Posted on 02/28/2007 7:54:19 AM PST by Al Simmons
Wedge Issues Posted by: “Common Tator” in FreeRepublic.com April 16, 2002
The one thing that amazes me on this site is the belief by some that the conservative position is the majority position.
Mostly people tend to believe it could be the majority position if the right candidate ran, or if it weren't for the media or RINOs or etc, etc. They really don't have a clue.
Roughly 2/3 of the public has firm views. They have made up their minds and do not change them. This group is nearly equally split between the left and the right.
There are about a 1/3 of the population that is never sure. Sometimes it will go left and sometimes it will go right.
When a party restricts itself to its base it will be in a minority party. The "base only" party will be reduced to crying as the other side works its will. In some nations both the left and right restrict themselves to just their base. That nation then develops five or six parties. And all governments in that nation are coalitions of a major party and some of the minor parties. In that situation the minor party always has more influence than its numbers represent. For the Rino and Dino haters that is the worst of all worlds.
Many of Rino and Dino haters try to make ours a 3 or 4 party system. They never figure out that their splinter right or left party would never get much power in a government based on coalitions. They are too small. It is the centrist parties that have a 1/3 of the public as potential members that get the clout in the Multi Party system. As you can see in a 2 party or a 5 or 6 party system the center tends to prevail.
But in our two party system the center is an instrument the major parties use to enact their goals. In the multiparty system it is the center parties that use the right and left to enact their centrist goals. Such a system like those in Italy and France are RINO and DINO paradise.
This nation now and for all of the last 140 years has been roughly 1/3 left, 1/3 right and 1/3 in the middle. Those in the middle who run for office are what we call RINOs and DINOs.
When Republicans drive RINOs out they leave the party to become DINOs and take their political power with them. The Democrat party gets them by default.
Then the Democrats thanks to its Dino buddies have a veto proof house and senate. It was Barry Goldwater's greatest accomplishment. In my BRAIN I knew Barry would elect a lot of DINOs ... and he did.
If a party with most of the center wins the presidency too, they have a filibuster proof senate. That party then can do anything it wants to do. When the party leadership takes control they implement the parties’ core beliefs. It was what LBJ did after Goldwater drove all the RINOs into LBJ's camp. It let LBJ do the "Great Society." LBJ had to have Barry's help to do it. And Barry did what it took to give LBJ the support he needed... LBJ had all the left. Barry gave him all the center.
To win control a party must keep its base and get over half the middle. If the Republicans have more RINOs than the Democrats have DINOs the Republican agenda prevails. If the Democrats have more DINOs than the Republicans have RINOs the Democrat agenda prevails.
Those that demand the defeat of RINOs are doing all they can to enact the leftist agenda. They are the most valuable asset the left has. One of the most effective tactics in politics in the negative campaign.
Negative campaigns are not about getting votes for your candidate. They are about getting the other side's base to not vote for their candidate. Thus if you can get the right to vote against a Rino or not vote at all, you can elect a very liberal candidate.
If you can force the Republicans to nominate a right wing candidate so right wing he can't get the center voters, you elect the left candidate.
YOU probably think that is a sane statement.
As a despised moderate, my feelings are hurt.
:-)
Oh, I like it! :-)
Yes, Rudy has a long history of anti-RKBA actions. I do enjoy listening to him. He hung tough on 9-11. He cracked down on the thugs in NYC while Mayor. Many accomplishments. But he is an "anti..." and all that it implies.
There is a time for everything, retreat is in the best interest sometimes. Do feel one should always attack attack attack even if you are getting killed and have no chance to advance?
Wow....great info ....Thanks for the Link!!!!
Actually, it was a drawing. Just think how pro-aborts and their enablers would squirm if it WAS a pic of the real thing. Can't have the truth about what abortion actually is shown, can we?
That's all I needed to know. Just be sure to tear up your own sheets when you feel the need to retreat.
Thank you for mentioning the conservative candidate who can bring not only the Republican base, but also the majority of moderates into the winning numbers to win the Presidency. Simmons' argument is based on oversimplification. The Presidency is not won on simple majority of popular vote. It is won by a majority of electoral votes. Gullible conservatives for too long have accepted skim-milk candidates, who proved unfaithful to conservative principles when elected. (You may start with General Eisenhower). If one takes Simmons' figures at face value, his assumptions based on those figures, and apathetically accepts his conclusio; then why even have a campaign? If all the electorate are just numbers, with no hearts, brains, feelings, or rationality, they would fall for his false argument. Thank God we are not. Duncan Hunter as Republican candidate might even win the electoral votes of his home state. He may even have enough appeal to carry Pennsylvania, Ohio and (Oh, now, really!)
New York. There are many variables, time, geography, ISSUES and so forth. Driving RINOS out and keeping them out should have been on the agenda since the Coolidge administration. In my estimation, Herbert Hoover was RINO. Read his political life. He was most of all, an opportunist politically, neither fish nor fowl until he saw the most likely path to power. I include this opinion to bring about some second thoughts on the part of those so easily swallowing Simmons' proposition. I say,'Take the long view. Pray for America. Elect Duncan Hinter President'
So you feel a tactical retreat is NEVER called for? Hopefully you will never be a leader, if the only decision is always to go forward no matter the situation, why have people that make decisions?
There was a bit more at the bottom of the original:
Wellstone has just one strategy. That is to cost the Republican candidate his base. He knows the Republican candidate has enough center to defeat him. But if the Republican base can be made to sit on its hands or protest vote then Wellstone can prevail.
In politics it is called using wedge issues. The right has a very large number of wedgeable members. The left really enjoys driving the wedge to make them do things counter productive to their goals. When you talk to people who fall for negative campaigning, they always tell you that when the right guy comes along to sell the right views, his side will prevail.
You keep saying to yourself that people can't be that dumb.... but experience proves that they are.
If Rudy gets the nomination I will vote for him. If Romney or Hunter get the nomination, I will vote for them because it means voting against Hillary (Iran is progressive and treats women well) Clinton or Barack (What past? I have no past! What madrassa in Indonesia? There are NO madrassas in Indonesia and I never attanded one of them!) Obama.
Don't be too hard on the anal rententives. They are the reason I have decided to hold my nose and vote McStain if, God forbid, he gets the nomination in order to vote against a cut-n-runner in the WH - and I DESPISE McStain.
There are about a 1/3 of the population that is never sure. Sometimes it will go left and sometimes it will go right.
While this "sounds" reasonable, when it comes to abortion, it is totally untrue!
Less than a third of the people in this country agree with Rudy's position that abortion should be legal no matter what from the moment of conception up to the moment of delivery. And yes, the remaining numbers SEEM split between a ban and restrictions, when you begin to break down the restrictions you will find that the number of abortions that would result under these restrictions is exceedingly small. And almost NOBODY is undecided on the issue of abortion in the United States. Now, I am fully aware that the pro-abortionists can provide other polls; however, when you start breaking them down, what I have stated holds true.
And keep in mind when Rudy says something to the effect of "I wouldn't recommend a family member having an abortion, but I would never deny a woman this right," he is saying the exact same think that NEARLY EVERY Democrat has said for the past 34 years.
It's a shame that a good portion of the Republican party sits firmly to the left of "moderate" territory. And when they continue to turn left, they lose voters like myself.
I am a conservative and no longer identify myself as a Republican. Doesn't mean I won't vote for SOME Republicans, but I will NOT vote party line any more. I haven't left the party; the party has left me.
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