Expect the Republican party to do absolutely nothing about the racists in its own midst. The national Republican party in Washington has contacts all the time with its state parties. I'm sure there's money involved, and you'd better believe that when John McCain visits the states, he meets with local party officials. At what point do we hold John McCain responsible for fraternizing with racists? You don't see John McCain ever saying that he's no longer going to meet with, fundraise with, any state parties that promote or tolerate racism (like the folks in NC and TN). All McCain and that national party does is say "gosh, that's so bad, stop that now." McCain and the GOP have the power to punish the racists in their midst. So when will they? Oh, and for all of you in the media who will of course say that this has nothing to do with the GOP: What would you say if racist pins were being handed out at the Democratic National Convention?
Per the RNC, the national leadership of the Republican Party has been in contact this morning with the North Carolina GOP, urging them to refrain from running the "Extreme" ad. The party says that the content of the anti-Obama ad, which references the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is "not appropriate" and "unhelpful."
The Chair of Republican National Committee, Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, just launched a full-scale attack on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The funny thing is that the first line of the e-mail could be a fundraiser for Democrats:
On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called President Bush "a liar" and a "part of the culture of corruption."
Both true.
Duncan's e-mail devolves into a rant from there. But you have to love the fact that the RNC is attacking Reid for doing something most Republican will never, ever do: Tell the truth.
Yes, Harry Reid had the audacity to say that George Bush lies. George Bush does lie and most Americans know it. Bush lied about the Iraq war -- and just today lied to all of us about Al Qaeda -- again.
The problem for Mr. Duncan and the RNC is that, as the ABC News/Washington Post poll found, even Republicans are abandoning Bush. The Republicans on Capitol Hill are in big trouble. And, it's getting worse by the day.
Look at the Senate. Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans have followed Bush's lead. They've enabled Bush's lies. And, they're going to pay a big political price. Just today, Chris Cilizza reports that McConnell could be in serious trouble in 2008. Last week, Tony Blankley, an editor of Reverend Moon's paper who is also a mouthpiece of the institutional GOP here in DC, basically wrote off the re-election efforts of Republican Senators Susan Collins and Gordon Smith on the Diane Rehm show. Blankley said both of those Senators are in "desperate straits" and "Bush's policy is terribly unpopular and it's going to reflect on them and they are going to lose their re-election bids." Sounds like the GOP brain trust has already decided those two are history.
So, while the RNC is attacking Harry Reid, the GOP, especially the Senate Republican caucus, is falling apart -- because of George Bush and his lies. No wonder they don't want Harry Reid telling the truth.
