Sorry, I can't agree.
We didn't stop the democrat threat to filibuster Supreme Court Judges - Frist couldn't bring himself to pull that cord and invoke parliamentary rules. That was a BIG mistake. Should Bush get the opportunity for another nominiation - forget it - no chance now of a conservative. Ditto for all the other federal court appointees.
We didn't get school vouchers in the Education bill.
We didn't get immigration reform.
We didn't get permanent tax cuts.
We didn't get a bill to deal with fuel/gas/oil.
We didn't get to open up the oil field in Alaska.
We didn't hold back on spending
We didn't do anything about ethics in congress
We didn't get rid of ear marks
We didn't secure the border
We didn't get an amendment out to ban gay marriage
We didn't get social security reform
We had 12 years - and got very very little.
As for the republicans being better as a minority party - no thanks - I don't want to support a party that always sees itself as its finest role in being a minority.
As a conservative I feel totally deserted by the Republican Party.
I worked in both of George Bush's presidential compaigns as well as in a local House of Representative campaign (Bilbray).
From now on the only campaign I will consider working and voting for is Duncan Hunter. He is my representative and at this point I am convinved he is a true conservative.
Unless and until a true conservative comes along - count me out. I am a member of a Republican Women's Federated unit - and I am re-considering that. It's not the party affiliation that counts - its the policy of the party that counts and its willingness to carry that party out.
Divide and conquer, misdirect by issue creation, usurp agenda by moving center then win majority..........govern left...
The democrats have moved socialist, the republicans have moved to the left to fill the void they vacated, and we conservatives have been left hanging in the wind. Royally screwed no matter which way we turn.
It is unfortunate, but a fact that the unappeasable wing of the RNC caused the caucus to engage in what is called "base politics". This in turn soured the middle ground, or Reagan democrats as some refer to them, against the Republican party and they voted accordingly. It also caused some Republican support to fail to even show up at the polls in disgust.
It was wedge issues like Shiavo, Meirs, the Ports, Immigration reform and the war to some extent in the final days that made the difference for the Dem's, and will continue to fracture the party base, which BTW, you don't have control of.
Politics is a delicate business, and very word means the art of compromise! as a art form, it can be viewed from many perspectives, but the essential ingredient is to coalesce regardless of differences on a common goal by election day.
We did not do that. We tried but it could not happen unless the conservative right wing was willing to give a bit. They did not and kept up the verbal infighting all the way through the general election and up to the present, as you have indicated in your post.
What you will get in return for this is nothing.
The warnings were given dozens of times, and were unheeded and rejected. You never get everything in politics, not ever! A good session is 70%!
Unless and until this anomaly is repaired, there will be no Republican majority, ever again.
The only other option is to shed the entire right wing block, and move dramatically to the center and usurp the democrat base. This would ensure a third party that would dilute the RNC voter base and likely be unsuccessful in the end. But, it is the only other option, and if we can't get it together within a few cycles, lets say by 2012 or 2014, this will happen....perhaps sooner than later.
So what you achieved by cracking down, was a crack up......and that's the name of that tune. A sad tune for the future of the nation. A sad tune indeed.