The Death of the GOP and the Birth of a New Political Party

I was holding out hope that we could save the Republican Party from it’s slow, deliberate and painful march towards irrelevance. But with the only Reaganite in the primary election, Duncan Hunter, dropping out this past weekend, and Tom Tancredo long gone after being pilloried by the GOP cheerleaders on ‘conservative’ talk radio, and Fred Thompson, the only other reasonably traditional conservative, unable to get the necessary traction for a competitive race against the moderates, it is time to cut our losses and let the collapse take its natural course.

The GOP, the RNC and their mouthpieces in the conservative media have alternately argued that Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and John McCain are upstanding conservatives worthy of support. Despite each having undeniable careers as moderate to liberal politicians, a sampling of arguments have been made recently in said media that Mr. Giuliani would be good for the pro-life movement, that Mr. Romney’s record in Massachusetts was a model of conservative governance, and that Mr. McCain does not support amnesty. All demonstrably false. And each man a demonstrable prevaricator in his current claims.

There are plenty of other 3rd parties in existence, but none that adhere to the unparalleled wisdom of what our Founders laid out in the constitution, coupled with the policies that, in times past, made the GOP great: The party of life, liberty, limited government, sovereignty, low taxes, and military might. In forming a new party, I have no intention of creating a refuge for fringe thinkers, disgruntled defeatists, vengeful has-beens, or self pitying 'victims'. This will be the party of fearlessness and bold ideas for the future; but one consistently anchored in the wisdom of the ages, the understanding of man's nature, and the constraints of our founding documents. We will draw inspiration and ideas and self discipline from sources both ancient and new: from Plato, St. Augustine, Charlemagne and DaVinci to Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, and Ben Franklin to Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan, and many others.

It is time to reject everything the Democratic Party has stood for the last 40 years, and not co-opt its ideas. It is time to reject the Libertarians and their blinders that obscure the dangers from terrorists, terror sponsoring nations, quislings, communist regimes, and moral decay. It is time to reject the useless 3rd parties that have interests far too narrow to ever compete for America’s affection. Whether it is the Green Party with its socialism and trumped up nonsense about global warming and the demise of the planet, or the Constitution/US Taxpayers Party with its paleocon notions of trade and fearful, ‘head in the sand’ foreign policy, or the Centrist Party with it’s “third way” Clintonian doublespeak, these parties have demonstrated not only an inability to make a difference, but the inability to offer a compelling reason why they are superior, or a coherent conservative vision....a vision that fits the reality of our heritage and the reality of 21st century geo-politics. It is time for a Conservative party.

The GOP had a golden opportunity with the ascension of Ronald Reagan to become the dominant, conservative force in American politics. In fact, in 1994, it looked as if they had succeeded, but it took a Clinton victory in 1992 and a big liberal push for socialized medicine to animate the GOP after 4 years of visionless leadership under GHW Bush. But the decay has been swift ever since.

Just what did Reagan do? Reagan rejected the fear inspired détente policy of Nixon, Kissinger and the RINOs. He rejected Jimmy Carter’s and the democrats’ limp-wristed foreign policy – everything from giving away the Panama Canal, to the embarrassing and foolhardy policy towards Iran, to their complete misunderstanding of the USSR’s intentions. Reagan rejected the 50 year nanny state drift that our country had embarked upon (and since resumed). As he famously declared, “government is not the answer to our problems, government IS the problem”. Reagan rejected the ideas from the feminist cabal, everything from the Equal Rights Amendment (pushed by RINOs such as Howard Baker and Gerald Ford), to abortion being a “right to choose”, to the attacks on the traditional family. Reagan also knew that our survival would only be assured if the USA was ready and willing to fight for it. Hence, he undertook the largest non-wartime buildup of our military in the nation’s history. He coupled that with the restoration of discipline that was lost during the post Vietnam era. It is the main reason why the USSR no longer exists today. Reagan also went about proving once and for all that lower tax rates and deregulation spur economic growth and greater income for the federal treasury and the individual citizen. Once chided by his GOP opponents for “voodoo economics”, Reagan changed the entire landscape of that debate. Reagan failed in some areas, no doubt about it, but working with democrat majorities in both houses during most of his term made it impossible for him to carry out a full agenda. But that agenda has been largely abandoned by the Republicans anyway.

‘A Thousand Points of Light’, a ‘Kinder, Gentler Nation’, the ‘Straight Talk Express’, and ‘Compassionate Conservatism’ all pointed to a direction away from conservative principles. Conservatism is not cruel, it needed no kinder-gentler admonition. Conservatism is straight talk, Mr. McCain, but you don’t know it because you were too busy siding with the liberals and fighting conservatives in far too many arenas. And conservatism is compassionate, Mr. Bush – compassionate to the taxpayers, to liberty, to the constitution, and to the rule of law. Qualifiers are not needed, and only lead to government sticking its nose in places where it scarcely belongs.

Far too much of what Reagan and his conservative allies fought for has been coming unglued, slowly but surely since he retired. Aside from the 1994 Contract with America, the resumption of the liberal nanny-state has been re-invigorated and the growth of the federal leviathan has marched on largely unopposed with novel, new ways to redistribute our wealth; created and fostered by Democrats and Republicans alike.

During the Bush I and Clinton years, the size of our Army was reduced down to 10 divisions, from 18. The spending on missile defenses atrophied. If not for patriots such as Duncan Hunter, Curt Weldon and others fighting for every defense dollar, the decay would have been even worse. A 1994 ‘crime bill’ included the feds paying for city cops, a ban on rifles that looked like assault weapons, and midnight basketball social programs. The conservatives fought this, but the RINOs prevailed and helped it pass into law. The Reaganites such as Hunter, Jessie Helms and Henry Hyde warned their party repeatedly and loudly not to cave in and award Permanent Normal Trade Relations to communist China. Despite overwhelming evidence of Chinese malfeasance, the GOP capitulated, and gave Clinton his legacy legislation, to the detriment of our national security and industrial base.

George W Bush gave his father short shrift during the 2000 campaign for the presidency, and instead claimed Ronald Reagan as his inspiration, despite the compassionate conservative mantra. With a decent record as a tax cutter in Texas, pro-life credentials and an admirable swagger, he won the primary over RINO McCain and then squeaked out the presidency over a sitting vice president. So far so good. Though conservatives knew full well that Bush intended to add a prescription drug plan to Medicare, little did we know that he would give the democrats mostly what they wanted in the plan at the expense of market-based ideas. And little did we know that his education bill would be co-written by Edward Kennedy, and that education spending would skyrocket. Little did we know that he would sign the McCain Feingold campaign finance reform disaster after being a vociferous opponent of such legislation. Little did we know that non-discretionary spending would balloon even with both chambers of Congress in Republican hands. Little did we know that the State Department under Bush’s closest ally, Condi Rice, would largely resemble the Clinton State Department. Little did we know that after years of defending gun owners, the Justice Department would side with the Washington DC gun confiscation lobby on the current case before the Supreme Court. And little did we know that Republican pledges to seal the border meant nothing of the sort, and would offer amnesty to 12 to 20 million illegal aliens instead.

This is not to say that President Bush is a bad man or not a ‘good republican’. He has several fine accomplishments under his belt, including being undaunted by extreme criticism over Iraq (which has shown great promise as of late) and giving us substantial tax cuts twice during his presidency. He has a good heart. But the problem is that being a good republican does not equate to being a good conservative. Defense spending is still not what it needs to be while all other spending is far, far higher than it ever should be. Our porous borders remain porous. Our debt continues to race upwards. Our government bows down at the altar of political correctness. And we have traded in our confident, self assured diplomacy that understood the paramount necessity of US sovereignty for a phony globalism; a hodgepodge of agreements and treaties that are more akin to leeches on our nation’s arteries, and an affront to our Constitution.

Instead of sending useless programs, subsidies, pork and bureaucrats to the ash heap of history, the Republicans instead chose to feather their own beds. They chose to continue ignoring the impending Social Security and Medicare meltdowns. They chose to increase spending on virtually every marginal or worthless federal department, including the Dept. of Education, the Department of Energy and the DOT. The Bush administration is even warming, quickly I might add, to the idea of ‘global warming’ being a legitimate problem. And the coddling of Abbas in the Palestinian territories is no better than Clinton’s coddling of Arafat – with similar results. In other words, it is a mess, with no overriding vision, much less a conservative one.

So today, I propose a new party, the party of Fealty to America, Liberty, Conservatism, Optimism and Nobility – FALCON. A party whose ‘Rendezvous with Destiny’ will result in the preservation of this greatest beacon of freedom in the history of nations. A party that will stay true to the intent of the founders and the magnificent and inspired documents they produced. A party that will incorporate the wisest, conservative, and timeless principles of governance and leadership; principles espoused by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Churchill, and Ronald Reagan, while learning from their shortcomings. A party that will not be constrained or intimidated or fooled by the United Nations, ‘world opinion’, or the false seductions of collectivism- in any of its guises. A party that will deconstruct the regulatory labyrinth that has festered and grown over many decades. A party that understands our nation is a republic of independent states, whose affairs are not to be dictated by the federal government in matters outside the constraints of our Constitution. A party that will treat other nations with good will and friendship when good will and friendship is desired and reciprocated. A party that will work diligently for peace yet recognizes that evil passions and ill intent have been forever present in the history of man and in the history of nation-states. A party that maintains a military might capable of defeating all threats - swiftly, decisively and simultaneously. A party that understands American Exceptionalism and understands the roots of that exceptionalism. And a party that recognizes and reveres the Divine Father as the source of our existence, our rights, and our country’s successes, past, present and future.

I will follow this call to arms up with a 20 point platform. Eight of the 20 items will address the philosophical underpinnings of the FALCON party. And the balance will address current issues that need immediate attention, such as entitlements, terrorism, taxes, and the economy.

There are still many people in this great country with the raw courage and commitment to universal truths that possessed our Founding Fathers. We shall join together to see that courage and commitment manifested in the governance of our nation, for the good of our nation, and the good of the world.

Note: The FALCON Party website will be up and running within 10 to 14 days. In the meantime, please contact the author at: ajmadison1787@yahoo.com

Frankly, I do NOT want the “squishy independent vote.”

I want conservatives to vote for conservatives.

Alas...there are no conservatives for whom to vote...not for President.

I think we should concentrate on the House.
Lord knows we need to own something to stop the tsunami that’s about to come.

The SC judges likely to retire during a Democrat’s tenure would be liberals anyway. McCain’s going to sign an amnesty bill just like Hillary or Obama would, so in my mind, why have the baggage placed on a Republican president’s shoulders? Plus, why reward McCain for years and years of screwing over the Republican party? We’d just be telling the GOP that we’re fine with how things are going.

The ‘06 Republican defeat was the fault of the fringe voters who stayed home and allowed the dims to win just as some here are suggesting will be done with this year’s election. The Republican leadership is smart enough to not allow that to happen again. New voters must be brought into the party to replace the extremists on the right that would see this country devastated by a Clinton presidency.

"The ‘06 Republican defeat was the fault of the fringe voters who stayed home and allowed the dims to win just as some here are suggesting will be done with this year’s election."

That was part of it, but not the sum total.
Folks were fed up with out of control spending, and scandals such as the Mark Foley thing.
Plus, the 'Rats ran on earmarks...they said they would get rid of them.

Don't you remember the "Culture of Corruption"?

" The Republican leadership is smart enough to not allow that to happen again."

I wish I had your confidence.

"New voters must be brought into the party to replace the extremists on the right that would see this country devastated by a Clinton presidency."

So...who are these "extremists" of whom you speak?

The name is too unweildy - I’d go with something like “Founders Party” or something....but beyond that, I think that the best play might be to have a “summit” of all the at least somewhat acceptable “third” parties and lay out an overarching Reaganite Platform and invite those who can accept it whole to merge into what would effectively be “The Party of Reagan”...maybe they would all be consumed with being big fish in their own small pound, but I’d at least ask.

The SC judges likely to retire during a Democrat's tenure would be liberals anyway. McCain's going to sign an amnesty bill just like Hillary or Obama would, so in my mind, why have the baggage placed on a Republican president's shoulders? Plus, why reward McCain for years and years of screwing over the Republican party? We'd just be telling the GOP that we're fine with how things are going.

I think one of the Judges is conservative, which would hurt our cause bad. We've got to hope that we can keep a conservative edge over the RATS. I know what your saying about McCain, but would you rather have Hillary or Obama?

I don’t think so. The oldest members on the Court are both very liberal—Stevens and Ginsburg. New next oldest are Scalia and Kennedy. I doubt Scalia’s going anywhere. I don’t know about Kennedy, but he’s a moderate at best.

I’m willing to take my chances and endure for four years if it means a chance to have a better option on the Republican side. I think McCain would be a disaster.

Anyone who votes for some idiot who called John F’in Kerry his “dear friend” is a fool at best, a degenerate at the worst.

Now go check the mirror, fool.

I’m in a generous mood this morning.

“End Times Crusader”, wotta joke.

Maybe in 2010 a new wave will appear. I have no idea why the GOP has tumbled so fast. But the voters have spoken.
I drew the line with McCain and Ill stand by it. He will probablly be the nom and I’ll stay home. RIP GOP.

...who called John F’in Kerry his “dear friend”...

I think this is another problem we all have with McCain, Lott, etc........this idiotic cordialiality between members of the opposing parties.

Think back, since 1994, the House was fairly conservative, passing decent legislation. The stumbling block was in the Senate, home of the RINOs, where everything fell apart.

Conservatives are sick of our Senators (even RINOs) being nice to the Dems while they stick knives in our back and call our President names.

This is an example of over reaching.

“The death of the GOP” doesn’t equate with the beginning of a third party.

The GOP will hang on for longer than this guy thinks. It’s just that it won’t be much like what it used to be.

Will that possibly lead to its death somewhere down the line? Possibly, but I don’t bet the ranch on it. But for sure it’s death doesn’t line up in the here and now, or in the near future, with this guy starting a third party.

A new party would not be a third party. The GOP has moved so far to the socialist left over the years that it has and is incrementally adopting the political ideology to the socialist Democrats. They are essentially one party. Another party will restore the two party system.

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