Some in GOP push for test of loyalty - Pinning down the RINO'S

The Dallas Morning News ^ | June 4, 2002 | By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News

[gear]

The problem is focusing on singular issues instead of looking at it globally. Say you have ten issues on your platform. Now, what if only 30% of Americans agrees with absolutely everything but 60% agree with at least 7 of the issues. Should we blow off the people who do not accept the entire platform? Realistically, we have a two party system. If Party R holds these standards but Party D doesn't, where will the voters go? Keep in mind that although Bush ran on a platform that was much more conservative than Gore's, more Americans voted for Gore.

[Psalm 73]

"Should we blow off the people who do not accept the entire platform?"

I understand what you're saying, that's why I agreed that ther are many grey areas.
I'm a social conservative, and my big 3 are pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-family. Some would care less where a candidate stood on any of those, as long as he was a conservative in the economics sense.
Do I vote for him if his opponent is a pro-gun Democrat, but liberal on economic issues? That's a tough one.
Where do we draw the line? I guess that's why I don't vote straight party tickets.
I would vote for Zell Miller over John McCain every time.

[azhenfud]

"WE MEAN WHAT WE SAY, AND WE DON'T CHANGE WHAT WE BELIEVE TO FIT THE MOMENT."

I wish I could believe that were true, but I can't.

Why is NCGOP and national Republicans alike ripping at the seams to push Giddy Dolt for the NC Senate, then. If that were fact, the lie that Dolt is a North Carolinian would never have a chance with state Republican leaders - the lie suits the moment because they believe she's all there is and they are otherwise left in a scramble. They now have to cover their butts because they neglected to lead the party of this state by failing to be prepared for Helms' retirement.

I guess for many, they deem it okay to be complicit to a lie when "the Party" needs them to be. If Dolt becomes the NC Senate nominee, which it seems it may be likely, it will speak more of the situational ethic values the "conservative" NC Republicans possess than signing or endorsing any party planks for celebratory namesake only. Just because the Democrats and Hillarious Clintoon did it in NY, does not give a green light for Republicans to wallow in the same mudhole...

[nanny]

Well, first, we had a Republican majority in congress and what did they do? We now have a majority in the House and so close in the Senate,and what do they do? And don't forget, we have the WH, remember.

It is a matter of do you want to get taken by your 'own kind' or the 'others. Either way, we are being had and (to quote our VP BIG TIME).

The attitude here seems to be just do nothing or keep doing what we are doing - neither will get us what we want and what this country needs.

AS to free trade, what about the monstrous farm bill, so much of which will go to corporate agribusiness, which is helping to destroy our country with all the illegals. President Fox himself could have written that bill. Some free trade just isn't so free.

[pawdoggie]

RINOs are destroying the Republican party. We've been told, even here on FR, that we are supposed to hold our nose and vote for them to 'win back the Senate'.

Instead of worrying about RINOs, Republicans need to start playing hardball with congressional (mainly senatorial) "blue-dog" DINOs, who get a free pass. Republican leaders praise them when they vote the right way, and refuse to run vigorous campaigns with serious alternative candidates against them. If the Republicans had the seats currently held by the Mary Landrieus, Zell Millers, and John Breauxs of the world, they could afford to lay down the law on party unity to guys like Chris Shays.

[billbears]

No offense but I'd keep brother Zell right where he is. Of course I'm not for public election of Senators if the truth be known

[MAKnight]

That's the problem ... we always will appear "mean-spirited" and "intolerant" to a media that absolutely loathes the GOP. And the media is going to make sure the public shares that opinion.

Those things that you agree with are at the very basic core of what it means to be a Republican. It's what defines us. The media calls each and everyone of those positions "extremist", "Right-Wing" or "ultra-Conservative" and fete whatever Republican violates them as a wonderful "moderate".

James Jeffords had absolutely no Republican qualities whatsoever. He was for high taxes, quack environmentalism, against school choice, for partial birth abortion, gun confiscation, racial preferences, bigger government, etc. Yet the media called him a "moderate" and called the Republican Party "intolerant" and "mean-spirited" when he chose to leave (we didn't kick him out).

Do you honestly believe this same biased media would criticize the Democrats for similar intolerance if Zell Miller were to defect today?

It would be a far worse shame that we allow appearing "mean-spirited" and "intolerant" to force us to abandon the task of maintaining our party's institutional integrity.

[WRhine]

Because they would have no chance in Hades of winning in a conservative area. So they fraudulently pass themselves off as conservative to win office and promote their liberal agendas against the will of the people they said they would represent.

Yep, that is exactly what the RINOs do out here NW of Chicago and they have been doing it for years. When I was actively involved in the GOP during the 80s I frequently came across these folks at party functions. More often than not they were pushing candidates that were way to the left of the GOP platform. And if you discussed politics with them you'd get this strange feeling that you were talking with a democrat.

But back then their left-leaning candidates often lost to the conservative candidates I was campaigning for. Much has changed since. In time they learned to how to infilitrate the party by hiding their agenda. RINOs today now have de-facto control of the party apparatus in many states including the RNC and are actively purging conservatives out of the ranks.

This is a major reason why so many Republicans are unwilling to stand up to the Democrats and are content to endlessly compromise with their leftist agenda. And if truth be told, at the end of the day, there is little to no difference between a typical RINO and your average democrat.

It's quite clear that the RINOs have to be rooted out of the party if the party is to again stand for limited government and the protection of America’s sovereignty as a nation.

[WRhine]

I've read repeatedly that in the last 7-8 years whenever a conservative runs against a liberal in a republican primary that the RNC provides financial support to the liberal and discourages other people from supporting the conservative. So, obviously an ideological litimus test already exists. It is simply not described in that manner.

Excellent Point. Cut away all the "big tent" rhetoric and you will find that the RINOs have their own litmus test.

[toenail]

"Why is Dubya doing this? I suspect that he is now showing his true colors. In other words, Dubya really believes this statist nonsense. Those who believe that he is a "true conservative" and only trying to "win back the Senate" so he can advance his "real" agenda are whistling past the graveyard. In some respects, I have more respect for Dubya than do the people who make this argument in his "defense." They seem to be arguing that Dubya is liar who has a grand Machievillian strategy to "fool" the liberals. If he is really this kind of liar, this would make him as bad as Clinton! I, on the other hand, believe that Dubya is sincere in the RINOism he learned on his father's knee."

That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon's own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comade Napoleon's cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference. This, said Squealer, was something called tactics. He repeated a number of times, "Tactics, comrades, tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.

George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

[jonascord]

The reason they run on the Right side is that the money comes from the Right. Leftists can feel for the poor a lot better if they have money themselves.

[Paul Ross]

Bump!

There must be some consequence to dereliction. Jeffords example needs to be made unprofitable for him, and any other RINO such as the usual suspects...

[itsahoot]

Huh? What the heck is that all about? Guess it got under my radar.......

How about Simon for govenor of California? Did the party support
him or the RINO?

[itsahoot]

-- Extended quotas on imported clothes pins.

Surely you don't expect anyone to remember that stuff, do you?

[Willie Green]

Why not?

[anymouse]

Rhinestone Cowboy - member since May 30th, 2002

Don't let the saloon doors hit you on the way out, partner. :)

[anymouse]

Let's remember this is the "The Dallas Morning News," which like most big city newspapers is staffed with leftists, who just love to paint conservatives/GOP in as bad of a light as possible. Lies and distortion are their stock and trade.

The Texas GOP convention is coming to their backyard this week and on cue they are trying to stir up desention in the ranks (those of weak faith in those we elected to represent us.)

Victory belongs to those that march shoulder to shoulder into the blazing cannons, not those who cut and run at the first shot fired.

RINO's won't be the downfall of the GOP, but fair weather conservative voters might be. If every conservative voted and helped press out the vote, like the liberals do, we wouldn't need RINOs, and GOP cadidates wouldn't feel a need to reach out so far to the left of center.

As Rush says, only elected candidates make policy and pass legislation. Taking back the Senate and holding a sizable majority in the House is the critical victory, that let's us make up for a lost year of post-Jeffords Democrat legislation and appointment gridlock.

9/11 was a wake up call that we can't just run out the clock, we need a full court press to get the USG back in line with the Constitution. Let's put the "We" back in the "We the people."

[MeekOneGOP]

Too bad the GOP has to fight the liberal DIMocRATS and the liberal media.
It must stink to be in their shoes. OTOH, it probably doesn't since they have
no conscience......

Regarding Media Bias. . .

Dan Rather is the King of Biased Media:

The Free-Market's Solution to Media Bias: FOXNews
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598124/posts

Also, see:
CBS: Gunga Dan Rather's Home Site
http://www.RatherBiased.com/

*** YOUNG RATHER:
I'M A DEMOCRAT ***
http://www.ratherbiased.com/photos/rather-frown2.jpg

---

Check out the other articles posted here on FR that show the media bias!:

FR Article Search for: Media Bias
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/latest?warp=X&ao=1&s=media+bias

More Media links:

“What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”
http://www.ratherbiased.com/bizarre.htm#kenneth

Hear R.E.M.’s Song/Lyrics: “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”
http://www.ratherbiased.com/frequency.mp3

Gunga Dan in his Natural Environment

[Clemenza]

Reminds me of some churches that set a bar that you must meet to be considered a Christian.

You mean like live a Christian life?

Gee, in any Church refused to set standards for salvation and condoned disobediance, adultery, fornication, stealing, lying, etc., than why would anybody want ot be in that Church in the first place. You might as well stay at home to live your sinful life without sitting through a boring sermon.

That being said, a political party IS NOT a Church.

[Redbob]

"....past attempts to impose an ideological litmus test on candidates have failed. "

And past campaigns have given us candidates like Kay Bailey.

Wearing the "No RINO's" sticker at the Convention - at this moment!
- R