Advice to Republicans: Don't go back and check on a dead skunk

The Wall Street Journal | November 9, 2006 | Dick Armey

[Zakeet]

If there was still any doubt, the Republican Revolution of 1994 officially ended Tuesday night with the loss of at least 28 seats and majority control of the House of Representatives. As I write this, the race in Virginia that will determine if the Republicans also lose control of the Senate is too close to call, but leaning Democrat.

It was a rout.

How did we get here? The war in Iraq and historical voting patterns that favor the opposition party in off-year elections are factors suggested by many post-election pundits. Certainly, the mounting problems in Iraq were on voters' minds, but responsibility for the conduct of the war lies with the executive branch, and President Bush was not on the ballot.

That said, this was a national election, driven by national issues. One big issue in exit polls suggests widespread voter backlash against the "culture of corruption." There is something to this, I think. Over time, too many Republicans in the governing majority forgot or abandoned their national vision, letting parochial interests dominate the decision-making process.

[subterfuge]

That said, this was a national election, driven by national issues. One big issue in exit polls suggests widespread voter backlash against the "culture of corruption."

What Dickie means is the APPEARANCE of corruption. The constant drumbeat, willfull excusing Dems, and outright lies of the MSM have been non-stop for the last 6 years. Abu Garib? Panties on the head? THATS TORTURE!! CORRUPTION!

ABRAMOF GAVE TO REPUBLICANS (and dozens of DEMS) CORRUPTION!!

TOM DELAYS CAMPAIGN FINANCE IRREGULARITIES (Just like dozens of DEMS) CORRUPTION!!

I could go on but it makes me sick. Dickie is full of shit.

[JCEccles]

Does he bash Christian conservatives in it? That's what he is doing now.

Armey has deteriorated into a tin-eared idiot. He has very little credibility now. He should dry up and blow away.

[steve-b]

parochial (p& RO chee &l) : very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial

[Edit35]

Permit drilling in the gulf and off both coasts, regardless of the environmentalis.

Oh, I agree 1000-percent.

I thought you were going to suggest something that would attract the left to moderate environmentalists.

The GOP base, which by and large came thru for the GOP, already support drilling in ANWR and the Gulf.

[lentulusgracchus]

In regards, to culture of corruption. They hid Reids corruption and many other dems only consentrated on the Repubs. MSM wanted Repubs out of power and they got thier wish.

That's exactly right -- especially about Sen. Reid. There were several threads in here about Reid's "sweetheart" deals, and some FReepers even predicted, correctly, that the MSM would bury them while playing up Republican scandals. They were spot-on.

And as a bonus, the MSM swept Rep. Jefferson's frozen cash under the rug, too.

[lentulusgracchus]

Dick Armey has been all over the media the past two weeks proclaiming that the leaders of the Republican Party must "stop kowtowing" to faith based organizations, etc.

Is he saying that he thinks the media have "dialed up" faith-based organizations and religious people for destruction, and that, there being no way to stop what is going to happen (as, e.g., with the homosexuality "debate" and the 1995 campaign of demonization against Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich), the GOP needs to beat a hasty retreat and distance themselves for self-preservation from the new target of media wrath?

[Strutt9]

So right. But we also allowed the MSM to bury the corruption stories. It should have been drummed untill it was picked up as a story. It is still not dead yet and can be brought back.

[lentulusgracchus]

But widespread conservative support for dealing with Saddam and Iraq was based on the belief that we would get in there, get the job done and get out.

You and many people don't give enough credit to the wicked capabilities of the enemy. They are, after all, people, and as people are resourceful and capable.

When Admiral Doenitz surrendered Germany and Emperor Hirohito ordered his ministers to surrender Japan, the order to cooperate was widely, almost universally obeyed. I say "almost," because there were diehard SS units in southern Germany that refused to surrender and had to be quietly rooted out and exterminated by Allied forces over the next several months.

But for the most part, Germany and Japan were surrendered with intact governments and functioning ministries and utilities. They were still run by people who remained in place and responded to the authority of the occupation.

Contrast that with what happened in Baghdad, where Saddam, on his way out of town, held his "parking-lot rally" at which he told his remaining adherents to do......what? Resist, sabotage things, and then go to ground and start a guerrilla war -- just as, btw (and I keep reminding people of this), the Chinese government had advised Saddam to do, with practical suggestions about means and expedients.

Big difference. And that accounts for a lot, right there -- but all you ever hear people talking about his how someone "screwed up". Well, yes -- not bagging Saddam at the outset, not warring down his tigers when they showed themselves and began murdering U.S. soldiers, all that is true -- but the fundamental recognition of what the other side has brought to the conflict has been underestimated and overlooked IMHO, and the whole affair has been regarded and propagated as "blowback" or incompetence, rather than the strength of an evil enemy.

[jwparkerjr]

Good points! I am mostly referring to the times when we forced our troops to fight as less than maximum ability in order to mitigate civilian casualties. And those times when we backed off and turned an operation over to Iraqi forces, only to have them fall flat on their face.

I couldn't agree more that this enemy brought some very new and very creative techniques to the party. But when it comes to ingenuity NO ONE tops the United States and our military. At every turn we insist on a PC war, making any operation against the enemy even less effective. How about all those times the enemy agree to disarm, only to turn in a few rusted, Soviet-era automatic weapons? The moment it became clear that people with a variety of weapons and motivations intended to attack our troops the rule should have been "be seen in public with a weapon, die on the spot." No questions asked, when you spot a pickup truck with a 50 cal. machine gun mounted on the bed and several men with RPG's in the bed it becomes fair game for the nearest US warplane.

I know I am being very simplistic, that the situation is much more complicated and convoluted than I've described, but the main point is that our determination to avoid civilian deaths has cost us American lives. I don't like that arrangement.

[Jezebelle]

In a nutshell, an ordinary Christian is a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ and that he is the son of God sent to die for our sins. Through that faith, we accept God's gift of forgiveness and salvation.

[Jezebelle]

I see. Thanks for explaining.

I think I've only seen him once in the last weeks and he wasn't talking about that at the time.

Sounds like another GOP fair-weather jellyfish.

[Jezebelle]

Ray, you're just wrong. But oh well. I could dig out article after article to dispute you, but it wouldn't do any good, I can see.

Have a good day.

[Raycpa]

I quote official Catholic doctrine http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art2.htm which says:

it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:119

and I'm wrong? Amazing.

[Jezebelle]

Yes, you're trying to shoe-horn.

[JOE43270]

"The rats will do even worse, but Americans will have to feel that pain first before they realize what they've done." "
"(Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)"

I'm already feeling the pain and I'm worried about my younger Brothers and Sisters that are in uniform in IRAQ. The Rats won't take care of them they will use them.

[Caipirabob]

Prayers out his way and for all our troops there, JOE43270. I don't believe that President Bush is just going to let the rats walk all over our troops, though. Hopeful, at least that he want. He did send Michael Bolton back to the Sentate today for approval, at least that shows he's willing to forward what he believes in despite the coming rat majority. Also, we still have two more months. Maybe he'll get enough funds and troops allocated to finish the job before the rats nest in congress.

[JOE43270]

Thank you for the Prayers and I believe too that President Bush won't let them down. I pray to that you are right about the next two months and President Bush get the money you talked about. God Bless them all.

[spunkets]

'Certainly, the mounting problems in Iraq were on voters' minds, but responsibility for the conduct of the war lies with the executive branch, and President Bush was not on the ballot."

Hey Dick... One of the Congressional duties is to serve as a check on Presidential actions.

"That said, this was a national election, driven by national issues."

No Dick it was not simply a national election. There were state and local offices decided also. The Rs got taken there too.

"One big issue in exit polls suggests widespread voter backlash against the "culture of corruption."

Hey Dick, did you stop to think about what they meant? What culture of corruption? It's the MSM and Dparty's portrayal of Bush and his cronnies as war criminals beholden to big money interests and a R Congress that is in on it, or otherwise gives him a free pass.

[spunkets]

Evangelicals are protestants that have a major focus on evangelizing. Other groups evangelize, but they are not Evangelicals. Mormons, Catholics, and all Baptists evangelize, but they are not Evangelicals.

[Raycpa]

All Christians are called to be evangelists.