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GOP Leaders May Finally Be Catching On
Townhall.com ^ | January 25, 2013 | Matt Towery

Posted on 01/25/2013 5:51:51 AM PST by Kaslin

Speaker John Boehner finally declared this week that President Obama's goal over the next few years is to "annihilate" the GOP. Wow, he finally figured that out. And to reporters about his ticket's defeat in November, Rep. Paul Ryan stated that there was a failure to turn potential Republican voters out -- again, another "ah ha" moment.

What is really going on is that the more old-time Republican Establishment is starting to realize that simply playing the same old game against a new, brilliant and Democratic political juggernaut led by their symbol of success, President Obama, will likely yield the same results.

To Ryan's credit, he told the same group this week that what Republicans need is more "Jack Kemp." And Ryan is so right.

Remember, Kemp was a "conservative opportunity" Republican with an always positive attitude, which he carried with him as secretary of housing and urban development under President George H.W. Bush. Kemp reached his political pinnacle as the vice presidential nominee running with former Sen. Bob Dole in 1996.

Kemp was added to the ticket in part because of his long history of advocating tax cuts, in part to advance the concept of supply-side economics. Dole and Kemp had clashed in earlier years, with Dole viewed as the more traditional "Establishment-type" and Kemp the populist conservative who had a strong interest in issues that were typically not part of the GOP agenda, such as the health of cities, moving those in public housing toward ownership and responsibility for their homes, and eliminating weapons and drugs from the hands of the criminals who in urban areas possessed them.

When it came to issues such as immigration and gay rights, Kemp was more of a pragmatist. In June of 2006, Kemp warned in a column, "Failure to address the legitimate issue of immigration reform could also do great harm to the Republican Party."

He advocated both the tough approach of truly enforcing the borders while at the same time crating some form of status for those already present.

Now conservatives such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida are increasingly proposing such moves in order to finally fix an issue that is costing the nation lost tax revenue and Republicans votes among a growing Hispanic/Latino electorate who once viewed the Republican Party as a vehicle to help lift them up.

More importantly, both Ryan and Rubio seem to represent a new breed of Republican leaders who want to double down on the GOP's devotion to issues of fiscal responsibility, but couple them with policies that offer opportunity and hope to a large number of people who now view themselves as part of "the middle class" that clearly is drifting in the direction of not only a liberal but, in many ways, increasingly socialist leadership.

Some very strong conservatives have urged that even Republicans engage the White House and Democrats in Congress with blunt talk, spelling out clearly what they observe, pulling no punches. And it appears, with Boehner's declaration as to President Obama's intentions, even the "Establishment Republicans" might be reaching that point. They replaced the word "progressive," which is increasingly being used to label President Obama, with the more accurate label of "moderately socialist," when describing current Democratic policy in Washington.

But if Republicans are to start stating the obvious about the president's goals of redistributing wealth and resources through various policies and legislation, they must offer an attractive alternative.

That means by its very necessity embracing the needs of the nation's cities, finding a way to provide a path toward some form of legal worker status that requires paying taxes and no shortcut to actual citizenship. And, most importantly, that requires explaining how the Republican policies of lower taxes, less government and defense of personal liberties actually benefit the many voters who in November either chose Obama out of fear, on a coin toss or simply decided not to come out in support of Gov. Romney.

Republicans need more plain-speaking leaders who fight for providing opportunity to more people through less government intrusion. In other words, the Republicans truly do need more Jack Kemps.


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: barackobama; gop; jackkemp; johnboehner; marcorubio; paulryan
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1 posted on 01/25/2013 5:52:01 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Excellent start.

Now about the most important point of all:

HIRE AMERICANS. Stop shipping our industry to foreigners.


2 posted on 01/25/2013 5:54:02 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: Kaslin
To Ryan's credit, he told the same group this week that what Republicans need is more "Jack Kemp." And Ryan is so right.

Lets just say Kemp would be a step in the right direction.

3 posted on 01/25/2013 5:59:00 AM PST by skeeter
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To: Kaslin

GOD DENIERS AND CONGENITAL LIAR DEMOCRATS
WANT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR GUNS
WHY ARE THE GOPES* HELPING THEM ?
*government of the people elites


4 posted on 01/25/2013 6:01:42 AM PST by mosesdapoet (Should the "Chicago Mechanic" come out of retirement ?)
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To: Kaslin; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas; DoughtyOne; Gilbo_3; Impy; stephenjohnbanker; NFHale; ...
RE :”Speaker John Boehner finally declared this week that President Obama’s goal over the next few years is to “annihilate” the GOP.

WTF??

This is the second quote of mine from here that I have heard used by the GOP recently, phrases that I made up myyself and have posted here in comments months earlier.
Bobby Jindal gave the GOP a lecture to stop the ‘stupid talk’, that was a buzz phrase I started posting here last year too.

O knew exactly what he was doing when he called plan B a tax increase on TV. His goal is total annihilation of the R party so he has complete control of congress his last two years and can finish his job,”.
69 posted on Saturday, December 22, 2012 2:13:58 PM by sickoflibs

I need to trademark these.

5 posted on 01/25/2013 6:04:31 AM PST by sickoflibs (Losing to Dems and Obama is not a principle! Its just losing.)
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To: Kaslin
GOP Leaders May Finally Be Catching On

Thanks for confirming the obvious... the problem isn't that they are slow to recognize that the enemies of this country are their "friends across the aisle", it's that they are gutless, limp-wristed, unprincipled pansies, unwilling and uninterested in making a stand in defense of the Constitution. I've never even seen one of these candy a$$es raise his or her voice when the liberal scum are lambasting them with one of their incoherent, mindless spittle-laced diatribes. The GOP is dead to me. The People are going to have to right this ship on their own... some day.

6 posted on 01/25/2013 6:07:21 AM PST by Common Sense 101 (Hey libs... If your theories fly in the face of reality, it's not reality that's wrong.)
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To: Kaslin

Nodoby wants to anihilate the GOP. They want to neuter it. Well, not really since they did that years ago.


7 posted on 01/25/2013 6:10:35 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

How about those crazed politicians in DC lower the corporate income tax on companies. I do believe that would be a damn good start in getting some of those companies back in the United States.


8 posted on 01/25/2013 6:15:47 AM PST by elephant
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To: elephant

That is also a very good point.

However it is not one I am winning to wait for.

Bring back American industry now.


9 posted on 01/25/2013 6:17:24 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: Common Sense 101

One of the problems is that people have a bias in favor of normalcy - in other words, the GOP has been acting for the last four years as if this were just a normal Dem regime, in which case their normal arguments, negotiations and usual political tradeoffs would have worked.

But this isn’t normal anymore. This is a serious attempt not even by one party, but by one person, using that party, to take over the US and fundamentally change it.

We suffer from the “It Can’t Happen Here” mentality, and for a long time, I think people closed their eyes to the fact that it was happening, and very fast. And finally all but the most mild-mannered, wussiest of the GOP are now waking up to this fact.

We’ll just have to see whether or not it may already be too late.


10 posted on 01/25/2013 6:18:49 AM PST by livius
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To: Common Sense 101
The GOP is dead to me. The People are going to have to right this ship on their own... some day.

I figure it will take about a million of us, well-armed with lots of rope and marching on Washington, and not as a symbolic protest.

11 posted on 01/25/2013 6:21:13 AM PST by EricT. (The Second Amendment is Tyrant Control.)
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To: Common Sense 101

finally catching on? If so, these guys are balls lost in the high weeds and too stupid to be there in the first place. Know your enemy is the first law of survival. So, by definition, these guys are too stupid to survive and need be removed from the playing field.


12 posted on 01/25/2013 6:26:47 AM PST by Mouton (108th MI Group.....68-71)
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To: Kaslin

BS. He’s in on it.


13 posted on 01/25/2013 6:33:53 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: Kaslin

0bama isn’t out to “annihilate” the GOP... he is out to “annihilate” the republic.


14 posted on 01/25/2013 6:39:52 AM PST by Rodamala
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To: Kaslin

It took our leader in the House a very long time to realize what the President is doing. With the executive orders we no longer need the House or the Senate. Obama is ignoring our Constitution and no one in D.C. will try to stop him.

Too bad we can’t elect men or women who have the ability to understand what the Democrats (or whatever they should be called) are doing. The DC Elites only care about their power. They are willing to destroy our country to play golf with the President.


15 posted on 01/25/2013 6:42:33 AM PST by winkadink (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. George Orwell)
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To: Kaslin
Remember, Kemp was a "conservative opportunity" Republican with an always positive attitude, which he carried with him as secretary of housing and urban development under President George H.W. Bush. Kemp reached his political pinnacle as the vice presidential nominee running with former Sen. Bob Dole in 1996.

You can always pick out an unprincipled liberal republican posing as a conservative when they put qualifiers next to the word conservative to identify themselves.

"conservative opportunity"
"compassionate conservative"
"fiscal conservative"

et al...

16 posted on 01/25/2013 6:43:48 AM PST by TADSLOS ( "I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few politicians."-George Mason)
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To: Kaslin
President Obama's goal over the next few years is to "annihilate" the GOP.

no more GOP?? since DC is all one big happy crime family, what's in a name? We're on to DC's "good cop - bad cop" ploy Boner and most of you are bad, and you being one of the worst.

17 posted on 01/25/2013 7:02:12 AM PST by drypowder
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
GOP Leaders May Finally Be Catching On

So, today is April 1st?

18 posted on 01/25/2013 7:15:14 AM PST by pilipo (GOP=Gutless Old Party)
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To: Kaslin

Frankly I doubt Boehner is capable of figuring anything out. More likely some overpaid consultant has focus grouped the term “annihilate” and it tested well.


19 posted on 01/25/2013 7:47:23 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Kaslin
Let's face it...for the low-information voters we have now, and in the future, the GOP "vision" is a much more abstract than what the Democrats are selling. At its core, the GOP platform is one of "individual responsibility, freedom, and the pursuit of one's happiness."

That's all well and good, but how does that compare with the Democrat's vision, that government is the source of "collective happiness?" How does "freedom" compare with "getting stuff for free?"

Until the GOP can articulate that, they will forever wondering how to out-do the Dems. They can't just say, "we're preserving freedom," or "we're trying to preserve a pro-growth economic climate" -- that means nothing to a un-educated, low-information voter, living in their parents' basement. To such a voter, they don't care about marginal tax rates, Laffer Curves, or a prohibitive regulatory environment. They're trying to fulfill their basic necessities in life, and the Democrats are offering them.

Sure, the low-info voter doesn't have the foresight to know that government can't keep taking from the rich forever...they're living for today. Until the GOP can show them how voting for "freedom" is better for them in the long run, they're going to be a minority party for a long time.

20 posted on 01/25/2013 7:59:51 AM PST by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
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