Posted on 03/26/2008 7:46:38 PM PDT by Content Provider
There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it." The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health.1
If I have called your attention to this message, I have reasonable grounds to believe, based on messages you have posted here, that you understand the dire situation that now faces the republic given to us by the founders of our nation. Specifically, you have expressed one of the following:
If I have erred in including you in this list and you do not agree, I apologize.
If you are yet to be convinced that McCain is just another Democrat and another socialist liberal regardless of the letter beside his name, this message is not for you.
This message is specifically for those who agree that an alternative to McCain, Clinton, and Obama must be found, or that the Republican Party, having emphatically objected the conservative agenda, is no longer a suitable vehicle through which our nation can repel the continued march of socialism.
It is time to do to the political elite's monopoly on power, what the grassroots has already done to the media elite's monopoly on information - to break the stranglehold of control by a privileged few.
The purpose of this thread in particular is to have a brainstorming session - I do not have, and do not represent myself as having, all the answers. What I do know is that our nation has made us prosperous beyond anything humanity has ever known before, and we owe it to our nation to repay that favor by acting to save it from "socialists of all parties"2
This is what I would like to do.
First, consolidate the case against McCain so that our fellow Republicans and conservatives can see the folly of holding their noses this time. A good deal of information is already assembled here and here. What you can do is add additional references, and help in the framing of the argument.
Second, if we’re to be serious, we need to find someone who knows how the game is played and can be convinced of the necessity of finding an alternative to the Big Three. I’m no politician, but I’ll bet that if we can put heads together we can use the tools at hand to find one or more champions to take this message to a broader group of people. Once we have the case above put together we present it as a petition to prospective champions. I would like to specifically avoid including those who ran campaigns against McCain this year so as not to have this effort misconstrued as payback for their losses. This is a positive effort, not a negative one. Some initial suggestions I can put forth who I believe would be sympathetic to a well-constructed argument: Thomas Sowell, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Tom McClintock. There is no such thing as too many champions, the more the better.
Third, put together an effor to derail the nomination of McCain at the convention. There is a reason why the candidate is chosen by delegates rather than by direct vote, and candidates like McCain validate the forethought of those who put such a system together. Just because the candidate was chosen by Democrats and other non-Republicans doesn't mean we have to consent to it. In this the advice of our champions and others among us with political experience will be of immense importance.
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, I believe we can use the tools available to us in 2008, such as social networking and viral marketing, blogs, forums, and file sharing, to create an ongoing and enduring alliance between the disparate groups all working on specific elements of the conservative agenda. RKBA associations, pro-life organizations, third-party efforts and other groups may be focused on different topics, but the threat posed by the socialists afflicts us all equally. Rather than place all our eggs in a single third party basket, we should endeavor to get as many third parties on as many ballots as possible, so that in the future we are not held hostage to the Democrat/Republican government party. Our task would be gargantuan if created from whole cloth; by leveraging the power of existing groups, publications, and social networks, we could have millions of hands building a united front to preserve our Republic.
If you act, this can start right here and right now. Put an end to the helplessness, cast off your resignation - however much or little you have to contribute, bring it to the table. America was born as a free republic - it is time to reclaim our birthright as Americans. We have no guarantee of success, but if we place our trust in God, we may yet again regain His favor.
Please add your ideas as to how we can pursue the items above and pass this along to those who are also interested in seeing our nation free once more.
Thank you for your input. While I strongly support Israel, I believe our primary concern must be the United States of America. I believe a case can be made that will convince you, and the first point of this effort is to make the case to you.
Right now we have much information, that if you were to read through all of it, I believe you would come to agree. One task that needs to be done is to present this case; if you would like, I will add you to a separate list of individuals to whom the case will be presented when it is assembled.
We need a bottoms up approach. We have to take the GOP back and have conservatives run it again. The way you do that is by electing real conservatives at the local, state, congress and senate levels. I live in MA where there is no GOP so I am seeking out capable conservative candidates anywhere in the country that I will support financially and with my time. Instead of funding the RNC which will give money to RINO’s and McCain let us seek out individual candidates that are conservatives and support them.
The GOP as a whole is not worthy of our support in its current form but there are good individuals in congress and senate. A third party is a very unlikely option with the entrenched organization that exists for the two parties. I think we really need to take back the GOP and then hold the once we support accountable to real conservative principles.
In fact if anyone knows of worthy conservatives running specially for congress let me know. I have allocated a certain amount of time and money which I will allocate to upto 10 candidates. If all of us were to adopt even 1 or 2 deserving candidates I believe we can make a difference. The White House is lost no matter who wins, we have to initially create an obstacle in congress and then retake it with real small govt, self reliant real America loving Republicans.
If I were to monkeywrench the process I'd put up an independent VICE PRESIDENTIAL candidate.
Constitutionally it is not required to have the P and VP slots paired- it's just the two parties who like it that way.
What do we gain? Several million people actually reading the constitution, for one, and possibly a conservative VP.
My 2c.
I agree with the main point you are making. It is included in the fourth item on the to-do list. We need not be restricted to one goal at a time. There is a short-term opportunity to make a difference at the convention, and if that can be achieved it can make a great improvement in the situation.
Sick of only having people to vote against, and nobody to vote for bump.
I've seen nothing to convince me that McCain is not as inept as the other two, especially in his last eight years. This is a man that does not even know the difference between Sunni and Shia. How can I trust him to navigate Iraq, Iran, or Lebanon? I am not saying the other two are better. They are all three inept.
I understand your perception. I believe that if an effort is put forth as was put forth against the amnesty legislation, or like the one against Harriet Miers, we can change the equation.
I mentioned Dobson only because he seems to be listed first whenever I see something about this group. Some of the other names give me a bit more hope, but I’ll believe it when I see it from them.
My reply was brief, based on some ideas we’ve been kicking around here. I’ll give your proposal some more thought.
I will also say this, and it's something you should get a grip on real fast unless you just want to spend the next seven months ticking people like me off: I have the position I have PRECISELY BECAUSE MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS AMERICA. Just because I mentioned that Obama and Hillary are anti-Semites doesn't mean I'm voting only on Israel. We have a war to win, and they would not only lose it, but lose it in a way that brings it home.
I concur with the urgency and necessity of a GOP win.
However, before November, the GOP—We The People—needs to win against the **RNC** so that the GOP has a genuine Conservative nominee at the RNC for genuine Conservative delegates to vote on.
A major uphill battle but the alternatives are not acceptable.
I for one take Dr. Franklin at his word. We have not been good stewards of the republic given to us.
It’s not enough to just get the ‘message’ out...there needs to be a viable alternative...I wanted Fred, but that’s not an option now.
I’ve continually returned RNC mailings with a response such as ‘you want my money, and you give me McCain’? Take a hike. The RNC gets not a cent from me until they give me a conservative reason to donate.
I’m giving all my political money usually sent to the RNC to conservatives in ANY state at the congressional level...this will be, at this point, the most effective way to try and put in place a conservative agenda.
Put me on your ‘list’...I’m interested.
The talk of a 3rd party uprising has been nothing but talk for at least two decades. I supported Ross Perot and he had a chance until he got frustrated with the media bias.
Certainly any candidate outside of the two party lock we have now would face certain annihilation by the press.
I support everything you are saying. But I am fearful that real change in the attitude of the political leadership is going to have to be forced. The election process is rapidly becoming a farce and nearly an exercise in futility.
Getting our country back on track is going to take a lot of slapping around the incumbents for starters. But even there I see a reluctance to throw out the incumbents.
While I can understand your frustration and disenchantment with the R party and politics in general, I do believe that if we are to win anything in this and pull anything off it is going to take a positive attitude... The spiritual enemy thrives on pessimism. Chins up....here we are going to work at this as a group, not just one or two...cheering each other on, brainstorming ideas, supporting one another. It always looks darkest just before the dawn! You are not alone....check out all the FRiends around you.
http://www.hunterforcongress.com/ (Running for his father's seat in CA)Iraq/Afghanistan War Veteran.
https://www.jimogonowski.com/general/page/about (MA-running against Kerry) Veteran who's brother piloted one of the planes terrorists flew into the towers.
There is another Iraq war vet running but I do not remember the state or the name. Perhaps someone else here does. If we can take back the House and Senate, with enough true Conservatives, then who is in the White House will not matter as the position will be rendered powerless. I really wish Duncan Hunter (Sr.) hadn't retired or resigned.
I don’t see how we win the war with our borders wide open to any enemy attack, especially given our experience with the methods of operation of our enemies. It is primarily but not solely for this reason that I find McCain wholly unsuitable as a Commander in Chief.
I think that if you understood McCain’s longstanding relationship to the Kosovo Liberation Army and his vital role in creating this new terror state in the heart of the Balkans, his misunderstanding of the nature of Islam, and his willingness to hold the vital national interest hostage to his personal agenda, that you would eventually come to agree that the combination of these personality traits and misguided policies and his lack of support even within his own party would make him an exceptionally weak Commander in Chief.
I have to agree with you. Dobson has not exactly been seeing with clarity this year. While it would be good to have a voice like his to aid, I am not sure if others will value what he speaks because of his veering the past year. Those who are strongly conservative will not put much stock into what he says, while he may bring along others who backed those like Fred, and are not happy with the McCain option. Perhaps the Dobson voice should be weighed, and waited on. Bring it in later, after others are voicing it loudly, as an echo...rather than a front voice, if you understand my drift?
Understood. There are long term and short term objectives here to pursue, and by following all avenues to redress our grievances we maximize our chances of seeing our wishes come to pass.
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