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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Are Conservatives & Conservative Organizations in D.C. Actually Feckless Wimps?

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  June 20th, 2011 at 05:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

A number of conservatives and conservative groups in Washington, D.C. are pushing yet another pledge. This one is to cut, cap, and balance. They want you to pledge to urge your Senator and Congressman to oppose any debt limit unless all three of the following conditions are met: (1) substantial cuts in spending; (2) enforceable spending caps; and (3) passage of the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment, known as S.J. Res. 10 in the Senate and H. J. Res. 56 in the House.

The pledge is wonderful. I fully support it. I also think any conservative and conservative organization that signs the pledge is feckless, spineless, and gutless unless one additional step is taken.

And the sad thing is, I suspect I am one thousand percent right that we’ll all be disappointed by the conservatives and conservative organizations signing the pledge. Here’s why.We’ve reached the point of no return in this country, but Republicans keep making deal after deal after deal. They’ll negotiate their way to hell and our country to fiscal ruin all while nuancing around pledges.

Meanwhile, the pledge makers and pledge signer really do nothing other than say “Oh my, Senator/Representative X broke the pledge. Tisk. Tisk.”

The time for tisk, tisking is over.

I’m calling on the conservatives and conservative organizations who agree to “cut, cap, and balance” to put up or shut up. Here’s the Erick Erickson Pledge:

I pledge that if any Republican votes to increase the debt ceiling without first cutting, capping, and balancing using Lee-Cornyn-Hatch, I will work like hell to beat the hell out of him/her in a primary, even if their election is 2014 or 2016.

The time for nuancing and diplomatic niceties in Washington are over.

Instead of standing around in a circle of Washington hoo-haaing like conservatives are prone to do lamenting their sorry fate and wringing their hands on what strategy to take to Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell, conservatives need to adopt a very simple strategy:

Hold the freaking line.

If any Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling without forcing (1) substantial cuts; (2) enforceable caps; and (3) sending the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment to the states, the conservative movement must unite to beat the hell out of them in a primary. Period. End of Story. No more wimping out.

It really is that simple — or at least it is that simple unless your brain has atrophied from being inside the Beltway. Just don’t raise the debt ceiling. Oh, I know, some of you are getting sweaty palms thinking about it and insisting that we must raise the debt ceiling.

That’s what we always do.

Putting it bluntly — it is time to be a hostage taker and take the debt ceiling hostage to cutting, capping, and balancing the budget.

Will conservative organizations actually stand up and wage scorched earth in the name of saving the Republic, or will they yet again go limp when sold out for the billionth time. My money is on limp, but I hope others will stand on either hand and save this bridge with me.

By the way, the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget amendment is non-negotiable. Other Republicans are offering up balanced budget amendments, but the alternatives either don’t limit spending or make it too easy to raise taxes instead of making spending cuts. Lee-Cornyn-Hatch has both a spending limitation component and requires a super-majority to raise taxes.

Folks, talk is over. It’s time for action.

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COMMENTS

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  • davesinsanantonio

    55555!

  • Doc Holliday

    men of character do not sign pledges to prove their worth. We need changes in DC, including in our party, but the key question is how to we accomplish this thing we never seem to achieve?

    We need more Rand Pauls, we need more like Jeff Sessions. But how do we get people who are worthy of our support? There are many structural obstacles in our way, including human nature. People that gain power, tend to want to keep it and increase it.

    I am not willing to take out anyone who supports the the debt ceiling increase until I at least hear them out. We need learned men of character, not just those who fill out the scan tron to our liking. Of course I want the cuts, hell, I want to take a flame thrower to the budget. But I am pledged out.

    I also have no problems primarying RINOS, none at all. But I am willing to at least listen to someone who does not vote how I want on every single issue.

  • http://www.ilovedny.info letsfixit

    It seems many of these so called “conservatives & conservative organizations” are not much different than the BFG (Big Feudal Government) ‘ruler-crats’. They spend much time in their Washington & Georgetown prized real estate offices, and don’t truly understand what We, the People of the United States, want from OUR limited national, state, and local governments.

    Get out of our lives! Let US live. We will restore OUR economy without over regulating ruler-crats. We will bring social peace to our cities without government programs dividing us into dependents. OUR governments, national, state, and local, are out of control and drunk with power. This will not last. Look back throughout history. It’s only a matter of time. “Let’s fix it!”; www.ilovedny.info .

  • hwgood

    The one that’s frosting me the most is not getting much play, but the bill to attempt to save the incandescent light bulb is stalled in committee, held by the guy who wrote the bill to kill it. When his name was floated to head this committee, he said he had heard the people and was prepared to reverse his stand. Now he’s in, and back to his old ways.
    The RINO National Committee needs change. Let’s hope for it.

  • averagevoterdotcom

    if we keep kicking the can down the road, it will become a grenade. Greece now is a taste of what ails many western countries, including us. A stitch in time saves nine.

  • swi2522

    i think the politicians keep compromising because they know we are going to default on our debt and destroy the value of the dollar

    i wake up every day and check the spot price of gold to determine if this is the day we become officially a banana republic

    is this part of the real change the progressives on both sides intend

  • robp

    Uncle Sam is standing in the street in his skivvies, wearing a barrel with suspenders, and the two options are:

    -continue to spend our way into oblivion without conditions (liberal)
    -continue to spend our way into oblivion with conditions (conservative)

    Why isn’t every conservative saying, “We are in hock up to our grandchildren’s eyeballs, and we aren’t raising the debt ceiling one penny!”

    Why won’t the Republican leadership make the case to refuse to raise the debt limit? It is a winnable strategy, the people are behind it, and it’s the only way out. We’re in a hole – stop digging!

  • robp

    Uncle Sam is standing in the street in his skivvies, wearing a barrel with suspenders, and the two options are:

    -continue to spend our way into oblivion without conditions (liberal)
    -continue to spend our way into oblivion with conditions (conservative)

    Why isn’t every conservative saying, “We are in hock up to our grandchildren’s eyeballs, and we aren’t raising the debt ceiling one penny!”

    Why won’t the Republican leadership make the case to refuse to raise the debt limit? It is a winnable strategy, the people are behind it, and it’s the only way out. We’re in a hole – stop digging!

  • krutnewm

    I agree wholeheartedly with Erick – is “5″ signifying this without using so many words?

  • gekster
  • acat

    At one point, Red State had a system where posts could be rated. The highest rating was a 5. The system is gone, but the idea of “giving someone a 5″ remains.

    It’s a way of saying “this is well said and I agree with it”.

    Mew

  • brimstone

    The Balanced Budget Amendment is a terrible idea. We have a $14.4 trillion dollar debt because Congress appropriates money for unconstitutional programs. Congress’ powers are enumerated in the Constitution (Art. I, Sec. 8.), but Congress ignores these constitutional limits. In this short paper, a constitutional expert shows how the BBA would transform our Constitution from one of enumerated powers to one of general legislative powers where Congress could lawfully spend money on whatever they want as long as they don’t spend more than 18% of the GDP.

    http://publiushuldah.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/why-the-balanced-budget-amendment-is-the-worst-idea-ever/

    If Congress obeyed the existing Constitution, the budget would be very small indeed. The true solution is to gradually dismantle the unconstitutional federal spending programs. Some could be eliminated immediately (e.g., the one which teaches Chinese prostitutes how to drink responsibly; the one about the sex lives of menustrating monkeys, etc.) A return by Congress to its enumerated powers (Art. I, Sec. 8) would also greatly diminish the federal government’s increasing control over our lives. Imagine that!

  • http://www.riversedgealliance.org Robin Smith

    I officially sign the RedState Pledge to put Americ First! Those who are squishes serve their re-elect prospects & their donor base.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    So people want to try something different.

    Deal with it.

  • momofthecastle

    for stating the truth. HOLD THE LINE!

    But it is my understanding that we do not need to raise the debt limit at all if we would make the right cuts.

    In a battle, there always comes a time to fight sacrificially. I am reminded of the Senator who cast the decisive NO in the Andrew Johnson impeachment trial. We all know that Pres. Johnson did nothing to deserve impeachment except to try to rein in vengeful Northerners. One man voted for the right thing, and lost his next election.

    Evidently we do not have enough conservatives in Washington who will fight for the right thing, even if it means they go home next election.

    So I guess it is time to change our thinking, and make sure that those who will not vote for the right thing will go home and to replace them with those who will.

    It really is up to us.

  • Wubbies World

    Thanks Erick

  • smagar

    The higher the number, from 1 to 5, the clearer and more readable the signal.

    If I were to say “I have you 5 by 5,” that means I heard you clearly and understood what you said.

  • smagar

    Now who will stand
    On either hand
    And guard this bridge with me.

  • Warrior

    RS never had a system of rating posts. It means giving someone a “high five” for their comments.

    Why don’t you quit running around acting like an old timer.

    Your posts indicate a middle-of-the-road milquetoast, kind of like the people Erick is talking about.

  • Warrior
  • Locked and Loaded

    Now I could go for a salt covenant with the attendant results for breaking of the covenant.

  • Warrior

    you have stated the answer precisely. There are MORE than enough amendments, laws, codes, codicils, appendices and regulations NOW to dismantle the overarching problem of too much gubmint. What it will take is political will.

    We must foster in each citizen the notion that every penny, every ballpoint pen, every chair, every car, every plane, every salary, every benefit conceded to public employee unions, every nickel wasted on superfluous gubmint comes out of our pocket.

    There is no magic money machine in D.C., the state capital, the county seat or city hall — only the power to tax. Every single food stamp (EBT Card), every single diaper bought with WIC money, every dollar of ADF spent wisely or handed over to a drug dealer comes out of your pocket and mine.

    Accountability folks. That’s where it starts and where it ends. In psychology we talk about pattern interruptors, e.g. for drinking perhaps, or wife beating, drug addiction — whatever. We need some kind of way to stop the cycle. I think term limits are the only way. Maybe just used in one cycle. We need to clean out the stable. No one will get rid of their congresscritter if they know he or she is shoveling the gold back home and to start over means losing all that clout.

    Let us say, the term of every congress person is finished this cycle and then do away with seniority. Perhaps power, i.e. chairmanships and whatever, can be awarded on the basis of who cuts the most from the budget. Who gets rid of the most waste. Who reduces gubmint by the most. Just until we get a reasonable gubmint back.

    Greece is really not that far away…

  • Warrior
  • BigRedConservative

    In Thai, the number “5″ sounds like “ha”. So “5555″ is “ha ha ha ha”.

  • http://www.teapartyfg.com ronestrada

    For those of us who watched Reagan lose his conservative victory to a congress full of neo-cons and then watched the now infamous “Contract with America” go down as soon as the freshman Republicans stepped into Washington, here’s a big AMEN. It’s time to vote out the traitors. The GOP is on notice: if we have to lose the house majority in ’12 to clean out the phonies, it’s worth the price. For God’s sake, grow a pair. If you’re not sure what that is, go ask a Democrat.

  • Doc Holliday

    and you are wrong about the Contract with America.

  • gunslingr45

    Let that be our new battle cry!

    GENTLEMEN PREPARE TO DEFEND YOUR SELF!
    Sam Elliott in We Were Soldiers

  • http://brennansbiz.intuitwebsites.com/index.html mayo_man

    … any in DC wanting to “negotiate” at this point are working on their re-election. Have they noticed the 14 trillion ton freight train bearing down on us all.

    … pledge makers better take care. “A promise made is a debt unpaid and the trail has it’s own STERN code…” [Robert Service / the Cremation of Sam McGee].

  • mspector

    I’m sure I’m far from alone in believing that Boehner negotiated himself almost into oblivion in the recent budget go-round. Hold that thought.

    When Bush 43 was in office he decided to foreswear golf for the balance of his time in office because he believed it was inappropriate to play when he had troops at war. This year, after Obama dragged himself kicking and screaming to Arlington for Memorial Day, he went to play another round of golf (I believe it was the 70th in his presidency).

    And just last week, as we wend our way toward one or more critical steps on the budget and the economy, House Speaker Boehner joined Obama on the links in a show of bipartisan something-or-other. ‘Nuff said.

  • blooch

    and I am an old-timer.

  • http://www.redstateeclectic.com enrique

    Why not primary these turkeys in 2012? Waiting until 2014 just encourages them to keep doing it. Besides, waiting that long would be pointless and 20 new key votes would have come and gone by then.

  • Aaron Gardner

    … meaning no redemption.

  • http://www.redstateeclectic.com enrique

    Then I’m all for pounding these guys until they quit or start doing the right thing.

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Erick wrote:

    If any Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling without forcing (1) substantial cuts; (2) enforceable caps; and (3) sending the Lee-Cornyn-Hatch Balanced Budget Amendment to the states, the conservative movement must unite to beat the hell out of them in a primary. Period. End of Story. No more wimping out.

    I agree the BEST way to hammer the feckless cowards is to “beat the hell out of them in a primary.” But saying we’ll do it, and demonstrating we CAN do it, are two different things.

    The BEST way each one of us can be in a position to make that threat of a primary challenge a reality is by becoming a Republican Party precinct committeeman. Period. End of Story. No more wimping out.

    Go to the link below to learn more. Here’s another resource regarding what I call The Neighborhood Precinct Committeeman Strategy (but don’t bother if you won’t spend a couple of hours a month attending your local Republican Party committee meeting and if you won’t spend a few hours during the primary season helping to get out the conservative vote for the conservative candidates):

    http://www.redstate.com/coldwarrior/2011/04/10/what-we-need-to-do-as-soon-as-possible-why-we-need-to-do-it-why-it-will-work-if-we-unite-now/

    Blogging alone won’t make it happen. Each of us has to act.

    For Liberty,

    ColdWarrior

  • williamjameson

    rather see the gop bullied into raising the debt ceiling without cuts.

    Everyone knows dems will not vote for spending cuts after raising the debt ceiling……………….dems have already raised the debt ceiling without cutting spending. Why would anyone think this time will be any different.

    Interest on US debt can be paid with revenue flowing in daily from the IRS. Solve the problem instead of giving Obama a higher credit limit. DC tells the public manage your debt consumers, never get over extended, time for DC to reap what they sow!

    Conservatives, the conservative media and republicans have way to many who are weak and fearful of the liberal media. Time to take a stand and call out the media for conspiring with democrats.

  • phenry

    When is the vote? Somebody ought to start a PAC focused solely on primarying GOPers who don’t hold the line on spending. That ought to get their attention.

  • dajeeps

    I was watching CSPAN one day last week when on committee was holding a hearing on Motor Carrier Safety. And I heard the testimony of one of the representatives from the one of the carrier organizations, names escape me at the moment, but this guy endorsed seizing of poperty and shutting down “rogue” carriers. And I asked myself if they had any concept of the 4th and 5th amendments to the US Constitution. As this guy spoke, the words cartel, racket, and unions came to mind. And the kicker here is that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administation was extended after it seized the property of the low-cost carrier, impounded all the busses and shut the place down, after an unfortunate accident when the driver fell asleep. I don’t think that bus drivers falling asleep is a good idea, and may even be negligent, but there are and have been remedies for that that do not violate our constitution since way before the Feds took over in 2000.

    I was thinking it would be a great topic to shine a light on in a diary just to provide an example of how little any of the protections of liberty, and in many respects, common decency, have died the death of a rag baby. And to highlight how this ever expansive regulatory beast gobbles up everyone who tries to compete with the ‘big guys’, saps our economy, and stifels productivity. And Republicans just sit there and rubber stamp it all, probably with their hand out to the lobbyists, just like the Democrats.

    That Pledge to America was just a load of carp, and it down right depressing considering the magnitude of our problems and the consequences of just doing the same things we’ve been doing for decades. It has to stop!

  • taxpayer1234

    It’s time for our so-called conservative legislators to

    sh*t or get off the pot
    get their butts in gear
    stop talkin’ and start doin’

    etc.

  • durhamvoter

    Thank you, ColdWarrior – In other words, put your time and money where your mouth is. I am grandmother, unemployed last February. While looking for a job, I worked my tail off in the local Republican party all of 2010. So did many others. We filled every Republican poll judge seat that was vacant (that shook up the Democrats!) Our precinct had the more voters turn out on Nov. 2nd than any other one in the county where I live. One miiddle-aged lady spent every single day of the primary (two weeks) handing out literature at the polls; she was the only volunteer most of that time. If you are not active in the local party, sign up. You are greatly needed, and you WILL make a difference. DO IT!

  • http://punditpawn.wordpress.com punditpawn

    If it’s so important to Obama, then conservatives should agree to raise the debt limit in return for Obama’s immediate resignation for failure to pass a budget and railroading the country into this situation.

    It’s a win-win.

  • Warrior

    remember any “rating” system…

  • Warrior

    about how we were all going to see the “bad/evil” side of SP when “the e-mails” came out. They came out all right. And all we saw was a competent, courageous woman and outstanding leader at work. So, he was quite wrong about the important issue.

    And, BTW, thanks for defending and shilling for him, I sure he appreciates it…

  • acat

    Get your words out of my mouth.

    Mew

  • Ned Reck

    Is a frog’s a$$ water-tight?

    Sure is hard to understand and accept… and sad for staunch conservatives to concede that fact.

    Reminds me of a quote from an old movie…. Chinatown… with Jack Nicholson.

    But in this case… all I can say is…

    “Forget it, Erick… It’s D.C.”

    Ned Reck

  • streiff

    two points here.

    First. acat is correct. For the first year or so of our existence we had a system of rating comments and diaries. The “5″ expression is a hold over from that time. (I’ve been here since July 2004 and have a double digit registration number).

    Second, tone your comments down. You’ll find it is a much more viable evolutionary strategy.

  • Warrior

    unlike yourself, I have a life and don’t live vicariously through others on RedState.

    The tone of your remarks was that because Palin’s negatives were high, she didn’t have a chance and that we would all find out just what kind of person she is later when her e-mails came out.

    Well, it turns out:
    1.) Your so-called “analysis” was based on highly questionable and certainly biased Huffington Post polls and
    2.) Sarah Palin’s e-mails showed just the opposite of what you hoped — instead of a petty, vicious self-serving lackey, we all discovered she is an ethical, focused, hard-working and prinicipled woman — just the kind of person we need to knock out Obama in ’12.

    Funny, I haven’t read many retractions since then rescinding any of those hateful remarks…

    My guess is you are really achance reincarnated and you still hate SP for personal reasons…