What conservatives need to focus on as we move forward

Renew America ^ | 03 November 2009 | Tim Dunkin

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

These are exciting times if you're a grassroots conservative activist. After years of being taken for granted by a Republican Party leadership that simply assumed that we'd keep on voting for whatever leftist RINO they handpicked for us, a new paradigm seems to be in the making. The assumption that the GOP has to "move to the center" to be electable appears, as we speak, as if it is being proven untrue. Doug Hoffman, the insurgent conservative candidate in the NY-23 special congressional election, has successfully driven off the RINO candidate and now appears poised for victory over his Democrat rival, if two polls that came out on November 2nd can be believed (at the time I'm writing this, the election still has not taken place). Likewise, in Virginia, a slate of very conservative candidates are set to sweep the big three state races handily — each has led his respective race by double digits for weeks now — polling well even in northern Virginia, the place where we've always heard that solidly conservative candidates just can't win anymore. Yet, Bob McDonnell, an unabashed socially and fiscally conservative Republican — who was even attacked for a very conservative religious thesis he wrote twenty years ago — is going to smash his Democrat opponent tomorrow, in what is now a purple state that voted for Obama in 2008. All in all, conservatism appears set to make a comeback tomorrow — the news reports of her demise were certainly premature.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

A look at where we go from here....

First paragraph presented here, whole essay at the link.

BTW, this was written the previous evening, and is predicated on the assumption that conservatives will win in both Virginia and NY-23 (a reasonable assumption, I think).

[PeteB570]

I agree with his points.

I make my fight in the primaries.

[avacado]

RINO Hunting Season is Officially Open: No Limit!

[CaptainAmiigaf]

In Africa, the RHINO is listed as an endangered specie.
In America, let’s hope the RINO vanishes. It is something to be hoped for.

[jwparkerjr]

I'm not sure there's even a law against hunting over a baited field in the case of RINO’s! Like I said yesterday, we can't win it without them, but they damn sure can't win without us. To us it's a part of our life to help determine who runs the country. But to them, it is their life. We can outlast them!

[ConservativeDude]

I have seen some fascinating data on CD 23.

Not only was the previous US Rep., a Dem., but Obama carried the district. So to think that the district now is not going to elect a GOP Rep. who happens to wear the right jersey, but, is rather, going to elect a conservative who is sort of not wearing the GOP jersey...wow!

Also...I read some data that said that while about 60% of the GOP faithful are “very conservative”...only 56% of those folks out there who are conservative actually identify with the GOP.

So althoug I have asserted this rhetorically for years, I think the hard data is emerging which shows very clearly that when the GOP is rock-ribbed conservative, it unites all conservatives and wins...even in D strongolds. When we don’t unite along conservative lines, we are leaving votes on the table.

As for those mods/RINOS...well....we need to start telling them what they “thought” was the case about us. They have nowhere to go, if they have any conservatism in them at all whatsoever. We welcome their votes in general election time. But they need to understand who is in charge. And that is the Hoffmans...not the Dedes!!!!

[Oatka]

The GOP, as now constituted, is the REAL enemy. Taken from a Minuteman email:

Patriot Tim Walberg defeated Michigan liberal Republican Joe Schwartz in 2006. Then in 2008 he barely lost his re-election when Joe Schwartz endorsed the Democrat.

Not to be outdone, conservative Maryland physician Andy Harris was defeated by Democrat Frank Kratovil with less than 50% of the vote after the sore-loser Republican Wayne Gilchrest announced his support for Kratovil.

Then Arizona patriot David Schweikert trounced his Republican primary opponent only to lose to the Democrat in the general because his liberal Republican primary opponent refused to help him.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

The GOP, as now constituted, is the REAL enemy.

Correction - the GOP "leadership", as now constituted, is the enemy. Conservatives need to take the Party back, and do so as vigourously as possible.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Yes, when Republicans run as conservatives, they win. When Republicans play the go-along-to-get-along game and run as “moderates” (really, liberals), then they lose.