The GOP civil war is heating up.
The conservative advocacy group, American Principles in Action, is out with a new report ripping parts of the Republican National Committee’s 2012 autopsy. In it, the RNC admitted its need for an extreme makeover, which includes reaching out to minorities, letting gay voters know “we care about them too,” and championing comprehensive immigration reform.
"We believe the conventional explanation emerging from the Republican National Committee’s ‘autopsy’ report gets the core issues exactly wrong,’ reads the report from American Principles in Action, a conservative advocacy group. ‘Accepting this emerging conventional wisdom will, in our view, likely consign the GOP to a permanent minority status.’”
The report argues that the party does not need to abandon its position on social issues. It says life issues do not hurt GOP candidates and can actually “help them win elections.” The report says it’s the GOP’s economic message that needs an overhaul in reaching out to working and middle-class voters.
Never mind the fact that a Bloomberg National Poll in November shows 55% support gay marriage while 36% are opposed. Or a Quinnipiac poll from July showing 58% of Americans believing abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Indeed, there seems to be a deep split between establishment Republicans and the Tea Party, most recently evidenced by the fight to tie any spending plan to defunding or delaying Obamcare.
Meanwhile, the establishment GOP looks like it’s preparing to attack the far right-wing, arguing it’s the Tea Party that’s the problem.
“Hopefully we’ll go into eight to 10 races and beat the snot out of [the Tea Party], former Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio told the National Journal. His new political group, Defending Main Street, hopes to raise $8 million to fight Tea Party candidates in favor of mainstream GOPers
Rob Jesmer, the former executive director of the National Republcian Senatorial Committee told the National Journal that the infighting could be “the new normal,” at least “until we have a nominee people can rally around in 2016.”
On Thursday night's Hardball, Republican strategist John Feehery told host Chris Matthews that "The establishment wing [in the GOP] is not winning...they've got to fight back in the primaries."
Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for Obama, said he doesn't think Republicans will be able to "run away from their positions on social issues," but will only be able to distance themselves from particular candidates (Read: Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock).