Before The StormPosted on 05/14/2008 6:19:23 AM PDT by Obadiah
The base is pissed off and demoralized. That is why southern Republican seats are being lost to conservative Democratic candidates. 2008 will be a disaster for the Republican party as you can not win elections without your base.
Why is the base so upset?
1) The base shocked the MSM by getting Bush reelected in 2004 despite huge turnout by the Dems for Kerry. With a Republican congress, Bush and Rove preceded to tell the base to kiss off through a variety of stupid moves (amnesty, huge deficits, Harriet Miers, etc.).
2) The RNC made it quite clear that the conservative base would just have to get over it and accept their wisdom in shifting the party to Democrat-Lite (they supported guys like Specter and abandoned conservative candidates).
3) Even after the 2006 slaughter of the Repubilican congress, the idiots running the party continued business as usual by once more pushing for amnesty and spending like there was no tomorrow.
4) The 2006 secure border fence act was immediately ignored by Bush and company the second the election was over (treating the base as if they were stupid children that could not connect the dots). It was finally gutted in the midnight hour by Republican Hutchinson in 2007.
5) The free market globalist pro-business faction of the Republican party is completely clueless to the economic difficulties of the average American. Industrial outsourcing, labor exploitation insourcing, and bailouts for billionaire investors and bankers who should go to jail for there stupidity and greed, has further convinced the base that the leadership is out of touch. For example, defending credit card companies who act like ruthless loan sharks does not win you elections in difficult economic times (recent Republican congressman did this on Lou Dobbs last week).
6) Even when the base shut down the money to the party, the leadership still kept chanting their mantras as if nothing had changed. These guys are completely clueless and will be shocked when they are wiped out in 2008. It may make 2006 look tame in comparison.
Unfortunately, it is way to late to save the party from this long coming comeuppance. They were put in charge of the country and failed their base so badly that the base will not lift a finger to save them.
A-freaking-men!
Well, the idea I've been kicking around all morning is to get to work building exactly the sort of grassroots movement conservative network that I've alluded to above. Seriously, it wouldn't be that hard. Just get a bulk email list of conservatives who are on board, try to get a few hundred in every State (more for bigger, less for smaller) and use these contacts as "nuclei" from which a further distribution and motivation to action is sent on down the line to those not on the "central list".
The idea would be to try to make membership free, or if it were not to be free, then it would be decided later on democratically by the membership that funds would have to be raised to support efforts - none of this top-down, "we've decided to raise the membership dues, so pay up or get out" approach used by a lot of organisations. Ideally, things would be as democratic as possible (SMALL d), such as using secure on-line voting ports (such things DO exist) for membership-wide decision making, policy preferences, etc. Though I'm not a big fan of democracy, per se, my reason for suggesting that things be as democratic as possible is to try to steal the thunder of that inevitable crowd you get in every group, the "I'm not happy things went my way, and I'm gonna blame the small cadre at the top, accuse them of being elitists, and take my ball and go home" crowd. This way, they're arguing the decision of a majority of the membership, not a small cadre at the top, and lose a lot of their righteous-indignation thunder (something we conservatives are very good at).
Basically, I'd like to see a grassroots organisation that would serve a viral purpose - if it worked for Cloverfield, why not us? The idea would be to maximise time-effectiveness by making this more internet and email based, reducing the time that people would need to contribute to be effective (you know, since Little League is apparently more important than working to give our kids a better country when they're our age). I've thought about approaching some FReepers on here, but am sort of hesitant because of the way I've seen so many FReepers act this election season. How could we ever get a group like this to work together for a common goal of seeing solid, across-the-board conservatives get nominated and elected through the GOP? I'm more optimistic about overturning the power of the state and federal RNCs than I am herding FReepers together!
Should read, "I'm not happy things DIDN'T GO my way...."
This point alone cost us the slaughter of Republicans (conservatives and RINOs both) in my state in 2006. Our party does not have an effective message for those who have been hurt by job losses resulting from globalization and outsourcing. Tax cuts are fine and should be done but they only go so far when you're out of a job. McCain was here a few weeks ago touting the globalization business-as-usual line. That is utter political suicide in a state that has suffered acutely from the elimination of manufacturing jobs. If something doesn't change and change soon, it's going to be another slaughter for 'Pubs, RINOs and "true" conservatives (whatever that is) alike.
So what you’re saying is that the GOP needs to drop New Coke, and go back to the old formulation, eh?
I agree. The old formulation doesn’t leave such a bad aftertaste in my mouth.
Today, leftists own the grass roots turf with numerous organizations such as the Sierra club, moveon.org, AARP, unions, ACLU, all pulling Democrats and Republicans to the left.
These organizations need to be countered. If they are the Republican party will follow
Well, “my friend”, as our worthy (sarc) nominee likes to say, you can blame it on whoever you like wish, but the American People are blaming the President as they ever have done.
Wait 'til they see what happens to 'em in November.
People who say "the economy is doing well" have no understanding that paper-pushing, transaction swapping, house flipping, and borrowing more and more money are not components of a real economy.
Invention, development, production, farming, and exploitation of natural resources comprise the real economy. The real economy is in catastrophic decline, due to free trade with no concern for proper national interest. Both parties are to blame, but punishing the GOP for their share of it is not wrong.
You can't fool all of the people, all of the time.
I have spent much time on these very boards trying to convince others of this issue to no avail. The globalist vision of free market utopia has rewarded the upper crust and punished most of the masses. This automatically reenergizes the class-warfare criticism of the Republican party as uncaring lackeys of corporate special interests. They are tone deaf (much like papa Bush) on this very important domestic issue and will be hammered in swing states if they keep defending and applauding the economic winners and dismissing and ignoring the economic losers of the last decade.
“Southaven went heavily for Davis...he is mayor of Southaven for crying out loud. Southaven’s growth is primarily white flight from crime-ridden Memphis (the schools in Memphis our terrible, as well).”
The area around Southhave has seen a large influx from Memphis including a high number of blacks (as well as whites).
You don’t have to tell me about the schools; I took my young family AWAY from Memphis after a co-worker’s son was stabbed to death in a Memphis school in 1983....All three of my sons went to a SAFE public school in a small town in Alabama. Grew up in Memphis BEFORE it turned into the hell hole it is now.
And have asked Jim many times to open FR up to easy info on candidates running for State and Fed offices, ie, threads with info to donate and volunteer.
Also, what about a contingent of Conservative voters asking for a meeting with House and Senate leadership? (of course once it was decided what would be discussed)
If Moveon.org can do it, why can't we? Heck, they even get their candidates to come to their convention!!!!
Or are our numbers so low that we don't have political power anymore?
Also, I think we need a continent to concentrate on media. 1)PR for our side. 2)Battling the liberal media, discrediting them in the eyes of the public.
The left has a remarkable war room of MSM/Hollywood/Academia, that needs to be defeated.
Just some things off the top of my head, hoping to read other ideas!
Ugh, the words “Central Committee” don’t exactly give me a warm and fuzzy, especially when applied to Republicans.
When the messiah, Hussein, takes office, the “news” will suddenly turn great on ever front, and depression will lift.
Just like with the Clintons for 8 years, it rained puppy dogs everyday in the news.
And all was well.
Its better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
On the political side, the calculation should be easy, but many in the GOP/conservative ranks fail to see it. There simply aren't enough stockbrokers and bankers and CEOs to form a political majority. A party that is perceived by the majority of voters as serving those interests at the expense of the middle class working American who pays his taxes, obeys the laws, and plays by the rules, is doomed to super-minority status and eventual irrelevance.
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