Posted on 10/23/2013 6:56:33 PM PDT by WXRGina
Richard Viguerie at Conservative HQ examines the idea of starting a third party alternative to the RINO-led Republican Party–an idea that has been growing in popularity since the rise of the Tea Party movement four years ago, and even more popular now that the “Republican” leadership in congress has once again caved to Democrats in the fight against ObamaCare.
Since even Sean Hannity expressed support for a third party recently, Viguerie felt it was time to address the issue–and rebut it.
Viguerie reminds us of some GOP history and the war between liberals and conservatives in the Republican Party:
In the aftermath of the 1976 Republican Convention and the way the GOP establishment bought off the last few votes needed to hand the nomination to Ford, conservatives urged Reagan to launch “a full-blown national conservative movement” and run as a third party candidate.
To his great credit Reagan chose not to pursue that path.
Reagan’s answer to those, including some of his good political supporters, who wanted him to head this new conservative party, was to tell them “they were out of their minds.”
Reagan understood that if he was ever going to make progress in accomplishing the things he believed in, it would have to be within the Republican Party.
As Reagan saw it then (and he was right) the bulk of conservative voters in America are Republicans and they won’t desert the Republican Party for a third party. That is why I continue to operate in the GOP, but am first and foremost a limited government constitutional conservative.
I, too, feel the temptation sometimes to abandon the party I have held allegiance to since I was 13 years old. With gutless RINOs in charge of both the policy and purse strings of the GOP, it can be a daunting task to fight for the documented conservative values that forms the foundation of the GOP. It’s bad enough that conservatives have to fight not only the Democrat Party but also the “mainstream” media and academia; it’s a pathetic state of affairs when they have to fight liberals in their own party to advance Republican principles.
But as Viguerie points out, the RINOs wouldn’t just fold up and go away if conservatives started a third party. They have demonstrated that while they lack the will to fight the Democrat Party, they are more than willing to fight conservatives. And those who would remain in the GOP after such a theoretical split (both the mealy-mouthed “moderates” who lack the courage to be either a full-blown liberal or a conservative, as well as those genuine conservatives who would stay with the party out of loyalty) would continue to divide the effort to advance Republican and conservative values. That would leave an undivided liberal party in the Democrat Party to finish the job of destroying America.
Besides, it’s not their party in the first place (they’ve made that clear with their contempt for Republican principles), and I’ll be ****ed if I’ll let them have it without a fight.
Only if it became absolutely and totally impossible for conservatives to make a difference in the GOP would a third party alternative become necessary, in my opinion.
I believe the strategy Viguerie outlines is the best one, and it means conservatives must get off their rear ends and get involved in the primaries–something we hardly ever do!
If conservatives want to govern America we have to face the same reality Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan did when they heard the Siren song of those advocating the formation of a third party.
It’s the primaries stupid!
To win the elections necessary to govern America according to conservative principles there’s only one way to go; recruit the candidates and do the work necessary for conservatives to win GOP primary elections up and down the ballot.
Just as importantly, conservatives must get involved in the Republican Party at the precinct level, run for Republican Party office and take over the GOP at the local, state and national level to confirm it once and for all as the permanent political home of limited government constitutional conservatives.
It’s not easy. Most of us conservatives are just “live and let live” people; we aren’t naturally confrontational. We’re busy with families and church and our work and businesses. But if we want to preserve this last best hope of earth, we’re going to have to take the time to do what we can. If we all do a little, we can make it happen. The problem we have now is that only a few are doing anything, and most are doing nothing but complaining.
Conservatives, resolve that 2013-2014 will be the year you end the inaction and defeatism, and start doing whatever you can–big or little–to help conservatives win in the primaries, and win in the general election.
Isn’t what God has given us in America worth fighting for?
Preach it.
PS: Please don’t misunderstand me. I think we’re totally screwed, period.
I understand that the Republican party is now just a wing of the one-party, commie leftist system. At the same time, if we can’t commandeer the Republican party, we’re truly the toast I know we already are. A third party will not be allowed to “grow legs.” Our elections are compromised with electronic voting machine hacks, foot soldier voter fraud, etc.
I’m actually a “fatalist” when it comes to earthly politics.
Already toast. Watching governors race in VA and can’t believe how bad advertising for Republicans is. Definitely hurt by Bill Bolling supporters becoming turncoats, but ads for Atty. General Cuccinelli should point out he opposed Obamacare and was a major player in an administration that brought prosperity to Virginia.
I do believe the Whigs made precisely the same argument.
The Republican Party is useless. Its only principle is to have no principles. Its only strategy is preemptive surrender. Its only plan for victory is to tick off its base as much as possible.
The Republicans did such a good job of replacing the Whigs that they have become the Whigs.
The basic premise of the two-party system is that the parties offer meaningful alternative policies. When they refuse to do so, it’s time to replace one or both.
"Two wings of the same bird of prey." -- Pat Buchanan
Well, it's a disaster for them.
The original Republicans were not all John Brown abolitionists. They were the moderates that were willing to let slavery stand in the slave states, but ran on denying slavery growth in the territories.
Lincoln was always seeking the middle ground, only issuing his Emancipation Proclamation after a US victory, making room for Democrat generals. As a moderate, he was elected because of Democrat overreach that forced northern citizens to help slave catchers.
If you can’t get a majority of one of two political parties, you can’t have a majority in the country.
If I understand you correctly, since I'm trying to get the GOP RINOs booted from office anyway, maybe passing amnesty is a good thing.
Also, if patriots and former Obama supporters can get their acts together for the 2014 elections, then the following may happen. If patriots can elect a 2/3 conservative majority to both Houses of Congress, then Congress will have the power, under the Constitution's Clause 2 of Section 7 of Article I, to override presidential vetoes. In other words, Congress will be able to repeal Obamacare without Congress's signature.
Excellent point!
This is what produced the record-breaking Republican victories at every level, coast to coast, in the 2010 mid-term elections.
We proved it works. It will work again. And again.
RINOs must be obliterated in the PRIMARIES.
Those who say "only moderates can win" need to be humiliated into silence and obscurity with the facts of recent RINO losses in general elections (i.e. McCain, Romney).
The TEA Party message -- Cut the Taxes; Cut the Spending; Reduce the Size of Government -- is a winning message coast to coast.
we don’t have time for a third party to go through numerous defeats and the preferred alternative is, of course, to cede the government to the Democrats including their Designated Opposition (Republican) Division. There is no “working within” the Democrat Party which is the One Party that rules. A New party would NOT be a third party, a third name, perhaps, but a second party.Trying to beat the nominal Republicans in the nominal Republican Party is simply reinforcing the Democrat One Party. The Republican party is not a separate entity and will not be again.
The 11th commandment no longer applies.
Right!
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