Competition to Lead GOP 'Dirtiest Ever'

Former loyalists lash out at ex-president in race for new chairman

(NEWSER) - In deciding on a new chairman, Republican National Committee members are wrestling with ambivalence about George W. Bush, the Washington Post reports. Incumbent Mike Duncan, appointed by the former president, faces something of a backlash. Duncan “never criticized Bush when the president was wrong,” says one member. “He’s the agent of the establishment, and we need a change in personnel.” More»

Candidates look lightweight compared to Va. guv, DNC chair

(NEWSER) - Since Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine took over the Democratic National Committee last week, Republicans—in the midst of choosing Kaine’s RNC counterpart—are concerned that their contenders aren’t quite in Kaine’s weight class, reports Politico. Imagining the inevitable on-air debates, one Republican stresses the importance of choosing “someone who can express themselves so that the American people can know what the hell they’re talking about.” More»

Candidates competing for chairman brag of networking chops

(NEWSER) - With the Republican National Committee voting for a new chairman today, the candidates have been busy competing not on ideological grounds but on who has more Facebook friends, and who's more adept at Twittering, the Wall Street Journal reports. In rebuilding the party, one strategist declared the top priority to be closing the technology gap that helped put Barack Obama in the White House—"winning the technology war with the Democrats." More»

Would-be RNC chairs bash forlorn party, wax poetic about the '80s

(NEWSER) - Asked to name their favorite Republican president, the six men vying to chair the RNC delivered a unanimous verdict: Lincoln, Schmincoln—bring back the Gipper of yore, said they. At a debate yesterday, the would-be chairmen labored mightily to top each others’ love of Reagan, Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post. Each was “excited,” “inspired,” or even “moved” by Reagan. The only thing they agreed on more was how crappy the GOP’s gotten since. More»

In a "very, very, sleepy" race...

(NEWSER) - A largely thankless job running a down-and-out party—no wonder these guys are fighting tooth-and-nail. Politico handicaps the candidates for Republican National Committee chair:

• Mike Duncan: The current RNC chair’s record is mixed. Despite his prolific fundraising, he presided over both the 2008 disaster and the mini-rebound the party enjoyed in elections after November 4.