9
POPSRepublicans' Outlook Dims for '08 For the first time in 30 years, Texas may vote for a Democratic president. New surveys in the state show Clinton tying McCain and Giuliani in popular support.
9
POPSWhere Were Vocal Conservatives When It Mattered? Rod Dreher is a conservative writer for Beliefnet. Few of us stood up to Bush when he took us to this disastrous war in Iraq. Few, if any, stood up to him over his foolish support for Rumsfeld, long after it became obvious what a disaster Rumsfeld was. Few, if any, stood up to him over his amassing of power in the executive branch. Few, if any, stood up to him on the spending....
3
POPSClosest GOP Insider Yet Comes Out Against Bush, Cheney GOP insider Vic Gold doesn't let his longtime friendship with the Bushes and the Cheneys stop him from cataloging the permanent damage the White House has done to the reputation of the GOP — and America. Under Bush and Cheney, he argues, the GOP has moved away from principles of small government, prudent foreign policy and leaving people alone to live their private lives — all views Gold associates with his hero, Goldwater. I'll add that to read about the distressing political and personal position Bush Jr. has placed his aging father in because of his actions is downright painful. (Via Andrew Sullivan).
5
POPSProminent conservative surveys the wreckage of contemporary conservatism The entire article is highly reccommended for those that want to trace the GOP's post-9/11 "stumble into neoconservatism" from an insider's perspective. Bramwell's honesty and way with words are refreshing. Until recently, it has been almost impossible for me to speak candidly about the conservative movement, for it was my strange fate to serve as director and later trustee of the movement’s flagship journal, National Review. Earlier this year, at William F. Buckley’s request, I resigned both positions. I can therefore now declare what perhaps has oft been thought but never, at least not often enough, expressed. Notwithstanding conservatives’ belief that they, in contrast to their partisan opponents, have thought deeply about the challenges facing the United States, it is they who have become unserious.
11
POPSAmerican Conservative Magazine: GOP Must Go There may be little Americans can do to atone for this presidency, which will stain our country’s reputation for a long time. But the process of recovering our good name must begin somewhere, and the logical place is in the voting booth this Nov. 7. If we are fortunate, we can produce a result that is seen—in Washington, in Peoria, and in world capitals from Prague to Kuala Lumpur—as a repudiation of George W. Bush and the war of aggression he launched against Iraq.
7
POPSAnother Republican FL Congressman Resigns Amid Scandal, Felony Charges Republican Rep. Arza and his cousin were recorded using racist slurs against a black school superintendent. Sometime after 8 last Saturday night, state Rep. Ralph Arza, in calm voice that betrayed just a hint of inebriation, left a 20-second message on the cellphone of his colleague. ''Hey, bitch,'' he said. "You're nothing but a bitch. You're a bitch. You're nothing but a bitch. God Bless you, bitch." Sometime later, in a voice just a little less calm, Arza left a second message for Rep. Gus Barreiro. "Hey, bitch. You ain't nothing but a bitch. You ain't nothing but a bitch, brother, my n****er.'' A second caller dialed Barreiro and cursed Barreiro out even more, profanely threatening him with physical harm for filing a complaint. Hear the two phone messages in question ( 1 , 2 ).
1
POPSRepublican O.C. Candidate Is Disowned Over Letters to Latinos The letter evoked memories of the 1988 race for the 71st Assembly District in Orange County, when the local GOP hired uniformed guards to stand in Latino neighborhoods with signs stating, "Non-Citizens Can't Vote." Even when it paid an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit, the GOP doggedly denied wrongdoing.
10
POPSRepublican Ad Calls Black Women "Ho's" According to the source, the same group was responsible for similar ads in the past that were so derogatory, even the Republican National Committee called them "racist": America's Pac is the brainchild of a Kansas-based Republican consultant, Richard Nadler. He said Sunday that he is no longer affiliated with the group. "Mr. Nadler is the genius. We basically follow his game plan," the group's new chief, Thomas Donelson of Marion, Iowa, said. In 2000, Mr. Nadler came under fire for a school choice-related ad in which parents said their son's violence ridden public school "was a bit more diversity than he could handle." Mr. Bush's campaign denounced the ad as "inappropriate," and the Republican National Committee called it "racist or race-baiting in intent."
5
POPSVoters' Approval of Congress Falls To 16%, Lowest Point in 12 Years More bad news for conservatives. Three new records were set with today's Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. 16 percent! The latest results set other records, also to Republicans' disadvantage: Fully two-thirds of the electorate rates this year's Congress "below average" or "one of the worst" -- the poorest showing on that question since it was first asked in 1990. As for the Republican Party, 32% of voters rate it positively and 49% negatively -- the highest negative ever for either party in the surveys. The Democratic Party, after months in which it also had a net negative rating only slightly better than the Republican Party's, now is viewed positively by 37% and negatively by 35%.
10
POPSNew Poll: Democrats Open Up Giant Gap Before Midterm Elections Government corruption, Iraq and terrorism were the three most important issues to poll respondents. They said Democrats would do a better job on all three. The party had a 21-point advantage on handling corruption and a 17-point advantage on Iraq. A longstanding GOP advantage on terrorism vanished; Democrats had a 5-point edge. Yet another set of record-breaking poll results in.
3
POPSPoll: Foley Sex Scandal Has Hurt GOP Election Prospects Iraq, meanwhile, is continuing to be a problem for the Republicans. Only 38% of respondents in the TIME poll now support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq, down from 42% three months ago. A similar number believe that the new Iraqi government will succeed in forming a stable democracy, while 59% believe this is unlikely. Almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war, while 54% believe he "deliberately misled" Americans in making his case for war — a figure that has increased by 6 points over the past year. President Bush's overall approval rating, according to TIME's poll, now stands at just 36%, down from 38% in August.
2
POPSBorderline Catastrophe: How the fight over immigration blew up Rove’s big tent When policy and election politics collide. Did the Conservative base's nativist zeal for anti-immigrant rhetoric cost them the crucial Latino vote and majority power for generations to come? But perhaps the real casualty of the GOP’s immigration meltdown is the Rovian model of Republican politics. Part of the near-mythic aura of infallibility surrounding Rove stems from the sense that his tactics seem to defy all known political laws—that it shouldn’t be possible to reach out to minorities while fanning the flames of a base that is often hostile to them. And as it turns out, it probably isn’t.
5
POPSAbramoff: "Better to not put this stuff in writing"...D'oh! A bipartisan report released Thursday from the House Government Reform Committee has uncovered 485 contacts between criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House, 10 of them with Karl Rove. As reporters everywhere sift through the records, Kevin Drum shows us this soon-to-be classic (see the highlighted portions).
6
POPSWar Turns Southern Women Away From GOP Voters like Knight could prove to be spoilers. The 66-year-old real estate agent doesn't particularly like Marshall, a hawkish Democrat and former Army Ranger, but she said she'll vote for him because she likes his conservative Republican opponent, former Rep. Mac Collins, even less.
1
POPSDuke Cunningham's Wife Tells All (The New Republic) In the only interview ever given, Mrs. Cunnigham defends herself (somewhat) and reveals some insights into the sad life and psychology of her husband that allowed him to set a new record for Congressional corruption. Originally published in the August 28, 2006 issue of TNR .
1
POPSFor the GOP, a Heartland Plunge - David Broder Also, a Republican governor confirms that anti-incumbent sentiment crosses party lines: "What has this Congress done that anyone should applaud?" he asked scornfully. "Nothing on immigration, nothing on health care, nothing on energy -- and nothing on the war. They deserve a good kick in the pants, and that's what they're going to get."
2
POPSFitzpatrick (R-PA): Another GOP Candidate Throws Bush Under the Bus! This is the front page of a direct mailing flyer sent out to Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick's contituents in Philly. It says: "America needs a new plan for success in Iraq." ... Congressman Fitzpatrick says NO to both extremes: "NO TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S 'STAY THE COURSE' STRATEGY.... "AND NO TO PATRICK MURPHY'S 'CUT AND RUN' APPROACH." How many more Republicans will dare to break ranks with Bush/Cheney in the lead up to elections?
1
POPSRepublican McCloskey Urges Need for Democrat Majority in Congress Part of a long, personal letter from former Republican Congressman (and presidential candidate) Pete McCloskey to the voters of CA on the need to bring back a semblance of oversight in Washington. There is another strong reason, I believe, for Republicans to work this fall for Democrat challengers against the DeLay-type Republicans like Pombo and Doolittle. That is the clear abdication by the House over the past five years of the Congress’ constitutional power and duty to exercise oversight over abuses of power, cronyism, incompetence and excessive secrecy on the part of the Executive Branch.
3
POPSBill Kristol: Conservatives Believe The Bush Administration Is Incompetent Kristol ended the show with: "In all honesty, Democrats don't need a positive program. They should just keep quiet and let Republicans attack each other.” The increasingly bitter in-fighting within the GOP ranks continues unabated. Could Kristol possibly follow Fukuyama into anti-Bush territory? Looks like he's pointing his escape-pod in that direction...
Newest Clips
see Newest Clips
Pops
Comments
Tags
3
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update