Posted on 05/21/2006 1:33:27 PM PDT by FairOpinion
CAIRO, May 21, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The patriarch of US conservatives urged his followers on Sunday, May 21, to learn their lesson and stop their financial and logistic support of the Republican Party whose leaders throughout the years have "betrayed" conservative voters by failing to honor their election promises.
"Conservatives should dedicate their money and volunteer efforts toward conservative groups and conservative candidates," Richard Viguerie wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.
"They should redirect their anger into building a third force -- not a third party, but a movement independent of any party. They should lay the groundwork for a rebirth of the conservative movement and for the 2008 campaign, when, perhaps, a new generation of conservative leaders will step forward," he added.
Viguerie took aim at President George W. Bush's tenure, saying that he has "never seen conservatives so downright fed up as they are today."
"The main cause of conservatives' anger with Bush is this: He talked like a conservative to win our votes but never governed like a conservative.
"Many conservatives have concluded that the benefits of unwavering support for the GOP [Republican Party] simply do not, and will not, outweigh the costs," opined Viguerie.
"Betrayal"
The veteran conservative said Bush has "betrayed" American conservatives by adopting a "Big Business" agenda not a conservative one as he promised before his election and re-election.
"Sixty-five months into Bush's presidency, conservatives feel betrayed. After the 'Bridge to Nowhere' transportation bill, the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination and the Dubai Ports World deal, the immigration crisis was the tipping point for us," he said.
Viguerie also cited approval of the Republican-controlled House of more taxpayers' money for an embryo-killing type of stem cell research and a "hate crimes" measure that could lead to the classification as "hate" of criticism of homosexual activity.
"In today's Washington, where are the serious efforts by Republicans to protect unborn children from abortion? Where is the campaign for a constitutional amendment to prevent liberal judges from allowing same-sex marriage?"
He went on: "We've been rewarded with an amnesty plan for illegal immigrants. We've been rewarded with a war in Iraq that drags on because of the failure to provide adequate resources at the beginning.
"Now we know what they do when they have control."
"Temporary Defeat"
Viguerie said the current relationship between the Republicans and the conservatives is similar to the one between a cheating husband and his forgiving wife.
This, he added, "makes me think of a cheating husband whose wife catches him, and forgives him, time and time again. Then one day he comes home to discover that she has packed her bags and called a cab -- and a divorce lawyer."
Viguerie advised American conservatives to stay home in the mid-term Congressional elections in November, saying that the expected win of Democrats could be for the long-term good of the conservatives.
"Sometimes it is better to stand on principle and suffer a temporary defeat," he put it wisely.
"If conservatives accept the idea that we must support Republicans no matter what they do, we give up our bargaining position and any chance at getting things done," he added.
Viguerie reminded the Republicans that it is largely the defection of conservatives that is driving the president's poll numbers to new lows.
"Unhappy conservatives should be taken seriously," he warned the Republican camp.
"When conservatives are unhappy, bad things happen to the Republican Party."
He cited the conservatives' key role in past Republican defeats during the eras of presidents Thomas E. Dewey, Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford.
"The current record of Washington Republicans is so bad that, without a drastic change in direction, millions of conservatives will again stay home this November."
I love these sunday afternoon FR joust-a-bouts..
especially when there is no
Nascar and it's raining..
:-)
Conservatism wins every time it's tried.
When ya have to go to Islam Online to post something.. lol
Well, unless you and the islamofascists both think that conservatives are idiots, it's a lost cause for them.
Whether a better candidate appears or not, the options of not voting republican is not on my intergalactic radar.
If a better Republican appears, so much the better. If I have a choice of an incubent or a potentially better one, the new guy gets my money and my vote.
Voting third party or "progressive" (aka Democrat) is not even a remote remote option. Neither is Third Party.
Actually some fine "conservative" here in the US published a lengthy article in the Washintgon Post, about how conservatives shouldn't support Republicans, resulting in Dems get elected, and the Islamofacists would love to see Dems in power -- hence this article, because they know that the Dems would give up the War on Terror and would do, and would accomplish exactly what the terrorists want: destroy the US economy, but the Dems would do it, in the name of global warming. The terrorists would just have to get popcorn and watch us destroy ourselves, THAT is what the Dems would give us. So the Islamofacists are cheering our fine "conservatives" who want to turn the country over to the Dems.
NO SANE conservative could possibly be in favor of this.
"Patriarch of US conservatives"?? Are they talking about this "Richard Viguerie"??
I never heard of him.
Help me out here. If you never heard of him, how do you know he is an "islamo Fascist"?
That's a mighty hefty accusation with nothing to back it up, wouldn't you say?
We know you would never jump to conclusions, would you?
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=18669
"Christians feel there is a war against Christians out there," Viguerie told Jacoby. "We would like to make sure that the president, and he's inclined to do this, understands how there's an anti-Christian environment in the culture, at the national level, in Hollywood, television, the media generally, a lot of the institutions -- legal institutions, educational institutions. We want to change that. People of traditional values have a role to play in the public arena."
" the options of not voting republican is not on my intergalactic radar."
===
You are correct and sensible, but just read some of the posts, who say they would rather see the Dems win, because "that would teach Republicans".
I don't understand how one can justify donating money to the NRSC, et al, so they can run ads defending the liberal incumbent in a Republican primary.
Trouble is it's sometimes tough to find good conservative orgs who can get things done. Club for Growth is probably the best out there but they screw stuff up sometimes, too.
Sorry, but saying posters should learn something about the Conservative movement before posting isn't a flame. It's common sense.
Like I said, you can agree or disagree with Mr.Viguerie but his Conservative credentials are unassailable. I happen to disagree with Mr. Viguerie’s analysis but to dismiss his opinion out of hand just displays ignorance.
Oh yeah, I work in Conservative politics full time and have for years. I am one of the people who make government work to the limited extent one could say government works
But, I remember how good Viguerie was at raising money.
Pull up a stool Grasshopper.. we will enlighten you, well, entertain at least, hopefully. ;-]
Seems to me Soros is getting his money's worth out of his contributions to both sides of the aisle.
How can he be a patriarch if I've never heard of him? Sounds more like a has-been, otherwise, what's he doing writing for the Post? Maybe he's like a Soros, except less visible and with more money? Clueless here.
"He does have a point about the betrayal of the RINOs, but I don't necessarily like his solution"
He is advocating the creation of a new, Conservative fundraising entity, with no ties to any political party, catering to grassroots Conservatives ... small, individual donors, basically, from whom he has gained the sense, via feedback from polling and direct mail, that there is a strong feeling of betrayal by the Republican Party, in favor of big business interests. He's essentially saying that these business interests can fund the party, and this new Conservative entity would fund Conservatives. It actually sounds like a plausible idea to me, at first blush. And, it would in no way threaten Conservative candidates, the vast majority of which are Republican.
In 2008, after two years of a Democrat Congress, how desperate will you be to get rid of the Dems? Desperate enough to support a moderate against a Democrat?
25 years ago? Where's he been lately?
BTW, of course you remember that Time named Hitler Man of the Year, right?
And they are getting to you?
I suspect that, although there are a few Republicans who can wear the "idiot" label proudly, most of these are trolls funning with you and messing with your head.
And you're letting them...
"Clueless here."
===
YOU are NOT the clueless one.
Richard Viguerie writing for the W Post is the clueless one, a "useful idiot", if he didn't realize that his diatribe against Republicans will serve to help the Dems and the terrorists.
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