A lesson for Michael Steele
Now that Michael Steele is the new RNC Chairman he might want to start taking some notes. Andrew Breitbart offers up the first thing he should take note of -- namely, locate conservative talent, and quit backing "maverick" incumbents: (HT to The Other McCain)
Sometimes I just don't get the Republican Party.
Back in 2004, a smart, good-looking moderate Republican Hispanic ran for Congress. At the time Victor Elizalde was just under 40 years old and working as an executive at a big-time Hollywood studio. As an ethnic minority, a family man and a rare open conservative in an industry dominated by liberals, Mr. Elizalde represented hope and change for the Republican Party.
Yet because he was running for Henry A. Waxman´s safe seat, Mr. Elizalde got no support from the Republican Party . In fact, no one in the party´s leadership took notice of him. As a result Mr. Waxman trounced Mr. Elizalde with 71 percent of the vote.
Mr. Elizalde has since moved on with his life and is no longer pursuing a political career. What a major waste of talent. Yet again, I blame the conservative movement and the Republican Party for writing off Hollywood completely.
Mr. Waxman has run virtually uncontested for 35 years now. And he causes nothing but problems for Republicans. To hear him speak, you´d think the Grand Old Party is the No. 1 scourge in the world. Yet Republicans are nice to him and do nothing to hold him accountable for his miserable failure as Hollywood's key congressional representative in Washington.
Chairman Steele, the base is sick of Republicans like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John McCain, Arlen Specter, etc. They are, by definition, Republicans in name only, and the sort that work with Democrats to push forward an agenda that is anathema to the conservative base of the party. In 2004, Lincoln Chafee was targeted by the conservative base, and was tossed from office. We couldn't trust him to stick with the party on important issues. The same can be said of the aforementioned Republicans.
In short, the time has come to not only rid the party of these elected representatives, but to find young, conservative talent to get rid of idiots like Henry Waxman, John Murtha, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, etc. Nothing will change in DC until we get rid of the more liberal-minded Republicans and their Democrat buddies.
The RNC is going to need money for the 2010 and 2012 elections. But the base shouldn't give any money to it until Mr. Steele sends the message that the status quo in the party is changing. We firmly believe it should come in 2010 by withdrawing support from Senator McCain during the primaries. Make him use his own funds to defend his seat in the primary where he will certainly face challengers. (Yes, while McCain received a good deal of support in his presidential bid once he was the nominee, people in Arizona -- us included -- are again getting sick and tired of his maverick ways.) And yes, I'm aware that we'll catch Hell from some of our colleagues for turning on him. Truth be told, we never turned in his favor. We simply backed him because he was the GOP nominee, and it'd be a cold day in Hell when we backed the liberal/socialist that did get elected.
The time is now for change, and I don't mean that in an Obama way. (His talk of change is mere empty rhetoric served up for the foolish lemmings that voted for him.) I'm talking about real change. Steele said this after being elected to the RNC chairmanship:
"To those who stand in difference with us, it's time for something completely different," Steele said to applause. "And we're going to bring it to you. We're going to bring this party to every corner, every board room, every neighborhood and every community. And we're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us. ... And to those of you who will obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."
Powerful statement, but is it empty, or does he really mean a true change? A return to the conservative principles that shifted the party from the Rockefeller Republicans to the Reagan Republicans? We'll see. We know there are quite a few people who disagree on the election of Michael Steele. They claim he's a moderate. Robert Stacy McCain tackles that issue in his new Pajamas Media column, and points out it's not the moderate slur he has to weather. It's whether or not the man can take his experience and turn the GOP's woes around. We think he can. But it must start with a full-fledged house cleaning. It's time to let the moderates that sit in Congress know that their days are numbered.
That base isn't going to sit by the side of the road, and let these buffoons run roughshod over the party. It's our party. It has been since Reagan wrestled the old-time Republicans for control of the party, and won. Most Republicans we know claim that they are conservatives, and when we talk to them they sound like a conservative. And they're not pleased with the direction of the party right now.
Michael Steele has a chance to not only change that direction, but to show the Republican base that he is serious about winning in the future.
Publius II
Sometimes I just don't get the Republican Party.
Back in 2004, a smart, good-looking moderate Republican Hispanic ran for Congress. At the time Victor Elizalde was just under 40 years old and working as an executive at a big-time Hollywood studio. As an ethnic minority, a family man and a rare open conservative in an industry dominated by liberals, Mr. Elizalde represented hope and change for the Republican Party.
Yet because he was running for Henry A. Waxman´s safe seat, Mr. Elizalde got no support from the Republican Party . In fact, no one in the party´s leadership took notice of him. As a result Mr. Waxman trounced Mr. Elizalde with 71 percent of the vote.
Mr. Elizalde has since moved on with his life and is no longer pursuing a political career. What a major waste of talent. Yet again, I blame the conservative movement and the Republican Party for writing off Hollywood completely.
Mr. Waxman has run virtually uncontested for 35 years now. And he causes nothing but problems for Republicans. To hear him speak, you´d think the Grand Old Party is the No. 1 scourge in the world. Yet Republicans are nice to him and do nothing to hold him accountable for his miserable failure as Hollywood's key congressional representative in Washington.
Chairman Steele, the base is sick of Republicans like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John McCain, Arlen Specter, etc. They are, by definition, Republicans in name only, and the sort that work with Democrats to push forward an agenda that is anathema to the conservative base of the party. In 2004, Lincoln Chafee was targeted by the conservative base, and was tossed from office. We couldn't trust him to stick with the party on important issues. The same can be said of the aforementioned Republicans.
In short, the time has come to not only rid the party of these elected representatives, but to find young, conservative talent to get rid of idiots like Henry Waxman, John Murtha, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, etc. Nothing will change in DC until we get rid of the more liberal-minded Republicans and their Democrat buddies.
The RNC is going to need money for the 2010 and 2012 elections. But the base shouldn't give any money to it until Mr. Steele sends the message that the status quo in the party is changing. We firmly believe it should come in 2010 by withdrawing support from Senator McCain during the primaries. Make him use his own funds to defend his seat in the primary where he will certainly face challengers. (Yes, while McCain received a good deal of support in his presidential bid once he was the nominee, people in Arizona -- us included -- are again getting sick and tired of his maverick ways.) And yes, I'm aware that we'll catch Hell from some of our colleagues for turning on him. Truth be told, we never turned in his favor. We simply backed him because he was the GOP nominee, and it'd be a cold day in Hell when we backed the liberal/socialist that did get elected.
The time is now for change, and I don't mean that in an Obama way. (His talk of change is mere empty rhetoric served up for the foolish lemmings that voted for him.) I'm talking about real change. Steele said this after being elected to the RNC chairmanship:
"To those who stand in difference with us, it's time for something completely different," Steele said to applause. "And we're going to bring it to you. We're going to bring this party to every corner, every board room, every neighborhood and every community. And we're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us. ... And to those of you who will obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."
Powerful statement, but is it empty, or does he really mean a true change? A return to the conservative principles that shifted the party from the Rockefeller Republicans to the Reagan Republicans? We'll see. We know there are quite a few people who disagree on the election of Michael Steele. They claim he's a moderate. Robert Stacy McCain tackles that issue in his new Pajamas Media column, and points out it's not the moderate slur he has to weather. It's whether or not the man can take his experience and turn the GOP's woes around. We think he can. But it must start with a full-fledged house cleaning. It's time to let the moderates that sit in Congress know that their days are numbered.
That base isn't going to sit by the side of the road, and let these buffoons run roughshod over the party. It's our party. It has been since Reagan wrestled the old-time Republicans for control of the party, and won. Most Republicans we know claim that they are conservatives, and when we talk to them they sound like a conservative. And they're not pleased with the direction of the party right now.
Michael Steele has a chance to not only change that direction, but to show the Republican base that he is serious about winning in the future.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:20 AM
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