Last Call For Madam President

The latest Pew Research poll on women in politics and business has more than a few interesting findings, but this one shouldn’t surprise anyone:

Yep, only 16% of Republican men would hope to see a female president in the US in their lifetime, and only 20% of Republican women do. You betcha. Also, too.

Seriously, Republican women?  You don't want to see a woman in the White House?  Is it because of Hillary specifically, or is it because there's no way your party full of misogynist jackasses would ever nominate a woman for the Oval Office, and you're all resigned to the fact that any woman in the White House would have to be a Democrat?

The Other Purity Caucus

It looks like the die hards in the House GOP has had enough of the Republican Study Committee, the unofficial Tea Party Caucus, and one that has grown to encompass nearly three quarters of the House GOP.  Now the "real conservatives" are splintering off to form their own caucus of...something.

House conservatives are plotting a mass exodus from the Republican Study Committee as soon as next week over simmering dissatisfaction with the group's direction.

The members have been talking for weeks, and they met Monday night to formalize their plans to institutionalize a competing, invitation-only organization that they see as a real conservative caucus that can push Speaker John Boehner rightward. Once a bastion for the conservative movement, the RSC has strayed too far from its original mission and been co-opted by the same party leaders it is meant to exert pressure upon, the members believe.

Republican leaders will be watching closely: Any divisions among conservatives might dilute the right's ability to influence the leadership on key issues like immigration and spending, though the RSC has always been stocked with independent-minded members who never really took marching orders from the group anyway.

The new group, which does not yet have a name but is expected to include more than 30 members, is being de-facto led by former RSC Chairman Jim Jordan, although the formal leadership structure could change. It will also include Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who lost an election to become the chairman last year, disappointing many conservatives. The other founders are Reps. Justin Amash, Ron DeSantis, John Fleming, Scott Garrett, Raul Labrador, Mark Meadows, and Matt Salmon. Most but not all of those members are expected to renounce their RSC memberships, along with other members who will join the group.

Many of the members will meet Tuesday evening with Sen. Ted Cruz to discuss their plans and other matters over pizza, though Cruz himself has not been involved in the formation of the new group. Cruz's chief of staff, Paul Teller, was fired from his role as RSC executive director in 2013 after provoking the ire of party leaders and some members of the group.

Looks like the long-predicted conserva-schism has finally and officially arrived.  Maybe it will allow Boehner to consolidate more power, maybe it will wreck his day, but either way, Republicans are going to be fighting themselves and not concentrating on Obama.  That's a good thing.

So keep up that GOP civil war, guys.  No better way to prove to America that you never intended to govern, only to destroy.

The Gold And Weed Party

Sen. Rand Paul has a new campaign manager for his 2016 adventure in Glibertarianland.

The hiring of strategist Chip Englander, who recently guided a gubernatorial candidate to victory in Illinois, marks a clear step forward for the Kentucky Republican as he prepares to transform his cadre of loyalists into a full-scale campaign. 

Doug Stafford, Paul’s longtime confidant, will remain as his chief political adviser. In an interview Tuesday, Stafford said he will rely on Englander “for the day-to-day execution” of Paul’s operation. 

The move underscores Paul's unorthodox approach to presidential politics and his expected candidacy, with plans to put an emphasis on outreach to the poor and younger voters while also courting conservative activists in early-primary states. 

In an interview Tuesday, Englander argued that Paul’s unconventional positions would lay the foundation for a potent Republican coalition. Paul has articulated mostly non-interventionist views on foreign policy, while taking hardline stances against tax hikes and President Obama’s health-care law domestically. 

“America has intractable problems and it’s going to take a transformational leader to fix them,” Englander said. “Senator Paul is going to be the bold, transformational figure in this race.”

Rand Paul's view is of a federal government that can't afford to pretty much do anything, ever.  That all gets left to the states to tell people how to live their lives.  Also, weed.  Hope this guy works out better than the last campaign hire Rand made, who ended up being only marginally better than the guys working for his dad's campaign.

But it's another sign that Rand is gearing up to lose in 2016.  Should be a fun trip.

StupidiNews!

• It took 19 days, but two men became the first to free climb Yosemite's famous El Capitan summit by the steepest and most dangerous route, the Dawn Wall.
• The GOP has set July 18-21, 2016 as the date of their national convention in Cleveland, a full month ahead of their 2012 convention schedule.
• Communications giant Samsung has reportedly made a $7.5 billion offer to buy BlackBerry to arm itself in its continuing battle against Apple.
• Pope Francis will visit the Philippines today to celebrate with Asia's most Catholic country and home to one-eighth of the world's Catholics.
• Facebook is finally beta-testing its long-rumored corporate social networking alternative to LinkedIn and Yammer called Facebook at Work.