Win or Lose, Republicans Will Revisit the Party’s Image (Frum Still Lashing out at Limbaugh)

NYTimes ^ | http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/us/politics/31repubs.html | DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

He’s northeastern alright. Comes from Canada, writes for Canadian conservative magazines.

[Maelstorm]

He is a weak weasel. He has spent far too much time on CNN.
The GOP can become a party of leaders with solid principles and clear values or it can become a party of followers chasing after the heels of liberal Democrats fighting every battle on their terms as they and our country shifts further and further to resemble the bankrupt aging empires of Europe.

[ConservativeMind]

Frun is a RINO.

If he has a problem with Palin, he should have had a problem with Reagan. He didn’t.

Reagan only went to a no-name Christian college for 4 years. Sarah is just as qualified, degree-wise.

Frum, SHOVE IT!

[DeweyCA]

Rove was overrated. If not for the Swiftboaters in 2004, Bush would have lost. He was a lot like Bush; they both thought that they could get along with DC Dems like Bush was able to get along with Texas Dems. Completely wrong.

[According2RecentPollsAirIsGood]

Frum, you’re an ant while Rush is a titan. I wonder who wins that battle.

[Albion Wilde]

The left has treated the entire campaign as a postmortem. Republicans had better shape up; but it’s clear that this reporter does NOT have his ear to the ground of the real future of the GOP.

[Albion Wilde]

A lot of us are rethinking our participation in the GOP if it continues down the path it's headed.

Yes, we need a new party -- the conservative party, headed by Palin and others like her -- with the moose as its symbol.

[tcrlaf]

We have a LOT of People at the upper levels of the Republican Party, including many of the original Bush Supporters, who care LITTLE for ideology, just about WINNING.

They crunch numbers, and say we have this many, but we need this many. How do we get them? How do we peel a percentage of THIS microgroup away from the Dems?

They MEAN well, but the rarified air in Washington seperates them from the reasons they got involved in the first place. I’ve seen this happen at the state level (Late 70’s, Early 80’s Dems), and believe me, it happens at the national level, too.

[BradyLS]

When Barack is all wound up on the stump, his cadence and pronunciation styles change, too, to something more in the line of...”inner-city vernacular”. These Vichy clowns NEVER call him on that.

I guess because he’s gone to the approved schools, he’s allowed to to speak with whatever colloquial and parochial mannerisms he wishes to “keep it real” with his “peeps.” “C’mon naw!”

[BradyLS]

Ben Stein was on Craig Ferguson’s show and he really trashed Palin. He said it was stupid of McCain to pick her and he said when he first met her (not knowing who she was), he thought she was a call girl!

Ben Stein trashed her??? Please say it was Craig!!!

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

Some leftist who is a retired member of the Toledo Blade’s editorial staff said in an article the other day that ‘what is needed is complete and utter humiliation of the Republican party on election day. That would force them to go toward the center.”

[Steve_Stifler]

David Frum sits down to pee. . . . but only after triple toilet-papering the seat.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

LOL ;^D

[Kickass Conservative]

New bumper stickers if Obambi wins:

Communism? You Betcha Comrade

Don't blame me Comrade, I voted McCain / Palin

All Messiahs are equal, but your Messiah is a Commie

Have you had your dose of Neighborlyism today?

[af_vet_rr]

Yes, we need a new party -- the conservative party, headed by Palin and others like her -- with the moose as its symbol.

A new party, yes (or even work with an existing third party), Palin as the head, no. We need somebody with a lot more experience in party politics on a national level. You need somebody who understands how the game is played at the national level, otherwise you end up placing somewhere between the Green Party and the Communist Party, numbers wise.

I've warmed up to Duncan Hunter, but FReepers have suggested others in the past. A truly conservative party with good organization and some prominent names would easily get many conservative Republicans as well as many Libertarians.

[af_vet_rr]

Some leftist who is a retired member of the Toledo Blade’s editorial staff said in an article the other day that ‘what is needed is complete and utter humiliation of the Republican party on election day. That would force them to go toward the center.”

Are they talking overall political center? If so, the national GOP has already moved there - the national GOP has fully embraced big government, etc. (at the local level, you still have plenty of Republicans who are Conservative).

"Utter humiliation of the Republican party on election day" would simply mean that the RINOs would blame the Conservatives for not "compromising" enough (i.e. moving to the left/center). Infighting would be good, Conservatives would see exactly how the rest of the party feels about us - they take us for granted, assume that no matter how far to the left they try and shift the party, they believe that we Conservatives will show up and vote. Hell, I'll be the first Conservative to admit I've already voted for McCain, but 2008 will be the last time I vote for RINOs. No more straight-ticket voting for me, I'll vote only for Conservative candidates. If they are in the GOP, good. If not, too bad.

[Pining_4_TX]

Well, Craig joined in a bit, but it was mostly Ben Stein. Ferguson even seemed a little shocked at Stein’s comments. I was very disappointed in both of them.

I’m not a huge Palin fan, as most are here, but I cannot believe how badly she has been treated by most commentators and the media. It really is sexist, and I rarely use that word. She certainly has shown herself to be more competent and intelligent than either BO or babbling Biden, but she is portrayed as being stupid or an airhead. It ticks me off.

[New Day Coming]

Could happen...

[Albion Wilde]

A new party, yes (or even work with an existing third party), Palin as the head, no. We need somebody with a lot more experience in party politics on a national level.

Granted... being a marketing person, I am thinking more in terms of a figurehead out front -- an icon for independent thinking, family values and direct speech -- and of course have a politically-skilled team running the organization. So I should have said, a party inspired by Palin.

The husband of one of my closest friends, a retired Naval aviator, is one of the most kneejerk male chauvinists I know. Yesterday he told me that he admires and supports Palin and she is much more quallified than Obama. That is how awesome she is.

[aruanan]

We need somebody with a lot more experience in party politics on a national level.

That's been the problem.