Brutal but true.
“MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) – South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint on Friday became one of the first high-profile Republicans to publicly criticize John McCain following his electoral defeat, blaming the Arizona senator for betraying conservative principles in his quest for the White House.
The conservative senator, speaking to a group of GOP officials gathered in Myrtle Beach at a conference on the future of the Republican Party, described how the party had strayed from its own “brand,” which, according to DeMint, should represent freedom, religious-based values and limited government.
“We have to be honest, and there’s a lot of blame to go around, but I have to mention George Bush, and I have to mention Ted Stevens, and I’m afraid I even have to mention John McCain,” he said.
DeMint offered a long list of complaints about McCain’s record in the Senate and on the campaign trail.
“McCain, who is proponent of campaign finance reform that weakened party organizations and basically put George Soros in the driver’s seat,” DeMint said. “His proposal for amnesty for illegals. His support of global warming, cap-and-trade programs that will put another burden on our economy. And of course, his embrace of the bailout right before the election was probably the nail in our coffin this last election. And he has been an opponent of drilling in ANWR, at a time when energy is so important. It really didn’t fit the label, but he was our package.”
Bush and Stevens, he said, had corrupted the party brand by expanding the size of government and engaging in wasteful government spending. Had Republicans not strayed from their core beliefs in recent years, DeMint argued, the election results might have been different.
“Americans do prefer a traditional conservative government,” he said. “They just did not believe Republicans were going to give it to them.”
Which is absolutely true. Look, it’s not about Bush and McCain now. It’s not about “changing our ways” - there is nothing wrong with core conservatism. We don’t have to “mesh” or “appeal” to voters. We simply have to stand on strong core conservative principals and communicate them effectively.
McCain didn’t do this. He should have stood fast against the bailout. He didn’t. He should have spoken a message that Reagan touted that Government isn’t the answer to our problems, but that it is the problem. He didn’t.
In 1980 Reagan appealed to the moderates and independents not because he tried to act like them, but because he told them about conservatism and they believed him.
McCain tried to cajole their vote and it didn’t work.
It’s time now however to stop the recrmination. McCain’s loss was a repudiation of watered down conservatism. The time for the RINO is dead and it’s time to bury him.
2 Responses
retire05
November 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
1And now it is time for the voices of true conservatism to come to the forefront. Those like Jim DeMint, Jeb Hensarling, Joe Barton, Bobby Jindal and others who know that when voters are given a choice between Democrat and Democrat Lite, the real thing will take the day every time.
I like you, was not a fan of John McCain. He was too far to the left, having moved from what I even consider centerist, for me. I am wondering how he feels now that it is clear that his signature bill, McCain-Feingold is part of the reason he lost and clearly cost him the election for a position he thought he was in line to hold.
He avoided an issue that is important to every border state in the union, illegal immigration. He backed a bill that angred the entire nation and then avoided that. He basked in the praise of the media such as the NYSlimes as they sang his praises as long as he was sticking his thumb in the eye of Republicans. And when he voted for a bail out package that 80% of Amrica was against, he signed his own political death warrant.
Reagan was right; government is not the answer. It is the problem. And the “young” Republicans know it. They know that the “go along to get along” philosophy doesn’t work. They know that the “senior” elected have sold conservatism out and become what we espoused to be against.
The Republican platform doesn’t need reworking. What needs reworking is the attitutde of the very Republicans who have failed to uphold the platform; smaller government, less taxation, freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail due to personal responsibility. To understand that for every dollar that is given to someone, it is taken from someone else.
Reagan could explain this like no other. But we have no Reagan so we must convince our core conservative Republicans that they must start being vocal. We have for far too long watched as Democrats took to the steps of Congress with cameras and microphones shoved in their faces to tell the American people their way is the right way. That needs to end; today. We must learn to stand our ground, dispell the the myths that have cost us election (the culture of corruption for 2006) and be the party of inclusion as we have always been.
It is back to basics time. It is squeeky wheel that gets greased, the thorn in the side that gets attention.
Repulbicans could start out by imposing a two year moritorium on all pork spending and let the Democrats take the hit for wasteful spending as Jeb Hensarling has suggested.
Now it is time to look to Republican governors (all who won their elections) to lead the way back to basics.
DavidL
November 15th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
2No more open primaries. No more democrats selecting republican nominees. No more RINO’s. No more losting to the most liberal senator in Congress.
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