The Republican-Taliban Party Is Emboldened

Original Link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/13/5260/00520/713/696959

by BarbinMD

Earlier this week we learned that the Republican Party has embraced the tactics of the Taliban, and today the insurgents have adopted another word associated with terrorists: they are "emboldened." Why? Because Judd Gregg changed his mind about heading the Commerce Department.

Apparently, having watched control of the House, the Senate, and the White House slip through their fingers, Republicans are reduced to scraping the bottom of the barrel to find a hero, and Judd Gregg fits the bill perfectly.

But the New Hampshire senator's surprise decision to remove himself from consideration as President Barack Obama’s Commerce secretary Thursday has provided the GOP with a new rallying cry, and a new hero against a foe who just a few weeks ago seemed almost unassailable. [...]

By citing reservations about the economic recovery package, Gregg reinforced widespread GOP criticism about wasteful spending that has less to do with reviving the economy than rewarding Democratic constituencies. And by noting his differing view on the census, Gregg breathed life into Republican charges of a White House power grab over a critical Commerce Department function.

It's hard to say which is more ridiculous ... that Republicans see this as a "rallying cry," or that Politico decided to publish this drivel.

With support for the stimulus package at 59%, reinforcing the "widespread GOP criticism," only serves to reinforce how out of touch the Republican Party is with the American people. And those reservations that Gregg cited? They would be a lot more credible had he not recently said of the stimulus:

We need a robust one. I think the one that's pending is in the range we need. I do believe it's a good idea to do it at two levels, which this bill basically does, which is immediate stimulus and long-term initiatives which actually improve our competitiveness and our productivity.

And as for breathing new life into the census argument, stop ten people on the street and ask them where the census is on their list of priorities. That ranks right up there with "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice," as a rallying cry.

If the Republican Party wants to slap lipstick on this pig, I say, bring it on. Assuming, that is, that the Democratic Party gets out in front of this.