Associated Press
One GOP leader is waiting for marching orders from another.
From time to time over the last few years, there's been some debate about who, exactly, is the nation's leading Republican. Is it John Boehner or Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill? How about Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor? Maybe the RNC chair? Roger Ailes? Rush Limbaugh?
As of a few months ago, the mystery ended. America's leading Republican is the man the party -- or at least most of it -- wants to be president: former one-term Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
His transition from candidate to GOP standard bearer carries consequences Romney may not yet fully appreciate. Indeed, we saw the manifestation of this dynamic yesterday when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) balked at giving his opinion on President Obama's new immigration policy.
McConnell said he would wait -- until presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had taken a position first.
"I think we're going to wait and see what governor Romney has to say, and we're going to be discussing his views on this," McConnell told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday. "I think many of us may have similar views. Others may not."
McConnell said he was deferring to Romney because the former Massachusetts governor is "the leader of our party from now until November -- and, we hope, beyond."
Three times McConnell was asked for his position, and three times he said he would wait for guidance from Romney.
At the surface, it's rather amusing to see Mitch McConnell refuse to take a position on a controversial issue, waiting for his party's inexperienced, flip-flopping nominee to tell McConnell what to think.
But just below the surface, there's another problem that Romney needs to acknowledge and address: as McConnell made clear, without saying so explicitly, leading the Republican Party at the national level comes with responsibilities. In GOP politics, members tend to get in line, and take specific cues from the man out front. Romney may not hold office right now, but there's an expectation that he'll give marching orders and ... lead.
This is a role that Romney is not accustomed to. Indeed, it's part of his background that generally goes overlooked, but Romney has never actually led. He's never tried. He's never had to.
As McConnell's comments yesterday helped remind us, Romney may prefer to stick to vague positions, while ducking controversial positions on controversial issues, but there are limits to this strategy. Namely, Romney's party wants to reflect his beliefs, and if he displays "a great allergy to specifics and details," as Rich Lowry put it, Republican officials are paralyzed.
And with Romney dodging questions about immigration, the GOP has no idea what to say or do.
...McConnell isn't alone. Other Republicans are also uncertain about what to do about President Barack Obama's shift last week to immigration policy. It's an issue that has vexed Republicans for years, and as Obama no doubt hopes, it has the potential to cost them Hispanic votes and the election in November.
Republicans may be united in their concern about Obama's unilateral decision Friday to stop deporting young illegal immigrants who might be eligible for the yet-to-be-passed DREAM Act. But that unity does not extend to what the GOP should do next.
The issue goes well beyond immigration -- Romney hopes to avoid taking firm stands on all kinds of issues, much to the chagrin of Republicans who want to stay in line with their nominee, but have no idea what he believes.
Will Romney step up? Does he even know how?
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Man oh man How do we get those brown people and the teabaggers to vote for us ?
Boy are we in a pickle .
You would actually think that the Republicans could be more imaginative than using Bain Capitals strategies of raping the country raw for selfish greedy interests. As you look over the years, when the Republicans were in control of the white house, senate and congress that is all they did was create huge debts that is just like taking loans out on a company than leave the Democrats to fix the problem to fatten up the government to be raped again. And of course, when the Republicans have finally driven our government near to bankruptcy than sell off the parts to interested parties known as certain rich people. Of course, a private auction will be held with people who have at least a billion dollars or more so do not bother to register for the auction unless you qualify. There will be Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid with over $2 trillion dollars that you can manipulate and mange at your owns charges of course. How about DOE where you make energy policy with corporations? We also have the EPA in which you regulate the environment and how clean you want the environment to be with corporations. Here is a favorite; the military to be controlled at your leisure, if you don’t like your neighbor just nuke them. And there is just so much more. Are you excited yet? Watch for the upcoming private auction dates when the Republicans take control. But don’t worry with the Republicans lack of intelligence, they have already destroyed the whole world economy and you can look forward to those private auctions sooner.
Greedy is what greedy does.
Don't forget that along the way they'll be sending more and more people into poverty, and thereby onto the streets, along with repeals of constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, and women's suffrage....and then we'll all be slaves (white,black,hispanic...doesn't matter). What there base doesn't understand is that they will be slaves too, in fact if you are not already earning multiple-millions a year....slave. Hopefully my family and I can work up in the big house, maybe operating a car elevator or something.
Well, Republicans are nothing if not team players. And actually, it sure would be nice if Democrats took a few lessons. Because it works.
"...Romney may not hold office right now, but there's an expectation that he'll giving marching orders and ... lead."
Steve, you owe me for the coffee that spilled/almost choked on as I got to that line! Romney can't lead until he gets his marching orders from the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, et. al! Which means that Mitch Turtleman McConnell and the boys are going to be waiting for quite a while!
The GOTP have alienated women, LGBT, the elderly, and all people of color period. What they have left are the demographic that they're trying to get to vote for them namely middle age bigoted white guys who are low information voters - cause they're so easy to lead anywhere.
I think President Obama's illegal amnesty reform will be rescinded by Congress. It's not the kind of real immigration reform promised for Latinos back in 08'.
It's not an amnesty, and it's not illegal. And if you want across-the-board reform, then you might want to help vote out the GOP (Gas and Oil Party).
It is illegal and Obama admitted it himself in past interviews.
Ah, you've been watching carefully edited clips on Fox, haven't you? Jon Stewart destroyed that phony story last night just by showing the next couple of minutes of that interview. You might want to check it out. But you won't, because you can only maintain the bubble by ignoring anything that contradicts it and shows you how your favorite information sources are lying to you.
What should be illegal is trolls.
I was at a Mitt Romney fundraiser a few weeks ago when future president Romney addressed the gathering. His messaging was clear and succinct.
"I am running to be the next president of the United States, with all of the glory and honor and place in history that it provides. I assure you that I am not running to be a leader; I will follow the dictates of my class of wealthy 'job creators' with enough platitudes and concessions as needed to keep our religious leaders satisfied." /snark
The title of this post should be "Republican ask how to think".
Romney accuses Obama of deporting too many illegals.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/19/politics/immigration/index.html
We're back to the ole standby, rubber and glue.
Romney hasn't taken a stand on anything. He hasn't lead so much as he 'hung back' in the primaries until everybody else was gone.
Its the corporate mentality- Don't lead. Go with the consensus of the Board of Directors. Don't make waves, make money.
There is no 'leadership' there. There is no '3am phone call' moment in his career.
He's gotten to where he is by being bland, inoffensive, and driven towards one goal- making tons of money for himself and his friends (some of whom are nascar owners, apparently).
Republican Senators waiting on Romney to lead? Good luck.
Maybe Romney should hire Karl Rove. It worked for Bush.
You have that backwards.
Sheeple (a portmanteau of "sheep" and "people") is a term of disparagement in which people are likened to sheep, a herd animal. The term is used to describe those who voluntarily acquiesce to a suggestion without critical analysis or research. By doing so, they undermine their own individuality and may willingly give up their rights.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheeple
The Republican response to immigration is one of the best examples of sheeple we've seen in a while. It appears that none of them have an original idea or opinion unless they are told what to believe and say. Our country does not need sheeple with marching orders, we need free and creative thinkers, unique problem solvers, and visionaries that learn from the past and plan for the future.
People sit there and want to portray Ron Paul like he is some sort of different Republican. But really Ron Paul is really just the same old crap and it is just a different day. If you really listen to that bs he speaks, it is just the same old nonsense and Republican scam. And definitely will make the rich richer and put everybody else into poverty.
I kinda see this as a cynical ploy by McConnell to keep Mitt from being elected. He is the most powerful Republican, and maybe politician, in domestic politics right now. He holds the keys to getting anything passed, and loses that power if Romney is elected. He's putting Romney in a place where his spinelessness is on display for all to see.
I agree with your broader point about Romney's complete failure to lead as a candidate this year, but you have to admit, he led the entire state of Massachusetts, as much as any governor can "lead," given legislative restraints. Whatever the merits of private equity, he did lead Bain Capital. I'd argue that Romney *can* lead. He just chooses, out of a surfeit of caution and reluctance to actually commit to a position, not to.
Romney is the Poster child for the Wall st. agenda. Now all he needs is to rubber stamp his forehead with 666 across it and he's off to the races, I'm not sure how fast that dressage horse is gonna take him though.
Mitt CAN lead if he has a pair of scissors in his hand.
M
I really hope he doesn't. I am anxious for the GOP to go nova and eject all the nut jobs. I hope that, after the chaos subsides, we'll have a legitimate conservative party that can participate in discussions and policy development decisions.
I don't think it'll happen, but I hope it does.