OPINION
Divisiveness makes for good ratings, bad political movement
Boston Phoenix Nov 17, 08 12:40 PM CST
(Newser)
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Blame has been flying in Republican circles, but not enough has stuck where it belongs: on conservative talk radio. Rush Limbaugh and his imitators skyrocketed to prominence by being "rabble-rousers—high intensity, 'hot' performers whose appeal is based on energizing their base," writes Steven Stark in the Boston Phoenix . That's “all well and good for radio,” he argues, but “a terrible way to structure a mainstream political movement.”
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OPINION
New Republic Nov 4, 08 11:59 AM CST
(Newser)
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The conservative movement is at a crossroads, torn between its intellectuals (think David Brooks) and its shouters (think Rush Limbaugh). As TV’s main conservative voice, Fox News could tip the scales, so Isaac Chotiner of the New Republic watched as much of the channel as he could. His verdict isn’t kind. “Once the network of optimistic, flag-waving jingoism,” he writes, “Fox has become a beacon of sky-is-falling fury.”
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Conservatives meet to make plans
New York Times Oct 29, 08 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A “who’s who of conservative leaders” will meet in Virginia next Wednesday to plot their movement’s future, and the top item on their agenda will be Sarah Palin. Win or lose, many see Palin as the new face of the Republican party, the New York Times reports. Despite all the criticisms, Palin remains a star among conservatives, who are eying her for a 2012 run if McCain loses.
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Moderates have
pushed party out of power, some argue
Los Angeles Times Oct 28, 08 3:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Social conservatives are wrangling with moderates for control of the GOP, plotting a January takeover of the Republican National Committee even if John McCain wins, the Los Angeles Times reports. Moderates like Colin Powell say the party has alienated voters—especially minorities—by narrowing its focus, but “moderating our party is what caused us to lose power,” a state GOP chairman argues.
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PR firm helped her woo pundits, make case
New Yorker Oct 20, 08 4:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sarah Palin likes to play up her outsider credentials while decrying the media elite, but she’s relied on both throughout her career. Belying her mockery of the “mainstream media,” Palin hired a well-connected PR firm to target East Coast journalists and courted conservative media insiders who eventually championed her VP candidacy. Jane Mayer of the New Yorker looks at a "surprise" nomination that was months, if not years, in the making.
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McCain-Palin rallies taking an angry turn
Politico Oct 10, 08 9:44 AM CDT
(Newser)
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With the polls going south for John McCain, the anger is becoming palpable at his campaign’s rallies, reports Politico. Party supporters are not only lashing out at Barack Obama—one audence member shouted "Terrorist" when McCain mentioned him—but they're frustrated that McCain isn't going into attack mode more.
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OPINION
Blowhard's influence extends well beyond conservative base
Los Angeles Times Sep 29, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Rush Limbaugh may be John McCain’s best friend in the fight against Barack Obama, writes Zev Chafets in the LA Times . Vociferously anti-McCain during primary season, Limbaugh is now on board and can't be underestimated. "A lot of Limbaugh's critics dismiss him as a buffoon or a fanatic," Chafets writes. "These are people who don''t listen to his show."
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GOP to capitalize on revived base in
Ohio, Penn.
New York Times Sep 6, 08 5:34 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain's camp is pushing some states back into play in the presidential election, convinced that Sarah Palin has re-energized GOP voters, the New York Times reports. McCain believes Palin improves his chances in Ohio and Pennsylvania, states Barack Obama is counting on. And with just 8 weeks left, both campaigns have defined an unusually wide swath of state-by-state battles.
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Choice of Palin underscores how pro-life wing hamstrings party, some say
Chicago Tribune Sep 4, 08 3:46 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Where conservatives once felt uneasy with John McCain, his drift rightward now has moderates wondering if there’s a place for them in the Republican Party, the Chicago Tribune reports. “We are discouraged by the platform,” says one pro-choice Republican, noting that while she was glad to have a woman on the ticket, Sarah Palin’s far-right views worried her.
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Sportsfan prez made even the French look sharp, Journal snipes
Washington Post Aug 18, 08 9:26 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The administration’s slow response to the Russia-Georgia conflict has conservatives fuming, with onetime true believers openly questioning President Bush's commitment to the foreign policy of the first 7 years of his term. And they're not keeping their dissatisfaction quiet, reports the Washington Post . The latest blast from a once-unexpected source came from the Wall Street Journal.
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Candidate said issue wouldn't 'rule out' possible running mate
Politico Aug 15, 08 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain’s comment that he wouldn’t rule out Tom Ridge as a possible VP for being pro-choice sparked a flurry of panic among the conservative base—a vital group already lukewarm about McCain's party-maverick status. “That choice will end his bid for the presidency,” an activist tells Politico.
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'Radioactive' president can raise money, talk
to GOP's right wing
Bloomberg May 27, 08 4:22 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Though he may be “absolutely radioactive” for Republican candidates (in the words of one GOP legislator), Bloomberg reports, President Bush is no easy hurdle for John McCain, who must build distance with the historically unpopular incumbent while using him to raise money and build conservative bona fides. Hence tonight's fundraiser in Phoenix, closed to the media despite both McCain and Bush being in attendance.
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analysis
Toobin decodes references in recent 'sneak' speech
New Yorker May 20, 08 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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If you aren’t a conservative activist, John McCain didn’t have you in mind when he recently laid out his position on judicial appointments: The speech was “a dog whistle for the right,” Jeffrey Toobin writes in the New Yorker , in a piece that decodes references meant to assure that he’d continue—“and perhaps even accelerate”—President Bush’s Supreme Court revolution. He denounced those who legislate from the bench, but then took close listeners even deeper.
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GOP nominee
still a long way
from White House
Wall Street Journal Mar 5, 08 8:38 AM CST
(Newser)
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Though his primary battles are over, John McCain faces plenty of challenges as he sets his sights on this fall's presidential election. The Democratic candidates are each pulling in more donations than McCain, parts of his own party have yet to rally behind him, and the whispers of those uneasy about sending a 71-year-old to the White House continue, reports the Wall Street Journal .
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