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Cheney Picks Limbaugh, Fuels Speculation Of Divided GOP
By JOE MURRAY, The Bulletin
Former Vice President Dick Cheney took sides in a hypothetical GOP civil war yesterday when he told CBS’s “Face the Nation” he would chose Rush Limbaugh’s vision for the Republican Party over that held by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Messrs. Cheney and Powell served together in both Bush White Houses.
“If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I’d choose Rush Limbaugh, I think,” Mr. Cheney said, when asked whose vision best suits the Republican Party. “I think my take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn’t know he was still a Republican.”
Mr. Cheney, in casting his vote with Mr. Limbaugh, adopted the same criticism the talk show host has directed at Mr. Powell: that the man many thought would be the first black Republican presidential nominee is really a Democrat at heart.
“He’s just mad at me because I’m the one person in the country that had the guts to explain his endorsement of Obama,” Mr. Limbaugh said last week on his radio show. “There can be no other explanation for it.”
“What Colin Powell needs to do is close the loop and become a Democrat, instead of claiming to be a Republican interested in reforming the Republican Party. He’s not. He’s a full-fledged Democrat,” Mr. Limbaugh added.
Mr. Powell responded by blasting Mr. Limbaugh in an interview with CNN.
“Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?” Mr. Powell asked. “Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?”
The feud between Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Powell began on the campaign trail when Mr. Powell broke from party ranks to endorse Mr. Obama. The endorsement, Mr. Limbaugh said, was based solely on the politics of race. The ongoing feud between the two, with Mr. Cheney taking Mr. Limbaugh’s side, is the latest example of Republican disunity.
With Meghan McCain and former McCain campaign chairman Steve Schmidt calling for the GOP to drop its opposition to gay marriage and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter defecting to the Democrats, Republicans are struggling to maintain an appearance of party unity.
Democrats, sensing blood in the water, have moved in for the political kill.
“It’s sad that because Republican leaders in Congress are so devoid of ideas and direction that Dick Cheney has emerged as the party’s leading voice,” said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. “It’s the divisive politics and failed right-wing policies that Dick Cheney was responsible for over the last eight years that devastated Republicans in the last two elections — yet Republican leaders have ceded the stage to him anyway because they have nothing new to offer themselves.”
But leading conservatives charge any attempt to silence the party on crucial social issues — such as marriage and abortion — would render the GOP “irrelevant.”
“Throw the social conservatives, the pro-life, pro-family people overboard and the Republican Party will be as irrelevant as the Whigs,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said in an interview with the California newspaper The Visalia Times-Delta.
The former presidential contender made his comments with regard to a American political party that largely disbanded in the 1850s, paving the way for the rise of the GOP.
“They’ll basically be a party of gray-haired old men sitting around the country club puffing cigars, sipping brandy and wondering whatever happened to the country. That will be the end of the party.”
A few days ago, Mr. Cheney echoed the same sentiments as the former Arkansas governor.
“The idea that we ought to moderate basically means we ought to fundamentally change our philosophy,” Mr. Cheney told conservative talk-radio host Scott Hennen. “I for one am not prepared to do that, and I think most of us aren’t.”
With Democrats holding solid majorities in Washington, Republicans are scrambling to repair their party’s brand name after eight years of George W. Bush. U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney launched a “listening tour” last week to rehabilitate the party, but Mr. Huckabee questioned the wisdom of the tour.
Mr. Huckabee expressed his frustration about the process of rediscovering his party’s soul, saying the men involved in the “listening tour” were jockeying to be the GOP’s main spokesman and the potential 2012 nominee.
“I’m frustrated with all these people who are jockeying for the position to be the ‘leader,’ “ Mr. Huckabee said. “It’s almost like we’re worried about who’s going to be the drum major and we don’t have a piece of music yet.”
Talks of division started during February when Mr. Limbaugh delivered a well-received call to arms for conservatives at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s (CPAC) convention.
During the speech, Mr. Limbaugh argued the GOP should return to its conservative roots instead of flirting with party moderates. Democrats used the speech to charge Mr. Limbaugh was the de facto leader of the GOP.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
Messrs. Cheney and Powell served together in both Bush White Houses.
“If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I’d choose Rush Limbaugh, I think,” Mr. Cheney said, when asked whose vision best suits the Republican Party. “I think my take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn’t know he was still a Republican.”
Mr. Cheney, in casting his vote with Mr. Limbaugh, adopted the same criticism the talk show host has directed at Mr. Powell: that the man many thought would be the first black Republican presidential nominee is really a Democrat at heart.
“He’s just mad at me because I’m the one person in the country that had the guts to explain his endorsement of Obama,” Mr. Limbaugh said last week on his radio show. “There can be no other explanation for it.”
“What Colin Powell needs to do is close the loop and become a Democrat, instead of claiming to be a Republican interested in reforming the Republican Party. He’s not. He’s a full-fledged Democrat,” Mr. Limbaugh added.
Mr. Powell responded by blasting Mr. Limbaugh in an interview with CNN.
“Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?” Mr. Powell asked. “Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?”
The feud between Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Powell began on the campaign trail when Mr. Powell broke from party ranks to endorse Mr. Obama. The endorsement, Mr. Limbaugh said, was based solely on the politics of race. The ongoing feud between the two, with Mr. Cheney taking Mr. Limbaugh’s side, is the latest example of Republican disunity.
With Meghan McCain and former McCain campaign chairman Steve Schmidt calling for the GOP to drop its opposition to gay marriage and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter defecting to the Democrats, Republicans are struggling to maintain an appearance of party unity.
Democrats, sensing blood in the water, have moved in for the political kill.
“It’s sad that because Republican leaders in Congress are so devoid of ideas and direction that Dick Cheney has emerged as the party’s leading voice,” said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. “It’s the divisive politics and failed right-wing policies that Dick Cheney was responsible for over the last eight years that devastated Republicans in the last two elections — yet Republican leaders have ceded the stage to him anyway because they have nothing new to offer themselves.”
But leading conservatives charge any attempt to silence the party on crucial social issues — such as marriage and abortion — would render the GOP “irrelevant.”
“Throw the social conservatives, the pro-life, pro-family people overboard and the Republican Party will be as irrelevant as the Whigs,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said in an interview with the California newspaper The Visalia Times-Delta.
The former presidential contender made his comments with regard to a American political party that largely disbanded in the 1850s, paving the way for the rise of the GOP.
“They’ll basically be a party of gray-haired old men sitting around the country club puffing cigars, sipping brandy and wondering whatever happened to the country. That will be the end of the party.”
A few days ago, Mr. Cheney echoed the same sentiments as the former Arkansas governor.
“The idea that we ought to moderate basically means we ought to fundamentally change our philosophy,” Mr. Cheney told conservative talk-radio host Scott Hennen. “I for one am not prepared to do that, and I think most of us aren’t.”
With Democrats holding solid majorities in Washington, Republicans are scrambling to repair their party’s brand name after eight years of George W. Bush. U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney launched a “listening tour” last week to rehabilitate the party, but Mr. Huckabee questioned the wisdom of the tour.
Mr. Huckabee expressed his frustration about the process of rediscovering his party’s soul, saying the men involved in the “listening tour” were jockeying to be the GOP’s main spokesman and the potential 2012 nominee.
“I’m frustrated with all these people who are jockeying for the position to be the ‘leader,’ “ Mr. Huckabee said. “It’s almost like we’re worried about who’s going to be the drum major and we don’t have a piece of music yet.”
Talks of division started during February when Mr. Limbaugh delivered a well-received call to arms for conservatives at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s (CPAC) convention.
During the speech, Mr. Limbaugh argued the GOP should return to its conservative roots instead of flirting with party moderates. Democrats used the speech to charge Mr. Limbaugh was the de facto leader of the GOP.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
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