Does the GOP “no” crowd matter?
First off they are a year and a half late. The GOP’s offer of more revenue was first made in the summer of 2011. Republicans offered revenue again in the supercommittee. And if the no-to-everything crowd is going to primary people they should include Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and dozens of other solid conservatives who have supported this approach for more than a year. When primarying incumbent conservatives, full disclosure would require that those doing the primarying acknowledge their other brilliant challengers included Richard Mourdock, Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Todd Akin and Ken Buck — losers all.
Smart and sensible conservatives should ignore the drivers of the right-wing loony train and carry on. In a vote, if we ever get that far on a fiscal cliff, the votes of DeMint et al are irrelevant since they are permanent no votes. As for primaries, donors may have qualms about defeating virtually any but the most extreme Republicans.
The joke here is that the mainstream media love the loony express. The engineers on the train to nowhere are useful props for liberals to convince the public that this is what conservatism is. The mainstream media parade the loonies around as the talking heads for the right, as if they represented a majority or even plurality of the party.
Blowback
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You know who really doesnt matter, Rubin? You!
Valkyriepundit on December 5, 2012 at 9:19 AM
If you don’t realize that our problem is a spending issue and not a revenue issue, you are the dummy.
Living4Him5534 on December 5, 2012 at 9:26 AM
Who is Jennifer Rubin and why should I care what she says.
By the way, how was the brie and cavier at those DC parties with your fellow elites.
Danielvito on December 5, 2012 at 9:28 AM
Point of order, Jen-Jen – we were objecting a year and a half ago. We were brushed aside by your bipartisan Party-In-Government kind. All we’re asking now is the two halves officially merge.
Steve Eggleston on December 5, 2012 at 9:28 AM
Guess there was a sale on straw an at the Tyson’s Corner Bed, Bath, And Beyond.
The problem with Rubin and her ilk is that they are so utterly and repletely political in their obsession to get a “deal” (lest the Big Bad Doyennes of the LSM tut-tut them on Sunday Morning), that they don’t recognize that (1) they don’t have a good faith negotiating partner, and (2) any deal that increases ‘revenue’ without committing to spending cuts will be fiscally and economically ruinous long-term.
The “no” crowd is actually trying to make good policy here.
Robert_Paulson on December 5, 2012 at 9:34 AM
It’s a sad day when wanting to actually cut spending and not raise taxes is considered loony. Tired of these beltway GOPers who are ready to raise the white flag…fluke ‘em.
changer1701 on December 5, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Press Secretary for President Romney, oops. Yeah, I went there.
HerneTheHunter on December 5, 2012 at 9:36 AM
So, a loonie is someone who doesn’t want their money stolen from them and given to the useless?
I learn something new every day.
OldEnglish on December 5, 2012 at 9:36 AM
We have an incentives problem.
The vast majority of Government Spending is on negative result incentives.
Social Security, negative incentive results. No Children (live off other people’s children). Early retirement (date certain retirement).
Medicare, negative incentive results. Low priority on long term health. No children (again, life off other people’s children).
Welfare, negative incentive results. Single parenthood (children on average are raised inferior). Fewer workers (subsidized to not work). Increased cost of labor (work competes with free cash). Illegal alien draw (lazy people from other countries move here to live off our production).
This spending is $1,945billion out of $3,600billion of total spending.
astonerii on December 5, 2012 at 9:40 AM
I wish she’d save her vitriol for the wasteful spending of the candidates who won instead of the candidates who lost (and really don’t matter now).
BritCarGuy on December 5, 2012 at 9:41 AM
We need our own Margaret Thatcher to scream down the idiots in government and in the press.
Punchenko on December 5, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Jennifer Rubin is with the “Make War & Spend Money” wing of the Republican party which has been losing elections as of late.
Punchenko on December 5, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Jen wants Republicans to keep failing the exact same way each time. Well, that’s probably going to happen. But I guess the article is a little insurance.
Dongemaharu on December 5, 2012 at 9:49 AM
A WashPost writers says fiscal consevatives don’t matter?
.
Oh Noes! I must rethink my entire life and personal mores!
Perhaps I should rethink my belief in God!
Tell me, Jennifer, what must I do to receive your approval, because it matters so much to me!
LincolntheHun on December 5, 2012 at 9:52 AM
And I swear I’m hearing a lot more of the word “revenue” instead of “money” or “tax” these days.
Dongemaharu on December 5, 2012 at 9:53 AM
Thank you for the info, Punchenko. Not my idea of how to spend money. I prefer to spend money on preventing war, where possible.
OldEnglish on December 5, 2012 at 9:58 AM
FIFM
In other words, don’t be throwing stones, loser, since you helped foist the choice of the unelectable on the country.
txmomof6 on December 5, 2012 at 10:19 AM
Oh, look, Big Government Etch-a-sketch lap dog Rubin scolding conservatives once again for blaming the corrupt gopE for the mess the country is in.
Who would have thunk it?
Hey Rubin, your Big Government losers keep losing. Meanwhile conservatives win in a landslide.
Take your disinformation gopE propaganda somewhere else. We aren’t buying the crap you’re selling! The corrupt gopE is O.V.E.R. We are adopting the corrupt gopE’s motto, “Better a Democrat than someone who is not one of us.” Two can play the corrupt gopE’s childish game. Hope you are truly happy with your permanent minority status.
Jayrae on December 5, 2012 at 10:26 AM
I don’t know who she’s talking about. I mean, sure, we’ve been talking about all the options and “no” to everything and going over the cliff is one. I think most of us would like to see Obama get most of what he wants. It doesn’t hurt the middle class, except for the ones laid off b/c of tax increases on the “rich” and it hurts Obama’s economy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually want a great economy, that includes cheap gas, but people need to see the reality of these idiotic policies. The fact that ObamaTax is going to drop the hammer at the same time should help teach a lesson too.
txhsmom on December 5, 2012 at 10:28 AM
FIFM.
txhsmom on December 5, 2012 at 10:29 AM
Jayrae on December 5, 2012 at 10:31 AM
My problem with Boehner isn’t that he has caved on taxes. He has no choice given political realities.
But if you are going to break the “no new taxes” pledge, make it count. I think Boehner should make those tax hikes as painful as possible on Democratic constituency groups and should also insist on significant spending cuts to go with it.
Instead, Boehner looks like he’s fixing to enter into another Tip O’Neill-style “raise taxes now and we’ll pinky-swear promise to cut spending sometime later” deals that never works. Why on Earth should he do that?
Outlander on December 5, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Her mid-Atlanticism is showing.
A flag-waving nationalist who talked about restraining middle class welfare, taxing the superrich, letting big banks fail, firing government workers, cracking down on illegals and fighting an old-fashioned culture war would have to use her servants’ entrance.
Seth Halpern on December 5, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Does Jen Rubin matter? Especially when speaking of “revenues?”
besser tot als rot on December 5, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Hey Jennifer.
Did it ever occur to you that if you want to win as a conseeeervative that maybe you should stop insulting and alienating the people that you need to vote with you….?
If you and others want to label people of your own party as “loonies” you are doing the bidding of the MSNBC crowd and you can piss off sister.
Now go and reflect why your boy Romney lost.
How many Tea Party rallies did you go to…?
NeoKong on December 5, 2012 at 11:03 AM
This!!
1nolibgal on December 5, 2012 at 11:07 AM
Jesus. What’s with this loon garbage? Rubin has jumped on the left’s Alinsky Express.
Ed – next time you have this clown on your show, make sure to hold her feet to the fire on this (and, of course, for her being an over the top Romney sycophant – did he win Jen??).
besser tot als rot on December 5, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Jim DeMint would have called her a squish.
Just sayin’………..
rockmom on December 5, 2012 at 11:13 AM
And that combination of policy preferences is probably shared by 10% of the people, if that. Care to tell us how you get from there to a majorty?
rockmom on December 5, 2012 at 11:15 AM
It’s called “negotiation.” Do you really think this is Boehner’s final offer?
rockmom on December 5, 2012 at 11:16 AM
We can’t all be winners like Mitt Romney…..
tom on December 5, 2012 at 11:20 AM
This is a coordinated attack by WaPo and NYT by people who claim to be on our side. Read the NYT piece by David Welch (formerly of the RNC) who declares that Buckley would have thrown out the teapartiers from the GOP. He goes on to say that the Establishment should step in, and adults like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie should oust the extremist teapartiers, with the help of Karl Rove and his organisation. Can you believe that? All this is indicative that Boehner will eventually cave, and when we protest, we’ll be castigated as radicals, loonies and screechers. Stupid party indeed.
tommy71 on December 5, 2012 at 11:28 AM
@rockmom: 2012 GOP turnout + stay-at-home populists = majority. In any case it’s the only combination of policy preferences that will keep the GOP from shattering into a thousand points of glass.
Seth Halpern on December 5, 2012 at 11:29 AM
He never wanted less than the full destruction of the middle class. Anyone who believes otherwise is beyond a FOOL.
p.s. Jennifer was in Romney’s azz and it’s a miracle she didn’t suffocate in there.
Schadenfreude on December 5, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Rubin may have a point here. If you’re an advocate of reducing spending and holding the line on taxes, you need to articulate your position well. Make the case that smaller government means more success for people who are hurting. Avoid phrases that might come across as heartless or cruel, because the media will definitely use those quotes first.
Some of the statements that fiscal cons make feed into the stereotype that the GOP doesn’t care about the poor. And that ends up making it harder to shrink government.
hawksruleva on December 5, 2012 at 11:34 AM
The left have surpassed Goebbels and the Rs are right behind.
——–
May everyone who uses the term “revenue” instead of taxes have their head split in two, pronto. God damn you all.
Schadenfreude on December 5, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Jennifer Rubin, the hand maiden to Mitt Romney is lecturing Conservatives on what they should do?
Hey Jen,
1. The Romney wing of the party lost. A proven loser.
2. The Conservatives won big in ’10. Proven winners.
portlandon on December 5, 2012 at 11:43 AM
The 1950s called, it wants its electorate back.
rockmom on December 5, 2012 at 11:43 AM
I think the Romney wing lost in 2008 as well, only then it was the McCain wing.
hawksruleva on December 5, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Which conservatives won in 2010? The loony ones didn’t.
I get it, Rubin deserves derision for her Romney-cheerleading, but I find what she is saying here eminently sensible. We have a Republican brand right now that to most of Americs means “super-rich Wall Streeters + nutty, white, southern fundamentalists.” This is not a winning brand. These wounds are entirely self-inflicted.
rockmom on December 5, 2012 at 11:48 AM
ad hominem:
Is anybody else distracted by Rubin’s severely discolored teeth during her television appearances? I find myself oddly transfixed.
Capitalist Hog on December 5, 2012 at 12:27 PM
She writes an advice column for conservatives in Wapo?
This is her Ten Tips for Republicans
1. Remind the public what the president and his advisers have said.
2. Resist the urge to talk process.
3. Explain in detail the consequences of going over the “fiscal cliff.”
4. Make sure the side-by-side comparison of the two plans is widely distributed.
5. Explain why the president’s plan won’t work and is bad for the economy as a whole.
6. Reiterate that Republicans will increase taxes on the wealthy.
7. Invite the president to a budget summit similar to the health-care summit.
9. Explain the affect on our armed services from the sequestration cuts.
10. Do not draw a line unless ready to hold to it.
There is a name for people like her, but the Americans for Disabilities Act precludes the use of the adjective
entagor on December 5, 2012 at 12:37 PM