The Senate GOP Leadership Embraces the Minority
By Erick Posted in Capitulation | Defeat | Democrat-Lite | Republicans | Surrender — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The Senate GOP has been having its retreat. This is the first retreat since Lamar Alexander (R-TN) was named Chairman of the Conference. In this position, Alexander is charged with developing the GOP agenda and controlling the message.
Today, the Republican Senators are at a retreat and they are getting their first taste of Lamar Alexander's leadership. His message: embrace being in the minority.
According to Senate staff familiar with the conversations, Senators have been hearing from multiple pollsters including Dave Winston. Winston has consistently been presenting polling to the GOP caucus over the last year that has shown that the war, spending, and corruption were three major issues leading to GOP defeat. You can get a sense of Winston's thinking here.
“What you’re seeing is a greater awareness of earmarks,” said David Winston, a GOP pollster who has done work for congressional Republicans on the issue. “As a result, people have been concerned about waste in government and now view earmarks in conflict with accountability.”
As if orchestrated, other "experts" who were invited by Republican leadership gave reports downplaying the GOP's struggle with spending and pork and focusing mainly on the war in Iraq as the problem. Senators were told that what the American people want most is cooperation in Congress and to see lawmakers get things done: Read -- Pass Democrat legislation. In fact, by the time it was over, I'm told you would have thought the Appropriators themselves had arranged the presentation to completely undermine Winston's assertion that waste and earmarks had anything at all to do with the GOP loss in 2006.
Lamar Alexander's central theme of the day now is that the GOP must work with the Democrats on "bipartisan legislation" to show the American people the Senate can get things done. Whoa unto the Republican Senator who obstructs the will of the majority.
Read on . . .
As if to drive home Senator Alexander's point that there can now be no more stands on Republican principles to upset the will of a majority of appropriators Senators, his Legislative Director, David Morgenstern, sent out two emails to other GOP Senators' Legislative Directors ("LD's"). A Senate source tells me these are the only emails the LD's got before the retreat asking for input on legislative items for the coming year.
In fairness to Senator Alexander though, I emailed Jill Bader, the Press Secretary for the Senate Republican Conference, and asked about the emails sent by David Morgenstern. She wrote back:
The email you sent me is just one small piece of our research as we look for ways to make the Senate more effective and the conference more successful.
The people expect us to work together to get things done, and one obvious place to do that is legislation that's consistent with our principles and already has bipartisan support.
Considering, however, that these were the only two emails David Morgenstern sent out before the retreat and they mention nothing about conservative principles that the Democrats agree with nor anything about wedge issues popular with the public, but not the Democrats, I'm a bit concerned. After all, this is a planning retreat for the coming year. You'd think Senator Alexander would want those wedge issues too.
Read them and weep for the state of the party:
From: Morgenstern, David (Alexander)
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 1:06 PM
To:
Subject: Need your assistance...Hello,
As part of Sen. Alexander's new duties as GOP Conference Chair, he's collecting examples of legislation introduced by Republican senators that has bipartisan support. He was hoping to discuss these at next week's GOP senators' retreat. Today or tomorrow, can you email me 1-2 examples that your boss has introduced this Congress? Thanks!
Thanks,
David
From: Morgenstern, David (Alexander)
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:33 AM
To:
Subject: FW: Need your assistance...As a follow-up to my message yesterday…
I was actually out of the office sick the last 2 days and dictated most what was sent out below under my name. (The second "thanks" was added by someone else – I'm not that nice.) Since then, I've gotten a little additional clarification on the types of examples we're looking for:
* Legislation that hasn't passed the Senate yet.
* Most interested in Republican legislation with Democratic cosponsorship, but also interested in Dem-sponsored bills that your boss is the lead Republican on – if it's something your boss really cares about.
Hope that helps. Thanks to those who have already responded.
David Morgenstern
Legislative Director
Sen. Lamar Alexander
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Old Lamar sounds just like old Bob Michel the (eternal) minority leader of the House. Take the lousy crumbs the Demos throw out and shut the he-- up. You guys are a fricking disgrace!!!!!!
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
He has "Comity of the Senate" superpowers and the special ability to pass Democratic legislation in a single bound!
I wasn't considering him in the primary, but, if this the Republican's game plan it fits his style nicely.
More bad news, with Thompson out I'm going to DefBummed 5.
"war, spending, and corruption were three major issues leading to GOP defeat" says Erick.
McCain's three strengths, says I. But there's no reason to consider that in the election right? Let's all go down on the ship of virtue.
Former Fredhead, Current McCainiac
absentee
Advancing the others sides agenda hasn’t been working out so hot either for us either. Seriously what’s the point of winning an election if your just going to do what the other side wants?
We still have choices, none of them great, but at least they’re not advancing the ball for the other team.
McCain getting slapped by the Ethics committee along with 4 of his Democrat colleagues got slapped over The Keating Five scandal: McCain is a cornerstone in the fight against corruption.
in Washington for to long. The conservatives that I know are very impressed with and supportive of the war. They believe that General Petraus has turned it around and they are committed to VICTORY...nothing less.
GOP in DC step away from the water coolers the "liberals" have spiked it!!
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
when winning overrides principles.
Well Alexander is very much a perfect replacement for Lott. And I don't mean that as a compliment.
Calling Jon Kyl...
Gridlock Is SOOO Underated - n/t
filibuster-proof democrat Senate in 2009?
What we need in a leader is to tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear.
Fred Thompson 2012
==== 13 ====
Until this lot is completely thrown out there's just no point.
and with no trace of conservative principles, or ANY principles evident.
Kill the terrorists
Protect the borders
Punch the hippies -- Frank J
It's true, that's an insult to people who are *merely* stupid, craven, and cowardly.
Kill the terrorists
Protect the borders
Punch the hippies -- Frank J
We need you!
___________________________________
Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
Burn up the phones!
Alexander and McConnell.
opinion on illegal immigration and dishonestly calling it the Kennedy Comprehensive Bill....I of course put McCain's name next to Kennedy's and answered the questions and included no money which of course it what is was all about anyway....hey Republican's change back to conservatives or get used to the minority that Lamar is telling you about....you all remember that don't you?
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
and distrust Lamar Alexander--and he's MY senator, unfortunately. He is as squishy as they come and never sticks his neck out to take a position until he knows how it polls and with whom. Bipartisanship is right up his alley.
They get punished in an election for acting like Democrats, and the solution they come up with is to behave with more of the same.
Wake me when it's over.
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }