Posted on 10/09/2009 8:37:42 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
I'm a life-long Republican, and I'm sorry to say I don't recognize the party anymore. The party of smaller government, personal freedom, and fiscal responsibility has become the party of bloated government, covert subjugation of our personal rights, porous borders, and deficits that are bankrupting our nation. Would it shock you to know that three-quarters of our total national debt was incurred under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush? We all know Barack Obama is on a path to outdo the two of them combined.
There was much hand-wringing after the last election, with no shortage of advice on what the GOP should do to "reinvent" itself in order to win elections. Most of the debate centered on the need to focus on appealing to independents and conservative Democrats, presumably by moving the party to the left. This logic seems to be based on the assumption that the country has moved to the left, so we must move with it. Otherwise, we simply won't win elections. I couldn't disagree more.
Compared to George W. Bush and John McCain, John Kennedy was a right-wing conservative. The Republican Party has already moved so far to the left that we might as well just call ourselves Democrats. Some may say that the voters moved the party to the left because of changing demographics, attitudes, and social values. Wrong again. The party was moved to the left by very vocal and well-funded minorities and special interest groups. Washington moved itself to the left, but I haven't. In fact, I haven't moved an inch since I first voted in 1972. I didn't abandon the party; it abandoned me by trashing the principles that were professed by the founding fathers — limited government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
If the Republican Party wants to win elections, the solution is simple: Nominate great candidates that tell the truth, have exceptional judgment, honor conservative principles, don't aspire to a lifelong political career, and possess a demonstrated record of unquestioned integrity, common sense, and the ability to listen to the constituents who sent them to Washington. On top of all that, they must pledge to do what's best for the country, and not what's best for their next election. All this nonsense I read about remaking, reinventing, and reorienting the party is just that — nonsense.
When John McCain was nominated as the candidate last year, I asked myself: Didn't we Republicans learn anything from the Bob Dole debacle? Here we go again, selecting a tired, old, political hack who thinks it's his turn to live in the White House. I'll say it if you won't — McCain was a terrible candidate and he deserved to lose. Unfortunately, the combination of Bush's lingering incompetence and McCain's disastrous candidacy doomed the party from the beginning. When the Democrats said McCain would bring us four more years of Bush, they were exactly right. We paid a hefty price for that as McCain took many other good Republican candidates down the drain with him.
I have a message for the state GOP chairman: The voters, not you and the national party, are going to choose the 2010 nominees for the Senate and House. Get out of the way and let the process work the way it's supposed to work. If I am not offered choices in the Republican Party primary, your "anointed" candidates will not get my vote. I have a message for all Republicans: Ignore the truth at your own peril. We have only ourselves to blame for putting Bush in the White House and letting him cause permanent damage to both our nation and the Party. Nominating McCain added insult to injury and we cannot let that happen again.
I have a message for the Democrats too: If you believe my candor plays right into your hands, then you should start worrying that the Republican Party wakes up and takes my advice. There is a silent majority out there, a sleeping giant that now realizes that "hope and change" are not the hope and change they were hoping for. You have kicked the door for 2010 wide open.
Geoff Michael
Merrimack
Mr. Michael was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st Congressional District in the 2008 primary.
Errrrr... national debt is public debt (budget deficits) plus intergovernmental debt (i.e. Democratic entitlement programs). Intergovernmental debt far exceeds public debt and increasing fast.
Yes, like Medicare Part D.
Oh wait, that one really was Bush's fault! LOL.
“Compared to George W. Bush and John McCain, John Kennedy was a right-wing conservative.”
Compared to those to he was.
*sigh* Go read up on intergovernmental debt prior to making asshat of yourself.
Screaming 24-7-365 gibbering generalities of colossal ignorance at your own side for being less then perfect does one thing. Helps elect Democrats.
How about you gutless wonders quit whining about the mistakes of the past and start fighting the Democrats on anything?
If you put half as much effort into beating Democrats as you do whining about the GOP, you might not be the minority part of the minority party.
You people are the best friends Dear Reader and the Democrats have.
Screaming 24-7-365 gibbering generalities of colossal ignorance at your own side for being less then perfect does one thing. Helps elect Democrats.
How about you gutless wonders quit whining about the mistakes of the past and start fighting the Democrats on anything?
If you put half as much effort into beating Democrats as you do whining about the GOP, you might not be the minority part of the minority party.
You people are the best friends Dear Reader and the Democrats have.
ROTFLMAO!! Good graphic!
(Not my party anymore! I’m an old fashioned elephant.)
Today’s GOP is a product of the Bushes, Doles and McCains country clubbers all. The GOP will continue looking like this until ALL the the previously mentioned types are PURGED!
You mean the program, for the 1st time ever, privatized part of a Federal Govt Entitlement? Oh but that right, don't bother the screaming Democrat party covert warrior crowd with facts, they are too busy propagandizing for the Dems to ever THINK,.
The time to turn things around was right after 9/11.
Instead, President Bush and the Republican majorities in congress couldn’t think beyond their next chance to pass pork to enrich their pals and passing bills to pander to democrat constituencies.
If they had done the jobs they were elected to do, we would not be witnessing the social and economic destruction of America today, and Barack Obama wiould still be a community organizer back in Chicago making a living scamming more government poverty programs.
That right there prove you, and this author, ignorant
For the record Reagan’s mistake was in believing the dems when they promised to cut spending to go hand in hand with the tax cuts. As has happened here in California, everytime there is more in the coffers the dems spend 2-3 times what comes in.
Moreover, the worst part was Bush and the idiots in congress for the last 8 years ( and yeah the GOP had control and blew it). To allow the amount of pork and general crappy spending that they did spelled doomsday
I agree we need to get back to first principles. But somewhere the guys that are already in DC have to develop a spine
But, but, but Mitt Romney has charm and great hair!
Wrong, the liberals in the republican party and their big tent diversity focused anti christian enablers that have destroyed Reagaism are the best friends the democrats have.
Disagreeing agreeably because being nice and getting along is way more important than principle unless your a democrat.
No Child Left Behind, Presciption Bill, Bailout of businesses “too big” to fail.....and on and on. Bush did not veto a single spending bill. He advocated for illegal immigration to continue leading to ‘becoming citizens’. The man was a disaster. As bad as The One and Bela Pelosi? No of course not.
He was NO conservative and hurt the party without regard to the country or its future.
We cannot afford to pretend that the GOP has a ton of rotten apples who would sell out their mothers in order to stay in power
Events don’t occur in a vacuum. Clinton and Bush paved the way for someone like an Obama to be be elected. Conservatives have been asleep, it’s time to wake up. But looking at the history of the success or lack thereof of third party movements, we need to work within the framework of the two party system. No more one party big spending Republicans and bigger spending Democrats.
I agree. The problem is these guys, that are completely off track are the very ones that will select the potential candidates.
They have a system in place that goes something like ... one has to work their way up through the ranks( pay their dues). Who they have chosen for years, except GW Bush is old gray haired pale white men that are past their prime and not one of them has been dynamic since Reagan. He was an exceptional man.
who do we have that is dynamic? Sarah Palin yet many look only to disqualify her for her youth. She is conservative, she is for gun rights, she communicates well, she is a reformer, And best of all she is an outsider to the Washington system which corrupts the ones that are there for long. The good guys either become corrupt too or leave office and get the heck out.
We must band together to get a strong conservative, Constitutionalist candidate, if we are to have more than a snow balls chance of surviving ... starting 2010. VITALLY IMPORTANT.
“If the Republican Party wants to win elections, the solution is simple: Nominate great candidates that tell the truth, have exceptional judgment, honor conservative principles, don’t aspire to a lifelong political career, and possess a demonstrated record of unquestioned integrity, common sense, and the ability to listen to the constituents who sent them to Washington.”
Well that rules out Mitt-Witt, McCain, Huckster, B-b-Bush, Ruby the cross dresser.
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