Posted on 11/04/2008 7:55:15 PM PST by CWW
I have been a Freeper fo over 10 years, and here are my 2 cents for what it's worth.
--WHY REPUBLICANS LOST –
1. Weak Candidate – C’mon, be serious. If it weren’t for Palin, it would have been a worse bloodbath than it is.
2. Poorly Run Campaign – McCain offered no alternative plan and chose the gentleman’s course by unilaterally disarming on the most important issues, e.g., Rev. Wright, Obama’s radical abortion position, immigration, Cap and Trade/Global Warming, Campaign Finance, etc.
3. Spendthrift Congressional Republicans -- squandered their capital by spending like drunken sailors and by supporting President Bush on liberal spending programs like No-Child Left Behind, Prescription Drugs, Immigration, etc. They also alienated conservatives by compromising on judicial appointments.
4. Unilateral Disarmament -- by voting for McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform, which Bush signed. McCain Was Hoisted On His Own Petard!! 5. Failure of President Bush to Use Bully Pulpit to Sell War and Explain It’s Relevancy to Peace & Stability.
6. Economic Collapse on Republican Party’s Watch -- the signs were there, but the public was kept in the dark. Blame at the 11th hour on Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, et al. was too little, too late.
7. To Much Compromise on Important Issues to Support President Bush – Campaign Finance Reform, Immigration, Prescription Drug Boondoggle, No-Child Left Behind, etc.
8. Infighting Among Conservatives-- Evangelicals split there vote in the primary between Romney and Huckaby. With all of his faults, Romney would have run circles around Obama on economic policy – the very issue that decided the election.
9. Biased Media – Unbelievably bias, and this will not change – EVER.
Some of these factors were not within the party’s control. But many were, e.g., controlling spending, and running an aggressive campaign with a positive theme, etc.
The fight for the control of the Republican Party is over. The moderate Gerald Ford-Country Club Wing has lost. They could not convince Reagan Democrats to cross over despite the groveling and “reaching across the isle”.
HOW TO WIN NEXT TIME:
1. Stand for Something Besides Your Personal Re-Election, Dammit!!
2. Don’t be afraid to take unpopular positions if they are the right positions. People will follow a leader. 3. Create a conservative platform and require candidates to take the pledge to earn party support.
4. Recruit conservative candidates who have lived in the real world and held real jobs. No more party insiders. Recruit more conservative women!!
5. Use every opportunity possible to hold democrats accountable for every vote, every failed policy and every tidbit of bad news.
6. Shun liberal Republicans and liberal candidates.
7. Revitalize the grass roots conservative base by opposing liberal democrat policies at every turn.
8. Adopt a “No More Pork” Pledge. 9. Oppose ALL spending increases except for Defense.
10. Introduce tax cut bills for small businesses over and over and over.
11. Oppose income redistribution to people who don’t pay income taxes. 12. Stand firm on immigration and securing our borders.
13. Oppose policies that weaken the family -- gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, etc.
14. Develop more alternative forms of media to deliver the conservative message - -More Blogs, more Webinars, More College Republican Clubs, More Rubber-Chicken Dinners to Spread the word, etc. 15. Replace the ENTIRE Republican leadership in the House and Senate. They lost; they should be gone. Period.
You nailed it!
However, I have serious doubts that the Republican party can, or will, stand up to the Dems.
They've consistently been the "go along to get along party" for so long that I don't see them changing.
My thoughts are more along the lines of forming a new party or joining an already existing one.
www.falconparty.com
McCain did not lose because he’s a RINO. He lost because moral conservatives are out numbered in this country. And because the have nots have come together to take from the haves.
#10. Race.
Seriously. When did FR become so PC that we can’t state the obvious?
The fight to convince parents of the value of homeschooling is essential, both to liberate the young and to reduce the number of new soldiers the left has to recruit in their government run indoctrination centers. At the very least, work to establish vouchers somewhere and expand on it when possible.
The Left knows how vouchers will kill their monopoly, which is why they fight them tooth and nail.
I sent money to the Republicans this year for the first time since Iran-Contra broke into the news, and I did so because of Governor Palin’s nomination.
Senator McCain is an honorable senator, firmly imbued with the ethos of the place (and I mean that nicely). He does not have the necessary instincts of a presidential candidate.
Of the five candidates, I guess I had Guiliani first (too liberal, but fundamentally a decent person), then Thompson (but let’s have some fire), then Romney, and finally McCain. That other guy, Huckleberry or whatever, just was unacceptable. Am I surprised that my fourth choice didn’t win the election. Frankly, no.
Nope, it’s not yet. CWW is right on points however. McCain’s campaign was run by a bunch of RINO, excuse the election night French, pussies. We’ve heard them giving up tonight on exit polls. I heard one of them on FNC set it up so that he may blame Gov. Palin. Gov. Palin was the only bright spot in this campaign.
There’s a reason why we’re conservative and not necessarily republican. McCain may have not donned the cushy and gay sweater, but he may as well have. His campaign was never focused, and if not for his one wise decision of selecting Gov. Palin, this would be looking far worse.
Good post, and absolutely true.
Cleaning up elections is now in the hands of three branches of Government controlled by those that perpetrate it. How do we fix it with those odds?
We exchange e-mail addresses because this forum is history.
those numbers from Ohio haven’t changed in about two hours. It’s old news... sorry
The next big loser of the night. No candidate from now on is going to accept public financing ever.
What you said, and:
“16”—Keep our best, most eloquent and feisty conservative spokespeople on speed dial so they may ram the “Fairness Doctrine” down the throats of the MSM once it is returned.
B-1 Bob Dornan/Duncan Hunter/Tom Tancredo/Sarah Palin come most directly to mind...along with Michael Steele, J. C. Watts, Bobby Jindal.
This is the worst night of my life.Truth be damned !!
He got away with this sham,I am so sick and we will never be the same ever again!! It was all about race and lies !!
So what if he is not a american Citizen......
So true!...adding this:
This was the night the seed was planted to let the CONSERVATIVE PARTY grow.
boycott all of them... including FOX News... just stay away... don't peek to see what they're saying... just cut them off completely...
I disagree. The Republican party better start NOW to figure out what principles it stands for. That comes first -- the candidate is secondary.
McCain decided to play by the stupid rule of “campaign finance” that he helped write. He was severlyy outspent which killed him.
The fact that we had a meltdown in the financial markets was too much to overcome with a candidate who cannot eloquently talk about what happened.
Good points. I need to see the positive in this. Sort of like cleaning out a wound so it can heal properly.
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