A Brand Of One
December 22nd, 2008 by 
Kevin
Peter Kirsanow has what should be a good observation…
Rod Blagojevich, $1 trillion \”fiscal stimulus\”, Harry Reid, expiring tax cuts, Nancy Pelosi, socialized health care, Charlie Rangel, reinstitution of the oil drilling ban, Joe Biden, liberal judicial nominees, Al Franken (maybe), nuclear Iran, John Murtha, car czars, Dennis Kucinich, PC culture, Chris Dodd, entitlement explosion, Barney Frank, entitlement implosion, Barbara Boxer, card check, the Clintons, Russian adventurism.
If Republicans can\’t come back in 2010 they should be sued for political malpractice.
Sued for political malpractice, I agree, but I think we passed that point about 3 election cycles ago.
Fact is Republicans are either unable, or unwilling, to hold their people accountable. Both 2006 and 2008 should demonstrate that conservatives and libertarians have registered their disapproval by refusing to play ball anymore. Not just refused, many have taken their ball and gone home with it.
That should have been an obvious lesson from 2006, but it’s fairly clear that Republicans paid no attention. As a result many of those same malcontents refused to come out and play once again. As a result, 2008 looked pretty similar and the same lesson was pretty obvious. So far it appears as if Republicans are continuing not to pay attention.
By the time the results of 2010 comes around, who is still going to be around to sue them???
[Crossposted at True North]
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Posted in 2008 Elections, Political Mumbojumbo, True North | 
5 Comments »
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
I see two problems with your otherwise brilliant conception. First, teaching Republicans a lesson by not voting for them is an exceedingly poor tactic. Those who actually learn the lesson will no longer be in a position to use the lesson learned. There has to be a way to get their attention sooner, like, say, writing your Congressman?
Second and more important, you don’t seem to recognize who difficult it is for Republicans out there. When 57% of Obama voters believe that Republicans currently control Congress, and only about 40% can pass a simple “civics” test, it is difficult to expect goo conservative ideas– as opposed to good liberal feelings– to win out at the ballot box.
The party needs to change tactics (not principles), and needs to win back the few conservative “thinkers,” but it needs a lot more than that to win elections.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Whether or not “staying home” is a wise strategy is besides the point.
And it might be easier for Republicans to win on good conservatives ideas, if the voters actually believed them. Given their track record, do you??
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I disagree. If our intent as a party is to win over those (conservatives) using wisdom and reasoning to cast their votes, then our elected officials should use that as a standard for all decision-making. In fact, they should do so anyway, since it makes sense. But that’s not enough.
The problem isn’t whether or not I believe that Republican office-holders and candidates have “good conservative ideas” or not.
It isn’t even whether a majority of voters believe it or not. It’s a question of how to get a majority of voters to cast their votes, on /whatever/ basis they choose, for Republican candidates. With the mountain of colossal ignorance out there, a well-reasoned argument based on sound conservative principles isn’t going to matter much. You cannot make that argument simply assuming a knowledge of history, economics, or government that one would think essential to a self-governing society. See
http://www.freedomdogs.com/news-archive-mainmenu-2/114-elections/3345-how-obama-got-elected.html
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
And who is going to do all the work convincing people to vote for Republicans?? Just who did you have in mind for that task?? Because until Republicans start acting like conservatives, conservatives are going to stay home. Whether you like that or think that makes sense is immaterial and greatly missing the point.
Even if you had the most convincing argument ever, that even an ignorant buffoon would be able to understand and agree with, there is nobody to give that argument. Because conservatives are abandoning the party in droves. I for one am not sure I disagree with them.
Being the band lander on the Titanic may be an honorable position and probably get you mentioned in the history books. But it does little to fix the fundamental problem.
December 23rd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Well, you’ve got me there. If conservatives aren’t willing to step up and make the Republican Party successful, then I guess it will be up to the RINOs to do it. I tend to be more optimistic than that, so this band leader is going to keep waving his arms and hope somebody hears the tune.