Newt to GOP: Change course now or face calamity in November
posted at 4:21 pm on May 6, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Without Change, there’s no Hope.
The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November…
This defeat follows on the loss of Speaker Hastert’s seat in Illinois. That seat had been held by a Republican for 76 years with the single exception of the 1974 Watergate election when the Democrats held it for one term. That same seat had been carried by President Bush 55-44% in 2004…
A February Washington Post poll shows that Republicans have lost the advantage to the Democrats on which party can handle an issue better — on every single topic…
This is a catastrophic collapse of trust in Republicans built up over three generations on the deficit, two generations on taxes, and two generations on national security.
Most ominously: “The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti-Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail.” Yup, pretty much. Follow the link for his nine-point triage plan, none of which, surprisingly, has to do with global warming. I like the earmark moratorium, which jibes with McCain’s own agenda, and red meat on judges and English as the official language will help with the base (but beware alienating Latino voters). Overhauling the census, though? Space-based GPS for air-traffic control? I get the point of reducing bureaucracy, but are these really the kind of meat and potatoes issues that are going to push GOP congressional candidates over the top? “I’m disgusted with Bush and the war, honey, but that space-based GPS idea convinced me to give the Republicans another look.”
Exit question: How bad is it going to be in November?
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If you are a Repub and vote 3rd party, you are effectively voting for Obama. basic math
jp on May 6, 2008 at 5:09 PM
I think you are going to see a fragmentation of the American political landscape with many parties emerging over the next twenty years including the NHP, the National Hispanic Party, some type of Afro-American political unit brought about by the loss of Obama to McCain, perhaps a National Gay Network, and definitely some type of Greens party possibly fronted by La Goracle. If the Republicans go down in flames, you may see a Conservative Party, but not named conservatives, but something in honor of Ronald Reagan, maybe The Reaganites. It’s likely for the best that two parties monopoly on power is broken up, since both have strayed from their core values of Liberalism and Conservatism.
Mister Ghost on May 6, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Yes I think this one took the cake!
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Without having read the substance of what Newt says, or most of the comments here, here’s what I’ve heard about GPS for air-traffic control. I sat next to a Southwest pilot on a flight back to Baltimore from Florida last Fall. He was a Air Force vet, very conservative, very supportive of the Bush Doctrine (just to give his bona fides… ;). He explained the basics of the GPS system that the airlines are all pursuing, to a lesser or greater extent. The bottom line is this: our current radar system is on the order of 50-60 years old. It is maxed out in current capacity, and we really can’t add any more flights (in any substance) without overloading the system.
If we replace the old system with GPS, we can more than quadruple the number of flights over the US. And that would be immediate. And with further refinements to the system, even greater capacity could be brought online. The problem is, the whole system is controlled by the government. There is apparently general sign-off by the powers-that-be to make the switch, but no real action is being taken. In order for the system to be changed over, regional tear-down and replacement of the radar systems has to happen. Nation-wide. All at once. The only entity that can do that? The Federal Government. And until they stop dragging their feet, it ain’t gonna happen.
My understanding is that Alaska Airlines is flying on GPS up and down the West Coast. I don’t know if this is true, and if it is, whether or not they had to get inter-State governmental involvement or even Fed. I simply don’t know the details. But the proof of concept is supposedly there for the investigation.
If the Republicans could get in front of the curve on this one, it could be a big win. What is everyone complaining about right now? Flight delays. They suck, they’re ubiquitous, and they’re only getting worse. Yeah, we’re all big on small government, but there are some things (like national defence) where the capabilities and scale of the Federal government make sense.
This one’s a winner.
nukemhill on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
I don’t see an answer to my question. All I see is you stating some unintelligible garbage (literally), stating you support the military (great, so do I, but I never asked you if you do) then make some wild-eyed accusations that make no sense.
What exactly am I wrong about? That some conservatives are being hypocritical about fiscal policy? As for me being a libertarian or independent, I’m not either (and I find the accusation hilarious, since it’s libertarians that whine about people “spending their money” more than anyone else). Unfortunately for you, you can’t pin me into the position of some traditional enemy of conservatism because I’m not one, so I can see why you might have difficulty answering a simple question.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
I have a theory about why Dems are better here than Repubs. They are collectivist, natural team players. Repubs are individualist and its not part of the DNA to march in lockstep, always looking for something to distinguish yourself on.
granted the Repub coalistion is very diversified philosophically whereas the Dems are basically all one brand of Socialist or another.
jp on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Let’s face it, America HAS been trending left since the 60’s. That is why we find ourselves where we are now, and why everyone is screaming for change. Think about it.
Bobber on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
The buffalo herd will stampede to the left ONLY until they fall over the cliff (election day 2008). A vast number of Dhimmicrats will be swept into office on that day. WAY more than in 1992. Remember what happened in 1994?
Not extinct, but definitely unrecognizable. All new players. All new ideas. It’ll be like an Mach 10 spurt of evolutionary change. (Yes, that’s an oxymoron.)
As for stupid voters, well, stupid is as stupid does — but I won’t argue about that. I WILL argue that the electorate is fickle. As soon as the Democrats have had sufficient time to make everything significantly worse, and they WILL do exactly THAT, the stampede will begin anew — in any direction except to the left.
My collie says:
CyberCipher on May 6, 2008 at 5:12 PM
jp:
I agree. Same difference.
I also think anything can happen. Who would have guessed that Obama would be where he is? How bad will be? Who knows? If the economy does not tank, if Iraq settles down, if Osama is declared dead…anything can happen and change the situation.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:13 PM
If you are a Republican voting for a fake Republican like McCain in November, you are essentially voting for Obama.
TOPV on May 6, 2008 at 5:13 PM
The ONLY way the Republican party makes a resurgance is with NEW candidates, which of course, they won’t do.
Repubs are out of power, and yet are running on the status quo. They have become part of the problem of big government, and not part of the solution. They are seen by many to be standard politicians out to perpetuate their own power…
Face it folks… BOTH parties in Congress are disliked… and yet those same incumbents will be put up by the parties.
Find me some CONSERVATIVE Republicans, and I’ll vote for them…
Romeo13 on May 6, 2008 at 5:13 PM
jp:
Oh yeah, the Democrats stick together, even when they hate each other. Republicans are just the opposite.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:14 PM
One other thing:
Shouldn’t the Dems also be concerned if they don’t win?
Like the TV pundits have said a dozen times before: This should be there’s to win. An unpopular president, war, yada, yada….
So if the Dems don’t do well so that’s a disaster for them.
terryannonline on May 6, 2008 at 5:14 PM
need I say more? You are WHINING! Worse then a 3 yr old in a supermarket not getting what he/she wants!
You don’t like to pay taxes. Fine, who does like too?
You don’t want to have anyone take your money. Wow, what a concept there, who wants that?
You are complaining about stuff that no one wants to hear about since WE ALL have to deal with the same thing.
Let me get the WAH-mbulance out!
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 5:15 PM
“jp, you misoverestimate my reiternment. All I’s want to do is bike, chop me some wood, call my buddy Billy, Clinton that is. We’ll be in the oblique, I mean antique, whatever, boutique, you know that clique of rascals. We’re in the big fatigue, I mean league, now”.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:16 PM
City states anyone? Then we can at least have Monday Night Rollerball.
Limerick on May 6, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Romeo:
But is that enough? Here in Indiana, a state not known to be a liberal kind of place, Hostettler lost the 8th District. He was very conservative, a little bit of a paleo in fact, but he could not beat the Blue Dog. And I don’t think it was the war either.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:17 PM
So do you know who is running on the Independent ticket who is conservative? If so, do tell! Other then that… who do you want me to vote for? Since you have it all figured out.
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 5:17 PM
They wouldn’t have to save their own skins if the population didn’t lick up everything the media spewed in their lap. Politicians, especially those in Democracies, are usually spineless cowards. Along with the freedom to steer their own destiny, the population also carries the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure they are steering it in the right direction. This responsibility has been abdicated in favor of just mindlessly believing what CNN says. Because of the latter, a lawsuit and a court order for a news station to apologise on air would do wonders. It would shatter the media’s impression of omniscience and invincibility.
I (mostly) agree. The problem is that a lot of conservatives don’t explain WHY welfare turns populations into lazy, useless bums, they just whine that they don’t want to pay for it.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Crap. Do Latino voters want to be pandered to as Latinos? Then they’re voting Democrat anyway.
Either you’re a grown-up, and you realize that English is your ticket to success in America, or, well, you vote Democrat.
misterpeasea on May 6, 2008 at 5:18 PM
Thanks Newt for helping the conservative cause by legitimizing the environmentalists with those idiotic commercials.
GogglesPisano on May 6, 2008 at 5:19 PM
TOP:
Fine, so stay home and sulk. That will fix things. Forget the other Republicans who actually like the guy and do not think he is a fake. Just sit home, pout and let the party go on without you.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Your post makes absolutely no sense in the context of my own posts. For some bizarre reason, you’re accusing me of doing the things I’m actually railing against. As such I can only conclude that either your sarcasm generator is misaligned or you’re mentally challenged, in which case it would be cruel for someone of the highest intellectual echelons like myself to continue to engage an intellectual midget like you. Have a good day.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:21 PM
America isnt trending left conservatives are losing the battle of ideas.
America has lost faith in Conservatives for not having answers. They hear the siren call of the left and arent sure if they have the answers but at least they have ideas.
Conservativism cannot just be a negation of liberalism. It must have its own ideas and own issues to unite people behind it.
That is where conservativism is losing. It has nothing new to offer.
William Amos on May 6, 2008 at 5:23 PM
Heh. They are no longer figuratively demonized, they are literally putting demon eyes on him now.
terryannonline on May 6, 2008 at 5:23 PM
If Newt would have had enough control to keep his thingy in his pants, he’d be enacting all that change now. Alas, he’s on the sideline, pontificating.
Great mind, good historian, talented speaker, simpatico, in a porky kind of way, but flawed, like most people. Not to forget his utter hypocrisy during the Clinton Fingergate.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:23 PM
We’ve been doing that since WWII. In fact, if Reagan hadn’t come along we’d already be down the socialist drain like every other country in the world. It’s only a matter of time until people are dumb enough to vote in a supermajority of Dems. Isn’t that GREAT??
fiatboomer on May 6, 2008 at 5:23 PM
This. And just so people know, latino does not automatically mean you’re for illegal immigrants. In part because a lot are immigrants who have paid a heavy price to get to the US legally and hate the **** who got in for free, and in part because Mexico is the Utah of the Latino world and a lot of them couldn’t care less about what happened to them.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:23 PM
misterpeasea:
No, but hispanics do not like hearing some idiot go out of his way to insult them either.
During that debate I heard people say things like it ought to be a law to shoot a wetback everyday…Screw Jeb Bush and Mex wife, , and the thing was so few people were prepared to say shut up you are not helping. No, they just pretended harsh words were never spoken and went their merry way.
I don’t think most hardliners are bigots, but nasty stuff was said and it hurt Republicans. Calling the president Jorge just because he stuck with the same immigration policy he had when he became president was over reacting too.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:25 PM
I don’t care if you’re equivalent to Einstein. Once you claimed that for yourself, you lost all credibility, unless you were kidding.
Argue with facts, not based on e-IQ, which can never be proven or disproven.
Btw, thank upinak for serving our country so we can pontificate freely.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:27 PM
Umm, not having to work for a living? I guess “a lot of conservatives” understand the obvious, so they don’t feel the need to explain WHY.
The USSR ring any bells?
kirkill on May 6, 2008 at 5:28 PM
If it’s going to be bad let it be bad. Bring back a few years of Carter era economic stagnation (i.e. The Misery Index) and let all the lazy asses and hippy wan-a-bes find out what all out socialism is really like. Let the US become a laughing stock as we sit on our thumbs and let Iran get a few nukes. Let Europe and the Ruskies deal with it.
Let’s have high taxes, high inflation, high unemployment, $15 dollar a gallon gasoline, etc. etc. and people might just wake up to the fact that Big Government is not the answer.
My biggest fear in this scenario - regardless of which party has the White House - is the granting of citizenship to all the nice socialists who’ve crossed our borders illegally over the past 20 + years. When that happens we’ll be France II.
BowHuntingTexas on May 6, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Darth:
No doubt that is true, but the problem is when conservatives make an issue of Latino culture and how bad it is and all that, a lot of those people are Americans, have always been Americans and that culture was part of the American southwest for a long time before states like Arizona even joined the Union. I think a lot of hispanics thought the whole thing had more to do with their race than their legal status. It doesn’t of course, but that is why people need to be careful how they say things.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:30 PM
I was kidding. Get the stiff rod out of your arse, you’ll feel much better.
Thanks Upinak for serving our country.
Not so much for helping with handing it over to the liberals though.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Totally disagree. The problem is too many RINOs on the loose. The true conservatives get marginalized. It’s frustrating, but reality.
kirkill on May 6, 2008 at 5:31 PM
If people, on a whole, are so stupid that they need 4 years of unfettered disasters to “wake them up”, then this , and any other such discussions, are moot, because we’re already dead and finished.
tomk59 on May 6, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Sorry you don’t care for the truth there Darth. You whined.. about:
You are Canadian? Why the heck do you care where My American Money goes? Deal with your own freedom issues and medical care!
Duh! You are in Canada! That is why I was saying you WHINE, quite a lot actually.
I don’t have to listen or watch BBC. Unlike Canada where they had to beg for CNN and Foxnews.
I am not going to go into the Latino crap. They are of Spanish Decent.. get over it..
BTW, I really do not care what you think of me. Being that I also live in Alaska and have to deal with Canadians constantly makes me wonder how you became such a turd in that society.
Have a great day!
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Bowhunting:
Socialists? I have seen a lot of migrant people working the fields for years. I never thought of them as socialists.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:33 PM
The RNC is a complete mess. So many Dems run unopposed it’s not funny. And the RNC does nothing to help…if a candidate is rounded up it’s completely a grassroots effort… I was part of a very small group that went up to Pennsylvania and got a conservative- Bill Russell on the ticket as a write-in to run against John Murtha. We succeeded but it was work…about 1 in 20 were registered Republican because obviously the election was about the dems…it was like being a door to door vacuum cleaner salesman…many were elderly and we had instructions written for them because they had never written in a candidate…but it was very rewarding work. Bill needed 1000 signatures and got over 5000. Now, will Murtha lose? Probably not. But; like Kennedy and Kerry, Murtha needs to be opposed and his actions brought to light even if his voters don’t want to see them…it can only help the conservative movement. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back with this post but we’ve all got to get off our asses a little bit…
DCJeff on May 6, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Hey, Newt. Your commercial about ‘climate change’ with Speaker Pelosi just popped up on the TV.
How much did they pay you to appear in that commercial? What ever it was, what ever they gave you I hope it was enough, because your career in politics is now over.
rockhauler on May 6, 2008 at 5:34 PM
First, that’s not the case. Read what I said carefully. The conservatives I’m talking about DO give an explanation (the wrong one).
Second, when making such far-reaching statements on policy, it’s common courtesy to explain it, especially for neutral observers who don’t just “get it” and might end up thinking you’re just an elitist talking down on them.
Yes, I used to live in a former communist country.
That said, I’m not sure why you (and others) are acting like:
A) I don’t support the Iraq war.
B) I don’t support keeping liberals away from unnecessary government intervention into every stupid thing they can think of.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:34 PM
kirkill:
It would seem to me that if Conservatism had new ideas and was more relevant, there would not be any RINOs.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 5:35 PM
Actualy the problem with the GPS system is that it relies on the Plane itself reporting its position. If somthing happens to the transmitter, then the Air Traffic System does not know the aircraft is there.
Radar however is an active system. Its not dependent on the GPS system itself working…
Military has had systems like this for years… IFF would actualy give Position information to the aircraft, and the aircraft would report who it was, and where it was at… but they also used Active Radar for flight control, because sometimes IFF would fail.
Romeo13 on May 6, 2008 at 5:35 PM
Grrr… sorry bout that last post… involved in too many threads today…
Romeo13 on May 6, 2008 at 5:36 PM
DCJeff; great post and great work. You hit the nail on the head.
tomk59 on May 6, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Darth, you’re the one with one in it, as I’m the one who said “unless you were kidding”.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:36 PM
I would agree with one concern, however, in case the radar facilities be retained, not destroyed. If utilized in training and in gathering other information outside of navigating air traffic, the facilities would still exist should ever they be necessitated as fall back.
maverick muse on May 6, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Romeo,
My limited understanding is that the old radar system would be replaced with a much smaller, much cheaper, much newer (technologically speaking) backup system. Radar would still be there, but only as a backup for the main GPS system.
YMMV on the reality of all of this. I’m only reporting second-hand. I’d certainly like for it to be true. The pilot said to keep an eye on Southwest Airlines. They’re supposed to be much further along as far as the technology in the planes. Now they’re waiting for system-on-the ground upgrades. The first roll-out is supposed to be in the Southwest US. Couldn’t say when.
nukemhill on May 6, 2008 at 5:44 PM
Which one? Romanian here.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:46 PM
dang it I am stuck
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 5:46 PM
Like 1964? Goldwater came off like an angry oldman and he was juxtaposed against Johnson who was closely linked to the most popular president in history, at the time.
Goldwater was against the Civil Rights Act while Johnson was seen as defying his party by supporting Civil Rights. At the same time the South went completely into Goldwaters column. Golwater opposed the Civil Rights Act on constitutional grounds, In sure the media took care to represent his opposition in the proper light… Come on Allahpundit.
Goldwater’s antiwar rhetoric sounded positively Paulian. He was the McGovern of the right. Even Ronald Reagan was anti-Vietnam. He learned his lesson though.
Really?
Is America pro gay marriage? 11 out of 12 states defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The Democrats have subsequently stayed away from making gay rights a center piece of their platform.
How many states have passed concealed carry laws since 2000? Alaksa, Ohio in 2004, off the top of my head. What was the reaction to NIU and Virgina Tech? Was it more or less anti-gun legislation? More effort was put behind getting more guns and more freedom to people not less. The Brady winds were reversed. Are these events evidence of movement to the left?
Immigration? The country cried out and killed the comprehensive immigration bill before it could even get out of the Senate. Now we have 179 different bills nationwide targeting illegal immigration. Immigration has absolutely moved to the right.
SCOTUS rulings? The DC gun ban was struck down. Voter ID was upheld. I’ll go back as far as Casey to note that the court has been intrepeting the constitution much more strictly. When they made a mistake in Kelo. The very next election cycle had numerous laws intended to limit eminent domain powers. Can this be intrepeted as moving to the left?
Education? School choice is a hot issue. The left was able to defeat it in Utah but cannot campaign against it in black communities because school choice has wide support. Even Obama is pro school choice. Which way does school choice fall in the political spectrum?
Religion among Americans is on the rise, and among the youth, conservatism has an image problem. Thank Bush for that. If the GOP takes Newts advice the GOP can take the center. And if you look at he numbers in California the fastest growing party is undeclared. Democrats are picking up as many supportes as the GOP is simply losing.
Affirmative Action, done in California, done in Michigan, done in Washington State. Colorado, Nebraska, and Arizona are likely to have the issue on the ballot in 2008.
The significant changes in the black community. Bill Cosby fighting back against race hustlers. The demographic changes among black people. Voting patterns will change. Too many black people are becoming middle class not that the MSM would notice. Today you can see black commenters dissenting, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are no longer the sole representation of black people. And very much under the radar is Jamiel Shaw. He was killed by an illegal alien with a lenghty arrest record, his father is championing a campaign to amend special order 40 and force the LA police to deport all illegal alien gangmembers. The situation is so tense, local officials are going to his house trying to get him to quit. He went public on KFI640AM and claims the prosecutor threatend to insinuate his son was involved in a gang, or just mistaken for a gang member so as to not prosecute the case as a hate crime! Black people are plenty pissed about illegal immigration. What if blacks in LA turn against illegal immigration in the next mayoral race? The potential for a swing in black votes is very, very real. If the 90/10 national voting split goes 70/30 Democrats would have a hard time being elected dog catcher. John McCain has begun the process.
In the same way that the right had a false sense of security in the 80’s and did not notice the left growing ever more powerful under the radar via multiculturalism, illegal imigration, the ACLU, and the liberals in education becoming all the more entrenched. The left is not seeing any of these rightward trends, they are obssesing over Bush and losing on their closely held issues. All things come in an ebb and flow the post Civil Rights era has lasted for 40 years the times they are a changing. The results have not macthed the rhetoric. The GOP must present a viable alternative, and regain its former reputation. Nobody wants to be a “liberal” yet “conservative” has been so maligned that no one wants to be that either. When the image has been fixed the GOP will come back. We have to take Newt’s advice.
Theworldisnotenough on May 6, 2008 at 5:47 PM
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
TheBigOldDog on May 6, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Same here, tovarase.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:52 PM
Darth, salut. Now, back to the same treatment, as all others :)
Are you a Canadian citizen, or American living in Canada?
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 5:54 PM
WooHoo! A Romanian reunion. Great to see you both on Hot Air and not on Kos.
brtex on May 6, 2008 at 5:59 PM
I’m a Canadian citizen, hopefully getting the hell out of here and moving to the US as soon as I can afford to move. Hence my interest in US politics.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Duh. Where have I heard that before?
MB4 on May 6, 2008 at 6:07 PM
An insistence on CONSERVATIVE Republicans is what’s led us to this point.
If the Republican party is to survive, sorry, folks, but it’s going to have to go more towards a John McCain / Rudy Guiliani philosophy of moderate politics. This is where MOST of the electorate is these days.
Vyce on May 6, 2008 at 6:07 PM
I stopped being a Newt fan after seeing him sucking up to liberals in that global warming ad with Nancy Pelosi. That was more sickening than the new Obama music video now showing on this site.
Travis1 on May 6, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Darth E, if you really wish it, you will make it happen. Both countries are great. I’m partial to this one, but very, very familiar with Canada. Even went to Toronto for work a few times. Great city.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Heh, if people from former communist countries join Kos, they deserve each other in the (mental) institution.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 6:10 PM
I wish I could find the link for a survey I saw. It was a study from the Tarrance Group and it showed popular support for most of Bush’s policies and it did not give the impression of a leftist country.
Bush had high personal favorability rating, but people were upset about gas prices and tired of the war and that brought down his approval numbers.
Sometimes I wonder about the polls, it is as if the American people just hate everybody. The only institution that seem to show consistent respect for is the military. But the media, government…etc. They all give low ratings to.
Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Thanks tomk59…I appreciate it…I have to admit to being a more sitting on my ass conservative than actually taking a day off and contributing and making it up on Saturday conservative. Michelle, Newt, and Ann might make a difference by writing but I won’t. Theworldisnotenough…Newt’s closing speech at CPAC was awesome…
DCJeff on May 6, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Funny as I have been thinking about getting the hell out of here before HildaBeast, Obamawan Barakobi or Juan McStrawberries becomes an American Czar. Where in Canada do you live? Does it rain too much there? How big is your house? Maybe we could do one of those house swap deals?
MB4 on May 6, 2008 at 6:12 PM
Travis1 on May 6, 2008 at 6:07 PM
I stopped being a newt fan when he denounced his Sister for being Gay. That was just wrong.
You will always be someones Family no matter what someone has become. And denoucing them on National TV when it should have been a private family issue was not worth it for me.
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 6:12 PM
I can’t tell you much about the loss in Illinois but the loss this week in Louisiana can easily be explained. Louisiana is a traditionally Democrat state, even though we usually are a Red state when it comes to the Presidential election. The Dems ran Opie Taylor look alike Don Cazayoux.
The Republican candidate in the 6th Congressional district race was none other than Woody Jenkins the same man that lost to Mary Landrieu in the 1996 Senate race. Jenkins is a very unlikable guy who has a bad reputation in the Baton Rouge area. Many held their nose and voted for him this time. He’s also a jackass.
Well how did he get the nomination? The state Republican party got caught off guard when Congressman Richard Baker resigned in the middle of his term to go make some big bucks in private industry. Also, the state party has done a poor job of cultivating good serious candidates.
FWIW I wouldn’t read too much into the loss here in Louisiana. I just hope that Woody Jenkins will not get a chance to run again in September. The Louisiana Republican party needs to get some leadership. Hey, Bobby Jindal you are going to need some help. So how about helping other Republicans.
roux on May 6, 2008 at 6:14 PM
I think Mel Martinez and Trent Lott should be given promotions for the outstanding jobs they have done.
The Republican Party deserves to be gutted.
WisCon on May 6, 2008 at 6:15 PM
I’ll email my response to Newt’s ideas [with my opinion] to him directly:
Repeal the gas tax for the summer. [For the effort of repealing any tax, let it be the death tax that gets repealed, not just a total gas savings of $40.00.]
Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market. [good start, but don't neglect REFINERIES, especially since Katrina, and the oil off the Florida coast that China is taking, and there's always Alaska.]
Introduce a “more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill”. [Self promotion, Newt, and poorly played following your disgusting sell-out for profit next to Pelosi. Spit it out, is this pro-nuclear? If so, fine. If this is more transfering food crops into energy, drop it dead in its tracks.]
Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009. [Earmark moratorium for trial of one year followed by annual renewal of moratorium. How is that line item veto, BTW?]
Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically. The census in 2010 is an opportunity to slash its budget, shrink its bureaucracy, and turn to entrepreneurial internet-based companies to build an information-age census. [Yes and No. Internet-based companies will gather and compute existing information, and the Post Office could do this census electronically. It seems revolting to have an entrepreneurial business legally prying into personal data that the government already has but is supposed to keep confidential. At least the Post Office is the government, and it has strong powers to prosecute those who tamper with its operation, and it has the information already via mail deliveries accomplished by real people in real neighborhoods, not just on the internet through the internet.]
Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. [Fine, so long as the radar installations are utilized and maintained for gathering data, at least.]
Declare English the official language of government. [YES! Place this first on the list, Newt.]
Protect the workers’ right to a secret ballot. A new (GOP) bill should be introduced reaffirming that right (which the Democrats stripped from workers). [Absolutely!]
Remind Americans that judges matter…show the Democrats are not engaged in fair play. [Then painting Democrats in their own war paint IS effective in campaigns after all. Negativity towards the opponent's platform is as necessary as positivity towards one's own platform. Can't deny that without being wrong, Newt.]
maverick muse on May 6, 2008 at 6:15 PM
How many Romanians does it take to screw in a light bulb?
MB4 on May 6, 2008 at 6:15 PM
roux…this is exactly what has happened all over the country…this does not need to be Jindal’s problem…
DCJeff on May 6, 2008 at 6:17 PM
I’m in Toronto (nice to visit, not so nice to stay in). Very little rain, the glaciar winters are (mostly) overhyped. I don’t own a house, I live in a rented apartment, so no swapping (unless you wanna give me your house for half a year’s worth of rent =P). This place is no Berkeley but live here long enough and you’ll beg the Hildabeast to take you back. If you’re gonna go anywhere in Canada, go to Alberta.
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 6:18 PM
An effective conservative Republican message via campaign ads and informational ads would focus repeatedly on how conservative principles benefit all Americans on bread-and-butter issues, whether economically or in assuring liberties and choice.
Reminding voters that their incomes are their own to disburse, not the State’s, would go a long way in reaching the disaffected or apathetic.
onlineanalyst on May 6, 2008 at 6:20 PM
I googled it to see if anybody bothered to make a lightbulb joke about us and I found this one the funniest (not as funny if you’re not familiar with Romania):
Q: How many Romanians does it take to change a light bulb ?
A: How many packs of cigarettes are you willing to give them?
Darth Executor on May 6, 2008 at 6:20 PM
The big thing is to make this country, along with every other country in the world with a few exceptions, quit discriminating against people just because they’re gay, you don’t have to agree with it, but they have a constitutional right to be gay. And that’s what brings me into it.
- Barry Goldwater
You don’t have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.
- Barry Goldwater
MB4 on May 6, 2008 at 6:22 PM
Stop that damn you! Do you want to screw up the narrative that the country is moving left and a Democratic Tsunami is on its way? Get with the program and stop proving that all politics are local.
TheBigOldDog on May 6, 2008 at 6:23 PM
I was going to say, “None, Romanians can’t afford light bulbs”.
MB4 on May 6, 2008 at 6:24 PM
How many Romanians appreciative of the opportunity provided by conservatism does it take to give back?
DCJeff on May 6, 2008 at 6:25 PM
Open borders, global warming, bottomless pit drug plan … I wonder who damaged the GOP brand?
Wasn’t me.
tarpon on May 6, 2008 at 6:30 PM
I suggest a lockdown for all of the Republicans at a Heritage Foundation retreat.
onlineanalyst on May 6, 2008 at 6:31 PM
The Hispanic nurses at my hospital oppose illegal immigration. They view illegal immigration as contributing
to why our hospital is struggling with revenue collection.
The head nursing supervisor, who is a 2nd generation Mexican whose family emigrated from Mexico legally, recently earned her MBA with a healthcare concentration that required writing a thesis.
What topic did this Hispanic nursing supervisor choose for her thesis?
She wrote on the topic of negative revenue streams resulting from illegal immigration and the accompanying closure of hospitals nationwide. She has views similar to Michelle Malkin.
I believe the GOP needs to properly frame the issue, and keep repeating it. The issue is lawlessness and anarchy which results from the government rewarding bad behavior with a pathway to USA citizenship.
Many Hispanics oppose illegal immigration. These people make excellent conservative GOP voters.
But John McCain instead wants to amnesty-tize tens of millions of people who broke the law and whose cultural background includes socialism, big government, and the Nanny State.
ColtsFan on May 6, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Is Barry Goldwater, Newt?
DO I care who is gay in the military? HECK NO!
Do I care if I have a liberal who wants to kill America. Yep, I don’t want to get shot in the back!
MB4 I really am not sure what you are getting at.
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 6:48 PM
I agree with you, and in not that much time…just look at the rapid changes, starts & stops, dramatic overnight turns, the dem campaign has been going through, just in the past few months. New has been acting weird lately, but everybody seems to hang on his every word. I think all this funk and gloom comes from way way too much poll watching and politics obsessing…ironically, it seems that the way Newt and others have been projecting failure would be one of the reasons, in itself, that many are seeing things in such a negative light. Hell people, it ain’t over yet.
surrounded on May 6, 2008 at 6:51 PM
We are NOT what the left would make of us. We need NOT allow the left to determine our destiny. We are as strong as we allow ourselves to be. Deny the lie. PRONOUNCE THE TRUTH. It sets you free.
Lower taxes. Spend or save your own money!
Smaller government. Does your Mayor know you? Would you have the CPS and law enforcement show up at your door to remove your children from your happy home?
Constitutional contextual judges do not suffer flights of fancy that deprive you of your rights.
The leftists are on the wane in Europe. American progressives chanted “pro-European” to propogate socialism, but no more.
Religion? The right to practice can not constitutionally manipulate a single conformity. Bush has no more say over people’s spiritual lives than Woody Woodpecker has. He certainly has used and abused the “evangelical” organization toward accomplishing his true progressive agenda, though.
maverick muse on May 6, 2008 at 6:57 PM
Sorry, 100% disaggree…
Eveyone I talk to wants LESS government. More efficiencey. LESS Taxes. To USE while protecting the environment. Less abortions. More Free Speech. To WIN the war (and it IS winnable, no matter what the press wants us to think).
Problem is that Repubs have not been sticking to their own party platform for so long that they can no longer talk about it. How can they espouse less government when they are voting to increase it at every turn?
There is a LOT of things just about everyone aggrees on… like building the dang border fence… and yet… somehow it isn’t getting done… and the MSM will not hold folks accountable.
Romeo13 on May 6, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Don’t. Count. Hillary. Out.
If she gets the Dem. nom., start getting used to “Madam” President.
{shudder}
Lawrence on May 6, 2008 at 7:07 PM
The MSM does, just the wrong people who have nothing to do with it.
upinak on May 6, 2008 at 7:08 PM
Halle-frickin’-lujah.
National security vs. wealth redistribution. I think I can distinguish between the two.
I don’t agree that the country is trending left, but if it is, I wonder who would be the best person to turn it around.
;)
misterpeasea on May 6, 2008 at 7:08 PM
If America turns left, it will turn left. Life will become more difficult. People will be unhappy. Riots will be more frequent. And then it will turn right. We might even get another Reagan out of it.
I saw AP bring up ‘64 at the start of the thread. Fine. I’d take a good hard thumping it if means that America is rejecting conservative principles. They’ll come around. Eventually. We don’t need to redefine conservatism. We need to more closely adhere to it.
VolMagic on May 6, 2008 at 7:13 PM
maverick muse on May 6, 2008 at 6:57 PM
The GOP does not = conservatism. See John McCain.
The GOP is an umbrella group for conservatives, libertarians, moderates, limited govt. folks, strong on defense folks, etc…
To the extent that conservatives loose their sway in the GOP, it is our own fault for promoting them regardless of their positions. I know that sitting out of elections gives the libs a great advantage. It also ends up forcing the GOP to put more conservative folks on their ballot. It’s taking a body-shot to set up an round-house. Sometimes it’s worth it.
VolMagic on May 6, 2008 at 7:18 PM
By change direction did Newt mean become conservative?
My understanding is that the donks are sporting more conservative candidates to win these seats.
jukin on May 6, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Newt, STFU, go back to teaching at your Junior College and take that fat tub o’ guts Al Gore with you…
You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube…
TexasJew on May 6, 2008 at 7:44 PM
Shut-up Newt, it people like YOU that are the problem.
Maxx on May 6, 2008 at 7:46 PM
Which is really weird since the rest of the world, especially Europe despite their radically left wing press, is trending right.
easy on May 6, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Expand, please.
Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 8:13 PM
Newts right. The repubs are going to get their head handed to them in November.
Dave R. on May 6, 2008 at 8:48 PM
I’m not so clear about that. I have the optimistic view that America is going where it needs to go on different issues. On foreign policy, I feel that America is still willing defend itself–a right-wing view, but it is clear that gay marriage is going to be a reality within a decade or two.
Can’t we just say that the left and the right are both right at times? If so, isn’t best to celebrate our success instead of saying the world is going to hell in a handbasket for our slightest defeat? Doesn’t my attitude best celebrate democracy?
thuja on May 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Of course, Allahpundit, had to go for Hudson going “GAME OVER MAN!!!”
bopone on May 6, 2008 at 9:01 PM
Some 30-secong or one-minute ad spots that show in dollars how much more the average American can expect to pay if the Bush tax cuts are not renewed is a start.
Figures that demonstrate how much our not having English be our official language is another. USEnglish has lots of information about the expense of providing forms, ballots, drivers’ tests, etc.
Rhetorical questions such as how much would you be paying for a gallon of gas if our nation were freed to drill and refine its own plentiful oil; how much would your utilities cost if our own gas and coal resources were developed would make a voter sit up and pay attention.
Every time than Nancy Pelosi opens her mouth with some inane observation about the environment, there should be a spot where a savvy politician (with or without an expert’s supportive opinion) counters with facts that show industry’s responsible efforts and the benefits to the community. Focus on the positives that have occurred.
It’s certainly possible to demonstrate what is right about the American Dream. The Dems focus on reminding the electorate about what it doesn’t have. The Republicans can turn that message around.
onlineanalyst on May 6, 2008 at 9:15 PM
Oops!
In multiple languages, that is.
onlineanalyst on May 6, 2008 at 9:18 PM
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