The New Face of Republicanism?

This is Ray LaHood, Obama's Secretary of Transportation. He is a Republican, and was a protege of Bob Michel the House Minority Leader from '81- '95. He is a moderate, trained and mentored by the weakest most compromising limp-dicked moderate in modern history. You might call him a loser's loser.

Quoth Mr. LaHood: "I was chief of staff for Bob Michel who served during the time that Ronald Reagan was president, and Tip O'Neill was the Speaker of the House. During the time that Tom Foley was Speaker, Bob Michel was also the Republican leader; and during the time that President Clinton was president, Bob Michel was Republican leader. That whole period of time was a very rich history and legacy of compromise. This is a time that I think most of us that have watched politics have never seen before. This is about continuing to have a strong economy and continuing to compromise and take maybe a couple of chapters out of Tip O'Neill, Bob Michel, Ronald Reagan, President Clinton, people that have served in this town with distinction and gotten big things done through compromise."

Well I know a little something about that period of time having lived through it, and the first thing that jumps out is Michel wasn't a leader of anything during the Clinton years, Gingrich was Speaker starting in 1993. And during the Reagan years Bob Michel was invisible. Reagan scared the Holy crap out of the guy and he did what he was told, and that is the only reason he was allowed to keep his position. Throughout his miserable career he was the Democrat's favorite butt-boy. Hell, Tip O'Neill often times wouldn't even let Republicans sit in on Committee meetings. And Reagan knew who the guy was, he himself negotiated with the Speaker and wouldn't let Bob Michel near O'Neill because he knew the punk would give away the store.

Are we becoming the Party of guys like Bob Michel and Ray Lahood? Are we going to compromise and moderate and take the attitude that what's yours is yours and what's mine is negotiable? Do we just want to get along and avoid criticism and take whatever crumbs fall from the table? Democrats are forever telling us to go moderate, go to the middle, that's where the votes are. Bullshit, if that were true they wouldn't be telling us. Voters buy what you're selling or they don't. With the average voter it's more about conviction and character and a million other intangibles that defy description. But they can smell a loser a mile away, and they never vote for one.