Posted on 02/27/2006 4:46:42 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
I spent this past weekend bunkered in with 350 movement conservatives and some of their favorite pols and strategists – from John Ashcroft to Tom Tancredo to Jim Woolsey --and let me tell you, even many of these folks are openly worried about Republican chances in the Fall.
The Phoenix gathering was the latest edition of David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend, a traditional gathering of the right-wing tribes. And no, I didn't go native. I was merely a panelist on the future of the Democratic Party along with Matt Bai of The New York Times and Democratic consultants Flavia Colgan and Pat Caddell. You can see my personal blog for the Ashcroft jokes.
But here's the serious part: there's a lot of fear and trembling going on among Republicans. A rich sampler from this weekend's panel discussions:
Conservative Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake: He pleaded with fellow conservatives to take the high road of liberalized immigration reform in the escalating debate and not go down the immigrant-bashing path. "I encourage Republicans to not repeat what happened in California in 1994," he said referring to GOP support for Prop 187. "It works for one cycle and then you pay a price for a decade."
Former Congressman Pat Toomey, current head of The Club for Growth: "We have to acknowledge we have a President who is not popular… The war in Iraq is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room and a major downturn could drown anything we do… We won in 1994 because we promised small government and going into the 2006 elections this is key idea we have abandoned."
Former Colorado State Senator John Andrews: "I feel the Republican Party in my state and nationally is a party that has lost its way… we need to find our way back to a reason to vote Republican."
Missouri Lt. Governor Pete Kinder on the state of the party: "The demoralization of the base is real. I hear it everywhere."
Conservative Arizona Congressman John Shaddeg on the Abramoff scandal: "I believe these scandals are the end of the 1994 Revolution… all this seriously threatens the Republican majority. It might be hard to shrink government as we promised. But it's not that hard to be honest and we haven't."
By the way, I had a terrific time.
I wouldn't call it demoralization. Disappointment is the word I would use. We told folks we had an agenda and then threw it out when we got elected. It's not too late, but we better get to work. Make the tax cuts permanant. Cut spending, and I don't mean around the edges and I don't mean cut the military. No amnesty for illegals and build the border fence. Prosecute those who hire illegals. Repeal McCain-Feingold and pass a Federal law limiting Kelo. Get back to fixing SS. For starters...
The Republican Party surely has lost it's way in Colorado, thanks to the weak, feckless leadership of Governor Owens who supported a run around TABOR, then when the education funding segment passed declared he was using the money for other things...sorry folks, maybe next time we'll fix education.
If these are the so called movement conservatives, I'll eat my hat.
That said, the bad news for Democrats is that no matter how badly the Republicans have screwed up, I don't see the Dems coming up with anything better. When they say anything, it's always worse than what we have now. And if I'm mad at the Pubbies for not being conservative enough, do you really think I'm going to elect a bunch of liberals to replace them? Dream on. This is just a big wish for low turnout so that the Republican vote will be small enough that it will be overwhelmed by the Democratic constituency: dead people, felon and homeless people who get a free pack of cigs for every precinct they can vote in.
Flake is not a conservative if he is for Illegal Immigration.
I don't think whatever the administration is or is not is going to do away with self responsabilty to debts incurred.
I'm not sure i know who these people are anymore. I'm not sure THEY know who they are anymore.
No taxation without representation.
A veiled Hitler reference?
Coming from The Nation, you better believe it!
Read my tagline, elected pubbies.
Then reorganize the dept of revenue-DMV, the conservation dept, the FDA, get rid of homeland security, that otta be a good start.
"I wouldn't call it demoralization. Disappointment is the word I would use. We told folks we had an agenda and then threw it out when we got elected. It's not too late, but we better get to work. Make the tax cuts permanant. Cut spending, and I don't mean around the edges and I don't mean cut the military. No amnesty for illegals and build the border fence. Prosecute those who hire illegals. Repeal McCain-Feingold and pass a Federal law limiting Kelo. Get back to fixing SS. For starters..."
We could go a long way in cutting pork barrell issues, rescind support from NEA, PLanned Parenthood, and the list goes on. Let these people do their own fund-raising. Why should the American people support such groups as PAW, PP, National Endowment for the Arts, etc.? All they are trying to do is overthrow America, one way or another. Why aid them? Since when does the government NEED to fund these groups, or any groups, for that matter. Fund the military, keep Congressional salaries frozen until they rein in spending, cut some of the federal jobs...the advisors to Congresspeople, etc. We are paying a lot for what we are getting!
This is clearly an article by a Democrat for an audience of Democrats. Take it for what it is worth.
This is the single most on-target idea to come out of the gathering.
Perhaps. But I leave it to you to try to deny that we have abandoned most of the winning principles of the 1994 Republican Revolution.
Absolutely true, but irrelevant. How many of us will go vote for the Democrats because of our disillusionment? And if we sit on our hands, we won't like the outcome.
The author is trying to give the Democrats hope. Is that what you want to do too?
I've felt demoralized for a number of reasons, the biggest being the play game of passing symbolic legislation on behalf of Terri Schiavo, then letting the courts have the final say on killing her. How impotent our elected Republican officials looked. (Both Bush brothers) And then the Harriet Miers fiasco. Thankfully, we may see improvement with Roberts and Alito, but I still think we're a vote short of really breaking down Roe vs. Wade.
Spending should be really cut and the Medicare prescription plan fiasco is not helping things either (should not have passed). W is in so many ways his father("moderate") with Conservatives getting some minor tax adjustments and Supreme Court nominations to keep them quiet. W Bush hangs by the thread of the war against terrorism. LBJ ran Kennedy's corpse over Barry Goldwater in 1964 and W rode 9/11 over the Dems in 2002 and 2004. Can he do it this year?
Your quoted assertion is defeated by the following observation:
And if we sit on our hands, we won't like the outcome.
Many conservatives, especially those who do not read FR, will absolutely sit on their hands. That is what occurs when a party abandons its core principles. I make no value judgement about that result -- I merely agree with you as to the probable outcome.
And I would add: Bush did it to himself.
I posted this particular one to show Freepers what is being said about Republicans.
That is of interest to some Freepers.
I haven't seen anyone "bashing" "immigrants." I've seen people be critical of illegal aliens.
"I encourage Republicans to not repeat what happened in California in 1994," he said referring to GOP support for Prop 187. "It works for one cycle and then you pay a price for a decade."
The only reason the GOP paid a price was because Calif. Republicans were too cowardly to take on the media and the left on this issue.
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