The Worst Advice Ever Given

Head on over to Politico today. It's like a 25 car pile up, you can't help but look at it. Now I don't have a problem with Politico. They're a little left of center, but they're not New York Times liberal. This article actually reflects worse on The National Review. The Politico story is written by Jonathan Martin, who used to write for The National Review. Who actually does the hiring at the National Review? Jonathan Martin, Kathleen Parker, and Christopher Buckley is a trend. The Obama administration does a better job vetting than that hiring team.

As for the story. The first part on what Republicans need to do isn't too bad. It's when the story gets to how Republicans can screw it up, that the wheels come falling off.

Now I usually dont blame the reporters for writing what their sources tell them. But the lack of any sort of scrutiny over these sources is embarrassing. Let's take a look:

And just as importantly, GOP leaders on Capitol Hill privately recognize the need to distance themselves a bit from George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich — even though they've done poor job of doing so thus far.

That right there should raise red flags. GOP leaders, the ones who won't put their name in this article, the ones who have led Republicans to this point, are the ones who are the source for a GOP comeback? Now, I understand that Bush can't be the one out there making the point that government spending needs to decrease. But, Palin and Gingrich have actually cut government spending, while the DC GOP leadership was whining anonymously to liberal publications.

Polls show that the GOP is wise to focus most of its attacks on spending, government intervention and job losses. (Those same polls show the public has low regard for Republicans on these issues, but it's a significant development that President Barack Obama's numbers are slipping in these areas, too.)

A couple points on this:

1) Could the public have low regard for Republicans on these issues because the GOP leadership that you went to for these anonymous quotes were voting for big spending policies over the past 8 years? Or is this Palins, Gingriches, and Limbaughs fault too?

2) Obamas numbers aren't slipping. Let's look at his poll numbers over the past 5 months. In January his approval index was +30. Since then he has had the most adoring, fawning press coverage of any person (forget just politicians) in my lifetime, and his approval index this week fell to -2. That's not a slip. That's the Life Alert lady that's fallen and can't get up.

There is no doubt things could get worse for the GOP, especially in the Senate, and especially if Democrats charge into the 2010 elections with a popular Obama leading the way.

I think the trend of his approval index pretty much guarantees he won't be very popular come election time 2010.

Republicans are often their most effective enemies. When they aren't trying to push the Colin Powells of the world out of their party for failing ideological purity tests, they're busy failing their purity tests themselves.

Yes, how dare Republicans be upset with Colin Powell. All he did was wait until a little over a week before the election to then endorse the most liberal Democrat to ever run for President of the United States. Only in the eyes of a liberal media would Republicans have to kiss up to a guy who did that.

Politico also doesn't point out exactly what it is that Powell believes in. At the beginning of this disaster of an articile, they say the Presidents weak point is government spending. They then pointed out that Republicans have low ratings in this area as well (probably because they oversaw such a growth in government). They write that the GOP has to distance itself from Palin and Gingrich (who have cut government spending), while embracing Powell, who just a month ago said people want more government in their lives. Every poll says the opposite. Politico failed to point this out.

The list is long and keeps getting longer. John Ensign (R-Nev.), an outspoken family-values Christian, admits an affair with a staffer and a sordid financial relationship with her family.

If I talk to 300 people today, one would know who John Ensign is. And thats only if I happen to bump into John Ensign. The idea that this is going to weaken Republicans in 2010 is ridiculous. I think more people will be concerned with the massive spending and tax hikes that are sure to come. And if Politico is worried about hypocrisy, they should probably use that word when Obama is in the midst of appointing his 387th tax cheat by then.

Without a leader at the top of their party — and no real chance of having one before 2012 — the Republicans most likely to get the attention are those who say the most outrageous things. And Limbaugh, Cheney, Gingrich and Palin are winning that battle right now.

Quick, Politico, name me one outrageous thing Palin has said? Just one. I won't hold my breath on this.

This is hardly good news for a party that desperately needs to move beyond its base. Several GOP aides told us they wish all four would shuffle off to an undisclosed location while the party repairs its brand.

Again anonymous, and again Politico doesn't point out the obvious. The GOP leaders and aides are the ones who put the Republicans in this position. The four people named above are the ones responsible for Obamas approval index falling faster than the box office numbers of Land of the Lost.

Many top Republicans acknowledge privately that the conservative line on issues such as climate change, gay rights and immigration is increasingly out of sync with where the country is headed. But with Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dispatched to China as Obama's ambassador, there is no prominent Republican figure making the case that the party needs to change its stand on cultural issues.

Jon Huntsman was prominent? Since when? That line combined with the one about Colin Powell tell you everything you need to know about this article. Republicans need to mute the people who have damaged Obama and embrace the ones who embrace Obama. Brilliant strategy.

Now, as far as the 3 issues mentioned above. Let's take them one by one. First, climate change is a huge winner for Republicans in the next few months. That is if they listen to conservatives. More people are skeptical about global warming than ever before. I'm currently sitting through what seems like the 50th consecutive day of rain, wind, and 60 degree weather. You could insult my mother and it would't be as irritating as me listening to a man made global warming argument. Add into this skepticism, the fact that Obama wants to pass a huge cap and trade that will cost this country hundreds of billions and it's a huge win for Republicans.

Two things on the gay rights issue. One, Obamas position is the exact same as many Republicans. So it can't hurt them too bad. And two, every single time it's been put to a vote, gay marriage has lost. So with those combined, how does this hurt Republicans? Politico doesn't answer.

Immigration is out of sync with the public. They don't back this up. When the debate comes back up, Obama will have to convince people that the country should keep people who came here illegally at a time when jobs are scarce. He will also have to convince people that they should be provided services that will cost more money, when the biggest issue concerning voters today is runaway government spending. So, obviously in Politicos eyes, this is a plus for Democrats.

This White House is as political as any this city has seen. The president and his aides seem well-aware of the political dangers of appearing too liberal on issues such as gay rights

This isn't a joke. Just after Politico said Republicans need to embrace gay rights or be on the wrong side of histroy, they write that Obama is so smart not to touch the gay rights issue. Seriously, they wrote that. Yes really.

Throughout the whole article, Politico never mentions that the most recent poll finds that 40% of the country considers themselves conservative, while only 21% say liberal. They may not have mentioned it due to the fact that this article advocates Republicans moving left while muting their base. Coach Bobby Finstock gave better advice in Teen Wolf than this article.