It's almost too good to be true:
In a sign that social conservatives aren’t in the mood to give Cantor’s group room to rebrand the party, Huckabee also took a shot at the group’s lack of immediate emphasis on social issues, saying that the group has dismissed "values voters" and urging an emphasis on "traditional marriage" and the GOP’s role as "a party that values life."
Pretty please, GOP, pretty please, with a cherry on top, make sure that your social issues are front and center in the rebranding process.
Because there is possibly no better way to assure that you remain a permanent minority than by thinking that the key to your comeback is to bitch and moan about gay marriage -- which more Americans now support than oppose -- and your fake concern for the "values of life" -- since a majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade.
Cantor's response?
"Eric reached out to Governor Huckabee, appreciates his efforts as a leader in our nation and he looks forward to remaining in close communication with all leaders," a spokesman told Greg Sargent. He added that social issues would be a focus of the new group, making it increasingly similar to the old group. "All issues, all topics, and all ideas will be included in the dialogue that the National Council for a New America will have."
If the ever-shrinking Republican party had two brain cells to rub together -- and that's a big if, apparently -- then perhaps someone in the party would recognize that Obama President Obama did not win last year's election because the GOP failed to articulate its hatred of gay people and women's autonomy. That's really not what the election was about, and there is no evidence to suggest that focusing on abortion and gays instead of Joe the Plumber and Bill Ayers would have swept John McCain and his feisty sidekick to victory.
Oh, and by the way, even Joe the Plumber thinks you guys are full of shit too.
But despite all the free advice that Democrats have been doling out to you Republicans, you just don't want to listen. Fine. If you're hell-bent on self-destruction, far be it from the 80 percent of us who think you're an embarrassment to stand in your way.
Despite all your crowing about Karl Rove's wet dream of a permanent Republican majority, you'll be lucky if Ron Paul and his sort-of libertarians don't kick your ass in the next election. Because you're on the fast-track to total irrelevance.
Which, again, is fine. You've made such a disaster of our nation by every single metric that it would probably be a good idea if you stuck to pizza parlors and teabag parties for a few election cycles so the grown-ups have a chance to clean up your mess.
Your party is shrinking every day. You don't really think that Arlen Specter and Joe the Plumber are going to be the only defections, do you? But hey, don't let things like facts get in your way. You just keep on whining about "social issues" to your ever-shrinking clan of "values voters" and secessionists.
Even your folksy, winking superstar -- the one you thought was so great because she was the most popular governor in America -- is going down fast.
In March 2008, Sarah Palin's combined positives were 85%. Her combined negatives were 12%. In July of 2008, according to the same polls, if you walked into a bar with 100 people, 12 people didn't approve of the job Sarah Palin was doing. Good luck getting a drink.
Last September, Sarah went on tour...and stayed on tour-like an old Aqua Net 80's band that ought to stick to playing local bars and count their iTune downloads. Sarah Palin consistently ignored the needs of Alaskans. As a result of her job abandonment, her approval rating suffered. The new Hayes Research polls show the governor at 54% combined approval and 41.6% combined disapproval. 30% of her former fans now boo her. Love can be fickle.
Keep it up, fellas. Keep rebranding yourself as the future of the party with such fresh faces as John McCain and Jeb Bush. Keep harping on the social issues that fewer and fewer Americans care about. Keep embarrassing yourselves with budgets that have no numbers.
It won't win you any elections, but it sure is funny to watch.