Conservative Stars Vie for RNC Chair

Thompson wants it only if he can sleep during the meetings. Newt wants to demonize democrats. After all, he doesn't care if the country has enormous problems as long as he can have power and another secretary to have an affair with. How about a nice guy who will promote conservatism and civility. Lord knows the republicans have just about bankrupted us. Lets talk fiscal conservatism

Exodus - Chapter 2, The Preparation

On the first day of Preparation, the Beloved One brought His Counselors back together. Earlier, He asked them to examine the ten most pressing issues He must address, when authority formally transferred to Him. Each issue was placed in its own, sealed envelope, lettered A thru J. After meeting with George XLIII, the Beloved One began to understand the difficulties facing Him. He decided to solve the eighth problem first. He reached for his Preparation “H.” He now understood, many more Scholars would be required to govern. He instructed His Counselors to find other loyal subjects, each with a specific field of knowledge. The Beloved One began to assemble His Circle of Advisors.

Exodus Chapter 2, Verse 1, Lines 1 - 9

The good ole' boys networks is alive and well at the RNC. Now why in the hell would they want to work with President-elect Obama or try to restore this country ??????????? Bad enough they have stood on the sidelines destroying this country piece by piece, now they can't wait to further run a large knife thru her heart. For people contnuing to parrot about patriotism, these dumb ass sore loser nincompoops wouldn't know the meaning of the world "patriotism" if it slapped them in their face. They only care about greed and power - screw this country, screw the constitution, screw the laws and screw the American people.

November 11, 2008
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Darkness at Dusk

By DAVID BROOKS
It’s only been a week since the defeat, but the battle lines have already been drawn in the fight over the future of conservatism.

In one camp, there are the Traditionalists, the people who believe that conservatives have lost elections because they have strayed from the true creed. George W. Bush was a big-government type who betrayed conservatism. John McCain was a Republican moderate, and his defeat discredits the moderate wing.

To regain power, the Traditionalists argue, the G.O.P. should return to its core ideas: Cut government, cut taxes, restrict immigration. Rally behind Sarah Palin.

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are the most prominent voices in the Traditionalist camp, but there is also the alliance of Old Guard institutions. For example, a group of Traditionalists met in Virginia last weekend to plot strategy, including Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. According to reports, the attendees were pleased that the election wiped out some of the party’s remaining moderates. “There’s a sense that the Republicans on Capitol Hill are freer of wobbly-kneed Republicans than they were before the election,” the writer R. Emmett Tyrrell told a reporter.

The other camp, the Reformers, argue that the old G.O.P. priorities were fine for the 1970s but need to be modernized for new conditions. The reformers tend to believe that American voters will not support a party whose main idea is slashing government. The Reformers propose new policies to address inequality and middle-class economic anxiety. They tend to take global warming seriously. They tend to be intrigued by the way David Cameron has modernized the British Conservative Party.

Moreover, the Reformers say, conservatives need to pay attention to the way the country has changed. Conservatives have to appeal more to Hispanics, independents and younger voters. They cannot continue to insult the sensibilities of the educated class and the entire East and West Coasts.

The Reformist view is articulated most fully by books, such as “Comeback” by David Frum and “Grand New Party” by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam, as well as the various writings of people like Ramesh Ponnuru, Yuval Levin, Jim Manzi, Rod Dreher, Peggy Noonan and, at the moderate edge, me.

The debate between the camps is heating up. Only one thing is for sure: In the near term, the Traditionalists are going to win the fight for supremacy in the G.O.P.

They are going to win, first, because Congressional Republicans are predominantly Traditionalists. Republicans from the coasts and the upper Midwest are largely gone. Among the remaining members, the popular view is that Republicans have been losing because they haven’t been conservative enough.

Second, Traditionalists have the institutions. Over the past 40 years, the Conservative Old Guard has built up a movement of activist groups, donor networks, think tanks and publicity arms. The reformists, on the other hand, have no institutions.

There is not yet an effective Republican Leadership Council to nurture modernizing conservative ideas. There is no moderate Club for Growth, supporting centrist Republicans. The Public Interest, which used to publish an array of public policy ideas, has closed. Reformist Republican donors don’t seem to exist. Any publication or think tank that headed in an explicitly reformist direction would be pummeled by its financial backers. National candidates who begin with reformist records — Giuliani, Romney or McCain — immediately tack right to be acceptable to the power base.

Finally, Traditionalists own the conservative mythology. Members of the conservative Old Guard see themselves as members of a small, heroic movement marching bravely from the Heartland into belly of the liberal elite. In this narrative, anybody who deviates toward the center, who departs from established doctrine, is a coward, and a sellout.

This narrative happens to be mostly bogus at this point. Most professional conservatives are lifelong Washingtonians who live comfortably as organization heads, lobbyists and publicists. Their supposed heroism consists of living inside the large conservative cocoon and telling each other things they already agree with. But this embattled-movement mythology provides a rational for crushing dissent, purging deviationists and enforcing doctrinal purity. It has allowed the old leaders to define who is a true conservative and who is not. It has enabled them to maintain control of (an ever more rigid) movement.

In short, the Republican Party will probably veer right in the years ahead, and suffer more defeats. Then, finally, some new Reformist donors and organizers will emerge. They will build new institutions, new structures and new ideas, and the cycle of conservative ascendance will begin again.

PCL

Interesting article. Here's one from the other side.

WHITE GUILT IS DEAD
By Tom Adkins
Look at my fellow conservatives! There they go, glumly shuffling along, depressed by the election aftermath. Not me. I'm virtually euphoric. Don't get me wrong. I'm not thrilled with America 's flirtation with neo socialism. But there's a massive silver lining in those magical clouds that lofted Barak Obama to the Presidency. For today, without a shred of intellectually legitimate opposition, I can loudly proclaim to America : The Era of White Guilt is over.
This seemingly impossible event occurred because the vast majority of white Americans didn't give a fluff about skin color, and enthusiastically pulled the voting lever for a black man. Not just any black man. A very liberal black man who spent his early career race-hustling banks, praying in a racist church for 20 years, and actively worked with America-hating domestic terrorists. Wow! Some resume! Yet they made Barak Obama their leader. Therefore, as of Nov 4th, 2008, white guilt is dead.
For over a century, the millstone of white guilt hung around our necks, retribution for slave-owning predecessors. In the 60s, American liberals began yanking that millstone while sticking a fork in the eye of black Americans, exacerbating the racial divide to extort a socialist solution. But if a black man can become President, exactly what significant barrier is left? The election of Barak Obama absolutely destroys the entire validation of liberal white guilt. The dragon is hereby slain.
So today, I'm feeling a little "uppity," if you will. From this day forward, my tolerance level for having my skin color hustled is now exactly ZERO. And it's time to clean house. No more Reverend Wright's "God Damn America ," Al Sharpton's Church of Perpetual Victimization , or Jesse Jackson's rainbow racism. Cornell West? You're a fraud. Go home. All those "black studies" programs that taught kids to hate whitey? You must now thank Whitey. And I want that on the final.
Congressional Black Caucus? Irrelevant. Maxine Waters? Shut up. ACORN? Outlawed. Black Panthers? Go home and pet your kitty. Black separatists? Find another nation that offers better dreams. Go ahead. I'm waiting.
Gangsta rappers? Start praising America . Begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. And please……no more ebonics. Speak English, and who knows where you might end up? Oh, yeah……pull up your pants. Your underwear is showing. You look stupid.
To those Eurosnots who forged entire careers hating America ? I'm still waiting for the first black French President.
And let me offer an equal opportunity whupping. I've always despised lazy white people. Now, I can talk smack about lazy black people. You're poor because you quit school, did drugs, had three kids with three different fathers, and refuse to work. So when you plop your Colt 45-swilling, Oprah watchin' butt on the couch and complain "Da Man is keepin' me down," allow me to inform you: Da Man is now black. You have no excuses.
No more quotas. No more handouts. No more stealing my money because someone's great-great-great-great grandparents suffered actual pain and misery at the hands of people I have no relation to, and personally revile.
It's time to toss that massive, obsolete race-hustle machine upon the heap of the other stupid 60s ideas. Drag it over there, by wife swapping, next to dope-smoking. Plenty of room right between free love and cop-killing. Careful……don't trip on streaking. There ya go, don't be gentle. Just dump it. Wash your hands. It's filthy.
In fact, Obama's ascension created a gargantuan irony. How can you sell class envy and American unfairness when you and your black wife went to Ivy League schools, got high-paying jobs, became millionaires, bought a mansion, and got elected President? How unfair is that??? Now, Like a delicious O'Henry tale, Obama's spread-the-wealth campaign rendered itself moot by it's own victory! America is officially a meritocracy. Obama's election has validated American conservatism!
So, listen carefully……Wham!!!
That's the sound of my foot kicking the door shut on the era of white guilt. The rites have been muttered, the carcass lowered, dirt shoveled, and tombstone erected. White guilt is dead and buried.
However, despite my glee, there's apparently one small, rabid bastion of American racism remaining. Black Americans voted 96% for Barak Obama. Hmmm. In a color-blind world, shouldn't that be 50-50? Tonight, every black person should ask forgiveness for their apparent racism and prejudice towards white people. Maybe it's time to start spreading the guilt around.

PCL

GOP? Guardians Of Paradise
Given Of Principle
God's Only People

Take your pick!

JV:
Right back atcha on the interesting article. As I was brought up to respect people of all races, the term 'white guilt' eludes me; in fact, the word 'guilt' eludes me in this case. The word 'guilt' for the simple mind, implies that someone has done something wrong. Ergo: if white people felt 'guilt' about their bigotry, then that's a good thing; if they no longer feel guilty about their bigotry, well, then the status quo on prejudice remains. Moreover, your 'other side' article is really not a flip side to the David Brooks article. As I am fully aware of your writing abilities, I can only say--try again. I know you got it in you, JV.

As for this:

GOP? Guardians Of Paradise
Given Of Principle
God's Only People

After the last eight years of a GOP administration, I'm gonna go with Givers Of Pain.

PCL

Come on PCL, you’re not blind. You must see evidence of white guilt, everywhere! And you don’t really even have to look for it.

When young, unmarried children with children are destined to be lifelong wards of the State, and politically correct (usually embarrassingly liberal) people make excuses for their behavior, rather than hold them accountable, that’s pretty solid evidence of white guilt.

When grossly under qualified minorities are given preference for (usually Government) jobs, that too, is evidence of white guilt.

When so-called “diversity oriented” (affirmative action) scoring systems allow minority students to replace non-minority students in sought-after classes, that is definitely a product of white guilt.

When you are given special treatment as a token representative of a minority group (Editor of Harvard Law Review with no {zero} published editorial opinions), can that be anything other than white guilt?

When a corrupt organization like ACORN is able to intimidate banks into giving risky home loans to people who did not qualify and could not repay them, that might qualify as white guilt.

When a manager is afraid to fire someone who is clearly unable to do the job, because the social repercussions will be too great, that registers pretty high on the white guilt-o-meter to me.

And finally, denial that white-guilt exists, when it pops up everywhere, is a clear indicator of white guilt


Denial is not a river in Egypt.

The McCainites prayed that it would rain on the Democratic Convention, that did not happen. The McCainites used every vile and evil trick in the books to win, it did not work. The McCainites had ugly on their side. GOD does not like ugly and that is why the McCainites lost.

On Nov. 4 when President-elect Obama won the election with 53% of the popular vote and Songbird McCain/Miss American Pie Palin lost with 46% of the popular vote, a stanza from the song American Pie went through my mind. The 46%-McCainites were probably sitting around thinking bye bye Miss American Pie. Those good old 46%-McCainites were probably drinking whiskey and rye and singing, "this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die"

President Obama will be in office from 4 to 8 years. America-Love it or leave it.

Regarding the RNC Chairmanship: This should be someone who is at least likable. That would eliminate Newt Gingrich. Fred Thompson is old news at time when the RNC needs a fresh approach. My pick for RNC Chair would be Mike Huckabee, not because he is a conservative, but because he is so likable, a great communicator, and can unite the party.

Having listened to and getting to know more about Michael Steele during this election season, I think he would be an interesting pick as RNC Chairman. The National Black Republicans Association has a terrific web site, very insightful with fact-based historical data.

Thanks for the web site for National Black Republicans Association: http://www.nbra.info/

JVZaccaro2:32PMNov 11th 2008
PCL

Come on PCL, you’re not blind. You must see evidence of white guilt, everywhere! And you don’t really even have to look for it.
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You know JV, I admit that lately my brain has taken kind of a vacation from reality--it was a nice vacation while it lasted, but vacation is over. So let me go through your post point by point (and yes, some points we will be in agreement on):
Come on PCL, you’re not blind. You must see evidence of white guilt, everywhere! And you don’t really even have to look for it.
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No JV, I don't. First off, I don't look for it. Secondly, I live in the Bay Area of California (here it comes)--the most liberal area in all of America. And by the way, the DMV would probably argue with you about my eyesight.

When young, unmarried children with children are destined to be lifelong wards of the State, and politically correct (usually embarrassingly liberal) people make excuses for their behavior, rather than hold them accountable, that’s pretty solid evidence of white guilt.
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On this point we are going to agree in part. However, I don't see this as white guilt, as so many of those lifelong wards of the State (California in particular) are white themselves. I quite frankly don't adhere to welfare as a life style choice, and I see that happening too much--and I don't like footing the bill for it. I would love to see them held accountable, I would love for laws to be enacted to hunt the sperm donors for all those kids on the welfare payroll. I would love to see state sponsored sterilization for the women who continue to have kid after kid to increase their welfare checks (birth control is free in California, for crissakes!). And I agree that many of those kids on welfare, living in a one-parent household (usually with the mother) are more likely to have problems throughout their lives than a kid living in a two-parent (and yes this includes two gay parents) home. As a society, we try to hold those kids accountable the best way we know how without exasperating the problem, it doesn't always work out that way. But this is not because of 'white guilt', it's because of compassion, an overwhelmingly strong emotion running through most liberals--and that's nothing to be embarrassed about. I am willing to listen to any conservative or Rep (I'm hearing lately that the two are not one in the same) who can come up with a plan to fight this growing epidemic.

When grossly under qualified minorities are given preference for (usually Government) jobs, that too, is evidence of white guilt.
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In our family business, the best candidate gets the job. Period. I'm not a fan of Affirmative Action simply because I have known good and bad in every race, relgion, gender, & sexual preference. I do agree that Affirmative Action sprung up out of 'white guilt'--and rightly so. It was an attempt to wrong a right--nothing wrong in that, it just swung too far off principle.

When so-called “diversity oriented” (affirmative action) scoring systems allow minority students to replace non-minority students in sought-after classes, that is definitely a product of white guilt.
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No argument there. This attempt at leveling the playing field has gone off point. But I'm hopeful (another one of those strong liberal emotions) that change on this will come--unfortunately, it will not be in my kids' college time (now). But maybe, someday (hopefully not too soon) it will happen in my future grandkids' time.

When you are given special treatment as a token representative of a minority group (Editor of Harvard Law Review with no {zero} published editorial opinions), can that be anything other than white guilt?
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LOL. At Harvard? I doubt white guilt played into it at all.

When a corrupt organization like ACORN is able to intimidate banks into giving risky home loans to people who did not qualify and could not repay them, that might qualify as white guilt.
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What about the banks who had nothing to do with ACORN? What about the people who used the equity in their homes to buy a second home and now can't afford the second home and are in danger of losing their first home due to their own lack of knowledge and respect for money? And mind you, JV, in my area that is mostly white people. What about the real estate broker's, mortgage broker's, and appraiser's role in the whole mortgage crisis? Can you say, 'white on white guilt'?

When a manager is afraid to fire someone who is clearly unable to do the job, because the social repercussions will be too great, that registers pretty high on the white guilt-o-meter to me.
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Wouldn't know about that one--California is an 'at-will' state. If I feel someone can't do the job, they're gone--that's not my guilt, it's theirs.

And finally, denial that white-guilt exists, when it pops up everywhere, is a clear indicator of white guilt
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You presented your case, I presented mine--let's let the jury decide. I'm willing to bet that we will get, at best, a hung jury.


Denial is not a river in Egypt.
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Agreed, but le Nile is.

PCL
We agree on more than I ever thought possible. Have a good one (what's left of it).


IT'S VETERANS DAY

A Veteran is someone who,
at one point in his or her life,
wrote a blank check made payable to
'The United States of America'
for an amount of
'up to and including my life.'
That is Honor, and there are way too many people
in this country who no longer understand it.

You too, JV.

I love Newt and Steel, but the chair is a perfect fit for Thompson's knowledge and personality. One thing I know for sure... Duncan has got to go

Newt was good because he kept balance during the Clinton years and that's why those years were good. Neither party should have total control.

But I'd like to see Michael Steel get it. That man sure tell's it like it is and when he's on Fox, he verbally beats up the libs, and makes his point.

The last time Democrats had control of both houses was 1977-1979, not exactly a period of economic, or any other, prosperity for America.

Many of Obama's "promises" are a repeat of failed liberal policies. Obama's "share the wealth" can be seen as another take on LBJ's "great society" which culminated in the Jimmy Carter 9.7% unemployment, 12% inflation and 20+% intrest rate economy.

Obama's windfall profits tax is a copy of Jimmy Carter's windfall profits tax that resulted in soaring gas prices, shortages and rationing.

The Democratic party has moved so far to the left the words of a famous Democrat from 47 years ago sound like those of Republicans today:

"Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country."
John F. Kennedy 1961

I hope Democrats and Obama succeed in turning the country around, but history has proven they are headed down the wrong path AGAIN.
With Obama heading into the White House it is 1976 all over again, we need to get ready to pick up the pieces AGAIN in 1980/2012.

I agree Crystal, I like Michael Steel too.

Respectfully,
Pete

Michael Steel would be a great pick to reinforce the RNC.