And so it's hardly surprising to note how the conservative Washington establishment is conducting itself at the beginning of the Obama era. First, there's the battle to see who will head the Republican National Committee. TPM reports:
RNC Chair Candidate Traces Political Beginnings To Opposing Busing
By Eric Kleefeld - January 22, 2009, 11:16AM
In the race for the RNC chair, it's becoming difficult to figure out which candidate is the most problematic in terms of party outreach to minority voters and adjusting to the political realities or our times.
The Politico reports that South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson has publicly traced his political coming of age to the civil rights movement -- that is, opposition to 1960's busing policies. "Government reached into my life and grabbed me and shook me at the age of 15," Dawson told a University of South Carolina audience in 2003.
The star of this particular show has been Chip Saltsman, who sent out a CD to committee members containing a song called "Barack the Magic Negro." But some more attention is also being paid to Dawson, who has faced scrutiny for his membership in an all-white country club -- which he only resigned shortly before starting his current campaign. And now there's this, too.
And no, that's not the SNL version, though it's certainly not ready for primetime.
They're also still rallying in defense of torture and against the rule of law:
To Prosecute Torture or Not to Prosecute? Cornyn's Holder Holdup Splits GOPers
By Elana Schor - January 21, 2009, 5:28PM
Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) decision today to force a week-long delay in Eric Holder's Judiciary Committee confirmation vote has opened an unexpected fissure in the GOP. On the one side are Republicans who want Holder to echo President Obama's promise to "move forward" -- widely interpreted as a hint that Bush-era officials and operatives would not be prosecuted for the torture of detainees -- and on the other side is, well, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
and, apparently, against global warming as well:
First Shot Fired in the GOP Battle Against Action on Climate Change
By Elana Schor - January 22, 2009, 10:09AM
It happened so quietly that few media outlets noticed. But Republicans are already rolling out their strategy to delay -- and perhaps even stave off -- congressional action to combat climate change.
The Journal's blog relays the basic fact: an anonymous senator has placed one of those pesky "holds" used prerogatives to slow down action on the nomination of Lisa Jackson, the president's pick to head the EPA, as well as the nomination of Nancy Sutley, future head of the Council on Environmental Quality. .
This is what they conceive of as staying "true to their principles." Yet, if one did a reality check with individual conservatives, and what most of them take to be basic conservative principles (even though plenty of moderates, liberals, and even socialists share them as well)m none of this makes a lick of sense.
A lot of individual conservative really do seem to have been brainwashed around torture over the past 7 years, but that's about as far as it goes, I'd wager. Since when did individual conservatives think that the rule of law should be treated with contempt? Since when were they proud of their racist past--or, more likely, that of other conservatives 30 years ago? And since when did they think it was wise to gamble with our future, instead of taking prudent steps to ensure against potential risks?
For all these reasons--and more--I am in complete agreement with Barack Obama that we ought to try to reach out to everyone and make them feel welcome and included as we move forward to solve the daunting array of difficult problems we face.
The only problem is, Obama seems to want to reach out to that very collective conservative leadership that is utterly committed to continuing its incompetent and delusional ways, rather than reaching out directly to the vast majority of basically sensible individual conservatives.
Yes, I know, it's harder to reach out directly to the individuals, when their collective leadership is screaming, "Don't listen! Don't listen! Don't listen!" But right now, they're the ones that no one, outside of Versailles, is listening to. You've got the bully pulpit, Obama. It's time to use it, and reach out directly to those who are willing to reach back. |