GOP Senator: Bush has all the Republicans "scared spitless"

[Rose Siding]

From today's NYT-

"...And Republican leaders {are left} confronting the reality that nervous party members, uncertain of Mr. Bush’s handling of the war and their own party’s legislative appeal, are no longer so tightly bound to the cause.

“Everybody is scared spitless,” Mr. Thune, the South Dakota senator, said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/washington/14repubs.html?pagewanted=print

I wish there was more direct context for the quote. The article is themed around signs of division within the gop. They crashed last Nov and it's still to be seen how extensive the burn will be. Charlie Cook's next report, some of which was obtained by Political Wire, demonstrates that the flames are certainly showing no signs of abating:

"Republican campaign consultants have been publicly expressing a great deal of concern that the 'GOP brand' has been damaged, or at least tarnished. For top strategists to be so candid about their party’s problems is fairly unusual, and it reflects just how urgent they consider the party’s need to redefine itself as it prepares for the 2008 campaign."

GOP pollster Glen Bolger explains: "We’re still good on taxes and values, but have big problems on 'less spending' and 'less government,' and there are cracks in the wall of our strong national security fortress. The other tarnish is that for a long time, Democrats were the party of the professional politicians, while Republicans came to Washington to fix the mess and go home. The scandals and the way Republicans ran the House mean that we have been more interested in power than in doing what is right -- which means we are no different than that which we replaced in 1994."

All they're left with is "taxes and values". -And when you consider that even Americans would rather pay taxes than have services cut, even Americans are aghast at the hypocrisy revealed so recently in Republican scandals and scandals within the Religious Right itself, that isn't saying much, is it?

It's looking more and more like the only thing that's given Republicans any cover is the pure myth that they were Strong On National Security. Once that's busted what do they have left? How could they persuade a majority of anything?

[sendero]

1. The "GOP brand"...

... hasn't just been damaged, it is on life support. If the Republicans don't stop Bush soon, they will be out of power for decades.

[Beetwasher]

3. Next Thing You Know CNN and Fox Will Start Saying All The Repubs

Are actually Dems and all the Dems are actually Repubs. Oh, wait, they already try to do that...

Seriously though, look for some serious propoganda to start flowing looking to "rebrand" the GOP. I'd be willing to bet they will come up w/ some new name for themselves. It's easier than actually coming up w/ real, popular policies.

[C_U_L8R]

7. The GOP enabled Bush

and all his "spit" so they'll deservedly wear that honor
around their necks for at least a couple of decades.
They could have done the right thing to begin with.,,, but no.
They fucked up.. bigtime. They are right to be scared.

[tanyev]

2. That's what happens when you stop drinking the kool-aid.

*snort*

[PsN2Wind]

4. exactly why the Democrats in the House and Senate

need to force a vote for or against the war. Let's see who has the courage of their convictions.

[jwirr]

5. Values? Where is that list of sexual crimes they have been arrested

for? They also approve of helliburtin stealing money for work they do not do. The idea of them thinking they have values is so crazy that it is stinks.

[indepat]

6. Good on taxes and values? 'puke tax policy is a disaster and 'puke values a hypocritical joke

on the American public, so they offer absolutely nothing but lies, mendacity, duplicity, and hypocritical reichousness. EOS

[Sugar Smack]

8. "Spitless"...hmmm. Maybe they should stop all being mouth-breathers.

I think it's pretty simple, eh?

[peacetalksforall]

9. "Spitless" - that's a great mono word that may be useful in the

future. How about "Sputterless", also?

Republican leaders silenced by those those who are trying to rule all of us and make us - submissive, obedient, non-dissendents, without legs to march or arms to hold our signs or megaphones?

[radfringe]

10. they should have thought about that before they

drank all that koolaid and ran with rubberstamps

[msongs]

11. is there video of Thune saying "...spitless"? nt

[Skidmore]

12. And we accuse Dems of being spineless wonders?

Republics are positively ameobic--glops of protoplasm.