E.J. Dionne, Jr.: Perry and the GOP’s Feckless Establishment

[babylonsister]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/perry_and_the_gops_feckless_establishment_20110915/

Perry and the GOP’s Feckless Establishment

Posted on Sep 14, 2011
By E.J. Dionne, Jr.


The Republican Establishment is said to have grave qualms about Gov. Rick Perry. Here’s the problem: There is no Republican Establishment. It squandered its authority by building up the tea party’s brigades and then fearing them too much to do anything to check their power.

Worse for those who think Perry would be a general-election disaster is the growing confidence among conservatives that President Obama will be easy to beat. This feeling will be bolstered by Tuesday’s special election that sent a Republican to Congress from New York’s 9th District for the first time since 1923. If Obama is going to lose anyway, many conservatives reason, why not go with their hearts?

No, if Perry is to be defeated, he will have to do the job himself. And the week’s most important political news is that he might do just that.

His vulnerabilities were certainly on display at this week’s CNN/tea party debate. Perry still hasn’t disentangled himself from his past suggestions that Social Security is unconstitutional. He will also be hurt by his humane position on immigration. He should be praised for it, but it will only bring him scorn among GOP primary voters.

snip//

Yet if conservatives see New York 9 as further evidence that Obama is a pushover, Rick Perry—if he doesn’t self-destruct—will be able to tell them he is the guy who can destroy the Great Society, the New Deal and the Progressive Era with one decisive blow. And no Establishment will be there to stop him.

[Cosmocat]

1. They created this frankenstein

What we are seeing with the cheering of the death penalty and letting people die is the continued evolution of what they have worked so long and so hard on in developing a take no prisoners, win at all costs political party. They have lost any pretense to actually governing at this point, it is all politics, all the time. And, they found LONG ago that stoking the negative with people is an easier path to getting votes than trying to do good work in government and use that as your selling point.

Morning Joe after the debate, it was bizarre watching Scarboro do the negative spin on Perry he does on democrats, the way he and most of their media leaders kind of cautiously tip toe around trying to find a way to negatively frame BO or any other prominent democrat, that was what he was doing with Perry.

Yeah, it is obvious the establishment does not want him.

But the establishment enables the hatred and disregard for reason and facts daily, has for decades now.

THAT is what is behind Perry.

Perry embodies what the party is NOW.

And, sorry, he already has made the turn on SS. It was clear as day when this broke. Not back down initially, then simply say, I HAVE THE GUTS TO TAKE IT ON! Simple as that. Might make OUR hair stand on end. But, he isn't running in the general right now, he is running in the republican primary, and they vote against their best interests with any other issue - SS is no different.

[Vicar In A Tutu]

3. I think the Bushistas will silently cut Perry adrift...

..in fact, I think they'll want an Obama win in order for Jeb or similar in 2016. I get the impression that HW doesn't mind Obama all that much, and that they know he cannot get much done thanks to the twisted Democrats in congress combined with GOP obstructionism. Fuck, the last couple of years have made Reagan seem like a moderate Democrat - I think there are plenty of Republicans on high for whom a GOP defeat combined with gridlock for Obama would represent a successful four years. It's the only way they're gonna reclaim their.party, in any case.

[Cosmocat]

4. Its amazing ...

after all of their crape from 2000 to 2006, after the Ds fought back into a position of power, you would think we had a chance to make SOME affirmative gains for some period of time.

They did SOME good work from 2008 to 2010, but that was the VERY short window. Everything before and after has been hard ball political gridlock, and politically, they have turned lemons into lemonade from the minute the 2010 elections ended.

Rs are to a man and women behind their party, end of story.

Ds are 1/3 blue dogs, 1/3 bought and paid for like the Rs, and 1/3 actual decent and honest progressives.

Can't do jack when you have about 1/6 of congress who are honest AND have no bought the DC/"liberal media" BS.

[Marsala]

2. Perry is winning the Fox primary

He's the favored candidate on Fox News, and Fox is the most powerful force in Republican politics.

[Cosmocat]

5. Sums it up

[lunatica]

6. Perry only needs to please Limbaugh. The rest will follow.

I'm not joking.