“Third - one thing needs to be understood clearly. Conservatives are extremely unlikely to ever prosper outside of the Republican Party. They must either fight to keep it pure (that is, socialism / socialist free) at the local level – or haul up the white flag of surrender. Third parties have done nothing to prosper conservatism, throughout this nation’s history. In fact, the few that have claimed conservatism (and largely aren’t) have repeatedly succeeded in doing nothing more than electing Democrats in the districts where third party candidates drew 1 to 2% of the vote – the margin by which the Democrat won. When any do gain office, they generally prove far less than conservative.
In fact the largest ‘third party’ vote ever recorded in US history was that of the ‘Progressive Party’ under Theodore Roosevelt, which drew 27.4% of the vote. But, note well - in the early 1900’s Democrats were the conservatives, while Republicans were the first to drift off into ‘progressive’ socialist politics. Unfortunately for us today, early 1900’s ‘progressive’ Republicans radically altered our political process, by co-opting political power to the top of the political ladder from the local level where it had resided for over 130 years. That single action helped send the party into the wilderness for near 50 years, and while it was there Democrats turned socialist and the Republican Party slowly became conservative.”
Rockingham: “Well reasoned. The GOP is the best available vehicle for conservative political activism. Whining and carping from the sidelines gains nothing.”
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I see this debate from both sides. I understand the sentiments of Conservatives who have been LET DOWN and BETRAYED by the Republican establishment. Let’s not pretend that this hasn’t happened. As other posters have said, what are we Conservatives supposed to do at a state and leg. district level when our values are again and again kicked to the curb?
Ron, that is what your argument just does not address and must address if you want to win us over; win this debate. How would you speak to this glaring issue?
The message to you is we can force the Republican Party to acknowledge the Conservative power base. We can do it through a comprehensive approach to the primaries and general elections that includes indepedents and 3rd party candidates running against RINOs, while still supporting true Republican conservatives. If the R party continues to contend the Conservatives by putting RINO after RINO up - we’ll support the independents and 3rd party candidates - even if the R loses in the General election.
The Republicans WILL get the message.
I totally agree with you that history denies the pipe dream that we can kill off the Republican party and just magically put a Conservative party in her place. That will not happen and history speaks that lesson CLEARLY to all of us. Are we listening? The one time that an existing second party was replaced with another was when abolition was brewing enough to tear the country in two. Do we have a coalescing issue like aboltion to unite us? Perhaps. But do we have the passion and commitment of the abolitionists that brought Lincoln to the White House (although by less than 40% of the popular vote, recall!)? And if not - how in the world do we think we can displace the Republicans? And we know for a fact that there won’t be 4 candidates polling over 10% in 2012, as there was in 1860.
People need to quit calculating all the time and just do the right thing.
People act like God doesn't exist, and that He doesn't reward those who love and obey Him.
That kind of faith is what made this country possible and preserved it all this time. If our forebears had acted the way Republicans act now, this country would have been dead long ago.
The GOP should do well in 2010 because mid term elections tend to produce major gains for the party out of power. Independents already seem to be a turning away from the Democrats over excessive spending and impending tax increases.
Even as the economy comes out of recession through late 2009 to mid 2010, unemployment will remain painfully high through 2012. Obama and the Democrats may well find the public in a surly mood.
With these considerations in mind, the best chances for increased conservative influence is within a recovering GOP. The fool's choice is to back a rump third party with little constituency except for those nursing grudges from the last time Republicans ran Washington.