We had the high ground on very unpopular TARP and stimulus bills, and lo and behold a moderate comes to ’save the day’ for the Democrats yet again.(John McCain) It’s a cycle that really discourages people who I know would be swayed to vote Republican, but they see these votes on legislation as not being a viable alternative to Democrats.

If they’re now trying to get all those other new taxes passed as well, I’d love to see a source of that info.

Americans have never been the most consistent bunch. Lower taxes and more social programs… Poll the people, and they tell you they want both. How that works, none of them seems to know, but it gives both parties something from the polls to cherry pick.

As a result, I think that the political equivalent of an open source project, with the “footsoldiers” in various groups in the Republican party taking part in the organic development of a second Contract with America, could be realized with existing groups and movements, such as the Tea Parties, the Minutemen, the emerging states’ rights movements, and the like. IMO, that’s the easy part, as our party is chok-full of people who have their heads on straight, and ideas should spring forth naturally as a result. The precinct committee project promoted by Coldwarrior and others, if popularized, should help even more with that. For this to happen, though, we would need two things: 1) for the energy created by the Tea Party movement to be used for constructive endeavors, rather than just protest (I’m pretty sure that this will happen eventually), and 2) for there to be more organization and collaboration between the separate protest movements, to provide a somewhat unified front.

Of course, politicians and the Repubs’ VIPs can definitely help the movement along: some, like Michelle Malkin, are already involved. In fact, though some dislike her, I can see Mrs. Palin, or Huckabee (ugh) as a positive, and influential, force in this movement. If such a movement were popularized, I could see pols running with it in 2010, as they did with the CwA

The pessimist/realist in me says that this won’t happen by 2010. But we won’t know until we try, will we? Also, even if it’s not prepped for 2010, we can at least be ready for 2012.

I can see three things that we can do to help: first, establish ourselves as regular participants in the emerging conservative activist movement. That will help these movements, and allow us to recommend policies that these groups can advocate for. Second, become a part of our local GOP. What some don’t realize is that Democrat dominance in blue states is often as much a function of broken state parties as it is the area’s political leanings. Third, advocate for candidates who espouse federalist ideas, and encourage them to be involved in the emergent conservative activist movement (which is where the politeness and civility evident in these movements will help us, as opposed to the left’s disgusting behavior at protests). Sites like Redstate (yay!) have already made headway here.

In short, helping local movements is the key both to ensuring that the GOP can go to battle equipped with the best that conservatism has to offer, and to having an agenda that we can hold them to when they try to go off the reservation. To modify Moe’s trademark phrase, we have met the cavalry, and it is us

That’s it, the lack of a Contract with America, the Sequel.

Who has the stature to craft such a manifesto, and sell to to the all the wings of the party? The one in the 90’s was good, covered many of the problems created by Klinton and the Donks, it would seem another one could be developed which goes after the mess Obama is creating now.

Don’t you think it’s a bit more complex than that?

Is there a need for Republicans to put forth conservative answers to the policies of Obama? I’m not seeing a lot of good conservative ideas put forth by conservative elected politicians right now in response to Obama, that’s a problem too in my view.

I tend to believe you have to give people something to vote FOR and not just standing in opposition. Maybe I’ve got it wrong, but it seems people are looking for answers.

Plenty of evidence of what Obama and the dems stood for was out there in the campaign, but it has been so long (really since the late 70s) since we got to experience the results of demlib policies that many grew ignorant esp given the credit crisis and GOP mushyness on govt spending.

McCain didn’t help.

Now, we see the horror of the left in the raw during a bad recession which concentrates the mind.

more later

In a sense, how could they not? Obama and the Democrats and the media who supported him (and still run intereference for him) had to know that selling something as big as the U.S. Presidency with so much hype and an elaborate informercial as the back story without it eventually deflating.

Still, I think his numbers will get a bounce later this summer after the Michael Jackson shockwaves finally peter out and Obama cranks up the charm for one more go-around. And of course, there is an endless bag of tricks and Wag the Dog pretexts that ObamaRahma still have in the quiver.