by Charley James

It didn’t take the GOP long to begin devouring its own.

No sooner had the Senate passed The Stim yesterday but notorious right-wing funder-in-chief Richard Mellon Scaife’s front organization, “The National Republican Trust PAC,” sent an urgent e-mail to fellow travellers asking for money to defeat Senators Arlen Specter and Olympia Snow – who voted for the measure and are up for re-election in 2010 (Susan Collins narrowly won re-election in November).

In large, bold faced type, the e-mail screamed:

“We were close to defeating this outrageous plan.

“But then three traitorous Republican senators broke ranks to back Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the Democrats.

“Who are they? Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine.

“These three senators have betrayed not only their colleagues but also the basic principles of the Republican Party.”

Apparently, to Scaife and Scott Wheeler, executive director at NRTPac, it’s alright to let a coughing, wheezing nation sink into a death throe of unemployment, foreclosures and business failures that would make 1929 and 1930 seem like a garden party by comparison; hell, we’re already teetering on the edge of that particular precipice. Better that than betraying the Republican Party.

But nowhere does the e-mail mention that all of the other House and Senate Republicans – including Specter, Snow and Collins – were busy betraying their country for years while supporting “the basic principles” of their party. Apparently, these basic principles include rubber-stamping everything from the Cheney-engineered and oil industry-written “energy plan” to passing the (un)PATRIOT Act, blindly supporting Bush’s Iraq War folly, turning a blind eye to torture, ignoring Al Gonzales’ crimes at Justice, doubling the national debt and bungling the first half of the Wall St. bailout.

Yes, Mr. Scaife, it’s understandable why you are so determined to rid the party of its few remaining reasonable people and stuff it full of lead headed toadies. Clearly, what will bring the party out of the wilderness voters kicked it into the past two elections are more folks like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty. Oh, and Richard Mellon Scaife.

Party First, Last, Always
The irrational harangue NRTPac’s Wheeler sent out continues:

“Those of us who were forced to watch in pain as liberal Republicans defected to support Democrats now have an outlet for our frustrations.

“The truth is that these three liberal Republicans are RINOS – Republicans in Name Only – who are notorious for siding with Democrats when important legislation comes up for a vote.

“By supporting The National Republican Trust, you know your donation will be used to punish those RINOs who have sold us out time and time again.”

Besides voting to save the Republic from economic catastrophe, exactly how did Specter, Snow and Collins sell out the Republican Party “time and time again”? For a week, Specter blocked the Senate Judiciary Committee from voting on Eric Holder’s Attorney General nomination. Collins pushed tons of tax breaks into The Stim while removing billions for upgrading schools and helping ease state budgets. Snow voted to send Sam Alito to the Supremes.

To Scaife and NRTPac, an elected official’s sole purpose is to support the Republican Party, the nation be damned. To them, the Senate isn’t really “the world’s greatest deliberative body” but a place where Republican Solons do what Rush Limbaugh says.

Really Goofy People
Naturally, NRTPac has its own program to stimulate the economy: More tax cuts for Richard Mellon Scaife and his friends. This despite the fact that economists on the right and left – including Nobel Prize winners – agree that tax cuts won’t get us out of this Republican-engineered economic morass.

But just in case people receiving the e-mail think The Stim might actually be a good idea, Wheeler tosses in the kitchen sink:

It is critically important that we do this, because Obama is planning to push through in the coming weeks for programs like socialized healthcare, reducing our military strength — even legalizing millions of illegal aliens.

Socialized healthcare? When did the president say anything about socialized healthcare? He does believe, like a majority of the country, that everyone should have health coverage but he never whispered a hint about “socializing” medicine.

As for reducing our military strength and legalizing “millions” of illegal aliens, what is Wheeler smoking? Not even socialist Senator Bernie Sanders talks about reducing an overblown military or unconditional amnesty for illegal aliens.

Scaife and Wheeler are really goofy people. What’s sad is there are equally goofy people who’ll read the e-mail and send money.

“A hat tip to Jill Parlee.”