Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
-Lord Acton
Is the GOP in decline? That is the question this weekend on Pundit Review Radio. This was a tough week for Republicans, from Bill Bennet’s comments to Tom Delay’s indictment to Bill Frist’s stock trading investigation. Not to mention President Bush’s 45% approval ratings.
While things may not look pretty right now, many conservatives see an opportunity to take the party back to its roots by focusing on fiscal responsiblity and limited government, two things that have been absent during the Bush administration.
Newt Gingrich sees reason to be hopeful,
This is the great crossroads for the Republican Party. In the next three months, they’ll either seize the opportunity to talk about real change or be left defending undisciplined spending and an incompetent disaster response system.
RedState is pissed off and looking for some bark out of the GOP
Take On the Racism Pimps! It’ll Pay Off!
Yes, that’s strong language. But, I think it’s time for the GOP and conservatives to push back against the Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons, David Brocks and others who quickly take any discussion with a tinge of race involved and scream “racism”. I think it would be daring but smart politics.
LA Times political writer Ron Brownstein had a good column recently in which he said,
In some respects, the GOP appears close to establishing a lasting political edge â?? not seen since the days of President McKinley more than a century ago â?? with interlocking advantages that create formidable barriers to a Democratic resurgence.
But approval ratings in polls for the GOP-controlled Congress and President Bush are similar to those for the Democratic-controlled Congress and President Clinton before the 1994 electoral landslide that put the GOP in charge of the House and the Senate.
True enough. But Brownstein goes on to point out the single biggest factor that may prevent a disaster for the GOP. Sometimes you can benefit more from the inepptitude of your opponent more than anything you do on your own.
Few analysts in either party believe the Democrats have generated enough public confidence to fully benefit from this discontent.
â??Democrats have a lot of issues they can work with,â? said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta. â??But right now, about the only thing the Republicans have going for them is distrust of the Democrats.â?Â
If you are a Republican, among the people you should be thanking tomorrow in in Church are the Domestic Insurgents like Ted Kennedy, Dick Turbin, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Their ineptitude is the only thing standing between the GOP and a world-class beating in the 2006 elections.
Join us tomorrow evening on Pundit Review Radio to discuss. You can stream the show live at 9pm est on WRKO and you can reach us toll free at 877-469-4322.
John Robert’s confirmation today as Chief Justice is a win for the Constitution, rule of Law, and for America.
His impeccable record, judicial temperment, and character, made him a shoe in to replace the late Chief Justice Renquist. To me, it was most interesting that the Dems split in half 22-22. It would be interesting to have Carl Levin debate Chucky boy Shumer or Hillary! on why Roberts should (not)have been confirmed. It is obvious that those who opposed Roberts have either safe Senate seats (such as our two embarassments Chivas Kennedy and Heinze-Kerry) or have aspirations for president in 2008. Everything the lib-Dems do is calculated and political. It sickens me.
The real battle will be for Judge O’Conner’s seat, and if Bush is smart he will not hesitate to nominate Janice Rogers Brown. Let those who want to become president in 08 oppose a daughter of a black share cropper from Alabama who has the opportunity to become the first black female to sit on the Court. If Rove has anything to say about this next nominee and I suspect he does, it would make for an interesting issue for both the 06 mid-terms as well as the 08 elections which could peel off a significant number of black voters who are becoming more independant-conservative with every election since 2000. If Dean is serious about his past statement that they need to prove to blacks that they have their best interests at heart and not just reach out to them during elections, opposing somebody like Brown would not be a good start. The libs are going to have to decide between money from abortion rights groups and black support in the next few elections.
Roberts set the precedent by not answering any questions regarding how he may rule on future cases and that will benefit whomever Bush nominates. Let’s pray that he follows through on his promise to nominate a Scallia or a Thomas. I have the feeling that diversity considerations by the White House is signalling that the next nominee will not only be diverse in terms of sex (a female) and color (black) but more importantly in terms of intellectual diversity (a black conservative woman). Regadless of who replaces SDO, all that I care about is if that person will strictly interpret the Constitution and not make law from the bench. Both alternatives a strict constructionist/origianalist and a coservative minority are an anethema to liberals whose idea of a diverse justice is Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Pundit Review Radio welcomed the one and only Glenn Reynolds, aka Instapundit last evening. As you would expect, he was a great guest and provided his unique insight on a number of issues from the NY Times online strategy to Porkbusters to SCOTUS issues and the overall impact of blogs on the MSM. Enjoy.
Have you ever wanted to ask Instapundit a question? Here’s your chance. Glenn Reynolds will be our guest this Sunday evening on Pundit Review Radio.
We will be talking to Glenn about the fast moving PorkBusters campaign that he and NZBear have been pushing. Can bloggers really influence Congress to cut the fat? We’ll see. We will also cover a ton of other blog/new media/old media topics.
Glenn is the most influencial blogger out there and we are excited to have him on the show. Don’t miss it.
When: Sunday night, 9pm est
Where: Streaming live at WRKO
Contact Info: Call us toll free at 877-469-4322
About Pundit Review Radio
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin & Gregg give voice to the work of the most influencial thought leaders in the new media/citizen journalist movement. This unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening at 9pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Leader.
Pundit Review Radio’s show intro has been tweaked (aka improved), by our awesome producers, Bernie & Tom. What an asset these guys have been to our show! Do you like it?
Ann Althouse joined Pundit Review Radio to discuss the changing face of the Supreme Court and a host of other legal/constitutional issues. It was an action packed hour! We covered everything from the Roberts hearings, the next SCOTUS nominee, the Kelo decision to gay marraige. We will definitely be having Ann back on the show. Check out Ann’s in-show doodle of her innaugural Pundit Review Radio appearence. Enjoy.
British MP George Galloway and Christopher Hitchens Will Be Dabating the Iraq War tomorrow. You can find out how to listen here.
You remember the loathsome George Galloway don’t you? He is one of Saddam’s great defenders. He is a friend to every despot and terrorist you can imagine. He’s kind of like Jimmy Carter lite.
Hitchens is ready to rumble and I cannot wait to see and hear this!
If Don King were promoting this (and he should be), what would he bill this fight as…
The Drunk versus the Punk? Your suggestions are welcome…