Posted on 03/12/2007 8:26:01 PM PDT by Trueblackman
The Great Disconnect between the Republican Party and the Conservative Base
The Republican Party better get its act together like yesterday and realize that without its Conservative base, that it will be left to wonder in the wilderness for many more years to come.
Republicans in Congress are now back in the minority after 12 years of majorities granted to them by the base who envisioned the death of big government agencies like the Departments of Education and Energy with control of the purse strings from 1994-2006 and in 2000 with the election of George W. Bush the base demanded the unabated end of the Clinton Era Tactics of manipulation federal government numbers and phony government surpluses.
Conservatives felt that Bush and company would govern like Conservatives, but after 6 years the base saw no victories as the federal government grew bigger under Bush with “No Child Left Behind” and “Medicare Part D.” Bush refused to fight for our most Conservatives Nominees allowing them to be blocked for years on end by a minority within the minority Democrats Caucus in the Senate. Bush’s “new tone” in Washington DC amounted to the abandonment of his Conservative Principals within 6 months of his first term.
Liberal Republicans like John McCain were allowed to cut deals behind close doors on Judicial Nominees, Taxes and Immigration, while the Conservatives in the Senate seem dumbfounded and refused to stop this self-proclaimed maverick and his band of merry sellouts. McCain seems to take joy in stabbing the base in the back every chance he gets, gleefully going on MSNBC to be praised by Chris Matthews, because he feels that he is somehow owed the Presidency and blames the base for his 2000 Primary defeats to George W. Bush. Now McCain wants to be the 2008 Nominee, “Sorry John, but paybacks are a bi*ch” and I will not vote for what amounts to the Republican Party’s Manchurian Candidate.
The House Managers became fat, dumb and happy and governed more like Republicrats than Conservatives and they thought that the fears of impeachment, higher taxes and liberal control of the House would be enough to rally the base to their banner again in 2006, but this time their rally cries fell on deaf ears and their majorities were lost.
The Republican Party still refuses to learn from 2006’s mid-term election defection by the base, Republicans need to realize that they live and die by the votes of the base and that any candidate that does not appeal to the base will not receive our votes. It is better to lose to a Democrat, than to elect a CINO (Conservative In Name Only).
Now as we enter the 2008 Presidential Race we have Northern Eastern Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney trying to sell themselves to the base as having Conservative Credentials, but when one looks at their records and how they have governed, it has been anything but Conservative, yet there are those in the Republican Party who are trying to sell Giuliani as our best bet in 2008. The only difference in a Liberal Rudy Giuliani and Liberal Hillary Clinton is the fact of which bathrooms they select to use and there are some who are willing to even question that.
As a Conservative, I would rather back a Conservative Republican Candidate and see him lose the Presidential Election on principal than back a Liberal Republican IN Name Only like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain, who will end up stabbing me in the back anyway and govern himself by poll and focus groups.
The base would rather lose on principals than win out of convenience and the leaders of the Republican Party better start realizing that.
Looks you're having trouble with your principles, like most conservatives who find their principles are not well represented by the the current crop of GOP front-runners.
Most of the posts here lament that Rudy is the front-runner and some even go so far to say that they'll abstain from voting if he's the GOP nominee. That will wreck the GOP and certainly will lead to a loss in 2008.
I would argue that conservatives, no matter how principled, have not accomplished much since the Goldwater era, except to stay true to their principles. We have had one conservative President elected. If our principles are so damn good, then why have we only one President to show for our efforts---and little else in the way of accomplishments?
The reason, I think, is that conservatives are too wrapped up in our principles that we have ignored the other requirements for a successful (one that accomplishes its goals) political movement. We also have to win elections at a rate that exceeds the competition. If we do not, then we lose our position on the stage of effective political discourse. To do that we need strategic flexibility and the realization that, in this country, we are not in the majority and, therefore we must allow for some accommodation of those who are not fully, 100% committed to pure social conservative principles. We also need to campaign actively for candidates, as opposed to merely ranting and condemning our opponents.
To many the fear tactic of vote rino or you get a rat is not working anymore. The rinos are just that bad.
The way President Bush has led our country and with the way republicans in office are acting I don't see an iota of difference in the two parties.
Let's spend more taxpayer money and grow govt.
Let's make social and moral norms a thing of the past.
Let's let keep open the borders and let all those minor lawbreakers that are here illegally stay and become socialist voters.
I can go on here. But I'm not going to vote for McCain nor Rudy, nor and any other rino.
Yes, if the Repub Party Prez candidate is a RINO like Rudy G, then enough Repubs will be turned off by his anti-gun, pro-gay, pro-abortion, pro-illegal immigration, etc stands as to make him unappetizing to the Repub base.
The Repub Party has the responsibility of fielding candidates that do not look like they should be running on the Dem ticket.
Or it can self-destruct ala England's Tory Party which used to be conservative but now is pushing carbon taxes and other policies guaranteed to insure it never wins another election.
bump
I will be doing so too.
The republican party has forgotten the nation is a conservative nation.
They are doing nominating the next Bob Dole based on "earning his shot" because he is due or owed.
It is not based on merit, it is based on political manuvering and concealing the overwhelming leftist flaws of Rudy Guliani.
McCain is done, Romney has no chance. The MSM is in blackout to all other candidates.
Rudy has manuvered enough primaries early so it is financially impossible for anyone to have a honest retail (handshaking) politics chance.
The GOP is infected with betway disease. Sadly third party voting is STILL a throw away vote for the democrats. The only way a third party ever has a chance to exist is if the democrat party ceases to electorally exist. Then it becomes a combat between RINOs and conservatives of the new second party.
The little bits mentioned about Fred Thompson has actually piqued my interest.
He comes across as an adult around amature children. (yes I consider ALL the currently announce presidential candidates immature spoiled brats parading as politicians)
The little bits mentioned about Fred Thompson has actually piqued my interest.
He comes across as an adult around amature children. (yes I consider ALL the currently announced presidential candidates immature spoiled brats parading as politicians)
I told my wife last week that I'm registering as an Independent the day Dubya signs Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
I'm still holding out for a Fred Thompson candidacy.
I think they're worse...see my tag line.
Ronald Reagan and both Bush's won when they ran on conservative principles.
You're talking prevent defense here, which is a winner only when the team applying it is way ahead.
I'm with you.
well said
I agree with you. I won't play into this formula for a 2006 replay by supporting a Rudy nomination.
There still is time to turn a sure loss around. I do not buy into these polls anymore because most of them are controlled by liberals.
The media and the demonrats will wait until the time is right, and baggage we may know, or not yet know about Rudy, will come out.
Rudy is no conservative. We do not even know if Hillary will be the RAT candidate, yet. So the argument that the only one to beat her is Rudy, is ridiculous.
The way for a RAT to win is to nominate a candidate that is unacceptable to many in the Republican party. The worst thing for the RATs to think about is entrance into the race of a person we can all get behind.
Now that would be a true way to win.
You might get banned from FR if you keep saying this. BTW, I totally agree with you.
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Agreed. The Republican Party has lost its way. If it makes the mistake of putting up a liberal for the nominee, expect a repeat of '06 in '08.
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