The American Spectator

drudge ette obama| 11.5.08 @ 7:05AM

This essay reminds me of September 15, 2001 when people in Roswell, Georgia met at City Hall to stand for America and against the enemy, what little we knew about them.

A German/Turkish exchange student attended the event and later commented on what she experienced. She noted that in Germany, no one gathers together in such a way and that German patriotism is never vocalized or allowed. She was overwhelmed about the Roswell event, which drew thousands and which was replicated around the country in those days following 9/11.

Then she said that America was a strong nation and that others should be afraid to confront it. I remember thinking that this was a good thing.

I wonder if all of those who voted for the change element in Obama understand what is at stake here? I don't think so.

Rocco| 11.5.08 @ 7:35AM

Congressman McCotter, with all due respect, the Republican party has proven itself to be cowardly, craven and lacking in any convictions. I left the Republican party over 8 years ago when I saw that Republicans in Congress became little better than what they replaced. There is indeed a long rebuilding ahead. Republicans have proven themselves to me to be "beta" males, poodles, who roll over when the Democrats say "boo!" and wet their pants. So, I think hell will freeze over before Republicans take action to assert themselves and their conservative beliefs. For starters, RINOs must go! Conservative ideas win all the time, Demo-lite never does.

JPP| 11.5.08 @ 8:41AM

For the first time in my adult life, I’m not proud of my country……I’m actually embarrassed. A far left lawyer, with very little experience other than a legal, social agitator has been elected president – of course with massive help from the media, both domestic and foreign. How pathetic.

Nes| 11.5.08 @ 8:45AM

GOP - keep allowing half of Mexico and Central America and then wonder why they don't become conservatives/republicans once they become citizens, through regular legalization amnesties every twenty years.

The GOP/conservative movement is commiting suicide with mass immigration of non-caucasians. Doesn't sound nice but it's the truth because CULTURE MATTERS. Not skin color but one's culture matters greatly for it influences one's philosophy/world view.

Greylion| 11.5.08 @ 9:08AM

McCotter,
Add # 6
"Our commitments shall not be broken"
You seem to be running for something here. If you are going to be at the hub of policy development for the future republican party then understand that the old party is necessarily dead. A new Republican party CAN be built upon its grave but only if it covenants with itself to remain true to those who will trust in it.
Whether you like it or not you are going to have to earn our votes.

JohnMc| 11.5.08 @ 9:20AM

Finally, we are divorced from self-deceits. Dead is the self-indulgent imbecility of "re-branding" -- as if the Republican Party was a corporate product to be repackaged, not a transformational political movement to be led.
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We are? I have yet to hear a single member of the RNC utter a single word yet that they need to repudiate their earmarked get-a-long political style and get back to basics conservatism. Till they do that they will lose again in 2010 and 2012.

You are beating a drum slowly but your audience, the RNC, has smoked too much of the peace pipe and is stoned.

John| 11.5.08 @ 9:58AM

"What are the Republican Party's principles....? We have five enduring principles:

1. Our liberty is from God not the government.
2. Our sovereignty rests in our souls not the soil.
3. Our security is through strength not surrender.
4. Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector.
5. Our truths are self-evident not relative. "

Thank you Rep. McCotter:

As a Republican I have thought over the last six months "I know what my party is against, but I don't see any indication of what its for".

Mgm| 11.5.08 @ 10:26AM

It is always a pleasure to see and hear from Rep. McCotter. He and Rep. Paul Ryan are likely to be the next Republican revolutionaries.

Anthony| 11.5.08 @ 10:57AM

Indeed. We are now divorced from insane, delusional concepts such as a moderate R will garner D & I voters. McCain was the classic moderate-liberal R that was supposed to expand the big tent that the Washington R brain-trust assured us was our path to victory. Well, we saw how insane this idea was, when Colin Powell stuck it to moderate McCain. It's time to jettion the R establishment and their self serving power interests. It's time to clean house, once and for all, and get back to basic conservative principles. Yes, principles, not brands. A disasterous Obama presidency will have the nation thristy for their conservative hangover cure.

mnotaro| 11.5.08 @ 11:00AM

We do not need to abandon our Republican Party and create a new one...that will spilt us in half and the left wing illuminati would LOVE that...instead, we need to come back together, work together, and accomplish our next goal which is taking back Congress and then the White House.

Doctor Right| 11.5.08 @ 11:22AM

I am a Conservative first, and a Republican second. If the Republican Party continues to shun conservatism as they have done since 2004, then to hell with them. We Conservatives will pick up the pieces, move on, and start over with a more pure alternative.

Democrats put Party ahead of country...Conservatives put country first.

dgdc| 11.5.08 @ 1:01PM

Mccain didn't lose because HE couldn't garner support from independent's. A lot of us independents were alienated by his choice of VP. Palin seems nice enough but having another religious nutjob in the whitehouse, especially when McCain is not in robust condition, did not appeal.
She boldly came out as anti-science, there is no other way to describe her creationist ID ideology, thereby driving off many voters who think that the strength and prosperity of this country might have more to do with computers and missles than graven images and speaking in tounges.
And her vaunted energy expetise was nothing more than gibbering "drill" ad nauseum and giving some corporations a fat subsidy to build a pipe that would make them more money.
There are many lessons to be learned, who wants to place bets that important ones will be ignored.

Wyatt| 11.5.08 @ 3:25PM

dgdc - Gov. Palin was anti-science? Wow....amazing the Palin Derangment Syndrome. Her father was a high school science teacher, Einstein!

Palin was only one of the most authentic Americans to run for high office in a long time. Truly middle-class, humble, decent and what upsets most "progressives", she is a happy person!!

Go Sarah Go!

Jim P| 11.5.08 @ 4:41PM

Congressman McCotter, I congratulate you on a well written article. Where was the Republican Party this past 2 years when Democrats held the majority? No one was challenging them, except for Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Oh sure, Republican Congressman spoke up, right after Congress adjourned, on the oil issue. Too little, too late! Now our country will suffer through the socialist takeover of the far left, which will include the Supreme Court! Thank you moderate, wimpy, spineless members of Congress, for doing nothing!

tony| 11.5.08 @ 4:46PM

Nice job, Congressman McCotter. As ever, you have helped clear away the debris and provided a clear path to a re-energized Republican movement. Unfortunately though, until more Republicans take seriously the need to articulate a positive, compelling vision for the future that speaks to the hopes and dreams of a majority of Americans, we'll continue to lose races. It's not enough to define ourselves by what we are not. We have to articulate a powerful, credible, and positive message that motivates, distinguishes and speaks to how we'll benefit America and its people. This is a good start. Keep charging!

Anne Marie Sutherland | 11.5.08 @ 8:14PM

Thank for this most inspiring article. You have put down in clear and applicable terms what our winning strategy is for the 2010 and 2012 elections. We need to begin by telling, as you have articulated, exactly what Republicans stand for and rebuilding a loyal party base. We also need to foster a new generation of young politicians and public servants, like Sarah Palin and Iraq/Afganistan war veterans. As a 22 year old American, I have never been more energized to for American ideals and come back strong in 2010!

Steve Denton| 11.5.08 @ 9:57PM

Now thats what I want to hear and see being put into action. I have been following Mr. McCotters work for a while now and love what he stands for. Thanks for standing up for true conservatism.
From an SC conservative.

M. Tobias| 11.6.08 @ 12:22AM

What a load of horse manure. These goals sound like they were written by an Obama speechwriter.

1. Our liberty is from God not the government.
No, our liberty comes from ourselves. We must never rely upon anyone to grant us liberty.

2. Our sovereignty rests in our souls not the soil.
Our sovereignty is earned by our sweat and blood. It is not granted, it is earned.

3. Our security is through strength not surrender.
You got this one right.

4. Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector.
Just a little simplistic. Our prosperity comes from a largely unfettered private economy, protected by a small government composed of selfless servants of the people.

5. Our truths are self-evident not relative.
Our truths are not self-evident. They have to be articulated constantly, lest people forget what they are. By the way, self-evident does not preclude something being relative.

This is why the Republican Party is in the state it is in. It does not even share a common language with the people it serves.

Kerem Oner| 11.6.08 @ 2:35PM

This was not a defeat of conservatism but a defeat of a lost party that has forgotten its conservative principles a la Ronald Reagan. It was also an indictment of the mass media outlets that have abandoned even handedness completely. The average independent voter who sided with the Democrat candidates is center right leaning, fair minded person. Not only the current crop of Republicans did not give them a reason to vote for us due to their non principled track record, press did not cover the very troubling issues surrounding Mr. Obama. These, coupled with a severe economic crisis, should have resulted in a much bigger win for Democrats, but they did not.
So, where do we go now? We, first, need to clean our own house. We do not need to reinvent ourselves since it was not conservatism that lost this election. We need to support truly conservative candidates. We also need to become activists in that media needs to be countered. Talk radio, which may reach 30-35 million listeners is not sufficient in that the independents who decide the election outcomes do not listen to talk radio in large numbers, therefore not getting our concerns or points of view. We need an organization that will raise large sums of money to combat media and educate the fair minded independents. This can be achieved through periodic mailings and TV programs.
If we clean our party up and reach even 1 in 10 of independent voters, we would be undefeatable.
Remember, it is always darkest before dawn.

stuart| 11.6.08 @ 6:02PM

Tobias, while I appreciate the Congressman's urgent sense that we have to redefine reconsecrete , as it were, our beliefs and values, I think you did a service by pointing out how fuzzy and even incomprehensible those 4 pillars of conservatism are that McCotter listed. Also, while I'm partial to religious language myself-though I'm an agnostic- for its metaphorical value and historical resonances, I think we're in trouble if we can't, for instance, talk to people about liberty and the freedom from government in secular terms.

Ed C| 11.7.08 @ 11:57AM

Thaddeus McCotter is my Congressman and I couldn't be more proud to have him representing me!!!

I hope and pray that if not he than someone else will be able to distill his message into something that the folks like me out here in SE Michigan and the rest of the nation can understand and believe in.

The moderates, the aisle crossers, the Washington insiders like Sen McCain and his ilk offered absolutely nothing for us to vote for other than service to country for so many years and I'm not George Bush! It was truly aggravating to pay attention to the ineptiude of the McCain campaign and his RNC cronies. These people now even have the temerity to trash Gov. Palin who was the one bright spot in an otherwise baffling effort to win America's support. Good Riddance!

Go| 11.9.08 @ 3:14PM

McCain was thw worst centrist pick that could have come along, Bush41 and Bush43 are NOT CONSERVATIVES, If they were, we would have been in better shape and still in power, you cant possinly blame conservatism for the failure of the last 3 presidents, they have been an equal suckfest now for the last 20 years! Obama should be enough to rally the conservative base enought to shift power back to a balance or better in the mid terms, and we have to work from the local level up to ever attempt to repair the last 20 years and the next 2. Use your heads, if you are actually conservative at your core, you would be hopeful that this 2 year orgy of spending and unchecked power will lead to a wonderful example of how not to run anything, or an example of how to go national with the michigan economy!!LOL Dont dispare, this will be a good thing if we dont let our guard down. If the lib crackheads want their spotlight they now have it, and we will be there to hold their feet to the fire at every failure, and there will be abounding failure to hold as example.

Go| 11.9.08 @ 3:15PM

Keyboard issues, sorry about spelling.

Go| 11.9.08 @ 3:30PM

P.S.
It did not help that the dem ran Reagan's campaign, it fooled enough uninformed voting public that Mc, never had a chance.

pe| 11.13.08 @ 7:04PM

There is just one word I can think of to delineate where we are: In PROVIDENCE. Amos 4:12