Whither the Grand Old Party?
Quite frankly, I simply do not know.
Most of my blogging associates have posted about the future of the GOP, well, weeks ago. You’ll note that none of my posts, to this point, have been reflective of Republicans. I’ve been, I suppose you could say, “processing.”
I wish I could say that I’ve come to a clear conclusion.
For my dearest readers, you know that I tried to keep a positive bent right up to the bitter end. And in many ways I really did feel that way. Right up to the bitter end.
Because I simply refused to either NOT vote in the presidential election or vote for Barack Hussein Obama. McCain/Palin was it. That’s how it all shook out. And that’s how I was going to vote. And so I did. I made this fact more than clearly known.
The polls went up and down. And despite having the liability of John McCain on the ticket, the final popular vote was 52% for Barack Hussein Obama and 48% for McCain/Palin. To me, that’s no “mandate” and no “ass kicking” per se.
Think about that for a moment, if you will. As screwed up as the McCain campaign was with, essentially, a Democrat running on the Republican ticket, Barack Hussein Obama just did NOT “walk away” with the vote. And he had so, so many aspects working in his favor:
- The DEM/MSM drank all the Kool Aid he offered;
- The MSM provided, literally, millions of dollars worth of free advertising to his campaign;
- Barack Hussein Obama had millions of dollars more than McCain in his war-chest;
- Barack Hussein Obama worked the internet like it’s never been worked before;
- People were SO tired of George Bush;
- Barack Hussein Obama was young, fresh, well-spoken in front of a TelePrompTer;
- He said essentially nothing more than his repetitive and broken-record chant of “change”;
- It was the tired, doddering, ancient white guy and one hot chick against the clean black guy;
- The DEM/MSM purposely avoided Rezko, Ayers, Wright, Pfleger, Obama’s spinal philosophy;
- Barack Hussein Obama embraced Joe Biden as his Veep;
- Barack Hussein Obama made any number of verbal slips (58 states!);
- Barack Hussein Obama has even less experience than the current Governor of Alaska;
And yet, despite all these factors aligned against the Republican Party and the McCain/Palin ticket, the election really did come right down to the wire.
Upon reflection that’s actually quite astounding, if you ask me.
And here’s Captain Obvious weighing in:
McCain wouldn’t have made it by himself. It was the clear, new, breath-of-fresh-air presence of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin which generated whatever excitement existed on the GOP side. And McCain, being the ignoramus that he was and is, insisted on shutting her down. And being the neophyte she is, she obeyed.
I’m revealing nothing new when I write that John McCain has been the historic despoiler of the GOP. His Gang of 14, his McCain/Feingold bill, his amnesty ramdown package for Illegal Invaders caused any number of true Conservatives to hock just a little bit of burning throw-up into their collective throats. He should obey his inclination and simply re-register as a Demorat.
And yet, still, I determined to take the McCain/Palin ticket over Obama for the clear and delineated obvious reasons. Yeah yeah yeah, I know all things about McCain. And yet, that’s how much I wanted to defeat Barack Hussein Obama.
Here are the Sad Facts about the current GOP:
- Roughly 4.1 million Republicans failed to vote this election as compared to 2004.
Recognizing this, is it any wonder that we lost?
THERE ARE NOW TWO CAMPS:
Resultingly, there are two philosophical camps believing they have the answer:
Camp One:
We need to re-think everything. We need to be more inclusive, we need to give up some of our more exclusive ideals in order to bring a greater number of persons on board — because, after all, winning tickets consist of how many people you can swing to your side. Life moves forward. We should do no less. How can we get the Young, the Suburbans, the Mexicans onto our side? Are their inclinations really so completely opposed to ours? it must be asked.
For example, who comprised the two largest parties promoting Proposition 8 (redrafting the Fornicalia Constitution to define marriage as an act between two persons, one male and one female)? Yes, that would be blacks and Mexicans. A fact that few wish to address.
With that kind of Social Conservatism, how can we bring those alienated people on board the GOP? And speaking of that SC, why aren’t we willing to concede that we shouldn’t predicate our entire party on the back of the abortion issue? How long are we going to insist it’s a federal issue rather than a state issue?
Free thinking blacks, Mexicans, minorities, freedoms, don’t have necessarily to be mutually exclusive when it comes to the Republican Party. Individual strength really does = collective strength.
Camp Two:
We, Conservatives, go astray when we fall from The Basics. We need to ensure that our Conservative Triumvirate is met:
- Fiscal Conservatism: less government, balanced budgets, less spending, fewer taxes; you can’t tax and spend your way out of a deficit;
- Social Conservatism: the tenets of western religion place us on the track; our government was founded upon religious principles; abortion, gay marriage – these are abominations that will drag us down societally and collectively;
- Defensive Conservatism: these United States of America need to be sovereign, answerable to naught but domestic positions, strong, vast, overwhelming. We would rather be feared than respected. If something is in the best interest of this country that’s the overarching determinant.
What Happened:
The GOP simply got out-spent. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And, naturally, we were our own worst enemy.
When we actually possessed the greatest amount of power we:
- 1. Not only were reluctant to wield such power;
- 2. We couldn’t coalesce around said power.
- 3. We were fractious.
The Demorats, on the other hand, never had or have a problem with steamrollering any administration extant. Whatever power they have they wield and utilize.
Additionally, there really is the President Bush Factor:
- Adequate communication is, like, totally dude, Job 34;
- He has no concept as to how to convey his message to the masses;
- He equates “nice” to “power.” Wrong.
- Every other country equates “nice” to “weak.”
- He spent like the worst Demorat.
- Billions of dollars to Africa for AIDS? What the hell were you thinking?
- You had a thought or philosophy? Then why didn’t you stick with it?
- When did your “approval ratings” go up? When you were angry with conviction!
- When you abandoned The Basics, then Conservatives abandoned you.
Yes, President Bush kept this country free from further domestic terrorism; we’ll always owe him that.
And he’s one primary reason we are where we are now.
At the short end of the stick.
And you know, despite all that, we still weren’t all that far away.
To me, that still bespeaks volumes about Leftists and the Demorats.
To which camp do you belong?
BZ
To which camp do you belong?
*******************
The one that didn’t buy into the crap from EITHER of the camps, Dem OR Dem Lite…
2010 could well be a different story. Sadly our politics are personality driven as much as issue driven and that works for us sometimes and against us sometimes.
The R party ‘elite’ want it to be a Washington, DC dinner party, type of party. So just be ‘centerist’ and ‘pragmatic’ just like the progressives and, by golly, you will be no alternative to anyone and have no message… but the ‘elite’ will get to the dinner parties!
There is a word missing from the Republican party and its structure: Federalism.
Anything not handed to the federal government is reserved for the States and the people. The Republicans tried to do that, but got caught up in how nice Washington is and there were such nice dinner parties… so you didn’t want to really endanger *those* by, you know, being ‘conservative’. There are a bunch of folks out there that are fed up with this two party system and yet shut out because no one will bother to approach them because the ‘elite’ love the cloistered views by the Potomac. That is 49% of America that didn’t bother to vote… no one, and I do mean no one, represents them: they can’t find anyone who will speak to them and tell them why citizens are vital to the running of a republic.
You would think Republicans, with that ‘republic’ part would be able to do that… that ‘tent’ is now bigger than the entire Republican or Democratic Party, and once you take out voting independents is nearly the size of the two parties *combined*. Might want to take a look at those who see no stake in voting… find out *why* they don’t vote. Because appealing to ‘moderates’ and kowtowing to liberals hasn’t worked. Nor has acting like drunken sailors on a permanent binge with the federal budget and size of government.
That isn’t ‘having a big tent’ it is addressing those who see no differences between the two parties and won’t bother to vote. Maybe a bit of talking about things at a local level and some ‘outreach’ would help? You know, check population per district and then turn-out per district and start finding those who don’t vote?
Because no one is appealing to them.
You know that because they don’t vote.
Stop digging in the tight community that is getting smaller – the gold is where no one is digging and yet there is glint upon the soil and nuggets rolling around that have a certain gleam to them. Obama couldn’t do this: we added 8 million eligible adults between elections and 4 million less turned out. That is not success, that is failure. If the messiah couldn’t get a landslide, then his message just might not be one that appeals… but you gotta drop-kick the DC ‘elites’ to do it. They don’t like rural and working class Americans.
That is the future of the Republican party: basics, outreach, message and then getting rid of anyone who decides to stray for ‘pragmatic’ reasons. A vigorous and healthy minory can keep things bottled up, just look what a sick ones the Democrats had and were able to do twisting the RINOs around. Cull the herd, get new life in the party, and stop listening to the ‘elites’.
AJ, that is so spot on as to be frightening. Additionally, that’s where the Palin factor entered. Yes, she needs more “seasoning;” that said, she just is quite one likeable person, coupled with her holding a bunch of true Conservative values. If the GOP is smart, they’ll groom her, somehow clue her in a bit more, have her acquire more experience, and set her free.
But the reason that she really WAS hated, pretty much on BOTH sides of the aisle, is the factor you just addressed: she’s not “one of the pack” in terms of the DC Beltway Dinner Crowd.
And THAT rubs MANY a person the wrong way, donkey AND elephant.
BZ
Republicans need to put a new face on the tried and true message. Smaller government, rolling back some of the entitlements that are killing us, energy independence, and growing American business. We need someone who can communicate effectively and won’t allow the left to put them into the standard two categories of conservatism: stupid or evil. Someone like Jindal or Romney.
Another reason we are where we are is because we picked McCain. Well, “we” didn’t, people in about 7 states did. By the time PA had our primary, McCain was already picked. And why did McCain get picked? Huckabee and Romney split the conservative vote. I lay that at the feet of Huckabee.