Rubbernecking as the GOP Continues to Crash

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 7:59 AM on April 14, 2009.

The Republicans' pre-election mentality is getting kind of embarrassing.

Yesterday, for example, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was asked why there was no "drill here, drill now" push in Congress. The Nevada Republican replied:

"Certainly Republicans are going to be pushing that this summer. We're going to be pushing the search for more American energy supplies, coming out with -- there are several Republican proposals out there right now that are really comprehensive energy bills."

Also yesterday, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele sent out his latest attack on the president:

But this might be the most interesting part: The mailing links Obama's claim that America has shown global "arrogance" with those infamous comments in Pennsylvania, charging that Obama "indicated disdain for small town and working Americans who 'cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them.'"

As it happens, Obama made those comments almost exactly a year ago.

So, to summarize, over the last few days, Republicans have re-embraced "drill here, drill now," talked up Obama's "bitter" comments from April 2008, and spent quite a bit of time questioning Barack Obama's patriotism.

Someone get these guys a calendar. They seem to think it's 2008 -- and they've forgotten that these tactics didn't work then, either.

Tagged as: republicans, 2008, gop, 2009

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."