Pajamas Media

62 Comments

1. David Thomson:

The Republican Party’s number one problem is the leftist “News” organizations. All the other difficulties rank, at best, a distant second. The GOP has been royally shafted by these ideological thugs. We must keep our eyes on the ball. There’s no sense primarily focussing on finding competent leaders and defending sound economic policies when the MSM is merely going to lie about them anyway. Too many conservative thinkers are seduced by the idea “that we really shouldn’t complain too much about media bias.” It’s apparently not deemed hip and with it. I say: baloney!

Dec 3, 2008 - 12:23 am 2. cedarford:

Re: Dawson – Just what the party needs: a chairman who belonged to a club with a “whites only” deed which snubbed Jews and blacks.

Republicans may be “overconcerned” with Israel and Jews, given Israel dislikes Republicans and Jews vote Democratic year after year by substantial majorities. Jewish money, expertise, instititutional clout, and money – since it is worth repeating twice is all somewhat important to Republicans, but Republicans would do well to drop 80% of the “Jews and Israel” stuff from their speeches and substitute in “hispanics and our brother Latins in this Hemisphere”. And not forget Asian-Americans in Republican primaries where it seems they waste half their time arguing about who hates abortion and who loves Israel the most.
They should think long and hard about putting any Southern white with a bad race relations record or excessive ties to intolerant elements of the Religious Right in the Chair (Folks now saying: “We lost in 2006 and 2008 because we weren’t conservative enough and didn’t love Jesus enough, spent too much time on the 3/4th of the Country that isn’t the Real America!”).

1. Auto bailout – I’m not a “let the US auto industry die, those union bastards!” kinda guy anymore than I want a quarterly check cut on the backs of workers making 20 bucks and hour to subsidize 73 dollar an hour workers endlessly.
What I want is not 3 million people thrown into unemployemt as the “let the workers die! let Detroit die!” crowd want, but a credible plan, as Romney said – to show that Detroit can end the excess wage and benefit package that adds 2,000 more to each auto than American workers in Ohio, Alabama making Hondas, Toyotas, Volvos do.

2. I favor tax cuts for businesses to stimulate capital goods investment. I do not favor more tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for their China stuff, french perfumes, and private jets. I think the public sees tax cuts for the rich as failed supply side strategy that added more debt to their kids in Bush’s 8 years than in all previous American history. However, domestic energy without all the Lefty “unicorns and rainbows will give us Green Power” delusions – and legal reform and getting onboard with making our health care costs competitive with all the other advanced countries AND cover everyone ARE winners for Republicans.

3. I don’t see a fight over Coleman as a Top Four “do or die” matter for rebuilding Republicans. If Dems buy into Franken’s idiocy and seat him over massive protests – they have one of the most odious men ever to be in the Senate and likely damage themselves greatly in 2010 and 2012.

4. Similarly, I’d reject going after Holder on Bill Clinton’s pardons. It would be petty and partisan, like punishing Robert Bork was for carrying out Nixon’s orders. And it would be seen by plenty of moderates and independents as selectivley bashing the most prominent black appointee who already is recognized as the competent person that ran Justice for the unfit Reno..What I would like in hearings is to have Republicans explore Holders past zealous conduct in opposing any death penalty and being someone with action after action directed against 2nd Amendment rights. Get pledges from him that he will fry the worst terrorists we catch and not interfere with States criminal sentences…and say exactly where he stands on guns after DC v. Heller was decided.

I don’t think it would be smart at all right now – given the great crises we face – for Republicans to focus on efforts to retry Bill Clinton through proxies like Holder. Or to reignite 30-year old cultural war stuff that only played well for Palin and her crowd in rural and Fundie areas.

In fact, the thing that will most get the Republicans back in the Game is the painful stuff –
(A)admitting that 30-year old Reagan worship and uncritical embrace of stuff like Supply Side, Trickledown, and Tax Cuts for the Wealthy has run it’s course and new ideas are needed or it’s like Democrats talking about “the great LBJ ideas” in 1994.
(B)Determining how the War between the Religious Right and the rest of the Country, plus the Republican “RINOs” and heretic Mormons and Catholics outside Fundie-Land will play out. By play out, I mean end, even at the risk certain zealots will bolt the Party.
(C)Get away from being the Party of More Wars and being Against Things. Become the Party For affordable colleges, For helping Middle Class fight runaway government union pay and pension costs, For Reasonable Growth with less cumbersome laws and bureaucratic process, etc.

Dec 3, 2008 - 3:11 am 3. Ten:

The Brink of Political Oblivion? The Republicans took a beating? Really? Choose the candidate least likely to embarrass Republicans?!

Where the $^@& do these PJM hacks come up with this spectacular rubbish?

Dec 3, 2008 - 4:19 am 4. TomJW:

Yeah cedarford, that was McCain’s problem, too conservative. Go ahead a have a party without conservatives. Oh wait, the repubs already have. Now they are out of the White House and are minorities in the Senate and House. Good thinking.

Dec 3, 2008 - 4:41 am 5. Die Fledermaus:

Republicans need to demonstrate uncharacteristic wisdom and choose their fights carefully. The two issues Rubin mentions would be worthy battlefields, provided the battles are fought in the public arena and on sound bases. I am extremely skeptical that there exists sufficient wisdom among the remaining Republican notables to perceive this, let alone to do it. If Republicans collectively possessed the requisite brainpower, their fortunes wouldn’t have fallen so far. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the GOP to get it right.

The ONLY thing that will save the Republican party is a genuine return to conservative principles. It can’t compete by trying to be better Democrats than actual Democrats. That’s precisely the stupidity brought them to where they are. It’s the dumbest imaginable strategy to pursue in regaining power as it has already failed, repeatedly. The tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy and religious right BS are straw-men. Neither is accurate, and neither is consistent with conservatism.

Government can only give people what it takes away from other people. As Thatcher said about socialism, “eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Conservatives know that; Democrats, and a lot of Republicans, pretend it isn’t so. It really is that simple.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:13 am 6. Rachel Peepers:

Jennifer, nice job.

As I see it:

Republicans in Congress need to do all the things that Ms. Rubin outlined while simultaneously tackling a number of other areas of concern.

Number one: Taking steps to detoxify the mainstream media. Bozell’s “Media Research Center” is great, but it doesn’t reach mainstream media with impact and doesn’t reach mainstream America enough. Instead of a bullhorn of a voice, we need something with the power of both media advertising and guerilla marketing. I personally like the plan I described two weeks ago.

Number two: Develop a point of view about illegal immigration, take action to implement it, stick to it and formulate a time line of progress. If it’s not being followed, explain why not, and get back on schedule.

Number three: Formulate and initiate a plan to tell the voting public why the nomination of judges without an agenda is best for the country. Get Democrats on the record as agreeing or disagreeing. The Republican Party has a history of nominating down the middle judges. So we have a history of practicing what we’re about to preach.

Number four: Keep the issue of energy independence on the front burner. Take steps to demonstrate we’re working to get this done. And if dem so called Progressives get in the way, yell it from the rooftops while being ready to play tapes of them saying one thing and doing another.

Number five: List the top ten spending cuts this government should make, and who’s doing what to accomplish them.

Now this doesn’t cover everything, (I haven’t touched on the economy but Ms. Rubin did). It’s a start, though, a plan of action.

At the same time, assign people with the responsibility to monitor how thing are getting done. Have a crack communications team in place to let the public know what the Republicans and Democrats are doing to hit time lines, and get things done.

Portray Republicans as leaders who know how to plan and execute.

ASIDE:
Chris Matthews started calling us neo cons.
I’d like it if we started calling Democrats, (when appropriate) “Dem Progressives”. Or “Dem liberals”. I think it’s a neat pun. Memorable. And has some nice connotation.

Now, I know this doesn’t cover everything, but I think it demonstrates the importance of listing the things we need to accomplish along with time lines to get them done, and a tracking of progress along the way.

I don’t like the way energy independence goes off the radar screen just because Obama stops talking about it. Even though Barack is doing a lot of things right so far, keep holding his feet to the fire.

PS Attacking Bush, trying to humiliate him, blaming him for everything, and holding him up to ridicule are the way most hill Democrats conspired to treat President Bush from day one. It worked because they had the mainstream media and countless TV shows like Mahar and SNL echoing the venom.

We can’t do the same because we don’t have the mainstream media cheerleading for us. Or all those TV shows, not to mention Hollywood carrying water.

Consequently, we can’t treat Obama with the same despicable rudeness and venom. I haven’t figured out for myself exactly what our tone should be.

I hope I’ve put forth some coherent ideas forward to add to Ms. Rubins points for “GETTING THE GOP BACK IN THE GAME.”

My final point:

Sunday morning news shows are all moderated by hard core liberals. It’s time to make a stink about it. Having Gregory moderate Meet The Press is the last straw. Then we have Cosmopopolous or whatever George’s name is on ABC. They poison the waters for the rest of the week. What can we do to stop this?

Not have any Republicans go on the Sunday news shows anymore? After all, Democrats avoid Fox.

Maybe Republicans really should take Sunday morning off. I don’t know. What do you think? What can we do about this serious Sunday media bias problem? I think Sunday is the most biased day of the week. And this indictment even extends to the show, “Sunday Morning.”

I hope this made some sense,
Regards, Rachel

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:29 am 7. Bumr50:

Michael Steele is always very reassuring when he speaks in his role as a contributor and analyst on Fox. It would be wise for Republicans to embrace a party chairman who can communicate a clear message with such force and eloquence.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:41 am 8. wire dog0:

One other little thing, NO more open primaries, you should be a member to vote. Otherwise thats like having the NAACP let the KKK vote on where to hold their Christmas Party.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:50 am 9. Mike:

I think the idea of fighting the Dems if they refuse to seat Coleman is a good one but let’s remember, the Senate Repubs have demonstrated over and over again that they are a bunch of spineless wimps. It would be great if they got some iron in their backs but I doubt it will happen. They love their perks too much.

I think the place to begin rebuilding the party is at the local and state level. The Republican Party may be dragging its tail on the national level but it has really flopped on the state level. The key ideas that need to be put forth are constitutional liberties, efficient and frugal government and minding our own business on the international stage. Those are true conservative values.

On the New Deal, the fact is that it was effective because it put money in the hands of ordinary working people (the CCC, WPA, etc.)and hope back into the national consensus. Did it end the depression? No, but it eased the situation and unemployed people were getting paid to do things that benefited the public. We, in these times, do not have any idea of how bad it was during the 1930’s. I have elderly relatives that were making a dollar a day, supporting their extended family on it, and darned glad of it. We better hope we never get there because this nation of people who trample over security guards in Walmarts will come apart.
———————————————
By the way, I hope all you rich liberals out there are going to pay a bunch of taxes because Joe Biden said it’s your patriotic duty to do so and I am waiting for my share of the free stuff Obama promised me.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:51 am 10. Robert Hurley:

Rachel:

Great idea not nhaving Republicans on Sunday News shows. I think we have found one area where we agree. I new I could count on you. Next keep up the drumbeat on Obama’s dissing the Constitution because of appointing Hillary and as a clincher keep talking about how Obama was reallyu born in Kenya. I think you have a winning hand there!

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:54 am 11. RA:

The Republicans have only one chance. They must successfully filibuster any and all amnesty votes for 20 million new Democrats.

If the Democrats succeed in giving citizenship to the 20 million wet backs, its game ove for the next 10-15 years.

This should be the number ONE priority of all loyal Americans. If not, America will become a socialist welfare state. Our standard of living will fall precipitously and only a vast bloody revolution will change it.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:57 am 12. cfbleachers:

The two party system is broken and asking how to fix it, without recognizing the fact that it needs repair, is akin to stepping harder on the gas pedal because you blew out three tires and a tranny.

The reason the car is not running smoothly or at highway speed has nothing to do with stepping on the gas pedal harder.

1. First and foremost, the entrenched media despise the party. They will do anything and everything within their power to distort facts, torture truth, and demonize one party while creating every alibi, coverup, puff piece and exaltation of the other party.

Propaganda doesn’t begin to define the conduct. Journalistic integrity is an oxymoron. If you can’t get your message out without it being intercepted and gang raped before it hits the public, you have no chance to convince the masses on a regular basis. Your message is often DOA. It has been framed in a way to harm it, it is delivered in a way to distort it and it is described in a language of their invention, not yours.

Heads they win, tails you lose. Ignore this vast conspiracy at your peril. They are trying to drive one side out of existence and that side is in for the fight of its life….fighting the other team and the crooked referees. The game is rigged and playing it as if it is not, is stripping the entire country of its basic rights to unpolluted information. If non-leftists aren’t willing to fight for truth, nothing else matters. You might as well quit now and just give up.

2. This country has been variously described as center-right in most quarters, center-left in wishful thinking quarters on the left…but it is always described as “center-something”. Believe it…it IS someplace in the center. And whoever finds a way to grab that center and represent it…wins.

If our conservative friends are more interested in having a party that ONLY represents their interests, concerns and ideals…then they are welcome to destroy the party once and for all. There simply are not enough “numbers” to win national offices any longer on the further reaches of the spectrum…on EITHER SIDE.

The party that “gets this”…and figures out a way to govern from the center while maintaining its principles and core values…wins. Collapse in a heap of infighting idealogues…and you lose. Simple proposition, difficult implementation. The loudest voices are the ones with the least range. Closed fists vs. open arms…and you can watch the party be marginalized out of existence.

This is sour medicine for some, but this problem will not go away by itself.

3. Articulate, articulate, articulate. For a party with a supporting base of successful businessmen, attorneys, doctors, CEO’s…I have never witnessed such a lack of command of issues, framing of ideas and articulation and persuasion. Oratory does not have to be the breeding ground for BS…but, for heaven’s sake…if you can’t even articulate an idea, how can you persuade on it? Victor Davis Hanson, Stanley Kurtz, the late William F. Buckley…can someone teach a class utilizing the skills out there to teach the art of communication?

Yes, it’s true that you are in an unfair fight when it comes to getting your message out, but it doesn’t help if you stumble around like a drunk with a concussion when delivering your message. If you can’t communicate an idea, you have none.

Open the airwaves, open the tent, open your thesaurus. Expose the entrenched media, expand the base, explain your positions.

There is no other way.

Dec 3, 2008 - 6:44 am 13. W. Keller:

Truly lost in the wilderness.

I have read numerous “Monday Night Quarterback” articles like this since the November 4th election looking for “hope and change” in my party only to realize there will be none in the Republican Party. They still have no idea why they lost. In a nutshell – they weren’t liberal enough. Or so goes the thinking. And, honestly, McCain is not the Marxist that Obama is so the 50% of the people who contribute their 3% to the federal coffers thought they would go for it and simply move right to Marxism rather than the slow slide the Republicans offered.

Do any of you inside-the-beltway Republicans understand how far you have slipped?? You are easily far left of John Kennedy. You are easily on par with Bill Clinton. You have lost your soul and hence the Republican core. You have lost me. I don’t expect much:

* Fiscal Discipline – Congress has LOST ITS MIND concerning spending.
* Defend the sovereignty of our country – secure our borders, period.
* Welcome legal immigrants – toss out those breaking our laws to get here.
* Be committed to killing every terrorist that walks this earth.
* Allow me to speak my point of view – even if that means contributing to a competitor just prior to an election.
* Allow me access of the healthcare of MY choice, not yours.
* Allow me to keep the money I earn – it is not a “quaint idea”, but the foundation of a free society.
* Allow the military to handle terrorists – terrorists have no civil rights (or human rights for that matter), or leave their dead, rotting corpse on the battlefield.
* Stay the hell out of private business. When a company is so poorly run it ends up billions in debt, it is time for it to be replaced by an efficient competitor.

There are more points, but you get the idea. And for these thoughts, my party of 40 years now brands me a right-wing loon and, looking down their long, superior nose, declared I must move left to win election. Unless the Republican Party gathers it wits and returns to conservative core beliefs, it will not have my vote. McCain’s ability to gather those like me clearly fell very short this year. While I voted for Palin, I pray the RNC is searching its soul, understands it has lost its way and corrects its path.

Sadly, I suspect it will not.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:08 am 14. Carl D. Kaminer:

cfbleachers…

You hit the nail on the head. We ARE a centrist nation. TomJW’s contention that McCain lost the election because he wasn’t conservative enough completely misses the point that Obama was hard-sold by a liberal media to an electorate that was completely fed up with the arrogant and inept Bush (and therefore, Republican) Administration.

It cannot be said often and loudly enough that the future of the Republican party lies in reaching out to the Latino population… the fastest growing demographic in our country, and one with basic conservative values.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:18 am 15. Kevin:

Republicans must get their message out regularly. I agree the MSM is a good mute button for anti-republican spin. Look at what they did to Palin. Tina Fey says Palin said, “I can see Russia from my house”. Everyone believed it. Dolts! I had argued this over thanksgiving with MSM members about this in NYC. Palin said to Charlie Gibson “that you can see Russia from a small island in Alaska” That is true. Separating Alaska from Russia are two islands in the Bering Straight. One island is called Big Diomede (Russian territory) the other, Little Diomede (Alaskan territory). Two miles separate the two islands. Palin was right. She was a good republican so she had to be taken out by the leftist media. The GOP can bypass the MSM with talk radio, mailings and email-newsletters and also a central web site with information where people can attain factual data.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:36 am 16. Dennis:

I hesitate to say I agree with any of the comments I have read. There is, however; a grain of truth in the article that many of the commentators are fighting to understand. The best thought I have takes us back to Newt and his period as Speaker of the House. When the democrats started inventing reasons to bring Newt in front of the Ethics Committee the Republicans did nothing. Some urged him to step down. The calls for him to step down grew louder and then we had the fiasco of; “Who should be Speaker?” This was the beginning and the end of the Republican led Congress.
The underlying truth may be, and I think it is the best opinion on the subject; the Republican legislators are very comfortable being in the minority. They have very good jobs and a lot of prestige with little or no responsibility. It is just too easy to get along by going along. Oh! Once in a while they could fight a bill but not often. A President could nominate an outright fascist or communist to the Supreme Court and the Republicans would say nothing. A President has the right to have his choices be confirmed. The Senate and House Republicans together seek comity not the furtherance of conservative values. .
I, as many conservatives were sickened by the way Barry Goldwater was treated by the Elitist in the Northeast, we wrongfully blamed Rockefeller. The Rockefeller Republicans stood to symbolize all that conservatives dislikes about Republicans. Rightly or wrongly John McCain is seen as one of the Rockefeller followers. Conservatives had a very hard time supporting him for the President of the United States. George H. W. and George W. Bush are seen in the same light.
Conservatives must wake up smell the roses and begin their own party. They must not fall into the trap of so many third parties and seek a Presidential candidate. They power sought to help right the country is found in the Congress. The election of conservative members of the House and Senate would give them the ability to mount effective fights against spending and an ever encroaching Federal Government. Goldwater, Newt Republicans understand and look forward to the fights. America has lost its way, give credit to George H. W. and George W. they believed in the doctrine of Freedom comes from God and it is the duty of Government to support those freedoms. We were sickened when the left, politicians and news media laughed and derided President George W.’s call to Americans to fight for freedom and Democracy in the world. It did not amuse conservatives; we believe in the words of our founding fathers, “All men are created equal” not only those born in America – All men. Today we must add and women, the collective nouns are out of favor with the left. Tell me why we must go alone with this destruction of the English language? Do you need more examples? Gay always meant happy and carefree today it has been hijacked and means homosexual men.
It is time to understand, let the Republicans be Republicans; conservatives must seek a different political party in order to stand for our view of a better America leading the world to freedom. A party that would be free of the Arlen Specter’s and Dick Durbin’s would serve the American Cause much better than the current Republican Party.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:38 am 17. Thinking Person:

If we can vocally disavow bailing out the automakers/unions and take a stand against letting Franken backdoor the election in Michigan then we will have a leg to stand on at the 2 year midterms. We have to let the uninformed Obama groupies know that the GOP DOES have a message and WILL stand firm even though they weren’t allowed to hear it in the past (Anyone else think that Horton Hears a Who is somehow the theme of the last election cycle?). We’ve allowed the Democrats to be militantly vocal and rested on our laurels too long. Otherwise, how could anyone explain how Obama won with the simple word “change” and not one iota of a platform to speak of. It’s time we found our voice and used it. There are a lot of well-spoken people posting here there just needs to be a way to mobilize them and quit allowing the MSM to box us and define us as we did this past election. It’s not in the Republican genetic makeup to be as militant as a Democrat and I think we can see where our preference for decorum as led us.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:40 am 18. Chris in Toronto:

Good point, all, Rachel #6.

For the Sunday morning shows, maybe having Republicans lay ground rules about what the topics will be or not agree to go on. Be prepared with iPhones or some such device with video supporting their arguments (ie modern-day flip charts/visual aids, very effective for Ross Perot remember), demand that the topics be stuck to, and if not, be prepared to walk off set.

Their feet must be held to the fire. Republicans must always argue from first principles: what supports individual liberty and what doesn’t, do not appeal to God for that opens the door to moral equivalency. Set up all arguments from the perspective of what is right from the perspective of humans living as humans (”man qua man”). That’s what it’s all about and everything else flows from that, from morality to ethics to philosophy to politics. Furthermore, as the educational establishment has failed in the most basic of civics instruction, the Sunday shows should be turned by Republicans into basic civics lessons. This can be achieved by elucidating the Founding Fathers’ vision of the proper role for the Federal government being comprised solely of the so-called “negative functions”.

Arguments will ensue, no doubt, and this will present the opportunity to show how slippery liberals are in argumentation, where they will argue at one moment that A is A and then later will argue that A is not A in order to support their logically flawed positions. This “A is A” business can be called the “law of identity” and is the necessary condition for rational thought. The definition of terms, ie the law of identity, provides the ground upon which honest discussion can be built. (Recall: “that depends of what the definition of “is” is, Bill Clinton in deposition during monicagate). The libs absolutely must be called on their irrationality and their implicit refutation of the law of identity. This allows the Sunday shows into classes in rational thought, another area where the educational establishment has drawn an F.

Further, moral equivalency must be pointed out whenever and wherever it arises for it destroys the ability to say something is absolutely right while something else is absolutely wrong. Buying into their moral equivalency erases the ability to come to any type of objective conclusion, and everything devolves into “that’s your opinion and I have mine and no one can be right” type discussions. Likewise the left’s resort to the evil of political correctness must be highlighted for it, too, destroys the ability of rational discourse by refuting the law of identity. The easy answer is to deny the premises of the argument, and to assert one’s belief in the law of identity and to always remember to argue from man qua man.

These methods require guts. It won’t be easy for the first Republican spokesperson to stick to his or her guns and walk off set. However, after the first one walks, subsequent walk-offs will become easier and the hosts will become aware that Republicans are serious people who take ideas seriously.

Dec 3, 2008 - 8:00 am 19. Huan:

The Republican Party needs to regroup and regroup fast. While there has been an argument to make the party more centrists, I think this argument is lost both on value and sentiments. The Republican Party cannot win more votes if it disenfranchises its most active (in terms of word of mouth support as well as get out the vote effort) faction, the Christian conservatives. Every poll thus far have suggested that the Republican voters want to make the party more conservative, more right leaning rather center leaning. Those who can still remain Republican with this shift should do so, those who cannot should consider whether the Democrats or the Libertarians have what it takes to win their vote, or even whether they should sit out of the next election. Meanwhile the Republicans should proceed with preparations for the 2010 state elections because this election will have at least a decade long consequence.

Why are the 2010 state elections so important? Because the next census will be conducted in 2010, and electoral changes will be reflected in the 2012 election. That means who ever is in charge of the states when the districts are redrawn will be doing so.

http://neomodernism.blogspot.com/2008/11/2010-election-census-for-2012.html

Dec 3, 2008 - 8:14 am 20. kdman:

I wholeheartedly agree that first and formost the MSM needs to be “called out” by ALL Republicans and Conservatives at EVERY opportunity. The aircover the MSM provide the Dem’s has heavily gamed the system and all elections, for the left. Walking off TV sets at the proper moment would be a great start, assuming the person has clearly defined why this would occur. Second, because of this media distortion of everything Conservative, our message needs to be simple, direct, easily communicated and easily understood. Our government-run-school “educated” masses require this. It seems to me that ALL conservative principals start with a position of smaller government. Start there and everything else flows from this very basic precept.

I have many too friends who voted Obama because our message was lost and we/McCain/Dole/W alowed ourselves to be defined by the left and MSM.

But this all goes back to the WHO. WE need new leadership in congress and need badly to rid our party of the Specters et al who are/will be lead anchors on our efforts to reestablish our message and our identity.

Dec 3, 2008 - 8:39 am 21. Thinking Person:

I’m loving all of the “walk off the set” talk but there’s only one problem. Wouldn’t that be easy to brush off by the MSM? I can almost hear their retaliatory reponse…”Typical GOP drama to leave when the questions get tought….” etc. etc. I have a feeling that staying and just speaking out and OVER if necessary wouldn’t be a better tack? It’s time we found a way to amplify our voice, not pack it up and go home. Strong leadership, strong message and willingness to stand our ground (ie NO MORE BAILOUTS) is what is needed now.

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:01 am 22. The Historian:

DEMOCRAT PARTY VERSUS KIDS
One of the key tests for the new Obama administration will come in an arena that is key to America’s future: EDUCATION, as noted at this link:

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/obamas-democrat -party-vs-kids.html

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:11 am 23. Tex Taylor:

This misses the biggest benefactor to the Republican party to come along in 32 years – Obambi and his lackeys.

When America gets a gander of failure not seen since Jimmah Carter and his worthless bunch of dolts, when Americans pull away from watching American Idol long enough to recognize their own necks are at risk and the gas tank still empty, when people are taxed to death and get a taste of libbie Euro policies, any party but a Dimocratic one will be looking good.

Let this cowardly, empty bunch of suits play out for a couple of years while jihadist tip toe thru America’s backyard, and Americans will be bailing on Obama faster than the libs calling Bill Clinton a racist.

When it becomes so apparent that even Airhead America flunkie Rachel Maddow can’t spin Obama in a good light, Republicans will have all the ammunition they need.

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:12 am 24. Chris in Toronto:

Thinking Person: Staying and talking louder does nothing. Talking OVER just shows disrespect for both those you are engaging and for those who are listening. One cannot listen and talk at the same time.

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:12 am 25. Thinking Person:

Chris….I agree with you to a certain extent. My point is that if we “walk out” we leave the door wide open for the GOP to be defined by those left in our absence be it msm or democrat showboats.

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:22 am 26. Chris in Toronto:

TP: I totally agree with you on that. But my belief is that while those left on stage will be snickering and so on, the VIEWERS will take away the message that a principled discussion was impossible thereby undermining the credibility of both the host and the “enemy” (for lack of a better term).

Dec 3, 2008 - 9:37 am 27. Tennwriter:

I do not agree that the MSM is the Republicans #1 problem. A lack of conservatism is our chief problem. A Happy Warrior Conservative can out do the MSM. (Its one of the many reasons RINOs lose; they get defined by the media whereas a true conservative defines himself).

However, the MSM is certainly in the top five of Republican problems.

Start with an assumption: The MSM is The Enemy. Now, how do you defeat The Enemy?

1. Chris’ suggestion has merit. TP is certainly right about what the Media’s counterresponse would be. Now, what should our counter-counter response be? I think we can do better than just trusting the viewer although that helps (It also shows respect for the viewer, and by showing respect demands that he live up to the respect shown to him.)

2. We need to create alternate media sources. A new publishing house for books (or find a small time one that is good and finance it some more). The Culture Project is trying to create conservative culture, I gather. We need art shows put on by leading Republicans of art that is beautiful and great (I’ve occasionally seen some really good stuff like the guys that used to advertise on Insty, and it was moving to see new art that expressed Truth in Beauty instead of the dreck we have to suffer under that tries to destroy Truth and advance Liberalism.)

But primarily, we need our own media sources. How much better would it have been if Palin had gone on the Glenn and Helen Show rather than Couric? Granted, they’re moderate libertarians, but both are generally honest, courteous, and intelligent which are three qualities that most in the MSM could stock up on. A serious and thoughtful discussion without cheap editing tricks would have followed.

And one last point to Chris, ‘a little philosophy draws one away from God, but much philosophy draws one back to God’. Avoiding God is the half-clever approach. A does not equal Not-A leads to a faith supported by reason. We do need people who can articulate this, and explain why the common tropes of arguements like ‘theocracy’ and ‘FSM’ are bogus.

However, such might not be possible in a Sunday Morning free-for-all. It might require the quiet layout of an hour lecture. But embracing God in his depth and wonder is essential to rebuilding the Republican mind and making it brilliantly intellectual instead of the faux intellectualism of the Left. In fact, the word ‘intellectual’ is so corrupted that I hesitate to use it. And I do not want to say that the Right is anti-intellectual for that is far from the truth, but I do say that we could do better.

Dec 3, 2008 - 11:17 am 28. myth buster:

I don’t see why being linked to Mike Huckabee would be a bad thing for a GOP congressman, especially if Huckabee (or Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal) will be the nominee in 2012. We want a unified base.

Dec 3, 2008 - 12:03 pm 29. Chris in Toronto:

Tennwriter: I’m afraid I must disagree with the “embracing of God” for it opens up the whole moral equivalency line of thought where my god says this and your god says that and it ends up in “that’s your opinion and no one can be right”. Furthermore, God has no business being in the political realm; God’s realm is spiritual. God, by nature (!?) is supernatural and can defy the law of identity because in matters of faith one can choose to believe anything.

I’m proposing that morality springs from the fact that no one, not any of us “asked” to be born, but here we all are. We are born and we have to live our lives to the best of our ability based on the one tool we have that places us at the top of the food chain, our rational minds. That is the fact of life as a human being and morality must be based on this. Otherwise we are giving up our humanity.

What I’m proposing does nothing to impinge upon one’s right to worship as one chooses, but it does require a recognition that morality, per se, is not a prescription from a deity.

Rebuilding the Republican mind is required, granted. But rebuilding it based on faith in a polytheistic society leads only to moral equivalency which, in turn, leads to a society unable to know what is right.

Dec 3, 2008 - 12:39 pm 30. beth elliott:

#27 Tennwriter’s points about cultural alternatives, not just media alternatives, to the cult of Political Correctness are something I would underscore. The independent boutique fiction house ENC Press (http://www.encpress.com), for example, has run up against an assumption among conservatives and libertarians that important ideas can only be articulated and examined in policy-oriented non-fiction with a serious tone. This, I believe, is part and parcel of a mindset that leads to a parade of thoughtful yet underimaginative talking heads prone to getting caught flat-footed in the crossfire of dishonest debate.

Contrast this with the popularity of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” and its success in being the left-liberal font of socially acceptable political views among adults on the young side of the spectrum. A range of cultural alternatives, from high-brow to pop (and even counter-), could reach the vast number of people vaguely or not-so-vaguely dissatisfied with the ever-leftward drifting status quo.

Some of those alternatives exist, but get both written off by the liberal press and overlooked by conservative and libertarian media, internet media and the like. Pity. Political correctness on campus and among young adults in general is so rampant that there is a critical mass of people hungry for creative (and even hip) alternatives to culture permeated by mindless reflexive progressivism-lite. And they will be voting for a long, long time.

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:05 pm 31. Jesus St. Jesus:

The Republicans number one problem is the fact they have let themselves and their principles be hijacked by rightwing neo-cons, evangelical fundamental terrorists and money grubbing pseudo Republicans who are only in it for the money.

Of course, the vast majority of party members signed off on it by allowing themselves to become single issue voters, to be “votes for hire” by buzz-word speeches and losing sight of the REAL focus of politics: running the goverment so it works for the PEOPLE, not the wealthy, select, elected few.

You don’t get it now, just like you don;t get the results of the last election…

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:31 pm 32. cozmo:

The best way for the GOP to lose another 8 senate saets and another 20+ house seats next election cycle ?

Keep up the incessant whining about the imaginary bias in the media.

Factual reporting minus the loony AM talk radio and faux noise spin, only seems bias to the angry right, it doesn’t make it so

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:41 pm 33. Rachel Peepers:

Chris in Toronto:

You make me think that skilled debaters who happen also to be appropriate politial personalities for Sunday Talk Shows are our best spokespeople, an insight you’ve led mt to by the nose. I’m mad at myself for not realizing it.

People like…like…you.

I think the new head of the Republican party, hopefully, Michael Steele, should select and prepare a team of pros capable of doing the things you’re talking about.

I like the way you think.

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:46 pm 34. Tennwriter:

Mythbuster, quite right. We should put to him a question. “Will you be fair to all conservative candidates?” and once he answers ‘yes’ then expect him to live up to it. He doesn’t have to be fair to the RINOs.

Same rule for the guy who worked for Crist.

And punishment if its proven that they broke their word.

==========================

There is always going to be arguements about moral issues. One of the secret vices of the Libertarians is their not-infrequent thought that once they win, politics will end. This is silly. We can evaluate these arguements based on reason and evidence.

Who said…Come let us reason together…?

Yahweh cannot break the law of identity. Allah, to my understanding, can. The fact that you live in a universe with the law of identity suggests that Yahweh set up the rules. These rules are based on his own character. If the universe had been set up by a different deity, you would not be thinking ‘law of identity’.

The notion of separate spheres goes back to the Old Testament, and the prophet Samuel. I suspect the natural human model is the god-king. Be sure to thank a Baptist for religious freedom.

On the contrary, God is very much in the political realm. He’s at the base. Dig deep enough into anything, and eventually you run into Ultimate Reality. This is not to say I want Congress to be a church (refer back to Samuel). One needs subtlety, wisdom, and logic to build up the ideas that form civilization. We build a great and grand structure on a solid foundation.

And that was your first paragraph. Whew.

What stops the more rational and capable individual from enslaving the less rational? After all, if superior rationality is the fountain of moral right, then the most rational human on the planet has the right to enslave us all.

Reason is indeed an important part of Humanity, but the equation Reason=Humanity is obviously false. To declare it is true is to give up part of our humanity.

Ah, well, I can go to church on Sunday as long as I recognize its not really serious or important. Thanks bunches.

And this is time to quote Talleyrand…”It was worse than a sin, it was a blunder.” A pure unprincipled scumsucking politician who was a complete pragmatist would support my position because its the winning position based on political power. Getting your position accepted would probably require a hundred years and a civil war with nukes. Even if you’re right, which you’re not, it wouldn’t work.

So, lets try to look at something that might work. Sure, you’re not enthused about ‘embracing God’, but it could actually work, and end up rolling back statism, and improving human reason which are goals I think you’re sympathetic too. I don’t ask you to support it because I don’t want you to be a hypocrite, but consider not standing in the way. Support logic and as much of the program as you can and abstain from the rest, and let us take it to the Liberals who are anti-reason.

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:52 pm 35. Jim Scott:

Jennifer Rubin makes some good points and offers some reasonable suggestions for the Republican party. However, until conservatives gain control of the party, few of these suggestions will be followed by the current, wishy-washy ‘go-along-to-get-along’ GOP congressional delegation. The GOP ‘leaders’ that gave us the hapless John McCain, must be removed, soon. Time is running out to turn things around for the party and the nation.

Dec 3, 2008 - 1:58 pm 36. Sissy Willis:

“The RATS are so busy preening and congratulating themselves, they have no idea what magic is being worked among the few Republicans who aren’t stupid,” imails our sis — with reference to our previous Fred-loves-Sarah-loves-Fred post — during a Wednesday afternoon online Ladies Luncheon:

“When she walks in a room, folks just explode“

Dec 3, 2008 - 2:07 pm 37. G Alston:

#32 cozmo — “Keep up the incessant whining about the imaginary bias in the media.”

It’s not imaginary; it’s a given:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005312

Dec 3, 2008 - 2:57 pm 38. cedarford:

huan – The Republican Party needs to regroup and regroup fast. While there has been an argument to make the party more centrists, I think this argument is lost both on value and sentiments. The Republican Party cannot win more votes if it disenfranchises its most active (in terms of word of mouth support as well as get out the vote effort) faction, the Christian conservatives. Every poll thus far have suggested that the Republican voters want to make the party more conservative, more right leaning rather center leaning. Those who can still remain Republican with this shift should do so, those who cannot should consider whether the Democrats or the Libertarians have what it takes to win their vote, or even whether they should sit out of the next election.

1. I don’t think anyone is talking about disenfranchising Fundies, just that they appeal to a narrow, and limited geographical area of the country, and Republicans cannot be a true national Party if Christian evangelicals dominate the agenda of the Party.

2. That Fundies, now the largest part of what is left of the Republicans, in a Base that is ever-constricting in Southern and rural states that are also trending Centrist and moderate, is not surprising. It would be like right after 1972 the McGovernites claiming that polls of what was left of the Democrats (mostly McGovernite) wanted the Party to go further Left – ergo – it was a Great Idea. That thinking cost the National Democrat Party dearly for decades.

3. Like the McGovernites, there are conservative factions that see humbling defeat as a splendid opportunity to double down, enforce ideological purity and let the unwanted – in the McGovernites case, the Silent Majority, the Reagan Democrat middle class – leave with “good riddance”.

4. If conservative Christian Republicans want ideological purity, they abandon 3/4ths of America and agree to a lengthy loss of true power over judicial appointments, the Executive, Congress. They will see a continued erosion of their geographical base as the New South and the hispanic Southwest drift away. Continued bashing of Mormons and Catholics as heretics may even lead to loss of Utah, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska.
Then you have a Party crushed down to 5 Deep South Bible Belt states, which would be the same dire straits Republicans were in after the 1964 election before Nixon, Reagan, and a collection of great Republican leaders in the West and the Heartland rebuilt and broadened the Republican Party back to a national force.

*****************
Jim Scott – The GOP ‘leaders’ that gave us the hapless John McCain, must be removed, soon.
By that you mean the POW-worshipping militarists of South Carolina that made McCain the clear frontrunner? Or the conservatives that couldn’t make their mind up and split their vote 3-ways over beloved but lazy Fred, the heretic Mormon Conservative, and the Big Government tax-raising but religiously pure Pastor Huckleberry – and allowed Mccain to walk right through to the nomination?

****************
Jesus St. Jesus:

The Republicans number one problem is the fact they have let themselves and their principles be hijacked by rightwing neo-cons, evangelical fundamental terrorists and money grubbing pseudo Republicans who are only in it for the money.

Of course, the vast majority of party members signed off on it by allowing themselves to become single issue voters, to be “votes for hire” by buzz-word speeches and losing sight of the REAL focus of politics: running the goverment so it works for the PEOPLE, not the wealthy, select, elected few.

You don’t get it now, just like you don;t get the results of the last election…

Agree, except with the last sentence. And partially disagree with the bit about Republicans only being for the wealthy few. Republicans now have an incoherent base that is the elite few that want money, a destroyed middle class, and further great inequalities in wealth and power to favor them. But they also have single-issue members that operate on 30-year old cultural war ideas. Members that vote only on their on ag subsidies, gun love, or whoever is “purest” on Right to Life theocratic threats issued to the rest of the country.

It isn’t enough, as Republicans appear – going the direction the neocons, Christian Taliban, and money-grubbing K-Street corporatists want to go – to be losing all chance in New England, the West Coast, all the Great Lakes States, Florida, the New South, and heavily hispanic states off the West Coast.

And we do get it. What reactionary Christian Right advocates that think power is a simple matter of “turning out a Palin slogan energized Base don’t presently get. Yes, it is possible to turn out even more excited true believers in rural Alabama….adding to margins in the Deep South. But that only goes so far. If that is the Republican Dream – legions of purists in the Evangelical Bastion of 5-8 States excitedly adding to margins there – it is achievable. But only at the price of giving up 80% of the Senate seats and 75% of the Electoral Votes, ceding lasting control of Congress, the Judiciary, and the Presidency to the Democrats.

But having the satisfaction of being pure, and still wedded to anti-education people, 30-year old ideas and slogans? You end up losing the hispanics, middle class, most business owners in the process of constricting down to 20% of the Electorate maybe even the heavily Mormon and Catholic states from all the Romney, Ridge, and Rudy bashing. But you do end up gaining the Goddess Palin, who may not know much but is right in her heart – in the process. She has all the 3 decades old Reagonomics and cultural war slogans down pat.
*****************

Dec 3, 2008 - 4:34 pm 39. Chris in Toronto:

Thanks, Rachel!

Tennwriter: Please don’t take offense, for I mean none. It’s just that, to my mind, arguing that all morality springs from God sets up a situation where no argument can ever be right. That’s the problem with appeals to higher powers: only the higher powers can resolve the debates and in the earthly realm my God says this and your God says that and blammo! the war is on.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:55 pm 40. Chris in Toronto:

Tenn: what stops the more capable from enslaving the less capable is a shared morality based on individual liberty, as I stated in my first comment.

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:58 pm 41. Jesus St. Jesus:

Cederford:

‘But you do end up gaining the Goddess Palin, who may not know much but is right in her heart – in the process. She has all the 3 decades old Reagonomics and cultural war slogans down pat.’

Great. So you have a 40-something hypocritical extreme rightwing female leader of a remote socialist state who longs to live in the 1950’s and really only appeals to: Oil executives (LOVE the PIPES!); Fundamentalist extemist evangelicals (LOVE the organ PIPES!!); Old, sexist males (LOVE her PIPES!!!); and neo-con hawks (load the PIPES and shoot ‘em NOW!!!!).

And THIS is supposed to be GOOD for the Republican “party”????

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:33 pm 42. Jesus St. Jesus:

By the way: How is crying “Whaa! Whaa! Whaa! The media doesn’t like me! OH, Boo, Hoo, Hoo!”, explain WHAT a party stands for?

The Republican party needs to grow a pair, come up with a plan, kick out the whiners, tell the extremists to shut the hell up, and get back to real business for the first time in 50 years.

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:38 pm 43. Tennwriter:

Chris, I was worried that I was being too harsh, and so definitely no offense taken.  My comment about a civil war is meant to show what it would take to convert an extreme minority opinion to the majority opinion against fervent resistance.We can resolve the debate by logic and evidence as with other debates. Have faith in reason.Let me suggest that an agnostic moral system such as you describe is more likely to provoke religious war both internal and from external invaders.  You’re knocking away a key support for respect for morality, and making alternate interpretations quite likely. The Bible has a phrase for it…and everyone did that which was right in their own eyes (from memory so I’m not sure I got it totally accurate). It describes what I think might be the most Libertarian time in Israel’s history, the time of the Judges.Secondly, consider Europe. Agnostic or even secularist…and threatened by an invasion of Islam. Europe could do with a dose of Christianity. It might prevent a war as nature abhors a vacuum and something is going to fill Europe. And your religion doesn’t answer enough questions to replace secular hedonism, and keep out Islam.How do you get from we are born and have to use our rational minds to man should use enlightened pragmatism based on what is good for man in a society? You can make the arguement that such is the most effective strategy for all, but its an arguement, not a conclusion.
I think you’re arguing “We are born=We are equal” which doesn’t necessarily follow. The counter arguements “We are aristocrats and have real feelings unlike those dumb brute peasants” has been quite popular through the ages as well as “We are The People, and those Others are demons.” and “They were born in a lesser caste as karmic atonement/they were too weak-willed to wait for a good body”.The Biblical claim -for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek- seems a better foundation for human equality.
Well, I’ve yammered on enough for now. Thanks for giving me something to chew on.

Dec 3, 2008 - 8:23 pm 44. Darren:

I lived in San Jose for a year back in 2006 and hated it. Very expensive, heavy traffic, lots of congestion, bad roads and bad neighborhoods and this was in Silicon Valley.

You can call me whatever name you want but this “immigration” situation with Mexico is extremely bad and is huge factor in California’s decline. During the summer I would see dozens of cars every week flying the Mexican flag and there are Mexican men at every corner near a Home Depot or 7-Eleven just standing around.

Not a place to raise a family.

Dec 3, 2008 - 10:13 pm 45. fred:

Newt Gingrich has been saying for at least two years now that the base of the Republican Party needs to be rebuilt. The work needs to be done from the ground up. Even during the Reagan years the Left had been hard at work rebuilding its base, using the educational institutions to begin laying the groundwork for what has just transpired. Only we are going to have to find ways of doing it outside of the institutions the Left now owns and controls. Creative ways are going to have to be found to achieve this. There is no easy way forward.

Dec 3, 2008 - 10:14 pm 46. Truth First:

The crimes of America that Obama must address
As President, Barack Obama will be the chief legal enforcer of the land. Additionally, he will be the first legitimate U.S. President. He is African. He has no ties to slave-owning families, exploitive corporations, racism or any U.S. policy or law that has murdered or oppressed people.

America’s history is one of lies, death, exploitation, racism, oppression, greed and war. Obama will confront this history and he will change the course of history by bringing America to justice.

The crimes of America are many and the most recent crimes include:

* The Hurricane Katrina attack of 2004. Estimated number of dead: 5,000 to 20,000
* The war on Iraq and Afghanistan. Over a million dead.
* The poisoning of African communities by the CIA with crack and cocaine.
* The campaign of political intimidation of African leaders
* The creation of the AIDS virus to kill Africans
* The economic terrorism aimed at all African peoples
* The creation of consumer products designed to create African sterility
* The murder of Khalid Muhammad, the leader of the New Black Panther Party
* The assassination of Malcolm X

http://truthfirstnow.blogspot.com

Dec 3, 2008 - 10:32 pm 47. G Alston:

It’s clear that fundamentalist social conservatives have transmogrified the meaning of the party from the original intent of a governing philosphy to some sort of morals issue litmus testing with more in common with the Inquisition than Lincoln. Lincoln would puke if he were here today.

We need to point the party towards that which members agree upon that isn’t personal morals issues and don’t let it get caught up in the fundie nonsense. There ought to be NO party position on personal issues; e.g. gay marriage is something you either are for or against and you can be of any party and have your own opinion. There are plenty of Obama voters who are against it, and plenty of McCain supporters who are OK with it. It is *not* the sort of thing a political party as an entity ought to have *any* official opinion about. This way, in states with a referendum process everyone can have their say regardless of affiliations, and political parties are differentiated by their approach to solving actual problems. Ultimately, referendums are the proper forum for morals votes, not hijacking a political party.

Thus the party ought to concentrate on actual ISSUES because it has a philosophy of governance, such as:

economy
defense
security
energy
health care

All positions on the above emanate from a set of core assumptions in the underlying philosophy. Hence ethanol production is ostensibly an energy policy position which affects how the dept of agriculture should function; drilling affects (or can) the dept of the interior. And so on. And how we view these things also reflects our position on the proper role of government. Note that these are framed as ISSUES, not nebulous, vacuous nonsense like “smaller government.” Smaller government is a goal. You get there via the issues. You don’t start there.

Why? Smaller government is not always the correct answer. Not because it’s not desired, but because of limitations of what humans can do. It would be nice to develop spaceborne power as a government investment and not create more government to do this. Doesn’t mean that’s going to happen. It certainly can’t happen as a private investment. And this is a technology ready for primetime that can and will solve energy issues for centuries. Ridding ourselves of foreign oil is ours for the taking. Right here, right now. We can start tomorrow morning. And yeah it will take government to get it running. So did NASA, and from government led efforts like that we still enjoy the #1 economy in the world.

The mantra of “smaller government” is NOT “smaller government and damn the consequences” NOR is it “smaller government regardless of what opportunity gets set aside in the process of keeping it small” and is certainly NOT a realistic philosphy that drives a political party. “Smaller Government” is no better than the idiotic bumper sticker sloganeering of the left.

Why is that? Simple. Government is sometimes the solution, not the problem. You can’t develop anti-ICBM technology in the private sector. The government MUST be involved. Even Reagan knew this, hence his SDI push. The left complained that government debt grew! Government is rightfully involved with that which industry and the “private sector” can’t do. It’s the only entity that can do *some* jobs. Thus “smaller government” is little more than meaningless and empty rhetoric if used as a party platform. Better to have a platform that actually makes sense; e.g. “we try to keep the government’s role as limited as we can and still get it done” which is a great deal different than “we see the government as the proper entity to run and manage most things.”

Drilling and how we think of it is an actual ISSUE, and it is an issue because this will affect energy prices for years, which in turn will have rippling effects throughout the entire economy. Nobody will be untouched. Social conservative rubbish like gay marriage isn’t an issue because it has ZERO effect on the price of corn. It upsets the fundies. Big deal. Go find a referendum to vote in.

Thus letting the fundies hijack the party for unimportant non-issues like gay marriage, abortion, and flag burning is a waste of political capital and obfuscates the entire message of how governance is regarded. What the party thinks re drilling and the environment gets buried in ridiculous things that don’t matter to the voting public. The public knows that fundies don’t like abortions. It’s a given. It’s not the ‘driving force’ of what the republican party is or ought to be about.

Continuing the drive towards social conservatism as being the bedrock of the republican party isn’t just a losing proposition; it’s insane.

Dec 3, 2008 - 10:42 pm 48. Rachel Peepers:

How does a major league baseball team go from worst to first like a Tampa Bay or a football team like the Giants?

Most often, it’s not big mistakes that kill you, it’s the little ones. Politically, the 2008 election was going to be a brutal one. To win, the good guys would have had to run the perfect candidate and the perfect campaign. Taking nothing away from John McCain and Sarah Palin, it just didn’t happen.

Is the Republican party now mortally wounded; on its last legs. Not by a long shot.

For within the fruits of its own success, the seeds of the Democratic Party’s own destruction have been sown.

Because they will soon control congress and the Presidency, it’s put up or shut up time for them.

Their problems begin with the main reason for their success.

Barack Obama.

To survive much less to thrive in law school the way like Obama did tells me Barack Obama plays every political angle possible, and invariably chooses the one that’s right for him. In Barack’s mind, what’s good for his country is only good if it’s best for Barack. He takes self interest to a whole new level.

Furthermore, Barack’s swagger in front of an audience (the bigger the audience, the bigger the swagger) tells me the brown eyed handsome man not only is driven to financial success, but also posesses an unquenchable thirst for power, not to mention the desire for everyone within earshot to admit he’s the smartest thing since the political wheel and deal was invented.

All of which is why I believe Barack is going to prove to be a huge disappointment to the blame-america-first crowd. Most of these vile creatures are wanna-bees or has-beens who amounted to less than the price of a share of Sirius stock.

Jealous of the rest of us who work very hard and succeed in many different ways, they’re only hope to feel good about themselves is transference. They see Barack’s success and feel it somehow rubs off on them. And that’s the rub. In no way does it.

Environmentalists will curse every effort they made for Barack.

Gays will suffer suicidal sized depression, many will become so conflicted they will go straight.

Left wing loons, the dregs of society, will go off the deep end. I wouldn’t be surprised if some forced their heads into the bowl and flushed, torture, mafia style, but self inflicted.

TV, Hollywood and media types will go to their cocktail parties at Town Hall in New York and the Whisky Bar at the Sunset Marquis in West LA, and lament their misplaced belief that Barack really meant what he said. Until realizing that Barack said what he needed to say because he needed to get elected.

The mainstream media I think will stick by Barack, but will be marginalized by coordinated attacks on their disgraceful left wing bias. I think eventually they’ll start to buckle under pressure.

The acid test of my theories about the man with an IQ as great as his personal ambition will come when it’s time to appoint judges. If he appoints left loon judges I’ll be proved wrong.

My final thought is about the woman whose frowns are so wide they make the giant California redwoods look like toothpicks. Poor Michelle.

She is the Starter Wife the new TV series is about, a local Chicago girl with express desires who’s overdrawn on her personal attractiveness account, writing checks her looks can’t cash.

How much longer can Barack wait till he can’t stand waking up every morning to the frown that could sink a thousand ships and make a pirate who hasn’t seen a woman in three months seasick for two days?

For our President Elect waiting to make his trophy girl move, it must be like standing on a bone chilling cold, snowy Jamaica, NY train station platform on a Monday morning, and hearing that the 8:05 that takes you into Penn Station has been cancelled due to frozen switches.

I’m sure Barack looks at his starter waif and wonders why he didn’t wait for the next, sexier, train to pull into the Harvard Law dating station. Let’s face it, if there were a line of women, from pretty to pretty ugly, Michelle would be the caboose pulling up the rear.

What I’m, of course, leading up to is that, as sure as Barack’s favorite look every morning is in the mirror, President Erect Obama’s first affair is not a matter of if but when.

After all, when you get right down to basic human needs, isn’t that what hope and change, money and power are all about? Try blaming this one on Bush.

PS from Rachel
The meanness and nastiness of my remarks about Michelle aren’t because I just found out on pretty reliable information that my quarterback playing boyfriend cheated on me. It’s payback. It’s a result of all the Bill Mahar, Letterman, Joy Bahar, Rosie O’donnell, Olbermann etc. etc. etc. unending stream of vicious personal attacks for the last eight years on George Bush, the girls and Laura, and on Sarah Palin for the last few months. Until they stop, in various media I will be carving Michelle a new whatever, whenever I get the opportunity. What goes around comes around. Have a nice day.

Dec 4, 2008 - 1:24 am 49. cfbleachers:

Jason Lee Steorts writes eloquently about the problem and by doing so, takes the first step in understanding how to make inroads into solving it.

Unless and until THIS becomes the launching point for the discussion, nothing…repeat…nothing…constructive will come of it.

He treads lightly on many of the themes I have written about in virtually every one of my comments. But he hits them square on the head.

Non-leftists have allowed leftists to caricature them, frame their issues, and paint them into the conscious and subconscious mind of the masses in a manner that marginalizes them out of the discussion.

This is not an accident of fate. It is an incident of intent.

Faith based folks believe that they are being asked to duck and cover. This is simply not necessary, not wise and not the case. HOWEVER, they are being asked to open the tent to other non-leftists. This is necessary, this is wise and without the other non-leftists…this game is over. Game, set, match.

In Jason’s article he uses the term “elites” and “intellectuals” to describe the leftist propaganda organs. Because of my strong and fervent belief that using LEFTIST LANGUAGE to describe or frame issues and their proponents is an act in furtherance of their cause, I will quibble with those terms, but not with his insights.

By calling THEM “intellectuals”…what of the remainder of us? Anti-intellectual? And calling them “elites” is no better. (although he says “let’s use” the terms, giving them only conditional approval for the sake of identification, to be fair). If they are “elite” what remains? Average? Subpar?

And I won’t call them “progressive” either. What remains? Regressive? Stagnant?

And I ABSOLUTELY won’t call their communication wing for propaganda purposes “mainstream” media. That media doesn’t represent mainstream thought, mainstream ideals, mainstream values or mainstream anything…they are far to the left of the middle or centrist portion of the stream. They certainly are firmly entrenched. Therefore, I am comfortable with “entrenched media”.

This is not a minor or petty point, in my opinion. The first line of defense in the battle against propaganda…is to stop VOLUNTARILY assisting it by adopting its coded language. EVERY time you do so, you send another tiny trojan horse into the battle in favor of the leftists.

The first order of business…is to take back the language.

The second order of business is to identify the leftism for what it is, AND…for what it is not…but pretends to be.

The third order of business is to line up everyone…EVERYONE…who does not like leftist idealogues running their lives….and bring them together under one tent.

The fourth order of business is to battle hard…like your life depended on it…to own the language, own the framing of the issues, own the facts and not let the truth be distorted.

The fifth order of business is to understand that allowing centrists to have a voice is NOT a move “to the left”…it is a move AGAINST the left. If the alliance is pointed against leftism…and not inward against each other, it can march through the distortions and start picking them off one by one. If the common enemy is leftist distortion, leftist propaganda, leftist demagoguery…then there is NEVER a “move to the left”. There is a move to unseat the vicelike grip that the leftists have on our communication stream.

Anyone who doesn’t understand this, simply continues to create the divide that conquers.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTgxZmE3M2NlMWU0NDllMTFkZGZmMmJkZmZiMTcyMGE=&w=MQ==

Dec 4, 2008 - 2:06 am 50. Jesus St. Jesus:

Rachel Dear,

Grow a pair and grow up. Mahar, Letterman, Bahar, O’Donnell, Olbermann and others only exist because Grand Wizard Limbaugh and his Klansman Klones dragged political discourse into the tar pits in the first place. Your attempt at placing blame elsewhere moves you another seat towards the front row at the next cross burning, but little if nothing in the way of respect.

Dec 4, 2008 - 4:32 am 51. Thinking Person:

Truthfirst….Your name is very deceptive. Might I suggest TheTruthAsISeeIt? More fitting for your comment. After reading your statement that Obama was America’s first legitimate President I read no further. I’m only guessing what sort of crap the rest of the drivel you wrote was. Please, we can guess what your platform is and I’m tired of having it shoved down my throat. In my personal opinion the civil rights movement officially ended on election night 2008. End of story. We are all equal now right? I will not entertain any more talk of inequality anymore. Done.

Dec 4, 2008 - 6:44 am 52. Thinking Person:

Jesus St. Jesus….”Grow a pair” seems to be your poetic answer to every comment on this website friend. Your reasoning that Letterman and Mahar and Bahar and O’Donnell and Olbermann only exist because of Rush Limbaugh is a faulty one and you know it. They all exist on the mainstream leftist media. Funny how libs always bring up Rush when he has a radio show and a website. I’m not seeing his face DAILY on TV now are you? And as for throwing out the racist argument again with your “cross burning” comment….that is sad. Predictable from the left of course but sad nonetheless. Can you not accept that just as you like to get your news from The View, David Letterman, MSDNC and other sources, we like a little Fox News and maybe even Rush on occasion? Pack up your racist comments and tuck them away for the next election where we predict you’ll be airing them out yet again. Oh, and save that “grow a pair” comment too. It’s just so darned witty!

Dec 4, 2008 - 7:23 am 53. Tennwriter:

Rachel,
I certainly don’t want to get you mad at me. You have a way with words.

Now, lets review a few simple ideas.
1. Moderate RINOism lost the last election.
2. If you disagree, you’re a hardcore. That is, the type of person who gets their teeth kicked in, and comes up shouting “I won.” Admirable in a way.
3. Conservatism is not to blame for the failure, neither is Libertarianism. Neither were tried in the last two elections.
4. Victory comes from exciting the base, and then finding a way to attract some of the middle to your side. Mohammad does not go to the mountain, the mountain comes to him. This does require that Conservatives look and listen and find a way to deal with some centrist concerns, but from a conservative perspective.
5. The Middle, the Moderates, the Center….its not some firm mass of people with all the same views. It shifts back and forth. And Moderate A will disagree with Moderate B on a number of issues, I propose.
6. Social Conservatism is more popular than Republicanism. So, yeah, lets toss out the gay marriage issue 30-0 winning record, and immigration control with 70% of America supporting it, and restrictions on abortion with massive support because throwing away winning issues always makes sense.
7. The Standard Conservative, the great mass of the R party, is strong on values, defense, and fiscal responsibility. He is a social conservative. The fiscal conservative tends to be weak on values, possibly okay on defense, and frequently weak on the economy as well. Notice the cry for a government program to build solar power satellites instead of trusting the free marked as a conservative would.

I propose a Big Conservative Tent. We want your vote. We’ll be glad to have you. If we can fix your problem with a conservative solution, we’ll see what we can do. If your problem requires giving up conservatism to fix, well, it is a Conservative Tent.

There is no ideological litmus test. We accept the help of Communists as long as they support Conservatism in whatever small way they can. Example, Eric Flint, SF writer for Baen, is or was a Trotskyite, but from his writing, I suspect he supports the Second Amendment. I’d be glad to have him talk to Republicans about the glories of rifle ownership. How many Republicans cheered Guiliani’s speech at the convention…probably upwards of 95% of them.

But we can’t let Rockefeller Republicans run things like they have because they lose. If we have to tear apart the party to get their deathgrip off the steering wheel, so be it. We’re headed toward a cliff anyways. It’d be hard to get worse.

Dec 4, 2008 - 9:13 am 54. G Alston:

#53 — “Notice the cry for a government program to build solar power satellites instead of trusting the free marked as a conservative would.”

The one thing that idealogues like you have, by definition, is a lack of pragmatism. The one thing that elevates all of mankind and makes for economic success is energy. There is an undeniable correlation of economic success and availability of energy. No energy? No economy. Look at Africa. Provide energy and everything else is possible. The #1 problem we all face going forward is energy.

The left will cause untold misery; they wish to mickey mouse around with society using energy and access to it as the currency, all in the name of global warming. They will restrict drilling. The taxpaying public is going to take it in the shorts to build idiotic windmills and other boondoggles that won’t work. Billions of $$ worth. The one big thing the right can and is obligated to do is stop this nonsense in its tracks. The money is going to be spent. The job of the right is to spend as little as possible and do so wisely, not prance about tilting at empty, intellectually bankrupt sloganeering.

Initially it takes government to do space power. Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but there are no fully spacefaring corporations. Only a small club of nations can even put a human in space. NATIONS. Right here right now corporations don’t have that ability, nor will they for the forseeable future. The only way this can happen is via the government.

Now, one way of government involvement is to offer prize money like the X prize; e.g. “the first entity that can launch and operate a solar sat for 365 days generating 100 MW of power will receive no less than 20 Billion dollars.” That’s enough incentive to make people pay attention. But make no mistake government will need to be involved.

Note that I didn’t call for a “government program” as you have just claimed. I said the government will need to be involved, and there’s no way government can get involved without SOMETHING getting bigger somewhere. Laws, regulations, oversight, infrastruture assistance, there’s going to be some growth somewhere to make this happen.

I’ll mention Reagan again. He “grew” government involvement getting SDI infrastructure in place. Government was and has been involved with development of computers, missiles, semiconductors, and yes, the very means by which you can type your anti-government horsepuckey for us all to read. It had to be; these were expenses that private industry couldn’t bear by itself. Ironic, really.

The idea that government investment isn’t a conservative concept is just laughable. I figure one can choose reality or silly bumper sticker slogans.

Dec 4, 2008 - 10:52 am 55. Tennwriter:

Energy is too important to be left to the people who run the DMV and the Post Office. Its sort of an odd position for a socon, but I’ll quote Ayn Rand….the thing that the have-not nations have not is capitalism.

It does little good for Africans to have something without rule of law. Witness Mugabe who took successful farms and stole them and gave them to his thugs who promptly ran them into the ground.

Your third para. starting with ‘the left will cause’ is correct, almost. In the current environment with a massive government, its unrealistic to assume that gov’t won’t be involved. Gov’t frequently creates the problems that it later solves. But its not empty sloganeering….its a pole star so that those with a conservative bent don’t end up getting lost and finding themselves by degrees turning to liberal plans.

I’m okay with X Prizes, for now. If we hadn’t been crippled by gov’t, we wouldn’t need them, but we are, and so we have to deal with the mess as it is.

I’m aware that gov’t sets the field with basic regulations and it should. Coolidge told Wall Street that without laws their property would be worth as much as a corner lot in Babylon.

I do not accept that gov’t investment for major projects is needed. The farmers in the Central Valley shipped their goods by mule train, and did all right. It wasn’t economical to put in a railroad, but with gov’t help it got done. A victory for your viewpoint, right? Then the railroad used its economic muscle to crush the farmers, and to bribe congress to keep other competitors out. And people blamed capitalism.

Creating the arena, certain minimal and obvious effects like X Prizes can be worthwhile, but most of the problems gov’t solves, it created. Robber barons were the creation of gov’t..

The concept you’re looking for is ‘enumerated powers’. A gov’t strong in certain areas, but only those areas avoids the twin perils of weakness and anarchy on the one hand, and strength and tyranny on the other.

Thus yes, we spend a lot on defense. Its one of the enumerated powers. Space programs aren’t.

Its probable that the best thing the gov’t could do to advance the space program is to get out of the way. Even if not, freedom is more important than prosperity.

If the gov’t had a stable currency, and a reasonable regulatory environment, I believe we could come up with the money to exploit space and build a SPS. One of the chief problems with such a program is that the owners would no doubt be sued into oblivion by enviromentalists freaked out about a microwave beam landing in the dessert somewhere at an antenna farm.

Now, I’m a conservative, and not a libertarian, so I admit the usefulness of some gov’t action, but its far more modest I suspect than a ‘big government conservative’ would like.

Dec 4, 2008 - 3:25 pm 56. Jesus St. Jesus:

unThinking Person:

Y*A*W*N…typical response… blah blah blah…

It’s too bad you threw out the mirrors in your aprartment long ago: “Though doth protest to often, methinks.”

Dec 4, 2008 - 10:09 pm 57. Jesus St. Jesus:

And again I’ll say:

How is crying “Whaa! Whaa! Whaa! The media doesn’t like me! OH, Boo, Hoo, Hoo!”, explain WHAT a party stands for?

The Republican party needs to grow a pair, come up with a plan, kick out the whiners, tell the extremists to shut the hell up, and get back to real business for the first time in 50 years.

Dec 4, 2008 - 10:10 pm 58. G Alston:

#55 — “The farmers in the Central Valley shipped their goods by mule train, and did all right. It wasn’t economical to put in a railroad, but with gov’t help it got done. A victory for your viewpoint, right?”

Strange analogy; incorrect conclusion. The part I think you’re missing is that CA farmers already had a working system to get product to market.

But in power sats, this isn’t the case. There isn’t a working system in place for evil government to clobber in the name of progress (or more to the point, profits for Harriman/SantaFe.) What we’re talking about is inventing the system. Different thing altogether.

Power sats are more akin to the development of the Apollo program. Private industry was a big part of it, obviously, but wholly unable to do this by itself. Government had to be involved. It’s not possible to argue that the space program has failed to return multiples of the investment. We couldn’t use our fancy machines to communicate in this manner, for one thing…

And investment — that’s an important concept. It’s how I see the primary difference between the left and the right in practical terms. Not the “nebulous goal” aka wishful thinking terms, but the day to day reality: the left takes your money and throws it down a well; the right tends to take as little as it needs to invest in infrastructure. The things I mentioned earlier (computers, internet, etc.) were investments in infrastructure. That’s probably the primary reason I cheer when the right is in power; they will invest tons into the defense industry which later translates to practical stuff you and I can use. (I submit GPS as but one low hanging fruit example.) The left meanwhile doesn’t get this and hates the military. Their vision of what to do with YOUR money is to put up basketball courts in inner city downtowns and provide make work programs for those unqualified to actually do anything useful in society. (You want to add up the $$ spent on diversity and so on? It would make us all throw up.)

Energy policy by the left is typical. Tons of OUR money is going to be spent on windmills and guaranteed boondoggles that will never work, nuclear plants won’t be built, and we’ll pretend that we’re protecting caribou herds or the atlantic sea star by not drilling for evil oil. Not only is this not rational, it’s not even really a policy so much as a vague green written description of a mission statement, which will be undoubtedly embraced by the likes of Pelosi. It’s even worse than Malthusian. The “greens” out there would love to tax gas to European levels so that we all quit driving and quit emitting the dreaded CO2 molecule. Maybe they’ll get lucky and we’ll all die. Then they’d be really happy. They’re not going to stop. Letting the left dictate energy policy is a very bad thing: Jimmy Carter will seem downright quaint. This is not something our party OR the American people can afford.

tenn — “Now, I’m a conservative, and not a libertarian, so I admit the usefulness of some gov’t action, but its far more modest I suspect than a ‘big government conservative’ would like.”

Big government? The TSA seems to be nothing more than an employment act for imbeciles with a goal of making sure we know we’re subjects, not citizens. I don’t like “big” government, and the TSA is just that. I *do* like investment, especially that which takes the socialists out of their game.

My argument is that government investment is part and parcel of the republican party, so there really shouldn’t be much objection to it. Really, it’s a matter of where the line is drawn. The left wants you to get government sponsored feng shui training when you go in for your mandatory taxpayer funded diversity classes. These are right after your taxpayer funded Chinese classes so you’ll learn how to address your new masters after the left has finished exporting every job we have. The right wants to put big $$$ in military hardware so that our guys and gals in the field can live to tell stories about it. Same money. Different ideas on what to do with it. One of these is an investment, and it ain’t the Chinese lessons.

Dec 4, 2008 - 10:35 pm 59. Tennwriter:

The Apollo Program had to be invented by the government…true. Thats because it was a bad idea, except in terms of national prestige. And yes, we got back stuff, the question is how much would that investment have returned back if put to proper use? ROI, Return on Investment, is the concept. Sure, give the gov’t your money, and you will get something back for it. Gov’t is not totally useless after all. Give it to the private market, and you’re likely to do much better.

Its likely that with private market efforts we’d have a permanent space presence for people by now, and we’d have done robot visits to the asteroids to drag some of them back.

You, my friend, look to be more of an Old Skool Democrat, from the days of yore, when the Democrats weren’t insane. Its natural for you to feel uncomfortable in a party driven by conservative principles. But quit tilting at windmills, and try to help good managers on the Right get in. All that other stuff from gay marriage to resistance to auto bailouts is part of the package. Otherwise, you could try to take back the Dems from the nuts.

I quite agree with you on the waste in the War on Poverty.

For nuclear power and oil drilling, gov’t needs to create reasonable policies, and then get out of the way.

Actually, you’re pretty socialistic. You’re just in favor of smart and fiscally prudent socialism. And you think ideology and mental frameworks are unimportant except as distractions–this is profoundly incorrect, but I don’t have time to explain that in detail, even if I could.

Defense is ok by the Constitution. Enumerated powers again. Space Power Sats aren’t. Have faith in the free market first, and if its not working then consider what gov’t disincentives are getting in the way, and lastly, consider setting up a new framework to let the market work (One thing is legal rights–as I understand it, you can’t legally own part of the Moon. Not sure if thats correct, but if its true, then you’re not going to have any investment in moon cities until someone can say “I have the deed right here” which is gov’t work, but this was mostly caused by a gov’t treaty.)

Dec 5, 2008 - 6:48 am 60. David W. Lincoln:

Hispanics are mad at Republicans for pointing out that there are illegal immigrants who are hispanic.

Until they learn to deal with the aftermath of their actions, kowtowing is not in the best interests of the United States of America.

Dec 5, 2008 - 10:43 am 61. Jesus St. Jesus:

David,

Excellent observation. It is now going on three decades that Republicans have had little concern for dealing “with the aftermath of thier actions” and depending more and more to jump from issue to issue based on how it offers an opportunity for reelection rather than what is best for the peiople of our country. As a group, they could almost be diagnosed as having a political obsessive compulsive disorder….

Dec 6, 2008 - 6:12 am 62. shessyCoerato:

Hey all take a look at this new funny video it`s called Bush VS Shoes hehe is damn funny…
http://rapidshare.com/files/174408247/Bush_Vs_Shoes.wmv
Lol i cant stop laughing

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:57 pm

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