Memo To The GOP: Where Are You?

CNS ^ | 4/28/04 | L. Brent Bozell III

[pookie18]

Memo to: Republican Party Leaders

From: A Friend

Re: Where Are You???

The other day John Kerry had finished addressing the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention and was greeting participants when the C-SPAN camera caught one woman, presumably a member of the Fourth Estate, gushing to the Democratic candidate, “You’ve got my vote!” There’s no surprise here. It’s almost impossible to distinguish between Democrats and journalists in their passion to elect Kerry and defeat Bush.

But where, oh where, are you?

It’s good to criticize those in the media who long ago lost sight of the word “balance” (not to mention “fairness”) and there are plenty of us on the outside pointing this out. But you, who have the mantra of “GOP leaders” – where are you? Your silence is shocking to the point of disgraceful. At best you are inept. At worst, you are cowards, unwilling to engage your political foes.

There is no shortage of issues, and opportunities available to you. You should be having a ball exposing and neutralizing the leftist press, not to mention the leftwing political opposition (or do I repeat myself?), yet you’re AWOL from the debate. Herewith are just some of them:

1. The 9/11 Commission. It’s a political farce and you know it, and yet you’ve allowed the Democrats and the press to hammer the president, relentlessly suggesting somehow he was unprepared for 9-11 while he overprepared for Iraq. Americans heard endless reports about the “wall” constructed between the CIA and the FBI, and how this was somehow the Bush administration’s fault.

But we’ve also learned that the “wall” was constructed during the Clinton administration by deputy attorney general Jamie Gorelick, who now sits on the 9/11 commission panel judging others. We also now know, thanks to a CNSNews.com report backed up by four different sources, including a high ranking Clinton official, that it was this very “wall” that impeded investigation into the Chinagate fundraising scandal. Why aren’t you raising hell? Why aren’t you calling for a real investigation into real scandal?

2. Defense spending. The Kerry campaign is formally accusing the administration of a “continuing disregard” for the American military which “went into Iraq ill-equipped.” Their hypocrisy is mind-boggling, but understandable: they do it because they know the media won’t touch them. And neither, apparently, will you.

Why aren’t you breaking down the door of every newsroom in town demanding the media report the truth for a change? Kerry proposed canceling the Patriot missile system in 1984. Voted against funding the Patriot system at least twice. Voted against funding the Bradley Fighting Vehicle at least five times. Voted against funding the B-2 bomber at least 17 times. Voted against funding the F-18 fighter at least eight time. Voted to decrease overall defense spending at least 38 times. And it’s Bush who left the military “ill-equipped”?

3. Kerry’s Iraq solution. It’s a doozy: Turn military control over to NATO and overall control over to the UN -- except NATO doesn’t have troops available and the UN wants nothing to do with Iraq. Credit NBC’s Tim Russert for pointing this out. But where in blazes are you? Why aren’t you standing on every rooftop exposing this man’s utter incompetence?

4. Taxes. How does Kerry have the audacity to propose a “Contract with America’s Middle Class” to cut taxes? Easy. He knows he can claim anything and outlets like the New York Times will still call him a “fiscal conservative.” So where are you? Are you the party of fiscal conservatism? How hard is it to make it national issue that this man, who has supported some 350 different tax hikes, is a fiscal fraud? Have any of you picked up a phone to point this out to the scribes at the Times? Or anywhere else?

5. Campaign Finance Reform. For years the leftist press dutifully echoed the Democratic line: America has been corrupted by greedy rich Republican business tycoons out to buy elections. Campaign Finance Reform would end it. Now that it’s law, what happened? Greedy rich Democratic business tycoons like George Soros and Peter Lewis are plowing tens of millions of dollars into ultra-left “527” organizations attempting to defeat George Bush. MoveOn.org has just announced plans to raise another $50 million toward this end. Just how hard is it to challenge Kerry to denounce, and disassociate himself from these hypocrites? Why aren’t you publicly demanding that all those press types who covered alleged Republic corruption now cover the very real Democratic corruption taking place right under their noses?

On and on it goes. A day doesn’t go by wherein there isn’t a golden opportunity not only to show America what the left’s philosophical agenda truly is but also, by distinction, how different it is from yours.

Assuming you have one.

[Semper Paratus]

The 'Stupid" Party is being called out.

[Jeff Chandler]

This article expresses my sentiments exactly. I have no respect for a party that won't stand up for itself. The memo gate issue is a case in point. The cowardly pubbies were handed a sword, which they handed back to the rats, who stuck it in and twisted with relish.

I will remain an Independent until the Republicans grow gonads.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I don't consider editors as journalists.

[Sunshine Sister]

Very well said. Where in the world are the Republicans?

[LADY J]

"Very well said. Where in the world are the Republicans?"

Maybe they took over the Silent Majority?

[Spok]

Extremely timely and accurate. The RNC has to realize that the press is essentially an extension of the DNC and our message, no matter how good it sounds, has to see the light of day. The distortions and omissions of the mainstream press have to be pointed out or they'll go unnoticed. Conservatives need a Truth Campaign as badly, if not worse, than GWB needs a re-election campaign.

[iceskater]

Well said.

I'm beginning to think it starts at the state and local level. We have a dem. governor who failed in two previous tries to get tax increases through and finally he has succeeded. The repubs here totally got played by this carpetbagger.

If they aren't going to stand up for principles at the state level, why one earth would they do it at the federal level?

[Dogbert41]

They don't want to offend anybody.

[Cicero]

It's certainly annoying, but yelling doesn't do much good. Clinton dealt with the press by ensuring that any reporter who attacked him was fired, but using the regulatory agencies to lean on the boss. And most of the bosses were on clinton's side already.

In other words, what we need is not yelling, to make us feel good, but actions. I fault Bush and the Republicans not for failing to yell loud enough, which would only feed the media canard that Republicans are vicious partisans, but for failing to take necessary actions.

They should weed the clintonoids out of the administration. They should do more to reward their friends and crush their enemies. Why are people like Bob Woodward allowed anywhere near the White House? Why does Bush continue to give interviews to his worst enemies? And why on earth did Bush support that jackel Specter?

Newt Gingrich, despite the wonderful things he did in his earlier career, fell for the illusion that speaking out loudly helps the conservative cause. It doesn't. It's getting things done that counts. He got things done for a couple of years, and then he became little but a shrill voice whom the media could use to discredit the conservative cause.

[Dogbert41]

On the aside, our Republican governor aparently announce that we're going to have a Moslem family values day.

[Sunshine Sister]

You have to be joking? Government has done everything possible to wipe out Christianity from public view. Now we get a religion of hatred family values day?

What are they going to show? It's okay to sexually mutilate girls? The second class status of all women? That if a girl flirts she is worthy of death? That the "honor" of the entire family rests on the shoulders of the women? That none of the above applies to men?

[Outraged]

I would like to take this moment to thank Trent Lott for caving into Tom Daschle during impeachment. This effort in cowardice allowed the perception that "it is all about sex" to falsely corroborate in favor of someone who by all truth should have been removed and disgraced. Trent Lott and his RINO accomplices have made it possible for the bar to be lowered and the truth to be hidden.

[cyncooper]

But we’ve also learned that the “wall” was constructed during the Clinton administration by deputy attorney general Jamie Gorelick

Gee, and how did we learn this?

Why, I believe it was via John Ashcroft.

I love Brent, but he needs to get a grip.

[snickeroon]

For some time now, I've been drifting to the conclusion that maybe the "tin-foil hat alerts" are not as off the wall as we once believed.

Some days I SWEAR there seems to be a world order agenda so very apparent that the united dims and rinos must have a betting pool of whether we will get the message before or after the last "round-up."

Is it a faction that is too LAZY to react? Too bored? Too hopeless? Too DUMB?????? Whatever the answer, none of them leave a flattering reminder of their presence. Between the ongoing drones of anti-American sentiment that wafts through the nightly noose.... to their reluctance to seat a single judicial nominee, increasingly I have to FIGHT against becoming so mad...disillusioned...bored... (pick your own expression of distaste) in order to cast a vote at all. They don't seem to care, why should I?

The dims just get dimmer, the GOP just keeps living up to its past image of bored bloat....and those of us who are conservatives get to nurse the panic attacks, heart problems, and doomsday scenarios that seem to be the legacy of legislators who don't care enough to close the borders, cut illegal immigrant give-aways, demand justice in the courts.... or even realize that "pc" is a terminal disease if left unchecked in this nation.

[mtbopfuyn]

The GOP doesn't have to do much to win this race, but with the leftist media going crazy, they should at the least take up for itself. Kerry will implode long before Nov. so he's not a concern but by Nov. the RATS will have slung so much garbage at Bush he may not be able to have a successful 2nd term and the public will have no choice but turn to the dark side in '08. Just a little setting the record straight now will do wonders for the long haul.

[cincy29]

I will remain an Independent until the Republicans grow gonads. And I am becoming an independent until the Republicans grow gonads. I am tired of working for people who expect me to go all-out in my volunteer work, yet collect hefty salaries to try and pretend the Democrats and the media play nice.

[tnlibertarian]

Are you the party of fiscal conservatism?

Uh, no.

[Shazolene]

The GOP needs a decent PR firm. They need to do a better job of defining and expresing their positions. And because the press is so biased, they need to come up with some creative 'events' to encourage enhanced coverage. Reagan was good at this. Clinton was good at it, and since the press loved him anyway (and he loved the camera), we saw TOO MUCH of him. A bit more of W and the other GOP 'leaders' (cough, cough) would be welcome -- even to the 'moderates' I bet.

However, I'm not going to hold my breath. I have been thinking and saying this for years. I don't know what the problem is, but it is there and seems insurmountable.

[OESY]

Bozell makes some excellent points. I had hoped that the Specter-Toomey race would have brought certain Republicans back onto the farm, but I read in the Times today that Specter is quoted saying: "I intend to retain my independent voice....The people of Pennsylvania have not elected me to be a rubber stamp."

The article goes on to say that although Specter intended to work for Bush's reelection, he believed that he could give the president "greater credibility" by disagreeing with him, and that "I don't give anyone a blank check, including the president of the United States." He opposes the GOP on tax cuts, school vouchers and the minimum wage. This all despite the help he got from Bush and Santorum in squeaking out his recent victory in GOP primaries where he would not have won without crossover Democrats, Bush and Santorum, plus some political calculus.

While it's too easy to say we get the government we deserve when Republicans walk away and become independents or don't vote, this really should be taken as a call to arms. It was GOP voting abstinence that gave us Bill Clinton and Gray Davis, and could give us John Kerry.