Nope They Still Do Not Get It

TW: I get a little nervous that the Republicans might be about to hit bottom with all this talk of "the fall of the Republican Party" including a cover story now on Time magazine. But then something like this piece pops up to keep me confident that still they do not get it. The striking thing to me is not the list of apostates the conservative writer wishes to banish from his party (despite the veracity of Carville's quote- see "quotes of the month" to the right), but who is not on the list. None of the crazy talk radio/TV folks (Glenn Beck...), no mention of the wacky or ineffectual congressional folks (Michelle Bachman, John Boehner, Jim Bunning etc.), just the apostates the ones who deign to try to reform from within and one faux plumber who Lewis would banish not on substance but on the form of an unknown retaining the spotlight.

From Matt Lewis at Politics Daily:
"All this talk about Sen. Arlen Specter's defection...got me fantasizing about other Republicans who ought to follow him out the door.The following list is by no means comprehensive -- and I do reserve the right to amend it -- but for now, these are the 10 Republicans who annoy me most ...

1. Kathleen Parker - If you've heard of Kathleen Parker, it is probably because of her now-famous early criticisms of Sarah Palin...she condescendingly wrote: "Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country." Because Parker is seen as a "conservative" (her articles can be found at National Review and Townhall.com) her early criticism spawned many "even conservatives have turned on her" stories -- and emboldened the mainstream media to continue their attacks on Palin. Of course, this was a brilliant career move for Parker, who now is frequently featured as a Washington Post columnist. I predict she will follow in the footsteps of Arianna Huffington, who, of course, was also a conservative once.
2. Meghan McCain - What can I say about her that hasn't already been said? My position can best be summed up by Matthew Yglesias, who wrote: "To the best of my knowledge we're talking about a young woman who's never accomplished anything or held a job."
3. Chris Buckley - If his endorsement of Barack Obama wasn't enough to make you wonder about this conservative scion, his unflattering portrayal of his late, great parents in his new book should have done the trick. It's one thing to be an apostate, but quite another to be a son who profits from telling the intimate, private details about your parents.
4. Peggy Noonan - It's not her famous MSNBC "open-mic" moment with GOP strategist Mike Murphy at the RNC convention that bothers me most; it is, instead, the tired maudlin shtick of hers that makes me want to jump out the window every time I see her on TV. Noonan has written some good books, but her act has grown old. I can take her increasingly liberal positions -- but not the histrionics.
5. Steve Schmidt - I was an outspoken fan of Schmidt's when he first took over as manager of the McCain operation. Since losing the campaign, though, he has become a bit of a liberal crusader, arguing that the GOP must moderate itself. My take: This former Karl Rove protege should stick to worrying about making the trains run on time -- and leave the opining to someone else.
6. Colin Powell - We once had high hopes for Powell, but those hopes are long gone. One can only assume Powell's resentment over his treatment as Bush's Secretary of State was what pushed him to endorse Barack Obama last year. Sadly, rather than fade away, this old soldier is back again this week with fresh criticisms of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin.
7. Sens. Brownback, Voinovich, Grassley, Hatch, Lugar, et al. -- I lumped these guys together because these Republican senators all have the same attitude, which is that they believe they should be fitted for togas. These guys seem to be competing to become the new Arlen Specter. Who will win???
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger - If anyone thinks that the solution to the GOP's problems is to "moderate," they need look no further than Arnold Schwarzenegger's abysmal approval ratings in California. Now, the Governator is saying he might endorse a Democrat for California governor, which leads me to wonder why anyone would want the endorsement of someone so unpopular.
9. David Brooks and David Frum - I ran into David Brooks on the street the other day, and a kinder, more well-dressed man you will never meet. I've never met Frum, but I suspect he would take a swing at me if he saw me. In any event, I lump this "army of Davids" together because they both fit into the same rubric: Formerly conservative writers who have been co-opted by Barack Obama and the elites in New York and D.C. Why are they listed at number nine? Both have been well behaved these last couple of weeks (that, and David Brooks complimented me on my Baltimore Orioles hat).
10. Joe the Plumber - Joe's conservative philosophy is surprisingly more sound than anyone else on this list. But his 15 minutes are over."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/05/07/top-10-most-annoying-republicans/