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I took part in a panel on CNN this weekend that looked at the issues of gun control, drug policy reform and American foreign policy hubris through the lens of President Obama's recent visit to Europe. Watch it here.
What's so interesting about this clip is Jim Greer, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. Notice how he's willing to both acknowledge problems with our gun laws/enforcement, to publicly criticize the Bush administration's unilateralism, and to give some props to Obama. He's still a GOP chairman, of course - he still takes some cheap shots, he still tries to polarize the gun debate by implying that progressives want to take away everyone's guns, and he makes a few partisan attacks on Obama. But he's surprisingly deferential to the president, and surprisingly more rational than your standard Republican parrot.
It's possible that Greer is genuinely more moderate than his party's base - but I have trouble believing he's some sort of maverick anomaly. He's the chairman of the party in one of the most politically important states in the country, after all.
What I think this is is a sign that local Republicans are genuinely afraid of Obama and more broadly, of the political appeal of the progressive agenda. As opposed to federal lawmakers cloistered in Washington, local party chairpeople are dealing with local voters on a day-to-day basis, and I think Greer's posture suggests that local Republican party officials are learning that their party will have trouble if it continues to be seen as the Party of No in the Obama era.
I'd say for progressives, that suggests we should continue to push as hard as possible for everything we can right now. There's only so long that the Republican Party will feel cornered - and that means this window of opportunity is fleeting.
Watch the whole clip here.
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