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Conservatives sitting out 2006 hurts the GOP’s right, not the RINOs
National Reviews ^ | May 15, 2006 | Jim Geraghty

Posted on 05/22/2006 10:21:56 PM PDT by FairOpinion

What’s really stunning is this absolute certainty of angry conservatives that A) Republicans will learn the right lessons from the defeat, and not, say, respond in a panic by embracing their inner RINO and flailing around for MSM approval and B) that the Republicans can easily win back Congress in 2008, just by stiffening their spines and pledging to return to their conservative roots.

I have my doubts on both counts. For starters, why would Republicans get the message that “we need to be more conservative” in a year that conservatives were knocked out?

In the Senate, a bad year for the Republicans would mean the loss of Rick Santorum (who has lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 88 out of a possible 100, and a 92 in 2005) in Pennsylvania, Jim Talent (93 rating lifetime, and a 96 in 2005) in Missouri, Conrad Burns (91, and a perfect 100 in 2005) in Montana and Mike DeWine (80 lifetime, only 56 in 2005) in Ohio. Of course, Ohio voters who sit this one out will replace DeWine with Sherrod Brown, who has a lifetime rating of 8 and 4 for 2005.

If the GOP base doesn’t show in Maryland, you get Ben Cardin (lifetime rating of 6, 2005 rating of 0!) or Kweise Mfume (lifetime ACU rating of 4) instead of Michael Steele.

Nice job, guys. Your effort to re-conservativize the Republican Party in Washington by staying home this year will have the effect of massacring the actual conservatives and empowering the moderates who you disdain. Perhaps we can call this counterproductive maneuver “RINO-plasty.”

Once the Democrats regain control of Congress, a GOP takeover is going to be exponentially harder than it was in 1994. You’re never going to catch the Democrats as flatfooted again.

(Excerpt) Read more at tks.nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2006; congress; conservatives; elections; lincolnclub; mainstreet; newmajority; newmajorityrinos; rinos
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To: Luke21
My problem with the Republican "right or wrong" crowd is that they join in with the Democrats in trashing conservatives like Alan Keyes and Katherine Harris.

None of my friends at Free Republic have trashed Alan Keyes or Katherine Harris. And in the view of many here we are called "Bushbots" because we stand with the Commander in Chief in a time of war within and war without.

You need to adjust your thinking to accomodate reality. Some of us strongly believe that spliting your forces during a battle to the death is foolhardy, and that is why we counsel sticking together.

This present situation has nothing to do with ancient history like Nelson Rockefeller. John Anderson, like Pat Buchanan, left the Republican Party because it did not give them the glory they believed they were due. They were craven, not Republican.

The world has gone around the sun alot since then. I thought the Arabs and the Afghanis were the ones that held ancient grudges.

We are told to support their Giuliani's and Romney's and McCain's and DeWine's

1. McCain isn't getting the Republican nomination.
2. DeWine isn't running for the Republican nomination.
3. Guiliani and Romney are running, and I pray other and better candidates will arise. But to give them their due, they both had to govern in liberal States and only rose to power and were able to improve things in their States because they could appeal to Democrats as well as weary Republicans.

We need to find a governor from a red state. I don't know if one is available and tough enough for the battles ahead.

we aren't even talking about the president here. There's about ten threads every day on his betrayals.

That is because they are posted by nine moles and one dupe.

121 posted on 05/23/2006 4:10:25 AM PDT by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: stockstrader
I have no problem just 'sitting it out'

I doubt that. You probably won't resist pulling the lever for FOH.

122 posted on 05/23/2006 4:12:17 AM PDT by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: FairOpinion
"What’s really stunning is this absolute certainty of angry conservatives that A) Republicans will learn the right lessons from the defeat, and not, say, respond in a panic by embracing their inner RINO and flailing around for MSM approval and B) that the Republicans can easily win back Congress in 2008, just by stiffening their spines and pledging to return to their conservative roots. "

Republicans in name only that vote with the democrats are useless. They water down what CONSERVATIVE Republicans attempt to accomplish.

123 posted on 05/23/2006 4:15:13 AM PDT by stopem (God Bless the U.S.A. and the Troops who protect her.)
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To: FairOpinion
We're fooling ourselves if we think GOP losses will send a message to RINOs.

The media spin will be "the American voters have rejected conservatism and moved to the center (left)." The RINOs will believe it and move in lock step; the average Joe will believe it, too.

W needs to move to the right on spending, illegal immigration and border security. He will pick up his base and gain some momentum; RINOs may follow along if they begin to feel pressure from the party faithful. Border security is a winning issue for us, but the media is winning the battle now.

Whether we want to believe it, or not, Bush is seen as the symbol of conservatism in the country. When the media attacks Bush, they're attacking us. They hate Bush, but they hate us even more.
124 posted on 05/23/2006 4:18:28 AM PDT by rightinthemiddle (Islamic Terrorists, the Mainstream Media and the Democrat Party Have the Same Goals in Iraq.)
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To: JCEccles
The solution is not to sulk, withdraw from the fray, and allow the Democrats back in.

The solution is to hold EVERY Republican seat, replace vulnerable RINOs in primary battles where this can be done, and work to replace vulnerable Democrats with the most conservative competitive Republicans that can be rallied around.

This cycle recurs every two years, providing optimistic and dedicated conservatives a continuous opportunity to progress.

You found the key to the map! Bravo!

125 posted on 05/23/2006 4:21:13 AM PDT by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: nathanbedford
Why die in a war against terrorism, in which the terrorists seek to destroy your country, if the elitists all around you are destroying your country before your eyes? What are you fighting for? A multi-national corporation? The survival of Israel? The betterment of Mexican peasantry? One world government? A north American trade zone?

Lord Haw Haw, I thought you were dead.

Or has Tokyo Rose found work as the bearded lady?

126 posted on 05/23/2006 4:24:09 AM PDT by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: FairOpinion

I find it hard to believe that DeWine is 80% There are a lot of votes that are meaningless that get counted in this surveys. Once I asked him if he would support a law that stripped federal courts of their jurisdiction, said no, that it just "wasn't done." Well, too bad Senator, you can vote for "pro-life" measures all day long, but without such a provision the courts will overturn them.

I won't stay home, but I will vote third party, or if there is no such candidate, for no one.


127 posted on 05/23/2006 4:25:02 AM PDT by rcofdayton
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To: spetznaz

Vote for conservative Republicans. If there is no conservative Republican in a particular race, vote third party.


128 posted on 05/23/2006 4:27:35 AM PDT by rcofdayton
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To: rcofdayton

Who did you support in the Senatorial primary in Ohio? How did you support that candidate?


129 posted on 05/23/2006 4:31:48 AM PDT by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: rcofdayton
Vote for conservative Republicans. If there is no conservative Republican in a particular race, vote third party.

That's a vote for a democrat.

130 posted on 05/23/2006 4:33:24 AM PDT by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
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To: FairOpinion
Losing is LOSING, it's is beyond ludicrous to propose losing as a winning strategy.

Ah, but if one is in fact a loser, than losing is winning! There are a host of people who love losing and will gleefully back candidates who are guaranteed losers -- such as third party supporters. (Of course, there is no "third party" in America -- it's like Gorbachev's nonexistent "third way").

131 posted on 05/23/2006 4:42:23 AM PDT by You Dirty Rats (I Love Free Republic!!!)
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To: All
I vote for conservatives. Always have. In the past, that was sometimes a dem. In the future, who knows which party that will be...
But, it will be the conservative candidate, just as always.
132 posted on 05/23/2006 4:44:42 AM PDT by Jonx6
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham
When Republicans govern like conservatives, they win. When they govern like liberals, they lose. I have a hard time understanding why this is so difficult to understand.

Me too. While others around here say, "well, just give 'em ANOTHER chance." One third are raving libs, another third are lazy, the final third are gutless. So, what the hell is left?

133 posted on 05/23/2006 9:26:35 AM PDT by Cobra64 (All we get are lame ideas from Republicans and lame criticism from dems about those lame ideas.)
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham
When Republicans govern like conservatives, they win. When they govern like liberals, they lose. I have a hard time understanding why this is so difficult to understand.

Because, as Jimmy Carter would say, it's the fault of you little people out there, not your betters in Washington.

134 posted on 05/23/2006 9:32:58 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
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To: FairOpinion
Nice job, guys. Your effort to re-conservativize the Republican Party in Washington by staying home

We're not staying hime. We're going to vote for Republicans on an individual basis, not just because they have an R behind their names.

135 posted on 05/23/2006 9:34:25 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
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To: FairOpinion

what power will they gain that we havent handed them already. Adress the issues I have mentioned. Tell me what has earned republicans the right to our money and support? What did they do the last time when we gave more money and more time in the History of the party?
Did they go over the top in using the power that we gave them to make our issue happen? NO they didnt. So You have given no reason except fear to help them. And if we reelect them when we got nothing for it, can we ever expect to get anything from them again? Where would there motivation be?


136 posted on 05/23/2006 9:35:30 AM PDT by Walkingfeather (u)
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To: nopardons

You forgot to add Souter to that list.... And if it wasnt for the conservative base we would have had MEYERS another souter. So tell me what good does it do when the guy we elected and trusted tries to pull this crap?

And it is because there have been MANY of these kinds of things ( No border security, Port deal, Meyers, out of control spending, no tax reform, no abortion ban) that has caused us to say, this is not a fluke this is a pattern and a deliberate in your face disregard for your base.

We supported and supported and turned a blind eye until we were made fun of by the liberals that we can not stand that His policies are helping them. Well there has been no Mea Culpa just this fear factor crap.

Why reward with relection those that not only did not give us what we wanted but tried to do the opposite>? Think about that before you think I am supporting liberal causes.


137 posted on 05/23/2006 9:44:30 AM PDT by Walkingfeather (u)
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To: sachem longrifle

Agreed. One has to see Hugh Hewitt's blog and his list of 10 Senators we should support. Also, his book, Painting the Map Red is a must for the GOP to follow. It is endemic on posters to flood the GOP sites with these recommendations so that dispite some failures, no one wants Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Reid!!!


138 posted on 05/23/2006 9:53:58 AM PDT by phillyfanatic
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To: Mamzelle
The men around the President don't much like the red state base. That is why they are always engaging in these contorted campaigns to try and coax a sliver of communities, (blacks, new Hispanic voters, unmarried woman under 35) that are never in large numbers going to vote Republican to do so. If they could just change the base enough so they didn't have to endure the 'guns, G-d, and morality' voters they would be sooo happy. They want so much to be 'respected' by the Wash Pest the NY Slimes and the blabbocracy that it is almost palpable.
139 posted on 05/23/2006 10:47:47 AM PDT by robowombat
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To: buwaya

Compassion for a lot of foreign criminal trespassers over the citizens of your own country is something beyond sympathy it is a form of death wish.


140 posted on 05/23/2006 10:51:08 AM PDT by robowombat
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