Replies

Okay here is a question for any Freepers who would like to answer. I am a Conservative and hold my nose and vote Republican only because I don't see that I have much of a choice. I agree with basically everything said in this piece, but I have already voted and voted straight Republican except for our worthless, but unopposed Rep. Senator. Many if not most of the posters on here echo the Limbaugh screed about the dire consequences of not voting straight party ticket yet again this time. These are also many of the same people, I might add, who deride Blacks for voting straight Dem every election though the party treats them like step children, the same way Republicans treat Conservatives.

So here is my question. What are conservatives supposed to do? The common wisdom here is that voting 3rd party is tantamount to treason as is staying home. Limbaugh and others say work at the local level to support better candidates. Would that be candidates like Pat Toomey who the WH and other Republican big guns turned on like rabid dogs when he ran against that stalwart conservative Arlen Specter? Here locally we have a congressional candidate running who is a pretty good pick for a rather liberal district and would be replacing a total waste of vote Liberal, Socialist straight party incumbent, but since he defeated the party's pick in the primary they are doing nothing to support him. I have to believe that is the norm nationwide when you buck the party, which is definitely not conservative ideologically. So I am asking where do conservatives go and what do they do? I don't want to hear the standard "but do you want Pelosi to be Speaker" crap. I am an adult and don't react well to boogie man talk anymore. I want to know what a person who is a small government, pro-life, pro-gun, fiscal conservative, who is strong on national security but can see the flaws in our Iraq policy supposed to do. From what I read here and from what I get from Limbaugh and other party mouthpieces(and yes Rush that is what you are if you are reading this) is bend over, take it and be happy about it. I for one am tired of that, and I don't think I am alone.

Sorry about the length of the post. I hope I get some well-reasoned well-thought out responses.

It starts with you.

How involved are you with the party locally? Do you attend precinct meetings? Do you work with your local party to recruit conservative candidates? Do you know who the power players are in your area?

Money is spent/allocated from the national party on numbers alone and understand that loyalty demands that barring scandal, they will always back the incumbent. If they don't support your candidate financially the local backers must do it. Despite what you hear out of the msm, money is not always the determiner of who wins. Also, as frustrating as it is, the majority will also win when it comes to candidates, so if someone other than your candidate wins, you may have to work on convincing folks of your philosophy first. That takes time, effort and diplomacy. Still, it is more efficient to work within the party structure (which is rife with internal politics as well, mind you) than outside of it.

If not involved there, that is where you start. Voting is the general election is the end of the process, not the beginning. If you want influence...you must play within the structure as it stands. If you don't want to be that involved, your biggest chance to influence things comes during the primary. After that, "messages" get very murky.

What are conservatives supposed to do?

The crybabies want our elected officials to act like dictators and MAKE the world adhere to conservative ideals overnight. The reality is this nation is not largely conservative, has a huge number of liberals and another huge middle group that is easily led by rhetoric.

These realities add up to the fact that our government cannot be fully conservative, the best we can hope for is to nudge it in the conservative direction and work hard at converting more individuals to conservative ideas.

What the libertarians and what I believe the easily led conservatives (along with the seminar "conservatives") expect is a government not based in reality and they believe that they can change the reality by punishing those who were elected by their neighbors. In this they are looking at the effect rather than the cause. The cause is the electorate not the elected. If they want change they need to ask themselves what they have done to change their liberal neighbors mind. In other words they need to look in the mirror to see who the guilty party is rather than looking at their TV.

"Okay here is a question for any Freepers who would like to answer. I am a Conservative and hold my nose and vote Republican only because I don't see that I have much of a choice. I agree with basically everything said in this piece, but I have already voted and voted straight Republican except for our worthless, but unopposed Rep. Senator."

The answer to your question is simple: There is more to politics than voting. Activism, media, lobbying, supporting pressure groups that support your causes, etc. Those are the things to do to advance conservative values.
It doesnt happen on its own, and it will NEVER happen if the Democrats, hostile to conservatives 100% take control.

For example, I've supported "Club for Growth" which has taken on RINOs in primary races, and in many cases, won.
We took out a RINO in Michigan this year, almost took down Chafee (who now will be replaced by equally liberal Democrat, no big loss there).

"Here locally we have a congressional candidate running who is a pretty good pick for a rather liberal district and would be replacing a total waste of vote Liberal, Socialist straight party incumbent, but since he defeated the party's pick in the primary they are doing nothing to support him. I have to believe that is the norm nationwide when you buck the party, which is definitely not conservative ideologically. So I am asking where do conservatives go and what do they do?"

Er, WHY DONT YOU HELP HIM!?!? Give money directly to *conservative* republicans. Walk the block, make phone calls, whatever it takes. ... what his name btw, is he the one going up against Julia Carson? Last i heard the race was close!

"I want to know what a person who is a small government, pro-life, pro-gun, fiscal conservative, who is strong on national security but can see the flaws in our Iraq policy supposed to do."

You've just described most freepers ... no, most Republicans. The voting booth is a blunt instrument... more surgical ways of getting your message to the Republican leadership are avaialable by picking up the pen, the phone, or sending other forms of communication.