joshua Green at Bloomberg Businessweek on why the recent Rethuglican "autopsy" on what went wrong in the 2012 election ignores a key point regarding African American voters:

"...There are pages and pages of recommendations about hiring minority outreach directors, having a presence in black churches, rolling out black surrogates, and on and on. But the report says nothing—at least nothing that I saw—about the two biggest reasons why African Americans (and members of any minority group) might feel disrespected.

"The first is the systematic effort by Republicans across the country to impose voter-identification laws that would mainly serve to disenfranchise minority voters. (Anyone interested in learning more about this problem should read the symposium on voting rights in the latest issue of the journal Democracy.)

"The second is what many people regarded as the thinly veiled racism that lay at the root of the 'birther' attacks claiming President Obama is a Muslim born outside the United States. At one point, public opinion polls showed that more than half of Republicans believed these absurd and insulting claims—claims that were difficult to imagine being lodged against a white president (UPDATE: I stand corrected — white president Chester A. Arthur weathered a birther controversy over whether he was born in Canada.)"

Similarly, Hispanics won't forget the Rethuglicans' outright (and continuing) hostility to their presence in this country (see "self-deportation"), nor will the gay/ lesbian community forget the Rethuglicans outright (and continuing) hostility to their rights as citizens to marry, nor will women forget Rethuglicans' outright (and continuing) hostility to their reproductive rights and to programs that help support healthy families.  You can "outreach" all you want to these constituencies, but they see the effort for what it is: a sham.

Cartoon of the Day

(click to enlarge)

It's the same situation with Latino voters and women:  make some superficial gestures but don't change the negative policies that have driven those voters away from your party.  At the same time, think that the superficial gestures will be enough to win those voters back.  Clueless.

BONUS:  Case in point, the House Rethuglican twitter account for outreach to Latinos is only in English.

(cartoon: Tom Toles, Washington Post)

Quote of the Day

The great Charles P. Pierce, reviewing yesterday's "news" programs, on Rethuglican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party Chairman Reince Priebus' "plans to hammer out all the dents" he put in the Rethug brand, including "technology:"

I believe that many Republicans now feel their party's primary "technology issue" is that Reince Priebus has yet to stick a fork into a toaster.

We'd pay to see that, hey.  Meanwhile, the more things (don't) change, the more they stay the same.

Freedom Quote of the Day

"I’m loath to give the Republicans advice, but I’d humbly suggest that rather than giving their organization an uncomfortable exam just to change their tone, technology and turnout, they consider changing their ideas. And I’d suggest they start by looking at their position on freedom. The Republican Party has a major credibility gap on that issue. Why? The Republicans are for free enterprise, but not free people. And that is their fundamental problem." -- former two-term Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, explaining that a cosmetic makeover for the New Confederate / Rethuglican Party won't deliver elections for them. Read her whole column.

Macaca!

The lead of Rethug candidate for Virginia Governor Bob "Stealth" McDonnell has dropped in recent polling by half (down to 7 percent over Democrat Creigh Deeds). One reason to hope this "New Nixon"-type candidate will continue to plummet is a master's/law thesis he wrote 20 years ago, when he was a mere lad of...34. Seems the thesis, which McDonnell brought up himself to reporters, is full-bore American Taliban. (McDonnell, a long-time social right-winger who attended Pat Robertson's Regent "University", has been trying to tack to the center in the hopes of convincing enough inattentive voters that he's no threat to them.)

As Ruth Marcus points out, the "93-page, 176-footnote 'macaca' moment" presents all the ugly Christian right ideology made famous by Robertson and Jerry Falwell: anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-working poor. The thesis itself is a plan which McDonnell lays out for Republicans to use government to "strengthen the family." Hopefully, the Democrats will take this and run with it, ironically (as Marcus points out) using social wedge issues against a person and party that have long done the same. Turnabout is fair play, and all.

(Photo: "Stealth" McDonnell)

Take Me To Your Leader, Rethugs!

A new USA Today/Gallup poll indicates that 52 percent of Americans were unable to name a person who speaks for the Rethuglican Party. Of those that did name someone, 13 percent named buffoon Pills Limpballs, 10 percent named former (Vice) President The Dick, and 6 percent each named Sen. McSame and Poot Gingrich. What a dynamic leadership lineup: nobody, The Dick, McSame and Poot! We like "nobody" as their voice.

Small wonder that they keep thrashing around picking nits and displaying phony outrage over non-issues.

Time To Change Their Nappies?

It's funny to watch the Rethuglicans trot out this trio on Sunday talk shows: the Rethugs' "new faces." This is the political equivalent of the shuffleboard/Geritol/early bird special crowd. Maybe Michael "Tin Man" Steele can take this trio to his "urban/suburban hip hop settings" and see how they go over.

This Should Be Fun To Watch

CNN reports that a number of establishment Rethuglicans are forming a group, called the National Council for a New America, to "rebrand" the Rethuglican Party. Some of the old, familiar faces include Sen. John McSame, former Gov. and smaller shrub, Jeb Bush, former RNC chairman and Mississippi Gov. Haley "Stale-ee" Barbour, and Willard "Mitt/Mousse/Flip" Romney.* How in the world will they change their image, when the operation is guided by the usual suspects, who have been saying that the reason they've been losing is because they haven't gone far enough to the right? Another sign of the comedy ahead is the fact that this "Council" will report to Congressional Rethug leaders -- the three stooges McConnell, Boehner, and Cantor -- who will certainly be agents of change.

Notably absent is the hip-hop, off the hook voice of RNC Chairman Michael "Tin Man" Steele, a further sign that he's been marginalized in just a few months on the job. (You can also add Gov. Winky You Betcha and Poot Gingrich to those apparently out of the loop -- guess "drill, baby, drill" and shutting down the Federal Government didn't made the "idea" list this time).

*WOLCOTTISM: James Wolcott is already dubbing them the "Elite Anti-Charisma Rescue Team." =snicker=

(Illustration: Daily Kos is adopting the "GOPosaur" as the new Rethug logo; we approve!)