Life is rough for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). He's in charge of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Things are already looking bad for his Senate caucus, which has seen its numbers drop from 55 in 2006 to 40 now. While Cornyn is supposed to help elect more Republican Senators, he's facing obstacles.
Cornyn's biggest problem is that the leaders of the GOP, like Rush and Newt, are on a rampage. Their attacks on Sotomayor have been appalling and vicious -- and reflect on the entire Republican party. Those guys don't care who they alienate, which is a real political disaster for Cornyn. It shows the haters run the Republican party and that's not a great way to get Republicans elected. So, Cornyn dissed his leaders:
A top Senate Republican is taking aim at recent statements from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich suggesting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a "racist."How long before Cornyn has to apologize? The new commandment for Republicans is that no one shall ever criticize Rush. And, it's perfect that he complained about Rush and Newt on NPR, a station which most conservatives loathe.
"I think it's terrible," Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told NPR's "All Things Considered" Thursday. "This is not the kind of tone any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advise and consent.”
Both the popular radio host and former GOP House Speaker have suggested Obama's pick for the high court is a racist while referencing a 2001 speech at Berkeley during which Sotomayor said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
Try as he might, the Texas Senator doesn't deliver the GOP message. Rush and Newt do. And, there's nothing Cornyn can do about it. But, Cornyn will pay for saying what he said about Rush and Newt.
