Dear Commons Community,

David Welch, former research director for the Republican National Committee, has an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times calling on the Republican Party leadership to rein in the extremism of the Tea Party.  He compares the Tea Party with the John Birch Society of the 1960s:

“In the 1960s, William F. Buckley, Jr.,  largely through his position at the helm of National Review, displayed political courage and sanity by taking on the John Birch Society, an influential anti-Communist group whose members saw conspiracies everywhere they looked.

Fast forward half a century. The modern-day Birchers are the Tea Party. By loudly espousing extreme rhetoric, yet holding untenable beliefs, they have run virtually unchallenged by the Republican leadership, aided by irresponsible radio talk-show hosts and right-wing pundits. While the Tea Party grew, respected moderate voices in the party were further pushed toward extinction. Republicans need a Buckley to bring us back.

He recommends:

“Republicans must now identify those who can bring adult supervision back to the party. Replacing Buckley — an erudite and prolific force of nature — with one individual is next to impossible. But we don’t need to. We can face the extremists with credible, respected leaders who have offered conservative policies that led to Republican victories.

Dare I say it, or should I just whisper the word? We need “the Establishment.” We need officials like former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, operatives like Karl Rove and Republican Party institutions.   Mr. Christie and Mr. Bush are ideally suited to drive extremists from the party.”

I agree fully with Welsh’s position but I am not sure that Jeb Bush and Chris Christie are the ones to do it. Jeb Bush’s problem is that he has the Bush name and Christie’s embrace of President Obama during the election leaves him suspect among Republicans.  I would suggest someone like a George Will who put the likes of Donald Trump (bloviated ignoramus) in his place.

We will see!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Mike Bloomberg telephoned Hillary Clinton and encouraged her to run for mayor of New York City when his term ends in December 2013.  The New York Times reported:

“In a phone call confirmed by three people, Mr. Bloomberg encouraged Mrs. Clinton to consider entering the 2013 mayor’s race, trading international diplomacy for municipal management on the grandest scale. She would, he suggested, be a perfect fit…

Mr. Bloomberg’s overture to the former first lady highlights the level of his anxiety about the current crop of candidates, his eagerness to recruit a replacement who can rival his stature and his determination to become a kingmaker in the political arena he will soon exit.

In Mrs. Clinton, it seems, a mayor known for his sometimes unsparing critiques of those in public life sees a globe-trotting problem solver like himself.

During their conversation, Mrs. Clinton left little room for doubt: she was not interested in seeking the mayoralty, people briefed on the call said..

Mrs. Clinton is not a resident of New York City, a requirement for incoming mayors. But she has overcome such hurdles in the past. To establish New York state residency for her 2000 run for Senate, she and her husband bought a home in Chappaqua, N.Y.”

I would add that a reason Mayor Bloomberg would want Hillary to run for mayor is that it would possibly hinder her ability to run for president in 2016 and possibly open the door for his own candidacy.

Tony