The title sounds absurd, doesn’t it?
Absurd as in your Republican Party circa 2014, where winning at any cost is the operative strategy.
Not winning against Democrats at any cost — no that would be mean.
Winning at any cost in the Republican Party means winning against Tea Party and conservative challengers in Republican primaries.
In Mississippi, the Washington, D.C. operatives’ strategy for winning the runoff was to get Democrats to vote in the Republican primary for the Republican incumbent who promised to keep the pork flowing from Washington, D.C.
The woman in the featured image apparently is the future of the Republican Party, if Mississippi is any indication.
It was not about protecting a Republican seat. Anyone who says that with a straight face is a fool or a very good liar. Even Reince Preibus acknowledged that Chris McDaniel would have won the general election:
Funny thing is, I started out not caring at all about the Republican Senate primary in Mississippi. It was only when the National Republican Senatorial Committee started playing the race card against McDaniel in true leftist manner that I took note.
I ended up caring, but not because of Chris McDaniel.
Crushing the Tea Party was the goal of the Republican Party, even if it came at a “staggering price.”
Crushing supporters of expanding government and a system of pork barrel politics, not such a priority.
So remind me again, why am I a Republican?
Because it beats being a Democrat?
When the Republican Party establishment needs Democratic voters looking for more government and more pork to win Republican primaries, that’s not a good enough excuse anymore.
Seems to me there are three basic choices: (1) Actively burn down the Republican Party, (2) Keep supporting the Republican Party, (3) Stay home.
Poll open until noon (Eastern) Saturday, June 28
(Featured image: Republican Party primary voter?)
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I have to suggest a fourth choice.
Some will say it is the same as “keep supporting”. It isn’t.
The fourth choice is “keep using it to project the reform movement”.
We are NOT supporting the eGOP, which is why this whole mess in Mississippi happened.
Of course, they KNOW that, and WILL fight us. We are attacking their rice (with pork) bowl.
And, naturally, we have to pretty constantly weigh the costs/benefits of that course of action (using the GOP as a vehicle) versus the costs/benefits of a third-party movement.
I will say this about Mississippi…Thad would NEVER, EVER get my vote again. And I am a pretty pragmatic voter.
In a strange sort of way, I find it encouraging that the GOP fears the Tea Party so much that it has to resort to Democrat tactics to win elections.
Keep pushing. The more stupid the GOP becomes, the better the Tea Party candidates will look.
I believe the RNC is looking ahead long-term. They know the ‘hispanic’ population is where the real growth is. They know amnesty is coming, one way or another. This is their strategy to stay in the game, and to them, they are being pragmatic. And they may be right.
Trouble is, my principles cannot be comprised and aren’t for sale at any price. The Republican red is becoming more purple by the day. Only solution … time for a 3rd party.
Mississippi made that clear. Prior to this, the republican establishment could count on the benefit of the doubt from me when it came to ‘strategy’ in advancing conservative principles.
With Mississippi, they made it clear that they oppose conservative principles and are working to destroy them.
IF the Tea Party becomes a formal political party this year, there will be a great sucking sound as the GOPe loses its base.
If not, then I want to hurt these guys for the pain they have caused us and our time that they have wasted by lying to us. The best way to hurt thugs like this is to take away their power and their money.
We can do that by fighting for Tea Party candidates and take over the GOP. We can do that by not supporting GOPe candidates–like Cochran–in the general (shut up, Estragon–I don’t want to hear it)
We also have an Article V convention process in play.
One thing to watch is they shift in the GOPe when they learn that we see them for what they are. They will go full statist on us.
I would certainly agree WRT Mississippi, where a write-in campaign would amount to the same thing.
But bear in mind, this should be kept in prospective. This was a Mississippi thing. It COULD be a bad mistake to too broadly read it as a national problem. Kansas could tell the tale, however…
They’re silly if they think they can buy the votes of any demographic. For a long time it’s seemed they’re intent on driving as many people from the party as possible. Maybe it really doesn’t matter to them as long as they benefit personally.
I bailed many years ago because principles are more important to me than they seem to be to the party.
They know the ‘hispanic’ population is where the real growth is. They know amnesty is coming, one way or another. This is their strategy to stay in the game, and to them, they are being pragmatic. And they may be right.
The GOP’s share of the “Hispanic” vote peaked in 1984, and has declined ever since the 1986 amnesty. Explicitly pandering to that demographic like Democrats for nearly 30 years has gained them absolutely nothing.
I take issue with the inevitability of a dominant Hispanic vote. That can only happen if all the illegals here are allowed to remain so that their children are born in the US.
Deport them all. Now. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been here 2 days or 20 years. They broke our laws repeatedly, deliberately.
“Charity is not part of the legislative duty of the government” – James Madison. Enforce the laws, ignore the sob stories. Do we let bank robbers off because of a sob story?
Make them hurt voters in Mississippi, launch a write in campaign for McDaniels. Showem’ better then you can tellem’
rip it apart, like removing a gauze pad from a crusted over festering wound.
On Mississippi: normally I’d be delighted to find a Pub candidate who could cross over and pick up a significant number of black voters. Finally, I’d say, here is a candidate who understands how to deliver the conservative message to a block of voters who would truly benefit from that message.
Except Thad Cochran didn’t do that, and we all know it. How many of the black voters who came out Tuesday to vote for Thad are going to vote Pub in the fall? Um, perhaps none?
I don’t blame Cochran for grubbing to find votes — that’s what grubs do, and he’s a grub. I get that the power establishment is as uncomfortable with conservative activists who want to live up to our principles as they are with radical progressives who want to tear the country down. It’s human nature to want things to keep going as they are. It’s the political gyroscope — just keep spinning.
Conservative activists should not burn down the party. Rather, LEARN from the experience. We know now that the grubs will turn to Democrats to keep power. Use that. We have more primaries coming up this year — will Mr. Roberts try this in Kansas? Okay, if you’re a conservative political worker, how do you counter?
Remember the old Klingon proverb about how to serve revenge. Don’t get mad. Get even.
The Establishment haven’t realized yet that THEY too, are part of the problem. TEA is coming at you Establishment….
ah, the irony. clear-cut voter fraud at the hands of dim voters…..but at the behest of a corrupt repug
Seems to me the many variations of Tea Party groups, local and national, are missing their goals by not playing politics at the same level as the “elite” who have mastered the art of the worst aspects of the game. It’s honorable to stick exclusively to the message and promoting your priorities, but it doesn’t seem to beat out the dirty tricks from decades of political experience.
Perhaps they need to start devoting a little more energy and effort to the game. I’m no expert, but there has to be a way to better counteract the deceit and tricks.
I voted burn it down. Once someone stabs you in the back it makes no sense at all to continue supporting them. The establishment GOP most definitely stabbed their base in the back with the stunt they pulled in Mississippi.
Low information voting is contagious. Wear a mask next time you vote.
“winning at any cost is the operative strategy.” – hell yeah that is the correct strategy! Winning is everything and I think that losing is for losers. You cannot make changes until you actually win elections.
“Winning is everything…”
Well, no. It really isn’t. That old “ends justify…” urge has been used by corrupt-0-crats, criminals and tyrants as long as people have been organized.
While I believe in fighting hard and smart, there are just lots of things I won’t do to win.
But we do learn more about you with each post.
My team vs.your team rah, rah, rah. Anything for the W!!
Conservatives want to defeat Progressives on principles and need to remember that. GOPe wants to go along to get a piece of the pie. As Conservatives we stand against the Progressives, not out of team loyalty, but because we know where the Progressive March leads. It leads to millions of dead people.
If the GOPe wants to go along with this, it remains our duty to fight without them.
Ronald Reagan was a notable “loser” in 1964 and 1976. Just sayin’.
“So remind me again, why am I a Republican?
Because it beats being a Democrat?”
Because ‘stupid’ is better than ‘evil’? Hmm… but what about being both stupid *and* evil?
How neither stupid or evil?
That seems doable… Even…I dunno…good.
Crony capitalists have fully captured the Bipartisanship Party.
Remember all the RINOs who said the Tea Party should put aside differences and support GOP Establishment candidates up for election because… unity!
Where are they now? I’ve got some “unity” for them.
Estragon?
We are Republicans because it seems more tenable to take the party back (from white haired, corrupt, DC centric white guys?) than to start a new party. But Thad and his porker friends certainly drew a clear battle line … they HATE Americans that demand a limited constitutional government.
The tea party concept won a lot of people quickly, so the DC centrists attacked it and/or counterfeited it (occupy), from every angle. Would a tea party win Democrats over, if we started a new party? The Dems I know, even educated ones, pretty much swallow whole the PC religion, as fed to them in convenient prepackaged sound bites.
The tea party concepts are favored by the majority, but elections are (apparently) won by big media propaganda, big money, popularity, free stuff and PC slogans. Add in some voter fraud, and union “armies” endowed with billions to get out the vote (or purchasing votes), and concepts are lost in the moment.
The Barbered Cochraned mansions have a tight web of big money that has flowed from middle class America into their pockets. How dare middle class Republicans object to their princely position.
Tea Party … Cocktail Party … Southern Comfort Party? 🙂
I believe the vast majority of Democrats sit somewhere on the spectrum that goes from statist to full-blown communist. They really believe that Government is the answer to every problem and that it exists to cure what ills ya’ and to ensure that everything is ‘fair.’
In other words they are blithering morons, so no, a new Tea Party would never appeal to them.
There is a quality to this incident that is very different from times past.
The betrayal strikes deep and cannot be explained away
[b] Cochran has not won yet. [/b] TCTH is reporting that they are finding a lot of illegal votes.
In a Mississippi Republican runoff, those who voted in the Republican primary can vote, those who didn’t vote can vote, those who voted in the Democratic primary cannot vote.
McDaniels people are finding tons and tons of votes of the third type of vote.
Seems a long shot, but still maybe things can be salvaged.
[b] Shame on you Professor,as a lawyer, for missing this point. [/b] 😉
Cochran has not won yet. TCTH is reporting that they are finding a lot of illegal votes.
In a Mississippi Republican runoff, those who voted in the Republican primary can vote, those who didn’t vote can vote, those who voted in the Democratic primary cannot vote.
McDaniels people are finding tons and tons of votes of the third type of vote.
Seems a long shot, but still maybe things can be salvaged.
Shame on you Professor,as a lawyer, for missing this point.
Fixed it. Shame on you too for not yet having an edit button.
shame on you for not knowing your HTML syntax. what kind of geek are you anyway?
It’s not HTML. It’s the syntax used in comments on various websites. [] used to be prevalent, and Ars Technica still uses it. IIRC so does the Orlando Sentinel. It used to share the stage with HTML () syntax. Now HTML is more prevalent. I forget which websites use which.
“Preview”
This MS election rubbed in the profound ignorance and folly of black Democrats. They showed America, once again, how easy it is to manipulate them. Blow the dog whistle of racism and watch black Americans, in lock step, march unthinkingly to do someone’s bidding. That is dangerous. Very. It is stupid to the max. White Democrats and the GOPE must be ROFL laughing. Look how easy it is to roll black America.
You can make your point without the vituperation directed at black people.
There were far more “profoundly ignorant … foolish … manipulated … marching in lockstep to do someone’s bidding … dangerous … stupid” WHITE PEOPLE who voted for Cochran.
Case in point between you two–the race card works.
I’m thick — please explain!
Yes, you are.
Invective? You call speaking the truth invective? You are using the language of Democrats against me, Lesky, because, left-handedly, you are calling me a racist. Instead of trying to deflect and nullify what I said, show me where I am wrong. Unfortunately for the mealy-mouthed, I’m one of these people who must be shown, via logical argumentation, that what I say is untrue, invalid, illogical, whatever.
Cochran did not have people place the race card for whites. He had it done for black MSians. Black Amereican vote 95% plus for Democrats or in response to a Democrat dog whistle. Is that not lockstep? When people don’t take time to discover for themselves who the candidates are and what the issues are but let so done feed them lies and truck them to the voting both to pull the lever is that not stupid and unthinking. When people are continually let themselves be used and abused by a party using the same dog whistle over and over again, what do you call that?
Black Americans have let themselves be rolled by the race games of the Democrat party, and every election cycle they let themselves be manipulated. I’ve had students tell me they hated George Bush but they could not provide a rationale besides Kanye West’s absurdity. The folly of that is incredible. In MS, black people let themselves be used by Democrats to serve a RINO. The irony and folly of that is unimaginable. Hate GOPers, do you? Yet you step out and pull the lever for a GOPEr because somebody fed you lies about the Conservative. That’s is ignorant, stupid, unthinking. That says the people handing you the argument think you’re a bunch of morons, worse yet, easily manipulated morons.
I’m a woman (black) who has been observing the political responses of the black community for decades, and I know you can’t prove me wrong. The saving grace of black America is the Conservatives who are off of the plantation, and look what the black community does to them.
I see it is now its time for some Tom Lehrer.
Oh, the white folks hate the black folks,
And the black folks hate the white folks.
To hate all but the right folks
Is an old established rule.
But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week,
Lena Horne and Sheriff Clarke are dancing cheek to cheek.
It’s fun to eulogize
The people you despise,
As long as you don’t let ’em in your school.
Oh, the poor folks hate the rich folks,
And the rich folks hate the poor folks.
All of my folks hate all of your folks,
It’s American as apple pie.
But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week,
New Yorkers love the Puerto Ricans ’cause it’s very chic.
Step up and shake the hand
Of someone you can’t stand.
You can tolerate him if you try.
Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics,
And the Catholics hate the Protestants,
And the Hindus hate the Muslims,
And everybody hates the Jews.
But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week,
It’s National Everyone-smile-at-one-another-hood Week.
Be nice to people who
Are inferior to you.
It’s only for a week, so have no fear.
Be grateful that it doesn’t last all year!
What the GOPe did in MS was an act of war against the conservative base.
The question is, will conservatives continue to take it like they have for years and vote for the lesser of two liberals?
Similar results in the Illinois senate and gubernatorial primaries…we have two consummate RINOs, Bruce Rauner for Governor and Jim Oberweis for Senate, on the ballot in the fall. Older, jowl-y, monied, moderate….
However, how can you blow up the party in the general election unless someone mounts the world’s most tremendous write-in campaign? Staying home elects democrats. Every GOPe fundraising letter goes straight in the circular file. You’ve got to support the real candidates (Dan Bongino, Milton Wolf, etc.) directly.
I vote for those who said “take it over” and in the meantime “use it it promote Tea Party principles.”
When younger (and living in a state where it mattered), I was involved in Libertarian politics. Since then have registered Independent. Just looked at the homepage of my county GOP organization. It begins: “If you are of about (sic) concerned about the skyrocketing cost of living because of rising taxes, you are not alone.”
That sounds good. May be time to check it out. See first hand how a Reince Priebus or a Michael Steele get to lead the GOP. Support competent principled candidates for party or govt offices at whatever level possible. See what happens.
Between this and what just happened with all of the funds in Cantor’s district, it’s obvious that Republicans in power view their constituents as little more than a doormat.
My momma and daddy taught me NOT to be a battered wife – from where I stand, the Republican party has now become an abusive element.
I won’t vote Democrat, but the Republican party I’ve been a member of my entire adult life (first vote was for Reagan in 1980) won’t be getting any more of my support, either.
Independent Party, here I come….
So instead of working hard to takeover local GOP committees who have a say in who gets on the ballot, you’re like so many whose effort is limited to voting in primary and general elections, complaining about the candidate you picked…and worst, giving Democrats a guaranteed numerical advantage by splitting and voting Independent.
You’re not hurting the GOP when you do that. You’re hurting grassroots forces who are trying to win general elections.
My mother-in-law lives in Wilkinson County MS near the Louisiana line. She’s registered Democrats because in many local offices no Republican runs.
All of her news outlet come out of Baton Rouge and she knew very little about McDaniel. She voted for Cochran and will probably do so again.
It is appalling what the Cochran campaign did but we need to have a Republican majority in order to get rid of Harry Reid.
I’m concerned because, here in Louisiana I hear no positive ads about Republicans running against Senator Mary Landrieu. I’m not sure what’s going on. My Rep Congressman Dr. Bill Cassidy is being challenged by a Tea Party newcomer Rob Maness who has never run for office.
We need to win this one. Republicans must get behind one candidate as that is our only chance to stop the idiocy in DC.
Yes. Vote to reward the GOP for importing democrat voters and using racist language against conservatives to win.
Yeah. Stop the idiocy in DC. Vote the racist GOP elitists who supported this vile campaign out.
Kelly Ayotte (NH)
John Thune (S.D.)
Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
John Cornyn (Texas),
John Barasso (Wyo.)
James Risch (Idaho)
Roy Blunt (Mo)
Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
Susan Collins (Maine)
Professor,
You are a Republican because “Republican” is a form of government that the Founders decided upon, having scrutinized 2,500 years of western history.
You are a Republican because you recognize your place in the Preamble which ask of you to uphold Article IV Section 4 of our Constitution.
You are a Republican because your are the modern witness against the violence and instability of Athenian Democracy which is still favored by many nations to this day and of which Obama Party’s is consistently named after.
You are a Republican because you understand the distinction between ‘GOP’ (A national candidate recruiting, political consulting and fundraising franchise which claim to monopolize that name) and what the Founders understood as a constitutional balance between what the Republican Romans called Res Publica and Res Privatae.
That the GOP “leaders” are actively destroying that name does not give you leave to abandon it.
OK, assuming real elections in November with a real vote count reported that is within reason of the number of actual votes cast by living US citizens; the Republicans were going to take the Senate. If that assumption is false, we have moved from the second box to the third.
They were never going to sweep things, but a final Republican majority of 53 was not unreasonable. That gives McConnell and friends better offices, but does not mean any changes in policy because, well; McConnell, McConnell’s promise to give the filibuster power back to the Democrats, and the fact that there are at least 6 DIABLO Republican Senators who will vote with the Democrats on anything important. And that is about the best that they can do.
If there is any hope for the Republican Party [and I really don’t have such hope] it is putting enough fear, real fear, in the hearts of their leadership. If electoral politics is to survive, we have to make them afraid of us. The only thing that can do that is make them leave their cushy jobs.
If you are a Constitutional Conservative, it is vital that Boehner in the House, and McConnell and Cochran in the Senate LOSE their seats and be replaced by a Democrat. That is the one thing that will be the last warning to the Institutional Republicans.
If you have one of these three on your ballot, either vote for the Democrat; or if you cannot bring yourself to do that which is understandable, leave that vote blank. But these three have to go, and it cannot be denied that they have earned unemployment through their treason to the Conservative cause. If you do not have them on your ballot, grit your teeth and send their Democrat opponent money.
If McConnell and Cochran lose, there would still be a 51-49 Republican majority assuming that they can mend fences with the base before any putative real election in November. No practical change from the 53-47 best case. Losing Boehner will have zero effect on a Republican majority in the House, because they are going to pick up a few seats anyway.
Note that this also depends on the Institutionals mending fences. If they refuse, then they are, to use the past pluperfect subjunctive; Scrod. They will not survive the fire as it burns down.
Will it work? Probably not. They believe that they are the elite and invulnerable. But does anybody have any other practical idea that might work to avoid going to the third box? And this way, if things go Tango Uniform, we can honestly say we tried to avoid it.
I get the sense based on blogs and comments that McDaniel will get some write in votes whether he runs a write in campaign or not. Even if he raises some more dough and runs a hard charging write in campaign he’ll almost certainly lose. But at least a voter will have a clear conscience knowing he voted for the conservative candidate who won the most Republican votes in two different elections in three weeks.
So remind me again, why am I a Republican?
Because there are organized forces working right now to improve the Republican party and correct some of its obvious faults.
There are no such forces working to improve the Democratic party.
I don’t see a difficult choice there.
I agree with Swift. There is no alternative right now. Get through the 2014 election and don’t let “divide and conquer” tactics blow it.
You don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, as they say.
I’m a longtime, principles based, garden variety conservative and the GOP has made it abundantly clear they think I’m the enemy.
Ok, then. My choice is clear.
Burn it down.
Let it burn.
However, I truly want the GOP to reach a workable majority to thwart Obama’s appointments to courts and committees. The problem with the GOP getting to that outcome is the GOP Establishment view their base with equal (scratch that — more) contempt than they do the Democrats and other Leftists.
They truly want us to shut up and vote like the loyal morons (low-information voters) that support and reelected Obama. Perhaps it has reached the moment to cast the Republican party into the political wilderness for a generation or two. That would mean helping the Democrats.
Could we do that? It’s better to support candidates and groups that support and defend the Constitution. But it is beyond obvious that we should not support the official Republican party any longer, nationally, and likely at the state level (unless you are certain your state GOP is deserving of it).
And how many Democrats vote for some of the fringe and weak tp candidates hoping they will win so the Democrat can walk to a victory.
McDaniel is a whiner and not ready for work outside of Mississippi.
The tp work to defeat Republicans and Republicans work to defeat Democrats.
At this continued rate Harry Reid will continue to be Democrat majority leader.
The TP works to change the Republican Party into something worth voting for, just as the Republican Party, circa 1852, worked to change the Whig Party into something worth voting for.
Actions have consequences.
Do you sincerely believe that any self respecting conservative cares about rewarding a corrupt politician who threatens to “crush” them with the title senate majority leader?
Once the corrupt gopE aligned with the Left and smeared us as racist they crossed the Rubicon.
McConnell is for amnesty, keeping 0bamacare, shoving a carbon and VAT tax down your throat, he likes Big Government and he thinks your are a racist just like Harry Reid. His constituents are the US Chamber of Corrupt Crony Capitalism and he has no intention of addressing the staggering debt. In fact he will spend more, just like Harry Reid.
Your point is he is a Republican? No, he just colluded with the Democrats and called you a racist. He’s a Democrat.
You are already voting for Democrats you just are willfully blind.
Just got here. I voted “keep supporting,” but with these additions: Work in your local county and state to move the Republican Party in a conservative direction, give money in your locality and state to conservative candidates, and nationally, give your money to Americans for Prosperity.
Reince just said Mississippi doesn’t matter.
In dismissal.
@ WENDYBAR, Et Alii:
Thank you, thank you, thank YOU ( ! ! ! ) for spelling the words, “TEA Party” correctly, as the initials in the acronym, “TEA” (i.e., in all upper case fonts), represent the words, “Taxed Enough Already”.
Even though it is being nearly universally done, it is incorrect to write it as, “Tea Party” (i.e., spelling, “Tea”, with lower case fonts).
Failing to properly spell the acronym, “TEA”, causes the message, “TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY!”, to be overlooked, and thus, lost.
So, Wendy, thank you, and please keep up your good work.
Two words: Rick Santelli.
and tp receives many Libertarian votes.
If McDaniel was so wonderful he would have won outright no matter what votes anyone else received