Did I say Thumbs Up? (Why Frist hasn't yet pulled the trigger)

Ray Malone's Commentary ^ | April 27,2005 | Ray Malone

[FreedomSurge]

Frist is playing the hand dealt him.

It may be an election cycle or two before we have a real conservative Republican party.

[FreedomSurge]

ping

[Dolphy]

Thanks for posting this. My head spins with the negativity and name calling by those who have no sense of history or the current reality through which Frist is navigating. He's played his cards pretty well so far, though some forget things like the Daschle defeat. I have no reason he's not playing his hand with equal skill right now.

[LisaMalia]

He's played his cards pretty well so far, though some forget things like the Daschle defeat.

He has indeed. And you're right, some folks do have short term memories, and are very quick to criticize.

At the end of the day, I think we Conservatives will be satisfied with the way this all plays out.

[gitmo]

Remember that threatening Liberal Republicans does not work. It just makes Liberal Republicans into Liberal Democrats. We will not make the Jeffords mistake again. Frist will have to buy support and as Majority leader he has the power to do that.

Does it work when constituents threaten liberal Republicans?

[Prince Caspian]

To the nervous Nellies with one thumb in their mouth and the other up their rump, I have one piece of advice. Exchange thumbs. It will give you a taste of the future if your advice were actually followed.

Conservatives want to go to the mat on the slightest ideological nuance. Liberals will go to the mat for the larger political process. If conservatives ever learn to game the political process on par with the liberals -- game over.

[Common Tator]

I have no reason he's not playing his hand with equal skill right now.

The senate is full of huge egos and it takes real skill to get 50 of them to do anything.

A majority leader and a president have a lot of power, but it must be carefully applied. Consider that Bill Clinton could not keep the DINOs on the reservation. He solved that by adopting the Republicans agenda and claiming it was his. After the Hillary Care debacle, Clinton adopted a policy of adopting a lot of the Republican agenda.

Bush with initiatives on everything from judges to oil refineries to social security is out there pushing a conservative agenda. Imagine what we would be saying if Bush adopted as much of the Democrats philosophy, as Clinton adopted the Republican philosophy.

Democrats don't care about philosophy as long as they win. Republicans don't care about winning as long as the philosophy is right.

[sirthomasthemore]

"Republicans have control of the House and can and do play hardball."

I must have somehow missed that while I was engaged in reading Pelosi gloat today on the capitulation of the hardballers as to the change in ethics rules.

As for the Senate, if any Repub has to be convinced of the logic and fairness of what moderate Bob Dole editorialized today regarding judicial nominations, there not worth reasoning with. Call them and accept them for what they are: Democrats cloaked as Republicans.

Call the vote. If this blogger believes what he's saying, i.e. that conservatives will hold the future Senate majority- then, the pressure is on the Rino's voting against the impending majority.

Very simple, Rino friends, come with us now- or be swept away by the voice of the conservative base in the future.

[Southack]

Get the Energy Bill passed. Get whatever War on Terror money we need passed.

Then pull the trigger on the votes for the judges.

Choose war, but war on our terms at our time and place.

[Congressman Billybob]

I would like your last line if it weren't in boldface. LOL.

I've been saying now for a year that Frist must never pull the trigger until he is certain of victory. So, I agree with the political reality of this piece.

John / Billybob

[Bommer]

But kicking out the Liberal Republicans would be a disaster.

Still trying to see the downside of this. No Snowe's! No Chaffee's! No McCains! Comeon, is that really bad?

[You Dirty Rats]

Thanks for posting this. I am so sick of people bashing Frist. How would the bashers like to have to rely on McCain, Snowe, Collins, Chafee, Hagel, Voinovich, or Specter? It isn't easy, and none of the bashers would have 1% of the required patience.

[sirthomasthemore]

Whatever, I'm just saying as a matter of pragmatic politics, the Pubs can't make themselves hostage to 5 liberal RINO's.

If one goes begging for their support on one vote, one has to go begging for their support on every vote. The more one begs, the more powerful these RINO's become. Worse, they become embued with an enhanced sense of importance, and with each successive vote, they raise their price. In essence, they become the Pub Party.

Reverse course. If the Pubs lose votes as a result of RINO votes, the conservative base is not going to blame Frist or loyal PUBS. The base is going to target the RINO's.

But coddle and appease these RINO's, and thereby become as wishy-washy as them- then, the base has a right to lose faith in the Leadership.

[You Dirty Rats]

Still trying to see the downside of this. No Snowe's! No Chaffee's! No McCains! Comeon, is that really bad?

You really want Pat Leahy back in the Judiciary Chairmanship? Biden in the Foreign Relations Chair? Reid as Majority Leader?

[Common Tator]

Still trying to see the downside of this. No Snowe's! No Chaffee's! No McCains! Comeon, is that really bad?

The name of the game in this case is 50 votes.

Makings sure you get zero RINO votes is not a way to win.

You prove my point.

Liberals don't care about philosophy as long as they win. Conservatives don't care about winning as long as the philosophy is right.

If that does not tell you why the left mostly wins nothing will.

[Common Tator]

Still trying to see the downside of this. No Snowe's! No Chaffee's! No McCains! Comeon, is that really bad?

The name of the game in this case is 50 votes.

Makings sure you get zero RINO votes is not a way to win.

You prove my point.

Liberals don't care about philosophy as long as they win. Conservatives don't care about winning as long as the philosophy is right.

If that does not tell you why the left mostly wins nothing will.

[F16Fighter]

Remember that threatening Liberal Republicans does not work.

NOT voting for them in the first place works much better.

Then again, if Ray Malone is advocating real Republicans kiss the flaming @sses of RINOs McCain, Snowe, Chafee, and Voinovich, he's having a wet-dream.

[Common Tator]

If one goes begging for their support on one vote, one has to go begging for their support on every vote.

You must be one of those new math guys. Conservatives represent about 35 or 36 percent of the voters. Until that number goes to 50 percent or better there is never going to be a Senate with 50 conservative members. You must believe that 36 percent of the voters can cast 51 percent of the votes.

In any senate about 28 Senators will be some combination of RINOS and DINOS. If the Senate has 35 Liberals and 30 DINOS there is nothing conservatives can do but accept massive defeat. If the Senate has 36 Conservaties and 19 RINOs as it has now, the Conservatives at least have a chance. When Conservatives have 19 RINOS, Liberals have to resort to every trick in the book trying and mostly failing to prevail.

If the Republicans ever got 24 RINOS they could enact the most conservative agenda of the last 100 years.

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is what purists do best.

Their heart is as pure as their a$$ is beat.

[FreedomSurge]

He is suggesting that Republican Senator's win votes. I don't think he is suggesting that Conservatives kiss liberal Rino ass.

For now, for another couple of election cycles, we have to play with the hand dealt us. In other words, yeah 55 Republican senators, but 6 Rinos in the bunch.

The majority party power in either house is vast. If we kick out 6 Rinos, said power will be used against us. It will not be a pretty sight.

[LisaMalia]

I respect your name, and would really be interested in hearing some of your stories about being an F16Fighter. Was it during the Vietnam War?

I have a dear friend who lost his life there.