Posted on 10/16/2006 8:38:07 AM PDT by IrishMike
The sleeping giant, called the evangelical church, is about to be awakened by true conservative candidates, who believe in both social and fiscal conservatism. These voters will rise up and keep the Senate in the hands of the Republicans and keep the House in a position of relative political parity. For this to happen, individual candidates will have to take off the gloves and differentiate themselves based on their values, philosophy, and track records. This is not running away from President Bush or national issues; it is an attempt to keep candidates from running against the straw man of “it’s time for a change” or “change for change sake.”
The classic example of this dynamic new strategy is the Michael Steele senatorial race in Maryland. Steele’s opponent has tried to paint this powerful African-American leader as an out-of-touch “Uncle Tom” because he is a black Republican. In addition, he has used all the time-worn, Bush/Republican criticisms we have heard for the last few months.
Steele’s response is that he is reaching out to the growing number of black, white and Hispanic conservatives who are Democrats by day but vote Republican on moral values. How is he doing this specifically? First of all, he changed his campaign ads and speeches to reflect his stances on core conservative issues.
Secondly, many supportive evangelicals are supporting Steele with their own outreach campaigns. They realize that they must choose between Michael Steele and an opponent who is the embodiment of everything they don’t believe. Ben Cardin is pro-abortion, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-embryonic stem cell research, and pro-amnesty.
In response to the political dangers we perceive, the High Impact Leadership Coalition, which I lead, and the Maryland Values Coalition have created a television and radio campaign which features leading black pastors, known and loved by Marylanders.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
FOLKS WE ARE NOW IN THE GROUND WAR PORTION OF THE ELECTION!
There next precious few days are ALL ABOUT TURN OUT.
We need to get out there.
If you can take Nov. 7th off to ensure people vote DO SO!
Make sure your friends, your family, all are able to vote.
Pelosi will kill the border fence
Pelosi will let tax cuts expire
Pelosi will tax everyone because a tax for one is a tax for all.
With republicans we have a fighting chance.
Won't work. I voted yesterday.
Interesting screen name. Amadou?
I don't see how Bush has failed the "values voters" when he himself is a social Conservative, who has put two faith based Conservatives on the bench, and has made statements that have ticked off the culture of death crowd.
given a chance PELOSI WILL DEFINITLY KILL THE MERE 700 MILE FENCE JUST PASSED!!!!
with Republicans at least we have a fighting chance to ADD fencing!
LOL I feel exactly the same way..
Another surprise optimist is Glen Beck on CNN
(shocking I know)
I've been pleased with what Pres. Bush has accomplished--except for the immigration issue. But this man I think is just naive about what government can accomplish. And now he's been used by the left.
However, if this was really going on to that degree Tony Snow would not have the admiration for President Bush that's off the charts today. From what I understand everyone in the WH are rooting for President Bush 24/7, this would not be happening if all of them were rolling their eyes and snickering about Christians. President Bush is such a Christian this would be an insult to him.
You mean the government takeover of religious institutions?
I'm not ignoring or angering anyone, I'm just trying to tell you why they will not turn an election all by themselves, and that the notion that they can is a wholly invented one.
As for having "Values Voters" in this country, considering that we are continuously subjected to a regular parade of government corruption, pedophilia, larceny, ethical quandries, outright lies, theft, vote-buying, vote-tampering, influence peddling, and a whole host of other stuff, I'm surprised that anyone calls themself a "Values Voter" with a straight face, since there certainly are none on display in Washington. Anywhere. What Values did you vote for, because they seem to be invisible?
And considering the current crop of republicans we have all passed "conservative", "values-voter" muster, and have failed utterly, I have to wonder just what values were used to gauge their acceptibility to "Values-oriented" folks to begin with. It's not as if they've actively advanced any agenda that a reasonable person would consider values-driven in the last six years.
So, from where I sit, Evangelicals are not the salvation of the Republican party this election day because they don't exist as the electoral bugbear they have been painted as. The same for the so-called "Values voter", who should stay home and contemplate suicide, because, quite frankly, they put the stamp of approval on the losers we sent to Washington in the first place.
Asking them now to save the party, which doesn't deserve it, honestly, is asking for more of the same if you ask me.
You and I both.
It's unfortunate this guy is being used by the left. Obviously he's not using that God-given gift of reason and common sense.
Graf in Arizona, Negron in Florida and Shelly Sekula-Gibbs in Texas.
"Asking them now to save the party, which doesn't deserve it, honestly, is asking for more of the same if you ask me."
Power corrupts, humans are flawed and fallen. That's no reason to throw up your hands and not attempt to sway the process toward governance that is more acceptable, especially when the alternative stands in direct opposition to most or even all that you stand for.
As A "values voter" myself I can tell you that there ARE (FEW..but just a few) Good-Statesmen, Biblically-Oriented in D.C., but they are definately not the majority: from where I sit: The liberal-RNC-Rockefeller types are the ones who have declared war on me, and other Reagan Conservatives by selling out, and hating social conservatism:.. Not that I won't vote Repub this Nov. (Because I will..vote R), but I am sick of the liberals that stand for NOTHING except SELF-SERVING THEMSELVES.. in the Rep. Party!! ;(.
I don't disagree with with either of you, just the author's contention that there is a way to "save" the Republican party, which contrary to popular belief, is just as self-serving, corrupt and cynical as the opposition. Particularly not with the current crop of candidates.
If you want to change anything, it's time to clean house, not continue the parade of non-entities we're stuck with now, which arte people who follow a familiar pattern; kow-tow to certain segments of the party, mouth the right words, make the right (usually empty) gestures, take the cash and the votes, fail to follow through, and then use the prosepect of democratic party tyranny to defend having done not thing one. Instead of trying to salvage what we have, I would think it more productive to engage in fundamental change. While I don't want to see democrats (small 'd' intentional) prosper, I certainly don't want a republican party which continues to look like the one we have.
Despite the very few who do stand for anything republican or conservative, the rest walks the walk but refuses to talk the talk, even with control of all three visible branches of government. Either they have spent their time looking to their own interests or they have lied to us outright, take your pick. Or would you consider what has been done in the last six years to have represented good republican/conservative government?
Defeat (we're looking at it now, and deservedly so) is the first step in the process, and as much as I find the prospect distasteful, it is going to happen. Articles like this sound more like democrats do (the shrill-sounding wail of desperation is a palpable democratic trait) than they do republican/conservative.
Instead of focusing on the utter chaos that is about to rain down on this country in the form of electoral defeat, it's time to begin re-evaluating where we stand and, more importantly, WHO represents that stand. These petty distinctions between certain classes and categories of voters (which is exactly how democrats view electoral politics. This is an election, not a marketing campaign, for the love of Pete!) and what they are able to accomplish in the name of the party unity is ridiculous; it's desperation politics and we are not about desperation.
There are republicans who believe in "values" who can reach across and appeal to all aspects of the American electorate who don't get a chance because they may be "deficient" on one issue or another, but who otherwise advance a republican/conservative agenda. These ideological litmus tests are keeping some very potentially-effective folks out of office. It's time to start looking at some of them, right now, with an eye towards the future. This will involve compromise within the party itself.
As of this date, republicans and conservatives have made tremendous strides in electoral politics at all levels of government, but one bad Congress is about to undo much of that work, and more of the same will undo it completely in the future.In this regard, a vote for the status-quo is quite possibly a wasted vote. Unfortunately, there is no viable option for most of us.
What made him a tool, in my opinion, is that he lumped Pro-Life electioneering with the Faith-Based Initiative that he was upset didn't get enough funding.
Abortion is the number one evil that politically active Christians work against, and to call for a "fast" against trying to outlaw it or reduce it makes all of his subsequent arguments seem disingenous and insincere.
I think he was tempted, and fell, and is just a tool of the anti-GOP Dems now.
Ed
Not to mention censorship of the internet and message boards like Freep, and probably some sort of return to the Fairness Doctrine where radio stations and TV networks will be required to give equal time to liberals everytime a conservative is interviewed, which will mean that NO specifically conservative guests will be interviewed...
Ed
I'll repeat what I have said in another Post a long time ago: We ARE addicted to power, rather than doing the right thing..! Sure it may be viable to "ally" with Republicans that do not always agree with us (hey this is politics), but it is when one win (THE ROCKEFELLERS) want to throw the "Christians" off the life-boat because they are compromisers and do now want whistle-blowers, or they hate Christians becasue they do not like what they stand for.. That is when WE have a problem.. (get it)?
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