The American Spectator

Orgmanthu| 5.7.09 @ 12:42PM

The Republican party must either be completely overhauled or left on the ashheap of history. The Colin Powells of the world shouldn't let the door hit them on their duplicitous posteriors on the way out.

Sadly, a politician is a politician is a politician, and the majority of craven Republicans see how easy it is to get reelected by playing paragons of rectitude outside chambers and indulging their most promiscuous urges inside.

That's why those who think Republicans are on the verge of emerging from the wilderness are sadly mistaken. They see which way the cultural wind is blowing and few have the mettle to lean into it.

A whore that goes to chuch on Sunday is still a whore. That goes for you too, Jeb.

Roger Evans| 5.7.09 @ 2:41PM

If Republicans want to continue their march to irrelevancy, by all means heed the advice of Orgmanthu. If, on the other hand, they wish to impact national policy, they should stop worrying about moderate Republicans and whores that go to church, and start intelligently attacking the Obama agenda and creating their own agenda. Spending precious time trying to kick moderates to the curb is silly and counter-productive. The GOP should rebuild a big tent on a few core ideas and allow dissent on the small stuff. Otherwise, we'll be getting a lot more Obama ...

JP| 5.7.09 @ 3:04PM

Orgmanthu,
Take New England and the Senate. If the GOP recruited say, a Bob Dornan, or Alan Keyes, how well would they do in New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Delaware?

Each state's GOP party is in charge of recruitment. And usually they recruit with the intentions of actually winning the election. In a democracy, the candidates usually reflect the governing philosophy of the people who will vote for them, no?

BJC| 5.7.09 @ 4:58PM

Exactly so, Jim Antle. The GOP hierarchy places more value on "moderates" than they are worth. (Maybe to try shutting up the Leftists and their dominant media mouthpieces in their stab at getting the Republican Party to shift Leftward...?)

The casual, cavalier "conventional wisdom" analysis of elites typically overlooks the demonstrated fact that canny candidates who are both conservative and hardworking can certainly make inroads in presumptively "liberal" precincts. Regarding the specific fellows cited: Difficult to gauge how Alan Keyes would fare running in an election that wasn't unusual; besides, he's more professor and ambassador than politician. But as far as Bob Dornan goes, he repeatedly won elections even as his district was trending hostile Left. Must have been the redistricting in 1990, after which Dana Rohrabacher came boohooing to Dornan to swap districts they were supposed to be running in -- Rohrabacher worried he couldn't carry his election. Dornan agreed; won; then later was sabotaged through abject cowardly perfidy of the House of Representatives "leadership" (read: Newt Gingrich). If you can get a radio archive record of Michael Reagan's show the day after Dornan's election contest against Loretta Sanchez Brixey, you'll first hear Reagan interview Dornan on air, with Dornan stating that the House "leaders" pledged they'd support his efforts to get illegal votes tossed out during the final recount process. Then, after he gets off the phone with Dornan, you'll hear Reagan disclose an election night conversation with the then-GOP "leaders" in which they informed Reagan they'd be doing no such thing -- they were too afraid of being tarred as "racist" for demanding that illegal votes be tossed out if they were for a Latina. So, a candidate like Dornan -- with a GOP leadership that really behaves honorably, fairly and courageously -- could probably win in any district not completely rigged.

Red Phillips| 5.7.09 @ 5:07PM

"The Party" has always been a bunch of moderate wusses. Anyone alleging that "the party" is attempting to purge moderates is delusional. If there is a purge it is coming from frustrated conservatives.

Thom| 5.7.09 @ 5:36PM

I’m kind of old fashion. When I leave this place I want to be able to look back over my life and see a relatively consistent and principled person looking back in the mirror. Winning is not everything in life but living with yourself is. The Republican Party has compromised so much of its core beliefs (and Founding Principles) that it has no principled arguments left to stand on. The difference between a moderate Republican and any Democrat is a matter of degree not substance. I’m not going to become a “good NAZI” in order to go along to get along if the tide of history is against us in order to win by the skin of our teeth with Republican candidates that are barely distinguishable from the Democrat candidates in substance and form. “Every man dies but not every man lives” is universally true. I plan to live my beliefs and die for them if need be. Others are entitled to their 30 pieces of silver but I prefer to not take the path of having to defend Judas to barely win an election but have no power to actually change anything.

Just me of course.

Daisy| 5.7.09 @ 7:52PM

A man of principle is a beautiful sight to behold! Bravo, Thom.

Thom| 5.7.09 @ 8:29PM

Dasiy, thanks for the complement. It is ironic in a way because what I said (and have said many times in my 57 years on this planet) isn’t new or even original with me. I took the same oath in 1973 the current Marxists in office took and I’ve lived my beliefs pretty much on a level and straight course since the age of say 21. The ironic part is that this is the same core belief the Founders had and had to come to grips with between 1773 and 1776 or so. If it ever becomes necessary to actually defend the Constitution it won’t be because I’ve changed (that much). The Orcs that walk the halls of power now just can’t deal with a simple inalienable truth about the Founding of this Nation. Words mean things and the Constitution and Bill of Rights is not a suggestion box or living document to be changed at the whim of 9 unelected, unaccountable Tyrants in black robs.

It is said the pen is mightier than the Sword but the reality is that it was the “Pen” that sparked the Swords being put to use that gave us what we take so much for granted. I’d like to live out my days like a Rabbit in a green field of clover somewhere far from this place but that’s not the world we live in. The real world is what it is and from time to time it does have to be cleaned out of the jackals and alike. Said but true.