Tom DeLay anguishes over the GOP's immediate future

The Washington Times on Sunday teased a recent interview some of its staff had with Tom DeLay with a short story reporting that the conservative firebrand is having no success persuading his wife to back presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Christine DeLay, the once all-powerful House majority leader from Texas told the newspaper, is planning to vote for Libertarian candidate Bob Barr.

Today, the Times gets to the guts of DeLay's comments: His dire view of what looms for the GOP, at least in the near term.

The core problem, in DeLay's view, is that in the age of the Internet, Democrats have adapted more adroitly than Republicans to tapping into the power of independent groups who share their philosophy but don't want to be part of a traditional party structure (think MoveOn.org).

"People out there that are making decisions are not focusing, in my opinion, on what it's going to take to rebuild the conservative movement and rebuild the Republican Party. They're living with 10-, 15-year-old technology. They still believe if you raise enough money, go on television enough, you're going to win. Those days are over," DeLay says in the story (which can be read in full here.)

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Mitchell Aboulafia]

Oh,my, Tom Delay is worried?! Is this some sort of Republican master plan? I doubt it. The fact is that he is right about this one. On a list of a (baker's) dozen reasons why Obama is going to win, #2, 4, and 5.

2. The Organization Factor: Obama has built a remarkable organization. Nothing quite like it has been seen before in its capacity to raise money, generate enthusiasm, and get out the vote. For more on the uniqueness of Obama’s organization, see Joshua Green’s piece, “The Amazing Money Machine” http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200806/obama-finance and Marc Ambinder’s “His Space” in The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200806/ambinder-obama

4. The Republican Factor: They are in disarray and have money problems. This will have an impact on the Presidential race. How much? Good question. But no doubt it will have some.

5. The Money Factor: A corollary to the Organization Factor. Obama will have lots of it and will be able to raise more and more of it. To those who say that money can’t buy love or office, agreed, at least in terms of the former. But money can certainly help win office. It is especially helpful if you have a good candidate, a good brand as they say, to sell. Obama is such a brand.

"A Dozen Reasons Why Obama Will be the Next President: Money-Back Guarantee"
http://msa4.wordpress.com/page/2/

[Gromit]

Any politician or party risks banishment for promising some variation of We Promise WE Will Be Different!, only to prove to be more of the same.

George Bush 41 promised "read my lips: no new taxes," only to cave to Democratic demands and, yup, raise taxes.

Republicans in Congress in 1994-2006 promised they would do things differently *within* Congress, yet they managed to out-earmark and out-spend their rivals.

Schwarzenegger ran on a platform of reducing CA state spending and taxes and regulation. The budget has exploded during his terms.

And so on, and on. Is it any wonder that conservatives, who usually support the GOP, are dispirited with that support?