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NO more RINOS |
Posted on 09/13/2010 5:16:17 PM PDT by smoothsailing
September 13, 2010
by Jason E. High
The Republican primary election for Senate in Delaware tomorrow is a stark example of a choice that is facing the Tea Party movement and all of its various offspring. The candidate that was supposed to win is Representative Mike Castle. During his time in Congress, Castle has voted for cap and trade, voted for the $700 billion TARP legislation and voted to ban incandescent light bulbs. These aren’t exactly positions that endear him to the Tea Party.
Polling, and every other indicator, say that Castle is a sure thing to beat the Democrat in November. However, his primary opponent, Christine O’Donnell, has seen a late surge. A new poll out today even has her leading by three points. This surge is largely the result of her being the favorite of the Tea Party, combined with recent endorsements by former Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Jim DeMint. The only problem with an O’Donnell win, if you think these types of things are a problem, is that she is not thought to be able to win the general election.
And here we have a clear illustration of the fundamental choice facing the Tea Party. Everyone knows that the Tea Party is fed up with big government and wants to try to turn it around. The question is how they plan on doing that, and how strictly they intend to adhere to their principles. If Republicans elect Mike Castle, they are one step closer to a governing majority in Washington next year. A majority that gets to choose committee chairs and committee make up. A majority that determines what will or will not get done. While Castle may not be with his caucus on every individual vote, this seat is considered crucial if Republicans are going to gain a majority in the Senate.
On the other hand, Republicans could choose to put principle first and elect Christine O’Donnell. While this may result in the Democrats keeping the seat this November, Republicans will have sent the message that they are no longer going to tolerate politicians who don’t adhere to conservative values. While in this one instance, electing the more conservative candidate may result in a loss in November, rank and file party members would be advancing a narrative that they really are sick of the big government, liberal policies of days gone by, whichever party is implementing them.
The Tea Party has spent months educating the public about their principles. We’ve heard speech after speech about turning everything around, throwing the bums out, ending business-as-usual in Washington, etc, etc. The question facing voters in Delaware, and the question that the Tea Party is going to have to answer as we move forward, is if adherence to principle trumps political opportunity in every case. I would imagine that most newly interested voters would choose principle, but that does not mean that there is not a strong argument for winning an election with an imperfect candidate, and a recognition that strict adherence to principles can have seemingly negative electoral consequences.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Where all of the rallies and speeches and mission statements meet the reality of elections. You have a choice to make. Every voter who votes in the Republican primary will have to choose one of two candidates, and the selection the voters make has very real consequences, both for Delaware and potentially the nation. Will Tea Party members compromise principles in order to achieve short-term victory? Should they? That is a conversation that I’m certain is just beginning.
Ping! :o)
The republicans gaining control matters not if they are no different then the democrats that have control.
The only thing you can do is vote for the right candidate. If they do not win then the people deserve the crap they get and you know that you at least did the right thing
Naturally, it’s only conservatives who are admonished to cave on their principles.
Of course, who else has any, any more?
“The republicans gaining control matters not if they are no different then the democrats that have control.”
Well stated and worth repeating.
So, we say to you:
In the past I have said that we should go with the least liberal candidate that can win. However, I am observing that the long term effect of pushing out these guys in the primaries is to insure that the next bunch of candidates may be farther right than the current party bosses will allow.
If Mike Castle cannot even win a primary, why do the polls show that he could win over a Demoncrap in the General Election? Me thinks the media is trying to put one over on us again...
Another “wind-bag” article written by a “wind-bag”. Mike Castle is a RINO.
All the apologists for Castle who portray him as the more electable have ignored my three questions, namely:
How long would you put up with a spouse that was faithful 52% of the time?
Would you go into combat armed with a weapon that you could rely on 52% of the time?
How long would you keep a dog if it didn’t bite you 52% of the time?
If you can live with these limitations, then principles mean nothing. It is wins and losses that you care about; not principles. Lawyers do the same thing with their cases. Wins and losses instead of principles.
Better 50 Republicans and no RINOs than 51 Republicans including 1 RINO.
* RINOs are contagious.
* RINOs always get the news coverage.
* RINOs make Republicans get blamed for failed Democrat policies (Crash of ‘08, anyone?)
* RINOs make it harder for conservatives to win the seat next time around.
* RINOs convince urban social conservatives that social conservatism is just something the Republican Party fakes to fool “stupid hicks and rednecks.”
* RINOs use their position to make lefty crap “bipartisan”
* RINOs use their position to discredit conservatives... “See, even reasonable Republicans support [socialist cause]; [So-and-so] is an extremist.”
AND MOST ASTOUNDINGLY...
* RINOs work their asses off to prevent conservatives from getting elected.
Demographically, liberals rely on minorities and city-dwellers to win elections. So why is Vermont at the cutting forefront of liberalism? RINOs!
Blacks are socially conservative? So why don’t they ever vote Republican? Because the only Republicans they ever see are.... RINOs!
Sure, every general counts up his troops to prepare for battle; the more troops, the better your chances are at winning, right? But would it make any sense for Gen. Grant to give confederate troops union uniforms, weapons, supplies and battle plans, just to say he had more union soldiers?
Hey Jason High,,, F-you,,, we are angry like you cannot imagine. The deal you suggest is the one we have swallowed since Reagan (*and even somewhat then).
We are highly pissed off and the old game is over. NOw it’s the Repub establishment who must conform to us,,, NOT the other way around,,PERIOD.
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NO more RINOS |
hehehe.
Castle is as bad as the worse RINOs in the Senate.
He’s not even an incumbent. And he’s supposed to be an unstoppable political force in a year people hate what he has been voting for?
The Democrats ideas are unpopular this year.
And they want someone who votes for unpopular ideas.
Leaving aside that Castle is FOR everything we’re AGAINST except the (R) part, this is a year when OUR ideas are popular, and THEIR ideas are unpopular. And we should nominate, as our Senate Nominee, a 71 year old who could never get seniority, who could never go on tv and articulate a Conservative a prolife message (think, a fertile female US Republican Senator), someone who has IDEAS WE HATE, in a year when MOST PEOPLE HATE THOSE IDEAS.
People think this Castle is electable?
Electability polls these days might look good for Castle. He’s been around for years. Holding office since 1966. People know him. Gotta help in polls. Well, it’ll be a close race in November, and people will know both candidates. Conservatives will vote for Christine. The democrat ideas are unpopular this year, so her ideas will be agreeable to far more this year than 2008, and as people get to know her, people will get to like her.
She very easily could win.
But she might not. But I bet all conservatives would love to see her win the primary and go on to win the general.
We always want to know the answer “can a Conservative win in a Blue state” Because I think the answer is yes, and I don’t want to hear from the RINOs that the answer is no.
If Christine wins tomorrow, and loses in November, it might be because Delaware is too Liberal for a Conservative, or it might be because Castle and Ross and the establishment GOP RINOs covered her with mud. I think we can win. But if we don’t, we still won’t have an answer of whether a Conservative can win in DE. If she wins, we will know, if she loses, we won’t.
Its nice to have a majority, but a majority using RINOs only empowers the RINOs. It does nothing to empower conservatives or Republicans. For every close vote where “Its good to have all these Republicans around,” they will sell themselves to the Democrats and stab conservatives in the back, and they’ll do it really cheap.
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