The Republican Elites Versus The Grassroots

Some interesting battles breaking out on Twitter this AM, even if I say so myself - having played a big role in fueling them! No need to link all the back and forth, but it amounts to a discussion about what works. The problem as I see it, is too many inside the Beltway Republicans have convinced themselves that they are all that.

For some reason, they fear and look to shut down the Joe the Plumbers (who I personally feel has been over-played by now) and the Jackies from the recent Palin book signing dust up with Nora O'Donnell.

Reading them, one would think there is no Charles Krauthammer, no David Brooks, or Newt Gingrich and so many others talking politics, or conservatism in the news everyday. We have plenty of thinkers and more elitist talking heads today than we've ever had. The problem is, they do not penetrate the culture at large. The average American is not interested in reading a white paper on economic trends. Such things do not connect with them. And they are the voters you need to get to the booths come election day.

The Left rode and never dismissed Cindy Sheehan for years. Yet, she called Bush a terrorist, a war criminal and worse. But try to find an elitist, or establishment Democrat putting her down before she came back to bite them years later. They didn't because they realized what she could do that they could not.

She was the vehicle that carried their anti-war agenda into the culture in a way no DC insider could ever hope to do. For better or worse, people connected with her because she was one of them. In that sense, it is the same thing that is going on with Sarah Palin right now. She connects with people to the extent they see her as one of them. But if you ask an elitist inside the Beltway Republican, well, we can't have that!

What utter nonsense.

Until elitist Republicans get over this fear they have of the media turning our latest personality into a perceived liability, Republicans and conservatives are never going to be able to reach out into the electorate as broadly as they need to do to win. Get over yourselves. You are not America, you are only one slice of it. And the rest of it doesn't want you shoved down our collective throat because you fancy yourselves so much.

Instead of at least ignoring these personalities that pop up, you join the mainstream liberals in putting them down. You, as much as anyone, try to take their legs out from under them as if you are ashamed, somehow. Knock it off. We're sick of it. The elitists have ruled the Republican roost for years. Look at where you have led us? We're out in the cold, cut off from the culture as a whole.

You needn't support them if you don't want. No one really cares, frankly. But stop trying to knock them down. You are not better than them. You do not have all the answers figured out and to the extent that you might, you don't have a clue how to communicate to the masses that go to the voting booths.

If you can't do anything else, then just do your thing in Washington and, for God's sake, shut up! Stop trying to kill the one thing that can give Republicans and conservatives a fighting chance - we the people! It's written into the damned Constitution for a reason. Go back and read that if you're fresh out of white papers. Just leave us the hell alone and we can all win together in 2010. Rest assured that divided we will fall. In spirit, that's written somewhere, too. Go look it up if you've nothing better to do and stop running down average people who are every bit as intelligent and worthy of having a voice as you. It's called democracy. You might want to look that one up while you're at it, too!

Comments

[unseen]

I agree Dan.

the attacks from the beltway simply reinforce our view that there is no difference between parties and gives rise to Beck and third party people. If the GOp elite would shut up and sit down for a couple months and allow Palin and others a free view to state their policies (which are not that different for the beltway GOP's) then maybe people would start to see a difference between the twop parties.

Palin is the future and I for one can not wait until She comes to clean house.

[Stephen Altman]

Right on Dan! I followed your twitter dust-up Sean Hackbarth. Jackie Seal is a young woman who has been thrust into the spotlight and is handling herself very well. She deserves our nurture and not eye-rolls by jaded insiders.

[Martha]

I'm past being sick of it, personally. I've stopped listening to elites altogether.

[JustOneMan]

These insiders had there chance and the blew it...while screwing all REAL conservatives. As my 83 father says..."Its not their world anymore, they need to get out of the way."

[FKD]

Can an elite be a populist?

[FKD]

Can an elite be a populist?

[stuiec]

I am tired of hearing that the GOP needs to "become the party of ideas," as though (a) the ideas that fueled the Reagan Revolution had somehow disintegrated, as opposed to being ignored, and (b) that ideas in themselves are so powerful and compelling that the voters will throng to them. The fact is that there are plenty of ideas and thinkers on the Right, but precious few doers. That's why Sarah Palin attracts so much attention and admiration from ordinary people: she's clearly a doer, a person who works tirelessly to put ideas into action to make a difference in people's lives. We need more doers to step forward and carry the banner of conservatism, and fewer grand thinkers spouting off about how they and not the doers are the future of the GOP.

[Dante]

David Brooks??? Seriously?????

[montee]

"Until elitist Republicans get over this fear they have of the media turning our latest personality into a perceived liability, Republicans and conservatives are never going to be able to reach out into the electorate as broadly as they need to do to win. Get over yourselves."

Thank you Dan for saying what I have been saying for so long now I've lost my voice. The Republican party has been taken over by a bunch of paper consultants, strategists and pundits who are so stuck in their belt-way, elitist alternate universe. Why would any Republican insult a fellow party member publicly simply because of minor differences. Whenever I watch certain supposed Republicans/Conservatives bashing their own party members in the same manner and tone the opposition would I feel sick. These insider Republicans didn't condemn or accuse the people ran the McCain campaign of being bad for the party when they leaking all sorts of false and disgusting stories about their own candidate (Palin), but when Palin dared to try and tell her side they were all quick to condemn. That is a perfect example of just how self-serving, self-preserving and arrogant they have become. They in their minds, are the designated drivers and anybody who isn't accepted by them must move to the back of the bus or be prepared to be run-over.

[Mike2Cents]

The reason they are trying to knock her down is because she can not help them get back up...and they desperately need that.
For all your claims to know what the 'average American' thinks and feels, you're just feeding red meat to the Palin fans here. You try and dress this up as analysis, but it's really just a 'Go Sarah!' cheer.
She is a force that needs to be reckoned with...but not outside or beyond the republican party/conservatism internal battles. That is where she is relevant...and where the 'left' should encourage her presence in any and every policy question/debate.

[Dan Riehl]

Thank you for weighing in David Axelrod. Go take a look at the most recent popularity numbers and get back to us, idiot.

[FKD]

"Go take a look at the most recent popularity numbers and get back to us, idiot."

Name one republican leader who now has higher popularity than Obama.

[Avid Ax Lord]

Dan Riehl wrote "Go take a look at the most recent popularity numbers and get back to us"

I am quite happy to report that polls this week put it somewhere between 56% (ABC/WaPo) and 46% (FOX).

By way of comparison -- Bush posted such a number for the last time in 2004! Btw, It took Reagan and Clinton about two years to come out of below fifty approval ratings (Gallup) in their first terms, and that was in far less worse economic scenario that they inherited from previous administrations.

Moving on, Obama's favorability ratings are somewhere between 61% (ABC/WaPo) and 54% (FOX). And that is after 5 months of the worst abuse the teabaggers could dream up.

Pick whichever of those two numbers you prefer and then report back to us about which national figures have higher ratings. I believe you will find the only ones are Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.

In comparison:

* Huckabee = 45% favorable
* Palin = 38% favorable
* Romney = 37% favorable
* Gingrich = 35% favorable

And let's not forget T-Paw. This poll was taken in MINNESOTA:

"If the 2012 presidential election was held today with Barack Obama
being the Democratic Candidate and Tim Pawlenty being the Republican
Candidate, would you vote for Obama or Pawlenty?

* 49% Obama
* 40% Pawlenty"

And while we are at it, favorability ratings for:

* Nancy Pelosi 33%
* John Boehner 27%

And THAT poll was by Rasmussen, so can you imagine what the reality is??

I'm sure you thought your response was clever when you typed it, but really - not so much.

[Xiaoding]

"Republicans and conservatives".

Good article, but I object to the use of the word "and" in that sentence.

[Xiaoding]

"Name one republican leader who now has higher popularity than Obama."

No need to make it complicated! How about "Name one republican leader"! Just one! I can't. Like, who cares!

[thirteen28]

Post of the Year, Dan.

[Chercast]

+1 on "Post of the Year, Dan"

Look at "Going Rogue" pictures. I think Gov. Palin says through pictures, "Here's what a hard working American family looks like. We know we are not liabilities, and no elite has to tell us we are valuable for us to make a difference. In fact, we like ourselves and each other. We are successful, we work hard and we and our children can achieve greatness."

Her written words, setting the record straight by connecting with American lives is just what was needed.

My husband, the doc, said regarding Jackie (the teen) and Norah O'Donnell dust-up. "The teen is smarter than the reporter, and the reporter knows it. She has nothing left. The teen shows her potential."

[MJ]

I love how the right mocks the left for promoting "feel good" ideas, yet then engages in the fantasy that any average American could run the country. You call Palin an "average American" and you want her to run the country? I'm not looking for "average" in my leaders. I'm looking for the best and the brightest, neither of which describes Palin.

[chercast]

MJ... No one called Palin "average" except you. If that's how you feel about her, that's your "feel good" idea. Exceptional, as my tae kwon do instructor taught me, is when opportunity meets preparation. That would be Palin as far as I'm concerned.

[CosmicConservative]

If nothing else, we should be able to agree that anyone who uses the derogatory sexual innuendo "teabagger" to describe conservatives is not fit for polite company and whose partisan bias is so obvious and disgusting that no other comment from them is worth listening to.

[Kingstn53]

David Brooks ... was he the fake conservative that replaced David Gergen, the other fake conservative on PBS. Neither one of these guys have ever changed a tire or fixed a leaky faucet. I have just finished the first 60 pages of the Palin book. She could kick both their butts with one hand tied behind her back. What people like about Palin is that she is self made and not disconnected from the reality that is life in these united states. I voted for McCain but have lost all respect for the man. I expected him to live up to his oath to protect the Constitution. I expected him to fight for the presidency. The republican elites have been seduced by power and prestige and have betrayed us all.

[Papa Ray]

I'm tempted to say you got part of your inspiration for this post by reading my comment over at Right Wing Nut House. But I know you really didn't. I was just channeling what feelings I picked up from many of my friends and others I met at the Rally in DC regarding Palin. You...you just have the talent to see through the BS and put it on the screen for us to read.

Great Posts, great blog- keep after it.

Papa Ray

[peter jackson]

Having been a card-carrying Libertarian for most of my adult life I can tell you exactly where all of this intra-party slap-fighting leads: absolutely nowhere. Nowhere at all. The GOP needs an agenda, but unfortunately they're too clueless to even realize they need one, much less what that agenda should look like.

As far as the left goes, ruining an entire human century wasn't enough to convince them that they're simply flat wrong about virtually everything, and that they are nothing more than the heirs to "modern" tribalism.

Seriously, are these our only choices?

[ic]

"We're out in the cold"

Republican elitist: I don't care. We are here quietly sharing the pork. We may not get the juciest bits, as in last couple of years, but no one in the MSM is yelling at us, exposing us. You can have your populist culture, we have our bits of pork.

Vote them out. Challenge each one of them in the primaries.

[richard mcenroe]

"I am tired of hearing that the GOP needs to "become the party of ideas..."

The problem with the GOP is not its principles, but its principals... make this next election a war on incumbency.

[Bob]

I've given up on the RNC ever pulling its head out of it's ass. More and more, I believe a third party is the only way to break the logjam. And if that's what's necessary, we'd better start organizing NOW so we have our "sierra" together by 2012.

if the Tea Partiers pooled their donations and kept the money strictly in Tea Party hands, I bet they could raise a sizable wad of cash quickly. Stop the flow into Republican coffers -- that's only rewarding failure.

[Steve Poling]

(This is cruel, but it indicates a larger truth.) Mr. Krauthammer looks like he's got a stick shoved up his rectum. Contrast that with the rock-star response that Mrs. Palin generates. The woman makes conservatives swoon like Elvis made teenie-boppers faint. Sarah Palin makes being Conservative FUN in a way that hasn't been true since the Gipper was firing PATCO and announcing RIFs.

[redwhiteandblue]

Wow! All I can say is thank you!

However, I will point out that I have stopped reading you at points when you went along with the elites.

But thank you for once.

[JorgXMckie]

Possibly the reason Dr. Krauthammer "looks like he's got a stick shoved up his rectum" is that he's wheelchair bound due to paralysis from a diving accident as a young medical school.

Right now, I'd bet "any average American" could run the country better than the sub-average Carter Redux that is currently in charge.

what were Obama's marvelous SAT and LSAT scores and his grades in college that prove he's among the "best and the brightest"? Oh. Right. He won't let anyone see them. That's undoubtedly because he doesn't want to make us all feel bad about how much smarter he is than us.

[JorgXMckie]

Oops. "young medical school student."

[jef]

We need white papers, we need teaparties. Here's a white paper that I think needs to be read by every conservative/Republican leader, strategist, Pol, whatever.

We are facing ruthless opportunists who wish to hobble the US with extravagant government. They and their friends will be the largest beneficiaries.

Palin said on O'Reilly that people are tired of elites wanting to run the country, telling everyone else what to do (she had a strong voice on this)

But, really, they are opportunists, insiders, taking advantage of a situation and exploiting it for their self-interests.

This paper talks about that....and maybe some responses (not a cheery read):

http://www.mercatus.org/PublicationDetails.aspx?id=28490

btw, R's are opportunists also, I know. That's the problem. They aligned themselves with their own interests and narrow constituent interests, the relied on the "goodwill" of conservatives....they got whacked.

[MJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKKgua7wQk

Do these people qualify as the "average American" who could run this country?

This backlash against the "elites" is ridiculous. Palin went to 4 different colleges, that sounds pretty elite to me. Maybe we need a person who didn't go to college or even high school. Hell, lets get an illiterate person to run the show since education is clearly seen as bad.

[Mark J. Goluskin]

The bottom line is that the elites are jealous of some one like Mrs. Palin. And they showed equal disdain for Ronald Reagan. Neither went to the "right" schools. Neither had a political life. They both got into elected politics almost by accident. Those elites need to understand that the people, yes the dreaded people that actually vote, are looking for a leader that really can understand them. That is what Reagan, Palin and yes, even Bill Clinton could do. These three leaders came from humble beginings. Please, before any tries to claim that the Dear Leader, President Obama, comes from humble beginings, STOP! The Dear Leader spent more time in private schools than any one of the three I mentioned. He has been removed from the people since he was in high school. In a democratic republic, people vote for candidates that can relate to them. None of these pinheads, Brooks, Frum, et al, can relate to the average American. And they are jealous. And, none could sell a book like Mrs. Palin. Hate among friends is a bad thing. Time for the elites to take off the blinders and realize that voters look for someone authentic. Even rough around the edges.

[AD]

MJ...If you had taken the time to find out, you would have found that Sarah Palin attended four different public (not private) colleges/universities, to attain her BA in Journalism, graduating from the University of Idaho. Not quite on a par with the private institutions attended by the 44th President: Pepperdine in Malibu CA, Columbia in NYC, and (of course) Harvard. So, unless your idea of an elite college is the small JC of Matanuska-Susitna College in AK, you might rethink your position.

[JJC]

FANTASTIC, Dan. I plan to re-read this post every morning for the next week. I am sick unto death of the talking-head GOPers (& you can pronounce that: goopers) slamming Sarah Palin and anyone else who deigns have an opinion but doesn't have an Ivy League degree or a well-know family or 20 million dollars in the bank. I am SO SICK OF RINOs! I've stopped donating to any of the national GOP organizations, I now give directly to those fiscally conservative politicians I support (Marco Rubio, a hefty donation is coming your way in Jan. - I live in Oregon).

When are they going to wake up? ARE they going to wake up? I'm not optimistic about 2010 like everyone else is. I don't think the GOP will pull its collective head out of its ass in time.

[MJ]

So the standard is: private college = elite and bad, public college = average American and good

So all the graduates from Cal are really just "average Americans". Or is the standard the quality of education received?

Which means that "average Americans" just go to sub-standard universities. While the "elites" get a quality education.

[JadedByPolitics]

I will take a Sarah Palin or Tim Pawlenty OVER a stuck in the mud Newt Gingrich ANY DAY of the week! The problem with people like Newt is they OVERTHINK everything. Some of the biggest problems of the day can be "fixed" with COMMON SENSE! I can only say that once you have been drinking the water in DC for more than 4 yrs you end up losing the one thing that took you there and that is COMMON SENSE! If it doesn't feel right in your soul then it isn't right! and unfortunately within that 4th year your soul is pretty much GONE!

[ajacksonian]

Here's the idea for the elites: tell me exactly what the Republican Party Platform is.

You know, the 'thinky things' you complain about the other figures outside the beltway are lacking? Put a mirror up to your face and you will see the problem. There is no substantive basis for the Republican Party and 'Big Tent' Republicans are willing to toss any form of platform, even simple one, out of the tent to 'get voters'. Of course doing that means there is no intellectual basis for the party to stand on, just like the Democratic Party. In case that has been missed.

So, if you think you are so godawful smart, then how about ginning up a basis for a party platform?

Will it have a low tax plank or not?
Will it have a smaller federal government plank, along with a 'things that must go list' or not?
Will it have a reducing federal regulations as they are the cause of much of our problems plank or not?
Will it have a tax-free roll-over able health savings account plank or not?
Will it have a federalism plank that puts forth that the commerce clause and general welfare clause do NOT give Congress the right to dictate everything to the American people... or not?

Hey, you elites!

Heavy lifting on the thinky things needed on these!

Then making sure every damned Republican who runs will not only feature this in their campaign, but cut them out of the party if they DON'T have them. You know, reform the party by getting people who actually will say these things and have a slight chance of DOING THEM? And then getting off your butts in DC to help CAMPAIGNS in all parts of the Nation? A bit of hard work will never hurt you... which really should be a plank in the party, too, come to think of it.

I know, this will take time from your having to criticize people actually saying that these things are good for society... which does tell me where the Republican elites are with respect to me and much of the Nation. Show me the meat if you are so hot in the thinky stuff... or shut the hell up and get out of the way as you are no better than your counterparts across the Progressive Ditch.

[Becky]

Conservative elites are similar to liberal elites in that because they consider themselves the better students in school, they should be taken more serious in the world outside of school. And because conservatism is an individualistic ideology, conservatives criticize each other. Liberalism as a collectivist idealogoy participate in group think and defense.

Andrew Briebart has commented that the tendency of conservatives to avoid popular culture has been a detriment, and he is correct. As much as I like Krauthammer and Will, sometimes they miss the importance of people like Joe and Sarah, in that the ability to understand putting on jeans and working is one of the most closely held characteristics of American individuality that has been a part of our history and heritage. While the language is simpler, there are more average conservatives than populists, and the failure of elites to acknowledge the similarities they share with populists and downplay the differences (they acutally do the opposite) they dilute and confuse most on what the heart of conservatism is, (and what Rush gets right), the individual's importance.

[Rich Vail]

this is from a blog entry I wrote a week or two ago...

It's well past time to clean house in the GOP leadership, both that which is elected, and appointed to the RNC. They have all lost touch with reality inside the beltway. That mentality led to the loss of the "permanent majority" in 2006 and further losses in 2008. It's time to break out the brooms and bring in some new people who haven't lost sight of what the GOP is supposed to stand for. We are NOT democratic lite, we stand for smaller, more efficient government (no that's not redundant idiocy--government CAN be made more efficient if it's run as a business), a stronger more responsible foreign policy (Teddy Roosevelt was right--speak softly and carry a big stick), eliminating those government departments that have become Federal Jobs programs--Education (give the money saved as proportional block grants to the states) for example.

In other words offer this country a genuine alternative to what the socialist now in control of the the Legislative and Executive branches of our government are offering, not just a watered down "Dem-Lite". We are NOT socialists by history, there is a reason why our forefathers came to this country. Was it not to for those who had a choice, but to escape the disasters that Europe, Africa, Asia and Central/South America have become? Or was it merely to turn America into the mirror image of the rest of the world. If the rest of the world despises us so much, why then, do they desire in such huge numbers to come here?

Our elected leaders have come to care more about remaining in office and passing out judicial favours to their campaign donors than about what is good for the country. It's well past time to pass an amendment that limits the number of terms in office ANY Representative, Delegate or Senator can hold. It's time to limit the number of days per year that Congress sits in session. Their endless sessions produce huge bills that no one can genuinely comprehend until after they are enacted and the disaster that they are can be fully realized.

The men and women who founded this country never envisioned that we would have a class of professional politicians. Even a quick reading of the Federalist Papers, by James Madison, et al, gives a sense that their intention was that new men and women would come forward every few years to SERVE in Congress, then return home to their businesses and farms, not life-long tenures. Most of the men and women serving in the present Congress have never actually worked outside of politics in their lives.

It's time to sweep them away and bring in new leadership who actually can comprehend what running a business really means. Because running the government has become a means to an end...larger budgets and more people sucking on Uncle Sam's hind tit is not the answer. Throw the bums out.

[mark c]

I call the Republican "elites" 51/49'ers. No principles, just try to win 51-49. Rope-a-dope the rubes and pop the champaign. Reagan would be forming a 3rd party and saying "I didn't leave both parties, they left me".

[Chercast]

MJ - Don't you love how everyone is ignoring your "average" game? You might ask Kathleen Parker, but she needs to get through Ulysses first. Oh snap, that last sentence by Molly Bloom is a doosey! She might not have time to get back at you. AD - Did you get the list of Pres. Obama's colleges "Pepperdine in Malibu CA, Columbia in NYC, and (of course) Harvard" off his TRANSCRIPTS? Bwahahahahahahahaha

Grab a cup of coffee.

[Art]

The faux journalists, faux scientists, and faux conservatives all need to realize that they have been exposed for what they are....smug turncoats!

[Mwalimu Daudi]

"And THAT poll was by Rasmussen, so can you imagine what the reality is??"

Ah, yes - Rasmussen was only the most accurate poll in 2008:

http://www.fordham.edu/images/academics/graduate_schools/gsas/elections_and_campaign_/poll%20accuracy%20in%20the%202008%20presidential%20election.pdf

Also, Rasmussen only predicted Christie's win in NJ when many other polls said Corzine would be the victor.

Throw in the fact that Obama has a multi-billion dollar propaganda machine working 24/7 to keep him in office (the state-run media), yet his approval numbers are not exactly going through the roof. Personally, I think that Axelrod should fire the entire state-run media for being such a bunch of incompetent loons (billions for a 45% approval rating???!!!). But what is reality when compared to the Narrative, eh, Avid Ax Lord ?

Still...keep following ABC, NBC, CBS, Washington Post, New York Times, and the rest of the state-run media. And get your supply of Kool Aid re-stocked as well - you will need it.

[Gary Ogletree]

Palin is beginning to overwrite the negative image the massive smear campaign created. It will take time, but she has time on her side. Then there is the question of money. Anyone sick of arrogant letters from the Beltway GOP demanding money, offering lame questionaires, and then ignoring what you write them? Lot more satisfying to donate to SarahPAC or people you admire like James Inhofe, M. Bachmann, etc. Fundraising will sort out the party of ideas pretty fast. Then watch for foxhole converts trying to steal your canteen and rations.

[Dante]

""Go take a look at the most recent popularity numbers and get back to us, idiot."

That's awesome how you call your readers and commenters names, Dan. And you actually had a "how to run off readers" as a previous entry?

[Vader]

Dan, I'm disappointed. I was hoping you would remind us all that the Republican "elite" and the grass roots need each other, and need to talk to each other.

Palin reminds me a little too much of the girls who smirked while the bullies beat me up on the bus when I was in middle school. Nevertheless, I'd happily vote for her for my governor or Senator. President? I'm just not comfortable with that. But it's moot. She. is. not. electable.

Of course, that's true of the "elite" candidates, including the brilliant and experienced Mitt Romney. He. is. not. electable. either. For reasons that do not reflect well on the Republican Party or the country.

We have yet to find this generation's Reagan. Which is a shame, since the Democrats had no trouble finding this generation's Carter.

[Mike2Cents]

If only Dan understood what all this actually meant, he might do less name calling. But he can't grasp that arguing for shifting from an 'us vs. them' mentality to an 'us vs. us' will just further sideline the conservative movement. He's just shouting into the abyss...and making it an echo chamber.

[Nick]

The way Sarah Palin has been treated reminds me of how Ronald Reagan was initially treated by the elites. Quite frankly after seeing where all these 'smart' elitists on the left and right have taken us I'm all for Sarah Palin!

[Uncle Ralph]

Bravo, Mr. Riehl. Hear, hear!