Posted on 05/14/2008 9:26:57 PM PDT by Zakeet
If there is such a thing as a useful election defeat, then Tuesday's Republican loss in a special House election in Mississippi would qualify. Maybe this thumping in a heretofore safe GOP seat will finally scare the Members straight, or at least less crooked.
Democrats won with 54% of the vote in a district that a Republican won with 66% in 2006 and that President Bush carried in 2004 by 25 points. It was the GOP's third special election loss this year, and it has Democrats predicting that November will be another rout of 2006 proportions. Oklahoma's Tom Cole, who runs the National Republican Congressional Committee, captured the GOP reaction when he declared that "There is no district that is safe for Republican candidates."
This is the lesson Republicans should have learned in 2006, but the Members preferred to blame their failure on President Bush and Iraq. House Republicans pooh-poohed their own earmarking scandals, spending excesses and overall wallowing in the Beltway status quo. Rather than rethink their habits, they re-elected the same party leaders and even kept Jerry Lewis as their chief Appropriator. Congressman John Shadegg of Arizona is right when he says that "Since the 2006 elections, Republicans have done absolutely nothing to redefine themselves. We can't even get behind an earmark moratorium bill."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Democrats have settled on a formula of running as cultural conservatives in GOP districts, and as economic populists on "fiscal discipline," trade protection, corporate bashing, and "middle-class tax cuts" paid for by taxes on the rich. If Republicans can't trump that message with an agenda of low taxes, health-care affordability and portability, jobs and stable prices, they will be routed again in November.
Other good quotes and ideas can be found in the article.
I don’t consider myself Republican any more. I want a Conservative party.
I don’t consider myself Republican any more. I want a Conservative party.”
_____________________
I don’t either...McCain doesn’t cut it.
The most powerful reply to this Emmanuel strategy of electing conservatives and then forcing them to vote for Pelosi as Speaker and toe the party line for fear of fundraising abandonment — is what it has always been.
The GOP must face these Democrat conservatives and make them toe the same line.
“Vote for Pelosi as Speaker and you are no Conservative.”
Say that over and over again. Frankly, there need be no other issue. That issue can define all the others. “If you vote for Pelosi as Speaker, then you are pro Choice. If you vote for Pelosi as Speaker you are pro Gun Control. If you vote for Pelosi as Speaker you are a cut and runner.”
Enough with this silliness of demanding that candidates thump their chest and toss red meat to the right wing. The correct way to campaign is to expose a Democrat for what he is.
Think the GOP will get a clue? I don’t. If 2006 didn’t wake them up to the fact that “liberal lite” was a failed strategy, a mere 3 losses won’t.
Screw the GOP, at least the current “leaders.” They have had plenty of chances to do the right thing. In their panic, they might now start SAYING some of the right things, but they have too little will, too little understanding, and frankly too little time to counter their ongoing perfidity.
The general election in the fall is simply a Democrat primary runoff between the two wings of the Democrat Party. Obama will represent the traditional wing of the party, and McCain will represent the Teddy Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party which is just another wing of the Democrat Party. The only major difference being the Teddy Kennedy Wing is pro-war. If you vote Republican in the fall, do not fool yourself, you are not voting Republican in a traditional sense, vote Republican in the fall and you are really voting as a pro-war Democrat.
Predictably, the WSJ makes no mention of immigration policy, implying I suppose that all Republicans are content with the non-enforcement of immigration law, and content with a presidential candidate who (after a few lies here and there) is back on his old game that only “comprehensive reform” can solve any problems.
And,I’m not convinced the public is all boiling over about earmarks. Addressing that might score some points with voters, but I think it’s greatly overrated.
A successful program would more likely include no amnesty schemes and enforcement of immigration law, a determined program to increase domestic energy production (with drilling as the first priority until some new energy source is proven feasible), and a return to fiscal responsibility and opposition to McCain’s (and Bush’s) acceptance of the Global Warming hysteria.
Fine. Now, stand up for something important, and run on it. Cut taxes. Limit spending. Rebuild the military. Sane energy policy including nuclear energy. Stop the ethanol/corn bullsh*t.
Lots of things the country needs but the GOP is closed for the duration. So why do they think they can beat something with nothing?
They will be if the GOP initiates the "Bridge to Nowhere Spending Control Act." But of course they wouldn't want to offend the republican who earmarked that particular monstrosity. He might quit in a tearful huff.
Honestly, if anyone thinks we’ll get their by electing someone who once considered becoming a Democrat, they have another think coming.
I Agree with you. In fact, I hope McCain loses the election badly to give conservatism a little push. Though I am thinking it is kind of late for us w/o a revolution of some kind. I only wish Falconparty.com had been going earlier or another true conservative movement surfaces.
Maybe even get lucky and mccain pulls out and...yeah right.
Did they miss the vote for their own pay raise?
You can clean up the isle (check out the postings), while I eat some popcorn!
And, as a reminder, after the 2004 elections, the Republicans were in perhaps their strongest position in anyone’s memory. Bush was re-elected, and they’d again retained control of both houses of congress, after having had one of the best midterm elections (2002) ever for the party in power.
The fall from that lofty status has been amazing. I think it started after the 2004 election when Jorge said that he had political capital and intended to spend it.
He spent it all right, and took the party from its strongest position in years to its weakest position in years. Quite a two or three years work.
Bump. That, mt FRiend, is a winning strategy. Now we just need to find candidates who will run with it, and good luck with that.
Bump. That, mt FRiend, is a winning strategy. Now we just need to find candidates who will run with it, and good luck with that.
How about running on securing the borders!
Not to mention blaming their own conservative base for not supporting them. And for the record, I voted but I sure wasn't enthused about it. Instead of jumping out of bed and running down to the polls, eager to cast my vote, I had to drag my @ss in there.
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