Frank discussion re our loss to Obama/Romney and the future direction of FR and tea party movement

Click here to pledge your support! ^ | May 4, 2012 | Jim Robinson

[painter]

ALSO, its important to get CONSERVATIVES elected to those County Committee seats. They are the hidden government and power base of the GOP party.

I am a county Committee man and you are right.

[central_va]

A President Romney can be held in check with a continuing republican majority in the House and by taking back the Senate.

A true Machiavellian would vote Romney for President and vote for Democrats for Senate/Congress.

[jch10]

Very wise and thoughtful, Jim. We are all in this together and must stand as one. We may not all be able to cast a vote for Romney but we can work hard to get Conservatives into local and state offices.

I was interviewed by NPR yesterday concerning the TEA Party, the GOP, and Gov. Romney. I said many of the things I’ve seen here today. It will air on All Things Considered, 3PM, CST, early next week. Conservatives will put Romney in or they won’t. I am all for keeping Obama OUT!!

[struggle]

>What entities do you expect to exist or come into existence, over the next four years, that will have the power to defeat a sitting Republican president?

We always have the power. What’s happening to Lugar and Hatch right now? Keep the pressure on and people informed. The difference now is that we have a alternative media that is vibrant and growing.

[ecomcon]

I’m just sick to death of having to hold my nose when I vote though.

So true. I remember voting for Reagan with gusto. Twice. At 20 and 24 years of age.

[Qbert]

"But I will not act on my prior promises that I would actively campaign against him if he wins the nomination... To that end I propose a TRUCE among our conservative forces during the remainder of this election cycle."

We need to get as many Conservative Senators elected this November as possible, and we need to be ready to primary Romney next time around if he wins in November and turns out to be as bad as feared.

Too many Conservatives sat on their hands when Bush went off the rails, fearful of criticizing him because he was a Republican- that can't happen this time. We should make it clear the alternative to a bad Republican president in 2016 is not a Democrat... but a solid Conservative.

[Jim Noble]

what specifically does this truce entail?

I suspect the truce means that, if you decide prior to the morning of November 6 that voting for Romney is prudent, all things considered, that you can stay.

[JLAGRAYFOX]

I, too, am glad and pleased by Jim’s words and direction. Mitt Romney was not my choice at all, but......Obama is out to destroy our freedom, liberty, individualism and our magnificent country. Obama must not be re-elected!!! So....this “Barry Goldwater/Ronald Reagan” conservative is casting his vote for Mitt Romney. Hate to say it, again and again, but......ABO = “ANYBODY BUT OBAMA”. It is my fervent hope and prayer, that Freepers will heed the wise sage advice from the astute, pragmatic, strategic, Mr. Jim Robinson. Thanks, Jim!!!

[ScottinVA]

Jim,

Please give some consideration to Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party. For 2012, he is the conservative left standing. There is still a plethora of down-ticket races featuring good, conservative Republicans who deserve our support.

As for the Presidential ticket... yes, this round is lost to the GOP-e/Dem axis, BUT.. a strong statement could be made to the GOP-e schlubs the conservative movement has other options.

[Rennes Templar]

I agree. All independents, moderates, and conservatives should get behind Romney and beat Obama. Get conservative majorities in congress. Then the real work starts. Hold his feet to the fire, deal with the fallout as best we can, then work toward 2016.

[green iguana]

Jim - good post. But unlike you, I will hold my nose and vote for Ronmey this fall if he’s the one with the R beside his name, for one reason, and one reason only. And it goes to one of the points you made about why Romeny is no conservative: appointing liberal judges.

I can live with, and I think the nation can survive with the centrist to somewhat liberal judges that Romney would likely appoint (tho’ I would much rather be pleasently surprised.) I know our nation won’t survive four more years of the Marxist appointments that Obimbo has made.

Keep the House, take the Senate and may the conservatives hold Ronmey’s feet to the fire.

[jpsb]

I will be interested in the answer to your question, since I am supporting Paul over Romney in the Texas Primary. But I don’t want to get banned like so many others for saying nice things about Paul on FR.

[July4]

I agree with Jim Robinson.

I will vote for Mitt Romney even though I don't like him, because it takes time for a new president to get sufficiently entrenched in the presidency to do a great deal of damage. Obama and his followers have hurt America, and they will do even more now that they have their plans and people in place. I will vote for Romney to get rid of Obama, then to work to get an American who understands and adheres to the Constitution to replace Romney.

[GonzoGOP]

We are the resistance!!

A perfect motto, because we have to start thinking and acting like resistance fighters. Ambush, subversion, concentration of effort, and most of all carefully picking our fights.

Sun Tzu said if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

We did not know our enemies. We assumed Obama was the enemy, and he certainly is an enemy. He is not however The Enemy. We completely failed to realize how far the GOPe would go to win. We failed to recognize Fox News and Drudge as agents of the enemy. We failed to recognize the real enemy, and we lost.

More catastrophically we certainly did not know ourselves. Mitt Romney was completely beatable in the primaries. Yet time after time after time we ripped apart the alternatives. Talking up your candidate is one thing. Ripping down another conservative candidate because he didn't use your preferred buzz word is a very different matter. The Perry people savaged Cain, The Cain people hammered Gingrich. The Gingrich people hammered Santorum. Yet would not every one of you prefer any one of them to what we are being offered now? Romney cruised to victory while we conservatives slit each others throats over whether to cut the budget, then limit abortion, or stop abortion then cut the budget. Well thanks to our efforts there will be a big budget pro abortion president, no matter who wins.

The war is over, we lost. Now the question is how to deal with it. On a very long thread the other day i commented in the number of Zots and opuses that were resulting as the thread pushed the 2,200 post mark. I said that if we kept ripping each other apart we would end up with 50,000 posts and a dozen members. The resulting flames got me to write my own opus, but I decided to wait until morning to post. Never did, but I'm keeping it on file, just in case.

We can argue with other Conservatives, but we must avoid fights. If you don't know the difference, here it is. When you lose an argument, you are better off for it. Losing an argument means correcting an incorrect world view or gaining some key piece of knowledge. No amount of name calling will ever accomplish either of those goals. Name calling, word play, gotcha posts, grammar and spelling Nazi replies will ever win an argument. They will however change an argument into a fight. In a fight all you get is an upset stomach and a burning desire to get even.

I once argued that reducing our nuclear stockpile wouldn't leave us a deterrent to China. A fellow Freeper calmly explained that there were a limited number of targets in China worth a nuke. I lost the argument, but It was was because I had a better knowledge of the real world. If the Freeper had instead just called me an idiot and pointed out I misspelled a word I would still have the wrong perception, and would have put another name on the enemies list, instead of one on the list of sources to consult.

What can we do about the election. Fight local. I don't give a darn who you vote for in the presidential election. Romney, Obama, Ron Paul or Mickey Mouse, they are all the same to me. But no matter who you vote for get off your A$$ and vote down ticket. Win the Congress and Senate and the damage either bad president can do will be limited. I have been contributing to my local house race where the GOP can actually put a Tea Party conservative in an Illinois seat. Won't be easy but unlike pipe dreams about a brokered convention or miracle candidate that nobody has seen yet, it is possible.

[OB1kNOb]

Dear Jim,
I, like you, have run the gamut of emotions regarding our pathetic lack of choices to vote for President. For the longest, I too have vowed to never vote for that fake conservative Romney, but gradually, my conscious has continued to force me to focus on the unmitigated evil actions and subversive deeds that have been carried out by the Manchurian Candidate currently fouling the White House and our Constitution with his marxist stench and thuggery.

Personally IMO, and FReepers certainly may disagree with me, I firmly believe what we have in the Presidency, Senate, House, and Judicial system is proof positive of the beginning of God's judgment on this nation for turning away from Him. This nation is no longer willing to repent, turn away from its increasingly wicked ways, and restore its faith and obedience in the Almighty Creator that gives us our unalienable rights in the first place.

Over the past couple of months my thinking has evolved on how I plan to vote. Firstly, I plan to vote FOR any candidate I believe exhibits true conservative principles. That part never changes. The part that has changed is where there is no conservative candidate to vote for. When you think about it, most every argument is framed in the context of who one plans to vote FOR. Well, from now on, I don't necessarily vote FOR one candidate over another. For the upcoming election and future elections, I've decided I will vote FOR conservative candidates. Where no such candidates exist, I will be casting my vote AGAINST the loathsome candidate that I absolutely refuse to be led by.

Others may see this as simply wordplay and that I'm still voting for the lesser of two evils. That's their opinion. Only I know the real reason I vote the way I do, and I will choose to vote AGAINST the evil that is currently destroying this nation at an increasing pace. May God have mercy on us in this upcoming election, although as a nation we no longer deserve it.

[staytrue]

I think people on this forum should stop telling other people how do vote.

As you know, I am voting for Romney but it is none of my business who anyone else votes for. You can vote for Palin or Goode or Obama or even Hugo or Fidel for all I care.

[APatientMan]

Just one concern -

Does this mean I can’t call Romney a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey sh!t anymore?

[Brookhaven]

We focused too much on the presidential election over the last 16 months.

Our focus should be on the house and senate when it comes to the federal government.

The January after every election cycle we need to:

• Make a working list of RINOs to primary out of office in the next election.
• Start finding conservative candidates to challenge the RINOs, and coalesce our support behind a single conservative.
• Identify conservative candidates to run for open seats and seats currently held by Democrats; again, we need to coalesce our support behind a single conservative candidate in each race.

These should be coordinated projects, not just wish lists.

While the presidency is the golden ring of American politics, we need to remember the power of the presidency can be greatly limited IF the congress is willing to fight like hell and do so.

[reaganaut]

Jim,

I am heartbroken over the GOPe’s choice of Romney. I will never vote for him and am leaving the GOP (something I never thought I would do) because they have already left me.

I will be voting against BOTH Romney and Obama by voting for Virgil Goode (not perfect but at least conservative).

Keep on fighting, because we lose no matter who becomes POTUS.

[steve8714]

JR, I was a Santorum supporter on these pages, dealt and absorbed some stings. Now we’re left with Romney, don’t tell me about a Constitution Party or Ron Paul, vote for Mitt, don’t ask me to volunteer or contribute, hopefully wait his term out, pressure Senators on appointments and the House on taxes and spending.
The mods were at all times during primary season proper and respectful to all; no truce is needed, JR.
That’s why I like it here.