The Stages of Republican Primary Defeat
I am slightly embarrassed to admit how much I enjoy watching Republicans get beat by their own. Family squabbles are vicious because family members know what buttons to push.
The first stage of Republican primary defeat is smiling acceptance. That lasts as long as the teevee cameras are filming on election night. “I got beat. It’s okay. Now we have to all come together.”
The next morning, blame sets in. “How could this have happened? It couldn’t have been me because I’m wonderful and I know I’m wonderful because Fox News says I am. I need to fire my campaign staff.”
That lasts for a joyful hissy fit of about 15 minutes.
The third stage is bitterness. As well as the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages.
Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader, said Sunday that he saw a troublesome division within the Republican Party, as he discussed his stunning primary defeat, which many are assessing for possible evidence that the Tea Party is regaining steam among Republicans.
Though Mr. Cantor said in a separate interview, on CNN’s “State of the Union,” that the party’s internal struggles “pale in comparison” to its differences with Democrats, he said Republicans need to resolve their party’s own clash.
Of course, for Mr. Cantor, there was no clash until he was defeated and then it suddenly became a chasm.
He will become my favorite Republican character – Mr. Bitter. For that, I thank the idiot who beat him. And, Lord have mercy, that I have a feeling that Dave Brat is Sarah Palin without the brains.
From this morning’s Washington Post story:
“We’ve got to get these races behind us and start to look like a governing party,” said Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.), an ally of House Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio). “There are people in our conference looking to inflict political pain, but most of us want to get back to work.”
I hate to break it to the GOP, but folks, you haven’t worked there in Congress since January of 2009 when *that* Democrat was sworn in as President. Instead, you, the GOP, went off on a sit-down strike and have maintained it ever since.
Republican Congressmen work? Only at trying to find a way to get *that* Democrat out of the White House.
1Oh dear. Sarah without the brains. Just mentioning Sarah reminds me of a conversation last night about bipolar behavior. Someone said something about “word salad”. I said “OH. Like Sarah Palin!” and the someone said “Yes”. Can this Brat person (and I love the name; does it fit?) talk sensibly? and more to the point here,
2How can we do something about the Texas GOPs?
Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy. This is what happens when you manage to make everybody hate you, both in D.C. and in your home district. Throw in a loathsome staff, and game over.
3Marge Wood –
In the words of Jack Nicholson as The Joker, “This State Needs An Enema.”
That’s about the only way you’re going to get the cr*p out of this state and the GOP.
4The last stage of Republican defeat is cashing in with a cushy job at a “think tank,” a partnership at a DC law firm (or, for non-lawyers, on K-Street) and a guest-analyst gig on FOX, with a view towards getting your own show.
5Or lobbying. Or all of the above.
6I just had fun reading the history of the word “bigotry”. Look it up.
David Brat is an economics professor at a liberal (!) arts college in Virginia and has published papers to his credit, not like Sarah Palin with her War on Christmas “book,” so we better take this guy seriously. He’s also an Ayn Rand devotee. Yikes!
7No one is talking about the fact Virginia has “open” primaries. Could a LOT of Democrats have voted in the Republican primary to overthrow Cantor?
8Here in Colorado, it is alleged Democrats are running ads “attacking” Tom Tancredo, the ex-congressman wing-nut, in hopes that will make Republicans vote for him, so he can be trounced by beloved John Hickenllooper.
Brat appears to be a huge fan of “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. Anybody who’s ever actually read the book knows it to be a very bad work of science fiction that has no practical application. But Brat is an “economist” at a back-water college whose position is fully funded by the Koch Billionaires. And, he’s a Fundamentalist Kristian. Sarah Palin without the brains is a good description. I am looking forward to any “debate” he has with John Trammell — a sociologist professor vs a Kristian fundamentalist economy teacher. That ought to be good for a lot of laughs.
9Bigotry? Opposite of “littlotry.” No relation to Gene Autry.
The first person called a bigot, allegedly, is daMrs’ ancestor, Rollo, the Viking who basically invented Normandy. He was called such by the French King, Charles the Simple, son of Louis the Stammerer, son of Charles the Bald, son of Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. It seems that Charlemagne’s “magne-ness” petered out down the line.
But basically, the tradition of simple, pious, stammering, entitled bigots named Louis casting asparagus by calling other people bigots continues to this day.
10He’s a lousy economist. Insists that too many people go to the doctor too often. Consequently if they did not have insurance they would know the actual cost and hold their fire on settling their health issues. Hey, Brat! Scarcity incases prices just like inflation does!
11I read that Brat was hired by that university as part of a deal where a Koch outfit gave the school a bunch of money. I’ve forgotten the specifics–I’ll have to look it up.
12Just hold onto your hat: Stockman has been referred to the Senate committee for further investigation!
Now all you have to do is get that fool Farenholdt (sp??) investigated.
13OldMayfly, the Kochs gave $500,000 to his university. It’s one part of their tentacles that are reaching into schools to teach ‘economics’ their way.
This is just a partial list of organizations funded by them: http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/koch-networks-fueled-2012-dark-money
14Brat is Palin without the brains? Grammatically speaking, that would be a double negative.
15The current Tea Party platform seem less like “Atlas Shrugged” and more like a combination of “A Modest Proposal” and “Lord of the Flies.”
16Behind every cloud…..Cantor is now so bitter,no shark will ever touch him.
17DaChipster … that would be someone casting aspersions on Louie’s asparagus … whatever the hell that means in plain English.
18Maybe that blank piece of paper listing the GOP’s upcoming agenda had something to do with his loss. Or this…dailykos.com/story/2014/06/11/1306103/-Eric-Cantor-Jeb-Hensarling-Kevin-McCarthy-Plotted-to-Sabotage-US-Economy-in-Secret-Meeting
19Larry: Shortly after the results were in, Cantor’s staff accused Democrats of cross voting for the “professor” just to assure Cantor’s loss. Even “Cooter” from the Dukes of Hazzard fame (?) was urging Democrats to do just that. I do hope this was the case, so that Prof. Brat has little or no voter support in the general election.
20I was kind of imagining a painting of people dodging asparagus spears being hurled at them….
21Brains? What brains? And thanks, daChipster for the history lesson — I never had that much fun in history class, but then, you weren’t the teacher (or probably even born yet, for that matter). You always make me laugh — thanks!
22Aw, Eric! Just remember. Out of the ashes of failure grow the roses of success. (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a Disney production of some years ago)
23If you swim with the sharks, you will eventually get eaten.
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