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Political Hay
The Republican Challenge
Can the new constitutional conservatism deliver?
Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks for much of the Republican establishment when she derides the idea that acts of the federal government are unconstitutional just “because they’re not enumerated within the powers of the Constitution.”
At this writing, the results haven’t shown whether Ms. Murkowski will remain in the U.S. Senate next year. But today conservatives can deride the idea that she remains within the mainstream of their movement or the Republican Party.
Murkowski was left weeping at the altar when Alaska Republicans held their primary, reduced to running the first serious write-in campaign for Senate since Strom Thurmond was elected. Win, lose or draw, the path to power for establishment Republicans and big-government conservatives has grown perilous.
All told, eight Republican senatorial candidates backed by the GOP establishment lost their primaries. Some like Christine O’Donnell in Delaware and Sharron Angle in Nevada came up short. Others, like constitutional conservative Rand Paul in Kentucky, won big. Paul the younger took 56 percent of the vote against a Democrat who pulled out all the stops — including playing the religion card — against him.
The fact that some of these Tea Party conservatives lost, and a few old-school Republicans like John McCain and Mark Kirk won, does not change this basic fact: the mood of the party’s primary electorate has shifted right, with policy, principles, and values trumping all other considerations. Slickness, savvy, and even electability are no longer the determining factors.
Can the new Republican majority in the House and the new GOP members of the Senate deliver on their promises to repeal Obamacare, reverse the tide of red ink, and restore the Constitution? Will Republicans stop ridiculing the doctrine of enumerated powers and the work of the Founding Fathers, instead becoming the party their conservative supporters demand?
It won’t be easy. The Republican leadership empowered by yesterday’s election received a gift it did not deserve. The GOP has been returned to power without showing it learned its lesson. And many of the swing voters who aided that restoration are independents, the very same fickle and pragmatic centrists who gave us unified Democratic control of the federal government in the first place.
Soon the Democrats, inspired by the example of Bill Clinton, will look for ways to turn the swing voters against the Tea Party. They will seek to undermine the coalition that produced Republican victories just as the Republicans shattered the coalition that elected the Democrats in 2006 and 2008.
For while the independents rejected George W. Bush’s wars, the post-meltdown economy, and a Republican Congress that lost its way, they did not endorse a total leftward shift of the country. These same swing voters reject Obama’s deficits, high unemployment, and a federal government that has failed to deliver without longing for Speaker Boehner or his sequel to the Contract With America.
Nevertheless, the country needs entitlement reform. It needs solvency. It needs a turn away from backbreaking tax increases that are to come, government control of health care, and all the burdens imposed by a federal leviathan unconstrained by the Constitution.
Whether the newly elected Republicans can deliver without tearing asunder the electoral majority that sent them to Washington remains to be seen. But try they must.
About the Author
W. James Antle, III, author of the new book Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?, is editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation and a senior editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jimantle.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (85) | Leave a comment
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http://spectator.org/archives/2010/11/03/the-republican-challenge
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drudge ette obama| 11.3.10 @ 6:26AM
A class or two in Constitutional history and theory taught by a Federalist might be a requirement for these Senators. And then they must pass the test.
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 10:40PM
First, YOU have to understand the Constitution...
Bob K.| 11.3.10 @ 7:38AM
MUST WE BE INFLICTED WITH THESE NOISY ADS ON THIS WEBSITE?!
HAVE YOU MODERATORS LOST YOUR MINDS?
Tex Expatriate| 11.3.10 @ 12:08PM
Ditto, Bob. The webmaster needs to do something about them.
Renee K| 11.3.10 @ 6:27PM
Unless we are willing to have this site be accessible by paid subscription only, then we can complain about the banners. Advertisers pay so we don't have to!
Alan Brooks| 11.3.10 @ 10:25PM
"Can the new constitutional conservatism deliver?"
If you are EXTREMELY careful, on the ball after every pitch.
It's easier to destroy than create.
Siegfried X| 11.3.10 @ 7:44AM
"Can the new Republican majority in the House and the new GOP members of the Senate deliver on their promises to repeal Obamacare, reverse the tide of red ink, and restore the Constitution?"
Why is Antle setting such ridiculously high goals? Because he is a RINO who wants the Tea Party to fail so 2000's Bush / McCain RINOism can return?
What conservative voters REALLY want is for those few conservatives who won to do the best they can to move the country to the right. No real conservative expects the impossible, that a Republican House majority will magically overcome the Senate and Obama's veto pen and pass the Libertarian Party's platform.
Establishment writers like Antle have been sounding this note for a long time, that the Tea Party candidates need to accomplish EVERYTHING within the next year or they are total failures. That is obviously garbage, and we have every right to question the motives of the people saying it.
B. Lindstrom| 11.3.10 @ 9:03AM
Mr. X, if you consider Jim Antle (of all people) to be an "establishment writer" then you have failed to understand anything he's written. Mr. Antle is a hard-right, traditionalist conservative. He's as far from an "establishment" GOPer as it can get.
Len| 11.3.10 @ 1:34PM
"Mr. Antle is a hard-right, traditionalist conservative"?? Then he heedds to know thet it took those POS > 100 years to destroy the Constitution and brainwash "sheeple". So NO, it cannot be done in 2 years. So he's article smells "phishy"...
Tex Expatriate| 11.3.10 @ 12:13PM
Wrong, Siegfried. The Republicans must---absolutely must!---draft legislation to repeal Obamacare and make Obama veto it. They must try to cut spending, shut down departments, and make a case for true conservatism. Then the voters can finish off the socialists is 2012.
Siegfried X| 11.3.10 @ 12:31PM
Since the Democrats control the Senate, Obama will never have a chance to veto the ObamaCare repeal. The Senate will kill the repeal bill by ignoring it.
buckeyeman| 11.3.10 @ 12:47PM
The senate will ignore it to their peril. But.... couldn't the House pass a repeal of Obamacare and then "deem" that it had been passed by the Senate and signed by Barry?
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 10:41PM
Well, isn't that the bar y'all set for President Obama after it took Bush 8 years to put is in this mess?
carnot| 11.3.10 @ 7:46AM
the real battles have just begun.
boycott CA and Nev! Someone needs to start a website listing every business that holds conventions, etc., in those states. let those pukes pay their own way.
BOYCOTT. BOYCOTT. BOYCOTT. they are sending people to Congress who are diametrically opposed to YOUR interests and my interests. they are getting in our business. it's high time to return the favor.
and Alaska...you're next!
Fist of the Fleet| 11.3.10 @ 8:18AM
No need to boycott. These states have made their bed, let them lay in it.
Business people will read the lay of the land and make the decision to leave these states on their own. The voters have succeeded in marginalyzing them selves by not getting with the program. The Governors and Sentate campaigns, despite losing efforts have exposed the faults of their leadership.
The real Senate fight comes in 2012 when 20 seats are up.
Old Soldier| 11.3.10 @ 3:09PM
Forget boycott - tell your reps - no federal bailouts for bankrupt states.
Yosemeti Sam| 11.3.10 @ 7:51AM
" ... For while the independents rejected George W. Bush's wars, the post-meltdown economy, and a Republican Congress that lost its way ...."
By whose guiding impetus PROPAGANDA did independents reject Bush etc , other than by - PEN1?
Independents - AKA fence straddlers - easily blown by the PEN1 wind!
Independents - true WEATHER VANES.
Swivel, swivel, swivel.
carnot| 11.3.10 @ 7:51AM
next up: clean up the Senate in 2012. flush out the Obama supporting libs in that body over the enxt two years and nail them to the wall with every unpopular vote they make. that is the dynamic that is going to take shape - after the repubs figure out internally who is in charge. take note moderates...if you get in the way you will be history too. the lone telling narrative from this election is that 40% of voters yesterday stated they supprted the objectives of the Tea Party movement - this despite that movement's obvious ineptness at finding quality candidates across the board.
JP| 11.3.10 @ 7:58AM
I think the big loser in this election is Sarah Palin. And I don't mean this in a bad way. There are limits to his charisma. Angle, Fiorina, Whittman, and O'Donnel received a lot of attention from Palin, and they all lost. Miller in Alaska, as it turns out, wasn't quite as popular as many thought - and Palin couldn't pull over the finish line. The Tea Party obviously has strong grass roots appeal in the Midwest and South. There will be a lot of "I told you so" coming out of the GOP Establishment and MSM.
On the other hand, Teapartiers could say, "Look what we did in 18 months!" It is obvious the Teapartiers will wield a lot of influence in coming months. It is also obvious that Palin has much work to do to get moderates and independents to see her point of view. It can happen, and this midterm shows where Palin needs to put her focus.
One person who wasn't mentioned, who doesn't hold seat, and has been out of politics also came out on top - Jeb Bush. None of the current GOP 2012 purported candidates have much appeal outside of thier constiuencies. Jeb Bush is positioned to appeal to Conservatives (if he so chooses), attract independents and even liberals. He was a decent govenor. He will have to convince conservatives that he is not like his brother or father vis-a-vis spending and taxes; and he will have to convince conservatives he can spare with the Dems when his back is to the wall.
Ret. Marine| 11.3.10 @ 8:25AM
Have you completly lost your mind, another bush, geez get a grip. While I hold much respect for the Bush's in general, unlike the klintons, we don't need another one of those fine examples of traitors to the Republic, we don't need rino's, losers and political bull*hiters on the payroll. Young "Constitutional" guns need only apply. Enough is enough.
JP| 11.3.10 @ 8:38AM
And where pray tell will those young guns come from? We're talking less than 15 months now. If last night's election proved anything it indicated that there is a limit to the Teaparty appeal. The Senate races were very interesting in that they showed that when given a chance, voters in diverse states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Washington, and Alaska prefer a less strident candidate. Even in Ohio, Kasich had a very difficult time winning against an unpopular govenor of a state with a lousy economy.
The current field of GOP hopefulls cannot expand thier appeal outside of thier core of groupies. Palin, is the only candidate whose appeal has any power. But, it is difficult to imagine her winning in places like New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada. Ditto for Mitt, Pawlenty, the Huckster, and Newt.
In retrospect, the Bush brand isn't as damaged as one thinks. Jeb is still a Bush, and conservatives are correct in not trusting another Bush.
Unfortunately, Jeb has shown no indication in running. He hasn't lined up any backers, finances, or organization. Tough times ahead.
Maddox| 11.3.10 @ 9:07AM
No, last night proved that we are on the right path but have much more work to do. Continued education on the content of The Constitution vs. imperialist power is the key.
You focused on the races that were lost by candidates supported by Palin but conveniently left out those that were won.
Come on RHINO, stop listening to Rove, join us, or be left behind.
JP| 11.3.10 @ 9:44AM
The GOP victories should be seen in the correct perspective. Midterms (esp those following a general election) are referendums are sitting Presidents. The GOP would have come close or retaken the House with or without the Teaparties. Over the 60 seats the GOP won, 40 of them were in distrcits carried by McCain. Most of the House victories for Republicans were just re-winning seats that were lost between 2006-2008. In 2004, the GOP had 230 seats. Today they have 240. a net gain of 10 seats. in 6 years.
This election cycle saw quite of few Senate Democrats from Blue states up for grabs. Only in Wisonsin did the GOP prevail. Toomey just re-won Specter's seat. Paul won in a Red State, and Miller lost to a RINO who was supposed to be DOA. In all, the GOP Senate picked up 5 seats, of which 2 were vacated by retiring incumbents. This was short of 8 to 9 seats most experts and Teapartiers expected.
The GOP captured a lot of low hanging fruit last night. They are on the right track. But I think some people have overstated last night's victories.
Tina Trent | 11.3.10 @ 11:50AM
Chris Christie?
I think you're right about disappointment about tea party senate races.
But the political climate has changed a lot because of outsider involvement. And that is accomplishing a lot, in a short time.
Derek Leaberry| 11.3.10 @ 1:03PM
Yes, there were disappointments. The close Senate losses out west rained on the GOP parade. The Republicans were drubbed statewide in Massachusetts when it was thought they might pick off a couple of House seats. One must expect that Scott Brown will lose in 2012. California continues its leftward drift.
Lastly. Republicans can not expect to win with candidates like Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell who have difficulty coming up with coherent thoughts. We can't win with dumbies, ladies and gentlemen.
Margie| 11.4.10 @ 1:28PM
The Teaberry doesn't like conservative women.
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 11:53PM
The R's will overplay their hand, as they did before, and Obama will win re-election .. just watch 'em... Jobs, jobs, jobs is #1 and what does McConnell say first thing - Job#1 is limiting Obama to a 1 term... ya, that's lisenting to the folks... dunce
Margie| 11.6.10 @ 12:28AM
YEP. We eliminate Obama's job first.
Then we get to work getting the people back to work.
Sounds like a plan to me!
grant1863| 11.3.10 @ 10:21AM
I think Jeb is going to run for Senate in 2012 instead of President, time to get Nelson out of Florida and back in space.
T H Huxley| 11.4.10 @ 1:34AM
It's interesting that Palin couldn't get her hand picked candidate elected in her own home state. Maybe it's because she quit halfway through her governorship. If she can't handle being governor in a state with a such a small population, I don't understand why you think she's qualified to be president. On top of that Palin is breathtakingly stupid, and I guess you tea baggers are just too stupid to realize that she's stupid.
Leslie| 11.4.10 @ 2:28PM
Political dynasties are unAmerican. Murkowski seems to think political office is part of her family heritage. Please, no more Bushes, Cuomos, Kennedys, Bayhs, Chaffees, etc. Let's stop building an American aristocracy -- the blood lines get so thin down toward the end.
PJ| 11.3.10 @ 8:02AM
I want to know--- & I guess we'll never find out---- how much fraud there was to get to get the established politicians re-elected, esp those Democrats? I didn't expect CA to go Republican, but I certainly expected Sharron Angle to beat Reid considering she was ahead in the polls right before election. Re-election of Harry Reid, only in Nevada, the state that has mob-influenced, gambling industry capital, Las Vegas!
Ret. Marine| 11.3.10 @ 8:32AM
I believe we have not heard the last of his party and the dirty tricks played out in full view to the Nation against the State of Nev. I think the fraud meter is very high in this state and would not bet on the dingy harry supposed victory too soon. The investigations are only beginning there and I don't believe it to be a surprise when we find out of all the fraud is in fact just what it was, massive fraud on the part of the unions and the illegals, plus voting machine irregularities are all over the net this morning.
PJ| 11.3.10 @ 9:06AM
After having my state, CT, become entrenched in red for the national offices--- Liberman, Blumenthal, Himes---------I'm so disgusted!!!-----all radically progressive, party hacks!!!! Right now I don't share your optimism.
Maddox| 11.3.10 @ 9:10AM
I agree, this situation should be watched. It was odd one Reid lost, while the other won?
canuckistani| 11.3.10 @ 9:31AM
I will be curious to see if Miller sues the electoral commission in Alaska if Murkowski wins write-in.
There is nothing in the AK constitution about the nature of the ballot:
Section 5.3 - Methods of Voting; Election Contests.
Methods of voting, including absentee voting, shall be prescribed by law. Secrecy of voting shall be preserved. The procedure for determining election contests, with right of appeal to the courts, shall be prescribed by law.
What a conundrum........
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 11:55PM
Come on - she lost because of the idiotic things she says - Hispanic high schoolers look Asian to her? She fired up the hispanics and put Reid over the top... she's a dunce and well rid of
Melvin| 11.3.10 @ 8:16AM
Conservatives have won a major battle, by giving ourselves a little breathing room before the 2012 elections.
If we are to be successfull we need to keep the heat on "Mr. Spray Tan," John Bohner. I don't mean sticking his feet to the fire, I mean him and the entire Republican leadership need to be thrown entirely into the Conservative fire, and will only see relief when they stop reaching across the aisle.
One thing Conservatives need to keep in prospective. What we seek is not going to happen overnight. As Neal Boortz eluded to, if we're speeding down the track at 90 mph and come to a complete and sudden stop there is going to be a train wreck, we don't need a train wreck, and with any luck John Bohner has a road-map because it is going to take time to untangle the tangled web that Obama has snared this Country into.
Another thing that Conservatives need to do is, keep hammering the Lefties until they scream no mas. Keep hammering them and keeping them off balance like the 2012 election was everyday until 2012.
Tea Party members still need to have rallies, keep the communication network in place, the, "Idea" of Conservatism needs to be spread in public schools, colleges, and to everywhere and anyone who wants to listen and not listen.
American exceptional-ism made this Country what it is. There was nothing compassionate about it. Are we perfect? No. Have we made mistakes? Yes. We need to face this financial crisis like it was as if it were the end of this Country. We need to face it as a Nation, and not as petty quarreling groups looking to protect their territory.
Every single human being is going to have to suck up and sacrament something, and that includes the illegal immigrants. We as a Country, are flat as broke and there isn't no easy way to put it. And the sooner that many Americans realize this, the better we can correct it.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 11.3.10 @ 8:31AM
Sarah Palin slapped the ruling class upside the head and it was the slap heard 'round the world.
As far as the Tea Party candidates, the ruling elite in the Republican Party was embarrassed because their candidates never made it past the primary.
Yes, some Tea Party candidates lost, but the difference is they were the real choice of the people, not some empty suit like Mike Castle.
Christine O'Donnell didn't lose her principles and that made her a winner. Ditto Sharon Angle and many other who tried. It's precisely the old maxim that it isn't whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.
And the game was dirty and the Republican leadership was part of that dirt.
The Tea Party has nothing further to prove. The Tea Party has proven that the people still have a say whether the ruling class likes it or not.
As far as Lisa Murkowski I suspect there will be a hill for her to climb after which she may be a Senator, but the Republicans will be left with a moral dilemma. How they handle that alone will say a lot about the Republicans.
Are they up to the task?
canuckistani| 11.3.10 @ 9:37AM
No, because Demint and his ilk fail to recognize majority rule in this country and have governed nothing to date.
Now the tables are turned. Delay, Newtie, Armey all went off the rails eventually when their fringe became unwieldy. It will happen again. Watching Cantor cringe when asked to defend a whacko is revealing.
Fundraising for 2012 has already started.
Boehner will be at the Senate's throats within several days of the new congress. The dems should say nothing as the debate over the debt ceilling proceeds.
It was also curious to note the majority of seniors want HC repeal.....is it fear or a general selfishness that pervades?
JP| 11.3.10 @ 9:50AM
"No, because Demint and his ilk fail to recognize majority rule in this country and have governed nothing to date."
The above sentence made absolutely no sense. Demint has been in the minority for 4 years now. For the last 2 he was powerless to even order coffee from the Senate canteen.
"Boehner will be at the Senate's throats within several days of the new congress. The dems should say nothing as the debate over the debt ceilling proceeds."
That parpagraph even makes less sense.
Tim*| 11.3.10 @ 10:14AM
Faux Canuck's "ILK" Is Negative Attention Craver.
Jim Demint is doin' just fine & has performed yeoman duty, as Our Tea Party Kingmaker.
We Tea Party Rebels are urging Jim DeMint to run for The Presidency in 2012.
The Tea Party Rebellion has moved further inside Congress & inside The GOP.
Carpe Diem.
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 11:30AM
Tim, if it weren't for DeMented and his tea party, the GOP would control both houses now. The party leadership won't forget that.
Tim*| 11.3.10 @ 1:03PM
Oh looky here ! RCV Obama LawBoy thinks he's now talkin' for The Ruling Elitist Of The GOP.
Tell us about Their RINO-CINO's Carly Fiorino.
Then tell us about Our Tea Party Candidate Senators Dr.Rand Paul , Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey,Dan Coats.
You lost 6 Senate Seats & 60 to 64 House Seats & Your over here attemptin' to lecture us.
Get Back across the aisle with Jackassian LawBoy.
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 3:04PM
In Fiorina, the GOP managed to find the only woman in California with a more annoying personality than Barbara Boxer.
Tim*| 11.4.10 @ 2:37AM
Do Your Homework Obama LawBoy & Worry about Your Own Jackassian Losses.
We Tea Party Rebels Supported Our Tea Party Candidate Chuck DeVore in the primaries.
RCV| 11.4.10 @ 4:43PM
...and he did so well!
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 11:57PM
Yes, please server DeMint up for president with S.P. as VP again ... please, oh please ...
Petronius| 11.3.10 @ 8:43AM
The next obstacle for all who want real Constitutional governance is the RINO's and their seniority.
Purpleguy| 11.4.10 @ 11:58PM
Go learn something ... what the founders really expected from the Constitution ...
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 10:04AM
So, the election is behind us, and things went pretty much as predicted. The GOP took the House back, as projected, winning back about the same number of seats they lost to the Democrats in 2006. On the Senate side, they did a little worse than projected. There were some high points for the Democrats: Sarah Palin’s three favorite tea party candidates lost – O’Donnell got a well-deserved trouncing, and Harry Reid comfortably beat Sharron Angle. (Some wag wisely noted that both Reid and Angle were running against the only opponent each had any chance of beating!) Even Palin Jr., Joe Miller, lost in her home state, and to a write-in candidate! Manchin pulled out a victory in West Virginia, Murray in Washington and probably Bennett in Colorado (where that certifiable nut case, Tom Tancredo, underperformed the Rassmussen polls that predicted his upset). The two centers of American economic power and culture – California and New York – remained solidly Democratic. It was particularly satisfying to see three GOP multimillionaires who tried to buy their way into office – Fiorina, Whitman and MacMahon – get rejected by the voters.
So, life goes on in the greatest Republic on God’s green earth. We’ll see if the GOP can live up to the voters’ high expectations for them. I think what we will see instead is a few years of very bloody fighting between the new insurgents and the old guard of the Republican party. I will enjoy watching every minute of it. The Old Guard Republicans in the Senate will recognize that, but for the Tea Party, they’d be running the Senate too, and they won’t be pleased. So much for Sarah Palin’s coattails.
Is there anything better than American politics? I don’t think so.
JP| 11.3.10 @ 11:46AM
Good points RCV. However, I think you overstate California and New York's importance. California is on the brink of receivership, and New York isn't far behind. New York has one of the oldest median ages in the nation, and California is losing population and businesses. Yes, for now they have culture, money, and influence. But, thier dominance is over once they go to Uncle Sam for bailouts. They will be in the same position Greece and Portugal are in vis-a-vis the EU. California and New York represent the Democrat's firewall. If just one of those states ever breaks to the GOP, the game is over.
Slowly, the Democratic Party is losing its foothold. It began in the Deep South, has spread to most of the Great Plains, and into the Rockies. The greatest concentration of Democrats just so happens to be in an area with the oldest population. New York, Conneticut, Delware, and Rhode Island have the highest concentration of wealth and liberals outside of San Jose and San Fran. They also have the highest abortion rate - where out of every 2 conceptions ends in abortion there. This area, like California, has already begun losing population (and with it congressional seats).
And you can forget about the fabled Hispanic vote vis-a-vis immigration (legal or otherwise). Mexico, Central America, and Brazil all have plummenting birthrates. With each passing year, less and less Hispanics will move here. And with a stagnant jobs market, forget about a Hispanic surge these next few decades.
You are correct in some of your short term assesments. The real fight this next year will be between RINOS and Conservatives; the House GOP vs Senate GOP. But the trend will not be in the Dems favor. President Obama represents the last gasp of the Progressive Left. Yes, they still have the unions, plenty of money, organization, think tanks, and the media outlets. But they do not have ideas. Tactics yes; ideas no. Couple that with demographic trends, and the Progressive Left is a losing bet. Might as well be a Tory or Whig.
In 2 years 25 Senate Dems will be up for re-election along with Obama. That fact should keep the Dems awake at night.
Roy| 11.3.10 @ 12:28PM
I'm basically a hybrid Wisconsinite/Californian. As a Wisconsinite, I'm happy to say we finally got rid of Russ Feingold, who has always annoyed the hell out of me by using anti-lobbyist sanctimony to cover a radical leftist agenda.
As a former Californian all I can say is I'm very glad of the "former". Jerry Brown. For Pete's sake, Jerry Brown. What, Jimmy Carter wasn't available?
I'm now hoping that the California electorate gets what it so richly deserves - bankruptcy, rolling blackouts, riots by state workers no longer able to retire at 48..but they'll probably recall their way out of it again and Lord knows who they will elect this time.
Margie| 11.3.10 @ 1:10PM
Like an alcoholic that must drink to the dregs before he finally pulls himself up and says "Enough!" So will the state off California's voters.. when they get sick enough of the addiction ...of Socialism and its bankruptcy of both soul & state.
It CAN happen~ there is ALWAYS hope.
Think Chris Christie in NJ. (The state of NJ being the Left coast on the East coast).
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 12:52PM
Thanks, JP. We'll see what the next two years bring. I'm quite optimistic. As I've said many times in these posts, the country historically has worked at its best when the President and Congress are politically split. Why? because the framers wisely set up the process to require a compromise of interests. It's why Reagan was so successful with a Democratic Congress and Clinton with the GOP. The same result will hold true this time around, particularly since the potential tea party obstructionists - O'Donnell, Angle and Miller - were defeated.
Anyone who has any sense of American political history wouldn't be writing Democratic political obituaries yet. Two years ago, there was much chatter about the death of Republican conservatism, and I took that with the same grain of salt as I take the comments on Democratic progressivism. The cycle continues, and it has been the strength of American democracy: our country steers a middle course, very slightly left one election, then a bit right two years later. The Republic endures and will do so for a long, long time.
skip| 11.3.10 @ 2:57PM
Wow, more drivel, dreck, bile wordage than usual; predict even one inclined to actually read it must be genius level to just barely get the jist of its loftiness.
R(ighteous Americans just)
C(ourtesy flushed last night; the real)
V(ictory will be in 2012)
Ken (Old Texican)| 11.3.10 @ 12:43PM
RCV,
Nice spin, (lies), as any American could hope for from a committed communist, (pardon the shorthand).
The country that allowed your success is now your enemy?
"Ruling Class attitude" anyone?
Folks,
Thank God daily that the ballot box worked. Thank each of you for saying NO to communism, or in Ronald Reagan's words.....
"A thousand years of darkness....."
The RCVs of the world planned on crushing us in the "Country Class" yesterday.
So yes..."life goes on..."
The RCVs of the world call me a ..."pathetic little man". Heh. They think of you the same way.
Building a (-nother national company), makes me pathetic. heh.
And yep, the RCVs will team up with the Jihadists to try to........... destroy me .....and you, and laugh it off as "politics" fun to watch.
I will stay on them like stink on skunks until they ask forgiveness.
Tim*| 11.3.10 @ 10:37AM
The Democrat Spinners are in the building.
Democrats don't have the 60 Seats needed to really " run " The Senate.
Aaaand, approximately 24 Senate Seats come up for Voters Fight Campaignin' startin' in less than two years.
Harry Reid is a wounded sorry ass excuse for Senate Majority Leader with Chuckie "Where's The Camera" Schumer salivatin' for His Job.
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates Inside Congress Now.
Carpe Diem
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 11:28AM
Tim: Your vaunted tea party fell flat last night. Palin's trinity of O'Donnell, Angle and Miller were defeated. She couldn't even win in her home state. The GOP establishment in Congress is firmly in charge, and Boehner and McConnell will call the shots.
JP| 11.3.10 @ 11:48AM
In the House, all it takes is 25 Teapartiers to stall committe work. In the Senate, 6 can do the damage. No, Boehner and McConnell will not be calling anything. They ignore the Teapartiers at thier peril.
Tim*| 11.3.10 @ 12:47PM
RCV Lawboy's vaunted Jackassian Party lost 6 Senate Seats & and 60 to 64 House Seats.
Now, he's attemptin' to put Band aids on The Asskickin' of The Jackassian Party.
Go try to talk the panties off some gullible jury Obama LawBoy.
We ain't buyin' Your Crap Sandwich.
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 12:54PM
Tim, you are such an eloquent spokesman for your side.
Tim*| 11.3.10 @ 1:06PM
Aaaand,RCV Obama LawBoy, You're such a Smug Over-opinionated lecturing Pseudo-intellectual Jackassian Asshole.
We Kicked Your Jackassian Asses Boy.
RCV| 11.3.10 @ 1:34PM
No, Tim. The Republican party won last night. The tea baggers got drubbed, and that lesson won't be lost on the GOP powers in Congress. Yes, the doctrinaire Libertarian, Rand Paul won; but he will have as much influence in the Senate as his nutty father has in the House: zero. They're both jokes to the party, and his dissing of McConnell will be noted in committee assignments. The two tea party-backed winners of substance - Rubio and Toomey - have a future in national Republican politics and they're smart enough to read the tea leaves (pardon the pun): go with the Sarah Palin wing and you go the way of O'Donnell, Angle and Miller. What was decided last night was the direction of the GOP, and Palin lost.
Tim*| 11.4.10 @ 2:47AM
Actually Zany Obamaboy LawBoy RCV,
40 Tea Party Candidates and still counting Are Now in The House,
5 Tea Party Candidates and still counting Are Now In The Senate.
While RCV Lawboy's vaunted Jackassian Party lost 6 Senate Seats & and 60 to 64 House Seats.
We Tea Party Rebels Kicked Your Jackassian Asses.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Inside Congress & The GOP.
Carpe Diem.
skip| 11.3.10 @ 1:42PM
R(eality)
C(onquered the)
V(enom of liberalism poisoning this nation only for one day)
George S| 11.3.10 @ 11:33AM
The Republican Challenge... a good title, but the article omits when the real challenge comes to a head. That would be early next year when the House has to draft the federal budget not only for FY 2011 but this year as well (something the slick Democrats purposefully did not do). This piece of paper alone is going to tell us the direction the Republican party is headed and a true test of the leadership. Turning back will elicit charges of dumping seniors and the unemployed; going forward will mean the wrath of the Tea party as Republicans tacitly accept a two trillion dollar deficit. Oh, and all this will be right in the middle of rising health insurance premiums and dropped coverage as ObamaCare continues its regulatory path of destruction with a media skewering Republicans for letting it happen by not compromising with Obama.
Challenge? That's an understatement.
Siegfried X| 11.3.10 @ 11:56AM
Republican House for a long, long time:
... how long will the specter of Pelosi hang over the Democratic Caucus, and how can they get back the majority they have so spectacularly squandered?
“I think it’s going to take us a while to get beyond this,” said a House Democrat close to Pelosi. “10 years, maybe 20 years. I don’t know if we’ll get back the majority while I’m here.”
Margie| 11.3.10 @ 12:13PM
LOL RCV & Leftist losers~ in truth it was a wipe out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Perusha| 11.3.10 @ 12:18PM
Remember wysiwyg?
Maybe most fresh followers of politics are also newbies wrt the current amazing “grace” high tech computers provide. But, back in the day, wysiwyg was cutting edge, and quite the innovation, shorthand for “what you see is what you get.”
Well, as we digest yesterday’s election, it is certainly true that wysiwyg!
Reality---deal with it!
However, there is ALWAYS a hidden reality.
I think there is a similar pattern to Iran and our American elections, especially at the federal level in the most corrupt states.
As Michael Ledeen and Jeb Babbin have been HONESTLY screaming for many years, now, Iran has been at war with us since 1979, and everyone knows it. However, this is an open secret, hidden and/or unacknowledged in public, because to do so would call for DOING something about it.
Just so, at least since JFK used LBJ to steal Texas and mayor Daley to do Illinois, America’s electoral system has been controlled by such leftist thieves (of course, there must be a few rightist too). We all know this, to a murky conscious extent, but, again, to have this ugly truth openly and extensively exposed would require that something be done.
It all roots back to probably THE present defining quality of the American citizenry’s Zeitgeist---we, as a whole, are taken by the powers that be as babies, pampered, and unable to KNOW, and thus handle the truth!
Therefore, it is seemingly “great fun” to follow all the electoral races, right on down to the end, when the “votes” are added up and a winner is said to be LEGALLY chosen.
The people have spoken!!!
What rubbish!
That mob-created state of Nevada, sans “legal” gambling, would be relegated to being a very sparsely populated desert, for the most part, with real people working to extract minerals, or in the areas hospitable to humans, in the vacation business.
In my state of Oregon, like all other “legal” ones, people live where the physical conditions are good, and so there are hardly any humans in the southeast areas.
Does any right thinking American really think that a state with a Las Vegas and a Reno, that are manmade cities based on “house odds” that guarantee, mathematically, that they stay profitable, isn’t likewise up to speed with the election one armed bandits, where “voters” putatively are free to choose their political leaders? What an entertaining JOKE!
Don’t even let me get started on the other “rigged” votes, to wit the vast leftwing pool of fooled sheep, who believe it is their patriotic duty to back their “riggers”.
The puppets “legally” vote for their puppeteers!
Quote the Moody Blues---“Breathe deep the gathering gloom”.
jstwndring| 11.3.10 @ 2:37PM
"basic fact: the mood of the party's primary electorate has shifted right, with policy, principles, and values trumping all other considerations."
--------------------------------------------------------
I don't think the party's primary electorate shifted right so much as it found its voice in the Tea Party. The TP now steers, or, is attempting to steer the Republican party back in the direction it diverted from 40 some odd years ago (at least). We simply had no choice but to accept the likes of McCain up 'til now. If we can, we should see what we can do about eliminating him in the next primary, but, now the Republican party must acknowledge their true base electorate, whereas before, they could ignore us. It is a new day in this country and in the Republican party. They will submit, or, they will be replaced.
Joe D. | 11.3.10 @ 2:49PM
It also needs to return some sanity to wages in the federal government and a hiring freeze. If they need people in one department. Take it from another department that is over full with people we don't need like the department of Energy and Education.
GW| 11.3.10 @ 7:24PM
It's interesting. Many of Palin's endorsed candidates who won in the primary wound up losing in the general election. I'm going to say what I've been saying all along. Palin's negatives are too high for her to be a viable candidate in the presidency, and many conservative females rub moderate/independent voters the wrong way.
There is no reason why Angle should have lost against Reid. None. Fiorina couldn't pull it out. O'Donnell never had a chance. Meg Whitman lost to moonbeam. Nikki Haley snuck by in a very conservative state (South Carolina). One exception is Bachmann, who not only won but delivered a de facto middle finger to Chris Matthews by ignoring his gotcha questions and making fun of his thrilled leg.
On the whole, women are perceived by many male voters as not being mentally strong enough to handle the pressures of leading. Women are perceived by many female voters as threatening, bitchy, caddy, etc. This is why the GOP nominates unproven women and promotes Palin at their own peril.
The left wants to claim the tea party movement is unconsequential, but that is clearly not true. The right wants to claim that ideas are all that matter, yet in electoral politics, to the swing voters, this is also not true. The "Tea Party" candidates had mixed results, and the ones who were male won and did so easily (Rubio/Paul) and the females lost by a margin (O'Donnell/Angle). In politics, charisma/charm/gravitas matters. Through culture or DNA, men do better than women in politics.
Wotan| 11.3.10 @ 8:24PM
It'll be interesting to see how long the various Tea Party groups remain on the same page once we start talking about foreign policy. Believe it or not, endless wars and nation-building costs a lot of money. You can't have small government and low taxes if you want to invade and occupy other countries.
RCV| 11.4.10 @ 12:11PM
The uneasy cooalition of the Libertarian and Social Conservative wings of the Tea Party will be fun to watch as it unravels. The dialogues between Tim/Collin and Margie on TAS are a small window into the fractures that will soon surface on the national scene.
Margie| 11.4.10 @ 1:38PM
Heh RCV~
The Paul-bots will vote Republican because their ilk runs their candidates as Republicans. The Pauls are Libertarians for those who don't know it but couldn't possibly get elected as such due to their lunatic minds toward foreign policy, namely anti-Israel and anti-war.
So, let them run as Repubs. and get elected. Look how fab-u-lous Ron Paul has done though, eh?
He votes with the losers Bawney Fwank to defund our military, and with Dennis Kucinich.
If Randy Paul votes along with his Daddy in like manner he will be an utter failure as well.
LOL. Bring it in!
The TEA party caucus in the House of Reps is already percolating with the knowledge of the Lefty Libertarian anti-Israel faction in the TEA parties and has taken up a resolution to back Israel.
True conservatives are pro-Israel.
It isn't God's will to be otherwise.
They will ultimately fail. (The Timmies* and Toddards & ilk~ NOT the TEA party).
RCV| 11.4.10 @ 4:42PM
I have no doubt they will fail. I noticed Marco Rubio, is truly a substantial presence and a man of substance with a future, politely declined to join Rand Paul's invitation to form a "caucus."
Wotan| 11.4.10 @ 10:59PM
Over the years I've noticed a trend: those who throw temper-tantrums over the "need" for the US to protect Israel with American blood and tax dollars, are the last ones who would ever join the military and risk their own lives to carry out that kind of stupid foreign policy. I just got out of the Marines a year ago, but I'm sure you'd have no problem having me called back up and sent to fight on behalf of a foreign country, even though Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself with its hundreds of nukes and the most powerful military in the region. Americans should just be honest with ourselves, and change the name of the Defense Department back to War Department. Moreover, we should all recognize that AIPAC has effectively bullied and/or bought most of our politicians, on both sides of the aisle, and we should get used to the idea that following the Constitution isn't really that important.
True conservatives, like Ron Paul, believe in peace, commerce, and honest friendship will all nations--entangling alliances with none.
Margie| 11.4.10 @ 11:18PM
heh, nice try Sheep. (For those of you in Rio Linda that's what Wotan means).
Over the years I've posted here which are just a couple, I've noticed a trend. You Pauleos are royal obfuscators and downright liars.
Conservatives who back Israel believe she is an ally and therefore deserves it.
No one said anything about using American blood.
Ron Paul is a lunatic who doesn't even see fit to agree with the simple fact that we ought to back Israel's right to defend herself.
He doesn't believe in peace. He believes in isolation.
As to your ridiculous statement about me going to war. Duh. I've heard that one before from one of your ilk.
"AIPAC has bullied or bought most of our politicians"... oooh really? It's a conspiracy, right? Those Jews I tell ya!
Sounds to me like you don't like the Jews just like the rest of your ilk. No surprise there.
Wotan| 11.5.10 @ 3:37AM
Wow, didn't take you long to respond to my post; I'm flattered you wanted to write back right away, and not keep me waiting! That said, in the future, please don't feel like you need to rush things just for me.. As much as I look forward to seeing your witty comments, I can be patient if need be. I'd much rather you take a little extra time, open a thesaurus, and look up another word for "ilk," because you're wearing it out rather quickly.
So, when you say, "You Pauleos," I assume that means there's more than one on TAS? I'm very happy to hear it! We're certainly a crazy bunch--all obsessed with following the Constitution and stuff... Perhaps a little old school for your taste, but hey, variety is the spice of life!
You may call me what you like, of course, but for what it's worth, I don't hate Jews. I actually don't care about Jews one way or the other--I care about Americans. Whether someone is Jewish or not isn't something I concern myself with. As for Israel, it's a sovereign state, and can do what it wants. If Israel thinks it's necessary to start a war with Iran to prevent it from getting a nuke (even though Israel itself has a couple hundred of them), then the Israelis need to fight their own war and pay for the endeavor themselves. Seems perfectly reasonable to me and my ilk.
Margie| 11.6.10 @ 12:24AM
Disingenuous snot.
No one said anything about sending American troops to Israel.
You know it. I know it, and most importantly, God knows it.
We were talking about a simple resolution asserting that Israel has the right to defend itself against its enemies and that we support her and will give her aid if she needs it.
Sometimes moral support is enough. This resolution is one of those.
Ron Paul absent as usual.
Anyone with eyes in their head and half a brain knows where he's at. The same place you are. Haughty and removed from reality.
"I actually don't care about Jews one way or the other--"
~That's the same attitude that the isolationists had in the 1930's that led to the concentration camps.
Wotan| 11.6.10 @ 5:29PM
Hey Margaret, nice to hear from you again! I'm growing quite fond of our conversations. :-) It's not like what you say will change my mind, or what I say will change YOUR mind, but it's nice to correspond with such an articulate and polite elderly lady. A quick word of advice, though: I assume you're my grandmother's age, given your choice of words, but the younger generations no longer use the term "snot" as an insult. On the other hand, "disingenuous snot" is at least somewhat creative, so I'll give you a "C" for effort. You'd have to get REALLY creative to come up with something I haven't already been called in the Marine Corps. But hang in there--I'll be posting lots of comments on TAS in the future, so you'll have plenty of time to come up with something worthy of an "A." I'll even help you out by offering some suggestions if you want, but only because I like you.
Ah yes, the Holocaust guilt argument... The US should commit itself, as well as future generations of its citizens, unconditionally, to backing Israel, because of the Nazis. I don't know if you're aware of how things have changed over the last several decades, but it's been a long time since Jews have been the innocent, oppressed people they were in the 1930s. Israel has a very powerful military, and has proven time and time again that it is perfectly capable of defending itself and being assertive when its neighbors step out of line. We can save the whole discussion about the Israeli occupation, blockade, and illegal settlements for another day, though..
Your proposed resolution of "moral support" wouldn't bother me if I actually believed that Congress would obey the Constitution and only go to war after voting for a declaration of war. The type of resolution you mention is a back-door, unconstitutional way of deciding to go to war. But I forgot, you speak for God, and I suppose "God's will" trumps the US Constitution, doesn't it?
I'll make you a deal: if Iran ever directly attacks or tries to invade Israel, I'll immediately re-enlist, hop back in my old M1A1 tank, and volunteer to be the first one on the scene to defend Israel. HOWEVER, if Israel is the aggressor, and attacks first, then Israel is on its own. How's that sound? Pretty fair, if I do say so myself.
Have a great weekend!
Matt Heath| 11.3.10 @ 9:01PM
The Ron Paul / Pat Buchanan conservatives like this author always refer to it as the "George Bush" wars, although the Democratic party voted for both wars. I have never seen this guy make the case that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were not just causes, and indepedents DID support the wars at the beginning. 75% of Americans did in polls.
Wotan| 11.3.10 @ 11:37PM
Who's a Ron Paul conservative? You mean Antle? If so, he must have a good head on his shoulders; I'll have to start reading his stuff! I'm not exactly sure what you mean when you say the Democratic party voted for both wars. I don't remember a Congressional declaration of war for either Afghanistan or Iraq.. With regard to Just War theory, one could argue that retaliating against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was morally justifiable, because we were actually attacked, and because the Taliban refused to turn bin Laden over to us. But invading Iraq was wrong in so many ways, in addition to being unconstitutional and illegal under int'l law.
BackToBasics| 11.4.10 @ 1:10AM
Extrapolating from the 2006 and 2008 elections regarding what the independent voters may do in 2012 will not lead to an accurate assessment. The main reason for this is that the economy is in far worse trouble now and will remain so for probably more than 2 more years.
Whne people, even independents and some Democrats hear of sons, daughter, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. graduating from college and almost immediately having to move back to mom and dad's place it leaves quite a mark. When they see 50 - 65 year olds, especially the men, losing their jobs and not being able to find work in more than 2 years it leaves a mark, etc., etc.