Is Crossroads the new RNC?

It is hard to fathom that a donor can make a $10M contribution to Crossroads yet they don't have to be revealed.  Rove and the rest of his group attack Democrats but what is the difference?  They have taken fundraising, attack politics, and dishonesty to a new low level in the opinion of a lot of the grassroots Republicans and Democrats.  Looks like we are joined by at least one State Chair from PA but then he saw what these people along with the Romney Super PAC did to former Senator Santorum.

Gillespie has supposedly gone to work for Romney but they want us naive suckers to believe that there is no coordination.  Rove and company set out to make Romney the nominee for the establishment and he got the job done with 'scorched earth' all over the place.  He may be one of the most unethical consultants in either party today yet he is front and center on Fox News which doesn't say a lot about the integrity of Fox News and Roger Ailes.

Now we have two parties that are virtually identical controlled by big money who when they snap their fingers these office holders better jump.  How did this happen?  How did our political system get sold to the highest bidder so they continue to make their money because they control many members of the Congress and now want complete control of the White House with one of their own -- Mitt Romney.  Beginning to think this could be worse then with Obama and I cannot believe I just said that.  We knew Obama was a liberal but we also know that deep down so his Romney no matter how they try to dress him up as conservative.  He is underhanded and devious so who knows what he would be like in the White House.

When you read this, it makes you sick if you have been involved in honest politics over the years but then Rove from the time he was a College Republican has been about dirty tricks and underhanded tactics to get candidates elected or defeat those his handlers didn't like.

Is this what we have to look forward in year's to come because if it is, why do any of us bother to vote or help any candidates except at the local level.  If the members of Congress won't stand up to Rove, Soros and the ilk in Congress to fix this mess, then why bother to have elections?  Just have both parties pick the nominee and tell us who to vote for which is what we are seeing today.

Shame on the establishment of the Republican Party for allowing this to happen because they are so greedy for money and power -- they are no different then the establishment of the Democrats.  Maybe it is time for the grassroots of both parties to join together and get behind candidates who are honest and let the two national parties and their Super PACs try and find votes or are they going to do voter fraud like this primary when the votes are not there?  If anyone thinks I am thoroughly disgusted, then they would be correct.

This is wrong on so many levels.  How do we fix it?  That is the $64,000 question but where there is a will there is a way.   The grassroots of both parties are not going to sit down and shut up while the establishment of both parties attempt to run over us and tell us what to think.  It is not happening.

Outside groups cast outsized shadow over RNC

By MAGGIE HABERMAN |
4/20/12 6:19 PM EDT 

I reported last night that American Crossroads and Crossrads GPS have raised a combined $100 million so far this cycle, a third of the way toward their overall goal, and Ken Vogel and James Hohmann add a bit more context:

Here at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Resort, the Republican National Committee is mired in the minutiae of the nominating calendar and convention rules.  

Meanwhile, back at 1401 New York Ave., NW, in a nondescript office suite in downtown Washington, the decisions that could make or break Republicans in 2012 are being made. It’s the headquarters of the Karl Rove-linked Crossroads groups, the center of a network of unlimited-money outsiders.  

Crossroads alone announced Friday it had raised $100 million through the end of last month for its 2012 efforts. And while it’s debatable whether the haul puts Crossroads on pace to raise the jaw-dropping $300 million it hopes to spend during campaign 2012, it definitely puts them on the same plane as the RNC, which had raised $122 million for its 2012 efforts through March. Crossroads has even raised more money this year, pulling in $49 million to the RNC’s $44 million.  

But it’s not just Crossroads’ money that poses a threat to the RNC. While the official GOP navigates bureaucracy and internal tensions, outside groups led by just a handful of seasoned operatives are quickly and quietly coordinating their strategies and ad buys in regular meetings held in Crossroads’ conference room. 

The fundraising ability, influence and efficiency of these groups is raising questions about whether this year isn’t just a fluke, but the new normal — where outsiders are the real power center of conservative politics.  

Some party operatives say they hope not — questioning the outside groups’ secretive style and their commitment to get-out-the-vote activities and other organizing grunt work that’s critical to party politics.   

“The money’s misguided going to these super PACs,” said Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Rob Gleason, who is attending the RNC meeting here. 

“The state parties and the presidential candidates need the money in order to develop voter-turnout models and get the people out,” he said. While he welcomed “these big checks from these big fellas” giving to Crossroads and other outside groups, Gleason added “I don’t know where the hell all that money goes.” 

While Democrats are also trying to outsource some of their political work to unlimited-money outside groups, their donors have been reluctant to support their own version of the Crossroads network.  

On the Republican side, it’s easy to see the advantages. The RNC model is a plodding bureaucracy governed by 168 sometimes-feuding elected members and limited to $30,800-maximum contributions – all of which have to be disclosed. 

The Crossroads model is a low-overhead attack machine helmed by Rove, Carl Forti, Ed Gillespie and a handful of other battle-hardened GOP operatives who are answerable only to the few dozen super-rich donors underwriting the operation with seven- and eight-figure checks – the biggest of which are not disclosed.  

On the one hand, the shift sounds like something the Heritage Foundation would recommend for the federal government – a pure manifestation of the efficiencies that Republicans hold dear. On the other hand, though, it raises red flags for some Republicans, who worry that Crossroads has spawned an extra-party infrastructure that lacks accountability, could siphon off resources from party committees and candidates, and shift the GOP’s focus away from grassroots organizing to an attack-ad-centric strategy.    

At best, Party loyalists say, the RNC, which is legally barred from coordinating with Crossroads and other outside groups,could benefit by ceding the ad wars to them.

Put another way - folks like Rove, Gillespie and Forti have as great and, in some ways, greater sway with a core group of Republicans than the RNC does. Crossroads GPS does not have to disclose its donors, and got a donation of $10 million that went undisclosed - a point its critics highlight as a measure of a lack of transparency. 

The missions are different - the RNC is tasked with working in concert with state parties to coordinate staffing, phones, volunteers and offices in key states. The RNC can also hire people and coordinate with Boston, which the outside groups cannot do. But as the debate rages over how much of a role paid media will play in moving the dial, it's hard to overlook the financial edge of groups that will flood the airwaves.
* This post has been updated
Source:  Politico

Are Rand Paul and Bob McDonnel on the Short List of VP Candidates by Romney?

Republicans across the Country have been asking what agenda Ron Paul shares with Romney because he refuses to say anything against Romney while being aggressive against other candidates.  Then last night a good friend sent me the Daily Caller link about Rand Paul for Vice President and all of a sudden the puzzle pieces fit.

Started thinking recently that the attacks on Rick Perry by Bachmann started with Ron Paul doing a favor for Romney since she is a huge Ron Paul person.  Establishment types especially Bush 41, Karl Rove, and Romney were scared to death of Perry getting traction so they would be willing to use anyone to go after Perry.  It never occurred at the time that Paul aligning himself with Romney was happening as Ron Paul is almost a 180 degrees from Romney or is he?  Now wondering if Paul is actually more liberal then he portrays himself to be or could there be another reason?  How about his son, Senator Rand Paul, for Vice President?

These two stories within one day of each other speak volumes.  Could not figure out why Paul was supporting Romney and being his attack dog after Bachmann got out of the race.  Now it makes sense.  He is trolling for his son to run as the VP for Romney knowing that neither Gingrich or Santorum would come close to putting Rand Paul on the ticket.  That thought wouldn't even cross their mind.

February 22, 2012
Rand Paul says ‘it would be an honor to be considered’ as Romney’s veep (this explains a lot) 

On Wednesday, Chuck Todd, NBC News’ political director and host of MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown,” rhetorically asked: “Just what has Romney promised Ron Paul.” 

Nobody knows if some sort of bargain has been made, but it is interesting that Rep. Ron Paul has never really attacked Mitt Romney, yet he has frequently attacked more conservative candidates at just the moment they were beginning to pose a threat to Romney. (For example, consider his latest ad, attacking Rick  Santorum.) 

The timing has been noticeable. 

Now, a Kentucky media outlet, WFPL News, might be offering us a clue: 

Kentucky’s junior senator says it would be an honor to be considered as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. 

… After a speech in Louisville today, [Sen. Rand] Paul held that door firmly open, saying he wants to be part of the national debate. 

… “I don’t know if I can answer that question, but I can say it would be an honor to be considered,” he said. 

Of course, this could be much ado about nothing — just a politician answering a question. On the other hand, it is sure to spark more speculation that some sort of deal may be in the works between the Romney and Paul camps. It’s not as if Ron Paul’s campaign hasn’t stoked speculation. As the Dallas Morning News reported, Paul’s national campaign chairman, Jesse Benton, recently said: “Any Republican should have Rand Paul on his short list.” 

On the surface, tapping Paul as veep might not make sense. But conservatives are refusing to go along and eat the dog food with Romney — and adding Rand Paul to the ticket would fire conservatives up – and ensure that Ron Paul drops any plans to launch a 3rd party challenge. And just imagine if Romney arrives at the GOP convention needing some of Paul’s delegates to win the nomination? 

It’s not an absurd idea.

Read more:  The Daily Caller

Rand Paul is showing that he will throw conservative values overboard in his quest to be VP as a stepping stone to the White House.  We had doubts about Rand Paul when he ran for Senate in Kentucky when he semi-pulled away from his Dad to get elected.  Thought it might be all programmed on his part to show himself independent of his Dad when he wasn't.  Turned out it was all for show to get elected.  He is a grand stander and always trying to get attention even as a Freshman in the Senate.  Still not sure he is this big conservative or is he playing the part?  I am opting for playing the part  Look at Jim DeMint who endorsed Romney in 2008.  He is not endorsing in the primary -- think he learned his lesson on Romney or at least I hope he did.

Now we have Rand Paul who took office as a Senator in January of 2011, held no other political office before that, wanting to be on the national stage.  That is less time than Obama spent in the Senate and he was a State Senator before that.  What does Rand Paul bring to the ticket?  A younger version of Ron Paul and his Libertarian views?  Our military will be right in the bulls-eye with a Romney/Paul ticket.

If Rand Paul is truly on the list, it shows that Romney will do anything to get the Ron Paul delegates especially if they would put him over the top.  Just don't see a Romney/Paul ticket -- talk about a strange ticket -- that one would take the cake.  One thing it would do would show some conservatives who support the Paul family that they will do whatever it takes for power selling themselves to a moderate to liberal Republican politician Romney.

First it was the story about Rand Paul and now Governor Bob McDonnell of VA tosses conservative values out the window to appeal to Romney for VP.  Enough to make your head spin after Pawlenty sold his values out to attack Rick Santorum for Romney in order to get his campaign debt paid down.  It is duly noted that Romney had promised to help Pawlenty with his debts when Pawlenty quit the campaign, but it didn't happen until after Pawlenty made the conference call attacking Santorum.   No one needs to be a consultant to figure that one out that once Pawlenty made the call Romney called into the donors to help retire his campaign debt.

Found this gem about Bob McDonnell as I was reading RedState.com this morning which makes perfect sense why McDonnell is throwing conservatives values out the window.  He should have done a better job of choosing his aides since they seem to be on the liberal side:

VA Governor Bob McDonnell Hangs VA GOP Out To Dry 

Is he abandoning pro-life legislators as the price of being Mitt's running mate?

Posted by streiff (Diary)
Wednesday, February 22nd at 10:05AM EST

[UPDATE: I'm informed by someone very much in touch with the Virginia political scene that the root of the problem is the Bob McDonnell's staff are, at the best, pro-life squishes and they are presently negotiating with themselves over the best way of selling out.] 

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, a Romney supporter and leading contender for the VP spot on a Romney-headed ticket, demonstrated his complete philosophical alignment with Romney yesterday by flipflopping on a bill he has championed and in the process hanging VA GOP delegates out to dry. 

For those who haven’t been paying attention, Virginia’s legislature has been going after the abortion industry root and branch. Last year they passed a law requiring aborttoirs to be regulated as if they did what they do: perform a surgical procedure which can be life threatening. This year a bill is being finalized that requires a woman seeking an abortion to see ultrasound pictures of the baby. Somehow this bill, which does not require any medical procedure the woman was not going to receive in the first place, has the pro-abortion lobby in a tizzy. Dahlia Lithwick at Slate has predictably styled this as rape. 

Up until yesterday, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell had unconditionally supported the bill.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, focusing new attention on one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly this year.\ 

Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment. 

As the political damage has already been done to the GOP senators who have taken a courageous stand on this issue, one may rightfully ask why a governor who is barred from running for re-election wouldn’t stand behind the very people he encouraged to take up the bill in the first place? 

“Something is happening,’’ Jessica Honke, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said hopefully. 

Yes, indeedy. Something is happening. 

There is only one explanation that fits all the facts. McDonnell wants to be Mitt Romney’s choice for vice president should Romney almost certainly win the GOP nomination. The ultrasound bill is causing too much controversy and probably has Romney’s handlers wearing brown trousers at the thought of having to actually take a pro-life position in a general election campaign. McDonnell takes to opportunity to look moderate and abandons ship. 

In fact, McDonnell’s actions are really a great metaphor for Mitt Romney’s political career. 

So, again, we are on the verge of having a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory by someone who appears to be more concerned with what people who will never like him are saying rather than doing the right thing. 

In a way, it is sort of fitting that this story breaks on Ash Wednesday. Maybe McDonnell should swear off political games for the next 40 days.  

Source:  Red State  (my bold in the article)

Going to throw out something that has been bothering me about Governors McDonnell and Christie.  As soon as Perry declared he was running, he gave up being the Chair of the Republican Governor's Conference (RGA) because he didn't think it was fair to run for President and also be the RGA Chair.  Look at who steps up to the plate:  two Romney supporters McDonnell and Christie as Chair and Vice Chair.  Then you add the fact that McDonnell agreed with the ballot access law keeping all but Romney and Paul off the VA ballot.  A judge said the ballot access law was unconstitutional but candidates should have filed their suit at the beginning of the process so he ruled in favor of Virginia.  So what does McDonnell do knowing the ballot access law is unconstitutional?  He goes right ahead with only having Romney/Paul on the ballot.  Now he wants to be VP?

Believe the word is 'sellout' to describe McDonnell.  Then we have Christie who has been a very vocal attack dog against Santorum.  Before that Christie had snarky comments about Perry while McDonnell shows up for Romney in SC.  Were they set up by Romney/Rove to help take out Perry so Romney would have his people heading the RGA?  Sounds far fetched but what I have seen in this election makes me think that Romney and his people including Rove will say and do anything to get Romney the nomination.  They don't care if they are ethical or Romney has to lie about where he stands on issues.  Is it the end game of a Mormon becoming President and as some Mormons have been posting about using the White House to outreach around the world for the Mormon Church and turning America into a Mormon Country?  Frankly the more I read about the Mormon connection, the more I agree with Franklin Graham and others about the Mormon Church.

There is an excellent article, What POTUS Campaigns Say About the Candidates and Their Supporters , on the Pink Flamingo that everyone should read as it discusses not only the candidates and their supporters but the Mormon Church compared to the Nicene Christianity and is very enlightening:

“…Unlike Nicene Christianity, Latter-day Saints believe that the scriptures teach of multiple types or levels of salvation ..."

The Mormon Church has been brought up first in 2008 by Romney as he tried to convince everyone at a speech at the Bush 41 Presidential Center on Texas A&M that they were just like any other religion but they are not like any church I know.  The more it has come out about Romney as a Mormon who is part of the church hierarchy, the more you realize that you should take a look at the Mormon Church.  The Pink Flamingo has done just that.

This has been an election of  'scorched earth' pretty much from the day Romney entered the race.  Any candidate gets near Romney and the Romney bought and paid for attack dogs surface.  Seems Romney was involved with Chistie and McDonnell campaigns for Governor in 2009 with donations and help.  Today McDonnell and Christie are very pro-Romney who will do anything to get him elected.  Now we learn McDonnell wants to be the VP?  Imagine that!

This is the same Romney who endorsed and donated to Kay Bailey the more moderate Texas Senator when she took on Rick Perry for Governor in 2010 and lost in a three person race.  The third person was a Paul supporter.  Looks like the Romney/Paul connection was alive and well in the Texas Republican Primary in 2010 when Paul camp ran a 'Truther'  in the Republican primary who was outed by Glenn Beck.   Perry won in the primary without  a runoff as he just got 50%.  Do you see a pattern developing from the Romney camp?

It is becoming clearer as time has gone on that Romney buys endorsements by supporting candidates and paying off their campaign debt by getting Bain Capital connections to help along with family.  The 2010 election was about Romney throwing money around to candidates so they would support him in 2012 -- Ayote (NH Senator), O'Donnell (I am not a Witch), Haley (Governor of SC), Pam Bondi (AG of FL) and the list goes on to include other candidates running for the House and Senate.  In the Presidential race it was Pawlenty and Cain.  We are waiting to see the Bachmann FEC report.

Must be nice to have a sugar daddy pay off your campaign debts or help finance your campaign, but is it worth it in the end to sell out your values?  It is one thing to endorse but to be so underhanded and on the attack for Romney is another.

I do have a major problem with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Republican Governor's Association being so vocal in their attacks like Christi or being under handed like McDonnell against a current sitting Governor to keep him and others off the ballot.  Now we learn that McDonnell has tossed Republican State Senators in VA under the bus on a bill he said he would sign.  Why?  One word:  "ROMNEY" -- McDonnell must feel he will have a better chance at VP if he appears more moderate.

When did Republican conservatives become such sellouts?

Karl Rove is no Friend of Rick Perry or Conservatives

Cannot believe I am posting something from The Daily Beast but in this case, he is saying what I have been saying for some time about Rove and Bush 41 attacking Rick Perry and conservatives in general.  In 2006 when Republicans lost the election Rove didn't seem to mind yet he was the one put in charge of keeping the Congress in that election?  Then Bush 43 seemed almost glad the Democrats took over Congress so he could get immigration reform passed.

The attacks on Perry really started getting nasty when they decided to take him out with Kay Bailey in the primary of 2010 which was orchestrated by Rove, Karen Hughes, and Bush 41 with Bush 43 sitting on the sidelines.  Rove even got Romney to endorse Kay Bailey and she has endorsed Romney.  Cong Pete Sessions who runs the NRCC has been a long time supporter of Gov Perry and replaced the Bush person at NRCC.  Hughes and Rove almost cost Bush the 2000 election with hiding the fact of the DUI which came out almost at the last minute and then Hughes inserts herself to go speak for Bush.  That was bad.

Rove's, Crossroads, was started IMHO to help fund Romney's campaign in 2012 after he spent so much of his own money in 2008 on his failed campaign.  Said yesterday on here that I believed that Karl Rove is planting these negative articles against Perry with his buddies in the media.  Now this morning I get this in my email as one of many emails I get every day with updates from both sides.  I am even on the NY Times Breaking News and get other articles so I look at both the right and left for articles.  This one made my jaw drop about Rove and how he is going after Perry only because it says what I have been telling people behind the scenes for a long time after doing the research.  Said during the Texas primary it was Rove and Bush 41 going after Perry to take him out of any chance of running for President.  They failed then and will fail this time.

Today will go one step further to say it is my belief based on what I know that Rove took took out George Allen in 2006 because he 2004 he came to the rescue of Tom Coburn in his race for OK Senator.  Rove and company had shut off all inside the beltway fundraising to Dr. Coburn but George Allen, Dick Cheney, and Club for Growth came to the rescue.  Dr. Coburn was the last person that Rove and Bush wanted in the Senate because he would stand up to some of their economic policies along with their wasting of taxpayer dollars.  Who planted all the negative stories on Allen to defeat him with a Bush 41 person?  My money is on Rove.  In fact, I would bet on it.

Now Rove and Bush people are attempting to get Ryan or Christie in the race but neither are biting.  In fact both should think long and hard about getting involved with Rove as the friend today is the enemy tomorrow if you cross him.

This article says it all and along with others believe it is totally factual when it comes to how desperate Bush 41 and Rove are to keep the status quo of the elites being in charge who come from the Ivy League.  They always considered Reagan a hick as well.

Those negative stories you are seeing in the conservative libertarian media like the Washington Examiner not to mention some of the liberal media come right out of the Rove playbook for Bush 41 who sees Romney threatened along with the elitist threatened by a Rick Perry candidacy.  In fact, Rove is NO friend to conservatives period -- it is about time they got through their heads he favors the elitist of both parties over conservatives and the grassroots movement.  Reading this article had me going -- the truth is finally getting out in the open.  Taken long enough.

What I don't agree with is the outcome.  Perry has been on the opposite side of Rove and Bush 41 for sometime starting with his taking on John Sharp for Lt Governor in 1998 and winning in spite of Rove working against him.  Fortunately he didn't follow his advice and listened to his own people.  Bush 41 and Rove consider Perry a dumb West Texas hick since he has no Ivy League education.  Perry knows how dirty they play and so do his staff and supporters.  IMHO this is a last gasp by the Bush 41 group going back to when Nixon was President.  Check out the links and you find the same people keep appearing in and out of Government as part of the Bush 41 cabal.

Bush 41 tried to undermine President Reagan every step of the way and now the race in 1988 makes more sense since the Reagan loyalists had little to do with that campaign.  Then in 1992, Bush passed the mantel of being a President from the Ivy League to Bill Clinton with Bush running a horrible campaign and then to his son and now Obama -- Yale, Yale, Yale/Harvard, Harvard.  Hillary would have been another Yale grad.

The deal on Libby and outing a CIA agent never smelled quite right and somehow we wondered if it was Rove getting back at Cheney through Libby for Coburn.  Someday the truth will come out.  We know that Dick Cheney may have been in the Bush inner circle but he was always his own person not afraid to say what he thought which many times went against Bush 41.  Only member of the main Bush 41 cabinet that didn't buy into trusting the Russians.

Parts of this article we do not agree with and will add our comments in parenthesis:

Perry’s War With the Bushies
Aug 17, 2011 11:31 PM EDT 

Karl Rove and his operatives appear to have launched a campaign to derail Rick Perry’s 2012 bid, beginning with criticisms that he is 'unpresidential.' Matt Latimer on a decade-old feud over power and money. 

Just because Karl Rove is behind a plot doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work. That we’re still talking about the former Bush aide at all is a testament to his singular tenacity. (Perry's team and supporters know what he was getting into and how dirty Rove can play the game)

How has he done it? The man helped elect the Pelosi Congress—it was Rove who in 2006 was in charge of holding on to GOP majorities in the House and Senate. He helped elect Barack Obama—insisting that John McCain was the only “electable” Republican in 2008 and bad-mouthing most of the others running. His indispensable support of his boss' overspending and government bailouts even helped create the Tea Party, which has bedeviled Rove and other GOP establishment figures ever since. 

And yet billionaire donors to the Republican Party seem oblivious to the record, handing Rove big, fat checks to fund his activities further. (Reported that a lot of those donors will drop Rove's Crossroads to go to Perry) Perhaps this is because he is charming and witty, has a statistic for every occasion, never stops calling people until he gets what he wants, says all the right things about battling “them liberals,” and wallpapers himself across The Wall Street Journal’s editorial pages and Fox News Channel, where his words are rarely challenged. To his everlasting credit, Rove has truly lived up to his Bush-conferred nickname, “Turdblossom.” He can make any mess he's involved in still smell sweet. 

His brazen and transparent attacks on a leader of his own party, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, may be the greatest test yet of Rove’s remarkable resilience. Some, in fact, are starting to question if we have at last reached “the moment.” Years from now, will we look back at the 2012 primary season as the time when Rove put on his Fonzie jacket, flashed a thumbs-up sign, and then—finally—jumped the shark? 

Yes, at long last, the 2012 race is actually starting to get interesting.

For years, Rove has made it a hobby of sorts to deflate conservatives more popular with the base than he is. Like any good bully, he has tended to focus on easy targets, such as Sarah Palin and Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, piling on them as if he were hoping for a time slot next to Al Sharpton on MSNBC. So far he has (mostly) gotten away with this. 

Now he and his henchmen are undertaking their most serious gamble. Rick Perry managed to shine in Texas without Rove's permission, and now threatens to become the current Republican frontrunner without Rove’s blessing. This, Rove has decreed, must be stopped, even if his party is destroyed in the process. 

The origins of the Rove grudge against Perry really matter only to a handful of people. Suffice it to say it stems from some decade-old feud over power and money. And Rove has lassoed the entire Bush family in on it. The former presidents Bush have made it a great point not to comment on the actions of their successors—Clinton and Obama, respectively. They think there is a nobility to staying out of the fray and not making things more difficult for the next commander in chief. 

Yet the Bushes have shown no compunction about doing just that to a fellow Republican and fellow Texan (though Perry is the only one of them actually born in the state). 

While in the White House, Bush 2 and his aides regularly scoffed at Perry for reasons that were never fully clear, making fun of his syntax and intellectual prowess without any sense of irony. In 2010 the Bush family, along with Rove and Karen Hughes, undertook an unprecedented effort to kick him out of the governor’s chair, handing a crowbar to Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, whom they judged more "electable." Perry walloped her in the GOP primary, then went on to win a historic third term in the general election by a double-digit margin. So much for electability.

A Perry victory would end whatever chokehold the Bushes still have on the GOP establishment. (My bold and red)

But Rove is nothing if not persistent. Now he and his operatives seem to have something close to a war room against Perry, scrutinizing his every statement in an attempt to cut his young candidacy short. After Rove called Perry “unpresidential,” former Bush press secretary Tony “Ralph Malph” Fratto joined in—calling Perry, you guessed it, “unpresidential.” This was followed in quick succession by similar sentiments from a former Rove aide, Pete “Potsie” Wehner. Meanwhile, two “unnamed” Bush aides (wonder who they could be?) issued the following warning to The New York Times: “If you’re really trying to be the nominee and want to go the distance, you just don’t want the former president of the United States and his people working against you.” (Then again, that’s what the Bushes told Kay Bailey Hutchison.) 

Whatever the rationale, this is truly a bizarre thing for the Bushies to do. Openly attacking a legitimate Republican contender used to be considered bad form, especially in the noblesse oblige world of Greenwich and Kennebunkport from which the Bushes actually hail. And it may finally sever the already tenuous link between the Bush era and the conservative base of the GOP. 

The Bushes are usually more cautious than this, which means they must feel they have no other choice. A Perry victory would end whatever chokehold the Bushes still have on the GOP establishment. It would cut off many donors to Rove, Inc. Worse yet, Karl Rove and his compatriots simply cannot fathom the idea of having to sit on Fox News for four years defending the policies of the man who dared to cross them. 

Perry’s response to all this has been clever and obvious: total silence. He has nothing to gain by stoking an intraparty war. And he need not worry about a bunch of operatives who took the last presidency they managed to a 13 percent approval rating. The former governor may also remember what happened to the Fonz after he jumped that shark. Though the show lingered on for a few more years, it was never quite the same. 

Source:  Matt Latimer

Our money is on Perry and his advisers -- Rove hasn't been looked at like the guru except by the Wall Street Journal and Fox News for sometime.  Now even some big donors are waking up that Rove is about maintaining the status quo with the elitist and would destroy the Republican Party if needed to in order to get his way.  Grassroots conservatives whether they are part of the Tea Party or not are not going to allow that to happen and you can take to the bank.  Our big donors from oil and gas have been encouraging Perry to get in the race.  Veterans for Perry PAC has sprung up because they know Rick Perry is a true veteran who flew C-130's on missions around the globe and has been a huge supporter of theirs as Texas Governor.

There are many of us who supported Bush 43 who are disappointed in what we are seeing out of Rove and the Bush Family against Rick Perry starting with the 2010 Texas Governor's primary.  We stand firmly with Governor Perry and if this puts an end to the Bush 41/Rove trying to run the Republican Party and pick our candidates, that will be an extra added benefit.

McConnell: Reid, Democrats will write real health care bill behind closed doors

The Truth Comes out thanks to the Washington Examiner. When are the other media outlets going to let the American people know what is happening? We will continue to monitor and keep you posted on what other outlets report this underhanded tactic by Reid and Senate Democrats. So much for even a hint of bi-partisanship!

McConnell: Reid, Democrats will write real health care bill behind closed doors

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
10/08/09 12:48 PM EDT

That much-ballyhooed Baucus version of Obamacare is irrelevant, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will write the real Senate version of Obamacare and he will do it in secret.

“This partisan Finance Committee proposal will never see the Senate floor since the real bill will be written by Democrat leaders in a closed-to-the-public conference room somewhere in the Capitol,” McConnell said. He pointed to a Politico story yesterday and a New York Times story last week in which Reid's top aides began drafting the text that will actually be sent to the Senate floor, perhaps as early as next week.

Only a select group is allowed to participate in the drafting, including Reid's chief health care advisors, White House officials, and key aides to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.) and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who has filled in for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in pushing for health care reform.

SOURCE: Washington Examiner