GOP versus conservatives

Bad dog or bad owner?

A couple of interesting developments in the imbroglio to determine the future of the Republican party.

It appears that certain among the Republicans recognize the dire straits in which the party finds itself by adhering to rigid "conservative" ideology:

• The National Republican Senate Committee quickly endorsed Florida Governor Charlie Crist's bid for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez in spite of Crist being a so-called "moderate" (by GOP standards, anyway). This is especially offensive to zealous right-wingers because another Republican, former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio has announced his intention to run for the seat. Rubio is more appealing to the strict hardline "conservatism" of Junior Bush and, hence, more appealing to the base of the Republican party.
  
  
• The Republican congressman charged with recruiting candidates for the 2010 election, California Representative Kevin McCarthy, said recently that he wants the GOP to choose candidates based more on their ability to win races than their adherence to a conservative ideology. Specifically, McCarthy said he would seek out candidates who are "ethnically diverse, female, less partisan and even supportive of abortion rights." My goodness! Might he mean blacks? Hispanics? Even women who support the right to choose? Could it be that McCarthy and others in the party have determined that the old GOP stand-bys of hating Mexicans and demonizing women who choose to control their own reproductive lives doesn't work anymore?

These two items taken together, would seem to indicate a recognition on the part of some in the GOP. Perhaps they believe that the message they have been transmitting for the last 8 years, the message formulated by Karl Rove, is played out.

But regardless of this new-found ability of GOP mucky-mucks to recognize the obvious, it remains to be seen how the blood-thirsty base will react to any ideological equivocation. After all, for the last 8 years, these people have become accustomed to having it all, to ramrodding their ugly, reactionary policies down the throats of anyone and everyone who stood in their way.

The GOP base are like dogs, raised by their owners to be vicious and fierce. Well, GOP dog-handlers now find that poorly behaved dogs aren't good for much beyond siccing on one's enemies. And, in fact, these dogs are so nasty that they just might bite the hands that used to feed them all that red meat.

What a pity!