Posted on 03/07/2007 7:27:38 AM PST by sam_paine
November 7, 2006 - The American voters "revolted" and gave the Democrat Party control of Congress.
Four months out, what have the politicians and strategists learned?
Have they learned that "conservatism wins every time it's tried?"
Or have they learned that the right-wing coalition no longer holds enough votes for them to mount a successful campaign?
Did "staying home" send a message to politicians that got us better border security, less taxes, stronger military, less government control of schools...less abortion?
This thread, and subsequent "TEACHING THE GOP A LESSON" markers up until Nov 2008 should "log" as we go along just how well the politicians are (or are not) learning their lessons.
I really just want to do this periodically to link the stories which are likely fallout from the 2004 election (such as non-binding resolutions against the troops, minimum wage increase, etc) and more importantly to gauge the feelings of FReepers on the clear dichotomy between the message they think they're sending to the pols and the message that the pols are actually hearing.
You mean '06 election right?
Only WHINO wussies "sit it out"
Nothing.
No.
No.
No.
Not voting for a liberal candidate in a supposedly conservative party, does not constitute sitting out the election.
Calling Mr. Boortz, Mr. Neal Boortz, please pick up the white courtesy phone...
Yep. Ooops. 2006, of course.
I'm glad to hear you can be placated with words.
-the border has been tightened up and all illegals sent home
-spending has been completely reined in. No more pork!
This completely vindicates all the conservatives who decided not to vote for their Republican candidate because he was soft on immigration and loose with the purse strings. Sure taught him a lesson!
/sarcasm
No offense to you personally but I'm getting sick of this discussion. Very few "sat it out" to teach the GOP a lesson. Many in the voting population, unfortunately, were not given someone to vote FOR... only AGAINST... again.
Polling and cajoling the true believers and politically active isn't where the answer lies. You can't win if you only get your true believers. You have to sell yourself to the average schlub. The GOP (with the help of the MSM... or lack thereof) failed to do that. Politics is basic marketing... you have to differentiate your product. Growing the size of government, expanding entitlements, shamnesty, laziness and a host of other issues hurt the GOP... not the activists who tried to send a message.
It's not really relevant, nor interesting as to what we believe the "truth" to be when we're talking about politicians.
What's important to ask about what the pols think THEY have learned.
I think you're statement that the pols have learned "nothing" is unsupportable.
At least the leftists have "learned" that the "American voters have spoken for change."
Like it or not, that is certainly one result of the 2006 election.
Personally, I'm hearing it about the same now as I did before the election. Of course, how often we "hear" a phrase isn't really indicative of anything substantive. Governance is not about which phrases are uttered in public.
By the way I just noticed this thread: Dems to add billions to Iraq war bill
But at least you perceive yourself to be "hearing the phrase" 'fiscal responsibility' more often than you thought you were hearing it before 11/06!
While the voters were sending a message to the GOP, the lunatic Liberals think they won some sort of affirmation for their left-wing ideas that will lead to the destruction of our nation and policies that will leave us vulnerable to our enemies.
The last election was a repudiation of Republican politicians not being conservative enough not an affirmation of lunatics like Pelosi, Murtha, Kerry, and the rest of the anti-American crowd. The voters will turn on these idiots soon enough. Pelosi and her cohorts are hell bent on their acquisition of power while feeding their egos (evidenced by their thinking they're royalty) to realize that their anti-American, anti-military fringe policies won't pacify the American voter who are not Liberal.
Unintended though it may have been, what the results of the last election taught ALL politicians is that American voters apparently want liberals in power.
I guess it comes down to what each of us prefers. Do we prefer a Republican party that is out of power and pretends to be conservative? Or do we prefer a Republican party that is in power but increases the size and scope of government beyond the increases we saw from Democrats?
Tough choice.
A better question is - Did the GOP even run in the last election? It was yet another election where the GOP offered "Bob Dole" to its voters.
It is not the voter fault if the GOP cannot recruit and offer Republicans to vote for.
I didn't really want this to be a discussion....I really just want to log examples of what the election resulted in.
Your anti-Rudy tagline is a good example. I think one of the results of the 2006 election is that smokey room strategists in the liberal-wing of the GOP are emboldened, thus we get Rugy, Mitt, McPain etc---and little party money going to Hunter, etal.
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