Ever since their candidates and policies were rejected by voters in the November elections, Republicans have been looking for a way to return from the wilderness.
And so, to that end, the RNC recently released the findings of its "Growth and Opportunity Project," which was tasked with charting a path forward, and helping to guide the party back to relevance.
Under their much buzzed-about plan, the hyperbolic rhetoric of the past would be replaced by a concerted effort to reach out to African-Americans, Latinos, gays, women, and other victims of oppression at the hands of white liberals.
However, early indications are that some GOPers haven't gotten the memo.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM); Former Undersecretary of Defense Policy Michele Flournoy; Roundtable: Bill Richardson, GOP Strategist Mike Murphy, Maggie Haberman (Politico) and Andrea Mitchell (NBC News).
Face the Nation: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Roundtable: Blaine Harden (Foreign Policy/The Economist), Gerry Seib (Washington Post), Major Garrett (CBS News), Nancy Cordes (CBS News) and Margaret Brennan (CBS News).
This Week: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; North Korea Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Martha Raddatz (ABC News), David Sanger (New York Times) and Greta Van Susteren (Fox News); Political Roundtable: Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post), Paul Krugman (New York Times), Former OMB Director David Stockman, George Will and Greta Van Susteren.
Fox News Sunday: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfieffer; Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-AK); Roundtable: Brit Hume (Fox News), Kirsten Powers (Daily Beast), Jennifer Rubin (Washington Post) and Juan Williams (Fox News).
State of the Union: Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R); Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy (D); Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL); Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL); Michael Duffy (TIME); Amy Walter (Cook Political Report); Reliable Sources: Andy Katz (ESPN); Ken Tucker (Grantland); Erin McPike (CNN); Matt Lewis (Daily Caller); Roger Simon (Politico); Film Critic Michael Medved.
The Chris Matthews Show: Kelly O'Donnell (NBC News); S.E. Cupp (MSNBC); Errol Louis (NY1); Howard Fineman (Huffington Post).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Tom Friedman (New York Times); Richard Haas (Council on Foreign Relations); Bret Stephens (Wall Street Journal); Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation); Author Ruchir Sharma; Author Ian Morris.
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: interviews with parents of the victims of the Newtown, CT massacre (preview); and, an interview with NBA player Jeremy Lin (preview).
On Comedy Central...
Jon Stewart successfully defended "Egypt's Jon Stewart."
The Daily Show
Monday: Former OMB Director David Stockman
Tuesday: Former President Jimmy Carter (D)
Wednesday: Documentarian Ken Burns
Thursday: Actress Edie Falco
And Stephen Colbert was vindicated by North Korea's declaration of war.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Former President Bill Clinton (D)
Tuesday: Author Charlie LeDuff
Wednesday: Shane Smith (Vice Magazine)
Thursday: Author Cass Sunstein
Elsewhere...
The most interesting man in the world, Bob Woodward, regaled students with tales of Al Gore's tediousness.
He also told an unflattering, but amusing story about sitting next to former Vice President Al Gore at a dinner, saying being with him was "taxing," and added, "To be really honest, it's unpleasant."
Woodward said Gore pressed him on why the journalist didn’t go after Bush, who beat Gore in the 2000 presidential election, over the war in Iraq.
Gore was a former reporter before becoming a politician, and "he thinks he invented [reporting] also," Woodward joked in reference to an often misquoted statement that the ex-vice president claimed he invented the Internet.
Meanwhile...
Woodward's fellow Iraq War cheerleader, Bill Kristol, has had it up to here with these young know-it-alls and their TV shows.
"I mean, there's something pathetic about it. I've found it really distasteful. I mean I myself am socially conservative on the marriage issue but even if you're not, just say what you believe and let the country decide…. This kind of pathetic attempt of 'Oh my god, young people especially are liberal so let's just rush to cater to them.' As if they’re going to respect you if you just embrace the views of some 26-year-old who doesn't know anything honestly. Can't adults say young people are sometimes wrong? [...]
Gee, this TV show is popular so let's just throw over thousands of years of history and what the great religions teach and let's just embrace it because, hey, you don't want to be on the other side from a TV show that has 20 million viewers. I mean, really, that's what a serious political party does?"
And, in related news...
Televangelist Pat Robertson explained to a caller why there's nothing miraculous about being knowledgeable.
"People overseas didn’t go to Ivy League schools," the TV preacher laughed. "We're so sophisticated, we think we've got everything figured out. We know about evolution, we know about Darwin, we know about all these things that says God isn't real."
"We have been inundated with skepticism and secularism," he conintued. "And overseas, they're simple, humble. You tell 'em God loves 'em and they say, 'Okay, he loves me.' You say God will do miracles and they say, 'Okay, we believe him.'"
"And that's what God's looking for. That's why they have miracles."
The Devil is in the details.
- Trix