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Republican Election Fiasco
The Atlas Society & Objectivist Center ^ | Hudgins | Edward

Posted on 11/09/2006 11:19:29 AM PST by Ed Hudgins

(In my article on "The Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party" in the Fall, 2006 issue of The New Individualist I analyzed the likely results of a GOP turning more and more to big government, interventionist policies. In that issue TNI editor Robert Bidinotto's piece on "Back to the Future?" looked at the philosophical degeneration of the Republican Party. The results of the party's direction were seen at the polls in the 2006 elections.)

November 8, 2006 -- Months of prognostication about the predicted pitiful performance at the polls by Republicans has now given way to prescriptions about the direction of the party. Should the GOP move to the center, the right or the left? Truth be told, Republicans right now are just going around in circles. The party's own confusion and incoherence about what it stands for will ensure that it continues to wander in the political wilderness; it must take up again as its guide the principles of liberty and limited government.

How could the Republicans lose in the face of such a strong economy? Disgust over the Bush administration's confused, incoherent and unsuccessful approach to the war in Iraq certainly was a central factor in the GOP's defeat. So was the perception that the Republicans were corrupt big spenders, which many of them were. Theirs is seen more and more as the party of big government. The rejection of the party itself cut across ideological lines. Liberal Sen. Lincoln Chafee -- who got a favorable rating from 60 percent of voters in exit polls -- was defeated as was liberal Rep. Nancy Johnson. Conservative Sens. Rick Santorum and George Allen also lost, as did Rep. J.D. Hayworth. Further, many newly-elected Democrats are moderates within their party.

Of course, what is missing from the GOP is

(Excerpt) Read more at objectivistcenter.org ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2006election; bush; democraticparty; republicanparty
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1 posted on 11/09/2006 11:19:30 AM PST by Ed Hudgins
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To: Ed Hudgins
Further, many newly-elected Democrats are moderates within their party.

I keep hearing this. It is irrelevant. They WILL VOTE the way Pelosi tells them to vote.

2 posted on 11/09/2006 11:21:54 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Burns and Allen Concede! Say Goodnight Gracie!)
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To: Ed Hudgins

"Further, many newly-elected Democrats are moderates within their party."

We'll see how long that's allowed to go on.


3 posted on 11/09/2006 11:22:04 AM PST by rtsimon
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To: Ed Hudgins
More rabid stupidity from the Neo Isolationist who know NOTHING at all about Iraq but continually squeal their Neo Isolationist dogmas.

These Neo Isolationist dogmas died 09-11-01. Too bad the Dinocons are too stupid to realize that.

READ the facts on Iraq. This guy is utterly ignorant.

http://icasualties.org/oif/

http://icasualties.org/oif/IraqiDeaths.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Security_Forces
4 posted on 11/09/2006 11:23:18 AM PST by MNJohnnie (The Democrat Party: Hard on Taxpayers, Soft on Terrorism!)
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To: Ed Hudgins
If Pelosi tries to lead from the far left after having Blue Dog Dems win it for them this will be a short 2 year majority.
5 posted on 11/09/2006 11:24:47 AM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer
Doesn't matter. What these Dinocons never seem to grasp is the Committee chairs will allow what they vote on. They can be "Moderate" all they want. What Bills come out of committee will be up to their radical Liberal committee chairs.

Ignorant on Iraq, Ignorant on Congress proceedure. One wonder why this guy thinks anything he says needs to be read. He knows nothing
6 posted on 11/09/2006 11:25:50 AM PST by MNJohnnie (The Democrat Party: Hard on Taxpayers, Soft on Terrorism!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer
I keep hearing this. It is irrelevant. They WILL VOTE the way Pelosi tells them to vote.

and even if they don't, they'll still carry the weight of the party next time around ala 2008 ads "xxx promised a new direction but ..."

7 posted on 11/09/2006 11:27:06 AM PST by Steven W.
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To: tobyhill

I saw the first bill Bush is sending to Pelosi is another $160 billion for Iraq. She will have to put up or shut up the first week of January.


8 posted on 11/09/2006 11:28:13 AM PST by BurbankKarl
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To: Ed Hudgins

"How could the Republicans lose in the face of such a strong economy?"

Because the places in the Midwest, Pennsylvania and even Connecticut where the Republicans lost seats don't HAVE a strong economy. The manufacturing sector and those who support it has been foundering fast with unbridled globalization. The average national economy is good. The financial sector and many services are great.
But if you're in manufacturing, or dependent on it, the economy's terrible and you voted Democrat this time. Look at the places where all those Republican seats shifted in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio and Indiana. They're all manufacturing centers who cannot possibly compete with Chinese slave labor, and the government refuses to use tarriffs or other means to block cheap goods coming in from impossibly low-wage workers. Result: unemployment, anxiety...and Democrat...takeover of seats in these areas.

The unstable secondary manufacturing tier went Democrat this time, because the economy's not great for THEM, and they blame Republican trade policies for it.

And they're right too.


9 posted on 11/09/2006 11:31:29 AM PST by Vicomte13 (Aure entuluva.)
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To: BurbankKarl

Heh heh heh. Let's see if the Great American Landside REALLY wants to leave our troops in the field. The Commie 'RATS have been screaming about how they "support the troops." Now they are going to have to prove it.


10 posted on 11/09/2006 11:32:10 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Burns and Allen Concede! Say Goodnight Gracie!)
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To: Ed Hudgins
So how did the GOP get here? It all started with Ronald Reagan allowing GWB I on the ticket in 1980 to appease the Beltway blue bloods. The GOP hasn't suddenly "gone moderate" in the last couple years- it's degenerated back into what it always was. RR was a momentary conservative abheration. I cringed as I pulled the lever for GWB in 1988, knowing what was coming next.

And it has. But worse than I expected. GWB II is the posted child of the party machine. Oh, I'm sure we'll get more conservative rhetoric from the GOP to try to drum up the base in 2008. But the candidate will be even more leftwing than GWB.

11 posted on 11/09/2006 11:32:18 AM PST by mikeus_maximus (Americans are sick of Republicanism, not conservatism.)
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To: Ed Hudgins
Bears repeating:

"Truth be told, Republicans right now are just going around in circles. The party's own confusion and incoherence about what it stands for will ensure that it continues to wander in the political wilderness; it must take up again as its guide the principles of liberty and limited government."

12 posted on 11/09/2006 11:34:12 AM PST by ImpBill (All gave some. Some gave all.)
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To: BurbankKarl

She'll sign only because she almost has to but for that amount this administration better make sure Iraq gets on the right track. I heard that it would cost $100 billion to rebuild the infrastructure in Iraq so this should work.


13 posted on 11/09/2006 11:37:27 AM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: MNJohnnie
You seem to have posted this response concerning neo-isolationism on the wrong thread since my article has nothing to do with the subject. But since you're interested the foreign policy and, I assume, the war against Islamo-fascists, you might find these articles/links of interest:

The Jihad Against Free Speech:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ct-1666-Jihad_vs_Free_Speech.aspx

Cartoon Journalists:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ct-1667-Cartoon_Journalists.aspx

The Means and Ends of Islamists:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ct-1569-The_Means_and_Ends_of_Islamists_.aspx

Flushing The Koran or Reason Down the Toilet:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-43-1609-Flushing_the_Koran_or_Reason_Down_the_Toilet.aspx

The London Massacre:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-43-1605-The_London_Massacre.aspx

Deep Savages:
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-43-1613-Deep_Savages.aspx

And good luck, of course, finding the thread to which you meant to post. I would suggest that you respond with reasoned arguments rather than emotive outbursts manifest in words like "rabid stupidity" and the like. If you have trouble containing your emotions there are prescription medications that can help you manage your condition.
14 posted on 11/09/2006 11:38:21 AM PST by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
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To: Ed Hudgins

Ed,

It didn't help that between 2-5% of Republicans threw their votes away on Libertarian candidates, which in some races allowed the Democrat to squeek by the Republican by a narrow margin. Once again "better becomes the enemy of good enough."


15 posted on 11/09/2006 11:38:22 AM PST by anymouse
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To: Ed Hudgins
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Brace yourselves for the coronation of our future queen.

16 posted on 11/09/2006 11:40:06 AM PST by Bon mots
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To: Ed Hudgins

Good job, Ed, you put your finger right on some key points.


17 posted on 11/09/2006 11:44:07 AM PST by Sam Cree (Don't mix alcopops and ufo's)
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To: ImpBill

The remaining Republicans on the Hill as well as everyone else around Bush should call to his attention the fact that he can and should pick up one of the pens on his desk and write the four-letter Latin word "veto" across the stuff that will flow into his office from Capital Hill.


18 posted on 11/09/2006 11:44:09 AM PST by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
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To: Ed Hudgins
Stick to what you know. Pretty clear you have no qualification at all to comment on how Counter Insurgency ops are done.

Counter Insurgency is not Total War. It is as much Political as Military. Iraq is a done deal. The Terrorist were never able to get beyond state 1 Guerrilla warfare. Now thanks to the help of supposedly "Conservative" Talking heads who were more interested in sticking knives in Bush's back all the time, it is back almost to square one.

The Terrorist are counting on the Democrats to cut and run. Suddenly their failing effort is embolden. All they go to do is hang on and the Dems will save them.

The Buchannaite Know Nothings with their perpetual ranting about Iraq and arrogant refusal to learn ANYTHING about the issue are helping insure that will happen.

The Russians followed your dogmas in Afghanistan. How did that work out for them?
19 posted on 11/09/2006 11:44:39 AM PST by MNJohnnie (The Democrat Party: Hard on Taxpayers, Soft on Terrorism!)
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To: Vicomte13
The unstable secondary manufacturing tier went Democrat this time, because the economy's not great for THEM, and they blame Republican trade policies for it.

And they're right too.


You are absolutely correct! You can't be anymore correct! You are more correct than you know. The block head pro-free trade idiots on Fr will bash you at every turn.

Look how Reagan spent money and who benefited from it. It was the Midwest and Northeast that gave him the working man's vote. Many high tech factories hummed 24/7 during this time and Reagan carried the Midwest / rust belt.

People did not vote on Iraq, they voted their pocket books in Ohio, Indiana and PA. Those bone heads in DC are totally disconnected are so are many Freeper's who say otherwise. They are responsible for turning Ohio Purple by advocating the use of slave labor from China instead of paying a working class stiff a fair wage.

You think its bad now? Wait till 2020 when all these displaced, underemployed people start aging and have no pension or savings. Those who have will be those who get taken from.
20 posted on 11/09/2006 11:44:39 AM PST by mr_hammer (They have eyes, but do not see . . .)
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