Video: Bush Communications Director Says Romney “wreaks” of “bitterness”; “hard to watch”

Other than the fact that Romney “wreaks” of “bitterness,” he also wreaks of more substantive things as well. For instance, he continues to insidiously blame “minorities” – and specifically those “minorities”‘ supposed love of getting government handouts – for his crushing loss to Barack Obama in November. Willard also continues the pathological lying we saw throughout his campaign, in this case denying that he said…exactly what he said, or that he meant what he clearly meant, about the “47%.”

The problem for Republicans, and more distressingly for the country, is that this isn’t just about Romney’s failings as a human being and as a presidential candidate, but also about fundamental problems with the entire Republican ideology, approach, attitude, party dynamics, etc.  Basically, this GOP once was a reasonable, mainstream, middle-of-the-road party that believed in freedom and personal responsibility, but also a strong if limited government (of course, we all believe in a “limited government,” unless we’re Kim Jong Un or whatever). Today, in stark contrast, it’s an angry, bitter, John Birch Society-style party of people unable and/or unwilling to deal with reality, or with the fact that America is changing – demographics, economics, attitudes, etc. – and not in their direction. It’s also a party filled with no-compromise absolutists and extremists, who’d rather tear the whole country down rather than compromise one inch on any of their hard-right-wing principles.

You can see all that here in Virginia, with the livid, over-the-top, almost crazed reaction by the teahadists at Bob McDonnell, Bill Howell, etc. on the recently-passed transportation tax hike/Medicaid expansion compromise. We see it in the exclusion of mainstream, traditional conservatives like Bill Bolling (and Tom Davis, plus anyone resembling a John Chichester or Russ Potts) from the Virginia Republican Party. And, of course in the rise of loony-tunes like Ken Kookinelli, Mark Obenshain, and most of the LG candidates (Jeannemarie Davis is just pretending to be hard right, as she was always a liberal/moderate Republican to her core). It’s people like this who have brought us “trans-vaginal ultrasounds,” opposition to contraception and women’s rights, hostility towards LGBT Virginians (e.g., the rejection last year of Tracy Thorne-Begland for a judgeship), the war on voting rights, an extreme anti-environment and pro-fossil-fuels stance, an agenda on guns that is wildly different from what the vast majority of Americans want, and on and on. If you want more of this, then by all means vote Republican next November. If you want the current version of the Republican Party to ditch the extremists, cranks, and lunatics and return to its once-great roots, then send them a message in November by voting Democratic. Then do that again in 2014, 2016, and thereafter until they get the message. It’s that simple.