Posted on 01/13/2007 2:16:24 PM PST by FlyVet
Citing the WSJ, Stephen Bainbridge asks "Did the K Street Gang learn nothing from the drubbing it took in 2006?" Apparently not:
One big test of a new minority is to draw the right lesson from its drubbing at the polls. House Republicans have a long way to go, judging by House Minority Leader John Boehner's decision this week to punish Arizona's Jeff Flake by tossing him off the Judiciary Committee. The offense? Porkbusting.
Mr. Flake should be getting a promotion to the leadership, given how prescient he was in warning his colleagues about the perils of their run-amok "earmarking." He and a few comrades sponsored more than 40 House floor amendments last year to strip pork projects from spending bills.
The National Taxpayers Union ranked him the most fiscally conservative member of the House. None of that sits very well with his House colleagues, who blame Mr. Flake for shining public attention on their spendthrift ways. They're especially angry that he talked about this with CBS's "60 Minutes," which chose to run the program on election eve weekend.
After reading that, I almost wish I was a current donor to the RNC, just so I could stop being one now. It's bad enough that they lost the election. They had to go one better by re-electing the same leadership. Now they're purging the reformers.
From what I gather, most Republicans want reform, but most are willing to sit silently so as not to rock the GOP boat. Most are trying to close ranks while the Party leadership is still knifing some of our best people. I predict there will be a whole lot of people regretting the decision to close ranks come election night 2008.
The Country Club Blue Bloods never liked Regan either.
I am not surprised that they are punishing real conservatives. They never have like us and never will.
The leaders of Big Government Conservativism will not go away or let go of their failed ideas without a fight.
Boehner's election back to House Rep leader was an immmediate sign that things are not going to change.
We here in PA tossed Santorum for getting Specter elected, putting him ON the judiciary committee, and also was far from conservative in his voting. And we got chastised beyond belief.
They will never change. The party needs a major housecleaning.
I am convinced that I have now become the RINO in the party because it is no longer a conservative party.
I am discouraged on what to do about it. It seems that more and more voters want their Free Stuff, the lobbyist machine has turned into legalized bribery, and the few like Flake are vilified by the non-Leadership. Who the H would want to run, unless they are out for themselves? Our gradual slide toward corrupt Euro-ism continues, and that's just what the non-Leadership seems to want.
Not to mention Trent "I want a free bailout on my hurricane-wrecked beach front home" Nott.
This just adds to the list of reasons while I will likely no longer be a Republican by the '08 elections.
How about supporting a candidate to represent you, not a party?
I will always hold my nose and vote for the most conservative candidate.
One pundit I heard suggested that we register as an Independent, because that would send a message that our vote for a "Republican" is not automatic, and needs to be earned. It sounds good, in theory, but I don't know if it would work. He said it would help cut down on the campaign propaganda junk mail. If true, that would be a plus.
The volume of that junk that I got this cycle tells me it must work, otherwise why would they bother? That in itself is troubling, because it tells me too many people rely on it to make their voting decisions. It is so easy to check a candidate's voting record on the Internet (ACU, ACLU, Right to Life, NRA/ILA, etc.), but the publik is being driven by propaganda.
I would be as well along with Flake's recent embrace of Castro. Flake lives up to his name.
Oh, try to find one.
Shame on the folks back home for selling their votes.
I agree with your sentiment about the Republican leadership, but what did Jeff Flake accomplish by dissing the GOP on the eve of the elections?
Are we better off with Pelosi, Reid, and company?
BTW, Flake is with McLame on open borders and amnesty.
Recent embrace of Castro...I had to research that, and yep, that is troubling. I suppose he is one of those who believes that if Cuba is "poisoned" with capitalism and freedom, it will kill the beast eventually. I don't know if I like that either...unless it works.
Oh, they are out there. And when you do the powers that be pull the rug out from under them. That is why I will no longer support a party, I will support a candidate. The party only wants power and they will do anything to buy that power, including pretending to be what they are not.
Are we any worse off? If Bush has any conservatism in him all he has to do is dig down and find that veto pen he never uses. BTW, Flake is with McLame on open borders and amnesty.
As is Bush. Let's face it folks, we have no one inside the Beltway in either party that gives a flying one for you other than your money and your vote.
When it selected its House Minority Leader, the GOP pulled a boner.
Nice job GOP on the continued march to irrelevance.
I don't know about you, but in hindsight, it was the corruption and pork spending that bothered me the most. I expect that from Dims. Mainly because the GOP leadership was doing this in the middle of a war of civilizations, as if there is no trillion-dollar world war going on. That is lazy, complacent, and un-serious (and so is open borders policy, for that matter).
No candidate will give any of us everything we want. At least Flake was for fiscal responsibility and is more conservative than most. I voted for W twice but I HATE his weak border policy.
I don't know about that, the GOP has been pathetically weak on border policy overall. Big talk, little action. If I was a border rancher or rank-and-file Border Patrolman these days, I'd be in a rage.
Boehner should get his share of blame, but the one with the most responsibility is the guy who brought the new tone to Washington and doesn't like to use vetoes.
Flake is a Flake!
Good Riddance! commie Sucker!
Right before an election is not the right time to be firing on your own. While we need to stop pork and wasteful spending we also need people who are disciplined enough not to hand the ball to our enemies right before an election. Sheesh.
'Are we better off with Pelosi, Reid, and company?'
Exactly the point. I suggest, not only are we not better off, but, we are in more jeopardy.
I, too, am very unhappy with many Republicans in the Senate and House. But, it frightens me to think we could have President Obama or Clinton or Edwards.
How many Republicans/Conservatives call or write their Rep or any Rep for that matter? How many call the RNC ?
One or two calls won't cut it, but, if LOTS of people call, MAYBE it will make a difference. I believe if you don't try you don't have a chance.....so I try.
I belong to several Republican Clubs and many grouse but, unfortunately, few will pick up a phone.....even when you give them a toll free number. I suspect many Americans feel as we do, but, unfortunately, many only hear the "news" as reported by the lib main stream media.
Our country hangs in the balance. Don't mean to sound dramatic, but, my frustration level has skyrocketed since the Dims took control.....imho, thanks to the shallow behavior of many R's ..not the Iraq war.
Actually, I think the blame can be passed around.
I think it would be wrong to place the blame only on President Bush for the problems because he didn't veto bills. When the House and Senate pass bills and send them to him for signing - considering both houses are controlled by the Republicans - it becomes very problematic for him to veto the bills. A house divided within itself - not good. The media would eat it up, and the internicene squabbles would make great press and would also be destructive to the Republican Party!
I wish President Bush HAD vetoed many bills, but the real blame is the Republicans in the House and Senate who decided that they no longer needed to stand for anything BUT self-agrandizement, buying votes for the next election by engaging in pork-barrel politics, etc. It should have been the top priority of the House and Senate leadership to exercise discipline and not behave worse that Democrats!!
Mike
Well we obviously disagree on this. Helping Nancy Pelosi and the dems control Congress is not a step in the right direction. Idealogy? Libertarians will cut off their nose to spite their face in support of their rules-based idealogy.
Of course, if you are in an open primary state, then re-registering might send them a good message.
AMEN!
Oh well.....no symp for the Gibbering Old Porkpigs here. They've learned nothing.
So, would it have been better to have a porkpig but non-leftist elected in your district? In peacetime it probably doesn't matter, but with our forces committed overseas, I hate seeing the democrats running Congress.
I don't know the answer. Some days I think what we really need is a massive PR/education effort to get people to understand.
However, when much of the electorate votes based on looks, hairstyle, peer pressure, who Hollywood supports, etc. it seems like we are doomed to always be a minority.
I think I will go watch the Food Network. I have managed to depress myself.
It's messed up. I would like the GOP to look out for big business and all business by keeping their taxes low, so that they can expand and employ. But, not allowing big business to lobby to crap on small business.
In my state, the population is expanding faster than the infrastructure can keep up, but we are not luring business fast enough to keep up with the pace. Why? Because our ignorant, arrogant government can't, WON'T understand that to lure business, you must give them incentive. Lower business taxes. You can't tax business anyway, they will pass taxes on to the consumer no matter how high they go.
Now, at the same time, our gubmint is allowing, or should I say orchestrating, one giant merger after another...heading toward monopolies again...collusion...price fixing....dang, more chaos than I can comprehend...need Thomas Sowell's take on this. I read part of his book on basic economics, and he recogizes the danger of monopolies. That ain't free market.
Much as I dislike many of W's policies, he has had very few on his side inside the Beltway. He might have wanted to be more conservative than he seems, but he is not an island.
Agreed. We need a Reagan x 2 right now, such charisma could blunt the inevitable.
I think I will go watch the Food Network. I have managed to depress myself.
I know how you feel. Think...Sunday Afternoon Barbecue! Invite the family, and a few close friends! Grumble again Monday! Cheers...
No, but Reagan was an exceptional communicator, a once in a lifetime President. W is certainly not near as conservative as him.
I mean, look who's on the front burner right now. Hagel? McCain? Hillary? Obama? It's laughable.
Then how did Newt and all the conservatives get elected? Remember the Contract with America? Why did the Republicans gain control of Congress and the White House? Did they run on the liberal trash that they shoved on us? Did they lose because they were too conservative?
No! They acted like their Dem counterparts and lost their base which included conservative Democrats. They spent like drunken sailors while they left our borders unprotected.
It's not that Americans are not conservative, it's the politicians on both sides. The only thing that many American voters are is not informed of their elected officials and listen to their BS.
Newt astutely took advantage of that momentum and published that contract in September, and then used the win to claim that the people wanted those policies.
The democrats got in this time because of perceived corruption and they have used it to claim that the public wants us to leave Iraq, which is the same technique Newt used.
Ask yourself how if when the government was shut down over the budget battle there weren't more people rallying to the Republicans' side?
We have a huge number of people who are state or federal employees, teachers, union members, etc., most of whom have been educated by NEA members and get their news from the MSM or from Letterman, Leno and the Daily Show. How is it you think that a population like that will trend conservative?
Until we can somehow get our viewpoint fairly heard in the media, Hollywood, and the schools, I don't think we have a chance of creating a conservative majority.
Absolutely, but that was over ten years ago. I don't know if I'm right (and I'll be more than happy to be wrong), but I perceive a continuing, gradual slide to the left in this country. The promise of Free Stuff and damn the longterm consequences is a strong pull. One example, the Dims plan to lower the interest rates on student loans even more, because college tuition cost is so high. This will cause tuition to skyrocket even faster, but who the heck cares? Voters love minimum wage increases (passed by 70% in AZ), even though inflation and increased burdens on business will negate the increases. We're headed toward socialized medicine, I think.
I agree with you it's an uninformed voter problem, but how to fix it?
Nicely put.
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