One More Chance for the GOP

That may not be an enthusiastic endorsement, but it's the best I've got. And it's taken me six months to come up with that.

I used to love the Republican Party. I saw it as a dynamic tool for advancing American liberty. I saw it as a common-sense defender of what average people like me stand for and believe in.

But that was a long time ago. And things have changed. Not on my part. I'm the same person with the same priorities and beliefs. It's the Republican Party that's changed. It's turned into the most cynically hypocritical organization I've ever come across. Right now I feel for it what it feels for me -- utter contempt.

I don't mean to say that the party feels contempt for me personally -- though that certainly may be the case in some quarters -- I mean to say that it feels contempt for people like me. Namely, the conservatives who have put it in power. We have been used, abused and shown the door. The things we believe in, the things the Republicans promised us, have been thrown on the ground and trampled under foot.

For exactly the reason the GOP's amoral bosses knew I would -- because of my distaste for Democrats and their anti-American agenda. I'm going to vote Republican because I know as bad as they are, the Democrats would be worse. I'm voting Republican because of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. I'm voting Republican because of Hillary Clinton and Elliot Spitzer. I'm voting Republican because I can't stomach the hell Democrats would raise if they gained control of part or all of Congress.

I'm voting Republican because the Democrats have managed to make themselves just noxious enough to prevent GOP crossover voting.

Because I really wanted to let the Republican Party twist in the wind this year. I wanted to kick the bastards out. I wanted them on the ground writhing with the wind knocked out of them. I wanted the party to remember who put it in power and who could take it out of power.

I was sick of the budget deficit and the trade deficit and the welfare and the illegal aliens and the rape of our economy by free trade and the crazy environmentalism and the political correctness and all the other crap the Republican Party has gone wrong on. I was sick and tired of Republican policies not living up to Republican promises. I was through with Republicans who turned around and bit the hand that fed them, who turned and attacked the very things they promised to defend.

It is a party of incredible ingratitude. There are Republicans I have literally and personally helped get elected and as soon as the election is passed they turn their backs on everything they promised. I have in direct conversation had Republican candidates tell me they would govern like Ronald Reagan and then seen them in office turn into big-government Democrats. I remember one Republican governor who was supported in his first race by the National Rifle Association. The organization sent out bumper stickers that said: "Protect Freedom, Vote Pataki." That was the same George Pataki who, once safely elected, turned on gunowners and proposed and passed the toughest anti-gun laws in the country.

I have seen Republican Party bosses play the party and its members for their own nepotistic enrichment and I have seen instance after instance where party bosses have shown that their word isn't worth anything. Promises made are promises forgotten, personally and publicly. It is little more than a bunch of self-serving hogs at a trough. It is a shameful thing.

And I would tear it down were it not for the fact that the whorish Democrats are even more shameful. The difference being the Democrats are at least more likely to tell you that they support socialist, big-government programs. Republicans will tell you they don't, then they'll put them in anyway.

Right now we are at a difficult juncture as a country. Right now we can't afford to let the Democrats get a hand on the wheel. It might not be just bad policy, it might be disaster.

Because we are at war. And the president is right. This is a worldwide conflict with fascist Islam, and if we don't fight them there, they will fight us here. I'm afraid that Democrat control of either house of Congress would dramatically weaken the war effort. I don't trust the Democrats to defend America. That is because I listen to them and take them at their word, and what they advocate in terms of fighting Muslim terrorism is little short of surrender.

Further, the notion of putting either Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid in charge of the congressional agenda seems like a recipe for disaster. They are two of the most shrill, venal, partisan, uncouth politicians ever to stalk the halls of the Capitol. In my heart of hearts I sincerely believe they would torpedo the ship of state if it would advance their own personal, political and partisan interests. I cannot personally contribute to the possibility of them making committee appointments and deciding which legislation is or is not heard.

There are other Democrats who wouldn't bother me so much, but these two are simply unacceptable. Both seem egomaniacal, completely cynical and fundamentally dishonest. Astoundingly, I distrust them even more than I distrust the Republicans.

The way I see it, in this election one party will betray conservatives and the other party will bury conservatives. I've been betrayed before, but I've never been buried. And at the end of the day, two more years of fake Republicans will do the country less harm that two years of real Democrats. Giving the Democrats the Congress would be like throwing the Republicans off a bridge, and then jumping off with them. Better this election to keep us all on the bridge, and be watchful for another opportunity to bring the GOP to its knees.

This year is a unique opportunity for conservatives to gut the Republican Party, to show it who's boss and to pay it back for its years of duplicity. If we just stay home, or reach over and vote for the Democrat, the Republican house of cards falls down. Many have argued that killing the GOP, and enduring a season of the Democrats, would be worth it to recreate the Republican Party in a conservative mold. The argument is that it would be worth it to bring the GOP back to its principles.

At the end of the day, we have to stay with the Republicans. We have to stay with the Republicans because the Democrats are so bad. The Democrats have chosen leadership, positions and priorities that are so extreme as to be impossible for disgruntled conservatives to tolerate.

So bide your time and keep your powder dry. That's my advice. We'll teach the Republicans a lesson another day.

That is why we need to hold the GOP to their current Contract with America. They road into power on the original Contract. It seems like they have forgotten. I see that their goals are inline with what we sould want them to do, but as always we need to birdog them to do it.

We need to get our elected politicians to talk up the new Contract, and get to it immediately when the session starts up again. They need to make these goals the daily talking points from every single one of our party. Contact your representatives if they are not promoting the new Contract with America.

Here is a link to it.
http://www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html

"On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:

* FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
* SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
* THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
* FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
* FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
* SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
* SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
* EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting. "

Retired historian, professor, entrepreneur, mother and wife. Single living in Florida. Like reading, conversations, gardening and some people. Enjoy travel, adventure, learning, and expressing. Have lived an interesting life with lots of different experiences.

I can clearly see why you made the statement to me that you did. Historian, professor, entrepreneur? You are a "lemming" and must follow the other lemmings over the cliff without thought or purpose.

Oh, and I really like the way you talked down to me...the unwashed ogre that I am. I am sorry that not being of academia and with mighty and haughty thoughts, I am not worthy of a common sense statement based upon many years experience in the real world of business and mankind.

As I stated, the Republicans EXPECT your vote and you will give it because you are one of the meek ones that I cited who are afraid to lose one battle to win the war.

If you are as old as I am (and I take it you are), you would be stupid and dumb not to see that the world we lived in in 1950 has been totally destroyed by who? Take a guess?

If your answer is the Democrats you would be right. If you thought the Republicans fought a mighty battle against the Democrats and lost, you would be wrong. Political correctness along with graft, corruption and greed in both parties has destroyed America from within. Why? Because people like you continue voting for them over and over again because they are afraid of being taunted by throwing away their vote. Worse yet, you insure the fact that the "fat cats" will stay in power and continue doing anything to line their own pockets with the blood, sweat and tears of true conservatives who wish to preserve the American way of life that was here as recently as 40 years ago.

I hope you live to see the final chapter in American history pertaining to freedom and independence. I don't think you will have to wait very long.

By the way, did you fill out your census form correctly last time? Sure was long wasn't it?

To my mind, conservatives who talk and act this way are as unrealistic and obnoxious as the radical left. They are not a majority, but they like to kick and scream and act like they are. If you want a more conservative government then you need to convince more people to elect conservatives, not get mad at Republicans.

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical, but I tend to believe that the Republican Party leadership wants to ensure the Democrats remain a constant threat, since it is only that threat that allows the spineless RINOs to remain in power.

Indeed, voter fraud may help Democrats, but Democrat voter fraud is the lifeblood of RINOs. If it were to become clear that conservatives didn't need to elect RINOs, the RINOs would lose their reason for existence.

While it's true that two years of Democrat rule from 2007-2008 could well be disastrous, the RINOs will do everything they can to ensure that even though there may be more reason to kick them out of office in 2008 than in 2006, it would be even more dangerous to do so.

Lamenting the lack of principled leaders isn't helpful: much of the electorate isn't principled.

Unfortunately, many leaders, and not just Democrats, have no objection to endangering the country if they think it will help their political future. RINOs and Democrats love to play "Good cop/bad cop". It may well be that we're so far along in their disgusting game to escape it, but I think one should at least notice what's going on.

The only way most politicians are going to support conservative positions is if doing so benefits the politicians' interests. Threatening the politician with a loss of votes if they don't do something for the conservatives that helped elect them may seem dangerous and harsh, but if conservatives don't make such a threat and successfully convince politicians of their willingness to carry it out, why should the politicians do anything the conservatives want?

Whatever you say. It's your calls, as there is not any official category, no self-described RINO. It is just name-calling.

There are some people who call themselves Republicans, who despite their appellation nonetheless act in a manner contrary to the interests of the Republican Party and everything it's supposed to stand for.

I think it is useful to have a means of identifying such people. The label RINO seems as accurate as any other.

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