Time to Minimize the Losses
Written by Sam on October 18th, 2006” I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy… you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in.” - Katherine Mansfield
I agree. That’s why I think it is time for folks to face facts and start putting their last few weeks of energy into what we know we can salvage and even gain. So who’s hot and who’s not?
Conrad Burns - NOT. The liberals were just drooling over the Jack Abramoff affair. This was going to be the big scandal that rocked the GOP right out of Washington. Well, that was wishful thinking really. It was just too early and people have short memories, but it won’t disappear into the annals of past political sleaze without one casualty and that will be Senator Burns. Democrat Jon Tester has given Burns quite a walloping this year using Abramoff to inflict a heavy toll. Burns has been down well out of the margin of error for a few weeks now in every poll that has come out. That, with a state that has been trending more blue as of late, is just bad news for Burns. The GOP should write him off and put their money where it can be more effective.
Mike DeWine - Goodbye. There is simply nothing good to say about the Ohio Republican Party with the exception of Ken Blackwell. They are corrupt. They abandoned the principles of Goldwater and Reagan a long time ago. Republican voters don’t vote in Republicans so that they can raise taxes, chase out jobs, pork barrel spend, and roll around in a trough of power, corruption, and greed. The best way to save the Ohio GOP is to clean house by any means at this point. Sometimes taking a step back is the way forward. DeWine is trailing to a rabid Socialist. In a fairly conservative state like Ohio, that’s not a good reflection of the party’s character among the voters.
Rick Santorum - Pack your bags. Oh, how it pains me to have to write off my own Senator, especially after his bumper sticker was ripped off my car in Philadelphia last week along with the redecorating of my driver’s side door by that tolerant liberal’s key. I finally had to make myself face the facts last week. Rick just can’t do it. He has always been a polarizing figure and has never won either of his previous Senate races by large margins, but people respected Rick for standing his ground and speaking his mind. That respect whithered away two years ago when he firmly backed Arlen Specter over his conservative primary challenger, then Congressman Patrick Toomey. A lot of people were upset and swore they would never support Rick again. I really thought most people would get over it come two years later, but conservatives really don’t trust Rick any longer. Adding fuel to the fire is a perceived conservative Democrat challenger whose father was a very popular pro-life Democrat governor. Though he has narrowed the gap, not a single poll has come out all year with Rick ahead of Bob Casey, Jr. This is a recipe for an Election Night disaster.
So where do we divert all of this money? George Allen’s race is a little too close for comfort and while I think he will have a decent showing, the GOP shouldn’t take any chances. Jim Talent has served us well, but he is neck and neck with a leftist nutjob who does not in any way represent the mainstream values of the people of Missouri. Jim needs the bulk of the money. Then, of course, the Republicans have their two pick up opportunities in New Jersey and Maryland. While I am not all that fond of Tom Kean, him stealing a New Jersey Senate seat keeps us in the majority. As for Michael Steele, the Republicans would have to adopt the jackass symbol of the Democrats if they don’t spare every resource they have for that race. Michael Steele is the future of the Republican Party, the GOP of the 21st Century.
Yeah, I know. I left out Lincoln Chafee. He might win; he might lose. Who really cares? I get sick every time I think of the millions of dollars Liddy Dole sunk into that Rhode Island primary that could now be going to these other guys. Maybe if she had taken a couple of Bob’s Viagaras she would have risen to the occassion.
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A couple of points:
1.) Conrad Burns is the reason that GOP has no credibility in states like Montana that shouldn’t ever, ever, ever have a Democrat representing them at the national level. The guy is corrupt, why they hell wasn’t he forced out at the party level years ago? If Conrad Burns weren’t such a big spender of taxpayers’ money then he might still have a future as it is, he is merely a history lesson.
2.) DeWine, another liberal with an (R) after his name. Why vote for diet Coke when you can get the real thing? Of course he is in trouble, not just because he is a liberal, but mostly because he is a fraud, a fake. People crave the genuine article, especially in their leaders. Genuine, that is something no one has ever accused DeWine of being. He is a classic big government POS.
3.) “Oh, how it pains me to have to write off my own Senator . . .” Why? When the chips were down and everything was on the line . . . he folded. He ran as far away from his principles as he could and endorsed a man who doesn’t believe in any of the things that the people who voted Rick into office believe in. Why should he be trusted again? When the going gets tough for conservatives Rick will look out for his own ass. He has inadvertantly but quite justifibily thrown away the career security he thought he was buying when he sold Toomey and the state of Pennsylvannia out.
“I really thought most people would get over it come two years later, but conservatives really don’t trust Rick any longer.”
Really? Here is the real question, why do you trust Rick?
4.) The GOP is dying and the proof is that people are actually contemplating voting for the Democrats! Or just the same, staying home. How in competant do you have to be to allow this collection of Democrats to gain ground on you. How corrupt do you have to be to make the Democrats appear clean? How far from your principles do you have to stray to make people miss Newt Gingrich. How stupid do you have to be to lose power during a time of record, booming economic growth? Only the GOP and could even attempt a stunt this asinine.
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Well said Mike. If only the GOP were led by Club For Growth-types… sigh… maybe next election (yeah right).
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You can do everything right, and still lose. That’s why its important to stand up for what you believe in while you have the opportunity. Rick Santorum has stood up for what he believes in. He has earned my support, and my respect for that reason. I still believe he can win this race.
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Joe, he sold Pat Toomey down the river for Arlen Spector. How exactly does that square with him being a standup guy? When the going got tough . . . he folded. I understand how you are willing to trust him again, but I can assure you that I am certainly not alone in saying that I wouldn’t vote for him. I am a citizen of Georgia by the way so this is all academic.
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NRSC should pull any money they have out of Montana and Ohio and stick it in Tenn for Corker.
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Santorum didn’t sell Toomey out. The fact is, you have to prove that you can win elections. Toomey couldn’t.
To make matters worse, Toomey is on track to get devestated this election day. Because obviously, he is smarter than the rest of the Republican Party. So he invested in “purist Republicans” whose chances of winning are lackluster at best. His entire slate of candidates could very well lose. He recently added George Allen to give himself some breathing room.
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“Santorum didn’t sell Toomey out. The fact is, you have to prove that you can win elections. Toomey couldn’t.”
You must realize the extreme irony of that statement. The simple fact is that the same type of PA voter who supported Toomey also supports Santorum or at least they did at one point anyway. Toomey and Santorum were both more conservative than their state as a whole, but that doesn’t mean that they are incapable of winning, Rick proved that. Now neither have a seat and your strategy of only supporting wishy washy say-anything-to-get-elected RINOs has come back to bite you in the ass. Happy now?
“Because obviously, he is smarter than the rest of the Republican Party. So he invested in “purist Republicans” whose chances of winning are lackluster at best. His entire slate of candidates could very well lose.”
I know it must greatly bother you that somewhere in this country there are a small group of republicans that actually believe in the platform as it is written but get over it. What the hell is a “Purist Republican”? Is it someone who is more loyal to his principles and constituents than the party? Is it someone who will keep his word? Is it someone who won’t jack up spending 9% in wartime just because they can’t pass up on a single fucking piece of pork?
If the Club for Growth loses elections it is because they are doing the thankless job of supporting real Republicans, something the party stopped doing years ago.
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I’m a purist Republican, Mike. My main point was that the Club under Toomey couldn’t bring itself to even support Rick Santorum, because Santorum isn’t GOOD enough for them. That isn’t being loyal to principles, that’s just being elitist.
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“My main point was that the Club under Toomey couldn’t bring itself to even support Rick Santorum, because Santorum isn’t GOOD enough for them. That isn’t being loyal to principles, that’s just being elitist.”
I think that might have something to do with the fact that Pat Toomey, the current head of the Club for Growth was railroaded by what he thought would be his political ally in the fight against liberal Republicans. If any member of the PA GOP would support Pat for Senate surely it would have been Rick Santorum, but sadly that didn’t happen and now Rick is paying the price for that error in judgement. I don’t blame Pat Toomey one iota for not supporting Rick for his re-election bid. Not only is there a personal animus between the two men but there is the issue of Rick’s credibility. How can any conservative really trust him after his sellout to Bush and Spector?
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^
You’re a poor spokesperson for Toomey. If he’s allowing personal “animus” as you call it to get in the way of his committee’s operations, then he is a piss poor chairman.
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I am not a spokeman for Toomey at all. I can’t defend his actions, I can only guess at his motives and I am sure he bears a grudge against Santorum. Is that right? No. Was Rick right to sellout to Bush and Specter? No.
All that being said what makes you trust the judgement of Rick Santorum? This guy had an opportunity to help elect a fellow conservative in PA and instead he endorsed Arlen Specter a man who is helping the Democrats to destory this great nation of ours. If Toomey is too conservative to get elected (as was argued by virtually everyone who supported Specter) then what does that say about the “electability” of Rick? If PA is too liberal for Toomey then it is too liberal for Santorum. If he loses it will be the conclusion to a sad chapter in the life of a potentially great American Senator who forgot where he came from and who his true friends were. The lesson that I hope the GOP learns from this is don’t fuck with your base, we are the party.
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It is really easy to look back and say “wow, we won 55 Senate seats that year. Rove and Santorum sure care more about numbers than they do about conservative values!” In fact, we didn’t know we would hold the Senate. We didn’t know we would hold the presidency.
We don’t know that we’ll hold the Senate today. Santorum wanted someone who was pro-Bush in the Senate. Now, you may have wanted a pro-Bush senator too. But your pro-Bush senator wouldn’t have won the general. And it’s not because Toomey isn’t a great candidate; it’s because he didn’t have the name rec or the money needed to prevail. If we want conservative judges, we need the Senate majority and we need Arlen Specter.
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“In fact, we didn’t know we would hold the Senate. We didn’t know we would hold the presidency.”
I don’t give a damn about holding the Senate or the Presidency. We were successful, we held both and look what we have now! An increase in spending of 9%! Could Kerry have gotten that through both the House and the Senate? I don’t think so! That is outrageous abuse of the public trust and the Constitution. We have Arlen Specter in the Senate, how the hell is he any different than a Democrat, he votes just like one. What is the point of holding the Senate if it cranks out liberal legislation under GOP “control”?
“But your pro-Bush senator wouldn’t have won the general. And it’s not because Toomey isn’t a great candidate; it’s because he didn’t have the name rec or the money needed to prevail.”
I think you are right on both points, but he didn’t have name recognition because Bush was stumping for Specter! That really hurts you when the (at the time) popular president is out saying don’t vote for this guy. As for money, the RNC had buckets of cash which they (as usual) sent to the more liberal canidate in the race.
So both of those points are bullshit reasons for saying that Toomey couldn’t win. If Bush and Rick had crisscrossed PA stumping for Toomey then he would have had name rec. If the RNC had funneled cash into his campaign then he would have had enough cash to win. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy to say that Toomey couldn’t win. He couldn’t win because all of the people who could have helped him to win decided that he couldn’t win before he was given a chance!
You want the victory, I want the values. Victory ain’t victory if some shitbird like Arlen Specter has an (R) after his name.