Posted on 11/09/2008 10:23:53 AM PST by Paige
As Republicans, we face a choice-
Either we can spend the next several months -- or years -- trying to figure out what just happened, excusing our defeat away as a temporary blip or the result of a poor environment, and waiting for Barack Obama to trip up. Or we can refuse to take this defeat lying down, and start building the future of our party now. 2008 made one thing clear: if allowed to go unchecked, the Democrats' structural advantages, including their use of the Internet, their more than 2-to-1 advantage with young voters, their discovery of a better grassroots model -- will be as big a threat to the future of the GOP as the toxic political environment we have faced the last few years.
(Excerpt) Read more at rebuildtheparty.com ...
I visited a link: www.Thirty-Thousand.com earlier and I believe that would be one way (the first way) to address the campaigns and funding issues. They show how the Founders intent was no more than 60 thousand constituents per Representative. So, today with approx. 300-million Americans, 1 Representative per 100-thousand would be the best option.
They argue that there is no reason that the number of Representatives has to top out at 435. It was not that way from 1790 to 1910... when the constituents increased, then the district was split in two.
Then I was directed to www.LONLANG.com [Laws Of Nature And Nature's God] where they carefully point out the failure the passing of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution was. The argument for repealing it is that the state legislatures should select and elect the two Senators to send to Washington. They give all the reason why that was the original intent and why it worked better than the popular vote idea. I like that idea.
I'm no longer a Republican either. The Party left me. I'm not sure that many true Conservatives want to rebuild the Republican Party as they do start a completely new one. The www.Thirty-Thousand.com has a good idea to help that along I think.
Regarding Newt, I don't think so. It seems Newt is only Conservative when convenient:
"In desperation, conservative radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham touts former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as a source of new ideas. But he is hardly a profile in courage. Gingrich was against the bailout plan until, on September 29, he issued a statement in favor of it. Then, in an article for Human Events on October 7, he called it “bad” and stated, “If Senator McCain is not prepared to separate himself from the Bush-Paulson economic program, he has no opportunity to win. The country is deeply fed up with the Bush presidency and angry about the Paulson bailout.”
Before it became fashionable to advocate more oil drilling, Gingrich was appearing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an Al Gore-financed global warming ad. Until gas prices started rising, Gingrich had been an advocate of “green conservatism” and was proposing a Gore-like “Contract with the Earth.”
In addition to his flip-flops, Gingrich has a well-known history of personal “indiscretions” that should disqualify him from any public role in a movement that purports to advocate traditional moral values.
Funny, I notice them missing, but instead they keep giving TV face time to "the party's new future" being Pawlenty and Eric Cantor. Cantor was a bailout sellout. I don't know all that mch about governor Pawlenty, but Eric Cantor is NO Conesevative. Governors Palin and Jindal have proven themselves and continue to. I would add Duncan Hunter Senior & Junior. Keep Tom "The Tank" Tancredo. Keep good and true Senator Jim DeMint. A good, true Connsrvative Virginian: Bob Marshall should have been the nominee for Senate over Jim Gilmore. I'm sure there are others to be added to the list.
REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA
As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.
This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.
Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.
On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:
- FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
- SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
- THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
- FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
- FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
- SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
- SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
- EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.
Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny.
1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses. (Bill Text) (Description)
2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, "good faith" exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's "crime" bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools. (Bill Text) (Description)
3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility. (Bill Text) (Description)
4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society. (Bill Text)(Description)
5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief. (Bill Text) (Description)
6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world. (Bill Text)(Description)
7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years. (Bill Text) (Description)
8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages. (Bill Text)(Description)
9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation. (Bill Text) (Description)
10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators. (Description)
Further, we will instruct the House Budget Committee to report to the floor and we will work to enact additional budget savings, beyond the budget cuts specifically included in the legislation described above, to ensure that the Federal budget deficit will be less than it would have been without the enactment of these bills.
Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizens as we seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this Contract with America.
Yes!!!
Nothing wrong with the party. Nomination were run fine. It’s what passes for leadership that sucks. Fake RINO leaders. Gutless.
Please read my post#33.
But my important point is, if GOP is gong to win again,
there should be a clearly defined agenda item by item.
Included amongst that must be reduced government spending,
incentives for job creation, education vouchers for increased competition, election reform to reduce fraud, strong defense, strict restrictions on abortion, prison reform, and of course tax cuts.
I just finished reading the second edition of "The FairTax" and if implemented, would cause jobs to come pouring into the U.S. and the FairTax would be the tax cuts.
As for education vouchers or school choice via some sort of rebate to allow parents to pick whatever school works best for their children is going to come up against armed resistance from some very powerful groups that will scream bloody murder over that. They need to keep the liberal/socialist/humanist indoctrination of children under their control. Look how home-schooled children are making fools out of them. They exert great power to shut them down.
"Election reform" I've been a member since the 2000 election and the 'stolen Gore election and Florida and all... and Freepers and many nation-wide were calling for a "never again" to that fiasco and demanding comprehensive voter registration and voting reform. Some new machines here and there, but even they can't be trusted. Now since ACORN has made the scene un-checked and not all that aggressively investigated...fraud allowed by judges and right in our face... What reform since 2000? Eight years should have done it.
"Abortion"? People voted against gay marriage in CA, but voted to keep their abortions of ever kind without notice, Colorado too and some other states. The voters want their abortions. Even so-called Christians voted for pro-abortion candidates.
"Strong Defense"? Didn't you know that many have forgotten September 11th 2001? They're war weary "spending 10 billion a month on the unnecessary Iraq war"
I can see reforming the party and candidates, but not the electorate.
IOWs the Republican Party needs to do a complete 180. I agree with that.
For starters, the "young" didn't vote in any greater numbers this time than in the past.
What is clear, though, is that nobody stayed home because they thought the Republican ticket was "too conservative."
Ping
As far as abortion goes, to me...since it is the actual murder of an unborn child, it will always be the most important issue in political races.
Ed
we need to tell them (the pro-choice CONSERVATIVE), that we want you to vote for conservatives!
Understand what I'm saying??
Sigh...I hear ya’. I just could never really see myself voting for someone who supports murdering unborn infants.
Even if it gives us a Marxist.
But...that may be a mistake in tactics on my part.
Ed
BTTT
Then they do not get any money from us. There are procedures on how to take back the GOP. For some reason, I’m not grasping why people are not getting the simplicity of the matter.
You're a coward. And you would sell a baby's innocent life for tax breaks. Presumably you would want them paid in pieces of silver.
This is true. I hope that you stand by it, and the innocents whose lives are in jeopardy, every time.
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