A Pathetic Party Turns To Puerto Rico For Help

Photo from The Puerto Rico Herald

And no, this isn't another awkward and weird photo op between John McCain and Daddy Yankee

However, it is let another paradigm of how awful the state of this party is right now.

The Sad Obnxious Party (SOP), needing to go out of the country in order to find some hope, any hope, for their deteriorating party humors the soul and makes you wonder, when will the nadir be the nadir for them.

We all know the SOP is virtually a regional party now, as the South is the last remaining comfort zone at the moment (and Utah and Oklahoma as well, with sadness bestowed to those who live there who know better than their state's majorities). But who knew that they would go way down South, passed the borders, to Puerto Rico, to stimulate their unstimulated movement.

That is what happens when desperation sets in, as the RNC looks to a new nutcase to galvanize their stable of, well, mentally unstables. That latest golden figure is new Puerto Rico governor Luis Fortuno

As he was sworn in Friday, the Republican Governors Association was effusive. "Luis Fortuno proves that principled Republicans can appeal to voters everywhere," said the group's chairman, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. "He is the type of leader the party needs to revive its base and expand its appeal."

But Mr.Sanford, what do you guys truly, TRULY, see in this corporation loving man?

Party leaders view Mr. Fortuno, 48 years old, as an example for Republicans as well as someone who can reach out to Hispanics and other minorities in the U.S. Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan has already made overtures.

Yup, another mouthpiece just to lie to Hispanics real good, just like he did when he cut an ad for McCain last summer. And it must be really hard to figure out what campaign he ran to get elected:

At a forum Monday, Mr. Duncan said he was inspired as he watched the Fortuno inauguration in San Juan. The governor, he said, "ran a very conservative campaign in a state, a territory, that has severe economic problems right now. But he said, 'We don't need these 11,000 new government employees put on by the opposition party. We can't tax our way to prosperity. We will have family values.' "

Yes, they certainly do love their their family values, don't they?

What makes Duncan's comment disturbing is the fact that he is locked step with McConnell and others in their "Party First, Party Second, Party Third" mentality that continues to hold this country at ransom. They could give a damn about bipartisanship unless it benefits them (i.e., the stimulus bill of course).

And you want to know what this new leader of Puerto Rico's favorite magazine is, as well as his inspiration? (Caution: Don't drink anything while you read because you certainly don't wnat to spill this own your computer):

The new governor is undeterred. He says he has subscribed to the National Review since his undergraduate days at Georgetown University in Washington, and credits President Ronald Reagan with helping to shape his political philosophy

My, oh my, no wonder why he wants to make this his first (and seemingly) chief initiative while he is in office:

In fact, Mr. Fortuno says he wants to make the GOP's case to Puerto Ricans starting with his first act as governor: a governmentwide hiring freeze that would eventually shrink the government. That's no small step in Puerto Rico, where the government directly employs 30% of the work force and another 30% benefit from government contracts.

Mr. Fortuno's vision begins with a number of private-public partnerships, particularly for infrastructure development, to absorb some of the excess labor. He's also hoping to apply strict cost-benefit analysis to new legislation to help keep the Puerto Rico's budget balanced. "I've learned that we can't emulate Washington in Puerto Rico," he says. "It will not be easy, but the Puerto Rican people are getting into this with their eyes wide open."

And you want to know, how, just how, this man won (and won in a landslide)? Because his opponent had (and still has) a lot of Ted Stevens in him:

Acevedo Vila, whose Popular Democratic Party - PPD - favors an enhanced commonwealth status for Puerto Rico, is set to go on trial early next year on federal corruption charges.

Apparently, Puerto Rico hasn't elected a Republican in 35 years, and that most likely played a part in him getting elected.

Nevertheless, the focus of this post goes back towards how both dire, petty, and ridiculous the Sad Obnoxious Party is. From the proposed Twitter movement to the President-neglect's continued use of his "Country First" slogan, everyday seems to bring a new low for the SOP. Hell, while watching CSPAN today, you had one fool in the House of Representative for Texas (Louie Golmert) repeat his love for Reagan and how Reagan (get this one) stimulated the economy.

The fact that their ideas sadly have to poison Puerto Rico for the next few years does alarm this soul (as it surly does those who read this). But Josh Marshall titled his observation from this article, and of this party, perfectly:

"Downright Sad" he said. Indeed, it is so.