Posted on 10/28/2008 11:00:34 AM PDT by lewisglad
A focal point of the GOP fight is the selection of the next chairman of the Republican National Committee -- the party's power center for fundraising and strategic thinking.
Conservative champion Rush Limbaugh, who often provides the rallying cry to the party's most ardent supporters via his radio program, last week laid out a similar warning, suggesting that a McCain win would do little to deter conservatives from pushing for major changes.
"One step at a time," Limbaugh told his listeners. "We're going to drag McCain across the finish line -- then we start rebuilding the conservative movement. It's going to happen whether he wins or loses, but especially if he wins too."
Party insiders are pushing for the party to name Michael Steele, the African American former lieutenant governor of Maryland, as its chairman to help the GOP broaden its appeal.
Both meetings are precursors to the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in January, when the new chairman will be elected by the committee's approximately 160 members.
"There is a new blood in the party that is interested in communicating the message of the party -- the conservative message," said Kim Lehman, executive director of the antiabortion group Iowa Right to Life, who in July defeated a state legislator for one of the state's seats on the national committee.
Former California GOP Chairman Shawn Steel, a newly elected committeeman, described his colleagues as "mostly dynamic and frustrated conservatives that really want to see a dramatic change for the RNC in the way that it communicates to Americans."
Even in a year of Democratic strength, there are some positive signs for conservatives. Gay marriage bans, for example, stand a chance of being approved by the voters in two big states, California and Florida
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
How about the limited government and fiscal conservatives?
Can’t we all just get along?
It’s not simply “social conservatives”, it’s real GRASSROOTS conservatives. We in the grassroots believe in ALL aspects of conservatism: pro-life, pro-family, small-government, individual liberty, etc.
Personally, I want all the David Frum’s, the Michael Gerson’s, David Brooks’s, and the Colin Powell’s of the world out of the party. I’ll take their votes and their support, but I don’t want them anywhere near the leadership or influencing the leadership.
Steele is OK by me. I’ve enjoyed watching him on FOX News
Not so fast.. How did conservatives LOOSE control of the conservative party?.. Who are the malefactors?.. We need to name some names... Else the problems will remain.. Because the problems are PEOPLE..
Exactly, it was the MODERATE RINOS who got us into this mess.
The “social conservatives” have been riding the back of the GOP bus the past 8 years while the NRO types have driven us over the cliff.
“How did conservatives LOOSE control of the conservative party?.. Who are the malefactors?.. We need to name some names”
Frum, Kristol, Brooks, Douthat, all the other cocktail Rockefeller GOPers.
Good article.... a little light at the end of this RINO tunnel.
Sarah will clean all of the RINO’s out in 2012. I have no doubt in my mind about that!
I wish the fiscal conservatives would win instead
excuse me, but what the *#$( kind of story is this a week before a Presidential election????
What kind of ‘fighting’ is anybody doing within the party right now?? This is utter nonsense.
With a guy about to be annointed who is becoming more and more clearly a Marxist, the LA Times is suddenly concerned about ‘social conservatives’???? You’ve got to be kidding me.
“I wish the fiscal conservatives would win instead”
I don’t think social conservatives have a problem with the fiscal cons. The problem has been the RINOs.
The RINO's can form their own party as far as I care.
Social Conservative. Rhymes with Compassionate Conservative. Synonymous with George W. Bush.
No thanks.
I’ve got some bad news for you: there’s already a huge wedge and its been growing for years — really since the first Bush took office. This election (and the four previous ones) would be in the bag but for conservatives that have been staying home in droves since 1992. To answer this trend, what does the Republican party do? It nominates John McCain to run — the exact OPPOSITE of what it should have done. While I’ll concede that there weren’t very many good conservative presidential candidates this cycle, the main reason is the mess Bush and Congress have created — not the mess the RATS and the media blame him for, but the ones caused by ignoring conservative principles.
Conservatives are NOT “united” in trying to elect McCain. They may be holding their nose to keep Obama out, but even then, there are literally millions of votes the Republican party is throwing away because it refuses to nominate true conservative candidates that will actually behave as conservatives when elected.
Edited slightly, concur wholeheartedly
turd in the punchbowl
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