Posted on 01/24/2008 9:47:43 PM PST by Graybeard58
From Wikipedia's article on South Carolina:
In 1964, Barry Goldwater became the first Republican to win the state since Reconstruction. Since then, South Carolina has voted for a Republican in every presidential election from 1964 to 2004, with the exception of 1976 when Jimmy Carter, from neighboring Georgia, won the state over Gerald Ford. George W. Bush won the state in 2004 with 58% of the statewide vote over Senator John Kerry. Republicans now control the governorate, eight of nine statewide offices, both houses of legislature, both U.S. Senators, and four of six members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
SC should have been conservative enough to give Fred more than 15.7% of the vote, if Fred had a chance nationally. Hunter trailed Fred badly, and he now supports Huckabee, which should say all that needs saying about his candidacy.
Rather than complain about the primary schedule, we need better candidates. Where are the young, smart, dedicated, charismatic conservative candidates? Who, for example, is the conservative Republican version of Obama? By that I don't necessarily mean black, but young, smart, and able to appeal to college students?
The bottom line to me from this election is that Fred had a perfectly reasonable chance to get it done and just didn't run the sort of campaign he needed to. I say this as a Fredhead from the start who has not boosted any other candidate and is now only very reluctantly trying to warm up to the Mittster.
I would add a couple of observations to it.
1) There is the possibility that the Republican party has been corrupted by Democrats crossing over to vote for Republicans in the primary in order to accomplish just what we see happening.
True, but there is more going on. There is also the reality that, the socialists having taken over the democrat party, the JFK type democrats ( pro America, support the military, lower taxes but big government programs types) have fled to the republican party. They are not small government, constitutionalists. The result is that the republican party, at present, is really the democrat party of the 1950's and early 1960's repackaged.
Excluding the libertarian, who is not a republican either, the four remaining candidates are all either 1960's democrats or old liberal republicans. They are not conservatives.
2) The delegate procedure needs to be changed to closed party member or registered republican only voting (registered well in advance not the last minute) with no cross over. it also needs to be set up so as to favor no specific group or region.
The only solution is either a renewal of the Republican party on principles or a third party. What the republican party really needs is a leader who is committed to conservatism and who is young and vibrant and who can also overcome the MSN. The latter element is no small battle. Hunter and Thompson fit some of these criteria, but neither could get any traction.
When even some of the alternative media (radio, print, Internet, and blogs) are willing to compromise principle to "beat Hillary," we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Hillary lite, which is what the top four remaining candidates approach, + a democrat controlled congress = a virtual Hillary. We need a candidate who will stand up to the MSN + the democrat socialists. Otherwise the net result will be the functional equivalent to electing her. It is one of the reasons Rush Limbaugh, who has not compromised principle, has said that with some of the candidates (not all) he might not be able to support the nominee.
I have no idea what I will do in the primary or in November, living in a blue state my vote hardly counts, though I always vote. Since my representative in the House, a republican who campaigned as a conservative, twice voted to override the president's veto and voted for the socialist - Hillary care - version of SCHIP, I also have no one to vote for on more than one level.
I do know one thing, my real influence is with my wallet. It is shut, since Thompson dropped out, and it is staying that way.
MaCain Finegold made the DNC and RNC useless.
The gradual erosion of the two-party system into a "compromise" de facto one-party system is upon us. The Republican Party that believed in small government is gone because TRUE Republicans would be out there saying "We shouldn't be involved in this--vote for me, and I'll cut things, vote for them, they'll give you things."
When the debate is no longer about "SHOULD the government be so involved in people's lives?" but "HOW MUCH should the government be spending for you?" then conservatism is done.
I would say we need to reconstitute the party and return to basics but that is just silly, and a denial of reality.
Reality is that the average American believes that big government is there, so we might as well get OUR share. And that spells the death of conservative government.
I'll await the stupid attack posts from those who want to live in fantasy land.
Basically, they have none. All the RINOs are old men now. No young blood. J.C. Watts might have been a good choice, but he quit on us. He left Congress. His choice, but, he could have been a good one. But, they have no good, solid, young ones that would interest anyone nationally. Look at the Republican field in this election. There is NOT one candidate that everyone can rally too. They are basically all the same, liberal, socialist, RINOs. They differ a bit here and there, but are mainly the same. Just change the face. The words and actions are basically the same. No, the republican party has pretty much put its self back to the 1960s again. It is going to take another 20-30 years for them to crawl back up. Then, they will repeat their stupidity again, and down they will go. Republicans are republicans own worse enemy. I only have to offer RINOcrat Socialist Party member, liberal president Jorge Bush as an example.
The trouble with getting OUR share is that someone has to pay for it. There is one potential bright spot, though it may be a long time coming. It is rooted in the weight of reality. The present approach to big government is unsustainable on both programs and taxes. The refusal to do our own drilling for oil and build refineries etc. adds to the problem and makes it less sustainable. Social security, which only Thompson addressed, is going to hit a wall.
Less government control (getting the government out of the way), lower taxes, etc. are the only solution. The Europeans, who are in denial, are being made to face this reality in some areas. Just as they are being made to face the war with Islamofascism.
The trouble with building a house of cards is that eventually, being unsustainable, you have to return to reality. The house of cards crashes. Constitutional principles, which limit the federal government, and are in the USA constitution are the answer.
The problem is like surgery, the pain of getting through it and the recovery can be long.
Notice how no one is talking about drilling for oil anymore? Because we don't WANT to face up to that--oil drilling is eeeeevil, so let's just NOT talk about it.
Similarly, people are trying so hard to talk about illegal immigration in a NICE way, and won't it be just COOL when we all have FREE healthcare?
The center cannot hold, but denial will go on until it just can't anymore, long after the damage has been done.
When was the last time you got a call from the Republican Party asking for money, and they didn’t hit you with the “We have to beat Hillary” speech? Beating Hillary has become the primary, if not the only, cause of the Republican Party. The Clintons set out to ruin us, and in a round about way, they have. Conservative ideals, towards family, community, the Constitution our nation and the economy are what we need to beat Hillary and all the Hillarys to follow. Instead, we champion candidates who pay grudging homage to conservatism to sucker in the gullible, party faithful. They are semi pro life for as long as they have to be. They believe in the right to bear arms to shoot ducks until they can take those arms away. They love the invasion of illegals and amnesty, so long as it doesn’t cost them votes. They all promise to nominate strict, constructionist judges, all evidence to the contrary. They all promise to give us tax breaks, but can’t say how they are going to cut down the size of government They all, with the exception of Paul, promise to protect us from our enemies, but none of them can come to grips with the idea that Islam is our enemy or the simple concept of protecting our borders. They are all a bunch of liars, something that would have hurt a Republican in the past, but these days Republicans turn their heads, wink, and say that’s what Republican politicians have to do to get people with values to vote for them. Folks, these people are going to lose for us, and we won’t even have the satisfaction of saying we supported a worthy candidate. We are just doing what we’ve done for so long, supporting the lesser of two evils, and going with our best chance to beat Hillary. She is going to kick our butts. ...If the Republican Party is continue going in the direction it is right now, conservatives should consider getting out of its way.
Oooooooooooooooooooooo
Someone who understanding Sob
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
:(
Very bad idea. This benefits the candidates that have unlimited amounts of cash. The advantage would go to the extremely wealthy. They could generate public interest and buy endorsements without any popular support.
“Conservatives are loyal to their values and beliefs, not to a political party. The Republican Party no longer shares those values and beliefs and no longer deserves the support of conservatives......... I consider myself just another disenfranchised conservative voter.”
There is the core of the betrayal.....
My sentiments exactly...
TN used to be about then too
This is the first time we have had Super Tuesday...
Our early voting started Jan 16 so I was able to vote for Duncan before he dropped out...
:(
Romney couldnt lead a paper parade...
They do that now.
Anorexia is not dieting and conservation so-called is not an energy policy.
If the Republican Party is continue going in the direction it is right now, conservatives should consider getting out of its way.”
As a conservative, I have already...
I voted for Duncan before he dropped out and now I’m doing nothing till Nov...
I just resigned my position in the Republican party and I havent paid my dues for this year to the 2 Republican womens Clubs or 2 Pachyderm Clubs I belong to because I’m not going to attend any meetings this year...give money,...help raise money or do their “good works”
They can potter along without me...
I guess I should of added a sarcasm tag.
No, I just need to not post when I’m sick!
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