Yes.
Should we?
Yes.
Posted on 06/08/2007 8:58:43 AM PDT by Jack Black
Our party is weak because it doesn't have shared principles and is full of self-promoting men who see themselves as our betters.
The Senate in particular seems to attract these guys like manure attracts flies. Now that we are in the minority wouldn't it be a good time to clean up our ranks, and eliminate the RINOs from our midst?
Throughout the period of so-called "Republican Majority" nothing truely conservative was accomplished. And worse, because of the private-club atmosphere of the Senate little of substance was even offered up for debate.
The RINOs have no problems offering up a terribly flawed and deeply unpopular immigration bill, and forcing the conservative base to respond to it for weeks. But, for whatever reason, WE NEVER ONCE, saw the Republican party take on a sacred cow of the left in their majority phase.
For instance, the hated and illegitimate "Earned Income Tax Credit" that allows politically favored minorities to get direct cash transfers from FedGov on the very same day that millions of Americans are paying taxes. NOT ON THE TABLE.
Department of Education elimination - NOT ON THE TABLE.
Repealing bad gun control laws - NOT ON THE TABLE.
Essentially the consensus idea that we can not repeal the welfare state, or end the governance by and for grievance groups, or shrink the leviathan FedGov - NONE WERE PROPOSED - much less passed.
The essential weakness of our party as a vehicle for conservatives has been revealed. The role of the RINOs in preserving this weakness has been brought to the front.
Some will argue that we can't allow ourselves to fall out of majority. But that has already happened. The RINOs have ensured that the Republicans are ineffectual. The media have ensured that the Republicans get the blame when things go wrong.
A new strategy and new faces are needed. Those voting against the base on the immigration bill have self-selected as no longer being deserving of leadership positions in the Conservative movement. Perhaps they are not the only ones, but they are a start.
I believe now is the time to ideologically cleanse the party.
An analogy from recent history may serve to illuminate how this can help.
In England, in the age of Thatcher, the Labor party had two wings, a modern, moderate left, similar to our Democrats, and a bunch of former Communists. Every time an election was run the party would first have a long dragged out fight amongst itself over whether to continue to use the discredited socialist rhetoric in the campaign, and then would be mercilessly skewered by the opposition. It was only after the legacy leftists were kicked out of the party that the became the majority party in America.
Our own deal with the devil has taken a different shape, but the result is the same. As long as we are big-tent coalition containing a dozen critical Senators who survive on incumbancy, fat cat donations and support for the Democrats neo-Socialist agenda we are unfit to govern.
We proved that.
Let's fix our party NOW. Let's resolve to clean it up, toss the old lions like Spector who are not team players and replace them with younger, smarter, more conservative men and woman who are there to do something - not merely to be a member of the 'American Lords', as Arlen and his cohorts so clearly are.
___________________________________________________
Here are the RINOs who voted YEA.
Who is the worst RINO in the Senate?
While we are in the minority seems like a great time to clean house. If we were going to target these guys in primaries who should we go after first?
Should some of them be spared because they are otherwise fine Republicans?
My take: Hagel needs to go first.
I am also hoping Arlen can be knocked off. He barely survived a primary challenge last time, we owe it to him and ourselves to try again. The ad campaign for his opponent could be theme'd "Had enough yet?"
Finally I'd put Lindsey Graham on the list. He is moving in the wrong direction, and is likley to start being 'the new Hagel' -- lauded by people like CNN and George Stephanopolis. Better to toss him now while he's just growing to big for his britches, rather thay wait until he's filled them out.
I think McCain's career is over with his failed run for President and I don't expect him to stay in the Senate next term. I know less about the remaining three: Lugar, Martinez and Voinovich. Martinez is head of the RNC, at the very least he needs to get out of that job.
The Yeas: RINO targets for replacement
Graham (R-SC)
Hagel (R-NE)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
Specter (R-PA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The Labor Party became the ruling party in England, not America. Please excuse my error above.
I’m quite happy that my former RINO congressman (Joe Schwarz) is gone.
Get Senator Spectre (or however this slimeball spells his name). He is the epitome of scum and villany, a totally disgusting mass of flesh, the bottom of the smart barrel, the only example of a complete vacuum (without even quantum fluctuations) etc., etc.
When do we start? They still haven’t gotten the message from the ‘06 elections....
Unfortunately, he is freshly re-elected with GWB's endorsement. We'll have to wait six years.
Lets make sure this bill never gets up off the floor first. When Bush gets back, he’s gonna’ try to ram it through again by leaning on the weak-sisters. WE CAN NOT LET THIS HAPPEN.
Problem is the states where these RINOs come from have entrenched state party RINO mechanisms in place that only endorse RINO candidates. True Conservatives would have to run as Independents.
Was there ever a worse day to be a Republican than when the hated James Jeffords switched parties? Lincoln Chaffee was next in line, but thanks in part to a bruising primary, we don't have to worry about him.
I realize that this suggestion goes against the conventional wisdom, but as a lifetime Conservative and long time Republican activist I have had enough. I don't care of believe in the conventional wisdom.
The immigration bill is the last straw. It's a near death experience for our nation. If we don't get mad and take risks, big risks to deliver on our vision we will surely lose our country as we know and love it, and see our children and grandchildren grow up in a Socialist hell of our own devising.
I suggest Snarlin' Arlen.
L
Collins and Snowe (ME0
Jack...
I see the problem being that we do not have people who stick to the principles and guidlines laid out in our party platforms, either the state or national platform...
Until people, who go by these documents, who are considering running for office pony up...We are left with these incumbents who glide by without really being held to task...And the party leadership doesn’t seem to want to rock the boat these days...
But, I do think a lot of this is starting to see the light...
And unfortunately we conservatives may be in the minority for a while longer till we recoop the losses of 2006, and 2008...
I hope we don’t widen the gap too much in 2008, and I really hope we can narrow it if a few more people see all of this for what it is...
Voter apathy, low turnout and fragmented groups withint the Republican party is what is going to put a damper on everything in 2008, unless we can get a really nice ticket for the top job then...
Rudy and McCain are not going to make the cut, Mitt is going to be the top dog going into the primaries...And Mitt is not my top pick by a long shot...When Fred jumps in it is going to change the entire makeup of the field...
And if the Hunter.Thompson folks can get together and strategize a bit...A ticket with those two guys would really give the democrats fits in 2008...
At least I know I and a few others would have a better warm and fuzzy about that election if that were to materialize...
War on the RINO’s.... it’s our clarion call and mission to remove these fakes and moles from the GOP.
I have taken the liberty of pinging the CWII list, even though this topic doesn’t fit the classic guidelines for the list. I would appreciate your response and pinging any others who might be interested.
In some states, it is very difficult to elect any kind of Republican but a RINO. You have to factor that in to the discussion.
That said, my #1 priority for 2008 would be unloading Flimsy Graham. #2 Chuck Hagel, who already has an opponent in the primary.
I will consider the immigration nightmare of the past month worth it if it allows us to knock Graham and Hagel out of the Senate and keep McAmnesty off the GOP presidential ticket.
Your thoughts are based on an invalid premis. The election of Rinos is the business of voters in the various states, not the business of the public at large.
Having said that, there must be a decision as to contributions to the Republican Senate committee that funds many campaigns.
My point is that we are under an umbrella that is not totally effective because some rain blows in under the sides.
The umbrella we have is better than no umbrella and constant rain.
Who gets to draw the line where an R turns into a RINO?
Your thoughts are based on an invalid premis. The election of Rinos is the business of voters in the various states, not the business of the public at large.
Having said that, there must be a decision as to contributions to the Republican Senate committee that funds many campaigns.
My point is that we are under an umbrella that is not totally effective because some rain blows in under the sides.
The umbrella we have is better than no umbrella and constant rain.
I am only 80% conservative, but I vote 100% Republican, do you want me to leave? Will the Republican Party be better off without my vote?
McCain should’ve been toast in the 04 senate primary. Hagel and Graham are gone in 08.
I allow myself to post one vanity every two years or so. Please indulge me and let me know what you think.
***That’s a good practice. Bump for later reading. Of course, my initial answers to the questions are Yes and Yes, but I’d need to look into it further.
If it's me, we're going to need a lot of ammo.
not yet...........in order for conservatism to succeed, we MUST have the supreme court....the libs know this, and with 2 old coots on the court that could kick off any day, we need the white house and senate, ONLY ONE MORE TIME.... once we get the court, the purge can begin
What we have today are many politicians in the Republican Party that are essentially not conservative. People who are abandoning their constituents and even supporting legislation that runs contrary to the wishes of those that put them in power. I believe some on the hill are scared after the last elections and their is a perception that demographics are changing, the war is unpopular, and public opinion is shifting more left on some issues. The political ambulance chaser like McCain will attempt to ride this trend.
It’s simple to understand when one looks at the true nature of those in politics and their motivation. Their priorities are not God and country and near all are egomaniacs. They tend to think in terms self and then party. Selling out the very principals they say they had is acceptable, but that only proves these were never principals to begin with. Those playing these games today and abandoning their self proclaimed principals deserve to be labeled as RINOs and deserve to be politically destroyed because they do fit the description of demagogues. However, realize compromises always need to be made in politics. That’s how it was meant to be; even Reagan compromised on issues.
I’m not a republican any more, so there’s not much for me to do, but I promise - I’ll never vote for voinovich (my senator) ok?
That's absurd. Senate elections have long been nationalized. I would agree that the 17th Ammendment was a bad idea, but we're stuck with it.
Arlen Spector was supported with George Soros money to win election, as detailed in this article.
Given that we have no choice but to treat all elections as national. Further, because liberals and RINOs don't respect the orginal design of the nation, a Republic of Republics with a Constitutionally limited Federal Government - they have impact on all of us in the USA, in every sphere of our lives. Sen Spector just voted to set wages in Alabama and Idaho.
Given this, it is our duty to look at the elections as they exist in reality, not based on some vision of a idealistic past.
But these efforts need to be on a State by State basis. Neither of our parties has ever been purely ideological. They have always been held together by a variety of considerations, some social, some ideological and some, very frankly, opportunistic. That will probably never completely change, and there are times when you need those who are there, merely because it gives them social identification, or they see some personal advantage, quite apart from any issue, in being there.
So, my point is, that we need to work in our local communities for "right thinking," principled candidates. But while that means going after some of the wrong thinking and unprincipled candidates, we should not make it sound so much like a purge that we lose all the non-ideological folk to the opposition. The reality is that most Americans are not really ideological--instinctively Conservative, but not necessarily able to define why, and nervous about being told what they must believe.
William Flax
Why don’t we just let Paris Hilton drive them?
This may be the first list of RINO Senators I’ve ever seen that has EXCLUDED Snowe, Collins and Chaffee.
Weird ...
Sounds like what you want is a “Political Human Sacrifice” like the John and Ken radio show did. They almost took out RINO Congressman Dreier with the bongo drums and guy dressed up as a cannibal. You have a vote to pick the worst politician of each party and try to take them out. Google Political Human Sacrifice for the details.
This should be the ticket.
*OF COURSE I mean that in the political sense.
FYI, I don't think that the conservatives could drive them to extinction without driving them all from the Party...which would ensure permanent minority status. Purists hate the idea of such compromise (so do I, most of the time, and I'm not a purist because I realize that the very nature of politics requires compromise most of the time), but that's life. You can be comforted knowing that there are lots of DINOs that drive the Dem purists as crazy as the RINOs drive us.
During the last few months, I think American voters have been educated like never before. The next Presidential election may have some of the best educated and informed voters in our history and now that they have a taste of power they will be holding their elected officials accountable. Among them are those that you named...and with all due respect...I’d put Lindsey Graham at the top of the list.
As far as RINO’s...chaff falls all by itself.
It's like the saying, How do you determine porn. Answer - you know it when you see it.
Kind of ironic that "Hunter / Thompson" is also the name of one of the most rabid leftist political writers of the last 100 years, now deceased by suicide.
I do like both of them a lot. My focus is on the Senate now, which I find appalling.
Sen. Hagel and Sen. Graham will run next year.
Some will argue that we can’t allow ourselves to fall out of majority. But that has already happened. The RINOs have ensured that the Republicans are ineffectual.
The RINOS by their mere presence got us Roberts and Alito. They also helped with the tax cuts. They also allowed Republicans to chair committes which control what gets voted on by the congress. Majority status with some RINOs is preferable to minority status with 30 principled conservatives who can basically be ignored.
Sure I’d rather true consevatives but you’re not going to get that from Maine, New Hampshire, and other left leaning states.
>> Who gets to draw the line where an R turns into a RINO?
To me, the definition of RINO is like that Supreme Court justice’s definition of porn: hard to precisely define, but a reasonable person knows it when they see it.
Anyway, I wouldn’t defend any senator mentioned so far as NOT being a RINO. They are all pretty clearly RINOs.
Hagel, Specter, Voinovich, Snowe, Collins, Graham, McLame, all of them are obscene. Oops! I mean, all of them are RINOs.
It’s an excellent vanity and you are 100% correct.
Electing RINOS has gotten us this mess today.
Question is how do we make our hit list and keep it in a permanent place and get people motivated?
However, he's disapointed me on too many issues. He voted to reinstate the Clinton gun ban after it expired. He's squishy on the war in Iraq. He wants to let lots of cheap labor into the country.
His main problem is that he looks on government as a benign entity that should be involved in just about everything. As Mayor of Cleveland, his big thing was "public-private partnerships." Shades of Benito Mussolini!
We in Ohio need to start looking for one or more good conservative candidates to run in the next Senatorial primary.
I emphasize candidates plural. Bob Bennett, who is still Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee, doesn't like contested primaries. His argument is that they eat up money that will be needed in the general election. However, a non-contested primary means that the Party officials pick a candidate without voter input, and he's the one we're stuck with in the general election. That's why for years we had to choose the lesser evil: Bob Taft, Betty Montgomery, Mike DeWine, George Voinovich, and on and on.
I spent over 10 years on my county Central Committee, including 4 years as Chairman. I saw too much of this crap from the inside. It's not too early to start thinking about a replacement for Voinovich.
Ohioans, how about Blackwell?
The entire contract with America was subverted by the RINO’s in the Senate.
This has discredited the whole movement.
We never had 50 conservative votes in the senate and we wonder why government spending has just gone up?
I see the goals in this post as a good start but still too small.
Eliminate the IRS and go to an import and sales tax only.
Deport at least half of the illegal by requiring all the majors city’s to ask for proof of citizenship and turn over suspects to the fed. If the don’t then cut their highway funds. They did this with the 55MPH speed limit and that was OK.
Make some tax free and lawsuit free zones in each state on federal land for businesses that we want to prosper like micro chips, machine and others. Watch them come.
Nation wide vouchers for all education. The monopoly school system needs to be broken up or our country will not survive.
Let’s focus on 3 or so RINO’s that we can oust in the primaries. Some are in small states so a small amount of money from a nation wide campaign could make all the difference.
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