Posted on 11/08/2006 11:54:25 AM PST by Ol' Sparky
'Liberated' Limbaugh flays GOP for lame campaign
Radio host: Conservative values not trumpeted by 'I'm-afraid-of-my-shadow Republican Party'
Posted: November 8, 2006
2:10 p.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh says Republicans are to blame for their own demise at the polls by failing to run a campaign trumpeting conservative values.
"You and I hunger for ideological leadership and we're not getting it from the top. Conservatism, conservative ideology was nowhere to be found in this campaign from the top," Limbaugh said today in his post-election analysis. "The Democrats beat something with nothing. They didn't have to take a stand on anything other than their usual anti-war position. They had no clear agenda and believe me, they didn't dare offer one. Liberalism will still lose every time it's offered."
Democrats took control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, with the fate of the Senate still uncertain.
Limbaugh said Republicans allowed themselves to be defined by Democrats and the media, and says they instead should have gone on the offensive.
"It's silly to blame the media. It is silly to blame the Democrats. It is silly to go out and try to find all these excuses," he said. "We have proven we can beat them. We've proven we can beat Democrats. We've proven we can withstand whatever we get from the drive-by media. Conservatism does that. Conservatism properly applied – proudly, eagerly with vigor and honesty – will triumph that nine times out of 10 in this current political environment and social environment in this country. It just wasn't utilized in this campaign."
Limbaugh, a longtime proponent of conservative ideology, believes the primary reason Republicans didn't campaign on their beliefs is "fear of criticism from those in the so-called establishment; and nobody wants to be criticized and nobody wants to go through their life in fear."
He listed a number of benchmarks which should have been the basis for successful campaigns including no terrorist attacks on the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001, gasoline prices averaging $2.08 per gallon, increased take-home pay, a strong economy and an unemployment rate at a historically low level.
"We all know that there's very positive things happening out there, but it was not trumpeted by the people who should have been shouting it from the rooftops because they were proud of it," Limbaugh said. "They should have been shouting it from the rooftops, 'Look what we've done! Look how America can improve. Look how your future is brighter!' ... instead of allowing the template to be set by its critics. ... You have a defensive, Gee-I'm-afraid-of-my-shadow Republican Party."
In answering questions about how he feels about the election results, Limbaugh said, "I feel liberated. ... I no longer am gonna have to carry the water for people who I think don't deserve having their water carried. ... If those in our party who are going to carry the day in the future both in Congress and the administration are going to choose a different path than what most of us believe, then that's liberating. ...
"There have been a bunch of things going on in Congress. Some of this legislation coming out of there that I have just cringed at. And it has been difficult coming in here trying to make the case for it when the people who supposedly in favor of it can't even make the case themselves."
During the last mid-term congressional election in 2002, Limbaugh proclaimed the Democratic Party to be in total chaos, and advised it to drop failed strategies if members wish to see political gains in the future.
"They're a party in total disarray, total collapse, total chaos," he said at the time.
During the 2004 campaign, Limbaugh said the Democratic Party was completely without a leader in its hunt to regain the White House, and members were desperately trying to invent one.
"They are so absent leadership right now it's a joke," said Limbaugh, "and everybody knows this in the media, and the Democrats are out trying to manufacture one – they're trying to create one. And they've got this list of nine candidates for the Democratic nomination, and nobody can name one of them."
??? Santorum got crushed...
As far as who I would vote for in a primary... I'm gonna go with Rick.
and stoopidly that Specter* has haunted him ever since.
And that starts at the top. Where has President Bush been for the last six years as the Democrats re-educated the American people? [crickets]
Republicans got so fat that their balls disappeared.That's a pretty good description of it. And in the process, they let us all down.
"
"You and I hunger for ideological leadership and we're not getting it from the top. Conservatism, conservative ideology was nowhere to be found in this campaign from the top," Limbaugh said today in his post-election analysis. "The Democrats beat something with nothing."
Pretty accurate comment but I would change it to the Democrats beat "nothing with nothing." We didn't offer much of a plan. They didn't offer a plan. The theme of the election seemed to be who will do a worse job, not who will do the best job governing.
The future of conservatism depends on such RINOs being confronted and eliminated from power in the GOP. Conservatives in the GOP -- like Mike Pence -- must step up and save the party.
You can thank that ineffectual "stuffed shirt" Scott McClellan who was an unmitigated DISASTER. He cowered in the face of the liberal media and presented an apologetic and weak public face of the administration.
Scott McClellan should have never been hired for such a visible position. There had to be someone other than Ari Fleischer or Tony Snow who could present a cogent counterpoint to the MSM and not just stand there like a punching bag.
Another person I blame is Robert Novak who just sat by and let the Administration be attacked day after day, and lives of the innocent be ruined, when he knew the truth and refused to reveal it.
By the time Tony Snow replaced the hideous McClellan it was too late to recover. Ditto the truth about Armitage.
If the Administration learns anything, I hope it is that they have to take responsibility for making their case to the American people, and not rely on conservative talk radio or voter "metrics."
I'm sure that comment was aimed at W as much as anyone.
Rush is a team player and I'm sure he was biting his tongue over and over and wanted to help the Republicans maintain control of Congress, although he did say many times that Bush was NOT a true Conservative.
I feel the same way and I'm sure there are many here as well, who in the last few weeks, held back our fire against W and now, we are free to criticize at will and if W is going to roll over for the Dhimis (for poll numbers, a legacy or whatever) and give them whatever they want, he will not get a free pass from me and I hope, from others here.
Time for a Conservative Party?
Amen. That was a perfect opportunity for him to SHUT UP.
"Actually the biggest issue was corruption.
Mehlman last night admitted it last night without shading on NBC."
Didn't see that, do you have a link, or can you be more specific about the corruption?
Well, I doubt very much that the United States is a country for strongly ideological parties. So probably there is some maximum value of ideological strength which is possible for a successful party here, and that maximum is not high.
I don't gamble on the net, and if someone else does I don't give a crap. Expanding the government to crack down on net gambling was wrong, because we need a smaller government.
This just hit me, one reason the Red Chinese kick our ass, is the people do not have to support a bureaucracy as large as the Federal, State, and local ones here are.
Where was the reduction in government scope the last two years?
Pesky facts.
Maybe instead of talk show hosts trashing republicans, it's time to focus on trashing democrats.
Shouldn't blame people for voting for the candidate they believed in. If the candidate you wanted to win lost "because of" those numbers then it's the candidate's fault for not being a guy those voters could believe in. This was true in 92 when the conservatives split between Bush and Perot, and 96 with Dole and Perot, and 2000 when the liberal split between Gore and Nader. The correct question isn't "what would have happened if all those people hadn't voted Libertarian?", the question that should be asked is "why couldn't Burns get these people to vote for him?"
PA LEASE!!! Stop making excuses!!! I am sick of the excuses!!
You want to run anybody who isn't a "real conservative" out of the party?
My opinion of why Santorum lost as a PA voter? Combination of factors. 1. He completely pissed off the hard-core conservatives by backing Specter in 2004. If Specter had won the primary over Toomey by 20 points, nobody would have held a grudge, but Toomey lost by 2 damn points, and many of us are still bitter.
2. He says a lot of wacky religious things, which irritate us non-religious types. My brother is a hard-core conservative as it comes, but he voted for Casey! When asked why, he said, "Santorum is kind of a wacko..."
3. Many see him as a faux conservative. He's the number 3 man in the Senate, so if the Senate is a wishy-washy bunch which is not advancing the conservative agenda, he's gotta bear some responsibility. I called his office after HR 2611 passed and the Mexicans were taking to the streets. I wanted to know his stance on HR 2611. The woman said, "The Senator has no position at this time, however, you are free to tell me your position...." Boom, a month later he's against immigration. If he thought he could have gotten away with it, he would have been on the Bush-open borders team, but couldn't with the election coming up. He might as well have, then he could have lost 62-38, instead of 59-41.
That being said, I voted for him, even made some phone calls on his behalf. He is a far better Senator than Bob Casey will be.
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