Republicans Set To Compound Mistakes

According to Robert Novak, the Republican House members are re-electing mostly the same leadership that led them to minority status:

In private conversation, Republican members of Congress blame Majority Leader John Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt in no small part for their midterm election debacle. Yet, either Boehner, Blunt or both are expected to be returned to their leadership posts Friday. For good reason, the GOP often is called "the stupid party."

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess. As an Independent who has been voting Republican for years, I can tell you this, if the GOP sticks to the same path it's been on and the Democrats continue to nominate moderate and even right-leaning candidates, I am perfectly willing to consider switching my voting habit to column D from column R.

From what I have heard of Pence, he sounds pretty good. But according to Novak the old boys club Republicans aren't looking to give any new blood a chance. They are flirting with disaster, more specifically, minority status for many years. Perhaps they don't appreciate the level of distaste many feel for the Republican establishment right now.

Captain's Quarters also weighs in here, linking Truth Laid Bear:

A number of bloggers have created a slate of questions for the leadership candidates at The Truth Laid Bear, along with a list of the candidates themselves. These are the questions that the entire caucus should be asking themselves before electing any leadership at all. We'll have to settle for them being asked of the candidates instead, and hopefully we can cure the caucus of this strange, masochistic affliction before the damage becomes permanent.

You might want to check out that link and even chime in. The Republicans aren't asking for our advice. But if they don't listen, we might not hear them next time they come around asking for cash and votes.

The party needs fresh new leadership; going with the same individuals at the heart of many old problems is not a strategy for success. Republicans need to turn the proverbial page, and not turn anymore juvenile pages, if you get my drift.

Comments

[Peter in New York]

You consider yourself a centrist?! Really? Pray tell, how did you vote this time around? It's nice to hear that you'll "switch" to the "D" column if the Dems "keep on" putting up centrist candidates, but that implies you haven't learned your lesson YET, which does not imply but rather categorically proves you are hardly a centrist.

Look, if you're still voting for the Republican party after the evidence provided you over the last six years, then you simply aren't a centrist. Stop fooling yourself, or trying to fool anyone else. And, without getting too nasty, not only are you not a centrist, but you aren't being too hugely clever about your vote. These guys have spent six years working hard to prove that they aren't competent: either to run this government or earn your vote. If you can't accept the evidence of six years of hard work on their part to prove their incompetence, well then, Mr. Riehle, you ain't no centrist and you ain't too smart.