GOP: Clarity, Not Civil War

Update: Felt I better update in case I misinterpreted Armey's remarks. I read it as genuine moderates challenging liberal Republicans. If he by some chance did mean no moderates allowed, then I'm getting off his bus right here. That would be foolish talk. We're hypersensitive to liberal Republicans in Congress because our overall numbers are thin and we need some more serious conservatives. But challenging moderates country wide, as opposed to targeting some strategically smart races would be a waste of resources and simply dumb. Double-down on Crist/Rubio. Target some other serious problems. But let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. America no more wants purity tests on the Right, than they want Obama's socialist agenda. There is no point to winning if you are destined to lose in the end. Reagan had plenty of moderate and libertarian support.

If one contrasts the Daily News with Politico and the headlines with the stories, you'll see two views regarding an alleged GOP "Uncivil War", as Politico calls it. It's important to note what Dick Armey actually said. He's talking about genuine Moderate Republicans perhaps challenging Liberal ones. But you wouldn't know that from the Daily News.

“What you’re going to see,” said Armey, “is moderates and conservatives across the country in primaries.”

Now look at the Daily News headline. Both can't be true, as they contradict one another right down to the use of the word moderate. Even an old war horse like Dick Armey knows there needs to be room for moderates within the GOP.

Limbaugh, Palin urge right wing to step up efforts to purge moderates from Republican Party

On top of not having won a race, yet, it's important to not allow the media to hijack the movement and spin it into what it is not. For now, there may not even be agreement across the base about who might be too liberal and which incumbents deserve to be challenged.

But their success in Tuesday’s upstate New York special election, where grass-roots efforts pushed GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava to drop out of the race and helped Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman surge into the lead on the eve of Election Day, has generated more money and enthusiasm than organizers ever imagined.

Activists predict a wave that could roll from California to Kentucky to New Hampshire and that could leave even some GOP incumbents — Utah Sen. Bob Bennett is one — facing unexpectedly fierce challenges from their right flank.

I'm with DeMint in seeing Rubio v Crist as a special case. No doubt there will be others. But taking down an incumbent like Bennett who has won his elections by huge margins? I'm not so sure, especially as I've looked at some of the competition. Let's make certain we vote today, try to keep the narrative ours, not the media's. Less can be more when re-shaping a party, solid leadership is what counts. I'm not even sure we have real agreement on that, yet. Let's go forward one step at a time. Based upon my experience, we'll stand a better chance of getting where we want to go. And getting there together in the end.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a leading conservative who has endorsed Rubio, said he viewed the Florida Senate race as distinct from the New York special election. But he agreed with Rubio’s contention that the national party needed to broaden its outlook on candidates.

“I’m not saying our party made a mistake, because there’s a debate within the party over what we should be,” he said. “If we just start looking at who can win — sometimes we might miss a gem in the rough in effect. And I said from the beginning, that’s what I think Rubio is.”

Comments

[Joe]

Every race is unique. The William F. Buckley Jr. approach of the most conservative candidate who can win makes sense. It is stupid to run a conservative who cannot win in a liberal leaning congressional district, just as it is stupid to run a left leaning pseudo-republican in a conservative district. But there comes a point that you need a candidate willing to stand for certain core principals.

I do not want to make John McCain the whipping boy. I disagree with him on a lot of points, but at least he was truly a fiscal conservative. But we can support far better candidates who can win national elections without selling out core principals.

[syn]

"but at least he was truly a fiscal conservative"

Really? The 'Raise Your Hand to Fraudulent Climate Change' is TRULY a fiscal conservative?

[syn]

Off McCain and on to NY DAILY NEWS

Here's the thing; NYC is about re-elect for the third time Mayor Mommy-Nanny Mike 'terrorism? what terrorism? Get a life! Ban FAT and GO GREEN NYC will be drowning under ice-cap water in five years' Bloomberg.

Mayor Mommy-Nanny Mike Bloomberg was a life-long Democrat who changed to the Republican Party just prior to the 2001 election so he would not be drowned out by all the Democrats running.

Then when the doo-doo hit fan the flaccid prick denounces his membership to the Republican Party switching to Independent.

Now the flaccid prick is preening his empty essence about how he 'saved or created jobs with the stimulus money'; for an INDEPENDENT politician he sounds, acts and behaves exactly like Oba Mao and the DNC.

This is the problem with the Cult of 'The William F. Buckley Jr. approach of the most conservative candidate who can win makes sense'; the entire NE Quadrant is run by an established political class which is completely schizophrenic.

I am not voting for either the flaccid pricks or the Cult WF Buckley since I am leaving this insane empire and won't be here to pay out their oppressive taxes propping up their self-made schizophrenia.

[bishop]

The Daily News is so tied to the DNC it's not even amusing any more. So expect them to get it mostly
wrong most of the time

[SpeakEasy]

How can anyone with any sense- or at least a sense of recent history- see this as anything more than a tactic by the liberals to run as a moderate but still be a liberal card carrier? Meanwhile, I keep hearing polls where people self-report themselves as conservative by a large margin over liberal. What they are waiting for is a conservative LEADER. Someone worthy to follow. (you know, like Ronald Reagan?) This "big tent," wishy-washy, sell out your party for power crap has got to stop or the Republican party is doomed. I am looking for a candidate worthy of my vote. John McCain was not.

[Carolynp]

I agree with the thrust of your article. Though, I would not be heart broken if we had many new candidates that were highly conservative come out of the woodworks, either. It seems apparent to me that if the Republicans became more truly conservative, they would pull far more of the Libertarian vote. There is a reason that party is growing, and it isn't because our populace is becoming more liberal. This "big tent" nonsense is not a substitude for a set of core principles that a group stands for. That's my take on NY 23.

[Rich K]

First of all remember that these folks are politicians first.That means they can be swayed if pushed hard enough. That means if you think their stand on issues important to the conservative way are possibly influencible then by all means apply as much pressure on them to speak truth to their real positions on these issues.If in the final analysis they fail then toss them under the bus.Thats all it takes to make a pol show their true colors but you have to apply the pressure first.

[Pasadena Phil]

Dan, enough already with the handwringing over the fate of the GOP. If that party is going to survive, they have to PROVE that they are no longer Assistant Democrats. These guys you love so much need to PROVE to us that they are not in thrall with the GOP leadership by calling for its ouster. It's that simple. If these guys are going to try to survive the storm by fading into the wallpaper, they aren't worth saving.

Besides, you should find some solace in contemplating that if we vote ALL incumbents out, the GOP becomes the majority party anyway but both parties will be under the influence of the American conservative majority. Is that so bad?

What is it with you and Eric at RedState anyway? Why do you both insist on clutching the GOP as if it is a security blanket? We'll be fine with or without the GOP. It's up to them. Are they listening? No. So be it. We don't need them then.

[MDr]

I'm encouraged. The Dims and pseudo-moderates among the polticos are anywhere from wringing their hands to screaming "extremists" and "Stalinist". Notice how the further Left they are, the higher the volume and shriller their concerns/condemnations are? I really didn't know they cared so much for the health & viability of the GOP or conservatives.

Go figure

[a libertarian mom]

FWIW, I'm from Utah (no party affiliation, I consider myself a libertarian conservative), and I DO vote (voted for Mayor and City Council this morning, in fact). The real Senate race in Utah is usually the Republican primary, so it would actually be a good place for a conservative challenge to the status quo. Whoever wins the primary will almost certainly be elected. I hope Shurtleff (State AG) or someone else defeats Bennett. I think Bennett has gotten too comfortable with being a part of the Washington establishment. I know I'm not alone. Same thing with Hatch. I'll support real conservatives, but I don't have any party loyalty. Depending on the candidates, I could see myself supporting a conservative Democrat over Bennett or Hatch. I don't intend to vote for either of them again. I can't vote in the primary, but I'm going to be HOPING for some CHANGE :-)

[John Lindsay]

Clarity is right. Miss DeDe is not a moderate nor a liberal Republican. She is at best a liberal Democrat at her core. I view moderates as like Rudy Guiliani, Joe Lieberman, and Tim Pawlenty. McCain as a Democrat....

[Reason60]

I left the GOP in the mid 90's when it became apparent that they were not serious about a balanced budget- everytime I hear "conservatives" talk about "fiscal conservatism" I have to wonder- are we talking about the same thing?
Which "conservative" figure is even talking seriously about balancing the budget- that is, who is really serious about fiscal conservatism?
For all of the GOP- AND THE TEA PARTY- fiscal conservatism is just a buzzword, a handy thing to whip out whenever they see a program they don't care for.

The truth is, there is no way to balance the budget without raising taxes or cutting defense. A look at the cold hard numbers shows that. But the defense hawks defeated the deficit hawks during Reagan's term, and we have been spiraling out of control ever since.