Basic Flaws in the GOP’s Thinking

 

The Republican Party is comprised of people who have conservative beliefs, but not all conservative beliefs are viewed with the same degree of importance.

Conservatives believe in smaller government. We want to elect a like-minded individual to office and then let them run with the ball. We have our own lives and jobs, let them do theirs and do we right and we will do ours. We expect our elected officials to honest, ethical, steadfast and live the conservative principles.

Conservatives believe in the individual not the group, not the collective. As a result Conservatives are not joiners. We are also not blind followers.

The RNC seems to believe that the vocal minority is whom they must pander to, instead of adhering the principles of the party base. The majority of true conservatives, those conservative in both social and fiscal responsibility, probably do not like belonging to a political “party” and many don’t. In those states where independents can vote in primaries without joining either party there is a large number of “independent” registered voters whom are real conservatives.

Closed primaries, Semi-closed primaries, Semi-open primaries and caucuses disenfranchise a large section of the voting public. While I understand the gaming that goes on in Open primaries and the raiding, there has to be a way that includes all voters in each step of the election process.

Conservatives are individuals. They are leaders of 7themselves, fiercely independent. The only way to appeal to this group is to listen to them and include them. 

Conservatives who demand to be group leaders tend to be from the centrist mold. These people espouse some conservative talking point but can be spotted by their constant pursuit of more “fame”, influence and the almighty dollar. They attempt to organize and then control a group, but real conservatives question every thing and will never be “controlled”.

Conservatives simply need to be provided honest information and then pointed in a direction; guided not led. The RNC should consider providing the voting public with straight data without no hyperbole or misleading statements. RINO’s and other spineless officials should not be allowed to hang their careers on Party membership; actions speak louder than words or labels. 

Larger is not better. Conservatives prefer smaller. In some areas a County-wide organization may work but conservatives are more inclined to smaller groups 10 to 30 people in neighborhood “cells” where they feel their input is actually heard. These small neighborhood groups determine how much or how little they do based on their opinions.

If the information, ideas or suggestions from the grassroots gets lost on its way up the chain, the voters will continue on but as individuals thereby reducing their effectiveness. 

The Conservative platform is like the boat. The grassroots groups are the outboard motor and the RNC should be the tiller not the rudder. The destination is a free republic that follows the tenets of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers.

 
 

 

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Ghost Ranger, Tex’s first novel, is now available on Lulu and Amazon.

 

 

 

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Twitterphobic to Twitter Addict

When Twitter first came out I didn’t really see the point.  I signed up early but just didn’t get it.  I lost interest pretty quickly.  But then I saw how the Obama campaign used Twitter, among other things, to organize and respond quickly.  And Jenn kept promoting the platform.  So I bit the bullet and dove in.

I’m glad I did.

Twitter has turned me on to some great conservatives I wouldn’t otherwise know about.  In order to find them, however, I had to understand #hashtags.  Once I started paying attention to certain hashtags, like #tcot, #teaparty, #rush and others, I started finding others who hold beliefs similar to my own.  And some of those people are great conservative bloggers.

A case in point is Dana Loesh, a conservative blogger and radio talk host in St Louis.  One of her blogs, motherofallconservatives.com (hashtag #moac), is a wonderful read.  And last night I logged into her radio station and listened to her show on the internet.  She’s great!

Without Twitter I would not know who Dana Loesh is.  I wouldn’t know about her blog or her radio show.  And that would be my loss.

Of course, Twitter is also a great tool for promoting your own blog or position.  As a result of my Twittering I have a number of people following me.  I try to be mindful of that and not post sill tweets about what I’m having for a snack today.

Many conservatives have shied away from Twitter and other social media like Facebook.  I heard Laura Ingraham say she hates Twitter.  That’s really too bad because until conservatives as a whole embrace social media we are going to lag far behind the liberals out there.  There is no other platform that can be used to rapidly organize and mobilize a movement like Twitter can.  So if you’re a conservative and reading this, get with the program and take the plunge!

Conservatives Lost In The Wilderness

With the advent of Juan McAmnesty looming it is becoming increasingly certain that the conservative branch of the Republican Party is being taken for granted.

The message given by McCain at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which quickly was supported by the GOP establishment, was for conservatives to calm down and get back in line. You won’t find the DNC ever sending such a message to the blacks, Gay Rights groups, or women in their party.

Ann Coulter reminds us in her February 6 article of who this man that we are being told to support really is. . .

“McCain is a liberal.

– He excoriated Samuel Alito as too “conservative.”
– He promoted amnesty for 20 million illegal immigrants.
– He abridged citizens’ free speech (in favor of the media) with McCain-Feingold. — He hysterically opposes waterboarding terrorists and wants to shut down Guantanamo.
– He denounced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
– He opposes ANWR and supports the global warming cult, even posturing with fellow mountebank Arnold Schwarzenegger in front of solar panels.

The only site that would have been more appropriate for Schwarzenegger in endorsing McCain would have been in front of an abortion clinic.

Although McCain has the minimum pro-life record demanded by the voters of Arizona, in 2006, McCain voted in favor of using taxpayer funds to harvest stem cells from human embryos. He opposes a constitutional amendment to protect human life. And he frets that if Roe v. Wade were overruled, women’s lives would be “endangered.” This is the same John McCain who chides Mitt Romney today for “flip-flopping” on abortion. At least Romney flips and stays there. ”

While so-called conservative pundits agonize on a new course of action as pro-John pundits are feverishly ignoring the fact that John McCain has been funded by George Soros since 2001, there is one that very few consider. Currently there is a push on to scare republicans into voting for republicans. The idea is to make us believe that Hillary Clinton is a worse choice than Juan, and more liberal than our country can stand, but the truth is that the Clinton’s have a history of meeting people who support them more than half way.

With Hillary having problems with securing her party’s nomination now would be the time for conservatives to rally behind her. By doing this it would keep conservatives relevant to the political process, buy us some badly needed gravitas, and get us a chance of being able to influence future policy decisions in Washington. All McCain offers us conservatives are his demands, his lies and a curse.

I will not vote for Juan McShamnesty, but I will support any action that flushes John. I do so in the hopes of making the Republican Party strong and proud again. I invite you to join me in giving Hillary, or any candidate not Juan your support.

Be a real Mavrick.

Romney Drops Out (Updated by Jenn, live from CPAC)

UPDATED by Jenn:

Minutes after Mitt Romney dropped out of the Race,
here is what was left of his campaign…and, some would argue,
the conservative movement in 2008.Laura Ingraham gave a rousing introduction for Mitt Romney on Thursdsay, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC., and a rally for conservatism in general. Introduced as a person who had been a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution, she stated:

It’s not enought to say that you ‘were’ a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. The Question is, ‘What have you done for Conervatism, lately?’

She added,

An obsession with bi-partision compromises does not keep us free.

Then Romney got up, and credited the Conservative Leadership Conference in 2007 for giving him a chance in this 2008 campaign, long before he became a frontrunner in the election. Unfortunately, he also repeated the same bizarre statement that he had not wow’d the CLC ‘07 attendees, either, that he was proud of the fact that America had never “taken land,” in a conflict.

He discussed the importance of conserving the culture of America, including the value of hard work and dedication, opportunity, belife in God, freedom, and family, and explained he felt the threat to this culture comes from within – and that threat is the dependency on government programs as well as the attack on our faith and morality.

“We will not be disuaded by the snickers and knowing glances,” he said, as he stressed the importance of standing up for American values.

Then, as Mitt Romney announced at CPAC that he was stepping aside and endorsing John Mccain because his (Romney’s) campaign was going to allow Hillary or Obama to win, cheers of “Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! rapidly turned to Boo’s… Romney explained that he disagreed with McCain on many issues but agreed with him on some important ones like national security, and the need for a Republican victory in 2008.

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Saying he did not want to be responsible for the Democrats winning the White House in November, Mitt Romney today dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. Speaking at CPAC, Romney said a long nomination battle going all the way to the convention was detrimental to the party and the nation. He said the national campaign for November needs to start now and his presence in the race prevented that.Romney did not endorse either Huckabee or McCain but the pundits seem to universally believe the race is over and John McCain has won. Of course, the pundits have consistently underestimated Huckabee and it is likely that many Romney supporters will not support McCain. Their only alternative is Mike Huckabee.

There has also been no mention of the delegates Romney has already racked up. They have to go somewhere and it is unclear what Romney will do with the. Possibly he’ll wait to see what happens in the next few primaries.

The bottom line is, this thing isn’t over. The race has changed but it is still a race. I wouldn’t put too much confidence in the predictions of the pundits considering their track record so far.

Also see:

• Ron’s Musings: Romney Exits with Barn Burner Speech
• Girl on the Right: Mitt Romney’s Announcement to CPAC