GOP PRIMARY PROTEST VOTE

e-mail from Citizens Lobby | 1/18/2004 | Unknown

[JimRed]

If your state is holding a "primary" vote for the Republican candidate for president, Citizens Lobby strongly urges you to cast a "blank" ballot -- OR write in a candidate of your choice.

We recommend Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan or Alan Keyes...

President Bush needs a wake call and your vote is a great way to send him a message.

[Naspino]

I am surprised Jim put up with him for two more hours. More and more of these guys are becoming unhinged and derailed.

[A Navy Vet]

Good list. You can add:
He told the ICC to take a hike;
His DOD head is telling Western Europe to defend themselves by reducing and repositioning our military into Eastern Europe;
He has made considerable progress in relations with Russia.

"Committed US funds to battle AIDS in Africa, which is killing millions of men, women and children."

Personally, I think that will be a HUGE wasted of money.

"Passed Medicare Reform, authorized $39.5 billion per year for preventative medicine such as drugs and doctor visits. Includes a ten year privatization option."

Which is a redistribution of weatlth and a socialist entitlement program.

Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become irrelevant.

Actually, the best thing about him challenging the UN is he DID make them irrelevant.

Signed the workplace verification bill in attempt to prevent hiring of illegal immigrants.

What bill was that? I missed it.

A few things in the negative column:
1. Hasn't seen an increase in spending he wouldn't sign (seems to have lost his veto pen);
2. Wrongheaded about immigration. Reagan also said "amnesty" would fix the problem, but it only encouraged more;
3. Has been weak on supporting his judicial nominees;
4. Proposes tax payers should make the down payment to purchase real property for others;
5. Knowingly signed an unConstitutional bill restricting 4th and 1st Amendment rights...Supremes' wrong-headed decision on the later, notwithstanding.

There are others, but in the end I will probably vote for him due to his success at being CIC and the hope he gets a chance to nominate a Supreme Court justice or two. However, I will continue to be critical of his fiscal policies and some other domestic issues. It is my right and duty to criticize my representatives.

[A Navy Vet]

Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become irrelevant.

Signed the workplace verification bill in attempt to prevent hiring of illegal immigrants.

Oops, the above sentences should have had parentheses to indicate your ownership.

[A Navy Vet]

...signed an unConstitutional bill...

Should read: ...signed unConstitutional bills...

More coffee!!!

[The Westerner]

The reason why I am having trouble voting for Bush is that he has done so many "liberal" things that I'm not sure a vote for him sends a message to liberals that we have had it with them. Just what message is a landslide producing?

I suppose if you look back to Richard Nixon's landslide against McGovern, you can say that we weren't endorsing wage and price controls (which were ultimately dropped, thank God), but that we were repudiating McGovern. So perhaps you are taking the same approach with Bush's missteps.

[Howlin]

Your post is about as fair a one as I have seen; your 1 -5 are well stated and I thank you for putting into words what so many of us feel.

[Jim Robinson]

Well, there's absolutely nothing that can be gained by allowing the Democrats to retake the White House and or the Senate and appointing/confirming the next several hundred federal judges, many of whom will haunt us for the next 20 to 40 years. No thank you. Been there. Done that. I will continue to support the Republicans.

[The Westerner]

I'm not trying to convince you. Just reasoning it out. A friend is voting for the Democrat because he thinks that Bush is destroying the Republican party through the introduction of all these liberal schemes. He also feels that Bush is depleting our military in Iraq when he should have used them in defeating Iran, the state sponsor of terrorism. He feels Bush will never have the courage to fight the war where it should be fought, and therefore what good is he? There are very good arguments on both sides. Another friend opted not to vote in order to send a messsage to the party.

[A Navy Vet]

Thanks.

[Jim Robinson]

Well, I'm not all that worried about sending subtle messages by not voting or voting third party, etc. I'd rather send the direct message of voting the Democrats out! There will be no mistaking the message of total rejection of the Democrat Party platform.

[Don Joe]

You, sir, have thought this through. But you, sir, still don't quite get it. Almost, but not quite.

This isn't a strategy or bill of goods sold to you. This isn't a ploy on the part of anyone to steal your vote.

This is reality. This is timeless truth. This is the way it is and always will be and it's not because of conscious choice by anyone to force anything onto you. This is the nature of the "political spectrum". There is nothing you or anyone can ever do about it. If you are an extremist, you can never have what you want in the general election.

You will NEVER have a chance to vote FOR anyone. That's the way it will always be. Your philosophy is such that all you can ever do is vote AGAINST lessers of two evils. This isn't a devious plot by anyone. This is what the universe dictates and you can't escape it. Nor, really, should you want to. An intelligent man will always want to follow the path of optimal return. An intelligent man will always want to do this even if he doesn't enjoy it.

You have no choice. Staying home elects a Democrat and you know it. It's not the path of optimal return, and you know that too. And worst of all, you know that everything I've said here is true.

Reality is a bit more complex. It's not quite so black and white. So long as they know that no matter what they do, they "own" our votes, the abuses will continue to grow. How do you think we got to where we are today? Go back a few decades, and look at how the "middle" has shifted to the left. Hubert Humphrey, the "liberal's liberal", sounds like a "rabid right-winger", especially when talking about the Second Amendment.

It is sobering to consider that Hubert Humphrey would today be rejected by the "G"OP for being "too far to the right."

No, they don't own my vote. If they want it, they're going to have to start earning it. My vote is not the property of any politician or party. It's not rocket science. It's common sense.

If, after the continued -- and increasing -- deviation to the left, I continued to grit my teeth, hold my nose, and pull the "R" lever, I'd feel like a cheap whore.

I guarantee you that if they get some "tough love", and realize that if they want our votes, they'll have to earn them, they will start shaping up. Maybe not all of them, and definitely not all at once. But by the same token, I guarantee you that if they sit back, smug in the realization that no matter how brazen the abuse, we, like the classic "abused wife syndrome" victim, will continue to lend them our support, nothing will change, except for the worse.

And, of course, you know that everything I've said is true.

Will enough people stand up and say "Enough!" to make a difference before this election? I don't know. What I do know is that the R party is every bit as capable -- and moreso, as I detailed in my first post -- of doing precisely the kind of damage as the D party.

My "stay home on election day" is of course figurative. I will vote. I just won't vote for president. I much prefer gridlock to greased pig.

[The Westerner]

Fine. You are aiming for the judiciary. There's no doubt that Bush will be sending more conservative judges up. That last decision on Campaign Finance Reform was a stunner.

[Don Joe]

All well and good, but how do we get our message to the Republican party?

[Jim Robinson]

Write, call, visit.

[Jim Robinson]

Write, call, visit, and recruit, promote, support and elect the most conservative candidates we can.

[bc2]

Please cut the crap. I'm a political activist with the largest gun-rights group in New York State, I run pro-liberty booths at gun shows, fairs, motorcycle rallies, etc, not to mention my involvement with the local Libertarian Party, and other community activism including advocating for charter schools.

This, coming from the queen of computer commandos. What have you done lately besides jockey a keyboard and sit on YOUR ass?

[Howlin]

What have you done lately besides jockey a keyboard and sit on YOUR ass?

Well, let's see.

THIS YEAR

I am my precinct chairman.

I'm working for a candidate for governor.

I am working for a candidate for United States Senate.

I am working for a candidate for President of the United States.

And I've been doing that since probably before you were born.

All the while, I manage to run our company, be an active participant in our church, sit on the board of our Home Owners Association, take care of my family, plus pound my keyboard.

As for this remark:

This, coming from the queen of computer commandos.

you type that with such relish, I'd say it says more about your feelings of worth than it does of mine.

[hchutch]

I think a post elsewhere is indicative of my thoughts now:

---

Sadly ideological purity matters more than solving the problem. Conservatives have better ideas, but any time there is an honest disagreement over issue, all too often it becomes a circular firing squad as some folks accuse others of "pandering" or "selling out" and will take a hike on "principle".

George W. Bush's position on this has been known since 1994 - and he's been honest about it. He has not hidden the fact that his views on this issue are at odds with those of Tancredo, Malkin, and others. He got my general election vote, and I knew what I was getting, because I researched where he stood on this issue and other issues. This is not a "Read my lips" situation. This is NOT a sellout. He's just doing what he said he'd do. And people here act like he has BETRAYED them?

The folks who would justify handing the White House - including the war on terror and the power to nominate judges - to Howard Dean or John F***ing Kerry do the conservative movement no favors, and not only hurt conservatives, but the country as well.

[rrrod]

agree...stupid idea....no way in the world would i vote for pat, ron or alan....pat and ron need to stay on medication and alan keyes is obsessed with himself

[bc2]

Listen. You don't know me, or anything about me. I never posted any messages to you on this thread. In fact, I don't think I've ever posted a message to you. Why you took it upon yourself to make a nasty remark to me, I have no idea. Don't act indignant when I respond in kind.

BTW if you need to have a resume competition with a 23 year old kid to stroke your ego, you need help.

Please don't respond as I don't care to converse any further.

Thank you.