Posted on 05/21/2008 5:45:50 AM PDT by kellynla
The media pundits and many Republicans themselves have all but conceded the November election. They seem paralyzed like a deer in the headlights by the mid-term election setbacks, the unpopularity of President Bush and the recent special election losses.
Some psychologists have termed the depression of our age learned helplessness-“There’s nothing I can do that will make any difference in what will happen to me, so I might as well wait until they do it to me!“ Some Republicans are settling for an early pity party and hoping that the Democrats will falter and hand the GOP a November happy accident!
John McCain may not be many conservatives’ favorite candidate, but he’s putting the rest of the party to shame by running an aggressive campaign trying to sell himself and his agenda to independents and core conservatives alike.
Where are the rest of the Republican leaders? They’re hiding or complaining! GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia complained recently that "if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf." California Gov. Schwarzenegger warns that Republicans are in danger of "dying at the box office." All this, while their core constituency faces a nightmare—four years with an inexperienced liberal president and a Democrat-controlled Senate and House of Representatives. You don’t get support by hiding—you win elections by leading!
There are no perfect candidates and no perfect strategies, but we expect our party leaders and candidates to fight for the principles and values we believe in whether they win or lose. Wayne Gretzky, the all-time NHL scoring leader, gave credit to an early coach for some compelling advice—“You miss a 100% of the shots you never take!” Winston Churchill had his own version—“I never worry about action, but only about inaction.”
It’s time for action. Don’t wait for the Democrats or for the Republican Convention. Go on the offense by coming together to communicate a 2008 Contract with America. Take the focus off of Bush and the past, and put the focus where it belongs on a simple but compelling vision for what we can and must be! Newt Gingrich has helped champion the importance of focusing on the future; it’s time the party listens.
Uniting the party behind a “Contract with America” worked in 1984 because it gave Republicans a focus they could communicate that went beyond any candidate. Many independents found that they were actually “Republicans” but didn’t know it. Parties ebb and flow, people come and go, but principles last!
There’s much that McCain and the Republican Party can unite behind—Cutting federal spending and government regulations, holding the line on taxes, winning in Iraq by leaving when the job is done, securing the border and employer accountability before addressing guest workers, appointing conservative judges who don’t legislate from the bench, and promoting personal responsibility and free enterprise to save the American Dream. Make it simple. Make it compelling, but take a stand for something we can get behind!
If you’re not excited about some of McCain’s positions, get busy working to elect as many conservative Republicans as possible to Washington in order to influence the future of our country. McCain made a life as a political maverick; we need to send a few more conservative mavericks to Washington. A few conservative hot peppers will do wonders to the recipe!
The Democrats won’t hand this election to us, but they’re seriously wounded. Obama is looking more and more like their defacto standard bearer. But he is so untested and lacking in experience that his questionable associations and recent policy gaffs will cause people in the middle and “disappointed” Clinton supporters to choose McCain.
The Democrat super delegates are feeling a lot less super these days. They hoped to put their stamp of approval on an obvious winner. Now facing a close, contested convention, casting their vote is going to alienate part of the electorate they have to reach in their own campaigns. Those senators and representatives up for election are going to hate upsetting half of their core voters when choosing between Hillary and Barack. If we go on the offense, we will win the White House and some unexpected congressional victories.
Give us a Contract with America worth getting excited about. It’s time for action—You lose 100% of the elections you fail to contest! It’s time to come out of hiding and to stand for something. When you do, you just may find that there are a lot of people ready to join you in the fight!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Not going to happen. Before the GOP can come back, the Dems are going to have to demonstrate to everyone that they are totally unable to deal with America’s problems. Right now, better than half the people think they will do a better job than the GOP.
The GOP might not have given you a reason to vote for the GOP but the dimocrat party surely has.
In 06, many of the talkshow hosts were predicting the end of the Democratic party.
Instead, as the votes were counted, the blood-splatter was from the GOP and their losses.
Ironically, just 2 years later, it is the GOP which is limping toward November.
And with all the spin and prodding and number-crunching, it still is an uphill feat for McCain. The Electoral count just isn’t there for McCain, yet. Barring some signficant October surprise [many think the Michelle Obama ‘whitey’ tape is it], McCain may not have enough oomph left to limp across the finish line as the winner. After all, even now he is relying on those dis-affected Clinton voters to help push him to a win.
a NEW “Contract with America”?
Sorry, fool me once ...
They could come out with a new contract signed in blood and nobody would believe them because their credibility went right down the toilet.
McCain is selling himself to fence-sitters (so-called "centrists" or "moderates") and "Hillary Democrats." He has nothing but contempt for core conservatives, and his strategy is to attempt to win this election WITHOUT the conservatives. I don't know what this author was smoking.
“Right now, better than half the people think they will do a better job than the GOP.”
BS. It’ll be 40 states GOP this cycle and conservatives can’t deal with that because they hate McCain. Hell them Des don’t have to launch attack ads aimed at McCain, the self-proclaimed “trve conservatives” have that taken care of for them. That’s why we see these whiny, Dem-like, oh-woe-is-me articles. Not based in reality at all.
There has to be a way to connect with the younger voters on SS and Medicare, because they are heading for slavery/serfdom if this isn't dealt with very soon. My college students get this. Why is it so hard for the GOP to make a case, then?
I agree. I am done with the Republican party. There are no leaders at the national level.
I’m afraid they haven’t. Clearly things need to get worse before people will chuck the environmental whacko-ism and the big-governmet-ism over the side. McCain won’t be the guy to force that change. Obama might, for the wrong reasons, but a change is still a change. So, in a sense, he’s right!
Since the last Contract was “honor’d more in the breach than in the observance,” why would anyone want to enter into a second Contract? The GOP already demonstrated that it does not follow through on its “contractual obligations.”
Sounds like more then a few people on this forum, doesn't it?
And I DO think, that right after the 04 election, had the GOP done several things 180 degrees differently, it would indeed be the Dems that were on the verge of extinction today. Just think of this: one . . . ONE,/b> . . . GOP vote (Mike DeWine, who then lost in 06) cost us ANWAR.
Oops. Sorry for the HTML incompetence.
Desperation due Promises made, their absolute need to get back into the WH, THE Clinton’s seemingly down and out haven’t approached the fat lady to sing the song yet, and guaranteed THEY won’t. THEY aren’t out of the running yet.
They had a plan going into the elections of ‘92, and now they have to finish it. They haven’t any choice.
ALL seems pretty bleak for the Clinton’s, but I won’t even write the b-stards off until ALL the votes are counted in November, and then still I’ll be wary.
On the other side of it all is McCain. The “presumptive” GOP nominee. That one word and the anger at the GOP might lead to something. Yeah...I know...wishful thinking.
Obama WILL screw himself up, if his wife doesn’t first.
What is this guy smoking? First, you can't do both, i.e., appeal to independents and core conservatives. Second, McCain is not trying to appeal to core conservatives, and finally, he is moving further and further to the Left in search of votes under the assumption that Reps have no where to go. For exa,mple, his stances on amnesty and global warming are liberal, not conservative.
A strong 3rd may not hold a majority, but it can sway the politics. By being strong enough to keep either of the other major parties from holding majority power in Congress, the 3rd party force a coalition-type governing.And that seems to be more than Conservatives have now, as both parties seem more alike than different.
Example: all the knee-pads when Leiberman won re-election as an Independent and basically held the single vote for control of the Senate.
A strong conservative 3rd party does not have muster a majority to change the course of politics. They just have to muster enough votes to influence the direction of politics.
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