I totally agree with you.
Any freeper who did not vote today or voted dem is ridiculous.
Sad to say, I agree. The children won tonight. Those that want to be coddled by government from cradle to grave won. The worst part? Bush sees a silver lining. He looks forward now to passing comprehensive immigration "reform." Yes, that's EXACTLY what he said. With Republican leadership like this, we deserved to lose!
Well put.
Was the GOP really abandoned by the base? Or independents? I don't think we know enough to say either way right now.
also remember too-
Do you REALLY think the dems will come
" Charging out of the gate " now?? Ina few weeks? Months??
I think not.
There is STILL 2008 to think about!
There is STILL the other two " Pull out the Troops " Votes that only the 18 desm voted FOR! ( whether for THIS election or not--) and IF the VOTE came up again in the next weeks/months--they STILL have to worry about LOOKING like Cowards-for the 2008 race!
Although the Republicans ( notice I did NOT say "Conservatives") in the Houses NOW might have harder fights and battles--THAT ONLY MEANS there better be MORE UNITY than the Crap we saw the last years!!-with RINOS voting DEM!!--ROVE BETTER GET HIS HOUSE IN ORDER!!
And it ALSO means--that the Dems did NOT necessarily "WIN" as Much as they "SAY" they did--or as much as they PROMISED their "base" either!
The DEMS WILL BE AS CLOSELY WATCHED from now on too to "Achieve" for "ALL AMERICA" as they did PROMISE!!
Cause THEY have their EYE on REAL POWER!-The 08' PRESIDENCY!!
Dont dump it on the voters. The Republicans in Washington lost big time because they built bridges to nowhere, spent money like drunken Dems, didnt do squat about making tax cuts permanent or safeguarding our borders. All they did during the two or three days a week they were doing the people's business was bring up symbolic votes on flag burning and suppport of marriage. Name two significant things that the congress accomplished during the past two years? Maybe that's why they lost? I voted. You might take your anger out on the people like LS who kept feeding us with bullshit about how we were going to gain seats. Yeah right.
I don't get it.
People who make this kind of argument are the sames one in the past who called Pat Buchanan-supporters and people like Bruce Bartlett; "irrelevent" and "0.5%ers/half-percenters." And now these "real conservatives" cost the GOP the election according to these same people?
Either people lie about the Buchanan/Paleoconservative's size or they lie about them costing the GOP the election in 2006. Both can't be true.
I don't know why, but some Democrats like to come here. They vote in our polls and so sometimes there appears to be a signification defection taking place. I don't believe that to be true.
I also don't believe that many Republican people who take the time to come here are going to stay home or vote for Democrats.
This evening is a big disappointment to all of us. Even those who thought this administration was making some critical errors, didn't want to see us lose like this. It's too important for us as a nation not to.
Now, is it just possible that terrible policies caused some of this? I think it is. Does that mean all policy was bad? Of course not. Bush and by extension the House and Senate did some good things. Still, I have been very disappointed in some things that were done, and still others that didn't get done.
One of two things will happen as a result of this election. The R leadership will decide that it was too far to the right, and move further left to broaden appeal. The Democrats are praying this will happen. The other option, is for the Republicans to do some soul searching and renew their vows to conservatism. The Dems would hate this.
The Dems would hate the latter, because every time great gains are made by the Republicans, it is when they voice solid ideals and do their best to implement them.
If the Republicans do in fact try to reach out to the Democrats, the party is dead. For my taste, the party had moved so far left it was already embarassing to defend on a number of issues.
I'd like a party that would value my values. After tonight, they may be more receptive. If so, I think the party will right itself. If it isn't more receptive, I don't know what would pull this nation through, because that type of Republican party would be incapapble.
Truth be told, I think conservatism in the US is pretty much dead...well, maybe not dead, but leaderless and in turmoil. Tomorrow, the 2008 presidential race begins in earnest, and there are no bona fide conservatives who stand a chance of winning the GOP nomination. We can talk about how the backstabbing "true believers" abandoned the GOP, but the truth is the conservative movement in this country is lifeless and exhausted. And, I blame the Republican congress for killing conservatism -- for having the majority for the past 6 years and not doing anything with it, and also Pres. Bush, who while being a very decent man, is not an ideological conservative and hasn't led as one. We need new leadership, a new vision, and a renewed agenda.
Two things killed us: 1. Iraq, or more precisely, the fact that we haven't won in Iraq (or, alternatively, that we didn't declare victory and leave). 2. The price of a gallon of gasoline (hence the "bad economy" spin of the DNC and the MSM).
Something in the basic approach has to change. The Bush idea of trying to treat dems like the other branch of the family while they clearly treat us as the enemy is obviously not any sort of a formula for success.
1) We have been mucking around in Iraq longer than it took us to win WWII. The politically correct approach to winning a war will not work. I can sum up the Iraq war - Muqtada al-Sadr! The fact that he and his Mahdi Army are roaming the streets speaks to the policy failure in Iraq. Bad guys need to be killed, not counseled. Our military has been brilliant and displaced the Saddam regime, but we have not won the war. Iran and Syria openly supply and support the insurgents and we have done nothing to make those two regimes accountable for American deaths.
2) Spending and government growth are way out of control. So we got a token tax cut. If a small one was good, a big one would have been better. Tax cuts were limited by the uncontrolled spending. If government growth and spending would have been properly managed even larger tax cuts would have been possible. I for one and not going to be thankful that the government is only taking 50% of my income.
3) Our country and certain western states have been invaded and colonized by Mexico and the president has turned a deaf ear to it in hopes of getting the (illegal?) Hispanic vote. Illegal immigration alone is enough reason to have fired anyone/everyone! The western states are bankrupt, health care has collapsed, law enforcement is under siege, and security is a nightmare!
4) Polls over principle governing. The party has consistently worked against strong conservatives in the interest of RINO's and "moderates". Can anyone explain the insane support of Arlen Spectre and a host of conservatives that the GOP leadership has crapped on.
This election was not a rejection of conservative principles, it was firing an incompetent work force.
More like, being abandoned by factions of the Republican party that will give any quarter to otherwise loyal conservatives on some very deeply held and heartfelt issues.
When a large block of voters tells you that you should, for example, "control the border or else" you had best believe them.
I voted for a democrat candidate for the second time in my life. The first time was for the late Bob Casey many years ago.
Therefore, I can't get too terribly upset about the results tonight. Yeah, I hate the fact leftists are in charge. But it was high time the Republican party realized conservatives were actually serious about the need for them to stay true to principle. This housecleaning isn't as bad as some of the more emotional tantrums tonight may lead one to believe. It's fairly common, in fact, for just what happened Tuesday to happen in a sixth-year midterm election. Nothing out of the ordinary. No "paradigm shift in American politics", no "death of the Republican party", etc.
That said, I didn't even get a chance to vote for a nationwide elected office. There were none in my state. The gubernatorial candidate for whom I voted was the conservative Republican, and he promptly lost. Big.
I think you are seriously underestimating the effects of the relentless and insidious anti-Bush/Conservative/Christian/'Straight'/gunowner/war/military/Iraq/'call a terrorist a friggin' terrorist for Pete's sake' agitprop bombardment of the general population by the alphabet media over the past years.
Maybe there are a few Republicans who have grown seriously disgusted with the border and immigration issues, maybe even enough to not vote. I am not one, although I admit I am disgusted.
It has been a full-court press since President Bush was elected. NOW, the Democrats have to put up or shut up.
SO hold your breath until you turn blue. Please. If we were blue in the face it was from stating our position, trying to get action based upon those views, not from holding our breath in a tantrum.
We survived Jimmy Carter, we'll survive this.