Conservatives must act

"These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Paine on December 23, 1776. It was a deeply demoralizing time for American independence fighters, with Gen. George Washington in constant retreat, always just managing to dodge defeat by the British. Keeping American morale strong was the crucial ingredient for victory then, just as it is today.

By comparison, we are living in a time of domestic peace and prosperity --- but we are under constant, minute-by-minute propaganda assault by the Left-wing media. That is demoralizing. It has the worst effects on our politics and culture. By stacking the US media and our schools, the Left keeps traditional American values and customs under constant assault. That is why you feel the way you do when you listen to the big media. It is enormously damaging.

Today, as in 1776, the biggest battle is once again about our courage and optimism. Conservatism is embedded deep within the American spirit. But it requires constant loving care and outright cheerleading to feel free to express ourselves. You are not alone: Sixty million conservatives can't be wrong. (And that's a lowball estimate.)

Six months before November 2008, many conservatives are down in the dumps. John McCain is behind in the money race. George Will thinks we are doomed --- an amazing thing to say, half a year before a toss-up election. Even Rush is in a sulk about John McCain.

But the stakes are higher than they have been in the last fifty years. No major US political party has ever nominated a radical Leftist before --- and Obama can't hide his real loyalties. Even Bill Clinton was more of a 'moderate' Democrat. Obama is a True Believer in the Left, like a younger Hillary Clinton after a sex change and a major sun tan.

The last attempt by the radical Left to conquer the US presidency was defeated by Harry Truman in 1948. Well, the Dems have now allowed a true radical to win their nomination, and they seem to be thrilled by their new messiah.

Will the American people be taken in by the Left? That's the crucial question that will decide the historic election of '08.

Well, get off your duffs, friends. Conservatives must be activists. The big media will cover for Obama --- and all we have on our side are about 60 million intelligent voters who still think for themselves. That's a good starting point, but it has to be turned into an electoral majority in the next six months. We must puncture the rock-star balloon of the most dangerous presidential candidate in fifty years. It can be done. It has been done with Dukakis, Mondale and Kerry. All we need to do is tell the truth.

If you like John McCain, help him win just as hard as you can. If you don't like him, don't jump off a cliff. What about all the others true conservatives who are running? They need money, volunteers, and constant pressure on the media to give them a fair shake.

Since the media are in a financial crisis, they have to listen better than before, or go bankrupt. It might be useful to remind them, politely, of that basic fact of life.

Remember, the US Senate is our last line of defense against a tyrannical Left in America. If by November we have fewer than 35 sane and sensible US Senators, the Left can override any veto by a potential President McCain. Or if Obama becomes the first hard-core Leftist US President, he can only be stopped by a solid one-third of the Senate. So we must win enough Senate races. That is as important as electing a president we can believe in.

For the crucial US Senate races, check out RealClearPolitics: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/latestpolls/senate.html

Here are some important races. Notice that five GOP Senators are retiring. That means a loss of incumbent advantages in five states. The GOP challengers in thos states will need your help to keep those seats. For more details, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections%2C_2008

Conservatives include Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. They are excellent. Pick any of the ones you like --- and remember that even the wobblies need support, because they will add to overall the GOP strength. Give 'em whatever you can: Your work, your money, and your enthusiasm.

Senator Norm Coleman is running in Minnesota against Al Franken, the so-called "comedian." Franken is a particularly obnoxious fellow, a real conservative hater. Hugh Hewitt just called him a "tax-cheating pornographer." Well, that could be the good part. Franken would be an instant star on the Left if he won. Don't let it happen.

Elizabeth Dole (R) is in a very close race with the Democrat, Kay R. Hagan (D). Remember, just a single Senate race means national repercussions, and perhaps irreversible victories for the Left. We need every single vote we can get. This is a matter of survival for American conservatism.

I have mixed feelings about Gordon Smith of Oregon, Susan Collins of Maine, and some others. But this time it's sink or swim. If we lose the wobbly Republicans, we lose the last Constitutional defense to the assault of the Left. Think about it. And help.

Mary Landrieu is a lifetime member of the notoriously corrupt and incompetent Democrat establishment in Louisiana, the local politicians who were so disastrously "stuck on stupid" during the Katrina fiasco. She is opposed by conservative John N. Kennedy, who was recruited by Karl Rove. Landrieu is only 3% ahead at this point, and Republicans in Louisiana are on a roll with Bobby Jindall showing the way. Louisiana badly needs a two-party system. Go, Kennedy.

Frank Lautenberg is running neck-and-neck with Dick Zimmer (R) in New Jersey. If you remember how Lautenberg was slipped in after Bob (The Torch) Toricelli was forced to resign for corruption, you'll have a good idea of who deserves to win in New Jersey. Don't let Lautenberg get another six years.

Use Wikipedia and RealClearPolitics to research your own House members. I have a great love and admiration for Colonel Alan West, a man of immense integrity and moral courage. He is running in the Florida 22nd Congressional District. One man with courage can stand against dozens of spineless ones, and this man has it. http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/

The American Conservative Union has a list of office holders who need help. The Club for Growth has been doing an outstanding job electing fiscal conservatives. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_for_growth Pick one with a chance to win, and pitch in to help. http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2008/04/club_pac_endorses_mcclintock_i_1.php

GOPUSA has a good state-by-state list of candidates and election news. http://www.capwiz.com/gopusa/e4/

The GOP is still the major vehicle for conservative politics, and they are a lot better than the alternative. For fact-based talking points, see the GOP opposition research site Meetbarackobama.com. http://www.meetbarackobama.com/

Senator Jim DeMint is starting a conservative PAC. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002894056 Check it out. If you like it, suppport it. Otherwise, consider the National Senatorial Republican Committee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Republican_Senatorial_Committee

Remember, we need as many GOP Senators as possible, with the strongest possible conservative core. This is a test of political will and political strength among the American people.

There are many good conservatives running. Use your own best judgment. See who they are, who their opponents are. See what you can afford in time, energy, making phone calls, money. We can save the US Senate. We can save our growing farm team in the House. We can win local elections. And we can win the presidency --- not for perfection, but to stave off the worst assault on American values since 1948.

If Barack Obama wins in 2008, by 2010 or 2012 the voters might realize what a dismal mistake they've made. But that might be too late. It gives the radical Left between two and eight years of unrestrained power, plus two or three Supreme Court Justices. Look at what socialists have done with their untrammeled power in Great Britain, which is now dying as a country. You can see where we could end up. Do you want Eurosuicide for America? That would be bad news for the whole civilized world, not just America.

Bottom line: Electing conservatives is vitally important for the country. Ronald Reagan endorsed Jerry Ford, a liberal Republican, in 1976. You can't doubt who Reagan would endorse in this campaign. Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good.

True conservatives must be activists. (Yes, this means you!). If you're not helping, you're just dead weight on the dog sled. Mobilize your conservative friends. Set up a blog. Give money. Walk precincts. Make phone calls. If you have a favorite candidate, ask them what they need.

Senator Barack Obama is obsessed with race, class and gender. Deep down, he is not a healer, but a divider. Obama will make permanent the racial spoils system using "affirmative action," by appointing three Supreme Court justices. The pro-abortion crowd will then be in the saddle for decades. Obama will spread his 2,700 radical appointees throughout the Federal goverment, to entrench political correctness in our military, our foreign policy, our tax structure, our daily lives.

Like Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama will try his best to dismantle our defenses; he will cut our nuclear deterrent, according to his advisor Joseph Cirincioni, leaving us at the mercy of a militant China, Russia, and rising rogue states. Saudi money will reign supreme in Washington --- even more than it does today. With a Democrat Congress, Obama will put his pro-Islamist advisors in positions of power --- for one little indication, David Bonior just joined his campaign. People are policy, and Obama's people are radical Leftist, pro-Islamist, race-and-gender spoils hacks.

Obama wants to retreat from Iraq just as that country is beginning to stabilize, giving Iran's terror master free sway in the Middle East. He will have the US economy bow down to the global warming fraud and its eager little host of bureaucrats. He will drive jobs abroad. He has already promised to tax and tax in order to spend and spend --- on the racial spoils system, on nationalizing one-seventh of the economy for healthcare, on a thousand little things we don't need. Obama intends to install HillaryCare without Hillary; call it MichelleCare. But Michelle is a racial Commissar, an enforcer for the racial spoils system. All that vast power will be used to promote their private political ambitions. That's why all the Leftie and Islamist organizations are going wild for Obama. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/30284_9-11_Truth_Blogs_Marxists_and_Terrorist_Sympathizers_Allowed_to_Remain_at_Official_Obama_Site

It's high time for the conservative American giant to understand that it is a giant and act like it.

The Left will try to demoralize us through the media, day after day. Don't let them. Do something active every single day for the next six months --- that's 180 days. This may be the most important thing you do this year - or any year.

If you feel down in the dumps about our chances, just keep in mind Thomas Paine in 1776:

These are times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. http://www.ushistory.org/PAINE/crisis/c-01.htm

This is not the first big challenge in American history. But it's ours, and we owe it to the past and the future of this country to win this one.

Your "brand" of conservatism barely constitute 2%

You just keep telling yourself that. If the GOP can win elections without it's voting base, more power to 'em.

Please vote for Barr, McCain does not need your vote

Didn't you just get done telling me that he does? That if I vote for Barr, McCain will lose to Obama? Maybe your premise as party over principle cheerleader should be revisited.

You did good work for us translating the Iraq documents. Don't think this makes you the final arbiter of how conservatives should vote. You abandon principle to elect someone who has proven time and again to side with our Enemies and you have pretty much spit in the face of the very mission statement for Free Republic.

What you refer to as "real conservatives" are no more than 3-5% of the electorate.

Then stopping pissing in our pool. The mission statement for FR pertains to "conservatism". If the GOP no longer needs us, then don't let the door hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'.

So you think that not only did democrats outvote republicans by a two-to-one margin, at the SAME time they were engaged in a massive crossover to pick McCain?

If so, we are even in bigger trouble, and have less of a chance to ever pick a nominee who could win in a general election.

McCain is NOT the candidate that appeals to both. But none of our conservative candidates appealed to enough conservatives to even win the primary, much less showed any ability to appeal to the moderates and independents.

The closest thing we had to a conservative who might be able to do that was Fred Thompson, but he managed to alienate the evangelical vote so they all jumped to Mike Huckabee. All we had left was Romney, who had the double trouble of being Mormon and being too soon removed from too many non-conservative positions.

Barr? He didn’t even bother to try to run for my vote. He’s just trying to piggy-back on the work that Ron Paul did.

I read that, and nowhere is there a quote from McCain, much less a quote that says what you said.

There is a quote from a Hillary Clinton democrat who characterizes what he claims McCain said.

Until 2000, the Senate did NOT block presidential appointees for political reasons. Maybe they should have, but they didn’t. A lot of strong conservatives voted for those judges. Heck, the one causing us the most trouble now was APPOINTED by the solid conservative Ronald Reagan.

There are many type of conservatives. Yours is the one that is called the “Purists”. You live in a bubble and see the world from a very narrow prism and you think that you are much more in numbers than what you really are. You “Purists” are unappeasable. You hide under the mantra of “Principles” and you want to get evil upon America if you do not get 100% of what you want. As I said the “Purists” constitute less than 2% of the voters and that is a fact.

I did not tell you that if you vote for Barr, McCain is going to lose to Obama, all what I said is that you will help Obama but definitely does not guarantee and Obama win. So go ahead and vote for Bob Barr and McCain does not need your types. If he has to pander to you he will lose 10 votes for each vote he get from your likes.

Regarding the mission of Free Republic, you and people like you can start a thread asking Jim Robinson to ban anyone who disagree with you and support John McCain.

Yours is the one that is called the “Purists”.

I'm a conservative libertarian. Not a "purist". My only issue is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Either a candidate follows it, or they have ZERO chance of getting my vote.

McCain has shown time and again that he not only holds conservatism in disdain, but the very Contract that gives his office power.

Piss on him.

you and people like you can start a thread asking Jim Robinson to ban anyone who disagree with you

I never called for your banning. It's just that if you don't like conservatives, and try and turn "purist" into a pejorative, then maybe you'd be happier elsewhere.

Calling the enemy by name is a big start that doesn't cost anyone a dime.

Name calling doesn't solve anything, especially when the enemy has done a good job of demonizing those who recognize them for who they are.

Subtlety may take longer, but it also has a more permanent effect. One of the reasons our enemy has been so successful is the patience they have shown -- the battle against socialism in all its forms is constant and on-going.

Because the American people don’t understand third-party options, a vote for former Rep. Barr or the minister Chuck Baldwin on the Constitution Party ticket is the same as support for Oprah’s Obama. The media doesn’t usually report tallies for minor candidates, and the votes are ignored by all. As “Uncle Waltr” Cronkite would say, “That’s the way it is,” and he will rejoice in an Obama victory.

...is the same as support for...

Well, no. It isn't. This logical fallacy has been shredded time and again.

Here's an idea, vote for the most qualified candidate in your opinion and I'll vote for mine.

Keep in mind that abandoning principle is how we got where we are in the first place. More of the same will only lead us further astray.

Name calling doesn't solve anything,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Telling the **truth** is NOT “name-calling”! It **is** truthfully calling the enemy what it is and who he is!

The enemy **IS** Marxism and communism. Our enemies **are** communists and Marxists! And,...That is the truth!

Rush, Hannity, OReilly and all the other Talking Pumpkin Heads are like the timid characters in the Harry Potter books. What is this? Is communism and Marxism “He Who Can Not Be Named”?

Are the talk radio Ichabods afraid that just by calling “He who Must NOt be Named” by their true name ( communist and Marxists) that our enemy will point their finger and laugh at them? Wow! How brave!

Geeze! If a little ole’ lady like me can call the enemy what they truly are ( communists and Marxists) big ole’ hairy Rush should be able to do the same! He has a lot more hair on his chest than I do!

Yes, I am disgusted!

And that's all fine and good.
Support all the conservatives that you can find.

With McCain OR Obomba in the white house the leftists will have willing cooperation from that branch of government on everything but the military.
I do believe that McCain will stand strong on anything having to do with the military.

BUT, this statement, "Remember, the US Senate is our last line of defense against a tyrannical Left in America.", is incorrect.

The last line of defense against a tyrannical left is the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

I may have used the wrong word with "platform". but their positions on many issues are so close, that the average voter will not see much difference. I am definitely voting for McCain. However, I think he is doing a terrible job of selling himself as differing from Obama on many key issues (in much the same way that Bush did not make more than a half-hearted attempt to sell America on the WOT).

I bet if you asked Obama and McCain what they wanted to do with illegal immigrants, you would find that even on THAT issue McCain is to the right of Obama.

While McCain is clearly to the left of the conservatives on too many issues, that doesn’t mean he’s no different than Obama on those issues.

For example, some consider him the same as Obama on Guantanamo, because McCain wants to close it. But Obama supports the Supreme Court ruling, while McCain strongly opposes it.

I don’t know how McCain is doing selling himself, because he doesn’t get a lot of media coverage. But when he does, it’s usually when he’s opposing Obama, on drilling off the coasts, on economics, on tax cuts, on the war on terror, on the war in Iraq.

Global warming is an issue he’s bad on, but Obama supported the Senate cap-and-trade bill, and McCain did not.

I agree. And also, one could go to American Solutions.com, Newt’s petition on Drill Now and Senator McConnell’s petition on Drilling in a House resolution at his site. Both are racking up huge numbers in signers. Newt’s petition is near a million.

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