Why the GOP Must Lose: Nothing short of defeat will put it back on its limited government track

Reason magazine ^ | October 22, 2008 | Radley Balko

[I see my hands]

Libertarians are often very poor stewards of libertarianism. It's a shame.

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

Exactly, I cannot think that this thug would ever part with power once installed. This maybe our last election.

[RicocheT]

Conservatives who say the GOP needs to lose to teach it a lesson is like volunteering the walk the plank to to shame pirates. You commit suicide and the bad guys sail away to loot others.

Obama and a Democrat majority Congress/Senate will turn the USA into a socialist tyranny. We won’t get our constitutional republic back without a violent revolution, one made harder as we will have been stripped of all firearms. We will have to fight with stones, arrows and improvised weapons.

McPain and the RNC/GOP are a poor imitation of conservatism, but better than Obama communism.

[Paradox]

Reason magazine said the SAME THING about voting for Clinton over Bush. I was more "L" at the time, and I actually vote for Ron Paul at the time I believe.

Gave us Clinton, and overall, what good did that do for the party?

What the Republicans need is for the Small Government conservatives to rise to the top. Some smart, well spoken, small government conservatives. My ideal person? Someone well spoken, with a strong background in economics, an advanced degree perhaps. An Intellectual even. That kind of person/people, along with Palin, and you have a winner.

[Slapshot68]

"I'm voting for Ron Paul, because I want the government to get smaller, not bigger"

I'm voting for Ron Paul, because I want to help secure Obama's victory.

Fixed.

[SwankyC]

Idiots abound!

Which ones are the idiots tho - The ones that hold to their principles or ones that vote for McCain believing he will govern anywhere near the principles of conservatism?

[MrB]

It’s not about “teaching them a lesson” -

it’s about us making sure that Hunter/Thompson/Palin types get into positions to LEAD the movement.

[1rudeboy]

The only problem with your theory is that John McCain isn’t for limited government or smaller goverment either.

Which leads me to a question I've always wanted to ask: why do Rep. Paul and Sen. McCain have nearly identical ACU Lifetime ratings?

[devere]

“I’m voting for Ron Paul, because I want the government to get smaller, not bigger.”

What country are you planning to live in?

I’m planning to live in the USA, and I’d rather not spend my final years under communist rule. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

[Political Junkie Too]

Let's try restating this in other terms and see if the logic still holds:

Why the USA Must Lose in Iraq: Nothing short of defeat will put proper warfare planning back on its "last-resort" track.

Do we still want this kind of reasoning?

-PJ

[Damifino]

If I had a sliver of hope that this country would recover from the disaster of an Obama presidency I would feel better about this. I don't think a govt. can stop proving cheese once it begins.

[84rules]

It will be alot easier to reform the Republican Party under a McCain/Palin administration than it will be to undo the damage of an Obama/Biden administration while simultaneously reforming the Republican Party.

[Jmerzio]

“I’m voting for Ron Paul, because I want the government to get smaller, not bigger. “

Expect to see your government baloon in size as every important government office is relocated to blimps and dirigibles

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

Wow, what a day.

This thread is almost as disturbing as the Jehovahs Witness dude I just chased off my property.

[Antoninus]

Ah, the old ‘destroy the village to save it’ logic.

Pardon me, but you Paulistinians are idiots. This fight was for the primaries. You lost. Get over it.

[listenhillary]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people.

What do you think Ron Paul will accomplish with a Democrat controlled house and Senate? With the Republicans, they will most assuredly override any veto.

[ilgipper]

Mostly very valid points, except the party did not show a refocus on limited government after 2006. No reason the ‘lessons’ learned this time will be applied to refocus on these issues. We need to reform from within, but 4-8 years of Obama will not help our case. He will advance the cause of socialism and American weakness, open borders, and have control of the justice department and attempt to squash opposition (us).

If a Ted Strickland or Evan Bayh were the candidate on the left, I might be able to deal with a lost election, but not with the empty suit marxist we have on the ballot.

[Rippin]

Ivory tower nonsense. This may be your last meaningful chance to vote. Do you not see that the institutional integrity is in tatters? You think your vote will count after Obama gets control of justice and court nominations?

The “More-conservative-than-thou” crowd has promoted the slide to the left by pulling out of the game. Rs move left to make up the difference. I truly suspect Communist money has fueled the Paleo Con movement.

[Zeddicus]

Here’s why this is retarded, and why Obama must NOT win:

If Obama wins and gets his agenda through (which he will, with Pelosi and Reid behind him), this will soon be a country where more than 50% of the population does not pay any taxes whatsoever to finance the federal government, yet they derive ever-growing benefits from it.

Once that happens, we will never again have a chance to get government under control or reduce spending, because a voting majority will always vote to protect the programs they benefit from but do not pay for.

Once that happens, revolution will be the only escape.

[VanDeKoik]

And when president Ron Paul is sworn in having received 0.000000000001% of the vote then get back to us.