[Non-Sequitur]

Nah. If anything it's too confederate.

[NittanyLion]

I vote "nay".

[harpseal]

I agree on many of the points about why one needs to vote Republican. However, the Republican Party includes a liberal wing and if criticism of Republican positions becomes grounds for removal from this forum the forum will IMHO suffer. I still remeber the Don Morgan One who Knows wars of years back. Clearly this is your sandbox and you may do as you wish as we are merely invited guests but given such looming issues as trade policy the Assault Weapons Ban and other coming issues it could be way too limiting to take a position that Free Republic is an adjunct of the Republican Party.

Clearly getting consensus among those opposed to big government makes hearding cats seem like a pleasure but by adhereing to one party many Freepers will be driven away.

[LibKill]

It's your forum, but I like it the way it is now. Conservative.

[sonjay]

I vote nay.

IMO, Free Republic is and has always been about promoting our "free republic" -- not being a cheerleader for a particular political party.

[Jonx6]

I prefer the label "Constitutionalist" for Free Republic. After all, the Constitution is the source of our Republic.
Republican Party is too often a source of leftist crap and more big big goverment. I don't want them to think we back crap so long as it come from the pubbies.
Just my 2 cents.

[Coop]

This independent conservative votes "Negative" for the Republican label.

[tkathy]

I think it is a terrific website. I, too, am more anti-Democrat than Republican and I hope it does not become a forum of single issue ideologues.

[Glenn]

25 years ago, when I was a seedling, my boss asked where I was on the political scale. I answered thus:

I am a fiscal Republican and a morale Democrat.

Now I don't know what the hell to be.

[LocDoc]

Nay

[moneyrunner]

”I'm still anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-Democrat and anti-liberalism. I just happen to believe that in the current political environment we stand a better chance of defeating the left (liberalism/socialism/marxism, etc) by using the Republican Party to defeat the Democrats. The organization is there. The platform is there. The winning candidates are there. The dollars to run winning campaigns are there. The momentum is there. And the vast majority of the conservative voters are there.”

This is, in a nutshell, why Conservatives need the Republican party to implement their agenda. Those who get involved in real life understand this.

There are a subset of people in any group, especially a group that’s as open and accessible as FR, who engage in pipe dreams – in theories of such ideological purity that their feet never really touch the ground. Like the yellow-clad monks at airports, handing out their literature, they are ignored by the vast majority and irritate those whom they accost.

Everyone here owes you a great debt for creating an exciting form that is not only devoted to the spread of truth, but the active debate of the vital issues of the day. More than that, it has led to the creation of an activist base that is beginning to be felt by the politicians and commented on by the press herd.

Don’t change a thing, Jim. How does it feel to be as powerful as any Representative or any Senator?

[Dustoff45]

Holding conservative values transcends political party values. I remain a registered Independent.

I love to discuss conservative values with others, and when they bring the accusation of my being a Republican, I can truthfully say No!

Each ballot vote, is another opportunity to vote conservative.

I have held my nose and voted conservative democrats over liberal republicans.

It must have stemmed from all those years in Alaska enduring a Rino senator

I thank God for the free expression of this website, and for the truth that continues to march on as we respond to Abe Lincoln's cry that these that have died, will not have died in vain, but that a nation, so established will long endure.

[myrabach]

IMHO I would prefer FR to remain conservative rather than Republican for all the reasons stated here prior to my post. I personally feel there is more freedom in remaining conservative rather than identifying with a particular party.

[hardhead]

Amen. I believe 'conservative' best describes the overall makeup of FR. The fact that most conservatives are Republicans, well that's another story. There are a lot of Republicans who are not conservative and are doing more damage to the party than those from without. I also happen to believe that the big world government (the UN) eventually will swallow us all. This is one evil organization! People make jokes about it and call others who are alarmed at this, 'tin hat loonies'. The fox is already in the henhouse and has already consumed half the chickens. Conservatism is the only weapon against it and whether conservatives are Reoublicans, independent, or other party affiliations, should not be important. The leftist bastards are running the world government now and their creeping communism is coming after us. They want to further their agenda of big government, euthanizing huge numbers of people (through abortion and at the other end of the life scale), elimination of God (not going to happen but they are trying), and controlling every aspect of human life from cradle to grave. Human life is looked upon as a commodity and they are implementing production controls at this very moment. Think about it. Vast numbers of dirt farmers in various parts of the world are NOT what the elite leftist scum want - it affects their profit margin. Their solution is the ultimate solution - kill them all and let God sort them out.

[OK]

The Republican Party is complicit in the destruction of the Constitution. This site better serves the cause of freedom and Constitutional government by being independent.

The way the statists advance their agenda is by taking movements like this and hijacking them. The people in charge of the movement are wooed and flattered by the powerful, and attend each others social events, etc. You eventually find yourself one of the ones you used to rail against.

Socializing with them is the first step to being neutered

[kidd]

There are few conservative grass-roots groups. The Free Republic is one of the best that do exist. The GOP needs grass-roots groups to demonstrate that it is in touch with the public. The Free Republic thus carries some influence with the GOP.

I think that we are generally GOP-friendly, but we need to speak out when crappolla like CFR is passed. CFR is an example of an issue that we would have to accept as a GOP group rather than fight as a conservative group.

Free Republic serves as a means to keep the GOP from veering further left. It cannot serve that function if it is associated with the GOP.

[ProudGOP]

So lets see, the question is Is Free Republic too "Republican?" and the proposed solution is to make the site more Republican? ;-)

Actually, I think conservative best fits the site and what its goals are. We need to be able to jump on the RINOs that move too far left and to do that we need to maintain our independence from the party.

So I say no.

[Dick Bachert]

"The common and continual mischief of the spirit of Party is sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it." G. Washington

If one considers the excesses, abuses and occasional HORRORS inflicted on nations by "parties," George got it right. He clearly understood the old truth that "The road to hell IS (or can be) paved with good intentions."

Party over principle has become the rule of the many of the expedient minded politicians under whom THIS nation now suffers. To do anything to exacerbate THAT problem would be a major mistake -- especially here at THE premier anti-statist web discussion site.

[NMC EXP]

I'm still anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-Democrat and anti-liberalism

Defeating these things is a worthwhile objective.

I just happen to believe that in the current political environment we stand a better chance of defeating the left (liberalism/socialism/marxism, etc) by using the Republican Party to defeat the Democrats

How do you propose to change the republican party in order to accomplish these objectives?

One thing we can count on is that if we reward a behavior, we will get more of it. A vote is the ultimate reward to a politican.

Voting republican says we agree with their version of big government socialism. Then what incentive does the party have to change?

Regards

J.R.

[Maelstrom]

Jim Jeffords was a Republican.

McCain still is along with Olympia Snowe and Chaffee.

Beware, my friend, while being Republican in general should lend itself toward the goal of less government power, intrusion, and spending, there are some Republicans who are every bit as anti-conservative as Dianne Feinstein.

If you recall NYC "Republican" mayor Bloomberg ran as a Republican only because he wasn't able to get on the Democrat or Liberal ticket. Look how he's tearing that city apart with liberalism.