Can the Republicans Recapture the Spirit of '94?

Time Magazine ^ | 11/9/06 | Perry Bacon Jr.

[stuartcr]

Why try to re-capture a 12 yo spirit? Why not try to be original and just start out on a new day?

[Mo1]

Though the GOP needs to remember their history .. they also need to look at the future

Otherwise they are just stuck

[MikeA]

But John Boehner, the Ohio rep and current number two under Hastert who is running against Pence for that post, says he's the man to help Republicans restore the principles they embraced in 1994, since he was one of the authors of the original Contract with America.

Sorry Boehner, you're part of the wallpaper in D.C. and part of why we lost on Tuesday. Whatever you did in 1994 did nothing for us in 2006. You certainly didn't bring any of that 1994 spirit into your time as majority leader so why should I think you will do so moving forward? Time for new blood. You're out, Mike Pence in.

[Enosh]

we were a majority committed to balanced federal budgets, entitlement reform and advancing the principles of limited government.

[edpc]

But John Boehner, the Ohio rep......says he's the man to help Republicans restore the principles they embraced in 1994, since he was one of the authors of the original Contract with America.

It may have been a better idea to stick with it, since it was a great plan. Trying to harken back may seem a little snake oil-ish to some. In my opinion, the remaining true conservatives should just come clean and admit they lost their way. Disassociate yourself from the RINOs. Stay true to your convictions. I know....that's a tall order for most politicians.

[NRA2BFree]

NO! The Republican Party is finished. Now that the RATS are in power, they are going to pass a sweeping amnesty bill that's going to allow millions of illegals to vote as citizens. Guess what party they are signing up with? Naturally, it's the RAT party. With that many new RAT voters, we will never be able to take control again. There's just too many of them.

[hispanarepublicana]

see tagline.

[boomop1]

Only when the leadership gets on the bandwagon, appeasing the demcRats is a failure. The President took blame for the loss unlike Rodney King who just said can't we all just get along. Get along will get you no where he is sitting down with people who hate him and will prove it after January.

[sam_whiskey]

I don't want Pence after his betrayal of Tancredo on illegal immigration...

[MikeA]

Well, then who should it be besides Tancredo himself? The few who supported his severe solutions to illegal immigration were mostly swept out of office Tuesday. So Pence who has a reasonable and tough idea which is enforcement with some allowance for a guest worker plan is as good a pick as any. His plan isn't that bad. It's better than the Senate's was.

[Wavve31]

Unless the Democrats royally screw things up, the GOP is not getting congress back. In 2 years when the elections are held all we're going to see are images of iraq and corruption in congress. Then they're going ot say.. Is this what you want again? The GOP blew it.

[Long Island Pete]

Only if we can clone Ronald Reagan and get Newt back in power. Other than that I say Cumbaya.

[sam_whiskey]

It's amnesty...

[dfwgator]

Though the GOP needs to remember their history .. they also need to look at the future Otherwise they are just stuck

Stop trying to find a Ronald Reagan clone would be a good start.

[MikeA]

No it's not. Crimeny I'm so sick of the misuse of that term. Amnesty is a no strings attached, no penalty to pay forgiveness. There's nothing like that in Pence's plan.

[The South Texan]

Boehner and Blunt have the charisma of a door nail. We need to do better than that.

[CottShop]

No they can not- the virus of power and elitism has infected them and there is no cure other than a total amputation to stop the spread.

Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...

[lilylangtree]

Yeah, if the pubs will get back to basic values, stressing faith, family values, lower taxes, etc. Pubs couldn't go wrong. However, with all the scandals contradicting faith and family values like Mark Foley, national budget went awry, gasoline going astronomical, the Iraqi war, etc., the main message got lost. People tired of the scandals and outrageousness linked to the Republican Party.

[mtairycitizen]

That is the loss.

But it is not like Bush would have done anything about
it anyway. We were lost anyway. Now we just know it.