Worried GOP bids to shore up conservative support for Nov.

St. Petersburg Times, FL ^ | Sept. 10, 2006 | WES ALLISON

[FairOpinion]

Leaders fear those disillusioned with the Republican-led Congress could stay home on Election Day, giving victory to the Democrats.

For all those glum conservatives out there, Terry Jeffries has a message: Yes, the Republican-led Congress has failed to plug the leaks in the nation’s borders. Yes, federal spending is out of control, despite pledges by Republican leaders to temper it. And, yes, Congress has failed to pass key social measures once thought all but assured, considering Congress and the White House are in Republican hands.

But Jeffries, the editor of Human Events, a respected conservative newsweekly, also wants readers to realize those frustrations will seem piddling if Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the strident Democratic leader from California, becomes speaker of the House after November’s elections.

Concerned that disillusionment among conservatives may keep them home on Election Day, conservative groups and opinion leaders have embarked on a two-pronged strategy, on one hand urging Republican congressional leaders to assuage their conservative base in the few weeks left, and on the other imploring the base not to abandon deserving Republican candidates at their time of need.

Through articles, opinion columns and talk radio, as well as Internet blogs, they are warning conservative voters that unless they flock to the polls in November, the Republicans may lose control of the U.S. House, and that the margin in the Senate could get dangerously close.

[FairOpinion]

This particular trollish behavior is explained well in this article:

"But the effort is being led, or at the very least aided, by liberals pretending to be grassroots conservatives, as opposed to actual grassroots conservatives themselves.

The premise follows a scheme previously found most often on talk radio programs: a liberal activist calls a conservative radio host, such as Rush Limbaugh or Laura Ingraham, and delivers the line: “I’ve been voting Republican for 30 years, but I’ve finally had it and I’m not voting this year.” Or my favorite: “I’m a Reagan Republican, but I’m fed up and voting for John Kerry.” (Because that is what Reagan Republicans would do, vote for John Kerry.) At this point, the host usually asks a couple of questions and it becomes painfully obvious that the supposed Reagan Republican has probably never voted for anyone left of Michael Dukakis.

The intentions are clear: the caller hopes to make it appear as though there is already a large uprising of conservatives who are rebelling against GOP candidates, and thus, wishes to incite other Republicans to pick up the same attitude and pass it along, leading to the Democrat becoming more competitive. The successes of such a strategy on voting habits are unclear, especially given that the conservative radio host often refutes the caller’s talking points.

But the pretend-conservative act is being carried onto a whole new playing field, one that has become wildly influential over the past few years and one that does not stand to be instantly recognized as a fake. That playing field is the blogosphere, which is then used in conjunction with massive e-mailings to “spread the word” (as one e-mailer insisted I do to my readers/e-mail list) to other conservatives.

The concept is the same: the blog or e-mail claims, first, that the said writer has been a conservative for years and that they have “had it with Republicans.” They then point to an issue that conservatives would likely be upset about such as excessive spending, immigration, or the expansion of government. Their supposed rage over the issue has convinced them to either not show up to vote in 2006, or, in order to really show Republicans, vote for the Democrat instead. "


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613957/posts?page=87#87


Sure, that's what real conseravatives do, let the Dems take over Congress. (/sarc)

[DuxFan4ever]

They can push whatever they want, but it won't get through a veto.

They can push impeachment hearings. It is worth having Republicans in control of the Senate even if they put out nothing more than judicial nominees.

[jrooney]

I can not understand the logic why anyone would punish the GOP and not vote. Putting the donks in power would be much worse. Those posters that complain of spending, immigration, etc. do not realize, or they are a troll, that the donks would handle these issues in a fashion that would be far worse than the GOP ever could.

[jrooney]

Exactly. If all we got for the next two years was judicial nominees and continued tax breaks, that is fine.

[ConservativeMind]

Hey, 'Fair', I've not said I'm not voting this fall. I'm just stating facts. Liberals as Republicans aren't conservatives. What is hard to understand about that?

And if you remember correctly, Rush voted for Pat Buchanan and urged (on an extremely rare occasion) listeners to vote for Pat in the primary against Bush I.

Get real and get conservative.

[jrooney]

Great pic!

[pollyannaish]

Greased idiocy?

I'd be a little careful about tossing that around freely. It might land on your head.

[FairOpinion]

Yes indeed. And the Dems would cause damage, that would take years to correct, if we could even correct it at all.

Just look at the damage Carter and Clinton did to this country.

And think about how when the Dems took over the House, it took 40 years, before we could get it back.

The Dems are a threat to our very lives, their weakness on the War on Terror would embolden the terrorists.

I just dug out Bin Laden's fatwa from 1996, where he prominently talks about the weakness of the US, as exhibited by the US cutting and running from Somalia under CLinton.

What do you think the terrorists would do, if we withdrew from Iraq, which we would do, if the Dems took over.


====

Bin Laden's Fatwa Issued in 1996: "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places."


Excerpt from Bin Laden's Declaration of War on the US


"But your most disgraceful case was in Somalia; where- after vigorous propaganda about the power of the USA and its post cold war leadership of the new world order- you moved tens of thousands of international force, including twenty eight thousands American solders into Somalia. However, when tens of your solders were killed in minor battles and one American Pilot was dragged in the streets of Mogadishu you left the area carrying disappointment, humiliation, defeat and your dead with you. Clinton appeared in front of the whole world threatening and promising revenge , but these threats were merely a preparation for withdrawal. You have been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It was a pleasure for the "heart" of every Muslim and a remedy to the "chests" of believing nations to see you defeated in the three Islamic cities of Beirut , Aden and Mogadishu. "

If this is what Bin Laden said after Somalia, just think what the terrorists will say, if we withdraw from Iraq before the job is done. THIS is where the Dems want to take the US: back into weakness, which emboldens terrorists.

Your vote in November 2006 is very important. Don't let the Dems win.

[pollyannaish]

vote for Pat in the primary

I think IN THE PRIMARY is the key phrase there, that is, if you can prove he actually said that.

[goldfinch]

There’s a growing number of us who are beginning to feel like it might be better to lose on the right principles than to win on the wrong ones,’’ Schenk said.

I simply cannot figure out why people think losing is a good thing. How will losing advance their cause? Sounds to me that Schenk and the crybaby conservatives are just tired of fighting and want to go home and pout. Too bad for our country that the leftist never tire of fighting to advance their agenda.

[nathanbedford]

Please, please, please, at long last stop this troll nonsense.

It is not a question of what we want in November, it is a question of what we are going to get because the Republicans in the House and Senate and yes, in the White House, have fumbled the ball from spending, to outright thievery, to criminal dereliction in the enforcement of the borders, to an obvious and cynical manipulation and neglect of the social conservatives, to a toadying to the likes of Teddy Kennedy and thus validating him and his ilk, to turning our education establishment over to the legislative writing pen of Teddy Kennedy, to missteps on judicial nominees including Harriet Myers and inferior court appointments, to public-relations disasters like Katrina, to the failure to push a legislative energy policy which would deflect the voters anger at the pumps to the real villains, the Democrats, to creating an unnecessary and unwanted entitlement for prescription drugs which is destined to drain our treasury.

The list can go on, and on, and on, and I assure you the impending loss of the House will not be the responsibility of a few "trolls."

[DuxFan4ever]

I can not understand the logic why anyone would punish the GOP and not vote.

I'll vote for sure, but check out this lineup and maybe you'll see why someone not as committed as me might stay home.
Senate race: None
Governors race: Saxton--moderate Republican, social liberal
Congressional race: Incumbent rat Wu vs. little known challenger.

I will vote for Saxton and do all I can to help Derrick Kitts beat David Wu, but honestly on the big ticket here in Oregon, not much to get excited about.

[jrooney]

"And I see gridlock better than the greased idiocy we now have."

I was questioning the gridlock comment. That term has been floated in several columns in the past few days, as how Congress would run if the donks were in power. Therefore, I can only conclude that the poster would rather have the donks running things than repubs in control like now.

[FairOpinion]

"And all week long, syndicated columnist David Limbaugh tried to put the fear of God in conservatives during dozens of radio and TV appearances as he pitched his new book, Bankrupt: The Intellectual and Moral Bankruptcy of Today’s Democratic Party.

Limbaugh — commentator Rush Limbaugh’s brother — says he, too, is frustrated with inaction on spending and immigration, but that’s no reason to stay home on Election Day.

“If you spank the Republicans for not being conservative enough, the result will not be bringing them back to the fold,’’ he said. “The result will be turning the reins over to a party that is ill-equipped to protect the national security … and won’t be good for the economy or social issues.

“The time to reform the Republican Party is between elections, and to do it from within. It is not taking your ball and going home.’’

[FairOpinion]

It seems that people who gave us 8 years of Clinton, because they wanted to show the Republicans by voting for Perot, learned nothing.

[goldfinch]

Hey, 'Fair', I've not said I'm not voting this fall.

Why don't you just go ahead and vote for the Democrats? Staying home may make you feel all clean and pure, but the results are the same as if you vote for the Democrat. So do your civic duty and vote.

[jrooney]

What in the hell do you think will happen if the donks are in power? We are not all stupid. Some of us can see what dangers lie ahead.

Cry me a fricken river because if the donks get in power the problems yo uare complaining about now will be increased tenfold. What are you going to do then? Find the tallest bridge? No voting is the same as putting the donks in power.

[jrooney]

I will vote straight republican ticket here in Oregon and so is my entire family. It is the best way to send a message to Pelosi, Murtha, Reid, Kerry, et al.

[goldfinch]

It seems that people who gave us 8 years of Clinton, because they wanted to show the Republicans by voting for Perot, learned nothing.

Yep. They are back to acting like spoiled children threatening to take their ball and go home if they don't get what they want. They really don't care about the country, only about their pet issue of the moment. Great patriots, aren't they?

[pollyannaish]

Gridlock works well in peacetime to control domestic issues.

Gridlock now could end up costing us the War on Islamofascism.

Absolutely, positively not worth it.