A party with the courage of no convictions?

California Political Review ^ | 02-06-06 | JOHN KURZWEIL

[Amerigomag]

If a Tory does not believe that private property is one of the main bulwarks of individual freedom, then he had better become a socialist and have done with it. Indeed one of the reasons for our electoral failure is that people believe too many Conservatives have become socialists already. Britain's progress towards socialism has been an alternation of two steps forward with half a step back.

If every Labour Government is prepared to reverse every Tory measure, while Conservative Governments accept nearly all socialist measures as being “the will of the people,” the end result is only too plain. And why should anyone support a party that seems to have the courage of no convictions?”

Margaret Thatcher, "My Kind of Tory Party"
Daily Telegraph,
January 30, 1975

[Amerigomag]

A background quote that sets up Kurzweil's article. The body of the article is found on the hyperlink.

Not a read for the politcal novice but it holds some very perceptive observations and reasoned suggestions for the California Republican Party to recover from the injuries that the Wilsonegger gang's clumsy and confused efforts inflicted upon the party.

[NormsRevenge]

Good read.
Thanks!

The bane of the Ca GOP.. a culture of consultants

[Amerigomag]

I was particularly impressed with this analysis:

The truth about these campaigns is, first, that the principles were not always discernible and that, second, what particularly characterized them all, running like a bright, gleaming thread throughout, is an ad hoc, seat-of-the-pants, cook book (pick your cliché) approach. They showed little imagination, scant attention to the blocking and tackling basics of politics, and less a determination to win than to insure that the hired gun consultants pocketed princely fees for jobs superficially done. Most seem to have been conducted without so much as the rudimentary market research on how to convey our positions and showcase our candidates to their best advantage that any competently-run business would perform before launching an even moderately ambitious new project.

[NormsRevenge]

That was a good assessment.

Who needs substance much less principles when you have Q factor and believe your own hype and what highly paid consultants whisper in your ear?

[Carry_Okie]

Conservatives in California don't understand their principles well enough to explain how they work to solve real problems. Lacking an understandable set of talking points, they fall back on coercive socialism-lite.

This is exactly the problem upon which I've been working for the last year or two.

[Carry_Okie]

This is a great article (because it agrees with what I've been saying on this forum for years :-).

[Carry_Okie]

This is a must-read for any conservative who wants to understand what must be done to fix the California GOP.

[Carry_Okie]

A high-level Team Schwarzenegger strategist recently allowed that the governor’s people, possibly to their surprise, discovered “about two months ago” that Proposition 73 — parental notification — “would drive [special election] turn-out our way.” Consequently, people and resources have the past several weeks been diverted to bolster what had been the neglected cause of Prop. 73’s passage. OK, except that most conservative activists had figured this out, and were talking about it widely, at least as early as late [2004]. Why did the cadre of top GOP campaign professionals take until late summer to get it? Part of the reason is that there remains among many of these professionals a still strong, though (one hopes) fading, anti-conservative grass roots animus left over from the Pete Wilson era. At best, they simply are not in the habit of taking rank and file Republican conservatives seriously and so tend not to think about how these people — their own Party’s base voters, for crying out loud — can help even in the most obvious circumstances.

Yup, the RINOs are their own worst enemies. They can't win without conservatives and they continue to disparage their own base.

If union member Democrats don’t let their many differences with social issue lefties (and other Donkey Party factions) blind them to the advantages of cooperative effort, perhaps “big tent” Republican moderates could learn to do the same.

Damn, it's too long for a tagline.

The screw job Bill Simon got at the hands of his own party is the worst thing I have ever seen in politics.

[FOG724]

Wonderful article.

[Czar]

"This is a must-read for any conservative..."

Flagged for later this evening. Thanks.

[b9]

This is a great article

Republicans win when they take their case in this way to the people, arguing with creative enthusiasm, genuine conviction that their cause is right, and respect for voters' intelligence.

Appreciate the ping.

This is why I respect Tom McClintock so much. He wants to win for the right reasons and is not afraid to lead.

[calcowgirl]

Excellent article. Thanks for posting.

The article mentions Arnold Steinberg. Did you see this interview with him right before the Special Election?
It's worth a read. Apparently Fleishman is doing a follow up with him at the end of this week.

http://www.flashreport.org/special-reports0b.php?faID=2005110202424596

[SierraWasp]

"This is a great article (because it agrees with what I've been saying on this forum for years"

Brother! Is it ever!!!

[forester]

If they lose all four, we should have a contest on how they'll explain their polling. Maybe it will be the old standby -- opinion shifted at the end, the last few days, and momentum was suddenly against them. More likely, they'll blame Republican voters for not coming out, as if this would be some total surprise.

Great articles, thanks for the ping. The CPR article is really, really good, and the quote above from the Steinberg interview sounds alot like some of the folks on this forum!

My wife and I are trying to estimate how long it will take the CAGOP to realize that they need to reform themselves. I am thinking several years. Anybody else want to venture a guess?

[Carry_Okie]

Dunno, ol Duf sure looks like he's feelin the heat.

[sasquatch]

The screw job Bill Simon got at the hands of his own party is the worst thing I have ever seen in politics.

Which party?