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Title: Grover Norquist Says Mosque Controversy Is Bad For Republicans
Source:
TIME
URL Source: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/201 ... epublicans/?xid=rss-topstories
Published: Aug 18, 2010
Author: Michael Scherer
Post Date: 2010-08-18 19:38:24 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 6934
Comments: 15
Could all the sound and fury over a proposed mosque near Ground Zero actually be good for Democrats? At least one prominent Republican strategist thinks so, both over the short and the long term. “It's the Monica Lewinsky ploy,” says Grover Norquist, a loyal lieutenant to the 1994 Gingrich revolution and president of Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist believes that the Ground Zero mosque controversy is distracting from the core 2010 Republican message in the same way that the Monica Lewinsky scandal distracted Republicans in 1998. “The Republican Party is on track to win a major victory in November based on the issue that Democrats are spending the country blind,” Norquist told me Tuesday evening. “There isn't a single voter in the country that was planning on voting for the Ds, who says, ‘Oh, mosque issue, now I will vote for the Rs.'” Back in 1998, congressional Republicans were also “distracted by shiny things,” Norquist says, when the Lewinsky scandal began. “They nationalized the election around an irrelevancy,” he said. Republicans lost five House seats that year, despite widespread predictions that they would expand their majority. Furthermore, Norquist argues that by promoting such tangential issue as the mosque, Republicans have given vulnerable Democrats, like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a lifeline, allowing him to distance himself from President Obama and the rest of the Democratic Party. “Harry Reid says, ‘Oh, is this a get out of jail free card?'” Grover explained. Over the long term, Norquist also sees danger for Republicans not just among Muslim voters, but among other religious groups as well. “Religious minorities all go, ‘I get it. This means me too,'” he said. He pointed to a recent story in the Jewish newspaper The Forward, called “When Shuls Were Banned in America,” which draws connections between the current mosque controversy and New York's history of antisemitism. “Long term, you could do to the Muslim vote and every other religious minority what Republicans did to the Catholic vote in ‘Rum Romanism and Rebellion,'” Norquist added, using a phrase uttered at a speech attended by Republican presidential candidate James Blaine in 1884, which arguably cost him victory in that election, by alienating Catholic voters. Such stands are not out of character for Norquist, who has long waged a battle to make the the Republican Party more inclusive of racial and religious minorities. 72;During the Bush Administration, Norquist served as an informal envoy to the American Muslim community. He has also been an outspoken supporter of immigration reform, arguing that it was important that Republicans not alienate Hispanic voters. "Tom Tancredo has done damage to the Republican Party in states he has never visited," Norquist says, referring to the former Colorado congressman best known for his frequent denunciation of illegal immigration on cable television. UPDATE: A new Gallup poll suggests that Norquist may be on to something about the mosque issue being a bright shiny distraction. The poll found that while more independent voters strongly disagreed with Obama's mosque remarks (27 percent) than strongly agreed (15 percent), the response was muted. Only 29 percent of independents said they were "paying a great deal of attention" to the story. Close to half of independents do not have an opinion. Four in ten Americans generally said they didn't know enough to hazard an opinion. See the poll results here.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Nancy said that the 70% of Americans that oppose a Ground Zero Mosque may be investigated. The GOP will wisely make this the single largest issue for the next few weeks. Thank you Nancy!
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It's the economy stupid. Not a single person will cast his/her vote in November based on the stupid Mosque. Yet, this is all Hannity talks about. People will cast their votes based on the lousy economy. Here's the problem: the GOP "leadership" are a bunch of blithering idiots. They are going to blow it. Maybe in November or maybe afterwards, but they ARE going to blow it one way or another, guaranteed.
You are a faithful DNC member. You will be given a house, car and food.
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Uh-oh! You went and done it now... /laughing
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
Not a single person will cast his/her vote in November based on the stupid Mosque. Yet, this is all Hannity talks about. It's simple, the GOP has no clue what to do about the economy so they are going back to the well of trying to find a divisive social issue they can use to rally their base. Have you even seen anything resembling a plan for what the GOP would do to turn around the economy if they win control of the Congress? I haven't.
You liberals are in power and the imploding economy is your baby!
Didn't he marry one through some sort of arranged marriage deal?
"Lets [sic] rent a room." ~ Jethro Tull to Rotara
I hate being right all the time.
"Lets [sic] rent a room." ~ Jethro Tull to Rotara
And we're way better off then we were in January of 2008. Yet for some reason, folks like you seem to want to return to those days.
Being a Republicans means you get to choose your own reality go65 posted on 2010-08-18 23:53:25 ET Reply Trace Private Reply AKA...ya gotta just laugh at this stuff sometimes:):)
Death to everybody who does not get outta my way. Below is positively the most hilariously BS overflowing comment from the resident obamunist spent-condom EVER:) "This is WHY I left the GOP in the mid 90's. ." Dwarf
Tell that to the unemployed, home builders, manufacturers and investors!
Investors? The DJIA sat around 7950 when Obama took office, it's around 10,400 today. Again, why do you want to go back to 7950?
Because Europe and Asia were tanking and Obama was the PE which scared the shit out of many investors......for good reason.
Well it's good to see that they aren't scared any more.
Yeah, the economy is great, jobs are plentiful and manufacturers are investing in upgades at breakneck speed, aren't they libtard?
Toss: ADL,CAIR and the Vatican into the pit they belong in.
#2. To: WhiteSands (#1)
(Edited)
The GOP will wisely make this the single largest issue for the next few weeks.
#3. To: jwpegler (#2)
one way or another, guaranteed.
Toss: ADL,CAIR and the Vatican into the pit they belong in.
#4. To: WhiteSands (#3)
You are a faithful DNC member
#5. To: jwpegler (#2)
It's the economy stupid.
Being a Republicans means you get to choose your own reality
#6. To: go65 (#5)
It's simple, the GOP has no clue what to do about the economy
#7. To: Brian S (#0)
During the Bush Administration, Norquist served as an informal envoy to the American Muslim community.
#8. To: Brian S (#0)
Norquist, whose wife is Muslim, in 2010 emerged as the most outspoken Republican foe of politicizing the mosque-in-Manhattan issue, saying:
#9. To: Ibluafartsky (#6)
You liberals are in power and the imploding economy is your baby!
Being a Republicans means you get to choose your own reality
#10. To: AKA Stone (#9)
And we're way better off then we were in January of 2008. Yet for some reason, folks like you seem to want to return to those days.
#11. To: go65 (#9)
And we're way better off then we were in January of 2008.
#12. To: Ibluafartsky (#11)
(Edited)
Tell that to the unemployed, home builders, manufacturers and investors!
And the Conservative plan to create jobs is......?????
#13. To: go65 (#12)
The DJIA sat around 7950 when Obama took office, it's around 10,400 today.
#14. To: Ibluafartsky (#13)
Because Europe and Asia were tanking and Obama was the PE which scared the shit out of many investors......for good reason.
And the Conservative plan to create jobs is......?????
#15. To: go65 (#14)
Well it's good to see that they aren't scared any more.
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