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On the eve of Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearing, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) made a curious statement on the Senate floor. "Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of Defense," Cornyn said, "has already done damage to the security of the United States."
Got that? The Texas Republican doesn't just believe Hagel would do a bad job at the Pentagon; he also believes it undermines our national security to even talk about Hagel for a few weeks.
Obviously, it's tough to take rhetoric like this seriously. But there's a larger point to this: what's going on with John Cornyn? Sure, he's never exactly been a moderate, but since when did he go completely off the deep end?
Just this month, Texas' senior senator wrote an ignorant screed on the debt ceiling, voted against emergency relief for Hurricane Sandy victims, and yesterday, was one of just three senators to oppose John Kerry's Secretary of State nomination.
It's easy to figure out why Inhofe would oppose Kerry, as the two of them are staunch advocates on polar opposites on climate change policy. (Inhofe said as much in a statement explaining his vote). Inhofe also is not in significant danger of a primary challenge or losing the general election if he runs again.
Cornyn, however, does have reason to look over his shoulder, as home state conservatives are vowing to contest his re-election. And voting against Kerry certainly won't hurt Cornyn in Texas.
Remember, Cornyn voted to confirm Hillary Clinton four years ago, but that was long before reports surfaced that the senator might face a GOP challenger in 2014. Indeed, right-wing activists are reportedly already eyeing Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot as their preferred candidate.
And so, we hear bizarre claims from Cornyn, such as the contention that Hagel's mere nomination has "already done damage to the security of the United States."
It's become something of a ritual of late -- Republican senators fear a primary opponent from the even-further-right wing of their party, so they transform into the least reasonable, least sensible version of themselves possible. Last year, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) became a rather extreme example of the phenomenon.
And this year, it's happening all over again. Lindsey Graham is afraid of a primary in South Carolina, so he's gone completely mad on Benghazi. Cornyn is worried about Texas, so he's become the chamber's newest extremist. Saxby Chambliss was fearful of a challenge in Georgia, so he decided to retire.
When political observers lament the fact that governing seems impossible and congressional Republicans seem to have abandoned a willingness to compromise, I hope they'll remember why -- it's not because Democrats are asking too much; it's because Republicans are too afraid of their own base.
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They build their whole platform on fear.... and now the chickens have come home to roost .
Fear of the primary.
Bad for them good for us
All those McDonnell's and Akins in the wings waiting to turn those seats blue
No, this is bad for everyone. I realize that the state of political dialogue at the moment has made everyone feel like this is an us v them fight, but it isn't. When half the country ignores reality, that's bad for /everyone/.
Fear of the primary? I'd like to see some chickens come home to roost on the heads of Democratic quislings.
Tea Party runs actual candidates, clowns they may be, who put actual pressure on establishment Republicans, pushing the party as a whole to the right.
Where are the Occupy candidates? Where are the leftists who will oppose establishment Democrats who turn their backs on their constituents and serve the rich?
It is undoubtedly bad in the short term. Nothing good will happen in policy and governance, and the GOP still has enough political power to inflict a great deal of damage. In the short term. In the long term, however, the Republican Party is slowly self-destructing. In the long term things will be better without them. So, let them self destruct. We can clean up after they splatter.
This dynamic is so damaging to these candidates once the primary is over. The radio jocks are the driving force behind this, they are the ones calling for the purity. Thats another reason the incessant whining about the Fairness Doctrine is so hilarious. Anyone calling for radio jocks to be reigned in must be a moderate Republican, because Rush and company are a progressives BFF...
Rush knows that if he doesn't say these things, there are plenty of others envious of his $50 million and eager to cater to that audience. So it looks like the media strategy of the Right Wing became an ultimate weapon that has turned on its masters. The right wing MSM entertainment machine is unpersuasive to the majority of Americans, and loses its market share if it attempts to moderate its positions. The long view is that they are chasing a shrinking audience, but in corporate culture short term profit rules, and the Fox ratings are good.
So it does look like the Right wing are structurally painted into a shrinking corner. I don't see how they bust out of it without some charismatic moderate of national prominence. It just isn't going to happen- for dems, centrism is part of the charismatic appeal. For the GOP, it is a curse.
I don't see any Republican who is capable of uniting the establishment Republicans and the radical right. The radicals turned on GWB so I cannot see them wanting to unite behind Jeb Bush. Republicans need to run a far right candidate so the far right will get their national referendum on their policies. After the huge loss, the far right will need a large dose of introspection. That is the only way Republicans can get out of its descent into irrelevance on a national level.
Me neither. But they are highly driven by emotion so it is dangerous to assume no one can snap the GOP out of their collective tourette syndrome. For example someone like Petraeus could have led them. Now he is wounded of course- but what I was thinking was that a candidate like that could keep the bat crap crazy crowd quiet long enough to win the Presidency.
This Greg Abbot fellow must be a real puke.
He is. Go to the Texas Observer web site www.texasobserver.com and see what you can find about him. By and large he's a right wing puppet of the corporate world.
dkm, can Abbot get elected if he does win a primary?
Cruz did with 55+% of the vote!
It is amazing that so few of these GOP can do simple math. If the majority of the electorate are becoming more progressive, not to mention more racially diverse, the reasonable answer would be to appeal to the emerging majority. Of course expecting someone on the right to be reasonable is unreasonable in and of itself based on recent history.
None of that matters if you can't get nominated.
The only way that moderate Republicans will ever have a chance of being elected into office is to change party affiliation, or start their own party. As long as the rwnj's have as much power as they do in the GOP, moderates are either going to tow the party line or leave the party. The crazies have taken over the asylum.
If the majority of the electorate are becoming more progressive, not to mention more racially diverse, the reasonable answer would be to appeal to the emerging majority.
Or simply subvert democracy, which is what they are actually doing, right before our eyes.
Let's name all of the GOP Senators who are *not* "off the deep end" or soon to be out of Congress.
It'll be a short list.
(And don't even think about the House.)
Whenever I think of one Senator to name, I remember all the fillibusters. Can't name a single one... almost Murkowsky, but no way...
Susan Collins. Though I have to wonder how long until she retires or switches teams.
I thought of Collins... too many fillibusters she went right along with...
I think Gerrymandering has come back to haunt the GOP
A minority of gerrymandered crazies in office like Cornyn will tarnish the brand.
We can only hope Cornyn gets primaried. Democrats can pick up another senate seat thanks to the teabaggers.
Sorry, but...uh-uh. Even with a primary challenge, the odds against a Democrat winning that seat in 2014 are pretty tall. After a long, sometimes nasty primary contest last year, Ted Cruz picked up 57% of the vote statewide in November.
The Republican majority in Texas may be shrinking, but very slowly. It would take major revelations of malfeasance by Cornyn or Abbott to get enough Republicans here to cross over (or to vote for the Libertarian as a protest).
Mad Dogs and Republicans.
I'm reminded of the sit-com "WKRP In Cincinnati," when Les had to dress in full body-padding whenever he fed his dog. I can, easily, see this happening in future townhalls throughout the country.
But NOT over Liberals going after Constitutional rights? You are a strange one indeed... Liberal policies MAKE people crazy.
I see. It's behavioral, as opposed to genetic. That about right?
Great! One side can be fixed. The other's stuck like Chuck Shcmuck.
But NOT over Liberals going after Constitutional rights? You are a strange one indeed... Liberal policies MAKE people crazy.
And the evidence is...
...missing. what a surprise. Funny how that always happens.
Could the tremendous positive of all of this be a bigger portion of Congress for the Democrats?
Hopefully the majority of Americans have tired of the crazies. Of course you'll still get the crazies from various hot spots of lunacy.
I doubt when you have job losses and the Economy contracting...And Hussein only worried about trampling the second Amendment and adding 11+ Million illegals to the healthcare rolls on the backs of taxpaying Americans, that a big liberal mid-term is in the cards......
Hussein only worried about trampling the second Amendment and adding 11+ Million illegals to the healthcare rolls on the backs of taxpaying Americans,
Prove it.
Just happened to catch this article, which just happened to move me to write a response.
http://dbc4senate.tumblr.com/post/41953635589/cornyn-extra-primary-keep-on-burnin
Crap!! We in Texas are so proud of our guys in Washington.
Cornyn, Gomert, Cruz, just to name a few. Abbot would be just as bad. It's going to be an uphill battle but we're working hard at trying to change things. Perry can't decide if he wants another term or still wants to be President.
Scott, thanks for the laughs Now you can slink away to wherever that hole is you live in.
I hear you. Could our line up of clowns *be* anymore embarrassing? Jeezum crow!
The GOTP has a real rotten peach there; it is not Hagel who "done damage to the security of the United States", it is the Projectionistas themselves. You want to bring up "damage to the security of the US" there Cornhole?!
I never seem to get any traction with this notion but I sincerely believe that the U.S. just has two many elections. The primaries are a real problem but my guess is they would have a lesser influence during presidential election years when there is more interest in the results of the election and a greater turn-out. I suppose there was once a reason for House members being elected every two years and a third of the senate coming up for election every two years but it means a lot of important elections are taking place at the mid-term of the presidential election when there is a reduced interest in the elections. It also means an almost continuous churning of the House and the Senate and a rocky road for the president who feels he has to concentrate on the short term in an effort to keep what support he can during the mid-term elections. There is just far too much electioneering and the results are usually bad. An election every four years for the House, the Senate and the preidency would save time and money and give infinitely better results when it came to getting meaningful governmental work done. (Obamasay.com)
Greg Abbot is not one bit better than Cornyn.
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=4276
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=4279
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=4199
There are just a few.