Comment by just_mike70
October 30, 2009 @ 9:32 am

Yes, the Republicans are going to see the light and start going conservative. Unfortunately, you either are or are not conservative. The moderate Republicans who are in charge will never be able to embrace conservatism on a visceral level. They will fake it til they make it. Hoffman is a great example of the elected moderate Republicans being more interested in the (R) than they are they core values of our movement.

40% of the US is conservative. I am sure we are spread evenly between Republicans, Democrats and Independents. How do we capture the vote? We need conservative minded Republicans running the party - not moderates. Once we have Ronald Reagan Republicans, the conservatives will vote their hearts and their minds.

Mike

Comment by Paul NY
October 30, 2009 @ 9:55 am

So where's the part about the party seeing the light? We need to clean house, this crew still doesn't have a clue

Comment by VikingGoneWild
October 30, 2009 @ 10:04 am

"Republican Party establishment" says it all. Democrap lite is the new RNC mantra. For the last two elections I've held my money from the RNC and donate directly to candidates. Requests from the RNC get a standard response from me, get away from being a RINO.

Best of luck to Mr. Hoffman.

Comment by Les
October 30, 2009 @ 10:15 am

Well, I am sending Hoffman my 2010 political donation.

You know the one I usually send to the GOP.

I will never again vote for a RINO just so a liberal won't get elected. If there is no candidate that meets my requirements, I will not vote, and support candidates in other areas that meet my requirements.

Comment by Tucker Scofield
October 30, 2009 @ 10:16 am

just_mike70: "Yes, the Republicans are going to see the light and start going conservative. Unfortunately, you either are or are not conservative. The moderate Republicans who are in charge will never be able to embrace conservatism on a visceral level. They will fake it til they make it."

GREAT point! You actually beat me to the punch because that's exactly what I was going to write. We do NOT need another "temperature taker", another party candidate (OR LEADER) who wets his finger to see which way the wind is blowing today. Personally, I'd like to see ALL of these pollsters suddenly and inexplicably just go away so that candidates had to once again run on CONVICTION rather than what the polls told them was popular today.

I would add that your percentages on conservative values are low. Somewhere around 80% of the American population identifies with conservative values, not 40% (although you may have cited the number who actually identify themselves as "conservative"). Unapologetic conviction in those values garners votes, pure and simple.

Comment by svaradara@hotmail.com
October 30, 2009 @ 11:01 am

Bobby wrote "We all see what big spending, corruption, and lack of principles regarding illegal immigration got us: back to back election defeats in 2006 and 2008. We did not lead with conservative values. We had a moderate nominee in 2008. We lost! And now the strategy is to go more moderate?"

Actually, I have to say that an even earlier electoral loss can be traced to lack of conservatism on fiscal matters and illegal immigration--that of Presidential election 1992 (Reagan had been a large spender, Bush Sr even more so; and Reagan's 1986 shamnesty of 3 million malfeasant aliens was certainly not conservative--indeed, it seeded the later problem of even more malfeasants being in the country). Not learning from it, they nominated a "moderate" (or "liberal-lite") in 1996 (Dole) and lost then--to the cent-percent liberal incumbent elected in 1992!

Comment by marilyn
October 30, 2009 @ 11:06 am

mr eberle.

i adore all the things the rnc chair steele has done for the state/county republican committees.

sir who is your county republican central committee chair please. does he mind your bashing him every day?

or do you attend your local chapter of the progressive socialists? that seems to be where your text comes from....

Comment by Ken
October 30, 2009 @ 11:24 am

just_mike70 said it all. The Republican elite cannot just remake themselves. They either are conservative or they're not. They can't have it both ways. I am willing to grant that some moderates might really change their mind on certain issues and be serious about it. Mitt Romney and abortion comes to mind. But generally, we are who we are.

For the Republican party to prove that it is conservative will take deeds and actions over years. It can't be done between now and the next election, or even the one after that. Meanwhile, who cares if a name has an "R", a "D" or an "I" after it? We will vote for the person, not the party.

Comment by ConservativeInCA
October 30, 2009 @ 11:25 am

The leadership of the Republican party has lost touch with its constituency. That is why John McCain was the last Presidential candidate that lost the election and the showing in 06 & 08 resulted in the overwhelming takeover by the Democrats. Unless we get true conservative leadership (GET RID OF STEELE)the Republican party is doomed to be a viable player in politics. The conservatives will begin to gravitate to another party or perhaps even begin a new party called the Conservative party.
We are seeing in California what the rest of the nation is headed for if major change is not done. I pray that MY COUNTRY will awaken before it is too late.

Comment by voxoreason
October 30, 2009 @ 11:25 am

It DOES seem to be a gathering trend toward Hoffman (and it's got to be his conservative stance, since he's not exactly Mr Excitement), and I'm really hoping that he pulls it out, though I don't dabble in NY politics all that much: too obviously bought and paid for. New Yorkers probably don't pay much attention to my district (8) in NC, either.

I would hope the "throw 'em ALL out" crowd will be paying attention to this far north district next week. The support that Hoffman is getting is really focused in this off-off-year election. (While the spinelessness of Boehner and Cantor reveals their true colors. Especially disappointed with Boehner. He usually doesn't drool as he's doing in this case.)

The RNC contacts me by phone or email about once a day, if not more often. Nothing they have to say interests me, so I plan to turn the tables.

I hope others will join me in contacting the RNC and, while noting that you'll probably vote a straight-republican ticket, please stop the contacts until Shelby Steele is OUTTA THERE and they open their eyes to the destruction that occurs when the GOP appeases dems with this "diversity" nonsense, so that we can go back to winning elections with the full participation of the conservative base. OR they can go with their weasel candidates (NY-23 or Arlen Specter instead of Pat Toomey), if not on your dime.

I will be contacting the RNC by snail mail. The more effort you put into a communication, the stronger your beliefs come across. Knocking off a 30-second email or calling 'em for a couple of minutes? Underwhelming.

Shortcut: when you contact a pol or the RNC with, say, a Word doc, save it; then the next time you want to send them snail mail, delete the body, change the date, (this would be a good point to save a contact "blank" that requires only the date - I replace this with XXXXX just to remind me to date it - and your remarks) knock off ONE PAGE TOPS (they haven't got all day) clearly stated. Print it, sign it, run off an envelope (it should pick up the mailing address from the body of your letter) and throw a stamp on it. Ready to go.

Republican National Committee
Attn: Shelby Steele
310 First Street
Washington, D.C. 20003

Phone: 202.863.8500

Yeah, it's easier to call or email, but it will result in a check mark in a column such as for, against, lunatic.

A check mark in a column doesn't present my views.

Or simply watch the news on TV. That'll be a big help!

Comment by ConservativeInCA
October 30, 2009 @ 11:26 am

Sorry, the Republican is party is doomed NOT to be a viable player...

Comment by DBLACE-60
October 30, 2009 @ 11:33 am

I too am with holding any donations to the RNC, and will send them to candidates regardless of party which agrees with my conservative ideas. I have told the RNC over and over to stop soliciting my support until you can assure me that my funds will not go to candidates like Arlen Specter, George Voinovich, Olympia Snowe, and the so called Republican candidate in the 23rd district. If the RNC wants support they need to do the right thing and pull their supoprt from the Republican canididate and support Hoffman.

Comment by tzor
October 30, 2009 @ 11:37 am

New York is an interesting example of the problems within the Republican Party, from the bottom up. Unfortunately, there are a lot of very important local elections going on in the state and a lot of the local Republican committees are concerned about the local elections. I know we probably tend to invoke Reagan’s 11th commandment more times that we probably should but there a lot of people at the bottom who are pretty upset with those at the top. I hope we can really put the pressure on state and federal party leadership after the local elections for this monkey wrench that they threw into our party’s attempts to make real progress in the state this year.

I’m also exceptionally disappointed (well that’s an understatement) at the new state Chairman Ed Cox for not actively trying to stop the fiasco from the past chairman Joseph Mondello. Perhaps he didn’t want to rock the boat so close to the election, but I’m not sure he will be the one to clean house in the state party that New York desperately needs.

I have constantly praised New York for the system that allows us to have a real “Conservative” party to constantly remind and push the Republican Party on the state level back to the conservative roots that make the party successful. At least, as a result of this not common law that allows such parties to exist because normally a candidate can appear on more than one party line, voters have a choice on Tuesday. In some states where the party faithful choose RINOS, the voters have no choice.

Comment by dissident
October 30, 2009 @ 11:55 am

Yesterday, Glenn Beck said that if the Republicans (or the Democrats for that matter) don't get their act together, a third party candidate will win in 2012. I think 2012 is a bit soon, but I think Beck may be right about this.

For years those of us with conservative/libertarian ideals have been told we must be good little soldiers and vote for whoever the Republican party nominates no matter how bad that candidate is, because look how much WORSE the guy with the D by his name is. I got off that train in 05 when I quit the Republicans.

Whether you're driving towards a cliff at 80 miles an hour or at 40, the result is still the same: You're going over..unless you turn the car around. I will no longer vote for anyone who continues to take us towards the cliff, regardless of party.

Go Doug GO!!!!!!!

Comment by Carol from So Cal
October 30, 2009 @ 12:14 pm

The Republicans need to stop falling into the PC trap of diversity and multiculti and just be Conservatives. They're always worried about this "big tent." Build a huge tent of Conservative ideals and everyone who shares those ideals - black, white, brown, red, yellow, purple, gay, straight, men, women, married, single, all religions and ethnic backgrounds - all are welcome. The "diversity" the Repubs crave will come in time as everyone realizes Conservative ideals offer the most freedom and liberty and opportunity, without the patronizing attitudes toward "minorities."

Comment by ONTIME
October 30, 2009 @ 1:08 pm

These RINO's can make all the claim they want to being conservative but just recently we got another taste of how they undermine the conservative candidates in the ongoing elections and until thses slugs are removed from office this is going to be a constant battle. These RINO fence crossers with barb wire crotch rash, have spots on them from years back and they are not going to change just by saying so, those who fall for that ruse may as well declare themselves libs, it's hard not to spot the duck.

You want to have a real Republican Party with a loyalty to the platform or a bunch of halfast, split tongued Arlen Specters around to make everything you work for go to hell in a hand basket when they consistently sell you out or would you like a party with character, honor and integrity that cares about this country and it's future?

Me I like the idea of the latter.

Comment by Jan P
October 30, 2009 @ 2:52 pm

Arlen Specter was, of course, a famous RINO. Nevertheless, he was primarily responsible for getting Roberts and Alito confirmed. (That is something that all real conservatives should care most deeply about.) If the Republicans are not in the majority, then we are not going to be in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Personally I'll take Arlen Specter over Ted Kennedy or Pat Leahy any day.

It's fine to prefer conservatives IF we can elect them. But it's nonsense to say that America is conservative enough so that we could elect enough conservatives to make us a majority party. We can't.

The Democrats can't do what they want to ideally, either. That's why they endorsed pro-life blue dog democrats who are not so liberal in every way. Because if you don't have a majority, your principles will not be able to be put into effect at all. You have to take what you can get. If the best we can get is a RINO, then we have to take him, if that is going to help make us a majority party.

If we can do better, as may be the case with Hoffman, that's even better. But until America is willing to elect 51 John Thunes to the senate, we are going to have to tolerate some RINOS in order to get the most important things done.

Comment by pippoproducts
October 30, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

Finally, some encouraging events. But there is still danger. With the Republican vote split there is a real danger the Democrat will win the election. If the conservative in the race is going to win the get out the vote effort will have to be extraordinary. Spread the word far and near a real republican is running in the NY-23ed district.

Comment by wildfire
October 30, 2009 @ 11:05 pm

Mr. Eberle,

Why on Earth would you quote Perry? He is hardly a paragon of Consevative virtue. Do you not remember the Trans-Texas Corridor? WE DO! How about "Guardisil?" And wasn't he all for amnesty? He is as bad if not worse than Kay and he is only trying to get on the bandwagon of Conservatism to get reelected. WHY oh WHY can't we get a true Consevative candidate for Governor of the greatest state in the union? You must know that Barack Hussein has Texas right in the center of his cross hairs. He has to take us down in order to take over the rest of the country. How else can you explain him and Nancy coming down here every other month?

Comment by DYack
November 1, 2009 @ 9:28 pm

At the time of this comment, Scozzafava has withdrawn from the race, and has backed the DEMOCRAT in the election !!! Is this what the RNC is now doing ? Backing candidates that back the democratic party ?? This is why the Republican party must stand up for conservative ideas - otherwise, you can tell them from democrats !! I commented once before about not giving money to the RNC, because I thought it would be just a wasted as giving it to democrats, and here they almost prove me right by backing a candidate that backs the democrat in an election!!