Posted on 12/26/2014 7:20:12 AM PST by SleeperCatcher
I understand what you are saying, but I see it differently I suppose.
If we run an “open-borders” R against an “open borders” D, then the open-borders people essentially have two horses in this race and I don’t have any.
If my GOP brothers coalesce around an open-borders candidate because he has name recognition, because he seems like he can win, then they have made their choice. But I am not one of them anymore. I have always been GOP because they supposedly believed in the same principles I did. But less and less does it appear that they do.
I sometimes distinguish between the nefarious “GOPe”, the unprincipled leadership, versus the principled folks out among the rank and file of the party, but of course the rank and file are the people who keep voting these people in. So again, maybe I am not one of them. In political terms I’m not sure who is my party. Maybe there isn’t one.
They have the perfect chance to unite around someone who is principled, but if they blow it yet again then I don’t know what to say. If you implement O’s agenda under GOP leadership you haven’t gained anything. Remember McCain and Graham getting their pictures taken with ISIS and with Egypt’s MB rebels, and flying over to defend Morsi after he was overthrown. Its not just about Obamacare and immigration and Common Core, though those are also areas where the “moderate” GOP is in lockstep agreement with the Democrats. Implementing O’s agenda at a fraction of a percent off the projected budget increase isn’t enough of a victory for me.
Except nothin’, that’s exactly what I said.
> the Evil Party has been using it to “primary out” any good candidates...
Hence the perennial candidacies of Ron and Rand Paul.
They have been hiding behind the Judges for most of my life. When we had both Houses and the Presidency, Abortion was never mentioned, not once, and neither was any other strong conservative position.
It is almost as if the new guys all arrive and they are called into a meeting where an offer they can not refuse is posed, and they don't refuse it.
They are who Newt Gingrich always said they were, the Tax Collectors for the Welfare State.
If Jeb Bush is the Nominee of the GOP, I’m leaving the Party.
The GOP establishment doesn't pick the nominee -- the only reason anyone gets the nomination is that they get the most delegates during the primaries.
Romney Says: We “Had to Steal the Republican Nomination” from Ron Paul.
I seem to also recall retroactive rule changes for the primaries/delegates, and there was the funny-business all at the `12 RNC [the bus incident, the teleprompter/voice-vote incident, etc].
Thanks marron.
One problem will always be the various "deal breakers" -- might be abortion, might be balanced budgets, might be illegal immigration, might be war on drugs, or war on terror, or (I would hope) the 2nd Amendment. People have a host of different issues in their minds, some more important than others, but either regard one as more or most important, or come to the conclusion for the moment that it is.
In practice, it results in a single-issue mindset that leads right into the jaws of defeat. And it always leads there.
It also makes people very easy to manipulate, which is easy to do in particular with the anonymity of the internet.
Rule number one of politics is, politics is always and only about power. Other rules that come up from time to time are either restatements of that rule, or a subset of it, or are not really rules. Politicians in every political system and of any political orientation understand that, or they aren't in power. Some people regard this as harsh, and have even dug in and asserted that it isn't true.
In a system like ours, where we have regular elections on a schedule with limited lengths in office, the apparent stance on a given issue doesn't necessarily seem to make sense, and that's basically entirely due to a given politician's constituency. Politicians don't have consciences (or at least don't act accordingly), they have interests, and those mirror both the majority (or they hope so) of their constituents, and if they're lucky, their party's line.
What happens when people don't show up because they think the candidate at the top of the ticket is not conservative enough is, when that candidate loses, the next candidate moves even further left, because as far as he or she can see, the conservative votes just aren't there. Meanwhile, the Demwit voter only has brand awareness to go on.
The mirror image of this can be seen in the CT primary contest, where novice Ned Lamont bankrolled his challenge to Joe Lieberman over the latter's support for the War on Terror. Lamont won the primary by a few percent. Lieberman entered the general race as an independent and outpolled Lamont and the Republican candidate combined. He almost reached the 50% mark in a field of six candidates.
Yeah, and next time break the Prozacs in half.
It’s disgusting they’re even considering Jeb or Romney.......they simply don’t want to win this election....
Hillary is supposed to be the next president, it's already been decided by the power elites.
McCain and Romney are going to look like General Patton compared with that they have in store for us next time around.
The Libertarians? Constitution Party?
What the heck is that supposed to even mean?
Make no mistake...it's not a conservative party.
Too subtle for ya?
The ‘Bob Michel’ party wasn’t Republican, in the same way Rand and Ron are not Republican — they merely self-identify as Republican, while undermining the party from within.
This is why I was hoping that the GOP would lose in 2014 (don't take that to mean I wanted the Democrats to win, I want them to lose, too); but the truth of the matter is that the Republicans are Democrats: There is no particular policy in which they are willing to stand up fo, and they're all too happy to stand around wringing their hands saying Oh, we can't do anything!
SunkenCiv:
If the GOP is permanently the opposition party, then there won’t need to be a GOP, because the Demagogic Party will always be in control. But that’s the goal of “third party” advocates anyway.
The GOP isn't an opposition party, they just play one on TV — at this point there's nobody standing up for liberty, nobody standing against statism.
DiogenesLamp:
If Jeb's the nominee, I advise everyone to send him down in flames by voting for the Liberal Democrat. It is the only means by which we *might* teach the establishment a lesson.
So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth."
We don't have to go quite that far (voting for the Liberal Democrat, I mean); simply going to some third party would work.
I voted for Gary Johnson in 2012 because Romney was/is completely unacceptable to me; if he hadn't run I would have gone with FR's own EternalVigilance; if I hadn't known of EV's candidacy I would have voted Constitution party or possibly Alan Keys.
In short, don't fall into the two party system
trap, and don't play into their you have to vote Republican
crap… they don't own your vote, make them earn it by actually standing up for what you want.
No, I just want to be very sure you're purposely calling me mental.
Vote for the Constitutions party and vote for Conservative Republicans and others at the State level.
Do not vote for the nomonie, In fact if your so inclined and there are no other options vote against them. Having an enemy signifying Washington is useful as a force against which to rally our patriot alleis in our States towards Constitutional revolution.
When Washington betrays us look to washingtons opposition.
I might as well be living in Singapore or Commie China or some other one party political system with a capitalistic economy.
Singapore has laws against defaming the different ethnic groups, controls media and arrests anyone who protests too loudly against the system or organizes any new political party (COMMIE OR TEA PARTY?????).
One party rules with some scattered independent opposition there.
Don’t think he can win, but he’d be my personal top choice.
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