Posted on 11/09/2008 8:04:44 AM PST by Pondo
As Republicans, we face a choice.
Either we can spend the next several months -- or years -- trying to figure out what just happened, excusing our defeat away as a temporary blip or the result of a poor environment, and waiting for Barack Obama to trip up. Or we can refuse to take this defeat lying down, and start building the future of our party now.
2008 made one thing clear: if allowed to go unchecked, the Democrats' structural advantages, including their use of the Internet, their more than 2-to-1 advantage with young voters, their discovery of a better grassroots model -- will be as big a threat to the future of the GOP as the toxic political environment we have faced the last few years.
The time is now to set in motion the changes needed to rebuild our party from the grassroots up, modernize the way we run campaigns, and attract different, energetic, and younger candidates at all levels.
We must be conservative in philosophy -- but bold in our approach. We don't need a slight tweak here or there. We need transformation. We can't keep fighting a 21st century war with 20th century weapons.
(Excerpt) Read more at rebuildtheparty.com ...
I think open primaries should be the first to go. This is how we ended up with McCain.
More than drain the swamp of RINOs in the party, we also need to shed the light on the RINOs here in FR.
I’ve been promoting a litmus matrix for all of us. That way we can see what these RINOs have been trying to hide. We don’t need to ban them, in fact it’s useful to have them around. But we do need to know who they are.
Second, may be to start a Constitutional Party. Who knows.
I think that one of the first things we do is change how we pick our candidate. Ohio was a battleground state but by the time our primary came around our candidate had already been decided.
I went to the website and read it. They do indeed have some good ideas and supporting these people is a good place to start rebuilding the conservative movement in my opinion.
I vote for new party. I am not interested in sharing my new party with socialism-lite.
Sent a email to them. This is what I was talking about the other day.
I do have some questions for them and I did voice them. This is war. I hope they are ready to go to the mat.
Of course, we are always pulling thier butts out of the fire as usual. Yes, they need us bigtime.
The problem is not that the Republicans need to recruit more people - the people would come on their own if the Republicans offered a message that inspired them.
They have gotten away from conservative principles - this is why they lost!
Change that & the people will come, you won’t have to recruit them - they will come on their own.
The problem with changing that is you can’t do it with these same old elitists that are currently in charge - this is not their message, they don’t believe in it.
We either have to get rid of these people (I find that outcome unlikely - they have the money & the power) - OR - we need to have another party as our vehicle of conservative principles. This option won’t be easy, but the sooner we start on it, the quicker it will happen.
I frankly think the GOP is dead.
I just don’t believe in the GOP anymore. The two parties are almost the same. I have the feeling that no matter what we do, the coup has already happened. Seems to me that the trillion+ bailout was the end and it happened under a Republican president. We need some vitality brought to our election process and a whole new system, IMHO.
Interesting website, thanks. Still reading but they have some good ideas - I personally could givt a damn if it’s a new Conservative Party or a Reformed Republican Party, but practically I realize the former will take many years to get organized, years we can’t afford to waste.
In looking at “The Coalition” I couldn’t help wondering why Jim Robinson’s name should not be included. Or a designated representative from FR. Thoughts?
I like the fact that the successful new media are supporting this. I haven’t supported or donated to the RNC the last few years but they still call with the same tired spiel (fear about democrats mostly). I understand and fear Obama and his liberal allies, but I’m not going to waste my money on an ineffective opposition.
#1 Purge the NEOconservatives and bring back true conservatism.
#2 Change the campaign rhetoric. The tactics used in the campaign were horrible, so negative turned off a LOT of voters, me included. I don’t care for Lindsey Graham but he was correct the RNC looks like a party of grumpy old men.
#3 Get new blood and I don’t mean Palin types, too fringe. If the RNC wants to win elections they have to find credible, intelligent, articulate candidates.
“For another they need to completely change their system of selecting candidates, open primaries are a pitfall trap as we have witnessed in several major elections.”
For some time now (ever since the nomination of McCain) I have been suggesting closed primaries and at least in the Republican primaries, the most conservative states vote first.
Better
“I think open primaries should be the first to go. This is how we ended up with McCain.”
And front-load the more conservative states.....day one; Texas, Utah, Idaho, Louisiana.
lol YES!
“I’ve been promoting a litmus matrix for all of us”
I’m interested in checking that out.
And what might that be, I've seen the bail out BS and the building of roads to private developments enough.
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