[nathanbedford]

Conservatives want to obtain and maintain political power.

In America political power comes through a political party.

Third-party movements invariably elect the political party against whom the splinter group is most opposed.

Conservatives who want to obtain and maintain political power have very little chance of succeeding with a third-party.

Conservatives who want to obtain and maintain political power are well advised to do so by taking over the Republican Party and to strictly eschew flirting with third party.

The presidential nominating process in 2012 was fair, consisting of over 20 debates and 50 primaries.

The harsh reality is nothing other than Conservatives failed to sell their message to the bulk of the Republican electorate.

Next time, the Republicans would be well advised to raise money, disband their circular firing squad, and support an electable conservative.

[jimpick]

I don’t care if a third party gets the dems elected as my conservative beliefs are not being met by the GOP. I will continue to support conservative republicans but will not be bullied into electing a liberal in the GOP. The GOP is no longer a 100% lock on my vote. They have proven that good conservatives are outcasts to them. I will no longer be scared to vote third party if that is what is required to get a conservative elected. If the GOP wants to get elected then they will have to move to the right, otherwise the dems will get elected and they will lose their power. It goes both ways the dem party gets elected if they do not support conservative values as well.

SCREW you GOP I have waited patiently for far to long. If not this election when will I make my stand against the liberalization of the GOP. I will tell you when it will be, the first chance I get to vote for a conservative that is when. It is up to the GOP to stop the dems from getting elected by preventing the party from fracturing.

[onyx]

The best candidate doesn’t always win.

The best campaign does, (ruthless as it just may be, and his was).

[papertyger]

The presidential nominating process in 2012 was fair, consisting of over 20 debates and 50 primaries. The harsh reality is nothing other than Conservatives failed to sell their message to the bulk of the Republican electorate.

Nonsense. The narrative has been orchestrated by a very finely tuned information dissemination mechanism endorsed by both major sides of the contest.

The only way to break that agreement is to demonstrate to one side or the other that further participation will result in not just permanent minority status, but inevitable failure as a self sustaining entity.

You don't do that by continuing to play a game where rules wink in and out of existence with no other purpose than to insure you lose.

[katiedidit1]

Conservatives sent the RNC a message during the 2010 interim elections and also with Lugar, Hatch and in Wisconsin. The RNC did not listen.
There was considerable shifting of primary dates during this years process and that was done to benefit Romney.
I know many republicans that will NOT support Mitt Romney and are no longer giving a dime to the RNC.

[GJones2]

>”The harsh reality is nothing other than Conservatives failed to sell their message to the bulk of the Republican electorate.”<

Though you don’t seem to be getting much support in this thread, I agree with you. The Republican Party isn’t far enough to the right to suit me either, but Republican primary voters obviously make up the more conservative half of the country’s electorate (or least leftist). If a conservative can’t win there, how the hell is he going to be able to win the general election?

Let’s face it. We lost again. I didn’t like McCain last time, and I don’t like Romney this time. That’s no reason to let Obama win, though. The writer cites Reagan, but if I recall correctly, Reagan continued to work within the Republican party while his supporters were still in a minority, until he finally had enough support to win the nomination. He didn’t attempt to start an independent party. If he had, I don’t think he would have been President.

[WOSG]

everything you said makes sense except this:

“The harsh reality is nothing other than Conservatives failed to sell their message to the bulk of the Republican electorate.”

Freepers have been so busy bashing Romney that they have failed to actually listen to him and his campaign - he’s been running as a conservative. immigration, taxes, business regs, energy, prolife, etc.

His campaign now is about beleiving in America again, he’s trying to repeat the Reagan 1980 campaign.

The lesson is that the conservative message does sell. Even when the sellers arent conservatives.

[FreedomPoster]

Thank you for stating more eloquently than I would have the real answer here.

The TEA Party movement has been very clear from the beginning that the goal was to take over the Republican Party. We need to continue working at a local level to ensure conservative candidates end up in positions of political power.

[sphinx]

Well said.

The GOP has not nominated my first choice for President since 1984. That doesn't mean I'm going to take my marbles and go home.

I am sometimes tempted to switch to a party I can agree with 100% of the time, but I don't know where I would find a second member.

[Leep]

Conservatives who want to obtain and maintain political power are well advised to do so by taking over the Republican Party and to strictly eschew flirting with third party

---

Problem is the GOP are the gate keepers. In much the same way the libs control the media. The lib media selectively picks what it deems is and is not news.
Its not easy getting around their machine because they control all the key levers.
Likewise, the GOP-e controls all the key levers.
Romney is a perfect example of the power and control the GOP-e pocesses.
In an election cycle when a conservative would have been the best choice to combat a liberal progressive Democrat.
A conservative, at the least, would have certanly been a greater contrast.
Instead, we “choose” a liberal progressive Republican to combat Obammunism?
Was Romney chosen? More like the sheeple were hearded through the GOP-e gate.

Obama is the annoited one and Romney is the second coming of John McCain.
Good luck America.

[Leep]

Conservatives who want to obtain and maintain political power are well advised to do so by taking over the Republican Party and to strictly eschew flirting with third party

---

Problem is the GOP are the gate keepers. In much the same way the libs control the media. The lib media selectively picks what it deems is and is not news.
Its not easy getting around their machine because they control all the key levers.
Likewise, the GOP-e controls all the key levers.
Romney is a perfect example of the power and control the GOP-e pocesses.
In an election cycle when a conservative would have been the best choice to combat a liberal progressive Democrat.
A conservative, at the least, would have certanly been a greater contrast.
Instead, we “choose” a liberal progressive Republican to combat Obammunism?
Was Romney chosen? More like the sheeple were hearded through the GOP-e gate.

Obama is the annoited one and Romney is the second coming of John McCain.
Good luck America.

[Mamzelle]

Dittoes, nathan. I fear this thread is one of many urging conservatives to stay home and despair rather than get out and vote.

I was forced to do some growing up at my advanced age when I would nevernevernever vote for john McCain, for years and years, No! Never!

Then I voted for John McCain.

It's time for us to go after our wayward husband and bop him over the head with a bat and make him leave his hottie whores and come home to his family, however unappealing he is as a human being and a man.

That's what we really have to do as conservatives, and I'm sure a lot of men highly resent not being able to just dump the father of our children. The gals understand a little better what's at stake--the future, not our pride.

We can't. Not really. No matter how much we want to.

So it's time to pull the RINOs out of the barroom and drag them home. Dear Jim--this thread a continuation of previous conversation.

[spodefly]

A voice of reason, and a welcome break from the whining ...

[rightwingextremist1776]

You sir are exactly correct. The crybabies who whine about the progressive arm of the GOP would rather sit on the sidelines and complain then go out and WORK at making a difference. ANYBODY who sits on their hands and allow this TRAITOR another term are no better then he. We either hang together or we hang separately.

[tacticalogic]

Next time, the Republicans would be well advised to raise money, disband their circular firing squad, and support an electable conservative.

Why would they want to do that? As long as what they've been doing keeps working, they're going to keep right on doing it. We've been holding our nose and voting for the RINO, and warning them about "next time" for how long now?

[Darren McCarty]

Next time, the Republicans would be well advised to raise money, disband their circular firing squad, and support an electable conservative.

Yep. Look at all the attacks here on Perry, "Saint Rick", Newt, Cain, Bachmann, etc. Before Palin decided not to run, a lot of groupies here were trying to clear the field for her, assuming she was running.

[boxlunch]

Next time, the Republicans would be well advised to raise money, disband their circular firing squad, and support an electable conservative.

---

Choose ONE ahead of the R primaries, and then support that ONE with boatloads of money, time, commitment, etc. Choose the conservative BEFORE the primary season!

[PapaBear3625]

Conservatives who want to obtain and maintain political power are well advised to do so by taking over the Republican Party and to strictly eschew flirting with third party.

You're right. The only path to victory involves taking control of the Republican Party, and a slow-but-steady purge of the RINOs and country-clubbers.

[Yaelle]

I disagree with you about why the conservatives failed in the primaries. At least part of the problem is that Fox News really really pushed Romney and dissed the others. Many older people suck the Fox News channel down hours a day, and assume that they were speaking from the right. My own parents became convinced that Romney was conservative, or at least right of center. They got that from Fox. People came away from that coverage thinking that Romney was some economic genius and had always been a Conservative.

Also, Romney’s money from before the primary season did not hurt him.

[Mozilla]

The GOP elite and the Republican media attacks Palin, Santorum, Bachmann, West, DeMint, Gingrich, Cain and anybody else who is tea party or is a conservative politician.

So that should be enough to realize they are hostile to the base and as such what they want is not what we want. They want anti-Palin/ anti-Reagan/ anti-tea party/ pro-establishment statist politicians. And that means they go further and further to the left of conservatives. Should be enough to anger you.