Posted on 02/07/2008 11:52:02 AM PST by Dr. Free Market
This is my idea, and I am trying to get a read on what you think people would do and its effect...
The other option is a piece I’m working on now for my blog which argues that McCain has a *chance* for greatness. (’scuse me as I choke on those words...)
Seriously. I argue that McCain could choose to put aside his apparent need and affection for approval and adoration from the MSM. (big IF)
If we could somehow appeal to his Rushmore sized ego and persuade him that should he chose to govern as a true Reagan clone, he could be remembered forever as a real hero in the conservative movement and the Republican party.
It’s up to McCain and what he wants his legacy to be.
8 more years of Hildabeast.
President Reagan once said: “I didn?t leave the Democratic Party. It left me.” Well, that applies to the Republican Party today. A party that supports huge spending bills, amnesty for illegals, assault weapons bans and making nice with Ted Kennedy is not the party I signed up for! I guess it’s time to form a REAL conservative party. Any suggestions how to go about it?
You know what I mean. Where’s our rich conservative that believes he can save the movement? I hear a lot of crickets chirping right now.
>Any effort to start a new party will take time, and numerous election cycles to establish itself, and be perceived as a major party.<
When founding a third party it must clearly spell out its purpose and goal from its very establishment and this must be reflected in its name e.g. American Nationalist Party or America First Party.
The unintended effect would be President Hillary Clinton.
Her primary objective will be to cement her power so that no conservative idea will ever see the light of day ever again.
Are you thinking that we can recover from a Clinton presidency in 2012 or 2016? WRONG.
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She will push for amnesty and thus create 20-30 million new democrat voters.
She will enact the Fairness Doctrine to silence dissenting conservative voices. Expect some controls on the internet as well.
She will use her influence in the MSM to ridicule anything conservative.
She will use FBI files to embarass anyone who challenges her. She’s done it before and will do it again.
She will restrict homeschooling and force children into the public school system of indoctrination. With no threat of vouchers, homeschoolers or other kinds of accountability, public “educators” will be free to make our children into good little democrat-youths.
She will enact strict gun laws, thus eliminating any chance of an armed revolt against the tyranny she intends to produce.
And her socialism programs will be difficult to reverse. How do you undo socialized medicine; we haven’t been able to reverse socialized retirement.
>>>
So the unintended effect of a significant third party will be the death of American conservatism.
Newy is a third-wayer now, not a conservative.
yep, Democrats win in ‘08 if this gets going.
It’s got to be done independent of the election cycle if possible.
But, what happens if your GOP has been overtaken at the top levels by moderates? Which is where I think we stand.
We have been slowly compromised to the point that all we do is battle among ourselves over who is more conservative, on and on.
We are seeing in this docket of potential candidates that the GOP has offered us - that conservative means nothing. We have seen on the amnesty revolt that the GOP was against us rather than for us.
What conservative political party would even consider a McCain as a potential candidate, when he has continually assaulted the conservative views to turn to the liberal side?
A GOP based on conservatism would be at war with him - not backing his run as president.
So, first, we have to realize what we are being told - that we are the minority and that our leaders seek to squash us.
There is a constitution party. Their approach to the US military, trade etc. tends to be similar to Ron Paul's, Ross Perot's isolationism.
Newt believes in global warming and is not a conservative.
The suggestion of a Federalist party, which has been made by others, would make more sense. It would also have to be willing to exist for a long time as a minority party blocking liberal legislation. - I think taking back the Republicans may be a better option, since the holding back liberal legislation, would accomplish the same objective.
The problem is the presidential election with no one for which to vote.
You forgot doing away with the Electoral College...to ensure the South and Middle America never have any say in future presidental elections.
Moving to a purely popular vote will ensure that New York, San Fran/Oakland, Chicago, and L.A. elect all of our presidents for years to come. Hardly bastions of conservatism, those cities.
She has openly mentioned her desire to do away with it, primarily after the 2000 election.
Our only saving grace would be that it’s hardcoded into the constitution, and it would require 3/5ths of the states to ratify it. But liberals have already shown they have ways around the constitution...so I wouldn’t declare it impossible.
Was Bush frequently ill advised on strategy? Sure. Men he respected told him that Iraq could be done on the cheap. Others doubted that and said "go large" - McCain among them, myself among them, the Army chief of staff among them. He didn't until recently, and that less than half the amount advised, but it has made a serious difference on the ground.
All the defeats have been political. And the blame for those falls at least as heavily on those who attacked their president in time of war seeking political gain from the country's failure.
And sorry, you can't prevent another 4 years of error by sitting this one out.
Your view is exactly the action that lost us the majority during the 06’ elections.
Letting them fail so that they will turn to us for the perfect solution has cost us conservative elections and put in more and more liberals.
We need fighters - not quitters striving for failure. Failure does not engender growth - it engenders failure.
We are living in a society that is more and more wanting the government to be responsible for all their needs. They do not see that that means giving up liberty.
We have to recruit more to our numbers and help them see the purpose of conservatism and the freedom it promises.
I have all the individual freedom and responsibility I require, right in the republican party, and I freely choose to do the responsible thing that is best for my country. You can blow your nose instead, for all I care.
I agree that rebuilding the republican party is necessary and the way to go. However there is only one way it can be done. The liberal/RINO leadership and up-&-coming RINOs need to be defeated and basically pointed to the democrats or socialist party, depending. If repubs take a wallop in the 08 elections because the party anoints RINO McCain, conservatives have to be ready to put pressure on the RNC and exert whatever influence they have to start shifting power and keep at it (not give up when things get tough or drawn out) until we’ve got the bulk of the power.
One way to help ensure this is to back the conservative republican congressman and senator in your state. Pressure the RNC to support the conservative republican even if the incumbent is a RINO (they normally back the incumbent RINO because of stability and statistics). It’s why Bush stumped for Specter instead of the true conservative. But there is never decent enough payback to conservatives for doing this. Donate to your local conservative repubs. Tell the RNC to as well, and that until they start backing conservative repubs and prove they are giving the money to conservative republican candidates, the purse is closed to them.
The power of the purse is the only thing that will start shifting the power over to conservative repubs, for most of us. For some with influential connections and standing in the party, you gotta use your position to promote and advocate for conservative republicans and not backing RINOs and liberal republicans.
If that makes the party a little smaller, if the real libs and RINOs leave, so be it. They don’t do very much for us and their hearts aren’t conservative and they are the ones that foment dissent and confusion among the party as a whole.
Good points. You are right - we have to be realists at this time in history.
But, we can prepare for the future. There is nothing to say we can’t stay in the GOP but on the side start working in another direction. Promoting conservatism, teaching conservatism and growing our numbers and making stands.
When we are strong - then we make the decision to go 3rd party or, if possible, correct from within the GOP.
You want to believe in the socialist fuehrerprinzip. In America, there is no one man who can jump start a movement. Reagan did not start conservatism, nor did he fund it. The same is true of FDR and socialism.
The problem is that Republican voters left conservatism. The defect is at the mass level, not at the top.
Agree.
There is no way to burst full blown on the scene and win elections. That will never happen.
But, there is nothing to say we cannot start that growth from within the GOP, teach, recruit and make stands. At the very least we will not tear down and spend 20 years trying to rebuild to where we were.
But, the conservative voice must speak up, take action, and GROW.
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