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Purity or Strategy: The Debate We Need To Have: Would you rather put up with a RINO, or a Democrat?
Pajamas Media ^ | 02/22/2014 | Andrew Klavan

Posted on 02/23/2014 11:43:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind

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Last week, there was one of those mommy-and-daddy-are-fighting moments on Fox News as two powerhouse conservatives debated one of the most important issues facing the right. In one corner, was the dagger-sharp and stunningly beautiful and did I mention beautiful Ann Coulter. In the other corner, was the valiant, good-hearted and, you know, perfectly presentable in his own way Sean Hannity. No one can doubt either the patriotism or the fearlessness of these two. You may sometimes disagree with one or the other, that’s fine, but it seems undeniable that both have the good of the country first and foremost in their minds. Plus Ann’s really attractive.

You can watch the video to hear the whole thing but the gist is this. Ann thinks we have to stop “shysters” who pretend to represent the Tea Party from luring us into endless primaries against “establishment” Republicans. The thinking behind this (as I’ve heard her say elsewhere) is that there is only so much campaign money to go around and it needs to be focused wholly on defeating Democrats, winning a Republican majority in both houses and using that majority to “repeal Obamacare, repeal Obamacare, repeal Obamacare.”

Sean took a more purist Tea Party line, saying there are some Republicans who “should be defeated,” and endorsing the idea that we should primary the RINOs where we can and — my words here not his — we should end the civil war within the Republican Party by winning it for the true conservatives.

What a swell party this is!

Just to let you know where I stand emotionally, here’s a true story. The first time I made a speech before a Tea Party crowd, I felt as if I were floating two feet off the ground. I respected, admired and agreed with the Tea Partiers so completely, that my heart rose up and I began to believe that despite the Obama debacle, the country would ultimately be fine. As I was leaving the rally, I got a call from a friend asking me to come by for a drink with a couple of the highest-ranking Republicans in Washington. It was me and them, having a glass together, eye to eye. By the time I left that gathering, I was so depressed by the establishment GOP’s blindness and philosophical corruption I could barely see straight. I phoned Andrew Breitbart for moral support. “I’ve just had a drink with [blank] and [blank],” I began. And he responded immediately, “Are they ***holes or what?”

All my sympathies, in other words, are with the Tea Party. And I would truly love to see the RINOs skewered on their own horns.

And yet… In general, Tea Party candidates tend to do well in congressional races where small, homogenous districts are in play. In Senate races where you need votes across an entire state, a primary victory for someone like Christine O’Donnell or Todd Akin may briefly fill the conservative heart with joy, but the loss of a Senate seat that could have been won is simply too high a price to pay for that momentary triumph.

We need to talk this out with good sense and without pompous ranting. Politics is the art of the possible. Writing belligerently purist articles, blog posts or comments is relatively easy. Winning elections is hard. Barack Obama is one of the most destructive presidents this country has ever seen, but a talented politician. If stopping him in his tracks requires stomaching some RINOs here and there, it seems a no brainer: It must be done. Ann may have put her case a little too forcefully in the debate above (she’s not exactly given to dithering!), but surely she’s right in the general principle that strategy — and victory — have to come before purity.

I’d rather put up with frustrating RINOs than continue in the minority with our country under attack from within. But let me know what you think.



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cinos; conservatives; linos; randsconcerntrolls; rino; tpinos; uniparty
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To: SeekAndFind
Purity or Strategy: The Debate We Need To Have: Would you rather put up with a RINO, or a Democrat?

Kind of a false dichotomy here. It's really an "it depends" sort of situation.

On the whole, we want the most conservative candidate who can get elected in a particular area. That means sometimes accepting a RINO from a place like Maine or Massachusetts because that's honestly the best we can do there at this time, and numbers do matter.

On the flip side, there's no reason to put up with RINOs from places that are more conservative by nature, such as, picking two states at random, Arizona and South Carolina. It would be absolutely criminal in a place as conservative as Wyoming or Utah.

161 posted on 02/24/2014 6:23:53 AM PST by kevkrom (I'm not an unreasonable man... well, actually, I am. But hear me out anyway.)
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To: kevkrom

RE: On the whole, we want the most conservative candidate who can get elected in a particular area. That means sometimes accepting a RINO from a place like Maine or Massachusetts because that’s honestly the best we can do there at this time, and numbers do matter.

__________________________________

What if after trying our darn best to support the most conservative candidate, and the end result was a Mitt Romney...

I think that’s the issue this article is trying to address.

Should the conservative sit home or vote for the lesser of the two evils?

Many FReepers seem to think that there is not a whit of difference between Romney and Obama. I disagree and held my nose and voted for Romney in 2012.

Unfortunately, there were enough conservative purists who sat home. The end result is what we have today.


162 posted on 02/24/2014 6:29:24 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: pfony1

IMO you are signaling the spineless SOBs that they can betray you any chance you get because you are willing to vote for the lesser of two evils. IOW, yours is the pre-emptive surrender because you aren’t even willing to consider ‘not voting’ for a spineless RINO. Just that same old tired line ‘the Democrats will win......’


163 posted on 02/24/2014 6:35:20 AM PST by Gaffer (Comprehensive Immigration Reform is just another name for Comprehensive Capitulation)
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To: Gaffer

I am trying to signal the difference between General George Washington and General George Custer.

Washington was willing to “lose” New York City and “lose” Philadelphia as the “price” of gaining time to turn his raw volunteers into an army strong enough to defeat the British in battle.

In the end, Washington’s training, preparation and PATIENCE paid off. America won.

In a vivid contrast, Custer was so convinced of his own “genius” and invincibility that he chose to divide his command in hostile territory before battle. Then, he paid the price of that foolishness: Custer’s Last Stand.

I think everyone knows that America needs a Conservative victory in 2014.

I just don’t see how helping Democrats attack Republicans now could produce such a victory.


164 posted on 02/24/2014 8:05:50 AM PST by pfony1 (Add just 6 GOP Senators and we "bury" Harry)
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To: pfony1

Like the single ‘fence’ argument you pulled out as a takeaway from my overall argument of voting against RINOist (BTW,our RINOs tried that with the virtual fence thing and paid Boeing MILLIONS and MILLIONS to fail), your hand-picked arguments about former battles don’t really apply in the overall scheme of things.

There is one basic question here - and it’s pretty cut and dried. Are you willing to accept more backstabbing and betrayal from RINOs and fight hard to get rid of them or not? Leave the Democrats where they are - on the side of evil, for sure, and just concentrate on who calls themselves ‘conservative’ (at least during election time.) and who really is conservative.

Here, on this forum, signaling to the RINO establishment lurkers your bottom line - you’ll vote for them when push comes to shove is surrender of principle plain and simple.

You either ‘get’ that, or you don’t. In any case, I’m done wasting my time with you.


165 posted on 02/24/2014 8:16:18 AM PST by Gaffer (Comprehensive Immigration Reform is just another name for Comprehensive Capitulation)
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To: SeekAndFind
Won’t the end result (if enough people think like this) be for the GREATER evil to prevail ( e.g. Obamacare )?

Maybe so, but I won't have compromised my soul and contributed to it.

166 posted on 02/24/2014 9:29:55 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: AmusedBystander
This nation was founded and organized by compromise and accommodation. That will not change,

We serve no king save Jesus Christ. I suppose it has something to do with what you compromise on. Name one of the Bill of Rights that is free from attack.

167 posted on 02/24/2014 9:56:07 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: Timber Rattler

Purity. The RINO *Strategy* hasn’t worked out so well.


168 posted on 02/24/2014 10:00:39 AM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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To: thejokker
Getting in bed with the Russians was the lesser of two evils. It made victory possible.

Worked out great for the half of Europe that we delivered to Russia as well, right?

You presume we would have lost if we had no allied with Russia, I doubt that you can prove we would have lost otherwise.

169 posted on 02/24/2014 10:01:24 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: berdie
If amnesty passes...we are sunk.

Amnesty is only one issue surely we can give a little on that one right?

170 posted on 02/24/2014 10:11:33 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: central_va
I am in Cantor's district, I will not for or against him.

To Steal A Phrase, if you don't vote against him you are voting for him.

171 posted on 02/24/2014 10:19:43 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: berdie
We could have some leverage with the RINOS...

Oh good that means Mitch will not vote to give Obama a blank check to spend as much as he wants, because 75% of the GOP are against it.

172 posted on 02/24/2014 10:24:48 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: Norm Lenhart
The truth is that there is no strategy. There is only another in a long and rehashed series of excuses as to why sacrificing what we believe in this time is ‘different’ than last time.




173 posted on 02/24/2014 10:27:01 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: FreeInWV
How should we feel about that?

So pi$$ed that you vote the democrat in would be fine with me, besides it forces the scum to spend money they shouldn't have to spend.

Every time we give in and vote for the lesser of two evils, it just shores up the GOPe in their effort to lunge left.

174 posted on 02/24/2014 10:30:18 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: Blackirish
Playing to lose is for candy asses.

And yet you play is so well, because electing RINOs is still a losing proposition.

175 posted on 02/24/2014 10:43:31 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: INVAR
The 2012 election was so fraught with fraud that even hardened Soviet Communists blushed - and CRICKETS from your party leaders.

If fraud was not involved in the last election, then one must consider that the electorate is now majority Communist minded. I prefer to think fraud was the winning factor, because the latter is not easily fixed, then again, apparently fraud is not fixable either, since no GOP has made it an issue.

176 posted on 02/24/2014 10:51:02 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: Nuc 1.1
I will work to primary out RINOs when I/we get the chance. If I/we fail to unseat the RINO(s) then I will vote for the RINO in the general.

Boehner and Mitch thank you.

177 posted on 02/24/2014 10:52:41 AM PST by itsahoot (Voting for RINOs is the same as voting for any other Tyrant)
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To: SeekAndFind

The democrat, you know where they stand and the RINO is a slimy bastard that you don’t have any idea where he will be.


178 posted on 02/24/2014 10:56:42 AM PST by dalereed
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To: Tennessee Nana

Who the hell is Willard?


179 posted on 02/24/2014 10:59:02 AM PST by dalereed
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To: itsahoot

So you don’t want to win the Senate? Well then just hang out on FR and complain how bad the Republicans are....it’s a plan I guess.


180 posted on 02/24/2014 11:48:59 AM PST by Blackirish
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