In Ourselves

The lament has come from many. “Conservatism is dead.”, “There’s not a lick of difference between the two parties anymore.” The complaint has been heard by Keyes supporters, McClintock supporters, and those who generally adhere to constitutional principles and beliefs.

These are whiny words of discouragement and surrender. They are inviting because they allow us to blame RINOs, President Bush, and others for the state of affairs in this country. During the past two years, we’ve seen Republicans back the creation of the largest entitlement in forty years, and a deficit that is caused by an insatiable lust for pork, and a refusal to constrain spending.

Those who are angry at President Bush need a serious reality check. He did not enter office promising to reign in the growth of the federal government. He did not promise to reform the US tax system. He did not promise to frequently use his veto power to stop congressional excesses. He promised to cut taxes and appoint conservative judges.

Rather than declaring ourselves helpless victims, we need to look at how this situation came about. If we’re honest, the fault does not lie with President Bush, Congressional leadership, or RINOs at the RNC. It lies with a Conservative movement that has failed to hold congressional leadership accountable, to compete for control of local Republican parties or make the sacrifices necessary to make Conservative candidates successful.

Congressional Accountability

Former Republican Reformer turned pork-barrel politician Zach Wamp (R-TN) is politically invulnerable because people in his district will not put someone up against in the primary. The same can be said of dozens of Republican Congressmen who once supported a balanced budget amendment but now are backing half a trillion dollar deficits.

Contrary to what many Republicans say, the deficit was not caused by the War on Terror, nor are the Democrats correct when they say it was caused by the Bush tax cuts. The true cause is a government that refuses to live within its means on matters of social and discretionary spending. Republicans had already begun to go hog wild for pork back in the late 1990s when they passed a disgraceful Highway Bill that Clinton threatened to veto for its outrageous size.

The era of big government is back bigger than ever because Conservatives have refused to go to the mattresses with a Congress that can’t stop spending. We’ve not challenged congressional leaders who have a love affair with lawbreakers who violate our borders. These congressmen act with impunity because they know that we will not call them to account as long as they vote for the Partial Birth Abortion every year.

Republican Leadership: I’ve read many online forum posters complain that the Republican leadership consistently lines up behind Rockefeller Republican such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Firestone, and Johnny Isakson. What infuriates me about these people is that in most cases, none of them are members of their local Republican Central Committee; many may not even know who their precinct captains are.

How does someone become chairman of a State or County Republican Party? They are elected directly or indirectly by the precinct captains in the state. There are a lot of people shooting off about the Republican leadership who have never tried to run for a precinct captain position, or if they have, they’ve given up totally on the idea.

With the exception of Ed Gillespie, the Republican leadership is not chosen by presidential fiat. It is chosen directly and indirectly by the votes of Republicans in primary elections. If your State’s leadership is out of whack and you’ve not been active in electing it’s leadership, you know what the problem is.

Sacrifices

Tom McClintock lost in California as his voters abandoned him to assure that Schwarzenegger was elected Governor. McClintock supporters have no one to blame but themselves for the defeat.

More than a million people were willing to support Tom McClintock with their vote, but unfortunately not supported him with their money. If a quarter of those million had given $40, his campaign would have had $10,000,000 in small contributions alone. Why couldn’t they have spared the price of a dinner out to put their money where their mouth is?

John McCain and Howard Dean discovered what Conservatives have yet to realize. A lot of people giving a little bit of money can make a huge difference. If 200,000 people saved $10 a month for the next four years, they could present $96 million to the candidate of their choice.

Conservative cheapskates are the cause of many campaigns failing. Without money, conservative candidates cannot succeed. In a well-connected world where money can be moved with the click of a mouse, supporters of Conservative candidates should respond firmly to needs for finances among worthy candidates.

Action

Conservatives have three choices in response to the growth of big government and the abandonment of Conservative principles. First, we may whine or engage in self-destructive behavior such as joining third parties. We also have the option of giving up on the greatest experiment in self-government and liberty known to man. We can declare the growth of big government and the creation of a socialist state to be inevitabilities.

The other option is that we can stop blaming others, take responsibility for our failures, and regroup. We must act as adults and move in a reasonable manner to strengthen the Conservative movement.

First and foremost, despite our disagreements with them, it is essential that we re-elect President Bsush and strengthen the Republican majority in the Senate. It has been nearly 13 years since the last Supreme Court vacancy. Sooner or later there is going to be a vacancy. Heretofore, President Bush has appointed conservative judges who have been blocked by an obstructionist Senate. If we can pick up four or five seats in the Senate, we can break the back of the Democratic filibuster and get decent Supreme Court justices through. We all know from experience that a Republican Senate with a Democratic President would not have the guts to fight over Supreme Court justices.

While supporting the President’s re-election, we must be planning for 2008. We must become active in our local Republican Parties and save money to support a strong Conservative for president in 2008.

In 2008, Conservatives must unite behind a candidate who will turn back the tide of rising government and be a strong, principled, and courageous leader on issues that matter most to us. If we can do that, we can save liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

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