As a rule, Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican, has generally been considered a “team player” in his party. He hasn’t always been quite as conservative as some of his rank-and-file colleagues, but on the big issues, Davis has always stood toe to toe with his Republican caucus. It’s why he was rewarded a few cycles ago with the chairmanship of the NRCC.
Davis was preparing a Senate run, right up until he realized he’d lose to former Gov. Mark Warner (D), and he’s now preparing to leave elected office altogether. Apparently, it’s had a liberating effect.
A few days ago, Davis acknowledged, “The House Republican brand is so bad right now that if it were a dog food, they’d take it off the shelf.”
Then he went a little further in describing his party’s troubles.
“It’s no mystery,” said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). “You have a very unhappy electorate, which is no surprise, with oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular. He’s just killed the Republican brand.”
I mention this, not only because it’s an interesting quote, but because I wonder how many Republicans who aren’t retiring from Congress feel the exact same way.
My hunch is, quite a few.
No Trackbacks To “Retirement can apparently be liberating“
Nice words but… only thing that matters in the congress is how you vote. Easy to sound rational when it doesn’t matter.
In his State of the Union address, President George W Bush made reviving the US economy the centrepiece of his last year in office. But can he do enough to avoid blame for the slowdown?
When the economy is in trouble, it rarely bodes well for the party in power.
Republican President Herbert Hoover was blamed for the 1929 Great Depression, leading to a landslide victory for Franklin D Roosevelt and ushering in an era of Democratic reform that lasted for a generation.
The most popular Republican president of recent times, Ronald Reagan, was elected in 1980 over his Democratic incumbent, Jimmy Carter, after inflation soared to a record high during the oil crisis.
Economic woes also played an important role in Bill Clinton’s win in 1992 over Mr Bush’s father, George H Bush, who lost after one term in office.
“It’s the economy, stupid”
Amongst other things.
The Republican Party went down the shitter, unfortunately it took the country with it.
The next Democratic President has a task in front of him/her nothing short of the Reconstruction.
An Average Joe @ 3:
That’s the correct term you used. The next president should do like Roosevelt did, start projects at home to fix America’s road and bridges, our ports and Railroads. Our infrastructure is falling apart and Americans can use the work.
I find these statements highly ironic. The first thing that came to mind was Dan Aykroyd on SNL pitching the “Bag of Glass.” Bush killed a brand that sucked anyway, and one of their key points was dismantling protections relating to everything, including consumer product safety. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go ahead and say “R.I.P.” to the “every man for himself, as long as I get a head start” crowd?
I personally think it’s interesting and disturbing that Republicans think of themselves as a “brand”. Maybe they suck so bad at governing because their first priority is marketing.
Eric Hussein Almighty @ 5:
Amen to that … You must be on the East coast of the US, seems every one else is still abed.
Back in 2000, my local newspaper here on Long Island, Newsday, did an editorial in which it announced its support for Al Gore over George Bush and its reasons for doing so. In commenting on the prospect of Bush being president, I distinctly remember the editorial reading along the lines of “While a Bush presidency would not be a disaster…”
Well, here we are 8 years later, with a war in Iraq draining our military and our budget, oil hitting $111 a barrel, the value of the dollar sinking, a budget surplus turned into budget deficits for the foreseeable future, and the list goes on an on. That line by Newsday really takes on a special irony.
Paul K @ 6:
must be a Texan thing. I’d like to brand them all with a big X on their butts with a hot iron..
♣Bangkok Bob♣ @ 4:
That’s a great point, except I wonder just how we would pay for it? I agree that our infrastructure is crap and that a well-founded and thought-out national project(s) just might do a lot - but we have such a huge debt already. Right? (I’m asking a question rather then making a comment here.)
If they really know it’s so bad, then why keep voting the same old way for the same old crap? And Didn’t Roosevelt need some war or other to help us out of the Great Depression? I’m a little foggy on the history……
Theres your straight shooting gooper. I agree with upthread sentiments that this kind of talk is meaningless when the voting is straightlline with bush. If the GOP congress stood up to the swine a few times both the country and their chances would be greatly improved.
Happy St. Paddys Day…………Erin go Bragh!!!
Republicans are to blame for the economic crisis,
…pass it on!
Tommykey @ 8:
The newspapers don’t carry the real news. I had to get this out of BBC, don’t think it ever hit the US papers. Correct me if I’m wrong http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7297093.stm there is also a vid of it.
“…oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular.”
Then there is torture, domestic spying, no Habeas Corpous, and a foreclosure frenzy.
But, hey. It’s hip to be square!
I do enjoy the humor of knowing that they’re basically forced to prop up an idiot loathed more than the supposed enemy he claims to fight. Must be fun trying to convince voters to see the reslug side when you’re bathed in eau du shrub. Sniff sniff. Smells like shit, desperation and failure.
I’m not exactly an idealist but is anyone else disgusted by the fact that he considers his political party a ‘brand name’?
We’re not talking coke vs pepsi here…. people’s livelihoods and very lives are at stake and this assholes worried that his brand of asshole is being tarnished.
Perhaps that’s part of the problem WITH your brand. Dickhead.
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 17:
Hey, look at the bright side … the market just opened and it’s already down 200 points. good opportunity for the rich to get richer.
I wonder if Bush sees this and if so i wonder if he gives a shit.
seele @ 14:
And why do I get the feeling I’ll be hearing all about how it’s all somehow Clinton’s fault in the next few days? The only thing reslugs are good at… spreading the blame.
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 21:
I sent that link to everyone on my email list. keep posting that on here, we need to keep this in the open.
The economy we have right now, is a Republican economy in full fruition. Cutting taxes to the rich creating huge national debt, no oversight or regulation, energy policy devised by oil companies in cahoots with oil men and women in the White House and of course, to top it all off an invasion of Iraq to bring “democracy” to the Middle East. No one remembers those drone planes, WMD, or Al Qaeda links anymore do they? We won’t mention the cost in blood (million Iraqis) and treasure either. McCain wants the U.S. to stay until we “win”. This is country is right now feeling the effects of Republican policy and don’t it feel good? And you and me are supposed to feel proud and patriotic for this s#$! they created and we are supposed to just go along with it and keep our mouths shut while these right wing radicals destroy our country?
“It’s no mystery,” said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). “You have a very unhappy electorate, which is no surprise, with oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular. He’s just killed the Republican brand.”
Correction, with the help of completely compliant Republicans, coupled with Republican corruption, the brand was killed. Bush didn’t do it alone.
FYI — Davis is understandably irked that the Virginia state GOP opted to fall behind former Gov. Gilmore for the Senate race through a party convention rather than a primary.
There’s no denying that the GOP brand is in the tank and John McCain’s statements to date represent just a third term of Bush.
Bush is going to speak today on the economy. That should be interesting to see how he tries to spin the shit that has hit the fan on Wall Street this morning. Hell yes, the republicans know they have caused all our problems but the ones who have personally gained from it just don’t give a damn.
Dow Jones
11951.1 down -194.65
We are back to year 2000 levels. During the 8 years of Clinton’s presidency, the DOW went up 400%. If Bush had the same results, the DOW would be at 44,000 right now.
pissed off patricia @ 27:
Where will he speak POP, I’ll see if I can find it streaming on the net.
pissed off patricia @ 27:
Bush should just STFU and let real leaders do the talking.
♣Bangkok Bob♣ @ 29:
Prolly from the ‘western whitehouse’ bush should just stick to clearing brush and stfu.
Not sure I agree with this. It makes sense, of course.
But understand that Conservatives own talk radio and manipulate so very well the activities of Non-FOX cable news and rags like the Donny Graham- and Fred Hiatt-Washington Post.
Besides, while it would be nice to see non-Conservatives take the White House and the Hill if only to end the list of Fat Tony Scalias and Clarence “The Knife” Thomas types with the Supremes, the Democrats will have terrible Conservative messes to clean up in Iraq, oil, the sub-primes, food costs, energy, and the economy as a whole.
Osama needed two airplanes and about six hours.
Leader Cheney and his puppet, Dubya, gained eight years to terrorize the nation. We’ll be in a National War on Their Terror for decades.
seele @ 31:
I meant what network. I don’t get things here except for CNN-International and BBC the rest I have to get on the net.
Maybe this will wake up the repug electorate.
Nawwwwwwwwwwww.
this could go two ways,they can wake up and realize they’ve been wrong(as some probably will) or,they’ll keep burying their heads deeper in the sand.
The bigger issue(to me anyway) is on our side of the aisle.
Resentment.
How many of us on the left will get over their antics,and forgive and forget.
Maybe someday I’ll be able to do it,but not now or in the near future.
I for one resent them.
Top O’ the mornin to ye! Erin go Bragh, lads and lassies!
I’m ready to get my Irish on, how ’bout y’all? By 6pm this evening, I will have my Irish handcuffs on ( beer in one hand and whiskey in the other!)
Ok enough BS’ing….the republican party is damaged…but I don’t think they’re dead yet…clinging to life, sure…but not quite dead…and like a certain zombie from 2000 years ago, who they supposedly worship…they’ll probably rise from the dead as well.
Maybe like in zombie movies, all they need is a crushing blow to the head (metaphorically speaking) to put the party down for good.
And YES, I did watch a zombie movie last night…so what?!
My guess is that those Republicans that are staying have convinced themselves that George W Bush wasn’t a real/true Republican/conservative anyways.
As if having control of all three branches of government (four, if you count Dick Cheney) for nearly six years wasn’t enough time to put together any real conservative economic plans and it must be because something liberal got in the way for the last six years to be such an utter failure.
I’m not sure which channels will carry his bs. Just heard about it on one of the cable channels this morning. I know it wasn’t on Fox because they are spending the morning concentrating on the who-the-hell-cares stories like Obama and Rev Wright.
mudshark @ 34:
If we get in, I can just imagine the huge outcry they will scream when all the rules they have put in place come back to haunt them They will claim we’re SPYING on THEM, that the signing statements are illegal etc.
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 35:
They were pronounced dead after Nixon. That worked out real good.
pissed off patricia @ 37:
GAH! Even some of my liberal leaning friends are buyin into that shit…they even brought the lapel pin and the national anthem thing. I told them it was all GOP propanganda…but they’re old and stubborn…and they KNEW they were right and I was wrong, simply for the age difference…
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 40:
Hey, i am old and stubborn. Is there a problem?
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 39:
Then there was Reagan…a walking, talking zombie, if ever I did see one.
:)
♣Bangkok Bob♣ @ 38:
yep you betcha.and of course it’ll be Clinton’s fault.Or Obama’s fault,or the mailman’s fault,or the guy down at the 7/11’s fault.
I think Reagen was more of a minarette.
xoites Hussein defends Constitution @ 45:
marionette?
xoites Husse