Republican Woes Lead to Feuding by Conservatives

[Moloch]

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 — Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies. Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down. Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq. And many conservatives blame Representative Mark Foley’s sexual messages to teenage pages.

With polls showing Republican control of Congress in jeopardy, conservative leaders are pointing fingers at one other in an increasingly testy circle of blame for potential Republican losses this fall.

“It is one of those rare defeats that will have many fathers,” said David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, expressing the gloomy view of many conservatives about the outcome on Election Day. “And they will all be somebody else.”

Whether the election will bear out their pessimism remains to be seen, and the factors that contribute to an electoral defeat are often complex and even contradictory. But the post-mortem recriminations can influence politics and policy for years after the fact. After 1992, Republicans shunned tax increases. After 1994, Democrats avoided gun control and health care reform. And 2004 led some Democrats to start quoting Scripture and rethinking abortion rights, while others opened an intraparty debate about the national security that is not yet resolved.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/us/politics/20conserve.html?ei=5065&en=b0c73560111ef918&ex=1161921600&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

I *LOVE* reading these!

[Warpy]

1. Corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy

That's what's really at the center of that party's loss of a lot of voters in their shaky coalition of the rich, the greedy, and the religious.

[Hailtothechimp]

2. This is payback for trying to destroy America.

Karma is kicking in real good right about now.

[mitchum]

3. They should all just kill one another...I really mean that

[samsingh]

4. i hope they destroy themselves and fox as well.

[Moloch]

7. FOX is already suffering a huge ratings decline....

some people are finding they don't like to get lied to.. who knew.

[samsingh]

9. do you know by how much?

[Kolesar]

5. Democrats'...intraparty debate about the national security...not resolved?

We're not the ones who got 140,000 troops stuck in Mesopotamia with no escape.

And 2004 led some Democrats to start quoting Scripture and rethinking abortion rights, while others opened an intraparty debate about the national security that is not yet resolved.

[rodeodance]

6. Ndwt worries that airing dirty laudry will dampen turnout! dah!

Some conservative leaders have often been quicker in the past to turn on Republican officials and one another than their rank-and-file supporters. But this year polls show broad disaffection at the grass roots, prompting some Republicans — including former Speaker Newt Gingrich — to worry that the public sparring could dampen turnout.

This year’s antagonists also include some new critics, including Mr. Gingrich’s one-time lieutenant, Dick Armey, the former House Republican majority leader.

In recent weeks, Mr. Armey has stepped up a public campaign against the influence of Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and an influential voice among evangelical protestants. In an interview published last month in “The Elephant in the Room,” a book by Ryan Sager about splits among conservatives, Mr. Armey accused Congressional Republicans of “blatant pandering to James Dobson” and “his gang of thugs,” whom Mr. Armey called “real nasty bullies” — arguments he reprised on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal and in an open letter on the Web site organization FreedomWorks.

In an interview this week, Mr. Armey said catering to Dr. Dobson and his allies had led the party to abandon budget-cutting. And he said Christian conservatives could cost Republicans seats around the country, especially in Ohio.....

[Moloch]

8. Armey is a jackass, too....

The way he called out Rep. Barney Frank was just appalling and unbecoming of someone who has held that office (although not at all surprising.)