SUBMITTED BY CHUCK MUTH
The GOP record is intact. Republicans never blow an opportunity to blow an opportunity. And faced with the biggest failure of a president since Jimmy Carter, Republicans blew it.
Or, I should say, establishment Republicans blew.
You know, the same fine folks who gave us Bob Dole and John McCain before forcing Mitt Romney on us because he was the “electable” candidate.
How’d that work out us?
The only good news here is that there is no clear “it’s his turn” heir for the 2016 GOP nomination.
But this wasn’t just a Romney loss. Republicans got spanked up and down the ballot from sea to shining sea. There hasn’t been a slaughter like this Wounded Knee. Just a few lowlights:
Presented with a choice between a liberal northeast Republican and a liberal northeast Democrat, liberals in Massachusetts opted for the real deal. Republican Sen. Scott Brown is a senator no more. Go figure.
In Connecticut, Republican Linda McMahon’s last minute plea to voters was: Vote for the Democrat for president, but me for U.S. Senate. Instead, voters opted to go with someone from the president’s own party. Go figure.
In Indiana and Missouri, voters opted not to elect to the U.S. Senate a pair of Republicans – Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin – who would force raped women to bear the children of their rapists. Go figure.
Former governors George Allen (Virginia) and Tommy Thompson (Wisconsin) went down in flames.
And in races featuring rising-star conservatives, both Rep. Allen West in Florida and Mia Love in Utah came up short.
One of the few bright spots for the day: Republicans appear to have regained control of the state senate in Wisconsin after losing it just a few short months ago in that organized labor effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker.
But not much else to cheer about.
I’ll look closer at what happened in Nevada – equally ugly – later. But to all those Republican candidates who decided not to run on a platform of not raising taxes because they thought Democrats and independents want tax hikes, I give you the results of a trio of tax hike ballot questions:
- 2/3 of voters voted against a proposed tax hike to fund school repairs in Clark County.
- A tax hike to fund libraries in Henderson went down by ten points.
- And in Carson City: A whopping 68 percent of voters said “NO!” to their own library tax hike question.
Republican voters. Democrat voters. Independent voters. All said, “Read our lips; no new taxes!”
Think Gov. Brian Sandoval and other GOP “leaders” will get the message now?
Me neither.
Final thought: Thank goodness Romney didn’t win the popular vote. Had he, WAY too many Republicans would have embraced the suicidal notion of eliminating the Electoral College and moving to a national popular vote for president.
Gee, in a “popularity” contest, who do you think will win: The candidate who promises you ice cream with every meal…or the candidate who tells you to eat your broccoli?
Oh, and how much time will presidential candidates spend in a little state like Nevada when the game will be decided in big states with big populations?
The Founders founded the Electoral College for a reason. Nevada Republicans would be insane to support doing away with it.
That is all.
For now.
Famous last words
“The Tea Party which began as a purely anti-deficit, anti-spending movement has morphed into demanding fealty to its fiscal AND social policy positions. … (T)here simply aren’t enough voters who agree with all of the Tea Party doctrine to win a national election.” – Rich Galen, Mullings.com
