Parker: Republicans Need Shareholder Revolt

[Terri]

By Star Parker
January 12, 2009

The first Gallup poll out on President-elect Barack Obama's stimulus plan shows a divided country, with Republicans in a distinct minority and in opposition.

Democrats support the $750-billion plan (67 percent to 19 percent) as do Independents (54 percent to 37 percent). But Republicans stand in opposition (56 percent to 34 percent).

But taking a look at Republican Party reality inside the Washington beltway, we see a rudderless ship, out of touch with the grass roots of its own party.

Our Republican president -- yes, he is still president -- has taken himself out of the discussion. And on Capitol Hill, the Republican leadership appears quite comfortable with the initiative in principle, expressing reservations only in regard to its form and content.

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[jack virtus]

Well, if with holding money from the Republican National Committee is considered part of the shareholder revolt I have already started revolting. I refused to give any money to the Mccain campaign and I'm being VERY selective to which Republicans receive any money from me.

[Charie]

I can tell you that I'm ready to join a shareholder's revolt. This whole business has just sickened me and Parker is correct that our leadership still hasn't a clue as to what their base thinks they should be doing. They're still inching left and extending that hand across the aisle. How many times do they have to pull back bloody stumps before they get the picture?

When Reagan ran for office there was a clear difference between Republicans and Democrats. the way our party leadership is going any person with an ounce of conservative blood in their body would run in the opposite direction. Any conservatism is reserved only for the fiscal side of conservatism. As far as the moral side goes, their fingers are in their ears and they're singing "La-la-la-la-la."

I receive a mail request for money from the Republican party at least 2 a week now. Much more during the last campaign. There are at least 20 times that in the e-mails I receive. None are getting a cent from me until I see some change in the leadership. End of story.

Thank you Star Parker. I shall be checking Ken Blackwell out.

[social-isms]

I gave money a few years ago to the Minutemen standing watch on our borders. Now, everytime I receive a solicitation from the GOP, I send them a copy of the check and write "When you start to represent conservatives again, you'll get my money".

It is incredible how conservatives have been abandoned. Like the Black in the Dem party, they are taken for granted.

NO MORE...

[Claire Martin]

What Republican jumped to his/her feet to yell, "600,000 more jobs in the U. S. Government is an expansion of the government work force, Mr. P.E.!"

Has any Republican lawmaker said, "Gee, it seems like a trillion dollars might be too much."

Don't any of them remember when Clinton took office and decided to put out a $19billion "stimulus plan" and the Republicans went on the air and on the floor on C-Span and in op-eds to decry it, AND IT DIDN'T GET PASSED?

Michele Bachman's is the only voice I've heard on the horrendous Payback to the Trial Lawyers bills that are rumbling through now. HR 11 and 12 are more shivs to stick into businesses large and small.

If Pelosi won't let you amend stuff, you can at least VOTE NO on these outrages!

[mtncrusr]

The social conservatives have ruled the party since Reagan with some success. But in these dire economic times it's vital that the fiscal conservatives take the lead.

We have a very limited time to save the country from Socialism, so we had better start the revolt soon and with extreem vigor.

[just jim]

As a disgusted Republician, I think that the fall of the Republican Party, along with the USA happened in 1973, when Nixon took the USA off the Gold Standard.
Since that time, we have marched all most in lock step with the History Of Germany, The county, with runaway govt. spending, the people don't count, only the Govt. and Multi-national corps matter, exporting the jobs and importing the folks from south of the border to do the spade work on roads, gardens etc. and whats left now?
Every Republican would be well advised to remember the biggest spender in the history of the Nation, with unending wars and gross mis-magement from the top down, for those who scream NO, look at Katrina, the Iraq War etc.
Our dollar, due to the insane spending by the Bush adm. and his co-horts have left the nation next door to upside down and backwards from where we need to be, with NONE of the problems that were created by this mismanagement solved other than the biggest boondoggle and swindle ever carried out in the history of the world, i.e. the Bail-out.
Wholesale theft from the taxpayers, done by the few for the few at the expense of the many, to the long term determent of all, including what will likely be the downfall of the USA, just as in Germany.
The insane spending has devalued the american dollar at times over sixty per cent vs the Euro in the past few years, and hper inflation is just around the corner, the fiat money printed by our govt. has no more value left than a promise to pay, which is like expecting a drunk or a drug addict to be responsibile.
I am glad he and Nancy are going to Dallas, or is it Paraguay?

[FlaJim]

Since the only thing these entrenched politicians seem to understand is money. the views expressed above about withholding donations to the GOP are right on the mark. I'm first and foremost a conservative and the GOP was the closest party to representing my values and beliefs. It was never the other way around.

It's not enough, either, that we express our discontent to the national party. We need to directly address locally elected Republican officals - as rare as they may be in the NE and on the Left Coast.

A news article over the weekend said McCain was starting his own 'grassroots' movement to reenergize the party. Let none of us be fooled by that. We've already had a taste of his watered down 'conservatism' and a new batch of the stuff won't be any more palatable.

[notoObama]

AMEN AND AMEN!

Start fighting back with the same things our elected officials seem to ONLY understand, MONEY.

Everytime a solicitation is received we should write back and ask for exact plans to where they will spend this money and when we receive satisfactory answers, we will then send money.

SOMEONE in Washington has to become accountable.

I think our elected officials should have to submit an accomplishment and goals summary every year just like most businesses require of their employees. THEIR pay and bonuses should depend on whether they attained successful completion of those accomplishments and goals. JUST LIKE MOST REQUIRE.

I don't think I would be able to continue in a job if my appraisal rating was a single digit every year for four years. It is time to require that they step down if their approval ratings are not raised to above the 50% level every year.

[RiverGirl]

I guess I would suggest that, in addition to simply withholding money from the Republican Party, which I've been doing since Alan Keyes' campaign, that we do the following:

1) communicate with party leadership about exactly WHY we are no longer contributing

2) thoroughly investigate the candidates for party chair and let party leadership (i.e. your national committeeman and woman – it only takes a phone call to your local party HQ to find out who they are) know who we want

3) and again…. GET INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL PARTY. Go to meetings, listen, voice your opinions and ideas, and don’t be intimidated by the “old hands”. Remember, they’re the ones who haven’t been getting the job done.

If there is truly going to be a “shareholder revolt” that means that we, the shareholders, need to be prepared to take the reins. Because if we aren’t prepared to do that, the KOTSQ (keepers-of-the-status-quo) will remain right where they are, and we as a nation will keep on going right down the path we’re on. I personally don’t think that’s acceptable.