“Turmoil deepened among leading Republicans over efforts to ward off controversial candidates in the next election, as Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad blasted a new candidate-steering plan by Karl Rove and warned him to stay out of state and congressional races,” the AP reports.

Said Branstad: “I basically told Karl Rove that what he was doing is counter-productive and he needs to stay out of it.”

“In the aftermath of last fall’s disappointing election outcome for the GOP, party leaders have been focusing on fielding more candidates with broad appeal – and fewer unpredictable ones – but have split bitterly over how to do it, worsening party tensions.”

Politico reports that for the last few days GOP leaders “have met behind closed doors to both craft an agenda that confronts the ghosts of Congresses past and figure out a way to sell it to the American people.”

There is agreement on sanding down “the party’s rough edges” and to stop talking “like the world is going to end.”

But the GOP leadership “has become
increasingly alarmed at how many lawmakers in the meeting think the
party has a messaging problem, not a policy problem.

First Read: “Speaking of the Republican Party, we are currently seeing two different splits. The first is the establishment vs. the Tea Party. The examples here are Karl Rove vs. conservative groups, as well as Haley Barbour vs. the Club for Growth.

“But the second split is Washington vs. non-Washington Republicans. And the best way to illustrate this split is between Marco Rubio (Washington) and Bobby Jindal (non-Washington). As we wrote yesterday, Rubio’s State of the Union response was similar to any speech you’d hear from Mitt Romney in 2012, with the exception of Rubio’s different background and his personal story. On the other hand, Jindal has argued that his party should stop focusing so much on Washington budget battles and should instead focus on what’s taking place in the states.”

“We single out these two Republicans because of the obvious 2016 ramifications. Both are conservatives; both appear to be what the party needs as far as looks are concerned (the party is tired of being defined as the party of white men); but both do represent two different schools of thinking of how to rebrand the party.”

Earlier: GOP leaders fear party split.

Ron Fournier: “Inside the cozy enclaves of GOP bonhomie–hunkered at the tables of see-and-be-seen Washington restaurants–Republican leaders are sourly predicting a party-busting independent presidential bid by a tea-party challenger, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in 2016.”

“To them, the GOP apocalypse looms larger than most realize. Dueling State of the Union rebuttals and Karl Rove’s assault on right-wing candidates are mere symptoms of an existential crisis that is giving the sturdiest Republicans heartburn.”

“And yet, the heart of the matter extends beyond the GOP. My conversations this week with two Republican officials, along with a Democratic strategist’s timely memo, reflect a growing school of thought in Washington that social change and a disillusioned electorate threaten the entire two-party system.”

Former Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer pleaded guilty “to charges of money laundering and theft, avoiding trial in a case that could have potentially embarrassed former Gov. Charlie Crist and much of the state’s Republican elite,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“As part of the deal, Greer faces a maximum of 42.6 months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled March 27.”

Ezra Klein: “The Republican establishment is reasserting control. It’s purging some of the hucksters who’d taken the party’s reins — or at least the airtime — in recent years. It’s resisting much of the brinkmanship that marked the last Congress and trying to present a more fearsome, united front against counterproductive strategies favored by the right. All of the major 2016 presidential contenders have made the same political calculation: It’s better to build a reputation as one of the party’s adults than as one of its firebrands.”

“Just don’t call this process moderation. The Republican Party isn’t reinventing itself so much as reverting to its previous form. There’s little evidence of a rethinking of core Republican policy ideas.”

The Cloakroom: 5 Republicans who should be scared of Karl Rove.

The latest National Journal Political insiders poll finds that 57% of Democrats chose “policy prescriptions” as the area in which Republicans need the most improvement, while Republicans were far more divided, picking messaging as the top problem at 33%.

“After years in which the Republicans’ answer to almost every question was to reduce spending and lower taxes, some of the party’s most influential voices are beginning to suggest that it is time to take a broader — and softer — focus,” the Washington Post reports.

“The latest to join that movement is House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who in a speech on Tuesday called for Republicans to ‘focus our attention really on what lies beyond the fiscal debates’ and to create ‘conditions for health, happiness and prosperity.'”

New York Times: “The biggest donors in the Republican Party are financing a new group to recruit seasoned candidates and protect Senate incumbents from challenges by far-right conservatives and Tea Party enthusiasts who Republican leaders worry could complicate the party’s efforts to win control of the Senate.”

“The group, the Conservative Victory Project, is intended to counter other organizations that have helped defeat establishment Republican candidates over the last two election cycles. It is the most robust attempt yet by Republicans to impose a new sense of discipline on the party, particularly in primary races.”

Ramesh Ponnuru: “Republicans can and should continue to stand for their principles on the many occasions when they conflict with Obama’s. What they shouldn’t do is conceive of their near-term political task as winning a series of confrontations with the president. Because they’re unlikely to win very often. Obama has inherent advantages in political debates with more than 200 House Republicans, and his re-election will only strengthen his hand, at least for now. The Republicans are better off sidelining Obama to the extent they can and fighting congressional Democrats — or, better yet, getting congressional Democrats to fight one another.”

David Brooks: “It’s probably futile to try to change current Republicans. It’s smarter to build a new wing of the Republican Party, one that can compete in the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic states, in the upper Midwest and along the West Coast. It’s smarter to build a new division that is different the way the Westin is different than the Sheraton…”

“Would a coastal and Midwestern G.O.P. sit easily with the Southern and Western one? No, but majority parties are usually coalitions of the incompatible. This is really the only chance Republicans have. The question is: Who’s going to build a second G.O.P.?”

“It’s not the platform of the party that’s the issue. In many cases, it’s how we communicate about it.”

— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, quoted by Politico.

The Cloakroom: The 3 inconsistencies that are breaking apart the Republican party.

“As a party, we must recognize that we live in an era of permanent
politics. We must stop living nominee-to-nominee, campaign to campaign.”

— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, quoted by Roll Call, calling for a Republican permanent campaign.

“We’ve got to stop being the stupid party. It’s time for a new
Republican Party that talks like adults. We had a number of
Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre
comments. I’m here to say we’ve had enough of that.”

— Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), quoted by the Washington Post.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he believes the primary goal of President Obama’s second term is to “annihilate the Republican Party,” The Hill reports.

Said Boehner: “Given what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans. So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party.”

He added: “And let me just tell you, I do believe that is their goal — to just shove us into the dustbin of history.”

As the Republican National Committee meets for their annual meeting, the Charlotte Observer sets the stage:

“For most Republicans, November was grim. They lost the White
House and all but one battleground state. They lost seats in Congress.
They saw America’s fastest-growing minority groups reject their party.
But in North Carolina it was a happier story… A presentation scheduled
for Thursday is called ‘Success in N.C.: A Blueprint for the Future.’
But how much of that blueprint can be replicated is debatable.”