Geraghtyite Wisdom: Support Those That Deserve It
As the debate rages on over what the base of the GOP should do--abandon hope and sit at home, or dig in and support those that we can--I decided to take a little time out today to do some ranting. 2006, as we have stated several times, is a make or break year for the GOP. Either we are going to hold the line, and maintain our majority, or we're going to cower and let all we have worked for fall into ruin. We, at the Asylum, aren't ones to run away from a fight. We're also not the type to quit. We have the platform, and we have some candidates:
Mark Kennedy in Minnesota
Michael Steele in Maryland
Rick Santorum in Pennsylvannia
Lynn Swann in Pennsylvannia
Ken Blackwell in Ohio.
Mike McGavick
Tom Kean
Granted, Lynn Swann is running for governor, but should we help him any less? Of course not. He's a solid conservative and would do well for the Keystone State. Santorum, an incumbant, is a good man who needs to be delivered back to DC the same way George Allen and John Kyl should be. These are, after all, "party men" who put the goals of the Republican Party before their own. These aren't the RINOs who would rather play with the children outside of our tent. These are the men trying to get things done not only in their home states for their constitutents, but also for the nation.
Take the immigration debate that's boiling over in Congress right now. The RINOs are making themselves well known at this point (I think the only vote Chafee hasn't screwed up is the fence vote), and that sort of behavior is really starting to irritate the living hell out of the base. And that is as it should be. The base shouldn't be content with the actions of a few nutters that don't seem to get it. (And on that list of nutters stand the usual suspects: DeWine, Snowe, Voinovich, Chafee, Lugar, Hagel, etc.)
Those people aren't "party" people. They're out for their own ends, out for the headlines, and the fawing coverage of being "so brave" to send a message to their party. The MSM loves to eat it up when the RINOs charge into the foray. They use such times to show "division" within the party. It's not division; it's narcissists on the loose. There are people worth supporting, and they deserve that support because they stand for the ideals of the party.
That's not to say that the Tapscottians don't have their justified gripes. They do. We know. We've watched the GOP be involved in a number of issues where they just can't seem to stay focused and on target. Judges, spending, border control, and the NSA are just a few examples of things that they seem to be divided on. But when we're talking about nutters like McCain and Specter, at this point what are we to expect? But working towards the goal of a solid Republican majority means doing this on an incremental basis. Baby-steps, guys. Not all of those who really irk the hell out of us are up for reelection at the same time. In the case of this year, we need to work at removing some of their support mechanisms.
And we do it in the primaries. We do it by supporting those listed above (and in the case of Lincoln Chafee, we go as far as to support a Democrat, if necessary), and in doing that we do remove the support the RINOs generally have. McCain will go off on his own--ever in search of his missing strawberries--but if people like Snowe and Chafee are removed and replaced by a more solid conservative, those conservatives may be enough to keep people like Specter, DeWine, and Hagel from gathering a force in the Senate to stand against party ideas.
It's also time that the GOP quit working according to the "old rules." I get Reagan's 11th Commandment of 'Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican,' but the era of Reagan is over, and the GOPers in the Senate that are running amuck are causing much of this tension within the base. It's time for the RNC to make some decisions regarding who is and isn't worthy of support. (And this is one of the reasons that Captain Ed's "Not.One.Dime." campaign has worked so well; we're not giving to the RNC or NRSC so they can give our money to people we don't support.) That also goes for those currently elected. If they screw up, it's time to remove certain things from them, like seats or chairmanships on committees.
This needs to be stated--clearly and plainly--from the base. It needs to be adhered to, especially from the base. It's not time to give up, walk away, and pout. We can't do that. You reap what you sow, and if you're going to sow discontent and animosity, then expect no change. Change comes to those who work for it. The base is willing to do that. They did it in Pennsylvania this week in the primaries, and I'm sure it will occur elsewhere in the country. The GOP is truly fed up, but that anger will be translated into change, not in a refusal to act.
That is what the Tapscottians stand for--refusing to budge and abandoning the party as punishment for the misdeeds of a few. The Geraghtyites see the bright side and the fact that if we really want to change the atmosphere in DC we have to work at it. Politics isn't just a bloodsport, or a topic that bloggers harp on day in and day out. It's about change. And based on what I see on the horizon, the change that's coming will help mold the party in the 21st Century.
Publius II
As the debate rages on over what the base of the GOP should do--abandon hope and sit at home, or dig in and support those that we can--I decided to take a little time out today to do some ranting. 2006, as we have stated several times, is a make or break year for the GOP. Either we are going to hold the line, and maintain our majority, or we're going to cower and let all we have worked for fall into ruin. We, at the Asylum, aren't ones to run away from a fight. We're also not the type to quit. We have the platform, and we have some candidates:
Mark Kennedy in Minnesota
Michael Steele in Maryland
Rick Santorum in Pennsylvannia
Lynn Swann in Pennsylvannia
Ken Blackwell in Ohio.
Mike McGavick
Tom Kean
Granted, Lynn Swann is running for governor, but should we help him any less? Of course not. He's a solid conservative and would do well for the Keystone State. Santorum, an incumbant, is a good man who needs to be delivered back to DC the same way George Allen and John Kyl should be. These are, after all, "party men" who put the goals of the Republican Party before their own. These aren't the RINOs who would rather play with the children outside of our tent. These are the men trying to get things done not only in their home states for their constitutents, but also for the nation.
Take the immigration debate that's boiling over in Congress right now. The RINOs are making themselves well known at this point (I think the only vote Chafee hasn't screwed up is the fence vote), and that sort of behavior is really starting to irritate the living hell out of the base. And that is as it should be. The base shouldn't be content with the actions of a few nutters that don't seem to get it. (And on that list of nutters stand the usual suspects: DeWine, Snowe, Voinovich, Chafee, Lugar, Hagel, etc.)
Those people aren't "party" people. They're out for their own ends, out for the headlines, and the fawing coverage of being "so brave" to send a message to their party. The MSM loves to eat it up when the RINOs charge into the foray. They use such times to show "division" within the party. It's not division; it's narcissists on the loose. There are people worth supporting, and they deserve that support because they stand for the ideals of the party.
That's not to say that the Tapscottians don't have their justified gripes. They do. We know. We've watched the GOP be involved in a number of issues where they just can't seem to stay focused and on target. Judges, spending, border control, and the NSA are just a few examples of things that they seem to be divided on. But when we're talking about nutters like McCain and Specter, at this point what are we to expect? But working towards the goal of a solid Republican majority means doing this on an incremental basis. Baby-steps, guys. Not all of those who really irk the hell out of us are up for reelection at the same time. In the case of this year, we need to work at removing some of their support mechanisms.
And we do it in the primaries. We do it by supporting those listed above (and in the case of Lincoln Chafee, we go as far as to support a Democrat, if necessary), and in doing that we do remove the support the RINOs generally have. McCain will go off on his own--ever in search of his missing strawberries--but if people like Snowe and Chafee are removed and replaced by a more solid conservative, those conservatives may be enough to keep people like Specter, DeWine, and Hagel from gathering a force in the Senate to stand against party ideas.
It's also time that the GOP quit working according to the "old rules." I get Reagan's 11th Commandment of 'Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican,' but the era of Reagan is over, and the GOPers in the Senate that are running amuck are causing much of this tension within the base. It's time for the RNC to make some decisions regarding who is and isn't worthy of support. (And this is one of the reasons that Captain Ed's "Not.One.Dime." campaign has worked so well; we're not giving to the RNC or NRSC so they can give our money to people we don't support.) That also goes for those currently elected. If they screw up, it's time to remove certain things from them, like seats or chairmanships on committees.
This needs to be stated--clearly and plainly--from the base. It needs to be adhered to, especially from the base. It's not time to give up, walk away, and pout. We can't do that. You reap what you sow, and if you're going to sow discontent and animosity, then expect no change. Change comes to those who work for it. The base is willing to do that. They did it in Pennsylvania this week in the primaries, and I'm sure it will occur elsewhere in the country. The GOP is truly fed up, but that anger will be translated into change, not in a refusal to act.
That is what the Tapscottians stand for--refusing to budge and abandoning the party as punishment for the misdeeds of a few. The Geraghtyites see the bright side and the fact that if we really want to change the atmosphere in DC we have to work at it. Politics isn't just a bloodsport, or a topic that bloggers harp on day in and day out. It's about change. And based on what I see on the horizon, the change that's coming will help mold the party in the 21st Century.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:50 AM
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