We Did Not Just Lose Our Majority, We Lost Our Way

Humans Events Online ^ | 11/08/06 | Rep. Mike Pence

[tfelice]

Election Day 2006 will be remembered as a turning point in American political history. Twenty-five years after the Reagan Administration came to Washington with a conservative agenda of limited government, the American people chose a different course.

It is the duty of the losing party in a free election to humbly accept defeat and to acknowledge that the people are sovereign in the People's House.

As we examine the results of this election, it is imperative that we listen to the American people and learn the right lessons.

Some will argue that we lost our majority because of scandals at home and challenges abroad. I say, we did not just lose our majority, we lost our way.

[AmusedBystander]

Who could have possibly seen this loss coming?

And the dems coming to power for the next 18 years is a good thing?

[karnage]

We need to tighten up, return to fundamental conservative American principles, and get ready for '08.

[Howlin]

Of course he did.

But he's not corrupt, remember!

[PzLdr]

Ther Dems once again proved Hitler's dictum that if you lie big enough, loud enough and often enough, and all you care about is power - you'll win.

[bcsco]

Once we identified the real threat to the world, and elected a President with the will to define it as the Evil Empire it was

Did we really identify it? Let me ask you: Just what is the real threat to the world? Global terror? That's certainly part of it. However, I suggest it goes beyond that. It is the Islamist belief in a world theocracy. It is this which is behind much of our 'global terror' problem, and the snake in the woodpile few want to acknowledge.

Because of this, and because our focus has been in the symptom and not the disease, we have found ourselves in a struggle in Iraq. And the American public has grown tired of it. Not because they don't believe America is at risk, but because they've come to see 'staying the course' as no better than the lack of plan from the DIMs.

If anything, this whole notion of building democracies in the middle-east has been a thorn in our side. The middle-east neither understands nor desires democracy, regardless of what we've been spoon fed. What the middle-east wants is a muslim theocracy. Their goal has nothing to do with economics wealth or human rights. It's all about religion, religion, religion. Only when we come to that conclusion will we ever be in a position to begin winning this WOT.

Sorry for being so negative. I've been a strong supporter of the Bush foreign policy since 9/11. However I've slowly come to the above conclusions over this year; especially since the body bags began filling up again come election time. It made me understand the fallacy of our intentions.

I want to win the WOT as much as anyone. But PC approaches to it, and symbolic rhetoric such as 'staying the course' doesn't cut it. And I think that's a big part of why we lost yesterday. Don't get me wrong. I voted straight Republican. No way did I want the DIMs to win. But I've come to realize that we Republicans in office truly have lost our way.

[Alberta's Child]

I think you'll see a rush by moderate/RINO Republicans to cooperate with Dem's like never before. It bodes well for McCain and Graham... but even better for Hillary.

The RINOs come out of this the biggest losers of all. In addition to losing some of them (Chafee in particular), a GOP that doesn't need to cut deals to maintain a slim majority in the Senate can toss those morons aside like dirty toilet paper.

[Howlin]

LOL!

[ark_girl]

While the media certainly contributed, the fact that the Republicans didn't do what they said they were going to do is ultimately what did them in at the end of the day. I think the media certainly helped rile up the Dem base, but the Republicans spending money like it was going out of style, having to be railroaded into doing something about the border, and then GROWING government programs instead of shrinking them deflated our base. In short, you gotta dance with them that brung ya. That's not what Republicans did. And we saw the result yesterday. And now, the whole country pays the price.

[Seattle Conservative]

I'm listening to a local conservative talk radio host in Seattle (Kirby Wilbur - he's filled in for Sean a few times). He said a little while ago that he just received a call from a friend of his in VA. Webb is ahead by about 7,000 votes; however, there are about 120-130,000 absentee ballots yet to count, many of which are military. There is still hope, but will be close.

[RoadRunner04]

It was the Republicans who chose a different course from limited government. This election was about accountability. ... The Republicans better hear the message loud and clear and get their house in order by 2008 because a Dem controlled Congress and executive branch would be a true disaster.

Absolutely correct. Yes, Iraq was an issue. Yes, the media-hyped "scandals" were an issue. In Missouri, I believe the negative ads run by the GOP Senate election committee did more harm than good for Talent...especially in the last 10 days.

But the biggest single problem is that the GOP has lost its conservative soul. It gave up on limited government a long time ago. That is the most important lesson they can learn from this defeat. It will be very interesting to see if they do in fact learn anything.

[Nascar Dad]

and the military is voting en masse for Webb- they hate Allen

[libstripper]

One of the big reasons we lost was the relationship of the White House and the House leadership looked like a contest between the morons and the idiots to see who would lead. Tom Delay was our most effective House leader, a man who produced innovative miracles like the Texas redistricting that gave us five new Pubbie Representatives. If he'd been a DemonRat, all the other DemonRats would have defended him to the death, realizing how indispensable he was. The House Pubbies, with no real effort by the administration to prevent it, put a target on his back by amending the Republican rules to provide that an indicted, not convicted, leader had to resign his position. SURPRISE, he got indicted and was forced out of the House leadership, a defeat just as bad for us as Stonewall Jackson's death was for the Confederacy.

Then we have the little affair of Porter Goss, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Bush pleaded with Hastert to let Goss be appointed CIA Director and Goss was appointed CIA Director. Then the "new tone" struck. Goss actually had the temerity to go after the bad apples in the CIA and fire one who was probably guilty of espionage. Bush then fired Goss, infuriating Hastert.

Enter William Jefferson (D, LA). At the height of the DemonRats' attack on the House Republicans for a "culture of corruption" Jefferson's found with $90,000 of cash bribes in his freezer, meaning we could have used him to blunt the whole trumped up corruption charge. Indeed, the administration looked like it was showing some stones for once and raided his office in the House. Then the brilliant Denny Hastert (R, IL) struck, trying to get some payback for the Goss debacle, and defended Jefferson against the investigation. Never mind that this made Hastert and the other House Republicans look every bit as guilty as Jefferson and reinforced the whole "culture of corruption" charge.

With "organized leadership" like this, it's a wonder our defeat wasn't worse.

[workerbee]

Democrats play to the moral and social weaknesses of the public; Republicans are supposed to lead them past those weaknesses, not succumb to them.

Well said.

[The Blitherer]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like we need Newt to set the Repubs straight again. Anyone?

[angkor]

"there are about 120-130,000 absentee ballots yet to count, many of which are military"

That's to be expected. I spent some time this morning trying to find out roughly how many Virginia military are presently stationed overseas, because they'll probably go 80 percent Republican (Allen).

But those kinds of numbers are not easily found. I came up empty.

[CWOJackson]

I see there is much celebrating going on today. By our Islamic enemies, but the media, by the liberals and by many of our third party types.

I also see a lot of blame being assigned for the loss...towards President Bush and the "Bots". Seems like the President and the "Bots" did their jobs yesterday, while the sit at home and pout crowd did what they wanted.

If there is anything amusing about elections like this, it's that the perpetually angry crowd always seem to realise far to late that it's their taxes that will be going up as well, that it's there pet projects which will have absolutely no chance of passing now, that it's their homes that will be more open to Islamic terror...but of course it's the Republican's fault.

[libstripper]

Republicans lost because they didn't fight Liberals using their tactics.

Exactly. That's what was so great about Tom Delay; he was a conservative Republican who fought llike a DemonRat.

[EagleUSA]

The Republicans got fat and soft in their majorities. They didn't want to live up to the promises they made to their constituents.
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The tragic part, that wreaks of complacency and ineptitude, is the fact that the road back is a long one. They ran on a CONSERVATIVE ticket and failed miserably in most categories (excepting a couple). They were given TWO TERMS AS PRESIDENT AND TWO TERMS AS CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY. And they blew it. So how are REAL conservatives supposed to trust ANYONE in Washington??? They cannot, and will not be able to, until a REAL conservative, a fighting conservative, gets into the White House, is given a Congressional majority and re-establishes Conservative American principles in government.

Frankly, I don't think I will live that long.

[Ace of Spades]

"Twenty-five years after the Reagan Administration came to Washington with a conservative agenda of limited government, the American people chose a different course."

Limited government? Have you been paying attention? That ship sailed a long time ago.

[Uri’el-2012]

I think we have just voted ourselves into sodom and gomorrah.

L-rd come quickly !

b'shem Y'shua