Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Give Me A Conservative GOPer Over A Moderate Anytime

The recent midterm election is instructive in how different media likes to spin it.
For instance, many of the Republicans who lost in the house were moderates, to the left of President Bush and rank-and-file Republican voters. My theory is that in a marginal district, given the choice between a moderate Republican and a Democrat, the Democrat will win. Why would those voters want watered-down Democrat lite when they can have the real thing?
But because California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger won reelection in convincing manner, many tout him as a future for the GOP. NOT!
Why you may ask?
During the last weekend of the campaign, his reelection all but assured, he did not campaign for fellow Republicans down ticket. Instead, he campaigned for five bond measures to "rebuild" California. They were assured of passing and all did by varying percentages.
But, there were other candidates like Lt. Governor candidate Tom McClintock that could have used some face time with Gov. Arnold. After all, McClintock made nice with Gov. Arnold and staved off a conservative revolt. The thanks he got was like all other Republican candidates was get to the back of the Arnold bus. By the way, McClintock lost by only two percent.
To build a party, you must all be together, after all, it is a coalition. When personalities get in the way, as it has with Gov. Arnold, then what could have been is that-what could have been.
Take New York state. Gov. George Pataki ran 12 years ago as a conservative and party builder. Since then he built a cult of personality and decimated the Republican party in New York. The only candidate to get 40 percent or more of the vote in the last election was the candidate for Controller-he still lost.
The worst case is the money that the NRSC spent on Sen. Lincoln Chafee to try to get this least Republican reelected in Rhode Island. Now, he is still holding up a vote on UN ambassador John Bolton. And to top it off, he is thinking of leaving the Republican party. That is the thanks we get supporting a moderate.
Here is a clue about those who are moderates. It is not all about you. It is about building up a party with some different elements. Some may not be social conservatives and that is ok. Some may not be fiscal hawks and that is ok. All should at the very least believe in the core of the party values.
But, alas, these days the moderates, driven by the DBDMSM are convinced that they are the saviors of today's Republican party. We won the White House in 1980 with conservative Ronald Reagan. We won the complete control of congress in 1994 overwhelmingly with conservatives. It is conservatives that always seem to have to help the moderates, never the other way around.
Moderates in the Republican party today seem to only be looking out for number one-themselves. Conservatives look for the whole party, including moderates.
For the above reason, I'll always take a conservative over a moderate GOPer any day!

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