and they didn t vote for the republican party even with paul ryan on the ticket. but when faced with how the republicans can stop being the stupid party, david brooks in the new york times responded with this, it is probably futile to change republicans, it is probably smarter to build a new wing of the republican party. the new republican party that david brooks envisions, one that can compete in the midwest, the east coast states, and the upper midwest. that would be filled with people who re-coiled over president obama s success, but who don t share the absolute anti-government story of the current gop. this is really the only chance republicans have. joining me now is howard fineman, the editorial director of the huffington post. howard, it sounds like david brook s is talking about the
republican party of oh, i don t know, about 20 years ago, when they did indeed have new england senators, oregon republican senators, exactly that geographic description of where he would like to see republicans succeed. well, it is my sad duty to inform david that theodore roosevelt is dead, nelson rockefeller is dead, and yes, even richard nixon is dead. this republican party, he can attach whatever wings he wants to, i read his article carefully. he is brilliant, a writer about brain behavior. partisan politics, i m not sure. this republican party is what it is, although interestingly, the republican party as it is right now, based in the south and the midwest, being what it is in the sort of ronald reagan-bush family image is moving very rapidly. don t forget, lawrence, within the last couple of weeks they caved on the fiscal cliff, at