Posted on 10/22/2006 8:49:20 AM PDT by Conservative Goddess
I am your typical Republican "supervoter." .... But I'm seriously considering ending that streak this Nov. 7. ...
I'm also a contrarian -- a conservative with libertarian leanings. Combine all these characteristics, then mix in the aggregate Republican record, allow the ire it has created to rise and bake it for a few years and here's what comes out of the oven:
A party base that's mad as hell and no longer willing to rationalize GOP failures. It's a base whose crust grows darker and thicker -- i.e., angrier -- when prominent conservatives and Republicans -- politicians, pundits, radio talk-show hosts and think tankers sensing impending electoral doom -- pop out of their pumpkins and upbraid the watered-on for complaining about being wet.
....
...Pay no attention to the recidivists behind the curtain who, once every two years or four or six, make grand promises of fealty to conservative and party principles only to repeatedly fail to deliver. ... What's the definition of insanity again? In this case it's constantly returning Republicans to power and having the audacity to expect different results. And what could be more stupid than that?
....
Look, folks, it's time to take a stand. Returning this current crew of Republicans to power will only embolden them to spend more time, not less, off the conservative reservation. This is no time to dance the Rationalization Rumba. It is time for the GOP base to deliver a very big SMACK. It's the only way to start the process of true Republican/conservative reclamation.
Fellow Republicans and conservatives, do what you must on Nov. 7. But I, for one, refuse to yet again enter my polling place, vote for the usual GOP suspects...
It's time for the long-spanked to do some spanking.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
You had a primary; your cause lost; now either get with the program or get out of the way so we can do what needs to be done.
You really can't except that our party does the same thing that the RATS do, can you? You just can't except that THEY pick who will be the candidate, not you.
I won't "get out of the way" just because I have a different opinion on what needs to be done.
"Vote with the Republicans, but hold their feet to the fire when they swing too far to the center."
"How can you hold their feet to the fire other than by not voting for them?"
You ever *wrote a letter to them*? ... *called them up*? Lobbied for a cause personally? ... Voted in the primary?
There is a lot more to politics that just voting/not voting in the general election! Use those more precise levers and you can get positive results on the issues you really care about.
In my opinion he's loss in 1992 infuriated him and he has done all he can to foster this "Republican-conservative" riff in the party.
Frankly, I'm tired of being told I'm not "conservative enough," or not a "real, true" conservative.
Sound advice. The Republicans are often inept but at least they understand what the real issues are if we are to survive. The Democrats have weird dreams of power and socialist utopias and they just cannot accept reality. The Democrats rejected one of their far left leaders (Lieberman) because he at least understands that the country is in danger. The Democrats are led by far left crazies who cannot comprehend reality.
And this has to do with party bosses sticking their noses into primaries, how?
Let conservatives purge the RINOs in the primaries without the NRCC or NRSC interfering.
So you're just going to stay around to be the stick in the mud, right?
We have a REPUBLIC here where majority rules; if you don't like the way things are run in your county, start working on that.
But the words are on paper now; the candidates are picked; if you can't DO something to help us win, then be quite until we do win and THEN is the time for you to try to make changes.
EWWWWWWW.
"As far as I'm concerned, voting Swann, their sacrificial lamb, into office would be the best way to piss off Rendell and all his entitled RINO sockpuppets.
But you go right ahead and throw a tantrum if you want to. Hold your breath til you're blue in the face, so you match the color of the party you bring to power. You, of the psychologically revealing screen name, are either a troll, or woefully ignorant of reality."
BRAVO and Hear Hear!
I believe Santorum has a fighting chance still, and the polls are discounting possible return of GOP voters to the fold. ... Casey support is wide *and shallow*, LIKE HE IS. Time to make person-to-person contact and tell people what a knucklehead Casey is and why PA shouldnt elect a Hillary/Kennedy/Schumer sockpuppet to office.
I will also. The Republicans were out of power in the house for about 40 years. Now that they have a majority I will blame any conservative who doesn't vote to keep control of the house in Republican hands. Early voting in my County in Florida starts tomorrow. I will be voting straight Republican very soon.
You equate people who don't agree with you to Brown Shirts??
Evidently you really don't know the historical significance of of that term.
Sad. Really sad.
Ma'am, I think we've probably been waiting for both of them to get theirs that long. In the meantime, I settle for trying to beat their Mini-Me's every chance I get.
The problem is, we rarely "shape" the party in the primaries, unless of course the primary is open. Knocking off an incumbent Republican is occasionally possible at the State Legislative level; at the Congressional level it fails 99% of the time.
I know of one organization in Texas that specifically focuses on Republican primary elections, Heritage Alliance. If we are serious about this kind of thing and wish to pay it more than just lip service, many more of these organizations are needed. I can tell you that the head of Heritage Alliance PAC is among the most feared and reviled men in the Republican Party (one of the reasons I like and respect him), because he foments vicious intra-party battles in primaries which officeholders have a tendency to believe are mere formalities on their way to another election victory. Even a close race can cause a self-interested politician to change his ways.
But this costs money, and a lot of it. Are Republicans prepared to do this - to risk splitting their party in the primary in order to put conservatives into general elections? Or when Republicans say, "The time to change the party is in the primaries, not the general" are they just trying to keep Republicans on board, safe in the knowledge that nothing will really change in the primaries?
What say you?
That's quite a leap you've made there, implying that she used that term only because they didn't agree with her.
There are quite a few here on FR who hold themselves up as "real conservatives" who do nothing EXCEPT stick their nose into other state's elections, which I myself really try NOT to do (unless somebody had had an idea how we could have rid ourselves of John Edwards, FGS).
Watch them; they go from thread to thread, condescendingly throwing scorn on any and all candidates that are in the primaries.
Most of them haven't picked a winner since FR opened up. :-)
For what it is worth, it makes this easier if you consider the "source." I live in Washington State where we are working to elect a new Rino to the Senate. (Our noses be held.) To be honest, he is about as conservative as we can put up from this state. What we have to do, is simply provide you guys with the numbers you need to set the agenda and we rely on those of you in less liberal areas to consistently move us rightward. If you get too far ahead of the country as a whole, you will lose those at the tail end. If you go too slowly or aimlessly, you will lose the base.
What we are looking at right now is the natural growing pains of being the party in complete power, but without a solid feel for where America itself stands on things. We have no powerful opposition to blame when things go badly, so it exposes the weaknesses and insecurities in our own party. American's are still a bit hesitant to trust us. That means we must appeal to ALL voters, and sometimes causes us to compromise simply to keep the party together.
I constantly remind myself it is much more difficult to be in charge than it is to gripe about those in charge. As far as the President goes, he is not a surprise. He has behaved exactly as he said he would behave. Both in his first election and his second. He has also very clearly said he sees himself as President of all Americans, not just Conservative Americans. I have actually been stunned at how consistent he has managed to be. He is also a conservative, albeit a practical one and from the sounds of it not one with which you trust or agree. He has also made some very human mistakes and supported things I disagree with. Yet I support him completely, even when I disagree with him.
I also find it helpful to not assume that all conservatives are like me, but that fact does not mean that others are not "true conservatives," just that they interpret conservatism different because of their life experience. I hold some positions that others may find liberal...but the vast majority of what I believe comes committedly under the conservative mantle. It just helps me realize that we have disagreements on our own team and that those discussions help me grow and challenge me to question my own assumptions.
One last thing, I think that the ridicule and demeaning has been pretty evenly spread in both directions and none of us can or should claim victim hood. I have been called plenty of names...in fact in this very thread those of us voting R were called apostate. But in the world of politics, demeaning/ridiculing is all part of the "convince them I'm right" game. It's not gentle, it's not kind...it's full contact, pounding, no rules gamesmanship. If you can depersonalize it, it makes for great world-view muscle building and skin-thickening.
Because as we all know...what does not kill us, you know, makes us stronger. ;-)
We've got the same thing going on in the Governor's race in Oklahoma. Since their guy got eliminated in the primaries, they are more than happy to do the footwork for the DUmocrats to undermine the Republican who won.
Sometimes it's our OWN SIDE who are to blame for helping DUmocrats gain power. When are THEY going to be held accountable for giving us DUmocrats? "Conservative" party pukes can be thanked for giving us Governor Do-little (unless it involves gambling).
You might check out post #435.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.