[hchutch]

Your actions, AmericaninTokyo, might have the best of intentions, but good intentions and a quarter will get me today's Washington Times. What I will comment on is the RESULT of such actions, and while I intend no insult, the RESULTS will do far more damage to thew principles you purport to espouse on this forum that Bill Simon ever could.

I will say this right now, for the record: Any effort to go third party or to encourage conservatives to stay home and not vote is objectively pro-Left. We see the recent examples in in Nevada and Washington State, where two third-party candidates siphoned enough votes to keep Harry Reid in office over John Ensign in 1998 - and Harry Reid was the one who pulled James Jeffords into his party switch back in May, 2001. In Washington State, Slade Gorton was defeated by under 2,000 votes, due to a third party.

Would it not have been better to see good federal judges confirmed because the GOP had 52 seats to a 47+1 Democratic caucas? Because that is really what it could have been - but for a few thousand votes. A few thousand people who decided to go on an all-or-nothing approach, and ended up with NOTHING.

Look at the objectives on the about page of this forum, and ask yourself how electing a left-winger helps obtain ANY of them. Objectively, going third party will do little more than elect a left-wing Democrat. We've seen numerous examples - Virginia's U.S. Senate race in 1994, Ross Perot's 1992 campaign, the Senate seats in Nevada (1998) and Washington State (2000). Third-party moves by conservatives, be they the Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party, the Reform Party, or any other party, are little more than feel-good exercises that have done far more harm for conservatives than good. With that track record, how can ANY Freeper say with a straight face, we need to keep trying this option? The last time I checked, "if it feels good, do it" was NOT a value conservatives ever went for.

Maybe the Republican Party is not perfect for conservatives, but I defy ANYONE to present another option that will not dash the hopes we have of achieving our objectives. The Repubican Party might not be perfect, but it is the best shot we have, and has been since 1980.

Dividing conservatives, which the third-party movement is doing, merely invites our defeat in detail by the Left, and in no way will advance the agenda we want enacted. I, personally, will fight any effort to encourage conservatives to go third party with as much force as I can.
With the way the Founding Fathers set up the system, there has to be a LOT of support to make some of the changes we want to make.

Quite frankly, there have been some issues that do have conservatives divided. I openly admit to disagreeing with conservative orthodoxy on immigration, and I am opposed to term limits. However, I am here because on the rest of the issues, I stand four-square with conservatives, and I want to work to get these changes made. The disagreements should be handled with civility, not vitriol, and put aside to get the best people we can into office where we can make progress towards the objectives we have laid out.

We cannot let ourselves be divided, we cannot let ourselves falter because of internecine warfare, and we cannot permit ourselves to fail because some of us decide to go third party in a huff over a disagreement or disappointment. Disagreements and disappointments are part of life, and so we need to take our lumps and move forward.

Those who would divide conservatives, enable the left to conquer and send things further down the road. Our system of government as put in place by the Founding Fathers, does not allow us to stop or turn this country around on a dime, barring overwhelming majorities and control of all three branches of the federal and state governments. We have the turn radius and stopping distance of a supertanker going at full speed, and we need to recognize that.

It is a time to make a choice. Are we here just to feel goof about ourselves, or are we here to work together and make changes? I cannot allow the division to go any further without an effort to stop it. I was angry about what Donnie DiFrancesco did to Bret Schundler in 2001. I was angry about what John Warner did to Ollie North in 1994. And I warn the third-party types that I will be angry if their efforts defeat people like Bill Simon in the future.

I cannot, in good conscience, remain silent about this any longer. Nor can I allow it to continue without stating what the results will be. Intentions will not matter a hill of beans in reaching our objectives, and those who do not support solid conservatives based on one or two issues of disagreement are, despite their good intentions, merely helping the Left dismantle our Republic. And I will fight anyone who is helping the Left do that by encouraging people to bolt to third parties, or by encouraging them to stay home and not vote.

I do not seek to cause an internal fight, but the divisions must stop. We are just over two months from critical elections, and we have to hang together - or the Left will hang us seperately.

That's my opinion, if anyone here cares.

[Miss Marple]

I care, but those who really need to listen will never pay attention, I'm afraid. Britt Schundler lost because of petulance from the RINO's, and one would think that folks would understand that we ALL need to work together in order to get the democrats out of Congress, or at least reduce their numbers significantly.

The owner of this web site understands this. Apparently there are some who refuse to understand, or who do understand but are actively trying to split conservatives for other purposes.

But your response, hchutch, was a good essay and I appreciate it.

[Mudboy Slim]

Well-stated, my FRiend...but let's bring in DoubleDee to make the case to the contrary. He chose not to vote for Mark Earley as VA Governor, and we ended up with the ol' horsefaced RAT sittin' in the Guv'nah's mansion now. Fortunately, we've got a very GOP legislature in Virginny and I don't see Warner doing much damage legislatively, but it may make Warner a threat in future Senatorial elections.

Personally, I look at every vote as an opportunity to move the agenda to the Right...less Federal control over our daily lives is my immediate goal, and that'll never occur with a majority of folks willing to vote for Tom D'asshole as Majority Leader or Li'l Dick as Speaker!! With the California legislature dominated by Extreme Lefty RATS, helping Simon take over the Governor's office seems a no-brainer so as to counter-balance the krap that emanates from the statehouses.

JMHO...MUD

[AmericanInTokyo]

Cool down. Gee, all he has to do (or his campaign chiefs) is to disavow his answers to the gay lobby the other day. That should be pretty easy to do. If he asserts/affirms that he is pro-family and takes back some of the more perditious answers to the survey, why then his conservative support will come back.

Should be simple enough.

[B Knotts]

Your beef is with Simon, not conservatives. He is the one who is encouraging conservatives to stay home.

I haven't seen more than one or two messages here from people advocating a third party vote; what people are saying is that Simon is damaging himself, by chasing votes that he CANNOT get, at the expense of votes he already had.

[Gophack]

We are just over two months from critical elections, and we have to hang together - or the Left will hang us seperately.

You have said a lot, and it's all good. We have a conservative in Bill Simon. He may not be perfect, but he's with us on virtually every issue. He may have stumbled once or twice, but he's still a conservative and he still is head and shoulders about Gray Davis -- and Richard Riordan and Bill Jones.

I'm thinking about posting this speech for all to read. In the meantime, here's the link.

A Time For Choosing Speech by Ronald Reagan

One quote:

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.

There's another Reagan speech that is a MUST READ for conservatives. Many of you probably have never heard of it. The Creative Society. This speech was given by Reagan when he was running for governor 36 years ago.

A quote:

Those who talk of complex problems, requiring more government planning and more control, in reality are taking us back in time to the acceptance of rule of the many by the few. Time to look to the future. We've had enough talk--disruptive talk--in America of left and right, dividing us down the center. There is really no such choice facing us. The only choice we have is up or down--up, to the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down, to the deadly dullness of totalitarianism.

It's hard to pick just one quote, so I suggest that everyone read the speech. Reagan says, "The administration in Sacramento is guilty of a leadership gap. Unwilling, or unable, to solve the problems of California." Is it any different today?

As Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Or worse, vote third party which only helps your enemies.

We are the party of Reagan, love him or hate him. We are not perfect, but we are far better than the Democrats. We have room to improve, but if the conservatives bail to a third party we will never improve.

Bill Simon is our hope and opportunity and will make a fine conservative Governor. We won't agree with him 100% of the time, but we can't even agree with each other 100% of the time! Let's band together and fight the war -- the Democrats are fighting the war, and we're killing our own with "friendly fire".

[runningbear]

here here!! Well said, affirm!

[c-b 1]

I agree with your response. If we are to win this battle, it can not be accomplished if we are all going in different directions.
We have to take back the Republican party from within. If those who get mad and run to a third party would join those of us who are trying to implement change in the Republican Party from within the party structure, we could take the party back from the RINOS, in a short time.