Posted on 07/04/2002 6:16:32 AM PDT by B. A. Conservative
It is beyond challenge that most, if not all, of the problems America faces today originate in Washington. It is fallacious reasoning to suggest that the problem lies with the people of the United States. Our government is a republic. Our republic is predicated on the theory that those elected to public office have intellectual competence, educational skills or experience that exceeds that of the electorate and that those elected public leaders will do what is right for the country even in opposition to commonly perceived public opinion. During most of the past century, the political class has demonstrably failed to lead, but have instead become political prostitutes selling laws and benefits in exchange for votes transforming our Constitutional republic into a tyrannical mob-rule democracy destined for bankruptcy. Non-producing parasites now use the Democratic Party to prey on their neighbors, the still producing members of our country.
Under our Constitution, the power of the United States resides in We the people. For too long, we have allowed that power to be delegated or sold by the prostitutes in both political parties, primarily those in Washington. Clearly, ours has become a top>down government. As one voice among We the people, I think it is time to withhold the delegation of that power by only delegating it to selected politicians and then only with strings attached. FreeRepublic is a much larger segment of We the people, with a much larger voice. We at FreeRepublic are the roots of the grassroots. Newcomers and some that have been frequenting this site for years may deny that Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives because of the discussions that took place on this web site. They are wrong. Our voice is loud and it is heard in the Halls of Congress and in the Whitehouse. The stain that will be remembered in history is not the stain on Monica's dress; it is the stain of Impeachment. And that stain came from the computer ink that spilled from the hearts of Freepers determined to see justice done. We at FreeRepublic are the roots of the grassroots. The buck starts here.
There has been a great deal of discussion on FreeRepublic lately about what role we should play in this fall's election and that we should cut Bush and the Republicans some slack. Variations of this theme have been discussed on other threads: "THAT which you believe"---"An open letter to Republicans" by redrock. I particularly like the comments by DoughtyOne and "Move the RINOs and we move the party. I really think it's that simple," by NickDanger.
Ronald Reagan won two landslide elections by telling Americans he was going to cut the government in Washington down to size. The Contract with America gave the Republicans control of both houses of Congress for the first time in roughly thirty years. Prior to the Contract with America Republicans only had control of even one house in Congress one other time in 70 years. The lesson that Republicans seem to have difficulty in learning is that the people are conservative and when presented a conservative agenda they will vote for it. And conversely, when pandering is all that is offered, the public prefers the real prostitutes every time. I have a solution to this problem. I call it the
I am not giving my vote to anybody in November. I have decided to auction my vote in this fall's Congressional elections. Politicians are going to have to bid for my vote. I have decided not to exclude any particular politicians or parties from the bidding. And I have decided to attach some rules to the bidding itself:
Minimum Bid:
This is only the Minimum. There are a number of suggested options that politicians could add now or that we will add in future contracts for future elections.
Suggested Options:
Most of these problems would eventually be solved by Term Limits. I think the Term Limits Amendment should be saved as part of the ultimate threat packaged as a part of a package to be presented under Article V to a Constitutional Convention. It takes time to put together sufficient public arousal and support to apply the kind of pressure that we may need to bring to bear on people who are used to exerting power rather than being subjected to it.
To: exodus
"Hah! Join a party with a few thousand members? What the heck for? Have you no sense of reality at all? Give me 60 Senators and then I'll agree that we are controlling the government. Forty nine leaves Daschle & Co firmly in charge..."
# 276 by Jim Robinson
You have less faith in the power of a "few thousand" politically active, evangelistic Freepers than I do, Jim.
I believe that we made a difference, right up until the time we became a rubber stamp for anything the Republicans told us to accept.
However, when the Republican leadership promotes the candidacy of a liberal because that liberal just happens to call himself a Republican, they betray the principles Republicans claim to represent.
To: exodus
" Baloney, it is the job of the Republican leadership to get Republicans elected. It is the voter’s job to elect them. It does no good for the leadership to promote a conservative fire-breather if they know from history that person cannot be elected in the district in question..."
# 191 by Texasforever
So it's not the Republican leadership's fault that the voters only have liberals to vote for, and it's not the voters fault that liberals get elected.
Thanks for clearing that up.
To: exodus; Jim Robinson; AAABEST
"...By the way, I have no doubt that if things were to get really bad, the average neighborhood would find folks banding together on a very small scale. I'm talking about an overall network that can organize on a regional or state level. If it never happens, good. But it would be nice to know who to talk to..."
# 283 by ovrtaxt
Of course neighborhoods will band together. That's all the militia is, the right of self-defense on a little bigger scale.
The Militia have been so demonised that even here on FreeRepublic most can't say "militia" without shaking a little at the evilness of it all.
If an attack comes, leadership won't be hard to recognize. If there's time, the State will appoint your leaders for you. If not, those who are aggressive will take charge, and natural leaders will emerge during the course of operations.
If you're willing to be labeled a "militia nutcase," you could talk with your neighbors and have a basic infrastructure drawn up, so that everyone has an idea of where to start in an emergency.
It would be nice if our government hasn't taken all of our weapons before we need them. We do have some "legal" weapons left to us.
If an attack comes, we'll just have to do the best we can.
"...Nobody on FR trusts the GOP to see to our best interests. The GOP sees to the GOPs interests..."
# 283 by ovrtaxt
Therein lies the problem of ANY political party. They want one thing only - to get and keep power.
The Republicans are more than willing to draw in liberal voters, as long as they can do so without losing conservative followers.
That's where third parties come in. If your party leaves your principles lying in the dust, you only encourage them to do more of the same if you blindly give them your vote, hoping that they will remember that you exist.
Show them that you exist. Give your conservative vote to a conservative third party candidate. Your old party will notice that, and your principles will be honored in the NEXT election.
To: exodus
Good analysis of how they judge the vote you cast. I agree that a vote for just any republican sends the message that we are a given, and therefore no concern needs paid to our principles other than lip service. A C3PO vote is the only answer I can come up with. I've punched the R hole exclusively for 35 years, and watched them move more socialist/authoritarian/globalist every cycle. I refuse to assist again.
# 286 by steve50
That's great, steve50.
If enough of us show that we will accept nothing less than a conservative candidate, the Republican leadership will be forced to return to conservative policies.
Newt Gingrich was on Rush Limbaugh's show a lot before that vote. Rush called him "Mr. Newt".
I forget what he lied about the first time, he said he would vote against something or other. Rush raised heck about it but allowed Gingrich back on the show and explained why he changed his mind.
But the second time, when Mr Newt swore there was no way the Republicans would vote for that bubget because no one knew what was in it...Then the very next day was on the floor argueing for it and got it passed, Rush didn't have him on his show again. And he quit talking about him.
That seems a classic example of when to vote for anyone other than the above.
Accomplish this and all of the other points of your minimum bid will eventually follow......
"...But the second time, when Mr Newt swore there was no way the Republicans would vote for that budget because no one knew what was in it...Then the very next day was on the floor argueing for it and got it passed, Rush didn't have him on his show again. And he quit talking about him."
# 290 by carenot
I remember that.
Rush took several calls that friday, all of whom seemed to want to know "Why did Newt lie TO YOU??"
Monday, Rush said that it was the worse day of his broadcasing life, and that he came close to walking out on the show.
Rush took Newt's lies hard, and he took them personally.
I did too.
It takes more than a label, Texasforever. If the Republican leadership were truly conservative, Bill Clinton would never have gotten his budget passed un-read in 1995.
To: exodus
It takes NUMBERS to control the agenda. You tell me how to elect a conservative in Olympia Snowe's district and we can go from there.
# 175 by Texasforever
In 1995, the Republicans HAD the numbers.
They had the majority in the House, and in the Senate.
Oh, I thought you were ready to pick up a pitchfork. (Which is the only way we're ever gonna gid rid of enough Democrats.)
Explain why I am wrong in contending that when conservatives blindly vote Republican, it only encourages Republicans to move further to the left to gain addtional Democratic votes.
BANG!
Dead on target!
As a life-long Republican activist, including stints as a state GOP delegate and a stint as county chairman for a GOP gubernatorial candidate, I am terribly distressed at the growing Socialist tendencies of the current crop of GOP elected officials, at every level. As little as 20 years ago, I could not imagine ever voting for anyone but a Republican. Then Daddy Bush became President. Since then, I find myself voting increasingly Libertarian or Independent. I am deeply saddened that last election, I found it necessary to cast just under 50% of my votes to other than Republicans and that included my vote for President. It's the only way that "we the people" have of making our elected representatives understand that we are watching them and that we will vote them out, if they continue to ignore the Constitution.
Unfortunately, as you so deftly pointed out, most Republicans do not appear to be smart enough to realize that as long as those Republicans in power are convinced that their core voters will support them regardless of what they do, they will naturally move to the left to gain more votes from the left.
They either don't understand or they are too scared to face the reality of the fact that, if we can't keep the GOP in power with a slate of truly conservative candidates, then it's already too late and the liberals have won. I personally don't believe that we have yet reached that point. But, as you point out, "we have almost run out of time." It is time to either "change course or abandon ship." In fact, over 100,000 of this countries wealthiest citizens chose to abandon ship last year and even more will probably leave this year. Compare that to only about 5000 who left in the last year of Reagan's presidency. Those are the folks who pay the bills and the lion's share of the taxes.
It's time for a shift back to the Constitution and if Republicans are unwilling to do that, then we need to elect others who will, regardless of party.
Vote out the Democrats is my answer.
...and the RINO Republicans.
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