The Republican Party is in serious trouble if its leadership continues the habit of disparaging conservative tea-party candidates. This is one reason why I believe people have become disillusioned, left the Republican Party and are looking for a third party that represents their values, no matter how damaging this may be when it comes to defeating Democrats in the general election. November 2010 could be either a sweeping and historic conservative victory or a permanent and perhaps fatal blow to the Republican Party establishment.
William F. Buckley famously said, “always vote for the conservative who could win”. I completely agree with this idea. I have yet to find a Blue Dog Democrat worth supporting and I think their rumored existence is about as likely as Sasquatch. Despite my respect for Buckley, the political landscape has changed so much in the last two years that I believe “who could win” has changed more than some people may think.
Democrats no longer value our republican form of government and the liberty of the individual to succeed and fail. Instead, they are grossly enamored with direct democracy and big government social engineering. Then there is the Republican Party, which has been influenced by the lovely-sounding lies of progressivism, sacrificing its conservative message and classical liberal values to the priests of the main stream media at the altar of Congress. The Democrat Party should just dispense with pretenses and start referring to themselves as the “Social Democratic Party”. Likewise, in threatening to withhold funds from a candidate who won the Delaware primary, the current leadership of the Republican party should admit that they are arrogant and out of touch with conservatives.
Establishment Republicans are upset by the Christine O’Donnell victory in Delaware because they obviously believe that we need a more moderate Republican to take back Joe Biden’s Senate seat. The people of Delaware apparently disagree and have clearly spoken. Who are GOP leaders to judge Christine O’Donnell, especially considering the performance of the Republican Party over the past couple electoral seasons? In fact, they are not just judging O’Donnell when they criticize her victory; they are also judging the citizens of Delaware to be simpletons, fools, and too far outside of the mainstream the GOP Washington elite, while also sowing the seeds of division in a time when Republican unity is more necessary than almost any time in our history.
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In Arizona, Western Free Press—an online newspaper that hearkens back to the days when newspapers admitted their bias—is paying close attention to hotly contested congressional races in Arizona. One of them, in AZ-1, involves a tight contest between incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick and Dr. Paul Gosar, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin who in this case doesn’t offend the sensibilities of the GOP establishment, and is also a great candidate.
The Republican Party’s “leadership” needs to open its eyes and ears to the reality of the Conservative renaissance and support Christine O’Donnell and those like her or face the prospects of being out of power by alienating its conservative base. Conservatives, even if reluctantly, have decided to stand behind Sen. John McCain after his victory against J.D. Hayworth and the GOP can and must do the same with Christine O’Donnell. After all, don’t beltway Republicans describe their party as a “big tent”? How big can the tent be if Christine O’Donnell can’t fit under it?
A big tent party is a great thing as long as its tent posts are core values like life, liberty, private property rights, choice in education, 1st and 2nd Amendment rights as well as a love for this country and a strong foreign policy. Some Republicans have lost their way because they have traded these values in for Progressive imitations; others hold them traditionally but can’t defend and argue for them in the public square, with Rep. Paul Ryan and Gov. Chris Christie being notable exceptions. “Yes we can” return to and defend our values against the relativism and skepticism of the progressive left. “Yes we can” get conservatives elected. It is a difficult task given the hostile media environment and the years spent neglecting the work of understanding conservative values and their foundations. The citizens involved in the Tea Party movement are rising to the occasion. Will the GOP establishment match their commitment, energy, and passion? We can only hope, but regardless, I believe that “we the people” can and will succeed.
I understand the worries that the GOP has with Christine O'Donnell, but in my opinion those concerns do not merit the undermining of her win in the Republican primary. I believe conservatives in Arizona understand the situation and for the good of the party and the country will support the more moderate John McCain after he won his primary battle against J.D. Hayworth. I hope Republicans like Karl Rove and Jonah Goldberg will have enough sense to do the same.
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