Posted on 02/07/2008 4:09:25 AM PST by Kaslin
"Quo vadis," conservatives? It's the ancient, apocryphal question the apostle Peter asked Jesus while fleeing persecution in Rome. Where are you going? Where do we go from here?
The contest for the GOP presidential nomination is over. The conservative movement is not. Sen. John McCain's campaign resurrection and Super Tuesday victory leave a diverse group on the Right—from the libertarian Club for Growth to First Amendment defenders to immigration enforcement proponents—dispirited. But the failure to nominate a true Republican unifier does not spell ideological defeat.
On Wednesday, wielding his olive branch like a schoolmarm's ruler, Sen. McCain told conservatives to "calm down." My advice is exactly the opposite: Get fired up.
Some on the Right advise their readers and listeners to vote Democrat or sit home. My advice is exactly the opposite: Get off the couch and walk the walk for conservative candidates and officeholders who need all the help they can get defending free markets, free minds, and secure borders—no matter who takes the White House in November.
Dissatisfied with the flawed crop of GOP candidates who lacked the energy, organizational skills, and ideological strength to carry the conservative banner and ignite your passions? Then pay attention to the next generation of Republican state legislators who do vote consistently to lower your taxes, uphold the sanctity of life, defend marriage, and cut government spending. Support their re-election bids. Reward them for standing with you instead of their Democrat opponents and the liberal media.
Look at Barack Obama. Four years ago, he was in the Illiniois legislature. Now, he's on the cusp of the presidency.
If you can't stomach John McCain, channel your support and energies to Republicans who do represent your values and who have treated the conservative base as allies instead of enemies. There are a new generation of combat veterans running for office who haven't made a career of trashing the base. Check out staunch economic, social, and national security conservative congressional candidates like Iraq/Afghanistan veteran Eric Egland in California's fourth district. Check out the Vets for Freedom (vetsforfreedom.org) group for their endorsements.
Opposed to the amnesty bill? Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and John Cornyn of Texas all fought the McCain-Kennedy-Graham-Martinez-Bush open-borders disaster. All of those Senators are up for re-election this year. Send them some money. Then send a few more bucks to the enforcement proponents on the House side as well.
Don't sit and wait for the fence to get built. It won't be finished under the Bush administration or a McCain administration or an Obama or Hillary Clinton administration. What you can do is pressure mayors and police chiefs and city councils to rescind dangerous sanctuary policies. What you can do is alert county sheriffs that you want them to work with the feds to end illegal alien catch-and-release policies in your neighborhood.. What you can do is stop patronizing businesses that you know are knowingly employing illegal immigrants using fake Ids and stolen Social Security numbers.
There are other vital issues on the ballot this fall that need conservative backing. Conservative stalwart Ward Connerly is leading a "Super Tuesday of Equality" drive in November to end racial preferences in five states. He has not only battled the race demagogues on the Left and the affirmative action apologists in the media, but also spineless GOP establishment leaders who would rather pander to the "diversity" lobby than fight for true equality under the law. Connerly spearheaded resounding victories in California, Washington, and Michigan. The new campaign is targeting Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Support his organization, the American Civil Rights Institute (www.acri.org).
Twenty-six years ago at the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Reagan rallied conservatives:
"We must ask ourselves tonight how we can forge and wield a popular majority from one end of this country to the other, a majority united on basic, positive goals with a platform broad enough and deep enough to endure long into the future, far beyond the lifespan of any single issue or personality."
Get involved. Don't calm down. Get fired up
If it is McCain, Mrs. Filegate, or Hussein-I-have-a-dream-but-not-a-single-detail, amnesty will be put through, Leftist judges will be appointed. The Dems will have it wrapped up for 20 years. The judges will effectively neuter our Constitution.
It won’t matter if we rally to elect a conservative here and there. Even Leonidas fell at Thermopylae.
And if you want to ask a question from antiquity, it should be not to conservatives, we’re already making survival plans. It should be to the Republican Party. And the question should be:
Et Tu, Brute?
Mitt Romney and his family (150 years!) ignore what is military service. They don’t deserve any respect for this.
Not an issue for me. In fact, I have 20 1/2 years in right now. I will give each son four of my years which will satisfy the boys and then do four more for Mitt. Are you ok now? lol.
Hear! Hear!
This is not the election to sit out. Conservatives need everyone, in every race, in every state.
If I'm reading your statement correctly, it could also be said of about 85% of the American population. But just to clarify what do you mean "ignore what is military service."?
The fight's the thing.
The msm has inertia on its side. Most people have lives and hate politics (in part because of the msm) they are only peripherally aware of the issues.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon those of us that do pay attention to make the msm fight. To challenge the elites that want to steal our patrimony.
To confront evil even when the odds are hopeless.
We owe our children nothing less.
I might add also to join the American Conservative Union. I let my membership go years ago and worked exclusively on ‘Pub party stuff. I’m sitting McCain/Hillary or Obama out.
Hillary has promised that the day she is nominated is the day we begin to leave Iraq. She banned military people from wearing their uniforms in the White House. Despite McCain’s faults on many important domestic issues, one cannot fault him for not respecting and supporting the military. Our service people deserve a better Commander in Cheif than Hillary or Obama. I don’t see how I not vote to prevent that and ever honestly say I support the troops again. Therefore, I am coming to the cold realization that I must vote for McCain, however much I personally detest him.
Gov. Mitt Romney, who has comforted the grieving loved ones of soldiers killed in Iraq and promoted National Guard recruitment, yesterday said he has not urged his own sons to enlist - and isn’t sure whether they would.
The Herald posed the question as Romney, he answered: “No, I have not urged my own children to enlist. I don’t know the status of my childrens’ potentially enlisting in the Guard and Reserve,” Romney said, his voice tinged with anger.
McCain’s son, Jimmy, 18, a Marine Corps enlistee, is now serving in Iraq,
Taken from Boston Herald.
Of course we’ll carry on the fight. That’s who we are.
But there are realities we must face. This country is about to make a turn that may well diverge us from our history of liberty and individual responsibility forever.
Carter got us Reagan. But Reagan didn’t have an additional 10 million legal votes and half that many illegal votes to work against, plus stacked benches that would rule against him.
Sorry the G O P does not want us . 3rd party.
I 100% agree with Malkin. The response if the top of the ticket is going to be a left leaning Republican (which we are guaranteed unless a brokered convention turns to a dark horse conservative . . . the response for conservatives is to really commit to do more than we otherwise would have for the conservatives down ticket that are running for Congress, state legislatures, Governor, etc.
“Opposed to the amnesty bill? Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and John Cornyn of Texas all fought the McCain-Kennedy-Graham-Martinez-Bush open-borders disaster. All of those Senators are up for re-election this year. Send them some money”
Read the flip side.
Exactly, because if we do sit the election out then the Rat's are guaranteed to not only have the White House, but the House and the Senate for 40 years if not more
Excellent advice. The Rats barely own congress. Congressional approval is at 14%. Taking back the house and senate is within our power.
Good luck to you. I’ll never forget the third party attempt in the 90’s (aka the deranged party). I believe punches were finally thrown before the whole thing devolved into chaos. Betcha “real” conservatives will never agree on the definition of “real” conservativism for the sake of a third party. But hey I could be wrong and if it ever proves to be viable, I could vote for it but I’m not holding my breath.
What's up with THAT, McCain??
7/29/05- Voted NO to Offering tax breaks and incentives to encourage oil and gas companies to provide innovative ways to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, conserve resources and reduce pollution.
John McCain prefers us to be dependent on Foreign Oil, apparently.
6/7/06- Voted NO with Dems, on a Senate cloture vote on the gay marriage amendment, effectively killing the amendment.
Conservative values John?? Where?
7/18/06- Voted YES with Dems on legislation would allow federal funding for research on stem cell lines derived from embryos that would otherwise be destroyed.
Yes, ladies, you can abort in John's eyes, but he just can't stomach a partial birth abortion. Such a man of conviction...
3/15/07-DID NOT VOTE against the non-binding resolution that would have revised U.S. policy on Iraq. The measure had directed the president to begin a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq within 120 days of the resolution’s enactment.
John was for the war before he was so-so about it...
4/26/07-DID NOT VOTE against joint legislation providing $124.2 billion primarily for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and setting benchmarks and a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. President Bush vetoed the bill on May 1.
DITTO.
6/7/07-DID NOT VOTE for cloture vote that would have moved the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 forward to an "up or down" vote on the Senate floor.
Come on John, we would really like to know where you and the other sellouts really stand on illegal immigration. You dodged, again...
7/26/07- DID NOT VOTE with Republicans for an amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The bill required the inspection of all cargo traveling on passenger aircrafts and establishes the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
And we thought you were all about National Security...where were you?
8/3/07- DID NOT VOTE with Republicans for the amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The bill gives U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.
We're at war, John, why aren't you voting to protect Americans?
...and this is just over a two year time frame. Throw in McCain-Feingold, Gang of 14, Illegal Immigration Reform et al.. McCain is a liberal because he either votes with liberals or abstains when it matters the most to vote as a conservative.
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