Open Thread: Is There a GOP Establishment?
The race toward 2012 has cemented the idea of a Republican "establishment." Some call former House Speaker Newt Gingrich the establishment, having spent most of his career inside the Beltway. Others call former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the establishment, pointing to his lack of success at capturing the support of Tea Party voters.
Do you think a Republican establishment exists that can make or break a candidate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
According to the Daily Caller:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has accused “the establishment” of rallying behind his chief rival for the Republican nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
“Governor Romney has the money, he has the establishment, he has the internal structure,” Gingrich recently told Fox News. “He’s clearly way ahead of us in all the things that an establishment brings you.”
Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators echoed the charge, suggesting that the “establishment” is working against Gingrich and the other GOP presidential contenders in support of Romney.
Some political commentators, like Pat Buchanan, would argue that the Republican establishment is an antiquated term of the 1940s and 1950s. “What exists of it is really less an establishment than basically the Washington based party, the leaders in both Houses of Congress, the K-Street lobbyists, many of the big fundraisers," but the ability to impose nominees on the party as a whole have evaporated. However, many disagree.
Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin scoffs at the notion that there is no such thing as the Republican establishment.
“It is interesting that no one wants to be characterized as part of the establishment, even when they run the instrumentalities of the GOP and have never endorsed a single tea party candidate out of the gate,” he said.
“Besides, if there was not an establishment, there would be no need for the tea party.”
Do you think the Republican establishment still exists?
- NB Staff's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Gingrich is just trying to
Submitted by Gat New York on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 12:36pm.
Gingrich is just trying to cast blame.
I don't think there is or can be an establishment for either political party simply because of the Internet and social media ability to garner voter support without having to go through precinct political party captains.
Mitt Romney is a brilliant man and is running a brilliant campaign. The best way of characterizing the campaign is like a thoroughbred horse race. Romney already knows what he needs to do to win and along the way is willing to let other horses take the lead - let them get tired out - and pace himself. When he gets to the final quarter he will be in position to leave the horses well behind.
Even on the Democratic Party side, Hillary Clinton was the party favorite or as they say the establishment favorite to win and she didn't.
I like this process because it forces all candidates to prove themselves and the winner get better groomed for the general election. But there is no establishment anynmore.
R Establishment
Submitted by dock383 on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 12:38pm.
There is a Republican establishment. It is centered on the East coast and primarily composed of moderate, milk toast RINOS. They do not care about the USA; but of their power. They despise Conservatives and the Tea Party in particular. They seek at best to co-opt the Tea Party. If one thinks that the Republicans will work to return the People's government to the People, that they want to end the waste, fraud and abuse of government and place it on a sound financial footprint, think again. They, like the progressives, are using the government resources--taxes, spending, regulation and legislation, to promote their greed and power at our expense. It may be that the Republican Party as practiced is a better alternative to the Progressive hegemony, it will not restrain government as it must be. Do you think that the established Rs are going to go for a balanced budget? Term limits? To eliminate money and K street's influence on policy?
We send many good conservatives to Congress, to see them eaten alive and marginalized. We see the RINOS in the senate fail every time. At best 2010 election bought us some time, but even an R victory in all three branches will not lead to the sort of changes needed to set this country back on track.
We need to think beyond the so-called two party system that has systematically stolen from us and propels us on the road to ruin. Look at the current budget and lies about cutting government. It all starts with you.
Yeah.
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 3:24pm.
What Dock said!
Yes. The "establishment" exists.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 12:43pm.
Can they make a candidate? Unfortunately, yes. Look at McCain's nomination.
Can they break a candidate? Yes, because it takes very little to lose an election. If the lack of "establishment" backing only costs the GOP nominee a few percentage points in votes, the democrat wins.
The establishment torpedoed Reagan once, and tried to a second time. Fortunately, Reagan was running against a president in Carter who was almost as bad as Obama, so he won in spite of the opposition from the Washington elite. By his reelection, the rats were jumping back on the ship.
The elites of the GOP are content to get the crumbs that the democrats give them when they control everything. Without a true leader, they don't know how to run this country, or take it in the direction it needs to go.
I try to support the candidate in the primaries who pisses the "leadership" (I use the term loosely) off the most, because that is a good sign that if they win the election, they won't have to take orders from these losers. With any luck, they will do what is right for the country and the citizens.
It's a sad state of affairs.
Yes, and you can tell who they are by how they vote...
Submitted by Callawyn on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 12:54pm.
Yes, and you can tell who they are by how they vote for leadership positions. In the Senate, there is a clear divide between the "establishment" Republicans that back Mitch McConnell and the new Conservative Senators that we've been voting in, led by Jim Demint.
Look at how the votes come down in something like the recent election for vice chairman of the Republican Conference. McConnell and the establishment backed Roy Blunt (who won), the Conservatives backed Ron Johnson.
You can also tell by who backs "chosen" candidates, like Dede Scozzafava or Mike Castle that are anathema to actual Conservatives.
The divide is between Conservatives, that actually believe and fight for the principles that the Republican Party claims to stand for and "establishment" types that are not principled, but rather old type political hacks in power to bring home the pork to their constituents.
Yes there is an "establishment"
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:05pm.
But it is not Newt or Romney. They may be the ones that the establishment would rather choose from, but they are not it, per se.
The establishment is concerned first and foremost with the party and maintaining or increasing it's number of seats in Congress and the Presidency and thus their power in Washington D.C. Anything else is secondary to the party establishment. They can make or break a candidate for any seat, but as the 2008 and 2010 elections show they are losing their power and being challenged by the Tea Party wing. And they DO NOT like it.
What they are really concerned about is any candidate that puts forward any radical change from the current situation. They want to tweak the plan, not throw it out and start over, even when that is what is clearly necessary.
Unfortunatley for them, and IMO fortunately for the rest of us, the GOP electorate seems far more willing this cycle to think about radical changes. This of course is scaring the crap out of the establishment and they are pushing back as best they can.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Are you kidding??????
Submitted by BBallleaper on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:06pm.
You think McLame and Graham just transported down from the Enterprise? I don't know if term limits could prevent idiots like this from being elected, but I would do anything to clean house of these RINO establishment dustballs!
Yes, and it's called RINO Hell
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:11pm.
And they may as well be dems, too, as the repube establishment has done almost as much to push this country to the very edge of the abyss as have the jackasses.
The only difference between the dems and the repube establishment is that we go over the cliff about a week later with the latter in charge.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Did the sun rise this morning?
Submitted by lsudolemite on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:13pm.
Of course there's an establishment. It just happens to take the form described by Buchanan. It doesn't necessarily "make" a candidate, and its influence may be split in the early going. First the anointed candidate was Mitch Daniels, until he decided not to run. Then it became Huntsman until they realized he had no following. Now the smart money is on Romney, and they're all in now. Just like the Dem establishment sniffed the political winds and eventually threw their support behind Obama over Hillary (not to mention the substantial anti-Clinton faction that always existed among them).
What the establishment can do is throw their considerable influence and money behind their chosen one, and the Tea Party has virtually none by comparison. For those who doubt their existence, witness how both MSM AND conservative media alike have ganged up on Romney's would-be challengers in lock-step. First Herman Cain, now Newt. Amazing how there have been virtually no attacks on Romney by anyone whose opinion matters on the national scene.
For example, I used to be a National Review reader. No more. Their editors chose to put out a hit piece on Newt mere weeks before the Iowa caucuses, and featured a blistering piece by Mark Steyn the next day. It is crystal clear who NR's pundits are throwing their weight behind.
I am no Newt fan whatsoever, but there has been an obvious concerted effort to push Romney over the finish line by systematically attacking any alternative candidate that comes close to toppling him. It's clear that the goal is to split the anti-Romney conservative vote, and I think it will work.
Of Course There's an "Establishment" in the GOP
Submitted by txradioguy on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:14pm.
They're easy to spot. They bashed Palin...and Cain...and Perry. They tell us Mitt or even Newt are the only hopes we have.
They claim the TEA Party was stupid but say we should pay attention to the serious protestors of OWS.
They go by the names of Krauthammer...Will...and these days Coulter.
Conservatism frightens the hell out of them. They are the same people that fought Reagan for 8 years and critiqued his every move. The ones that called us racists for opposing Bush 43's attempt to give amnesty to illegals.
We used to call them Rockerfeller Republicans.
Establishment Republicans fits them much better.
abso-flaming-lutely
Submitted by wizardjr on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:16pm.
I have given up on the national GOP organizations. They are determined to be Dhimmeroid-Lite and do everything they can to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at every turn.
There are still many very good conservative GOPers out there and I do what I can to directly supporty them.
GOP bell curve II...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:47pm.
2012:
____________
______ | TBD TBD | __________
Romney TBD TBD Paul
Romney TBD TBD uncommited
20% 60% 10% 10%
1st week in January 2008:
Huckabee 20% McCain 20%
Romney 15% Guiliani 20% Thompson 10% Paul 5%
...so in the anyone but Romney 15%- 20% or Paul 5% - 10%, the question remains for 2012:
who is the TDB? Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, Palin, Bush? TBD should emerge by the end of January...
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
The homos are coming for your children
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:53pm.
They even admit it.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
What a jerk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 3:43pm.
I was listening to Joe Barton (R) Texas on the sports talk on Sirius channel 91. He has started the Congressional Collegiate Sports Caucus. With all the stuff going on in DC he wants to investigate the BCS. He is pissed because he is a grad of Texas A&M and they got their butts handed to them several times and are playing in a 3rd tier bowl against Northwestern.. Our country is going to hell and he wants to stop the BCS, This is the problem I have with many Republicans. Holder is attacking sovereign states and this idiot worries about the BCS. By the way Holder is now saying Issa is going after him because, here it comes, he is black. JC Watts called BS on him this AM on Fox and Friends.
The BCS' days are numbered anyway
Submitted by lsudolemite on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 3:56pm.
When ESPN is on board with a playoff, with a +1 at a minimum, it's over. They wield too much power and influence among fans and sports media alike. It's exactly how Bama got to the big game. ESPN campaigned for two weeks trying to convince everyone that nobody else stood a chance of getting in. It was over before the last relevant games were even played and it didn't matter what Oklahoma State did. When they allowed Saban on GameDay in a shameless politicking move, there was no doubt the fix was in.
My point is what it Barton
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 6:18pm.
My point is what it Barton doing? There are a lot more pressing issues in this country than this. Bonehead wonders why the country does not trust the Republicans? Congressman for life, Walter B. Jones Jr, has a challenger in the priamry. You better beileve I am going to do all I can to get him out of office.
Look, these Texas people take this stuff seriously
Submitted by lsudolemite on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 7:59pm.
Don't remember the name offhand, but there was a Republican state legislator who made a veiled threat about A&M's move to the SEC, saying that he hoped that A&M would consult the legislature first before making any moves, and then a hearing was scheduled. Then a quote from the same legislator surfaced about UT's deal with ESPN over the Longhorn Network, where he said that universities should be free to pursue their own financial interests.
The legislative hearing was promptly dropped.
Barton is an OK congressman,
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 10:22pm.
Barton is an OK congressman, better than most.
They all reside in the Senate
Submitted by pbthinker on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 3:57pm.
Yes, there is a Republican establishment and most of them reside in the Senate. How else would you account for the vote that took place passing a Senate bill and sending it to the House for a vote?
Of course they're against Newt Gingrich, because he got things done and actually showed Republicans could govern, unlike the group they have today.
Most of the "establishment" is gone in the House. It's time to do the same in the Senate.
The establishment
Submitted by deadeyedan on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 4:04pm.
Bush '41 once famously said (speaking of the Congressional Democratic leadership), "they are my friends". I wouldn't have minded that so much if he had not ACTED as if they were MY friends.
THEY ARE NOT MY FRIENDS.
It is he and the Roves of the world who are the phoney Republicans that maintain the establishment.
Newt may seem to be enmeshed in it simply because of the duration of his Washington tenure but that has made him quite aware of what really ails the country, and from what can be gleaned from his pronouncements and the well-reasoned treatises on his website that he has figured out how to handle it. And he may just be grizzled enough to do it.
Romney, the chosen one of the establishment, especially seems lacking in this latter trait. It is that massive support from Republican "moderates" which provides the revelation that there is in fact a Republican establishment. They have seen what Newt has published and are fearful.
People of all persuasions now appear to be sick and tired of watching as candidates with grassroots support are undermined as shadowy figures with dubious credentials throw their support for anyone willing to check out "the other side of the aisle".
The Republican establishment is almost as filled with filthy rich supporters as are the Democrats.
But Newt may wind up with enough of a groundswell of middle class support to carry him through.
LIBERALISM - government of the people by the theories and for the ideologists
Spew alert.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 4:08pm.
Nice rack?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/12/19/barney_frank_wears_rev...
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by NC Cop on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 4:12pm.
MY EYES!!!!!! MY EYES!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T SEE!!!!!!!
DON'T DO THAT NEWSBUBBA!!!!!!!!!
Caution - Dumbarse alert!
Submitted by GregE on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 6:19pm.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/200585-jackson-lee-urge...
There are Establishment Republicans of two types.
Submitted by Avitar on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 6:50pm.
The first type of establishment Republicans are the Washington Generals for the Democrats Harlem Globetrotters.
They occupy offices in states where the Democrats don't want any functioning opposition. Connecticut had a non-establishment Republican elected to Congress. A black real estate developer named Gary Frank took office but where the establishment Republicans like Chris Shays and Nancy Johnson would face opponents with $100,000 to $200,000 Senior Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd arranged millions of dollars for beating Gary Frank. Then when the Democrats wanted the seats they gave the word and contributions to Congress lady Nancy Johnson and Congressman Shays dried up. To take control of the Congress the Democrats put most of these people out of office in 2006 and 2008.
The other type of establishment Republicans is those who want to be mirror image of the Democrats. They weren’t to represent the factory owners and the investors. Bob Dole is an example of this school but since economics doesn't work that way it is possible to be wrong on either side or both.
Expat anyone?
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 9:27pm.
Expat anyone?
This is pretty good
Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 9:29pm.
Received via e-mail: Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a liberal journalist, and animal rights activist. The discussion came around to deer hunting. The journalist asked, 'What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?'
Nugent replied, 'Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the Democrats in Congress.'
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Blonde, best one of the year...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 10:24am.
Nugent replied, 'Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the Democrats in Congress.'
...I hope you don't mind us using it, and thank you Ted for saying it.
btw: didn't know Tebow was not only homschooled but he help champion the cause to get homeschoolers into public school athletics (we pay our school taxes just like everyone else).
Cool, he's being inducted in the VRWC Hall of Fame!
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Blonde, thank you for doing
Submitted by PeskyDane on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 10:51pm.
Blonde, thank you for doing the research. So much for our "brilliant" POTUS.
Is there a GOP Establishment?
Submitted by NL207 on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 9:38pm.
Is the Pope a Catholic? Does a bear sh*t in the woods?
More to the point, does the GOP exist? Has it existed for more than a generation? If the answer to both of these questions is "yes", then there is most certainly a GOP establishment.
Let me guess. Global warming?
Submitted by GregE on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 11:32pm.
http://news.yahoo.com/giant-tsunami-shape-clouds-roll-across-alabama-sky...
The establishment
Submitted by lrgon on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 7:46pm.
has existed in America going back to the Wilson administration. It took control of the State Department during the administration of FDR. http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/1462
Both parties promote the same major domestic and foreign policy agendas. A few of their successess: the Income tax, Federal Reserve, UN, NATO, NAFTA, the DC bureaucracy.
Author and journalist Edith Kermit Roosevelt the grand daughter ot Theodore Roosevelt offered this assessment:
"The word 'Establishment' is a general term for the power elite in international finance, business, the professions and government, largely from the northeast, who wield most of the power regardless of who is in the White House. Most people are unaware of the existence of this 'legitimate Mafia.' Yet the power of the Establishment makes itself felt from the professor who seeks a foundation grant, to the candidate for a cabinet post or State Department job. It affects the nation’s policies in almost every area."
Ronald Reagan on the Trilateral Commission:
" ... the Trilateral Commission ... its interests are devoted to international banking, multinational corporations, and so forth. I don’t think that any Administration of the U.S. Government should have the top nineteen positions filled by people from any one group or organization representing one viewpoint."
Columnist Edith Roosevelt said that its goal is “a One World Socialist state governed by ‘experts’ like themselves.”
The CFR is the establishment in America as is the Royal Institute for International Affairs represents the establishment in Britian.
Former CFR insiders:
Admiral Chester Ward, former Judge Advocate of the U.S. Navy, was a CFR member for 16 years.The top lawyer in the Navy said:
“The main purpose of the Council on Foreign Relations is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national independence, and submergence into an all-powerful one-world government.”
Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater called the Trilateral Commission “David Rockefeller’s newest cabal.” Goldwater said, “It is intended to be the vehicle for multinational consolidation of the commercial and banking interests by seizing control of the political government of the United States.”
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/1462