VIDEO: GOP's Reckless Iran Letter Backfires
The walking disaster that is the GOP leadership has outdone themselves. Senator Tom Cotton’s letter to the Iranian government encouraging Iran’s leaders to dismiss the ongoing nuclear talks with the United States is insolent, reckless and plainly stupid. Oh yeah and it might be a felony. Does the GOP they really think they are going to score political points by cozying up to Ayatollah Khamenei? Horrendously, every member of the Republican Senate leadership signed the letter, as did GOP presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. Rubio’s even fundraising off of this treacherous political embarrassment. Check out our new video, and the brutal headlines for the GOP after the jump.
Iowa Ag Summit Shines Light on Glaring Flaws in GOP Field
The Republican field had a chance to stand out at this weekend's Iowa Ag Summit, but instead displayed the same political skill that cost them the Presidency in 2012. Scott Walker focused on promoting his extreme positions, Jeb Bush ran a failed play from Mitt Romney's playbook, and the #GOPRebrand hit new lows as Rick Perry compared immigrants to tracking UPS packages and Rick Santorum repeated his opposition to legal immigration.
Rick Perry
Compares Immigrants to UPS Packages
Mike Huckabee
Says Immigrants Come "Because They've Heard There's A Bowl of Food Just Across the Border"
Walker flailing on ISIS
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker revealed over and over again at CPAC yesterday that he's not up to the task of confronting ISIS and doesn't understand the threat. How bad was it? Even Rick Perry and the National Review thought he went too far. First, Walker compared thousands of middle class Wisconsinites who protested his destructive policies to ISIS terrorists. Then, trying to do damage control, he said that no, he didn't meant to compare the two, but that the intensity was similar.
VIDEO: Watch Walker Compare Wisconsinites to ISIS
Governor Scott Walker, who has a record of ducking foreign policy questions, showed why today at CPAC. When asked what his plan was to deal with ISIS, Walker compared thousands of middle class constituents protesting his destructive policies to ISIS. Watch the stunning video here:
MEMO/VIDEO: Floundering Republican Candidates Are Desperate To Right The Ship At CPAC
It's CPAC time. That means thousands of Republicans are descending on National Harbor over the next few days. And at this rate, it seems that about half of them will run for president. Now all they need is one viable candidate. The 2016 Republican presidential primary began unexpectedly early, when Jeb Bush made the December declaration that he was "actively exploring" a run at the White House, accelerating his rivals' timeline in the process. Maybe they shouldn't have jumped the gun. If the last couple months have shown us anything, it's how wildly unprepared for primetime this cast of presidential hopefuls truly are.
VIDEO: Scott Walker: The Fringe Candidate
The good news for Gov. Scott Walker is that a new poll shows him right in the mix of what promises to…
Frontrunner to Fringe: Scott Walker's Tumble
Just a couple weeks ago, it looked like Scott Walker had catapulted himself to frontrunner status in what remains a comically crowded and flawed Republican primary field. But we quickly learned that Walker isn't quite ready for primetime. Since being dubbed the leader of the GOP pack, Scott Walker has managed to marginalize his candidacy with an astounding display of gutlessness. First, he was asked flatly if he believed in evolution, and refused to answer. Then, he stood beside Rudy Giuliani as the former mayor raised racially-tinged questions about Barack Obama's patriotism. Asked point-blank, Scott Walker was not willing to concede that the president of the United States of America in fact loves America. Then, Walker took his act one step further when he claimed not to know whether Barack Obama was a Christian because he's "never asked him" that. Perhaps Walker was inspired by his meeting earlier last week with birther-in-chief Donald Trump. All this has been enough to make Democrats yearn for 2008 and the comparative civility of John McCain. But Scott Walker's willingness to entertain such radicalism in order to avoid political risks is more than just a sign of his utter lack of a leadership. It's a sad commentary about the party he belongs to -- a party in which Scott Walker and the fringe have become mainstream.
Rand's New Senior Adviser Oversaw A 19th Century Party Platform
Rand Paul is moving forward on his presidential pipe dream, but his vision for America is hauntingly backwards. Look no further than his campaign's newly minted senior adviser, former Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri. Under Munisteri's leadership, the Republican Party of Texas established an official party platform last year that endorses reparative therapy for homosexuals; urges the repeal of the Voting Rights Act, the 17th Amendment (direct election of US Senators), and the minimum wage; offers support for nullification of federal laws and the immediate privatization of Social Security; and encourages "dispelling the myth of separation of church and state." Rand Paul continues to try to paint himself as the Republican candidate who can broaden the party's appeal -- a remedy the GOP desperately needs. But when you move past his charade, it's the same ol' movie... Honey, I Shrunk The Tent.
How Morally Bankrupt is the GOP? Bob Ehrlich's Running For President
Just how bankrupt is the Republican effort to ditch their brand? NH1's Paul Steinhauser writes for the National Journal that the presidential field is so big that even former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich is running:
Ehrlich plans to make his fourth visit to New Hampshire on Feb. 24, after meeting last week with more than 100 top donors in New York to discuss financing a potential campaign. At those meetings, he discussed setting up a leadership PAC, as a bunch of other probable candidates have done in recent weeks.It should come as no shock that the GOP is tolerating the sleazy tactics, voter suppression, and convictions in would-be candidate Bob Ehrlich's record...
True Life: The Kochs Started My Trajectory; Now I'm Giving The GOP State Of The Union Response
It has just been announced that Sen. Joni Ernst will deliver the Republican Party's State Of The Union response next week -- and what a revealing choice it is. In case you aren't familiar with Ernst from her recent Senate run, let us give you a quick primer, and we'll start right from the beginning. As Joni Ernst put it herself at the Koch brothers' secretive billionaires retreat last summer, the Koch network "really started my trajectory." And boy, they couldn't be prouder with the politician she grew into. Staying true to the Koch agenda, Ernst has stood behind eliminating the Department of Education and gutting the EPA argued against having any federal minimum wage, and she seems eager to privatize Social Security and student loans. And believe it or not, Ernst's extreme views go far beyond her ultra-conservative policy platform.