SaveTheGOP.com will be having a party during CPAC. Please email me at markdharris@gmail.com if you have any interest in helping us organize a get together for conservative, SaveTheGOPesqe minded folks.
Opponents of Mitt Romney, a “red governor in a blue state,” have gotten RomneyIsALiberal up and running. I’d recommend that you go there and check it out. I’ve done a cursory look at the arguments against him (pro-gun control, didn’t stand up hard enough to fight for the protection of marriage, pro-choice) but haven’t looked at the source links yet. One important absence from the site is RomneyCare - a “conservative” version of HillaryCare that he signed off on in Massachussetts.
Romney seems like a likeable guy, with wit (and hair) comparable to that of Reagan. But from everything I’ve read, he’s not much of a conservative. Not to mention that he has essentially abandoned his office of Governor over the past year to visit early primary states.
H/T to Human Events.
UPDATE: I checked a few sources on the website and one of them led me to the archive of Romney’s campaign site. Here’s a notable excerpt:
On Abortion Rights
As Governor, Mitt Romney would protect the current pro-choice status quo in Massachusetts. No law would change. The choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government’s.On Minimum Wage
The minimum wage is important to our economy and Mitt Romney supports minimum wage increases, at least in line with inflation.On Gun Control
Mitt Romney supports the strict enforcement of gun laws. He is a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban. Mitt also believes in the rights of those who hunt to responsibly own and use firearms.
So let’s see… let’s add “doesn’t support the free market” to the list. And heaven forbid I buy a gun with a certain type of grip on it, because that will certainly mean I’m going to gun innocent people down (a la federal assault weapons ban).
This was released several weeks ago, but surprisingly enough we agree with the DNC’s talking points about John McCain’s candidacy for president (though for ideologically different reasons):
To: National Desk
Contact: Karen Finney of the DNC Press Office, 202-863-8148
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ — The Democratic National Committee responded to news reports that John McCain is entering the 2008 presidential race today.
“If the reports are correct, we welcome John McCain to the race,” said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. “The question is, which McCain is running: the McCain who called right wing extremists like Jerry Falwell an evil influence, or the McCain who spoke at Liberty University as he attempted to cater to the far right in advance of a presidential run? Or the McCain who opposed overturning Roe vs. Wade or the McCain who said he would support South Dakota’s ban? As an opportunist who supports the Bush Administration’s failed policy in Iraq and changed his mind on tax cuts, a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her health care, and campaign finance reform, it’s hard to tell which John McCain will enter the race.”
I couldn’t have highlighted McCain’s political savvyness (read: media politicking) better. John McCain is not a reliable conservative. John McCain sees citizens’ interaction with the political process as damaging to government (a.k.a incumbents) via the First Amendment-bashing Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. He voted against Bush’s tax cuts, then flipped to prop up his conservative credentials in preparation for 2008. McCain is nothing but an opportunist, as the DNC so eloquently put it.
H/T to the Corner.
This cute little phrase represents the last policy initiative that both the Rockefeller Republicans and the Democrats who are running this country still seem to support. With the war in Iraq now almost certainly “lost” in the minds of the men leading this nation the one remaining front in the war against radical Islam is in Afghanistan. It may not be a front much longer.
With France, Germany, Spain and Italy refusing to engage the enemy (or even deploy into hostile provinces) it would seem that the NATO mission in Afghanistan is collapsing due to lack of troops. Pakistan has now told certain NATO members in secret meetings that the Taliban have won in Afghanistan and the best thing for everyone involved is to just leave.
Senior Pakistani officials are urging NATO countries to accept the Taliban and work toward a new coalition government in Kabul that might exclude President Karzai of Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s foreign minister, Khurshid Kasuri, has said in private briefings to foreign ministers of some NATO member states that the Taliban are winning the war in Afghanistan and that NATO is bound to fail. He has advised against sending more troops.
Since President Bush lacks the political will to send US forces into Pakistan it seems that Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar have secured for themselves in Waziristan what they once had in Afghanistan, a state of their own from which to conduct terror operations around the world.
Remind me again why we invaded Afghanistan?
I received an email today from Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) begging for money to fill the NRSC’s coffers since the organization is under “an avalanche of debt” after the midterm elections. Serves them right. Here’s what I wrote in response:
Senator Dole,
I will not support an organization that spent millions of dollars attacking a conservative in a Republican Primary (Steve Laffey, challenging RINO Lincoln Chafee).
I will not send my money to an organization that will sell out on Republican values in favor of a Senator who does not share my conservative beliefs.
I would suggest in the future that you refrain from getting involved in primary elections. If you want to support the Republican candidate in the general election, whether he’s a conservative or not, that is understandable. Wasting millions of dollars smearing a true conservative in the primary merely because he is opposing an incumbent Senator is the lowest form of putting “Party over Principle” which the GOP seems to be quite fond of these days.
You will not receive a dime from myself, or from thousands of other grassroots activists. As I noted, I would suggest that your organization re-evaluate its values and practices. Maybe by 2008 you can turn the organization around, but it won’t happen if none of us donate. Please consider taking to heart the conservative planks of the Republican platform and allowing primary races to be conducted in a fair and ethical manner so that the best candidate to speak for the Republican Party may represent the Party in the general election. Until then, ciao.
Sincerely,
YellowJacket.
Staff Writer, SaveTheGOP
www.savethegop.com
UPDATE: I received an automated e-mail back saying that my message was not received because the email is over its mailbox quota. I’m sure there are a lot of Republicans who have filled their inbox with messages similar to mine. Wonder if they’ll listen? (yeah right)
From all of us at SaveTheGOP, have a great Thanksgiving.
“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,
and humbly to implore his protection and favors.”
– George Washington (Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789)
Anyone remember the Left perpetuating the myth that Republicans would bring the draft back? Thank you Democrats for proving them wrong!
Dostoevsky once said, “Neither man or nation can exist without a sublime idea.” The concept comes up again in Lewis’ “The Abolition of Man” (well novelized as “That Hideous Strength”), mankind survives by virtue of its submission to that tao, that moral order which distinguishes us within creation, whatever name it might take. When we lose it, when we exchange our sublime idea for vulgar ones, the consequences are broad, recovery is slow, and not guaranteed. I tie it to the Fall, though there ought to be secular explanations as well.
“Where is he going with this? Little guy can’t be serious, thinking that Pence losing means the proclamation of laicite.”
Emphatically not, it’s sort of a coincidence. I’m not worried about this sort of thing on a national level, at least not at the moment, but more on a personal one. I’m not worried about America losing its “sublime idea”, I’m worried about losing it myself. There are about a million things that should be higher on the list of things I care about than the Republican Party, and right now they aren’t. So, I’m going to take my leave of this motley crew and bid you all adieu. I want to express my appreciation to Mark first and foremost for letting me be involved in the project for so long, certainly despite his better judgement. The mission continues to be good and right, the GOP does indeed need saving, and I hope he and Alex will pitch the battle for much, much longer. Thanks also to the other contributors and commenters, especially Alex, John, and Karuna, the three of whom I was very happy to finally meet last month. And thanks to the readers, wandering aboutst in the ether.
Remember what we stand for, the principles that transcend the Republican party, that may even transcend conservatism narrowly defined. Most of all remember the words of T.S. Eliot:
“Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.”
Fight the hacktocracy tooth and nail, and never back down.
That was the tally for Boehner’s victory. The message is clear, the grassroots of the movement has been deemed irrelevant.
Screw it, we need him as President anyways.
My favorite part from the Yahoo! version of the story (I doubt it will stay “uncorrected”):
His elevation to succeed Hastert, D-Ill., as the party’s front line leader came despite unrest within the rank and file and a spirited campaign by Pence.
House Republicans Choose Rep. John Boehner as Minority Leader. No word yet on other leadership positions. The GOP missed a chance to make real change.
John Edwards, Wal-Mart shopper? Haha, poor guy. The people he gets to shop for him didn’t get the class warfare memo.
UPDATE: Yes, he did. No condemnation from the Crunchy Cons thus far.
That is an interesting question. It was posed to the three people running for House leadership positions by Dean Barnett. Here is the result: 0/3.
FIRST, THE BAD NEWS. Not a single candidate was able to mention a specific book. The one candidate who tried created inadvertent hilarity by saying, “Gosh, I have a book in my draw. ‘Jihad’ or something like that.” That representative then apologized but quickly recovered a sheen of omniscience by reminding us all that he/she has spoken to constituents who have served in Iraq, and through these conversation she has learned a lot.
Not the end of the world, but have no doubt my fellow conservatives, most of you are more informed about the true nature of this war than your congressman.
In a perfect ode to the free market principles espoused by Milton Friedman on the day of his death, we see an interesting situation developing around this nation’s healthcare and various solutions parroted to the citizens, both in the public and private sectors. HUMAN EVENTS’s Ken Shepard notes the mainstream media’s failure to highlight that Wal-Mart, and thus some of its competitors (because that’s how a competitive free market works), is beginning to offer prescription drugs for $4 - but the media has gladly harped on the difficulties of the Republican Medicare Part D program, for which re-enrollment has just begun. Says Shepard:
The same day the federal government opened re-enrollment for a costly drug benefit, Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) expanded its $4-generic drug plan and another competitor announced it would offer generic drugs for the same price. Yet while ABC’s “World News” complained about the cost and inconvenience of Medicare premiums, it left the role discount retailers like Wal-Mart and BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ) have in making medicine more affordable.
On the November 15 program, anchor Charles Gibson complained that “43 million senior citizens, eligible for the Part D prescription drug benefit, have to enroll for 2007, and there is no prospect that it’s going to be any easier.”
Correspondent Lisa Stark took up the story with complaints by senior citizens about rising premiums and how confusing it is to navigate all the fine print when comparing drug plans. For good measure Stark tossed in Ron Pollack, a liberal health care activist and a supporter of Bill Clinton’s 1994 plan to universalize health care.
Stark left out Pollack’s political bent, however, and characterized him merely as one of many experts “who study next year’s options” to “warn that people need to look closely at the fine print.”
Yet Stark herself didn’t pore over the fine print – in the federal budget. Nowhere in her story did she mention the hundreds of billions of dollars Medicare Part D is projected to cost taxpayers. Conservative detractors such as The Heritage Foundation consider it a “massive new experiment in central planning” and have estimated it will set back taxpayers nearly $700 billion over 10 years.
So, um, maybe Wal-Mart isn’t so evil after all? Don’t hold your breath waiting for the mainstream media to give Wal-Mart half the airtime they give the Medicare disaster.
Milton Friedman has died today at the age of 94.
Pulled a Dan Hackett last night. I know I’m late to this, but it’s so freaking low….
Hoyer will be Majority Leader for the next Congress. I’m mildly disappointed, but it shows that Pelosi is not nearly as popular in her caucus as she certainly believed herself to be.
