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There is a time to choose

At some point there comes a time to chose.  Do we want to support the GOP in trying to win the House, Senate, and the White House, or do we want to support the Democrats.  If the choice is that it doesn’t matter, that is also an option.

What we need to realize, however, is that in any battle an election season is fought as a team.  A party does not win, and conservatives do not win if our strategy is a circular firing squad.  Conservatives win when conservative leaders build winning coalitions that get the votes needed to win power.  Conservatives lose when Democrats and liberals get power.

The difference between a moderate and a conservative Republican is small.  The difference between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Democrat is small.  If we remember all Republicans voted against Obamacare, and all Democrats voted for it.

Now we are faced with a choice.  Many are choosing to attack Republicans who are solid conservatives, but less conservative than others.  In primary after primary, we are spending millions of dollars to determine which conservative we want to support.  This is counter productive.  In 2010 it cost us 2 states: Nevada and Rhode Deleware.  In 2012 it could easily cost us the House and/or Senate.

When we start attacking center-right Republican House members and Senators we end up sending a public signal to moderates that they do not fit in the party.  This drives those voters away.  This loses us votes.  The GOP has been in a rapid decline over the last 2 years.  We need to come to terms that we either work as a team, or we lose.

I am asking my fellow conservatives to please stop their attacks on elected Republican leaders.  There is no alternative that helps the conservative movement.

Removing Specter is what passed Obamacare.  If Spector was polling well, he would not have switched parties and would not have been the deciding vote for Obamacare.

The Tomney folks are the folks who’s actions cased Obamacare to be law.  That is a simple fact.  Because we refused to accept Spector as acceptably conservative, he left the GOP to keep his seat and was the final vote to pass Obamacare. 

Think before you act.  Stop it with the attacks on elected, sitting, conservatives.  Efforts to get rid of Lugar and Hatch are counterproductive and a waste of energy.  Focus on getting rid of Democrats, not Republicans.

COMMENTS

  • civil truth

    It sounds like you believe in legislators-for-life, rather than public servants.

    The usual response to a primary challenge is to defend your record and win over voters in a primary election – that’s the essence of representative democracy. This has been the rule for centuries.

    Instead Arlen (who started as a Democrat, ran for Philadelphia DA on the Republican ticket and then switched parties) decided to try to cut a deal to switch parties in return for getting the Democratic nomination – and then had the carpet pulled out from under him because the Democratic voters, to their credit, couldn’t stomach the deal and voted for Sestak.

    Sorry, the responsibility for Specter being vote 60 is strictly on his shoulders, not the fault of Toomey (who BTW ran against Specter in the 2004 primary and narrowly lost after certain conservatives who will remain nameless supported him against Toomey).

    Besides, Specter didn’t have to switch parties to vote for Obama Care or any other of his votes.

    • acat

      and then publish them here.

      I’m not sure what he’s getting out of it, but .. well, read some of his other diaries and the trend becomes clear.

      Mew

      • civil truth

        …unless we stay in line and submit to our betters.

        • acat

          I have no betters.

          Mew

          • rsgp

            I think this representative from another species is a reasonable argument to the contrary.