Posted on 10/17/2006 8:42:47 AM PDT by jbwbubba
They Only Win If We Let Them When things get rough there are those who whine and moan and assume the fetal position on the bathroom floor, and there are those who roll up their sleeves, get busy and fight until ten minutes after the clock runs out. Which camp are you going to find yourself in from now until Election Day? I can assure you I will be in the latter camp.
I have been optimistic about the election in spite of all the doom and gloom I have heard over the past year. Until the Foley scandal broke, Republicans, led by the President who thankfully is a Reagan optimist, had closed the gap and had the momentum on their side. Foley stopped the momentum and completely drowned out the message and it showed in the polls. I let myself indulge in a few days of being down about it, then I sucked it up and decided to get busy. Along with my fellow Rightroots bloggers, I appealed to readers to contribute to help fund final ad expenditures. Blog readers came through and Rightroots was a big success.
Now is not the time to rest though. It is crunch time and anyone who does not do their part does not deserve to bitch and moan if we lose the House or Senate. Over the next few weeks I will be offering ways that those who want to make a difference can. Because Rightroots is a PAC, some time was required to process contributions to get them to the candidates. Several campaigns have let us know that any contributions given to them directly through their website's contribution page will be received in time to make a difference. If you have a favorite candidate, consider making one last contribution. I will be posting links to some of those candidates' contribution pages in the upcoming days.
If you are like me and don't have any spare cash right now, there are still many ways you can make a difference. If you have some time you can contribute, call your local party headquarters or the campaign office of your favorite candidate and ask how you can help. In 2004, I did quite a bit of GOTV phone calls in the weeks leading up to the election and worked the polls on election day, and I plan to do the same this year.
Other less formal ways that you can help include talking to your friends, neighbors and family about the election and why it is important that they show up to vote. If you know anyone that needs a ride to the polls and you are able to offer one, do it. These are only a few ways you can make a difference.
Don't buy the spin. Not all on the left are buying it, in spite of the fact they are pushing it. There are too many funny numbers and too much questionable analysis floating around right now. There are many in the media working hard to depress Republican turnout. It happened in 2002, and in 2004, and probably in most every other election to some extent. Read Alexander McClure on the "politics of defeat," as well as this post from 2004 which is a "how to" for the hours leading up to election day. Read Hugh Hewitt to get some of the good news you will not easily find in the mainstream media. There are some valid reasons for concern, but they should only serve to reinforce our commitment to work that much harder. The other side only wins if we let them.
I have NEVER thought we were going to lose Congress. If only because the Democrats are so much worse than the Republicans. If the Democrats had a plan, I might be a little concerned, but they do not and no one wants Pelosi to be that close to the Presidency.
Even if defeat is impending, conservatives should turn out and vote.
On the bright side, the Mark Foley scandal is fading in spite of the media's best efforts to keep it current.
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