Posted on 05/03/2009 11:43:48 PM PDT by Maelstorm
It’s supposed to be a listening tour to accompany their launch of the National Council for a New America. So, where do they launch it?
With the party at its lowest standing in several decades, Republicans on Saturday launched a listening tour in the heart of the Democratic suburbs, where several of the party’s leading voices steered clear of hot-button issues and instead emphasized the need to advance new policy ideas to revive the party’s prospects.
There’s a great idea. Let’s listen to Democrats. That should get the Conservative base involved!
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and former Republican governors Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney – both frequently mentioned as potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates – spoke to about 100 attendees at a pizzeria in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va.. The event was the first held by the newly launched National Council for a New America.
The common thread at the forum was that the Republicans Party’s struggles are rooted in its nostalgia for a more successful past, and inability to offer a policy agenda suited for the 21st century. To make a political comeback, the GOP leaders argued, the party needs to modernize its ideas and agenda.
Modernize, huh? In other words, become Democrat Lite. Check the National Council link. See what their wonderful “Blueprint for Our Conversation with America” is. I’ll wait.
Are you as annoyed and disturbed as me, if you are a Conservative? It gets better
At the forum, there was little talk about the president’s recently passed budget and stimulus proposals, which were vigorously opposed by Republicans. Instead, the GOP trio talked about bread-and-butter issues that directly impact voters – the rising cost of health care, merit pay for teachers, and the price of college tuition.
Really? These are the issues they discuss? Democrat issues? Certainly, they are important, but how about energy independence? What happened to “Drill Here, Drill Now?” How about discussing issues like the out of control spending, which the GOP was heavily involved in before the Democrats showed them that the GOP was the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Dems NY Yankees? How about the expansion of the federal government and the constant intrusion into private lives and businesses? Democrat plans for gun control? Illegal immigration? How about the massive debt the country is going to be holding thanks to the Generational Theft Act, the Omnibus bill, and the ever rising budget, not to mention the coming tax increases as well as the rising cost of goods from climate change legislation? Eric? Hello?
So, I thought I might ask him over at his Whip Blog, where I can “join the conversation.” I left one, part of which was
Is the National Council for a New America’s agenda meant to be a joke? Health care as #2 on the list? National security as 4? Where are the parts about responsible spending, being wise stewards of the money the federal government takes from the people at the barrel of a jail cell, limiting the the federal government in private citizens lives, reducing illegal immigration, and leaving issues that belong to the States and the People to the States and the People, as espoused in the 9th and 10th Amendments? (there was another long paragraph, but, was only able to rescue this one)
Comments are moderated, and, at the time of posting this, still not showing up. Someone else’s comment is there, though. Guess Eric only wants to have a conversation with those who mostly agree with him.
Dan Riehl writes:
I don’t want to be too hard on these guys. My belief is that they are well-meaning, along with wanting to keep their names in the mix. But Jeb Bush has another new Federal Education Plan and Romney wants to talk Health Care reform? Who would have guessed. They’ve both been doing the same thing for years. This is a PR stunt and one that’s doomed to fail if it’s going to produce Democrat-lite.
These guys and the rest of the Republicans need to catch a clue that being Democrat Lite doesn’t work. If someone offers you a Rolex, or a copy of the same Rolex for the same price, which do you pick? There is no need to modernize ideas that have been popular since the time the Declaration of Independence was written, heck, before that, and much codified in the Constitution. There is no reason we can’t discuss other issues, but, how about ones that Conservatives and Republicans (not necessarily one and the same) care about? Why not go to this post at the Whip Blog and let him know.
Wow,
1. What brainiac came up with the idea of starting in the DC suburbs? The GOP is not likley to rebuild based voters in the bureaucractic suburbs.
2. Yes like all parties the GOP must continually look forward. But alas not to far forward. The GOP needs to be there with answers, conservative answers when issue arise. A huge help in that is to have around conservative people not people whose reflexes are statists.
Sorry - thought you were just joking...heh. Geez, the GOP is lost for centuries at this rate - good riddance... I might add that they have lost a 55 year voter of the Republican Party (last year actually with McCain). Changes my voter registration to independent just to show my despise...
The GOP crashed and burned because of pork barrel spending. This is why they lost control of congress. Not real complicated. But nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! these fools are too busy trying to blame social issues for their well deserved dimise...
From the glory days of the 2002 and 2004 elections, how did we come to this..
Yep.. Wow, did not expect to find someone signed up earlier than me - well at least not many...heh... Congrats! You are not only a conservative but a compatriot...heh... Keep up the good work...
> What brainiac came up with the idea of starting in the DC suburbs? The GOP is not likley to rebuild based voters in the bureaucractic suburbs.
Actually, I think DC proper would have been a great place to start. They could have talked about vouchers.
There is nothing wrong about reaching out to the Democratic base, we just have to explain why conservative ideas would server them better.
Damn we are old...
Heh... Not you...just me! Get out there and run for office! Please...
Cantor seems to be spearheading this thing. I’ve heard many conservatives say good things about Cantor, and I’ve wondered why. It was Cantor, after all, who as minority whip marshaled the votes necessary to pass TARP in the house. As a result of that action, there is a burning anger in my belly for this man.
Short of a mea culpa, which is always a possibility, I don’t see him as any sort of effective leader for the GOP. But with a well explained mea culpa he could say to me that he made a mistake, he’s sorry, and he now “gets it”. The others would have to do the same.
That’s the only way I see this effort going anywhere with conservatives.
The more I watch these power-hungry, mini-me liberal drones implode the GOP, the more I am convinced that “Rush is right”.
Sorry to say that expecting anything from a GOP member is expecting way too much! If you are a conservative, you and I am expecting much more than a vote or two. Me, I have given up on the GOP and registered as an Independent (although I am maybe a Constitutionalists). At any rate, I have given up on the Republican Party (see the McCain option) so am very Leary of any of them - GOP. I no longer believe anything they say - am only looking at what they do....
I’ve had it with Republicans...and, another Bush? I don’t think so.
You have to laugh at all this. If you look at previous electoral maps, you will find Republicans being from the North East with Democrats coming from the south. Now, it has reversed.
New England is where American ideologies go to die. The Rockefeller Republicans, who have been inhabiting the North East, are finished. Kapoot.
Imagine this scenario to better illustrate what is going on. Imagine if Palin was the 2008 nominee and McCain, let’s pretend was from the North East, and when VP selected people would drive across state to attend McCain rallies while Palin was ignored. And after the election, Palin would lose and the South would lose all their house seats to the Democrats. The era of conservatism would then be over as Rockefellers would, rightly, move in to take over the party.
The Rockefellers are kicking and screaming as their ideology dies. The future of America is in the South. California is in decline. The North East is in decline. Yet, the southern states are booming. How can this be?
Every political ideology goes to North East to die. You can trace it all the way back to the demise of the Federalist Party.
It will be quite fun to watch these Rockefellers go out screaming and kicking. 2010 won’t win back anything but the focus should be to purge the party. There is no point in becoming a majority party if McCain and others vote with Democrats all day.
I agree what everyone is saying about Cantor. When Obama said to Republicans not to mention Rush Limbaugh, Rush made the excellent point of saying, “Well, Obama is more scared of me than he is of Mitchell and Cantor” which apparently pissed off Cantor. I think he said something about Rush and then called in to ‘apologize’.
GOP Launches Democrat Lite Tour
Indeed. The GOP has precious little time to get it in gear to win elections in 2010 and 2012. Their current actions show that they remain clueless as to how to do that.
I have made a decision to no longer be a McCain voter.In other words no more lesser of the two evils. You better put a decent American Thinking candidate up or I and millions more will simply stay away from the election as we have finally realized we are only playing into your game. If you as a candidate are running to advance the democrat party - piss off. If you as a candidate are running to advance the republican party, shove it. If you as a candidate are running to restore America,honor the Constitution and the principles that the Nation was founded on, then you got my vote.
FIRST MISTAKE: McCain & Cantor & Romney & another BUSH
SECOND MISTAKE: Trashing Reagan
They’re wasting their time with any hope of Conservative Support (which, unfortunately for them, they need)!
I really hope all republicans understand this. The moderate/rino's have LOST with McCain and they either have one of two choices. Conform into conservatives and stay in the party or GTF out like Specter because conservative DO NOT want you!!! If you vote for people like Snowe, Collins, and McCain just leave!!!
This is why republicans never win elections. There's only one product to choose from.
Vote for a liberal (R or D), and you'll get liberalism.
Vote for a Conservative (R or D), and you'll get Conservatism.
It's not important what a politician says. They lie. What's important is what they do.
Now is the time for the Libertarians to step up to the plate. This time, instead of choosing an old, weird guy, maybe they could come up with a viable candidate. There are those who vote for the entire package. If the package is too old and wrinkled, sadly, people aren't going to buy it.
...like Bob Barr..?
The politicians who make Washington a way of life have lost touch with the common man. Their reality is based on power and privilege.
They think the people should conform to them, rather than them conforming to the people. Spector is a good example.
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