Cutting Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face, Conservative Style

HUMAN EVENTS ^ | Sep 27, 2006 | John Hawkins

[trisham]

If your son were behaving badly, messing up his life and creating deep debts that you and your family are obligated to pay for, and inviting criminals and beggars into your home without permission, giving them the unfettered run of the place, would you continue to reward him with bonuses and increases in his allowance, because "another son would be worse"?

*************

Let's say that you're right. Can you answer your own question?

[dirtboy]

I wouldn't mind giving Chuck Hagel a turbo-wedgie, either. What IS it about the Senate that turns the contents of so many brain pans to goo?

[D.P.Roberts]

The writer doesn't understand bottoms and how they change behavior.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Cutting off their nose to spite their faces is what some do BEST. It is a wonder any Republicans ever win.

[maggief]

Trying to erase that image from my mind ...

LOL

[nickcarraway]

What are you talking about? Conservatives have been out in full force in every election cycle this century, and they should be bashed for it. Why is it always the voters fault, and the politicians never have to take responsibility for trying to win votes? Backwards thinking.

[dirtboy]

Think again.

Does this mean you'll stop your attacks on Graf? Or is this advice only meant for one wing of the party?

[kesg]

Fair enough. :)

[Atlas Sneezed]

If I had 10 sons in school, and some were prone to be slackers, I'd take the first opportunity to ground (or otherwise memorably and unpleasantly punish) the one who slacked the worst, while giving the rest a treat. Let them all learn consequences from straying from family principles.

If I coddle them all, they will all be tempted by the benefits of straying.

If I am strict with the individual, all the rest will take the lesson.

Granted the analogy is flawed (as is the author's) because politicians are replaceable, and sons aren't.

But I'm happy to hope that a few unprincipled RINOs lose, and let the others take a lesson and be more stoutly conservative.

[Paperdoll]

>..but some folks say they are going to "sit out" this election. In my view, that is the same thing as voting for the other side.<

Let's hope when push comes to shove, those "sitters" will turn out in droves because America cannot afford to indulge the left for spite and still survive. Of course, this administration has led us straight into the North Ameridan Union, so I've heard. Such a dilemna! :o(

[restornu]

"If the GOP loses a Senate seat, they don't even get another crack at it for 6 years. Even then, there's no guarantee that the GOP can pick the seat back up."
Seems pretty simple.


***

Than if we lose the country we will pay in blood to get it back where a vote to keep what we have and work harder to move the bar to a better place sometimes it take years but it' better than body bags

[SolidSupplySide]

Why do we have Republicans publicly hoping that the GOP loses in order to, "teach them a lesson?"

Because "Republican" and "conservative" are not synonyms.

Conservatives want to enact conservative policies. Some Republicans resist these policies. Therefore, conservatives want to get those RINOs out of Congress and replace them with real conservatives.

Dirtboy suggests that the proper venue to remove the RINOs is in the primary. Unfortunately, Republicans don't like to challenge incumbents in the primary. Consequently, getting rid of the big spenders in the primary doesn't work.

[TAdams8591]

"There's an assumption that lost seats can easily be recaptured in another election, that spending would go down if Democrats ran the House, and that the Democrats can't do that much damage if they're in office. None of these assumptions is necessarily or even likely true."

Agreed.

[TAdams8591]

"This cuts both ways. For every conservative gnashing teeth over RINOs, we have moderates backstabbing candidates like Randy Graf."

Very true. And not so long ago, Alan Keyes.

However, few moderates are threatening to abandon the Republican party all together.

[AmeriBrit]

Since GWB was voted into office there's been a slight calculation mistake made by the clinton administration of $7.6 BILLION he's had to make up.....plus.....

A tax refund for EVERYONE
Katrina
WTC
WOT
A military force he's had to rebuild.

just to name a few.

[savedbygrace]

You, and others on this thread, show a lack of understanding of the dynamics involved here.

First, this is hard ball politics, and the Republican Party needs to understand that if THEY don't make major changes in their behavior, they will lose many conservative voters in 2006, and maybe 2008. Perhaps enough voters to cost them some seats, and maybe more.

Second, if they continue this refusal to change their harmful behavior, many of us are willing to put the country through a difficult period of time. Many of us believe the hysterics of the always-vote-Republican-no-matter-what-they-do party faithful are overblown and out of proportion with what would actually happen. I base that on this historically-based fact: Republicans are never more conservative than when they are the minority party.

IOW, they will block most, if not all, of the Dims' efforts. For this, we will return to the voting booth and reinstall the Republicans in office, and the sky will not have fallen.

But none of that is necessary . . . IF the Republican Party will return to its conservative roots and change its behavior. The ball is in their court, not mine and other conservatives'. If you don't want them to lose seats, then I'd suggest you contact the Republican Party, and your Republican reps, if you have any, and ask them to return to their conservative roots and stop their harmful behavior.

But blasting me and others for suggesting that Republicans don't have to earn our votes is a vain and unproductive exercise. It's a waste of your time and effort. Instead, you'd be much more productive by supporting us conservatives by pressuring the Republicans to change their ways.

[kesg]

I haven't attacked Graf. I have questions and concerns about him, but that's diferent. I hope he wins. I want to see the Democrats crushed this November because they deserve to lose badly. They have absolutely nothing of value to offer this country.

[savedbygrace]

No. (That's my answer.)

[maine-iac7]

Yup. That is why I am giving up my stance to never vote again. I am going to vote and always vote Libertarian.

LOL

translation: "I am throwing my vote away, thus allowing an added vote for the dimRats...and don't I feel superior."

And when we're fighting the terrorists in our streets, I hope you remember.

[Hop A Long Cassidy]

Current GOP leadership:

"Vote for me, or I'll shoot this puppy."