Too bad we simply went back to sleep after the 2010 elections, and squandered our momentum
Several reasons for that. Most of which has to do with the fact that most Conservatives are Producers and they have a living and/or businesses that take priority in their estimations. The other is that with the exception to Cruz, Lee and to a lesser extent, Paul, the rest of the Freshman Class of 2010 abandoned Conservatives and what they promised, capitulating with the Ruling Class GOP-e, that is in league with the Democrats and Obama.
That is how Washington works. It infects all who seem to go there. Washington D.C. is Mordor on the Potomac.
why have we allowed the GOPe to sabotage the likes of Matt Bevin and Bryan Smith
We do not have the millions of dollars in war chest money that the Ruling Class Establishment has to run propaganda and smear campaigns against anyone who threatens them. Look what McConnell and the Ruling Class in D.C. are trying to do to the Senate Conservatives Fund. Money talks. Everything else walks.
People follow courage, and having courageous leaders is what builds movements. Of course, then the Obammunist lickspittle media began calling us racists, and we scurried away like mice, because we're so frightened by people saying bad tings about us, even our sworn enemies. So how courageous were we really? That's why the GOPe still runs the show...we got scared, shrank away into the shadows, and our followers went back to sleep.
Excellent points. Totally agree. Not only that but the larger TEA Party groups were infiltrated and in some cases TAKEN OVER by Establishment party hack loyalists.
Not only that, the TEA Party sees what is happening to Cruz, and many are not willing to risk the same vitriol and media blitz against them from all sides. They see what was done to Palin, and recognize the demonization worked well enough to eliminate any chance for her to run.
what are we doing to make our so-called "leaders" do something about it?
Millions of letters and appeals to our 'representatives' are ignored, those of us who went to town hall meetings were shouted down, demeaned and ridiculed by these 'leaders' in public. It is more than self-evident to me that the Ruling Class in power holds those this people in utter contempt.
As such, like all tyrannies that came before us, our petitions to redress grievances and demand adherence to our will is ignored, impugned, ridiculed and demonized. As Jefferson said, 'met with repeated injury'.
We melted phone lines and got answering machines or no ability to reach our Reps at all. In a few minor cases they backed off what appeared to be a total cave - only to do it in piecemeal behind our backs a bit later.
No sir. We have no representation in Washington. The ruling class holds we little people in contempt, and that we are only good for one thing alone: casting a vote for more of the same.
we command our state legislatures tell DC to kiss off, that our states aren't following their unConstitutional dictates.
Every time we try that, some Federal judge strikes us down. Just happened today in my state. We the People demanded our legislatures pass legislation protecting biblical and traditional marriage. It was struck down and today we are ordered by the court to recognize homosexual marriages.
I already heard it said today that if the state defies this order, it risks losing federal funding for 'much needed programs'.
Money talks, everything else walks.
Wouldn't you rather try standing up to DC before taking up arms?
MILLIONS Of us took to the mall and the Capitol steps. Pelosi and the Left marched with a giant gavel 'in our face'. False charges were levied. We were demonized and even other Republicans turned on us and said that (the 9-12 rally) was 'illegitimate'.
In addition, history teaches tyrants only respond to one thing: force and the threat of force. I believe what exists in Washington are tyrants. They know themselves to be tyrants as well, and they also know they are immune from anything we attempt to do in a civil manner.
They expect pushback from us against what they intend to do. That is why they have stockpiled BILLIONS of rounds of ammo and have militarized fed agencies and police with tanks, APS and other military hardware. The math of what is coming is not hard, and it has been intended to occur, because it's all part of the plan.
Everything that "is" today, is there there only because we've allowed it to be, either by our action or, more often, our inaction.
No disagreement there.
We have the power to jerk the chains of the people we elect, be it at the city, county, state house, Congress or White House. The only reason the GOPe is running the show is that we -- and apparently you and Levin as well -- have been convinced we're on the outside of the system. Hell no! WE ARE THE SYSTEM! Of course, the system doesn't work by sitting on our a**es...we have to get out and do a little community organizing of our own.
That is so 1990. I no longer believe this is the reality any longer. Corruption has taken over, and Cook County went national. As a former Precinct Captain from that corrupt county - I can tell you that fighting the machine - is impossible from within the system. Because the reality is WE ARE ALREADY OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM they have perverted for themselves.
Our system has not been corrupted...the people running it have been.
This is where we will have to disagree. Corrupt people can and do corrupt institutions. They transform republics into dictatorships, usually upon the consent of the people they rule - in the name of public safety, security or 'the children'.
I believe we are way beyond the ability to redress this tyranny most have begrudgingly accepted in any civil manner. If they do not respect the rule of law or the Constitution now - what makes us think they are going to respect any further effort made to stop their encroachments on our rights?
"Most of which has to do with the fact that most Conservatives are Producers and they have a living and/or businesses that take priority in their estimations."
Yep, I agree with you. But we're going to have to start moonlighting as Americans doing our civic duty, otherwise we're going to produce our way into slavery. We can either put in long hours now, to save our Republic for the next generation, or we can put in long hours as slaves in FEMA camps.
"We do not have the millions of dollars in war chest money that the Ruling Class Establishment has to run propaganda and smear campaigns against anyone who threatens them."
Sure we do...only we're investing those millions and billions in Apple, Microsoft, the Brazilian oil industry, the Chicom power grid, or any number of ways we think we can improve our portfolio by the end of this quarter. How 'bout we spend a few years investing our money in saving our Republic?
"It is more than self-evident to me that the Ruling Class in power holds those this people in utter contempt."
Okay, so letters, phone calls and town hall meetings aren't enough. Let's picket outside their local offices and get on the local evening news. Let's do it every freakin' day until "they" are forced to face us and answer to us. If not, we raise awareness, we raise funds, and we raise hell, and get them thrown out of office. They may have millions coming in from lobbyists and other crony capitalists, but that doesn't pull levers or cast ballots. It still begins and ends with us.
"We melted phone lines and got answering machines or no ability to reach our Reps at all. In a few minor cases they backed off what appeared to be a total cave - only to do it in piecemeal behind our backs a bit later."
Again, lace up the Reeboks, grab the signs, and picket their local offices. That puts the ball in a completely different court. Passersby see you, TV and radio news types, salivating over a juicy breaking news story, rush out to see what all the commotion is about, and next thing you know, Ma and Pa Kettle are coming out to join you on Day 2. If one thing doesn't work, try something else. But don't give up trying.
"They expect pushback from us against what they intend to do. That is why they have stockpiled BILLIONS of rounds of ammo and have militarized fed agencies and police with tanks, APS and other military hardware. The math of what is coming is not hard, and it has been intended to occur, because it's all part of the plan."
They may have billions of rounds of ammo, and MRAPs, drones, and so on, but they only have so many people to use that ammo and equipment. We surround them, and as history shows again and again, technology doesn't defeat numbers and a highly motivated enemy. The Brits, Soviets and us in Afghanistan. Germany in WW2. Us in Vietnam. In all those cases, armies with advanced gee-whiz weapons were defeated by motivated, numerically superior enemies, and so shall it be again...if that nightmare scenario comes to pass. I'd rather we pull out all the stops to see that it isn't necessary to jump straight to it.
"That is so 1990."
No, actually it's so 1787. But nothing's changed...We The People are still sovereign over ourselves, our families, our property, and our resources. The only reason any of that has changed is because we got lazy, then got scared, then got quiet.
"If they do not respect the rule of law or the Constitution now - what makes us think they are going to respect any further effort made to stop their encroachments on our rights?"
If they're removed from power, they can't encroach anymore, right? Contrary to what the defeatists would have us believe, we can still defeat the tyrants at the ballot box. But it's not going to be easy...we have to motivate and educate millions upon millions of would-be patriotic Americans who have lost faith in America. We have to show them that there are still leaders out here (not in Congress, but here in flyover country) they can trust and believe in.
Yeah, the lobbyists have money out the wazoo, and our so-called "leaders" love to wallow in it. But it's "their" money versus "our" feet, and donations don't pull levers.
Good discussion.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!