GOP’s reform report arrives at a debate already well under way
The Republican National Committee has released its “autopsy” on the 2012 election and outline of how to win future federal elections, and it appears to pull no punches. But I have a bone to pick with the way it is being reported, for instance by the Associated Press story linked by my AJC colleague Jim Galloway:
In calling for the GOP to develop “a more welcoming conservatism,” the report rebukes those who remain in denial about the seriousness of the problem and those who are unwilling to broaden the party’s appeal.
A just-concluded gathering of conservatives in Washington cheered speaker after speaker who urged the GOP to stick to its guns and, instead, largely blamed the 2012 defeat on Romney or the way he ran his campaign.
I don’t know whether the AP reporter was at CPAC, the “just-concluded gathering” to which the story referred, and which I attended. But that second paragraph, in my view, completely misrepresents the take-away from the conference.
To say the attendees “cheered speaker after speaker who urged the GOP to stick to its guns” is about a gross a generalization as I can think of. What does it mean? That the attendees want the GOP to ignore the kind of reforms mentioned in the report? That none of the speakers, or at least none of the ones who were “cheered,” urged any changes?
Nonsense. Utter and complete nonsense.
The winner of the CPAC straw poll for possible 2016 presidential candidates was Sen. Rand Paul, who said the GOP had grown “stale and moss-covered,” voiced support for “liberty in both the economic and personal sphere” and specifically referred to the distaste the “Facebook generation” has for jail sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. Is that sticking to one’s guns?
Or how about the loud cheers for Sen. Marco Rubio, who finished second to Paul in the straw poll and has been one of the most prominent Republicans working on the kind of “comprehensive immigration reform” the authors of the RNC report suggested? Or the fact that the members of the most prominent panel on immigration at CPAC scarcely considered the possibility of not reforming immigration in a way that includes offering legal status for most of the illegal immigrants already present in the U.S.? Is that sticking to one’s guns?
It wasn’t the lack of minority outreach — which nearly every possible presidential contender mentioned, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush perhaps hitting the point hardest — to which CPAC speakers and attendees were clinging. Indeed, the person who gained the most stature in the conservative movement from his CPAC appearance was probably Benjamin Carson, a black neurosurgeon from Maryland (you may have heard his recent speech at the National Prayer Breakfast) who spoke eloquently and forcefully, drawing extended ovations when he hinted at wanting to run for office soon.
It wasn’t an obsession with debts and deficits, which Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal knocked in his speech. Nor was it coziness with Big Business, which most of the aspiring candidates said the GOP must jettison.
I don’t mean to pick on the AP reporter, but such generalizations only feed the idea that conservative activists are hostile to the kinds of reforms the RNC report urges. In fact, one of my earlier blog posts from CPAC described the debate about consultants’ role in torpedoing GOP electoral chances as the one with “the most passionate disagreements” because there was hardly any disagreement about the need to make the other changes mentioned above.
Perhaps the speakers got preview copies of the report and took their cues from it. Certainly, their words last week were only that — words, still to be confirmed by actions. (The same holds true, let’s note, for the RNC report.) Obviously, the GOP since 1992 has experienced the same record of string of presidential-election difficulties the Democrats faced from 1968 through 1988, and it has to change the way it approaches the electorate in some key ways.
But the good news, if you want to see Republicans elected, is that some of the party’s brightest emerging stars are already staking out ground that moves in the direction of change. This necessary process has already begun.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
414 comments Add your comment
Uncle Jed
March 18th, 2013
12:57 pm
And then there is Bond, Julian Bond. And this clown is a professor?!?
http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2013/mar/18/julian-bond/no-concrete-evidence-support-claim/
breckenridge
March 18th, 2013
12:59 pm
I’ve said it 500 times and I’ll say it 500 more – THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT HAS TO GO OR THE GOP IS DONE.
The party talks about change and yet they banned the gay republican outfit from this event.
“No gays because the Bible says it’s a sin.” Yeah well guess what? It does not matter what the Bible says about gays or anything else. The Constitution is the law of the land, not the Bible.
H.E. Pennypacker
March 18th, 2013
1:00 pm
I believe Marco Rubio got a rousing ovation from this line last week at the CPAC conference:
“We don’t need a new idea, there is an idea. The idea is called America, and it still works.”
Manny
March 18th, 2013
1:04 pm
I normally do not spend any time commenting on political threads because no one’s changing their minds. But I do have to say this:
The GOP needs not only to change the tone, but the message itself. At least this is what many Independents want. See, what I’m looking for is a leader that may have Centrist views and can pull people together to get stuff done. You can be socially conservative. You can be fiscally conservative. But you must be ready to compromise. You must be ready to get something done.
What I keep hearing from the GOP is that they need to abandon the social side of their conservatism and only go after the fiscal stuff. And we will not yield. That’s stupid politics. What I would like to see are people from different points of view: Conservative, Moderate, Liberal- to air out their differences and gain agreements in order to affect policy. This shouldn’t be a war, but arguments.
Crazy, but if i was a Republican, I would be wearing a Christie 2016 button, because I think that he’s the Republicans’ only hope to win the White House. Just my opinion in 2013. It may change, but I don’t see anyone coming out of the Republican field that screams “Compromise to win.”
Uncle Jed
March 18th, 2013
1:06 pm
What is needed is another Calvin Cooledge type.
getalife
March 18th, 2013
1:11 pm
The solution is simple.
Join the majority to reform congress.
It is not brain surgery.
Sailfish
March 18th, 2013
1:12 pm
tiberius
Jack of all comments and opinions – master of none.
Rafe Hollister
March 18th, 2013
1:13 pm
“More background checks?” Palin said. “Dandy idea, Mr. President. Shoulda started with yours.”
Best line of the year!!, She should have trotted that one out in 2008, instead of letting McCain intimidate her, from tying to expose Barry. McCain is living proof that being “nice” is only good for second place, at best.
JDW
March 18th, 2013
1:16 pm
@Rafe…”Rand Paul wants a libertarian America with small government, Rubio is for a smaller efficient government and immigration reform, Paul Ryan is for balancing the budget and JDW considers them scary extremist.”
Rand Paul said that private businesses should not have to follow the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and thinks the Fair Housing Act is unfair. In his more “sane” moments he has also warned that the United Nations would force the U.S. to “confiscate and destroy” all “unauthorized” civilian firearms and wants to build a massive, highly-guarded wall along the Mexican border….I could go on but the man is Fruitloop i.e. SCARY.
Paul Ryan wants to balance the budget by trashing Medicare and protecting in the wealthy. He is a poster boy for the exact thought process on budget, immigration and women’s health that have led to multiple Republican defeats. For the Medicare voucher idea alone the man is SCARY.
Rubio has actually said people who don’t agree with him “ought to leave the country”, pulled a Romnetesque flip flop on immigration and really doesn’t think the Republican Party needs any new ideas.
Frankly not a one of the three is electable beyond their current offices and may have trouble keeping them next time around.
Rafe Hollister
March 18th, 2013
1:17 pm
Breck
Conservative w/o the religious = Ron Paul for President
Remind me about how many states he won? What was the largest percentage of the vote he got anywhere? Splitting a minority party makes zero sense.
JDW
March 18th, 2013
1:20 pm
@Tiberius…”I see JDW has moved from his usual lying in his posts to simply insulting the poster.”
I have not insulted you…yet…simply treated you like any selfish 5 year old and pointed out that just because you don’t like something it is not rendered untrue and whining is rude.
Now I have insulted you.
Finn McCool (the system isn't broken; it's fixed)
March 18th, 2013
1:21 pm
“More background checks?” Palin said. “Dandy idea, Mr. President. Shoulda started with yours.”
In other words, if we don’t like you, we will continue digging until we find something that sets you in a bad light.
Class of '98
March 18th, 2013
1:23 pm
Media coverage of CPAC is a perfect example of bias. Many news outlets have mocked the CPAC for not presenting a unified vision for the future of the party, with speakers seemingly at odds with each other over how to move forward. Some prefer major, sweeping changes while other prefer minor tweaks.
Because of this many media organizations have labelled this as a disjointed, schizophrenic conference. If the tables were turned, and it was liberal democrats who were presenting incongruous, spasmodic, conflicting reforms to their platform, the media would cheer the DIVERSITY of the presented ideas.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
1:23 pm
“I have not insulted you…yet”
Back to the lies, I see, JDW.
Expected.
Dusty
March 18th, 2013
1:24 pm
Well, Kyle tried to write a “fire and brimstone” but it turned into a “sparkler”. So the Democrats, with all their failures looming in our faces (debts, deficiencies. and doubts) are celebrating a Republican Convention of sorts. Too bad the Dems have nothing of their own to celebrate.
This CPAC is just a think tank workout with over three years to go before the next election. Republicans are just having a “wash day” to make their views a little clearer.
So, dear Dems, don’t worry your lil’ ol’ heads over Republicans. They will always be smarter, more conservative and ethical and save the country through any emergency. Republicans have done it many times and we’ve got our hands full again.
Andddd… don’t mention the debt. Don’t mention the shortfalls already occuring (see lack of funds for chronicly sick patients seeking insurance). Don’t mention the trip to Israel which even Obama’s advisor said it amounted to nothing( because Israel has lost all confidendce in the USA government.) Don’t mention Egypt’s chaos, Iran’s belligerence, Syria’s massacres, Afghanistan’s betrayals, No sir! Everything is peachy keen in Washington town politics where debt is dominant and delightful we are told, the golf game is glorious and the degradation of independence continues.!.
Republicans are the backbone of this country while the children (our Democrats) are marching behind the Pied Piper of our time.
But there’s hope. Even children grown up. If we can get them off the bottle of dependency, their irresponsbility on morals, ethics and drugs, .America will bloom again.
We still have strong Republcians. That is what will save America. .
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
1:26 pm
“In other words, if we don’t like you, we will continue digging until we find something that sets you in a bad light.”
Such as highlighting Romney putting his dog on the car roof, claiming he was responsible for killing someone, and calling him a felon.
But it’s sure a good thing the Democrats don’t do that kind of thing, right, Finn?
breckenridge
March 18th, 2013
1:27 pm
“Remind me about how many states he won? What was the largest percentage of the vote he got anywhere? Splitting a minority party makes zero sense.”
Well it’s quite a conundrum to be sure. The fiscal conservative, social moderate branch of the party – college educated, high wage earning republicans, who populate the suburbs north of the Mason-Dixon line, would never vote for a Santorum or Rick Perry or a Bachmann or a Rubio. And meanwhile the social conservatives – high school educated, blue collar, rural southerners – didn’t go out and vote for Romney because he’s a Mormon.
If you want to lose the young vote, the suburban republican vote AND the independent vote then by all means pick a social conservative candidate in 2016.
JamVet
March 18th, 2013
1:27 pm
Forget the pizza, old hippy. This is great stuff!
I’m just gonna make some popcorn and read through the fervent denials…
Rafe Hollister
March 18th, 2013
1:30 pm
JDW
Your Rand Paul overly hyperbolic arguments against reforms are the same tired arguments, you progs trotted out when Gingrich wanted to reform welfare. Kicking and screaming Clinton came along, while all the lib media and sycophants whining about it will not work, poor families will be thrown in the street. Everyone adapted and America is better off, thank you Newt and Bill.
Medicare is going broke and is unsustainable. More of the same pass the buck is not going to save the program. Changes have to be made and Paul’s ideas are as valid as any of those that have been proposed.
Paul and I agree on personal property rights, you own the business, you make the rules. It is stupid business to discriminate against anyone, but if that is what you choose and you do not receive state or federal money and you pay your taxes, you should be in charge. I think Congress has been intruding on Constitutional guarantees of personal property for years, like the Kelo decision in CT and all the wetlands prohibitions established by the EPA.
All the rest of the things you find “scary” are just a conservative idea of how to fix things. The Dems seem to have only one idea that fits every situation, take more from the citizens. I guess when they take all they can get us to voluntarily send in, they will be deducting it from our banking accounts, e.g. Cyprus.
breckenridge
March 18th, 2013
1:31 pm
“Paul Ryan wants to balance the budget by trashing Medicare and protecting in the wealthy. He is a poster boy for the exact thought process on budget, immigration and women’s health that have led to multiple Republican defeats”
So you’re not sold on Paul Ryan? I’m not either, but for entirely different reasons. He’s not a real fiscal conservative. While Ron Paul and Jeff Flake were voting against deficit budgets for 7 straight years Ryan was toeing the party line. Yea, yea, yea, 2001-2007. He’s a partisan hack and a pretender.
MarkV
March 18th, 2013
1:32 pm
It is rather useless to goad the conservatives by listing the President’s accomplishments, for which they have their standard talking point denials. What they cannot deny is that in spite of the enormous economic difficulties not of his making, the majority of the electorate gave him the approval of his performance. Poor Republicans, “so smarter, more conservative and ethical,” and so misunderstood!
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
1:34 pm
The only problem with picking a social conservative candidate is picking one which will try to use the government to enforce his / her views. If there is one out there that will pledge to keep their personal views out of the realm of law, and have done so through their legislative actions, they might stand a chance.
Not that the liberals won’t lie about him / her anyway . . .
The problem is that the current crop of social conservatives can’t make that claim or pledge.
JDW
March 18th, 2013
1:38 pm
@Tiberius…”Back to the lies, I see, JDW.”
In Tiberiusville I do nothing else…of course Tiberiusville about as close to reality as Abell 1835 IR1916 is to Earth…so it is really not a bit deal.
Cue the music…”You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into The Tiberius Zone. “
JDW
March 18th, 2013
1:40 pm
@Rafe…”All the rest of the things you find “scary” are just a conservative idea of how to fix things.”
Most of which make Goldwater look Moderate…point is that it is EXACTLY those “conservative ideas” that are playing so “well” at the ballot box.
breckenridge
March 18th, 2013
1:40 pm
“The only problem with picking a social conservative candidate is picking one which will try to use the government to enforce his / her views.”
Absolutely. Very well stated. And the social conservative track record……..well one need look no further AG John Ashcroft taking on Oregon over their Death With Dignity Act.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
1:40 pm
And back to the expected insults by JDW.
Entirely predictable.
Rafe Hollister
March 18th, 2013
1:46 pm
Breck
I don’t want a social conservative either, I’m more with Rand Paul than Santorium, but where I leave you is, I don’t believe anyone who values their economic liberty and freedom and wants an America, for their children and grandchildren, that is financially solvent and that encourages innovation and achievement is going to vote for the Dems. They are moving more and more toward a European high tax limited freedom socialist society.
Yeah, you are going to lose the single issue voter, if your candidate is on the opposite side of what they so ardently support, regardless of which side you choose.
Dave
March 18th, 2013
1:50 pm
“[S]uch generalizations only feed the idea that conservative activists are hostile to the kinds of reforms the RNC report urges.”
I think the generalizations reflect what is actual.
I don’t see GOP leaders doing more than giving lip service to immigration reform. Other than a few contrarians, they could do quite well without gay folks, thank you. They really, really don’t know what to do with poor folks like retirees and close to retirees that thought they had a deal. The best they can do for them is promote vouchers and block grants. Unions? Can’t have them, they gum up the works for corporations with all their crazy talk about a living wage, medical benefits and horrors, pensions! Sick people? Obamacare? More crazy talk, just let insurance companies sell across state lines! Competition, that’s the ticket.
“[The GOP] has to change the way it approaches the electorate in some key ways….” Yeah, it needs to disavow most of what it’s stood for the last couple of decades.
Aquagirl
March 18th, 2013
1:53 pm
I don’t mean to pick on the AP reporter, but such generalizations only feed the idea that conservative activists are hostile to the kinds of reforms the RNC report urges.
No, it’s not the AP report Kyle, it’s your blog post complaining about “lamestream media” coverage of the report and the complete lack of discussion ABOUT THE REPORT. A couple of posts actually address the issues raised and then it’s back to whining about everyone else…Obummer, libs, sodomites, all the usual suspects.
Of course this utter lack of self-reflection is noted in the report, which makes it all the more hilarious.
Rand Paul wants to repeal the 14th Amendment if necessary, Marco Rubio wants some unspecified type of immigration reform but apparently said little about it at CPAC. I’ve admittedly only read media reports of an immigration panel at CPAC and my impression is of a few people making fairly vague statements while deliberately remaining low profile. FOX Latino said “immigration reform remained not only a muddled message but also, perhaps most importantly, an issue of contention among participants.” How does this indicate any willingness to tackle the issue?
Some of the conservative media reports indicated the panel favored some type of resident status without citizenship, what an awesome way to fix their angry white CEO image. /sarc
Rafe Hollister
March 18th, 2013
1:56 pm
point is that it is EXACTLY those “conservative ideas” that are playing so “well” at the ballot box.
Well, we just lost an election, big deal, happens to both parties. I believe those ideas played fairly well in 2010, which is not ancient history.
I might be worried if those ideas had been voted on, but what was voted on was McCain and Romney, neither of which think like a conservative and have extreme difficulty in expressing those ideas, since they were only moderately acquainted with them themselves. Put an eloquent conservative, that believes in those ideas, on the stump and lets see how they play.
JF McNamara
March 18th, 2013
1:56 pm
Stupid liberal media…
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
2:00 pm
“Marco Rubio wants some unspecified type of immigration reform”
Yeah, ’cause he’s only had a proposal out there for over a year . . .
Road Scholar
March 18th, 2013
2:00 pm
Robert:” Never before has the GOP lead House of Representitives voted “NO” on every Bill proposed by the Democrats. ”
And many of the Demos proposals were based on proposals by Repubs!
Kyle, you state that the repubs were open to changes, so why was the attendance limited to the more right members (no Christie..) So just how much will the repubs change?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
2:03 pm
“Kyle, you state that the repubs were open to changes, so why was the attendance limited to the more right members”
Because CPAC isn’t the Republican Party. Just one of a few conservative wings within it.
sailfish
March 18th, 2013
2:07 pm
dusty
The ten year anniversary of the iraq misadcventure or war of choice hangs around repubs necks because of the bush regimes stellar decision making and ineptness!
The TRUTH it was a boondoggle eventually costing us 3 trillion, hundreds of thousands of dead, tens of thousands severely wounded and the grand prize of all – handing over iraq to iran!!!
Thanks george…
stands for decibels
March 18th, 2013
2:08 pm
claiming [Romney] was responsible for killing someone
Ok, Tiberius, I will ask.
Whatever are you talking about?
Cherokee
March 18th, 2013
2:10 pm
“such generalizations only feed the idea that conservative activists are hostile to the kinds of reforms the RNC report urges”
Kyle, I do believe that you’re trying.
But I respectfully encourage you to read the comments from your own blog posters – anything by Tiberius, Aesop, Scrivener, barry bailout….
Those – and people like them – are the ones who will never change – and until the Republican party rejects their sophomoric hysteria, the party will never again win another Presidential election.
getalife
March 18th, 2013
2:12 pm
Actions speak louder than words.
Like VP Biden said when he destroyed ryan.
Prove you will help the middle class or zip it.
Reverie
March 18th, 2013
2:13 pm
Not to pick on you “Old Hippie” but your analogy was completely wrong. The report hits right at the core of the party, not the box it is wrapped up in. I believe the left has succeeded in large part because of their inability to think for themselves. Democrats suffer from delusional groupthink as much as anyone else but with the left you have aiding and abetting of a sycophantic press labeling virtually every conservative idea as “evil”. Let’s face it, compare the two articles in the AJC concerning this report and ask yourself if the tone was slanted. I will credit Jay with being quite a bit less critical of the GOP than he normally is BUT in general he roasts the right every chance he gets and fails to hold the Democrat Party to any ethical standard. That is the general tone of the press. Forget FOX and I’ll forget MSNBC and let’s talk about the so-called middle press. CNN consistently skews left, particularly on matters of politics and social reform. Virtually nobody in business trusts them and they continue to suffer a slow decline because the perception is not that we are hearing a report but that we are listening to criticism in the guise of reporting. Finally, if you want the nail in the coffin of journalistic ethics, research the criticism of the House of Representatives (majority GOP) and compare it to the Senate (Democrat). While they both dither and watch the nation burn, somehow only the House gets the blame. In reporting watch how problems in the Senate emanate from a disruptive GOP minority while the problems in the House of Representatives are caused by the majority in charge. Finally, why don’t we require ALL politicians and ALL talking heads in the press to back up their numbers and allow them to be examined. Like the assertion that 25% of US children are starving or lack basic resources for food. That little nugget made it into the congressional record but I can’t figure out where that number comes from. The press and the people that read the press need to start asking for proof from both sides.
md
March 18th, 2013
2:18 pm
There is no perfect party and never will be, so it comes down to which ideology one most associates with. I by no means care for the religious right telling me what I can and can’t do with my personal property, but I care even less for the liberal left telling me I have to be responsible for the many millions that make bad choices on a daily basis.
People should be able to do as they please until it harms others, which I believe is a tenet of the left, yet when they choose to drop out of school or remain in a job for eternity and expect raises based on a birth-date and then the gov’t takes from one to give to those type individuals then the tenet becomes worthless…….
We choose everything we do and should have to live with the consequences of said choices without expecting others to bail us out………there is nothing wrong with a hand up and a safety net, but there should always be conditions attached.
Aquagirl
March 18th, 2013
2:25 pm
Yeah, ’cause he’s only had a proposal out there for over a year . .
If Rubio’s proposal differs from the one he submitted with other Senators earlier this year, which one does he want?
If you are referring to the bipartisan Senate committee plan, one right-wing blogger said “it certainly is comprehensive — so all-encompassing, in fact, it seems to include everything both side wants, even the things that would seem to be mutually exclusive.”
I’ll let you guess which right-wing writer made that observation, but here’s a hint: in 2009 he wrested the title of “Worst Hair In An AJC Blogger’s Photo” from perennial winner Jay Bookman.
Hillbilly D
March 18th, 2013
2:26 pm
This is all just inside baseball, to me, and it sort of makes my eyes glaze over. That being said though, I’m not sure Rand Paul would be a horse I’d want to hitch to my wagon.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
2:30 pm
“Whatever are you talking about?”
I suggest you look up Stephanie Cutter, Romney, laid off worker’s wife died, Stands.
Or just look at the ad in this link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/priorities-usa-romney-ad-cancer-death-gst-steel-bain-capital-2012-8
Of course, the fact that the woman didn’t have health insurance to cancel when her husband worked was completely irrelevant to the Obama campaign (she had it in a following job when they actually found her cancer).
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
2:33 pm
Ahhh, good old Cherokee, ignorantly lumping me in with “Republicans”.
Shame Cherokee doesn’t understand the first thing about being a Constitutionalist.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
March 18th, 2013
2:34 pm
I believe the left has succeeded in large part because of their inability to think for themselves.
Dittoheads say, “What?”
stands for decibels
March 18th, 2013
2:34 pm
Stephanie Cutter, Romney, laid off worker’s wife
oh, that. I thought this was about the bullying victim.
Hillbilly D
March 18th, 2013
2:37 pm
I’m really curious, because I found those remarks particularly divisive and disgusting, clearly implying that to be a liberal is to be a “freeloader”, and to be something other than “everyday people.”
sfd
I guess it’s in the ear of the beholder but I took something different from that comment than you did. to me, I took it to mean that he sees this couple as people who should be his party’s natural constituency. Saying that “they aren’t liberals” just meant that these aren’t people who would be viewed as being automatically opposed to the Republican party. So for me, I took it to mean that they need to figure out what they’re doing wrong, in not getting the votes of people like this. Anyway, like I said, it’s in the ear of the beholder but I interpreted it differently from my perspective.
stands for decibels
March 18th, 2013
2:39 pm
HD @ 2.37, thanks–that would be the charitable way to interpret those remarks, and maybe I ought to assume the best of Rubio.
I’m afraid, however, that I’m probably at least a little predisposed to read words like that (mind you, I read them, I didn’t hear them) and imagine them being directed to someone who assumes that “liberal” = “freeloader.”
Probably comes from spending entirely too much time in joints like this…
stands for decibels
March 18th, 2013
2:41 pm
I’m not sure Rand Paul would be a horse I’d want to hitch to my wagon.
That critter on top of Rand’s head could probably pull a small wagon.
/cheepshot
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
March 18th, 2013
2:45 pm
“I thought this was about the bullying victim.”
No, but thanks for reminding me about THAT attack as well, Stands.
Yeah, let’s focus on something that happened 40+ years ago while he was still in school. Not as if most (if not all) of us haven’t done something stupid we would have liked to reconsider after the passage of time (Hey, back in high school, a couple of friends and I were not satisfied with just dropping water balloons during a Demolay conclave, so we were filling large trash bags with water and dropping them 3 stories at people. Good thing we didn’t hit anyone directly or we might have broken their necks, but we didn’t think about it when we were doing it).
But the media built that into the equivalent of Romney sending people to the gas chambers.
It’s the new norm for most campaigns, but this President used it to laughable extremes his lapdogs ate up.