REPUBLICAN MINORITY SERIOUSLY FRACTURING-- BUSH AND HIS RIGHT WING HENCHMEN HAVE FEWER FOLLOWERS BY THE DAY

I've been doing stories all week (here, here, here and here) about how the Republican House caucus has crumbled as GOP congressmen fled from the extremist kook trio of Boehner, Blunt and Howdy Doody. Each of the bills, which in the past was rejected by the Republican Congress, passed overwhelmingly as part of Speaker Pelosi's First 100 Hours Agenda-- and each passed with unanimous or near unanimous Democratic support and with substantial Republican support. Tomorrow's Washington Post reminds us that these same borderline insane "Republican leaders, who confidently predicted they would drive a wedge through the new Democratic majority, have found their own party splintering, with Republican lawmakers siding with Democrats in droves on the House's opening legislative blitz."

Republican backbenchers, no longer afraid of retribution from the venal Hammer are proving to be a lot more mainstream and moderate than their far right leadership-- "and increasingly mindful of shifting voter sentiment... 'You're freer to vote your conscience,' said Rep. Jo Anne Emerson (R-Mo.), who received an 88 percent voting record from the American Conservative Union in 2005 but has so far sided with Democrats on new budget rules, Medicare prescription-drug negotiations, raising the minimum wage and funding stem cell research. 'Or, really, I feel free to represent my constituents exactly as they want me to be.'"

As more GOP legislators start feeling free to represent the interests of their constituents instead of the interests of Big Business and extreme ideological elites, the Republican Party will continue of splinter and shatter. It's just a matter of time until no one will stand behind their reactionary hateful agenda besides the worst fanatic dead-enders like Gary Miller, Virginia Foxx, Pete Sessions, the buffoon Patrick McHenry, Marsha Blackburn, Marilyn Musgrave, Eric Cantor, "Doc" Hastings, Mike Pence, Steve King, Thelma Drake, John Kline, Lynn Westmoreland, Mean Jean Schmidt... you know the crowd. Meanwhile some of the Repugs, like Todd Platts (PA) and Jim Ramstad (MN)  have "sided with the Democrats on every major vote... Last year, Deborah Pryce (Ohio) was a powerful member of the Republican leadership, responsible for uniting her fractious colleagues behind a single message. After narrowly escaping defeat in November, the swing-district Republican bolted from her party's leadership last year. Last week, she virtually bolted from the party." She has even joined Speaker Pelosi's team to vote against the right wing kooks in charge of the GOP on procedural matters, "a move considered heretical in the years of GOP control."

And when you get to the most divisive issue of all, Bush's mishandling of Iraq and what to do about it, Republicans are all over the map, from the bloodthirsty die-hards like McCain, Lieberman and McConnell to the reflexive rubber stamp imbeciles like Wayne Allard, Duncan Hunter, John Boehner to the Republicans who have broken free and just want to represent their constituents, like Chuck Hagel, who called Bush's plan "Alice in Wonderland" and "folly" and promised to oppose it.


UPDATE: AND HERE IN CALIFORNIA...

Is Schwarzenegger even a Republican any longer? Looks like Maria has had a lot more influence on his philosophy of governance than the kooks who run the California Republican Party. Schwarzenegger's recent proposals have far more in common with the goals of Californians like Henry Waxman, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Jerry McNerney and Antonio Villaraigosa than they do with "the other Californians"-- freaks like Gary Miller, Duncan Hunter, John Doolittle and Wally Herger.


UPDATE: WOW! THE PUBLIC IS LOVIN' NANCY TOO!

I don't think Gingrich ever got as high as a 40% approval rating in the dark days when he became Speaker. Yet Nancy Pelosi seems to be off to a great start with the public. According to the new Gallup Poll she's already got a 51% approval rating. Only 22% disapprove of her job. At the same time Bush sunk another 3% to 34% approval/63% disapproval. His Iraq ratings after his abysmal speech and his threats of escalation are now at 70% disapprove/28% approve.