Our political Quote of the Day comes from former Vice President Dick Cheney, who made one of the clearest statements yet indicating that moderates who don’t agree with conservative Republicans should take a hike from his part — this time questioning whether former Secretary of State Colin Powell even IS a Republican, and openly siding with mega-partisan conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh:
Cheney, appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, said he was taking the side of Rush Limbaugh over Powell in the ongoing dispute in the GOP between the conservative talk show host and moderate retired general.
“Well if I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I’d go with Rush Limbaugh,” Cheney told moderator Bob Schieffer. “My take on it was Colin had already left the party — I didn’t know he was still a Republican.”
A somewhat taken-aback Schieffer asked: “You think he’s not a Republican?”
Cheney responded by pointing out that Powell had endorsed President Barack Obama last fall.
“I assume that that’s some indication of his loyalty and his interest,” Cheney said.
Several things:
1. Cheney’s comment is a particular slap in the face to the many REPUBLICANS who voted for Obama in 2010 — and who have started to swell the ranks of independent voters (the fastest rising voter category) as they’ve deserted the increasingly exclusive and sinking GOP ship.
2. To certain extent, Cheney’s comments are not unexpected and perhaps even old hat. But they again bring the thought to mind: This is the kind of divisive, doctrinaire, ultra-partisan ideologue who the United States had a heartbeat away from the Presidency for 8 years? To Americans who aren’t Rush and Sean fans, there must be a sigh of relief that he is safely out of the federal government.
3. This is yet another sign of the GOP at the crossroads. It can never attract many independents, moderates and young voters (who polls show are increasingly Democrats and even more anti-Republican than they are Democratic) by telling those who don’t agree with the talk radio political culture of demonization and exclusion to get lost. These voters most assuredly will, but they’ll be found on election day — in the final voting tallies for Democratic candidates.
3. Cheney’s comments are interesting in another context. It’s no secret that many more moderate Republicans who supported the first George Bush for President didn’t like Bush and Cheney. By several accounts, George Bush barely communicates with Cheney anymore. By one account recently made on cable by a talking head, Bush allegedly blames Cheney for how his presidency turned out.
It used to be a stretch when people compared Cheney to Darth Vader but now, to those who seek a politics that puts a premium on dialogue and coalition building, he is a dark force of American politics — overtly endorsing the Rush Limbaugh style of slice-and-dice Republicanism. But perhaps that’s not surprising: in national polls Limbaugh and Cheney are ranked near each other – at the bottom of the national popularity barrel. They are loved: by their own choirs.
CLICK HERE to see the full CBS video of Cheney’s appearance with Schieffer (CBS’s last anchor truly descended from the Walter Cronkite tradition).
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.