What’s wrong with the GOP, part 4,228:
You have been asking movement conservatives to give you money to fight the ACORN-friendly, union-pandering, tax-and-spend, radical Democrats.Then you use their money to try and elect Dede Scozzafava, an ACORN-friendly, union-pandering, tax-and-spend radical Republican. And you use that money to fight Doug Hoffman, a viable, bona fide conservative candidate in the race who is closing the gap in the polls.
I changed my registration to independent quite a while back. My distaste for the GOP is only exceeded by my disgust for the Democrats. I’m not a truther freak so I don’t fit in with the Paulnuts. Green party? Hardly. I’m not a comfortable fit with the libertarians either.
Can we get Zombie Reagan on a ballot? Please?
The GOP is mistaking disgust w/ Obama et al as love for them (and at their considerable peril).
There is something I don’t understand about all of this. If we do not stand together as Republicans, we are going to lose 2010 to the Dems. Is teaching the GOP a “lesson” and allowing the Dems to destroy the country that important?
There is nothing rational in not standing with the GOP against Obama. Libertarians don’t stand a chance. The Constitution Party is a joke. There is no other option, unless you think the country is worth losing to stand on principle.
It just doesn’t make sense to me, then again I am a Republican and believe building a majority to stand strong against the Dems is terribly important. It is the only way we are going to save our country.
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
.-= SJ Reidhead´s last blog ..Proverbs 16 =-.
SJ, I think the GOP has been teaching me a lesson – namely, my years of support and party loyalty have enabled America to take the slow boat to socialism rather than Obama’s express train. I’m not out to “teach the GOP a lesson.” Seriously. I’m just sick and tired of their crap and I’m not playing anymore. I still vote, and I will typically vote GOP, but it’s not a guarantee and I no longer believe that the RINO is necessarily better than the Democrat. If we’re going to have Dem/socialist policies anyway – amnesty, cap and trade, etc. – then let the Dems take the political heat for the inevitable consequences. As for saving the country – while Obama’s deficits are simply mind-blowing and Bush’s aren’t even in the same league, the fact is that while the GOP had power it completely blew it as far as “saving the country.” And I have no reason to think they’ve changed.
There are basic measures the GOP could take that would tighten things up, but they refuse to do so – like closed primaries, for example. What’s not fair about only allowing Republicans to select Republican candidates? But they steadfastly refuse to enforce it. From where I sit, what the GOP stands for in the last 15 years is keeping/regaining power. Nothing more. The pork is a disgrace, the global warming obeisance is a disgrace, the utter failure to defend our borders and conservatives in the party is a disgrace. Rather than get out there and educate people about conservatism, they pander to the left and try to scare the right. The GOP could still have my support, if it wanted it. But it doesn’t want it. Why should I take a stand when the GOP won’t?
I hear the argument time and again that the RINOs and moderates are voting their conscience and doing what they honestly think is right – so why is the “natural” conclusion to that concept that _I_ need to get in line and NOT do what I think is right?
What about a person who represents the voters in his/her state/district who is not “conservative” and is doing what his/her voters like?
This is where I have a real problem with this fairly recent demand for absolute conservative purity. There is no way a “pure” conservative can get elected in certain areas. Isn’t it better to do the Ronald Reagan thing and have someone vote with the GOP 80% of the time (which Reagan classified as a political ‘friend’) than with the Dems 100% of the time.
Maybe my problem is I am totally pragmatic without ideology. I want to win. I want a majority. I want to defeat Obama. The only way this can be done is to look at things with cold-blooded logic and ignore the purity.
Reagan did not believe in political purity, yet conservatives who spout him chapter/verse do. When Reagan is put in a column next to GWB, and you black out the names, GWB turns out to be far more conservative than Reagan, yet the 100%ers refuse to believe this.
There are times when we need to cast emotion aside and use pure cold-blooded Vulcan logic. I want to win. I want a majority. In order to get this majority with people who will vote with us 80% of the time we need conservatives and moderates.
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
.-= SJ Reidhead´s last blog ..Proverbs 16 =-.
That’s the same argument that was used to declare we MUST support Specter… before he jumped ship. Toomey’s doing pretty well, don’t you think? And moderate, maverick McCain would have gotten completely trounced had he not included Palin on the ticket. It was her rallies that were consistently overflowing, she generated all the excitement on that ticket.
The fact is that conservative arguments DO sway people when they are actually made.
I don’t think GWB was all bad in spite of being a big government guy – I’ve defended him many, many times, check the archives. The GOP Congress, on the other hand, is pretty difficult to defend. What’s the point in winning when, after your party achieves power, they ramp up the pork, try to open the borders, and increase entitlements? What do you actually WIN, in that circumstance?
I agree about “conservative” arguments – which are basically the building blocks of the Republican Party.
Maybe we are both making the argument that there are times when divided government isn’t a bad thing. It’s better if nothing happens at times.
You are using good Republican arguments.
I would like to see the GOP police itself when it comes to the sex scandals, etc.
I would also like a very strong “Whip”. We have not had a good one since the late Joe Skeen retired a few years ago. What people don’t realize is Joe Skeen (NM-2) was the Majority Whip for Gingrich. He was a holy terror. The only reason the GOP was able to achieve what it did was because of Skeen. His temper was legendary. He terrorized any Republican who stepped out of line. We don’t see this now – and it is the real reason the GOP has floundered in the House. If you don’t have a strong Whip who holds the hard line and keeps everyone on the straight or narrow.
(This is good stuff – I need to go write it up for my blog)!
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
.-= SJ Reidhead´s last blog ..Proverbs 16 =-.
You should. I’ve read your blog for years and thoroughly enjoy it. Given current circumstances, ” nothing” would certainly be an improvement. I may be using goodl Republican arguments – I was a Republican my entire adult life until Shamnesty – but the problem is the GOP no longer finds those arguments persuasive. Our would-be leaders and thinkers (Buckley, Noonan, etc.) voted for Obama. For pity’s sake, we got stuck with McCain! and now Grahamnesty is trying to take the lead Maverick spot, if he can elbow our charming Senators from Maine out of the way.
This is my gripe – if these people don’t believe in what the GOP has traditionally stood for, they should leave it. Instead, they are systematically remaking it so people who DO believe in traditional GOP principles no longer have a political home.
As much as I hate to say it — because I voted for him and kinda started to like him — we need to throw John McCain out of office this next election. Someone needs to organize a national fundraiser for his primary opponent. (If I remember right, I think Mark Levin said that he would.) That would send a message.
I would dearly love to throw McCain out of office. I really dislike the guy. But then we’ve got Lindsay Graham and the libtard twins from Maine and quite a few others…. I’ll toss a few bucks at any conservative who wants to run against these people but I’m not feeling particularly hopeful about it unless they or someone gets out there and starts REALLY preaching the conservative message.
I have been thinking of trying to organize some debates or a lecture series in districts where Mary Landrieu got a lot of votes to try to prepare the ground for Scalise or someone else to take her seat. Tough to do, though – expensive – and I haven’t really thought through the details. But I think it’s that kind of grassroots education effort that will start to wean people away from the government teat mentality.
Drew, check out resistnet for AZ, there is a group that is looking to oust mccain for a more conservative official.