GOP: You were warned of the coming storm

Joe Scarborough Host, ‘Morning Joe' • Profile

In 2004, I warned Republican leaders of a coming storm.

My book “Rome Wasn’t Burnt in a Day” enraged party sycophants for stating the obvious — that the Republican Party risked losing its majority if it continued turning away from the conservative values that put it in power. Three years later, I’m still being attacked by Bush loyalists who seem more concerned with their president’s image than their party’s future.

I’ve seen this movie before and know how it ends.

That’s why I’m offering all Republican Party operatives and general suck-ups amnesty over the next month. During said time period, any apologist for the Grand Old Party who has uttered profane statements about me, my family or my backswing in retaliation for my telling the truth about our president and party can drop me a line and all will be forgiven. Aw, hell. I’ll forgive them anyway. That’s just the kind of guy I am. Besides, it’s easy to be gracious when you know that you are so right and your critics are so miserably wrong.

Like I said, I’ve seen this movie before.

The ‘Newt wars’
Throughout 1997 and 1998, Republican Party suck-ups blasted young conservatives like Steve Largent, Tom Coburn, Matt Salmon and me for holding our party leadership accountable for the promises made in the Contract With America.

When Newt Gingrich and the party bosses backed down on spending cuts, we fought back.

When they tried to expand congressional spending and staff sizes, we shut down Congress until they lived up to their political promises in the contract.

And when Newt told the New York Times he was willing to back down on tax cuts, we threatened to take down his speakership. Gingrich called those tax cuts the “crown jewels” of the contract while campaigning and promised if we were put in power, they would pass. We saw to it that he kept his word.

That angered a lot of Republican apologists who screamed at us in congressional caucus meetings. Chairmen sought retribution against those of us who dared to question party leadership. At one point, all the military bases in my district had their funding stripped for fiscal year 1998.

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