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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:42 pm Post subject: War In The GOP & John McCain's Blame Game
War In The GOP & John McCain's Blame Game
November 12, 2008
by William Gheen
President of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC
www.alipac.us
The top brass in the Republican Party that the public blames the most for perpetual wars, the next Great Depression, and trying to give Amnesty to millions of illegal aliens that they let into the country in the first place are circling the wheel of the GOP ship with their rapiers out!
Blue collar and middle class Republicans are advancing on the once proud captains of the GOP hoping to see Bush, McCain, and their most ardent supporters walk the political plank, in an effort to save the party from decades of fallout. Let's face the truth. Bush, McCain, Senators Graham and Martinez have not only led the GOP to destruction, they have run the great ship called America upon the rocks, with their brand of 'leadership' in the US Senate and the White House.
The GOP lost any real chance of retaining the White House the day John McCain won the primary. Due to election dynamics, a Ted Kennedy loving, Amnesty pushing, Free Trade pushing, Globalist, Democrat in Republican clothing named John McCain won. On election day, the resounding message and historical example became "You can't screw over the conservative base and still win as President!"
The turnout level for the 2008 elections was no where near the created media hype massive turnout forecast by the pro-Obama media. In fact, according to the American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate, Democratic turnout was only up a few percent points. The problem for McCain was that less Republicans showed up than in 2004's Presidential race and many of those Republicans either voted for Obama, voted third party, or left his race blank.
McCain was counting on GOP voters to march into the booths at the last minute, hold their noses and elect him out of fear of Obama. While many Republicans reluctantly made that choice, a significant group withheld their support or voted in opposition to McCain.
The greatest example of conservative voters rejection of McCain is seen in his campaign's inability to raise adequate funds for his campaign. The RNC had similar troubles and both McCain and the RNC were massively outspent by Democrats. Looking back in recent history, their inability to raise enough funds began when the RNC fired their fundraising phone bank employees, after donations fell through the floor immediately following Bush, McCain, and Kennedy's push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty. The phone bank employees reported massive donor unrest due to the amnesty legislation and were promptly fired! Republican fundraising never recovered after that paradigm shift.
Some of McCain's campaign employees have quickly thrown Sarah Palin under the political bus hoping the angry crowds will tear her apart, instead of McCain and crew! I can tell you as a prior employee of many campaigns, staffers do not engage in this kind of activity, without expressed behind the scenes authorization from their employers (such as Mccain) or they will lose their jobs and probably their careers!
No, Sarah Palin was not McCain's downfall. In fact, the only time in the final months of the campaign that McCain was ahead in the race was when he announced Sarah Palin as his running mate. McCain's problem was not with swing voters, you can't get anymore 'swing' than McCain. McCain tried to run left of the Democrat and tried to out racial politic a black Democrat.
Sarah Palin energized the true conservative base which initially reacted with glee to see someone, anyone, that was not a US Senator at the start of this race come on to the field. Palin was an unknown and many Republicans immediately projected their hopes on Palin. But the effect wore off quickly. In fact, after the Palin announcement, McCain's polling numbers plunged beneath Obama's for the final time, when he promised a "path to citizenship" for illegal aliens, during campaign stops in Pennsylvania.
McCain's support for the Bush administration's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty knocked him out of the first place spot and into fourth place early on in the primary. Each time Bush or McCain has pushed their unpopular immigration plans to the media and public, their poll numbers dive. Soon, they had Sarah Palin imitating McCain on every issue, including Amnesty so the 'Palin Effect' was gone and McCain's dye was cast.
Now that the elections are over, McCain's proxies such as his campaign staffers, Senators Lindsey Graham and Mel Martinez are blaming all of the GOP voters and members of Congress who opposed their amnesty plans for McCain's loss! The notoriously biased and pro-amnesty McClatchy Newspapers are eager to broadcast their finger pointing and blame games.
You heard that right folks! McCain and his right hand men are blaming the opposition to their Comprehensive Immigration Reform AMNESTY bills for the GOP losses by saying that Republicans alienated Hispanic voters.
What a load of horse hockey.
Like a thief who immediately points the finger at someone else to deflect blame, McCain and his crew are attacking others in the party, in an act of psychological projection. They are attacking immigration because they know they lost the race on immigration issues. Many Republicans felt more betrayed by McCain's support for Amnesty than Obama's because they would expect a Democrat to take that position. McCain's alignment with Obama and Bush on the issue deprived voters of a choice for President on the issue of amnesty for illegals.
McCain and his failed crew are promoting multiple myths about the Hispanic voters. First, according to many polls and actual voting behavior observations in states like Arizona, a majority of America's legal Hispanic voters are not supportive of the La Raza and Univision political agenda. They vote for more immigration enforcement and for English as our national language.
Our best case and point is that only two pro-illegal alien ballot initiatives in the nation failed on election day in states with top levels of Hispanic voters. Voters in Arizona rejected Proposition 202 with 59% of voters saying NO to the deceptively named "Arizona Stop Illegal Hiring Act", which would have gutted most of Arizona's new state level immigration enforcement efforts. Arizona is the state with the fourth largest Hispanic population.
In Florida, which has the ninth highest percentage of Hispanic voters, Amendment 1 was soundly defeated.
The claim that Hispanic voters are unified in support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bush, McCain, or Obama style is a lie.
It is also racist and defamatory towards Hispanic voters to make the false claim that a majority of them support McCain's attempt to change America's current laws to accommodate millions of illegal aliens because most are Hispanic. How detached from reality can McCain be, considering the Zogby poll that showed only 3% of Americans approved of how Congress was handling immigration issues in the midst of his failed push for Amnesty last year?
John McCain and his inner circle are engaging in more unethical behavior by trying to blame Sarah Palin and those who stopped them from passing Amnesty for illegal aliens. Hispanic voters have been voting Democratic at 65% levels for years and Obama only picked up a few percent points there. McCain's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty is political suicide for the GOP and national suicide for America.
Republicans now face an important choice. The GOP can further fracture and descend into oblivion as McCain and Graham march back to Washington to vote with Obama on many issues, including Amnesty for illegal aliens. Or the GOP can clean house and sweep these traitors like McCain, Bush and their inner circles onto the political scrap heap of history. The American public has spoken and has firmly rejected Bush and the GOP top brass. It is time for a new political battle cry within the Republican Party and that cry should be for Change! Let the way forward and needed changes begin by discarding McCain and crew on the political plank of this sinking ship. _________________ Vox populi vox Dei
Ad majorem Dei gloriam
You tell it like it is William. I emailed this letter to McCain and Graham. Maybe they can take a hint from it. Graham was on a local talk radio show today in Columbia. He is still sucking up to McCain and blaming the conservatives for all the problems that ails the Republican party. Poor guy.
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: can the Dem's do better with illegal immigration?
Willaim,
Good article. My hope is that since Obama will be far less interested in waging war, that he will listen to reason (something tht Bush was unwilling to do) and put the $200 million PER DAY we are spending on a worthless war, into better things:
1. Enforcement of existing immigration laws
2. Education
3. Jobs for American Citizens
What could we do with an extra BILLION dollars a week? The list is endless. Rather than trying to be tin badged dictators to the world, we hopefully will put our priorities towards helping AMERICANS.
I think where the Republicans blew it was:
1. Concentrating on a war that has proven to be senseless/worthless
2. Giving lip service to any immigration enforcement
3. Simply keeping hte wealthiest 10% happy
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: John McCain's Blame Game
Glad to hear this stated. The attacks on Palin were so wrong. And the real unanswered question was - "Why is McCain allowing it?" Guess we have the answer - he does not disagree. So let the Graham's, McCain's, Bush's et all move on. Let's build from within. Immigration is why they lost - but is wasn't because the base did not support amnesty. It was as you stated - because the leadership wanted amnesty. And that is not a healthy policy for the USA.
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject: McCain and the GOP
The problem within the GOP is not primarily John McCain as a problem: it is the GOP in general. The once strong personage in the GOP was Newt Gingrich - a highly intellent man with great leadership qualities. Another strong personage was Bob Barr who got tired of fighting city hall and went to the Libertarians. McCain was an ideal candidate for the Democrats ; he was a person Obama could beat - so the Democrats ganged up in New Hampshire and voted for McCain - the rest is history. The GOP can only be strong once again when they get new blood. Look for Mike Huckabee to assume a strong role in the reconfigeration of this once Grand Old Party.
Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject:
William, your article totally hit the nail on the head! The Republicans have got to wake up and get on the right side of this issue if they ever expect to win elections again. What's the sense in taking a position that only helps the Democrats?
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:38 pm Post subject: McCain, Not Palin, Lost This Election
William, you must not be the only one feeling like this....
McCain, Not Palin, Lost This Election
By Doug Patton
November 11, 2008
In the week that has elapsed since the 2008 election, spineless weasels inside the McCain campaign have begun piling on Gov. Sarah Palin - anonymously - and blaming her for the landslide that has elected Barack Obama to the presidency.
It is interesting to observe the apparent timidity of John McCain himself as this savagery is being played out behind Gov. Palin's back. McCain, who has never shied away from coming to the aid of a liberal when attacked, has been strangely silent about the ridiculous charges leveled against his hand-picked running mate. Remember his defense of Obama over the Rev. Wright issue? When the North Carolina Republican Party ran commercials addressing this legitimate issue, McCain slapped them down for it.
John McCain ran one of the worst campaigns in recent memory. Barack Obama sat for twenty years under the tutelage of an America-hating bigot, called the man his mentor and the inspiration for his first book, had him perform the Obamas' wedding and baptize their children, and then told us he never heard any of the vitriol being spewed from the pulpit during the two decades he sat there. McCain would not use the issue.
Obama sat with his friends, domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn while another mutual friend, former Palestinian apologist Rashid Khalidi, spewed hatred of Israel at a dinner in 2002. When an article came out about the incident last spring, McCain could have used that information and demanded a copy of the tape held hostage by the Los Angeles Times, but for inexplicable reasons chose not to.
Barack Obama spoke to the abortion-promoting leaders of Planned Parenthood and promised them he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) as soon as he became president. FOCA would strip away every restriction on abortion, including the ban on partial birth abortion and all parental notification laws. McCain had this information available to him, but never used it, thereby allowing many ignorant pro-life voters to go to the polls without that information.
John McCain had a chance to side with the American people and oppose the massive $700 billion bailout. As the maverick, the reformer, the spending hawk who claimed to want to stop the very waste represented by the bailout, McCain missed a golden opportunity to say to Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, "No, this is not how we do things in America. We are not a socialist nation. We are a capitalist nation. With great opportunity comes the possibility of great failure, and I, for one, will not lend my vote to this bailout -- made necessary, I might add, by the very Democrats who are crying the loudest for its implementation. We are Americans. We are better than this."
Instead, McCain made a big deal out of suspending his campaign, and then took his time getting back to Washington, stopping for interviews with the likes of Katie Couric along the way. He made a show of standing with the House Republicans who opposed the bailout, flirted with canceling a campaign debate, and in the end went along with the flawed thinking of President Bush, Treasury Secretary Paulson and Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA, who seemed to suddenly think that the sky was falling.
Imagine if McCain had stood against this boondoggle and it had passed anyway, over his protestations. When the stock market tanked, he would have been in the position to say, "You see? Where is the stability we were promised?" In one master stroke, he could have distanced himself from George Bush and left Barack Obama with egg on his face.
Meanwhile, Gov. Palin was out on the stump, doing exactly what she was chosen to do. She energized the base of the Republican Party, drew crowds ten times the size of McCain's and solidified conservative support behind a man who was almost universally distrusted within his own party.
Sarah Palin was the right person at the right time in the right position. She was vilified by the media, and John McCain let happen. Now she is being vilified by anonymous sources within his own campaign and he is saying nothing. He's probably too busy preparing to work with his new president.
---
Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites, including Human Events Online, TheConservativeVoice.com and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer and state editor. Readers may e-mail him at dougpatton@cox.net.
--------------------
Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
RIGHT ON! This is an excellent article and you mirror many thoughts that I had about McCain as well. I also noted a comment from another reader (sunlandbob) that he felt McCain had intentionally threw the election. I think this man may have something as well.
I'm sickened by the RNC and their bungling with this campaign, etc. This junk about reaching across the isle is bull. The RNC better figure out that we are at WAR and start standing up for the Republicans that want to see America stay America! They sure as heck are not seeing any more donations from me for quite a while.
I'm also sickened by John McCain that has done nothing to defend Sarah Palin and the recent attacks. His lack of action proves to me that he needs to come out of the closet and join the Democratic Party.
Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:50 pm Post subject:
sunlandbob wrote:
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
I wouldn't quite go that far, but it does seem like McCain just didn't want to be President that badly. His campaign reminds me a lot of the Bush 41 campaign of 1992. _________________
Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 31 Location: North Georgia
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:04 pm Post subject:
[quote="LAPhil"]
sunlandbob wrote:
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
I WOULD go that far! I had been thinking the same thing! _________________
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men and women do nothing!
Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject:
[quote="Patrioticpatti"]
LAPhil wrote:
sunlandbob wrote:
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
I WOULD go that far! I had been thinking the same thing!
Really? Just who instructed him? _________________
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
I WOULD go that far! I had been thinking the same thing!
Really? Just who instructed him?
Well, lets see.......... Both Obamy and McCain are members of the CFR. Always, always, follow the money. Look a little deeper you'll start getting the real answers.
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject: Re: can the Dem's do better with illegal immigration?
Worthless war? I have to say it seems you do not begin to comprehend sharia law and how much trouble the US, the West is in. We MUST fight this fight no matter how many countries or entities we must go after!
Apex wrote:
Willaim,
Good article. My hope is that since Obama will be far less interested in waging war, that he will listen to reason (something tht Bush was unwilling to do) and put the $200 million PER DAY we are spending on a worthless war, into better things:
1. Enforcement of existing immigration laws
2. Education
3. Jobs for American Citizens
What could we do with an extra BILLION dollars a week? The list is endless. Rather than trying to be tin badged dictators to the world, we hopefully will put our priorities towards helping AMERICANS.
I think where the Republicans blew it was:
1. Concentrating on a war that has proven to be senseless/worthless
2. Giving lip service to any immigration enforcement
3. Simply keeping hte wealthiest 10% happy
Quote:
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- For all Americans, this election represents another glass ceiling broken, and in the words of my 16-year-old, "That's very cool." The election of the first black president is an inspiring and transformational moment for our country.
I am happy for President-elect Barack Obama, and for many who supported him. They and, in many cases, their ancestors fought for this day for centuries as they experienced first-hand the unthinkable wrong of segregation. As an American, I wish him every success.
Beyond the presidential race, it goes without saying the Republican Party took a shellacking nationally. Some on the left will say our electoral losses are a repudiation of our principles of lower taxes, smaller government and individual liberty. But Tuesday was not in fact a rejection of those principles -- it was a rejection of Republicans' failure to live up to those principles.
I believe in the Biblical notion of taking the log out of your own eye before worrying about the splinter in someone else's. Accordingly, let me focus on my own party and the way Ted Stevens personifies what went wrong in the election.
As a senior ranking Republican from Alaska, he was a proud champion of pork barrel spending and bridges to nowhere, and stayed so long that he developed a blind eye to ethical lapses that would be readily seen by scout leaders and soccer moms alike.
Republicans have campaigned on the conservative themes of lower taxes, less government and more freedom -- they just haven't governed that way. America didn't turn away from conservatism, they turned away from many who faked it.
So during our "time in the wilderness," it's my hope that we go back to the basics of conservatism -- what it stands for and its real-world implications for people's lives. The sooner we do, the sooner we will see good policy from Republicans, and the sooner I suspect we will return to electoral favor.
Don't Miss
* Frist: Why it's good to have former senators in charge
* Commentary: GOP needs Obama's web savvy
* In Depth: Commentaries
A political party works much like a brand. Companies like Caterpillar and John Deere earn loyal customers by consistently delivering what they advertise -- they walk the walk. The same is true of brands like Fed-Ex, the Boy Scouts of America, or the Marine Corps.
I'm always struck by the degree to which the rank and file indeed know what they're about. I'm equally struck by the degree to which those in office don't always act on the same.
Chick-fil-a does not say to its franchisees, "However you want to cook the sandwiches is cool with me." They are precise in what they expect, and it's my hope going forward more conservatives in all corners of America will be equally precise and exacting in making sure their views are reflected by the party that supposedly represents them.
The time for doing so is short. President-elect Obama proposed $1 trillion in new spending on the campaign trail with no clear plan for paying for it. As a nation, we're on the hook for $52 trillion -- that represents an invisible mortgage of nearly $450,000 held by every household in America.
We've thrown $2.3 trillion toward bailouts and stimulus this year with little to show for it in the way of results, and Congress is already contemplating yet another $150 billion to now bail out states that spent faster than even the federal government. I fear an Obama administration will welcome this.
Borrowing from Medicare, Social Security, our grandkids and the Chinese to remedy a problem created by too much borrowing strikes me as odd, and hardly the "change" Americans really want. Accordingly, on these and other issues that involve borrowing to spend, I will work with others to change this kind of change.
History will prove that we live in remarkable times. As we prepare for the future, it's my hope that we take time for introspection as Republicans on where we go next as a party, and take time as Americans for reflection in appreciating the significance of turning part of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream into reality.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gov. Mark Sanford.
Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject:
[quote="MisplacedCowboy"]
LAPhil wrote:
Patrioticpatti wrote:
LAPhil wrote:
sunlandbob wrote:
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent. He did everything wrong, apparently on purpose. It's almost as if he was instructed in advance that Obama should win, and that McCain should do everything he could to bring about this result.
I WOULD go that far! I had been thinking the same thing!
Really? Just who instructed him?
Well, lets see.......... Both Obamy and McCain are members of the CFR. Always, always, follow the money. Look a little deeper you'll start getting the real answers.
I knew it! I just knew someone was going to come up with that answer. It's always a CFR plot, isn't it? _________________
Joined: Aug 24, 2005 Posts: 2592 Location: North Carolina
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject:
stacymack wrote:
Quote:
Worthless war? I have to say it seems you do not begin to comprehend sharia law and how much trouble the US, the West is in. We MUST fight this fight no matter how many countries or entities we must go after!
Wow, you are one of the few people I've seen that has been suckered into believing the Iraq war was justified. Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, yet the dude that did have something to do with it, is still alive and thriving somewhere in la la land.... possibly even New York city with the fabulous border control the US has. Bush, with his open borders policy, continues to welcome anyone in the US; which is proof to me he is not the least bit concerned about a terrorist attack..
The war was for oil, that you and I are not getting; nor will we ever get it... Who knows where the oil is going? Someone should ask the oil men in the white house who are responsible for starting the Iraq war when Iraq was no threat to our country.
I have spoken with many, many servicemen and I've only heard one say they believe the war was sincere. They all do believe we are making great strides rebuilding the country of Iraq, but they do believe our invasion of Iraq was based on lies.
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject: Palin
Wrong about Palin.
This is from an independent voter who usually votes Dem but was thinking of holding my nose and voting McCain until Palin came along.
Palin was a total diaster.
The first week or so was okay, but then the facts about that raving nut case came out: extremist religion, the witchcraft thing, believes humans lived along side dinasaurs, did not know Africa was a continent, could not name newspapers and magazines she reads, showed her lack of intellect and knowledge during the debates, did not know the name of the Canadian PM, could not name a Supreme Court case she disagreed with, lied about the bridge to nowhere, ethically challenged with her troopergate, was thinking about book baning while mayor, the Katie Couric interview, did not know what the Bush doctrine was...etc. She was so ignorant she did not even know the constitutional function of the VP!
A large segment of America could not image that woman as President. It appears her support came from the radical right.
Those of us who read the foreign press also know abroad her canditacy was considered to be farscial at best.
If the GOP wants to remain a relevant party it is going to have to reform and the first reform is to marginalize the NeoCons/ right wing of the party and dump their extremist agenda which has been proven not to work. Two failed wars, a crushed economy, Katrina, the rise of rich and the fall of the middle class, and the abolition of basic American freedoms , all courtsey of the GOP has convinced America that Republicans are incompetent to run the government.
Moderate conservatives are going to have take control, champion balanced budgets, deficit elimination, real science (stem cell research, global warming, no more phoney peudo right wing science), alternative energy, human rights (say no to torture, to government wiretapping of innocent citizens), and of course, the rule of law. Get religion out of politics. They are going to have to send big business special interests packing and start acting on behalf of the American people, not the elite.
But if William's letter is any indication, it won't happen. As long as the Dems don't overreach, get ready for 50 years of Dem rule.
Here is a typical GOPr..It is the PC thing to ohh and awww osama because he is black. Get over the race deal...we are talking about an ARAB who hung out and was mentored by radicals in all aspects. Yet osama seems to have NOT one friend, but has a load of rogue characters he continues to deal with.
Complement NOTHING to which has been hijacked! ACORN did a wonder and yet not a PEEP out of the political hacks,....not one. Early voting. For what? To have more chaos and time to cheat. I for one am an American Citizen who is sick and tired of EVERY POLITICIAN screwing this country and the people. Yet we need to play this ohhh the first black man. Please...this is NOT a civil rights issue...THIS IS ABOUT AMERICA AND SAVING WHAT OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD. WE ARE LOSING!!!
Quote:
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- For all Americans, this election represents another glass ceiling broken, and in the words of my 16-year-old, "That's very cool." The election of the first black president is an inspiring and transformational moment for our country.
I am happy for President-elect Barack Obama, and for many who supported him. They and, in many cases, their ancestors fought for this day for centuries as they experienced first-hand the unthinkable wrong of segregation. As an American, I wish him every success.
Beyond the presidential race, it goes without saying the Republican Party took a shellacking nationally. Some on the left will say our electoral losses are a repudiation of our principles of lower taxes, smaller government and individual liberty. But Tuesday was not in fact a rejection of those principles -- it was a rejection of Republicans' failure to live up to those principles.
I believe in the Biblical notion of taking the log out of your own eye before worrying about the splinter in someone else's. Accordingly, let me focus on my own party and the way Ted Stevens personifies what went wrong in the election.
As a senior ranking Republican from Alaska, he was a proud champion of pork barrel spending and bridges to nowhere, and stayed so long that he developed a blind eye to ethical lapses that would be readily seen by scout leaders and soccer moms alike.
Republicans have campaigned on the conservative themes of lower taxes, less government and more freedom -- they just haven't governed that way. America didn't turn away from conservatism, they turned away from many who faked it.
So during our "time in the wilderness," it's my hope that we go back to the basics of conservatism -- what it stands for and its real-world implications for people's lives. The sooner we do, the sooner we will see good policy from Republicans, and the sooner I suspect we will return to electoral favor.
Don't Miss
* Frist: Why it's good to have former senators in charge
* Commentary: GOP needs Obama's web savvy
* In Depth: Commentaries
A political party works much like a brand. Companies like Caterpillar and John Deere earn loyal customers by consistently delivering what they advertise -- they walk the walk. The same is true of brands like Fed-Ex, the Boy Scouts of America, or the Marine Corps.
I'm always struck by the degree to which the rank and file indeed know what they're about. I'm equally struck by the degree to which those in office don't always act on the same.
Chick-fil-a does not say to its franchisees, "However you want to cook the sandwiches is cool with me." They are precise in what they expect, and it's my hope going forward more conservatives in all corners of America will be equally precise and exacting in making sure their views are reflected by the party that supposedly represents them.
The time for doing so is short. President-elect Obama proposed $1 trillion in new spending on the campaign trail with no clear plan for paying for it. As a nation, we're on the hook for $52 trillion -- that represents an invisible mortgage of nearly $450,000 held by every household in America.
We've thrown $2.3 trillion toward bailouts and stimulus this year with little to show for it in the way of results, and Congress is already contemplating yet another $150 billion to now bail out states that spent faster than even the federal government. I fear an Obama administration will welcome this.
Borrowing from Medicare, Social Security, our grandkids and the Chinese to remedy a problem created by too much borrowing strikes me as odd, and hardly the "change" Americans really want. Accordingly, on these and other issues that involve borrowing to spend, I will work with others to change this kind of change.
History will prove that we live in remarkable times. As we prepare for the future, it's my hope that we take time for introspection as Republicans on where we go next as a party, and take time as Americans for reflection in appreciating the significance of turning part of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream into reality.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gov. Mark Sanford.
Joined: Aug 24, 2005 Posts: 2592 Location: North Carolina
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject:
Sunlandbob:
Quote:
It's almost as if McCain intentionally threw the election to his opponent
The part of the campaign which was the most suspicious to me was when McCain was at the bottom of the totem pole for the nomination, and other stronger candidates started dropping out. McCain is a loser, and the worst possible candidate the GOP could put forth. Look McCain was trying to switch to the democratic party a while back... he is a liberal pretending to be a conservative and conservatives see right through that... McCain then panders to hispanics, further telling the conservative base to take a hike. Then he selects Lucile Ball as his running mate, when he had a sure winner in Mitt Romney..
Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject:
Dianne wrote:
stacymack wrote:
Quote:
Worthless war? I have to say it seems you do not begin to comprehend sharia law and how much trouble the US, the West is in. We MUST fight this fight no matter how many countries or entities we must go after!
Wow, you are one of the few people I've seen that has been suckered into believing the Iraq war was justified. Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, yet the dude that did have something to do with it, is still alive and thriving somewhere in la la land.... possibly even New York city with the fabulous border control the US has. Bush, with his open borders policy, continues to welcome anyone in the US; which is proof to me he is not the least bit concerned about a terrorist attack..
The war was for oil, that you and I are not getting; nor will we ever get it... Who knows where the oil is going? Someone should ask the oil men in the white house who are responsible for starting the Iraq war when Iraq was no threat to our country.
I have spoken with many, many servicemen and I've only heard one say they believe the war was sincere. They all do believe we are making great strides rebuilding the country of Iraq, but they do believe our invasion of Iraq was based on lies.
If the war was for oil, it certainly didn't serve it's purpose. How did we end up with gasoline at $4.00 plus per gallon until just the last few months? It sounds like you're starting out by assuming the conclusion that the war was for oil. _________________
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