According to FairVote.org 25 states hold closed Republican Primaries.  That’s 25 states where the GOP 21%ers can rule the day by choosing the candidate.

Moderate Republicans should be concerned because these numbers give candidates like Sarah Palin the edge.  Actually, all of us should be concerned.  Food for thought.

USAToday covers a Gallup poll in which Americans were asked who speaks for the GOP. A majority of Americans couldn’t name anyone.

A 52% majority of those surveyed couldn’t come up with a name when asked to specify “the main person” who speaks for Republicans today. Of those who could, the top response was radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh (13%), followed in order by former vice president Dick Cheney, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Former president George W. Bush ranked fifth, at 3%.

So the dominant faces of the Republican Party are all men, all white, all conservative and all old enough to join AARP, ranging in age from 58 (Limbaugh) to 72 (McCain). They include some of the country’s most strident voices on issues from Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court to President Obama’s policies at home and abroad. Two are retired from politics, and one has never been a candidate.

The Republican party is the party of old white men, and the relatively youthful (compared to Gingrich and Cheney anyway) Rush Limbaugh was the number one vote-getter. Republicans, haven’t we been telling you that you’re lead by the “RNC” – Rush, Newt, Cheney?

I love this quote:

“We cannot be a party of balding white guys,” says former Republican Party national chairman Ed Gillespie, a White House counselor for George W. Bush. “We have to have a broader appeal, but there’s time for us to make that change.”

That’s what we’ve been telling the Republicans! Will the Republicans listen to Gillespie or is he being RINOed as we speak?

There was lots of interesting data in the poll. 63% of Republicans rated their party favorably and 33% rated their party unfavorably. In contrast, 8% of Democrats rated their party unfavorably.

Question: What comes to mind when you think of …

The Republican Party

1. Unfavorable 25%
2. Conservative 16%
3. Favorable 7%
4. No direction 6%
5. Cater to the rich 6%
6. George W. Bush 4%
7. Close-minded/Not open to new ideas 3%
8. Cater to big business 3%
9. Poor economic conditions 3%
10. Pro-military/Pro-war 2%

The Democratic Party

1. Liberal 15%
2. Favorable 10%
3. For the people 10%
4. Socially conscious/progressive 10%
5. Big spending 8%
6. Unfavorable 6%
7. Self-centered/Out for themselves 4%
8. Big government 3%
9. Barack Obama 3%
10. Welfare 2%

UI’s serious advice is renounce the violent extremists, lessen the emphasis on social issues and find new economic ideas (more than tax cuts for the rich).

There are new poll results out from Gallup about partisan identification, and it’s not good news for Republicans.

The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup. Since the first year of George W. Bush’s presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline.

Voter identification (with leaners) has changed from 45% (D), 44% (R) [33% (D), 34% (I), 32% (R)] in 2001 to 53% (D), 39% (R) [36% (D), 37% (I), 27% (R)] in 2009. That’s a stunning change. In fact, there are now very few Republican-leaning Independents, according to this survey. Republicans have lost with almost every group, they have lost the least ground with people who attend church weekly (no change), conservatives (-1%), 65+ years old (-1%) and nonwhite (-1%). Republicans have lost the most ground with college graduates (-10%), young people 18-29 (-9%) and moderates (-9%). These are not numbers of a growing party.

George W. Bush was a disaster for the country and it’s reflected in the party identification. Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney are failing to persuade people to take a second look at the GOP. I don’t know how much more evidence that Republicans need that they’re heading in the wrong direction.

There’s been a lot of talk over taking people at their word, and when it comes to words no one is better at hijacking them then Conservatives.  Patriot springs to mind, as does family values, life, Judeo-Christian laws, regiment, battle, defense of marriage, and take back America.  Let’s just say when I stumble on a site featuring these words I know exactly what I’m getting.

Branding is something the Republican Party excels, and has worked for them in the past.  Unfortunately, times have changed – Not that the GOP has noticed.

A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

What they expect to accomplish with this stunt is beyond me, but hey, given that labeling Obama a socialist last fall worked so well for them…

The biggest problem for Republicans/Conservatives is not that they haven’t branded or rebranded enough words, it’s that words without substance are just… words.

Seems like a no-brainer to me, especially given what you see on display at nearly every Republican event/press conference/news show.  Lot’s of old white guys.  Where are the Republican women?

Of course, there are fewer Republicans than Democrats of either gender in the two houses. But even on a percentage basis, Republicans suffer a gender gap. Twenty-two percent of House Democrats are women, but only 9.5 percent of House Republicans are. In the Senate, nearly 23 percent of the Democrats are women, but only 10 percent of the Republicans are.

Granted, women from both parties have a long way to go.  That said, it does appear that one party is moving in the wrong direction (ya think?) and it just might end up costing them more votes.

But the imbalance seems to be getting worse. While the Republicans had Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on their presidential ticket in 2008, Democratic women far outnumbered Republican women as general-election candidates for the House in November. There were 96 Democratic women on the ballot — but only 37 Republican women.

In 2006, 70 percent of the women competing in major party primaries were Democrats, according to Laurel Elder, an associate political science professor and gender expert at Hartwick College in New York. And, she says, only five Republican women have chaired congressional committees since 1995. Democratic women currently hold four chairmanships in the Senate and three more in the House — plus the speaker’s gavel, in the hands of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In addition, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) chairs the Joint Economic Committee.

Read the entire article.  My favorite excuse for Republican women not running…

While Palin provided a high-profile role model for Republican women thinking of running for office, her experience was a double-edged sword. Lawmakers say the rough treatment Palin received showcased the nastiness of modern campaigns and underscored the notion that women are susceptible to the charge that they’ve been picked to run because they’re a good demographic fit — and not because they’re the most qualified.

Never mind that Sarah Palin wasn’t remotely qualified or that she was only chosen because she was a woman.  Keep acting as if Hillary Clinton and all the Republican nastiness thrown her way never existed.  By all means, keep pretending… until 2010, and beyond.

Truth is, Republicans are losing everyone.  Their female problems are just one of many, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they succeed on driving Snowe and Collins out by the end of the year.  Eventually there comes a time to stop blaming everyone else for leaving you and look in a mirror.

Rule #1 when having an affair is to never let the wife find out about the mistress.  Silly, because it rarely works out that way – especially if your mistress is a crazy person intent on destroying your marriage.  That said, shame on you for juggling love interests, and shame on you for whispering sweet, contradictory lies in each one’s ear, confident that the two would never meet… and compare notes.

Wondering how this relates to the Republican Party?  Let’s take a look…

Moderate Republicans are the wives of the party.  They were not only reliable votes, they were also trotted out to demonstrate a respectable, steady relationship that deserved recognition.  Sorta like… He can’t be all bad, look at who he’s married to.   They were also taken for granted and ignored.  Moderates became the ultimate trophy wives – decorative and useful when needed,  placed on a shelf and told to be quiet when not.

The Far Right are the party’s mistresses.  For years they were wooed and pacified with promises that one day their love would leave his wife and marry them.  During this time they came to view the wives as the enemy, the sole reason why their lover wasn’t free to be with them.  Whatever sympathy they may have felt for the unsuspecting wife vanished, replaced by an absolute certainty that the wife was to blame for their lover’s broken promises, that she was responsible for holding him back.  Read:  He can never be what he was meant to be as long as he’s saddled with her.

Think I’m off the mark?  Then watch the video DV posted last night.  Chris Matthews asks Rep. Mike Pence (R) if he believes in evolution.  Pence can’t answer the question.  Not because he doesn’t have a response, but because he knows that both his moderate “wife” and conservative “mistress” are watching, each waiting for what they consider the right answer.

But the biggest problem for the Republican Party is the fact that the wife has found out about the mistress and is threatening to walk.  He’s now beside himself, facing the loss of credibility and respectability he has taken for granted.  He’s desperate for things to return to the way they were before.  So not happening.  For you see, the mistress is thrilled with this turn of events.  She’s anxious to take her rightful place at his side, and won’t lose a moments sleep over kicking the wife out the door.

Yes, I did have fun writing this.  And, all snark aside, I think this accurately sums up the situation facing the GOP.  Whatever choice they make someone will be left feeling betrayed.  Right now, they’re desperately trying to make both sides happy.  (Like that’s gonna work.)  The it’s her or me time has arrived – as was inevitable.  In the short term, buckle up for a lot more Spence type non-answers.  In the long term… my money’s on the mistress, because even if she doesn’t hold onto him, in the end she’ll make damn sure that if she can’t have him, no one will.

Via John Cole:

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.’s appearance at a Michigan county Republican Party event was scrapped this week after the county chairwoman said that hosting the moderate Utah governor would mean abandoning the party’s conservative principles.

Kent County Republican Party Chairwoman Joanne Voorhees abruptly canceled the party fundraiser scheduled for Saturday.

“The voters want and expect us to stand on principle and return to our roots. Unfortunately, by holding an event with Governor Huntsman, we would be doing the exact opposite,” Voorhees wrote in an e-mail quoted in The Grand Rapids Press.

Voorhees did not specify which issues she felt were contrary to the party’s principles and did not return messages left at the party headquarters and on her cell phone.

The group Campaign for Michigan Families praised the cancellation, attributing it to Huntsman’s support of civil unions, and urged the Oakland and Kalamazoo county parties, where Huntsman is also scheduled to speak this weekend, to do the same.

Guess he failed the civil unions test.  It seems even Republican litmus tests have litmus tests.   It’s almost as if they’re trying to out conservative each other.   We are witnessing political suicide, and I’ll put money on that 21% dropping  lower.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the “new” Republican Party.

Cheney
Gingrich
Cantor
Jindal
Palin
Limbaugh
Boehner
Beck
Bachmann
Steele

This line up works for me!

*There are plenty more names to add to this list. I have simply chosen the most vocal and most recognizable to the average voter.  Pretty sweet.

Greg Sargent points out the trend.  Republicans aren’t happy with their Republican leaders.

The approval rating of GOP leaders among Republicans has plummeted 12 points in a month, down from 55% in February to a minority of 43% now. That’s striking.

Not only that, but approval of GOP leaders overall has dropped to 28% overall — the lowest rating for GOP leaders in 12 years of Pew polling.

In fact, approval of Republican congressional leaders has fallen from 34% in February to 28% currently, the lowest rating for GOP leaders in nearly 14 years of Pew Research surveys.

Why is this happening? Is it general lack of morale among Republicans? Is it that GOP voters are frustrated that their leaders haven’t succeeded in blocking Obama’s agenda? Or could it be that the Dem strategy of using Rush Limbaugh to drive a wedge between die-hard partisan Republicans and those who want to see Obama succeed is working? Something is turning Republicans against their own leadership — in big numbers.

Hmm… what could possibly be turning Republicans against their leadership?  Could it be that their new RNC Chair is a constant source of embarrassment?  Or that most have come to accept Rush Limbaugh is in charge?  Or does it have something to do with the fact that the Republican Congress has abdicated its role as a governing body in exchange for sitting on the sidelines waiting to say I told you so.

All of these scenarios certainly aren’t helping, and all say the same thing:  Republicans aren’t serious and don’t deserve to be taken seriously.  That is the problem.  If Republican leadership wants Republican support then they need to give them something to support. Yes, it really is that simple.

But feel free to keep telling yourselves that your problems stem from not being conservative enough.  Keep deferring to Rush and, by all means, keep Steele talking (pretty please with sugar on top!), and while you’re doing those things make sure you keep your legislative strategy of “No” because it’s working so well for you.

And, finally, you really should ignore the three polls Sargent cites.  We all know that those dissatisfied GOPers aren’t real Republicans.  Keep up the good work.  I think you’re doing a heckofa job!