The McCotter Challenge: Why is there a Republican Party?
posted at 5:35 pm on November 5, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Rep. Thaddeus McCotter asks and answers the question in a post-election essay that should be must reading for all Republicans this week. Jeff Flake gave us a road map for the GOP to find its way to a unifying, resonant message, but McCotter aims to recover the lost GOP soul. He argues that we have hit Republican Rock Bottom, and that the time has come to build anew:
Dead is the self-indulgent imbecility of “re-branding” — as if the Republican Party was a corporate product to be repackaged, not a transformational political movement to be led. Despite what the media will tell you, and what so-called “conservative leaders” will discuss ad nauseam during “secret” meetings, this situation is not a crisis. It is an opportunity. Today, we are as the Great Emancipator proclaimed during another time of national trial: unbound by the tired dogmas of the past; and free to think and act anew.
First, we must not mindlessly mimic the momentarily triumphant Left. Sleek, detached, media savvy non-entities posing as existentially anguished leaders are neither in our nature nor our future. We are not teeny-bopper, pop-star politicians or the ideological dinosaurs of wealth redistribution.
At heart, we Republicans are flesh and blood and backbone, the proud servants of people. If we re-orient our vision, renew our purpose, and reaffirm our principles, the times will demand us — not as we were, but as we must be!
McCotter demands a return to First Principles, as did Flak, and he calls them the “enduring principles” of the Republican Party:
1. Our liberty is from God not the government.
2. Our sovereignty rests in our souls not the soil.
3. Our security is through strength not surrender.
4. Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector.
5. Our truths are self-evident not relative.
Where Flake is more pragmatic, McCotter is more philosophical, but the two are singing in harmony today. We need to focus on these principles and apply them to all our policy positions. We cannot be taken seriously as a small-government, private-sector movement if we back ever-expanding bailouts or if we pursue pork-barrel politics.
In the wake of this loss, the Republican leadership in Congress will certainly need to change in order to demonstrate leadership on these principles. McCotter and Flake should be part of any new Republican leadership.
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That is not true. Just because I don’t think we should specify that all rights are from God does not mean I think candidates should be atheists… I frankly don’t care what their religious views are for the most part. I care what their politics are. Show me where I suggest imposing a test. I am arguing that religion should not be a part of any political platform other than to support freedom of religion and the Bill of Rights.
lexhamfox on November 5, 2008 at 8:07 PM
@ DFCtomm on November 5, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Look, in reality, none of you think its really murder, or you would be out there bombing abortion clinics. I mean millions of murders a year and you sit idly by and do nothing? You would at least kill an abortion doctor or two, right? Or is millions of murders not that important to you, so you sit back and wait for someone to do something? That’s right, I used your own argument against you. If you truly think that there are millions of murders a year, what the HELL are you doing to stop it?
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:08 PM
voted for McCain for the record. It was in spite of Palin, not because of her.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 7:52 PM
And I voted for the McCain ticket also. but it was in spite of McCain not because of him.
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:08 PM
You’re right. I don’t. But you’d rather permit the death an unborn child if you think it’ll get the GOP a few more votes.
Nice.
.
GT on November 5, 2008 at 8:09 PM
doubt it. People don’t think there is going to be any change on the issue. I don’t think they support it, but they think it isn’t going away. I myself pretty much feel that way. They aren’t going to get fired up about an issue that they feel is locked in amber and never going to change.
DFCtomm on November 5, 2008 at 8:04 PM
good point. It’s kind of like the lucy football in Charlie Brown. yet I still will never support the party of Death for that reason.
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:10 PM
This is my first time posting on HA so please forgive me if I seem too simplistic.
The current GOP returned to the GOP of the 80’s – 90’s…give in and get along. Gingrich changed that in ‘93 with the vision. Gingrich unfortunately was a very flawed man who didn’t know when to pass from strategy to tactics. As with any self indulgence iconoclast it’s all about Gingrich in his own mind….bad form.
The GOP failed again when they became in essence an arm of the moderate DNC and wanted to go to the cocktail parties in DC. I have an acquaintance in the McCain campaign inner circle who was incensed at the addition of Palin…she was not one of THEM. He was condescending and terse when he spoke of her. As far as I know there has only been one person born on this earth that was perfect and it was not my acquaintance. Good riddance to the him. He was part of the problem not part of the solution. He’ll go on to work for some lobbyist firm with a star by his name for running a LOSER of a campaign.
Now we see that not only was McCain making jokes about her to others but that the staff (Steve Schmitt) was leaking the stuff about her buying habits. How very “country club” of those snobs.
You will not turn the inconsequence of the current GOP to significant position until you get rid of the “insiders”…period. You are going to have to fight and battle for the soul of the party before you can change it. The money in the party is content with secondary status in the political process because they will at least still be invited to major events even though they are tantamount to being the mascot at the event. They don’t care (as they see it)..at least they are in the room.
The GOP needs an enema…plain and simple. It needs to be flushed out. But that won’t happen until you rid it of the “old money” that controls it. You will have to bring in young, new and innovative money….from burgeoning and willing partners who want to strive for normalcy. That’s my 2 cents.
buffyvs on November 5, 2008 at 8:11 PM
unseen is creeping me out.
Can’t we talk about limited government instead?
No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. – Mark Twain
Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. – Ronald Reagan
ElectricPhase on November 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM
God hasn’t even said a word.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:02 PM
who says?
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM
there’s no debating this… the definition of fetus has human in it… it is human life… it is protected by the right to life… some in america prefer to oppress that right… blood is on our hands.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM
Abortion isn’t a republican issue anyway. It’s a Democrat issue. As technology advances abortions should be less of an answer to a problem that is growing less complicated. The technology of birth control is improving (I’m not a catholic) and the technology to deliver a fetus at shorter and shorter terms, should leave little use for an abortion. Democrats however want unrestricted access to abortions at any point in pregnancy.
I think a compromise could be reached using a sliding scale based on the average term of surviving premies. This would allow for a day in the future when abortions would cease, and a woman could have a fetus removed if she chose to without killing it. I think most people would view that as a much better alternative for both the mother and child.
DFCtomm on November 5, 2008 at 8:14 PM
@ GT on November 5, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Look, the abortion laws are NOT changing, you religious people need to get that through your heads. It is NEVER going to change. So stop. Abortion will never be illegal in this country, not going to happen. That’s why it needs to get off of the table for the GOP. Basically, mind your business. Don’t have abortions, don’t associate with people who have abortions, fine. Stop trying to force your views on other people.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:14 PM
GT on November 5, 2008 at 8:06 PM
Or the founder of starbucks or Barack Obama. Both were born to single women. the founder of starbucks to a poor women. Obama to a single college kid. If abortion would have been legal at the time of his birth there is a good chance she would have aborted him. a mix raced child in the 60’s not a lot of future there you would think and yet…2008 look what happened. Irony all around. how many future presidents ar ewe killing, doctors, etc
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:15 PM
Look, the abortion laws are NOT changing, you religious people need to get that through your heads. It is NEVER going to change. So stop. Abortion will never be illegal in this country, not going to happen. That’s why it needs to get off of the table for the GOP. Basically, mind your business. Don’t have abortions, don’t associate with people who have abortions, fine. Stop trying to force your views on other people.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:14 PM
they said the same about slavery in the 1850’s and yet look what happened last night.
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:16 PM
then burn the declaration of independence…. God, Creator, Divine Providence, and Supreme Judge…… just burn it… our rights are given by the government so the government can take them away….
don’t be a fool.
rights are endowed by God for a reason and in this country we believe that for a reason… you can talk non-religious all you want to but it’s not freedom FROM religion it is freedom OF religion… there is no separation of church and state there is no laws respecting (i.e. establishing) a state religion.
move on from this issue.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:16 PM
fool… you don’t abandon a principle because you don’t think you can get a super majority to agree.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:18 PM
ElectricPhase on November 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM
We are talking about limited government. I think limited governemnt should protect the unborn others think limited government should allow the murder of babies…
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:19 PM
@ Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:18 PM
its not about getting a supermajority to agree. Its just NOT going to happen. Every year the country gets more and more accepting of abortion. Every year it stays as law, the less and less likely the supreme court would overturn it. It is just not going to happen. Is it an issue really worth sacrificing all others for? Is gay marriage worth sacrificing all others for? Apparent;y for some it is.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:22 PM
the argument here is basic rights…
my wife is 7 weeks pregnant and the baby has a heart beat i’ll hear for the first time tomorrow…
it’s a human life the instant the cell divides.
the declaration establishes a right to life endowed by a Creator… the Creator creates… he also grants a right to live… it is not for us to take away from the innocent and defenseless…
you can be dogmatic about it all you want… but do so only after watching this.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:24 PM
Abortion cuts to the very of who we are as a nation. We have become a culture of death and violence. Assisted suicide, death penalty, kids killing kids, drive-by murders, Video games, Movies…violence and death everywhere.
A nation not willing to protect its weakest members is a nation that has lost its soul. Respecting life is essential for a democracy to survive. We give up on this, we all become moral relativists and start looking more and more like other great cultures that have fallen by becoming morally bankrupt.
We now have a president-elect that sees NOTHING WRONG with taking a living, out of the womb baby, that has just survived an abortion, and giving it absolutely no medical care.
We give up on this issue, we collapse.
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:24 PM
@ Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:24 PM
So don’t abort your baby. Convince people in your church not to abort. Not everyone thinks the way you do. Not everyone believes in the God you do. Leave them alone. Worry about your beautiful new child and raise him/her correctly.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Whoah, now Fozzy’s creeping me out too. Why’s everybody trying to make the tent smaller? The winning issues are there for the taking, so why couch them in exclusionary language? God isn’t gonna weigh in. When it comes to legitimacy, we’re on our own.
I get it. I cheered the partial birth ban. Just stop scaring people off, ok?
ElectricPhase on November 5, 2008 at 8:26 PM
yes and yes. i’d rather die then stand by while the innocent and defenseless are slaughtered without a voice… you don’t hear them squirm, fathom their pain as they sliced apart or chemically burned to death.
it’s the most horribly inhumane execution ever contrived. and for what? to make things right for the one who is pregnant?! give me a break…
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:26 PM
if you lack the onions or the constitution to defend the most basic of human rights for the most helpless and voiceless… then America be damned when all other rights are oppressed as well.
you fools don’t get it…
you protect life for all…. you preserve rights… they all flow from the right to life… without the universal right to life protection… all other claims to ‘rights’ are useless as they die along with person.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:28 PM
With you dude, 100%
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:28 PM
Sorry but this really is a dumb thing to say. American freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution… not the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution is our government’s charter. The Bill of Rights is not taken from any scripture that I know of.
lexhamfox on November 5, 2008 at 8:29 PM
McCotter gets it.
Even an atheist like me must agree that our liberty is not granted by the government. If our Rights are simply a convention then they are very much alienable. Fashions change. So if you are not religious, you must nonetheless acknowledge and defend the Christian values which inhabit the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Defend them, don´t question them, or we are all screwed.
el gordo on November 5, 2008 at 8:29 PM
@ joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:24 PM
See, that is why republicans cannot win an election. You are attacking video games and movies and you think that even religious Americans are going to agree with you?
And again, I will state that you don’t really believe what you just wrote, because anyone who seriously thinks its murder would do more than trolling on a message board and voting for a candidate that promises change on the issue but that never delivers. If you truly thought it was murder you and your fellow fundamentalists would be attacking abortion clinics and killing abortion doctors. Unless of course you take such an absolute stand that not even the God you praise could be held to the same standard, as he killed PLENTY in the bible. If you take this standard of not killing to save the innocent, then you have surpassed the God you are claiming to worship.
muyoso on November 5, 2008 at 8:30 PM
What will happen when DNA tests confirm that the baby in the womb is going to be gay, and aborted just for that reason…how would the gay community react?
Imagine the outrage!! It would be viewed as a hate crime…
Think about it.
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:32 PM
RIGHT TO LIFE… you abandon that for all… the rest of your so called rights are up for negotiation too.
for some of you… self-evident is now cloudy… which is part of the problem in America.
it doesn’t say… they become equal… or achieve equality… or some are equal and some can be killed off….
it says ALL ARE CREATED EQUAL… the equality starts at the point of creation… this is elementary… so fundamental and you want to negotiate it now. fine… renegotiate your liberty too and your property rights… and free speech… it’s simple… if life is created, it is protected.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:32 PM
mmmmm interesting quote from newsweek:
Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.
unseen on November 5, 2008 at 8:33 PM
I’ll agree that at some point in the pregnancy abortion is murder. However, I’m not sure I see your point about the current abortion laws leading to national doom. In the 35 years since 1973’s Roe we haven’t seen the slippery slope that some predicted would lead to an overall coarsening of values toward human life. In terms of the violent crime and murder rates, they’ve generally improved and society has become safer since 1973.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:33 PM
you’re so clueless… just because abortionists kill off human life that doesn’t make me justified to take the law into my own hands.
i just want the government to protect the right to life like it is supposed to.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:34 PM
You’re still not seeing it. I’m not defending abortion. I’m saying that invoking God doesn’t win you the argument. In fact, it makes a lot of people stop listening. If defending those most helpless and voiceless citizens is your priority, you may want to give that some credence.
ElectricPhase on November 5, 2008 at 8:35 PM
Haven’t studied it, but based on watching elections for quite a while I don’t think it is common for the VP to speak. Biden didn’t speak. It would have seemed a little awkward.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:35 PM
1.2 million babies killed a year… it’s worse than the holocaust… and it’s consumed an entire generation’s worth since 1973… over 40 million. dead through slicing them into pieces or scalding them to death with salt.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:36 PM
There have been people who have shot doctors, and blew up clinics, but remember God did say vengeance is mine. I’m not defending my personal beliefs, or lack thereof. I am defending Sarah Palin’s.
DFCtomm on November 5, 2008 at 8:36 PM
Bless you sir. You keep thinking that.
.
GT on November 5, 2008 at 8:36 PM
Wow…what a progressive line of thinking…
Well, when they stop federal funding of Planned Parenthood..I guess I’ll MIND MY DAMN BUSINESS!! When people see the absurdity of a 14 year old girl getting an abortion without parental notification while she can’t get an aspirin from her school nurse without it…I guess I’ll MIND MY GOD DAMNED BUSINESS!!!
The thing that is always lost on bullet heads like you is the fact that abortion isn’t about the mother…it’s about the child. The idea of Palin outlawing abortion is just stupid. The idea that she has certain beliefs and won’t back away from them is something this party needs.
Anything goes is the sorriest cop out you can come up with…Maybe in a few years when you’re no longer a 20 something douche bag you’ll wake up…
But I kind of doubt it….
BigWyo on November 5, 2008 at 8:37 PM
it is outlined the document that founded the union. what more credence should anyone need. plain english… it’s there… but ignore it and ignore everything else about the union.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:38 PM
First of all. I believe what I wrote or I would not have written it, Second, in part because of some restrictions on abortion the abortion rate has declined. Third, I would never fight mirder with murder and condemn any attacks on abortion clinics. Don’t assume anything about someone you do not know…by attacking me personally, you show thaat your argument is weak.
Lastly, one of my sons is adopted. My wife and I tried for years to adopt and came across many yooung women in crisis preganacies. I understand their fear and concerns. I understand why they chosse to have abortions. But when I look at my son, I think that he is a great gift and blessing and it saddens me that 40 million more like him have been killed.
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:38 PM
McCotter is the man.
CP on November 5, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Um, if we’re sitting idly by and doing nothing, then why are you so worked up and wasting your time arguing with us?
BTW, you’ve just demonstrated to us that you have no clue about Christianity.
You should try picking up a Bible and read it sometime. In this case, I’d recommend Romans 12:19 and Deuteronomy 32:35.
.
GT on November 5, 2008 at 8:42 PM
That’s a fair point. To equate the millions of abortions since Roe to a genocide but respond only through a ballot process that will minimally (given last night’s election) take 20 years to have effect with the Supreme Court seems too modest.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:44 PM
foolish still… we still believe in rule of law… we just want the government to uphold it’s end of the deal.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 8:50 PM
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:44 PM
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Right, but my point was that it hasn’t led to a broader collapse of our culture after 35 years.
Given your Holocaust comparison, I wonder if Germany had continued its program of killing for a couple of decades if an acceptable response from a German citizen would have been to continue contributing to the economy of the death camps but simply vote against the Nazi party every few Novembers. It seems the moral requirement would be higher.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:52 PM
To me running as a sport has always had limited appeal. After the first lap, you’re just repeating yourself.
ElectricPhase on November 5, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Dude, if you don’t think that our culture and society is on the decline, I want to live in your world. It is only going to get worse. In my mind Roe started it. Take it or leave it. I really don’t care.
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Civil disobedience is an option. Though if you wanted to avoid breaking any laws economic measures would be another option. But, do you believe in the rule of law if the law sanctions murder? If the law was written to allow the murder of my neighbor, I’d certainly be a law breaker.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:57 PM
I remember 1973. The country wasn’t in great shape then.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 8:58 PM
Some things deserve repeating…not everyone gets it after the first lap
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 8:59 PM
Yes, abortion is murder. DNA, the unique identifier of an individual human being, is established at conception and does not change throughout any of life’s phases. The fetus (Latin for unborn child) is living before an abortion, and dead after and because of it. Any argument otherwise is a complete rejection of science, and in particular, biology.
Now, what you do not understand is that when we Christians advocate against abortion, that does not mean that we go out and kill abortion doctors. Two wrongs do not make a right. Why is it wrong? BECAUSE GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US THE AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE HIS JUDGMENT… THAT IS THE PROVINCE OF GOVERNMENT.
dominigan on November 5, 2008 at 8:59 PM
The discussion of abortion always comes down to the same old red-herring:
The answer is IT DOESN’T MATTER.
The fetus which does not have its brain suctioned out almost always becomes a person. That person has rights and pro-life voters(aka human beings) should stand up for those rights.
The fact that some like to couch their guilt in medical terms does not affect what will happen to a fetus 99.8% of the time: a human being.
DavidM on November 5, 2008 at 9:00 PM
I respect your actions, and I think caring for life from the moment of conception is a noble and compassionate way to live one’s life.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 9:01 PM
So do you expect to live on Social Security when you retire? If not, why not?
Hint: Think about what effect killing off 40+ million taxpayers
would havehas had on the solvency of a system based on younger taxpayers supporting older retirees…dominigan on November 5, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Guys its been interesting. I appreciate the respectful give and take, especially Dedalus. Have a great night all.
May God Bless this great land!
joepub on November 5, 2008 at 9:08 PM
And just an FYI… for those who wonder why abortion is such a strong issue for many of us Christians, to the point that we are sometimes considered one issue voters…
Would you hire a calculus teacher who couldn’t figure out 2+2=4?
From a science and logical perspective, abortion is such a simple issue to understand… if you can’t get it right, how can you get the other, more difficult issues right?
dominigan on November 5, 2008 at 9:09 PM
civil disobedience is not a precept of my faith… unless the state forces me to go against my faith.
i’m not being asked to perform abortions… and it is not within my power to murder because someone else murders… it is governments job to prosecute and punish for crimes.
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 9:10 PM
Social Security..HEH!!
The people that are going to be paying in to provide ours haven’t even been born yet..
Can’t wait to see if they’re(Our new socialist OverLords) gonna take over the 401Ks…
3% return….
Jesus…
BigWyo on November 5, 2008 at 9:10 PM
well said… here here!
Fozzy Bear on November 5, 2008 at 9:11 PM
So, what you’re saying is: if you truely oppose murder, then you must become a murderer yourself?
This has got to be the most incredibly stupid thing I’ve seen posted ANYWHERE.
Dude, take your meds.
SuperCool on November 5, 2008 at 9:31 PM
+ 10
You put it better than I did.
SuperCool on November 5, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Jim Demint!!!
This is the leader we need!
MechEng5by5 on November 5, 2008 at 9:37 PM
I don’t expect to live on social security. I’ve paid a good deal in for 20 years but if I get anything back I’ll feel lucky.
As far as the 40+ million, I buy that there is an argument based on their right to life but I doubt I’d be persuaded that the economic argument is relevant or substantial.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 9:49 PM
But you might stop some of the abortions through non-governmental action–in much the same way some organizations work to reduce drunk driving or cigarette smoking.
dedalus on November 5, 2008 at 9:54 PM
6. Cancel every liberal newspaper and magazine subscription you have. Get on your friends and family too.
Let’s roll.
ex-Democrat on November 5, 2008 at 10:18 PM
The point is that Liberty is not something “gifted” by an all-powerful government….it’s an inherent right endowed by [fill in the blank]. For many it’s God. For others, a “higher power.” A “power greater than ourselves”….whatever.
I wish people would quit flipping out over the “God thing” …. I really think it’s a sign of immaturity. WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU AFRAID OF??
I don’t even go to church….good GOD man, grow some huevos.
Let’s roll.
ex-Democrat on November 5, 2008 at 10:22 PM
Not sure about the drunk driving thing, I believe most of them are paid from state funds…The really stupid ‘The Truth’ commercials are paid for by the tobacco industry…
Or I guess you could go for the truly Libtard Option…have your local government ban it..bars etc…..Capitalism defined…
And for all of you toilet bugs that want to give me the ‘Oh, that’s what the people really wanted, that’s the way it should be’….kiss my ass. If it was such a Goddamned good idea…what the people wanted, bars and restaurants would have banned smoking on their own years ago…Hey, my bar does not allow smoking!!! Come on in!!! Horse$hit…
Wonder why they didn’t just do it….
BigWyo on November 5, 2008 at 10:26 PM
Another one (don’t know from whom):
“Without God, anything goes”
And like I said: I don’t go to church…been atheist, mostly agnostic my entire life, BUT, even I see that there’s is “something greater than ME;” otherwise, I’m just a narcissistic, no holds barred, do ANYTHING I want person. You know, like someone from San Francisco.
Let’s roll.
ex-Democrat on November 5, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Perfect!! I guess I’m more of an agnostic at this point in time…which is pathetic..kinda like an ‘Undecided’ voter…
BigWyo on November 5, 2008 at 10:34 PM
I believe unwanted and single pregnancies have sky-rocketed since abortion was legalized. Society pays an enormous price for kid’s and adult’s reproductive irresponsibility.
Abortion laws = accountability
HarneyPeak on November 5, 2008 at 10:49 PM
I think there is a compromise on the God-given rights issue. I feel it is perfectly acceptable to state that the Republican Party believes that our rights are inalienable as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Those who want to believe they are God-given will read that into the statement and those that are offended by mentioning God will not see it there. It allows the party to say what is the essential point, without making the religiously hypersensitive folks all frazzled.
As for the abortion issue, I feel that the free availability of abortion has really hurt the progress of easy and reliable contraception technologies. Let me explain.
When we outlawed stem cell research, the scientists screamed loudly about how it would hamper a very important and promising branch of medical research. Since that time the results of research on embryonic stem cells have been very disappointing.
Also during the same period of time, scientists looked for a more palatable alternative then destruction of embryos to farm stem cells. They have found that ADULT stem cells can be farmed from a donor without permanent damage and reverted back to progenitor stem cells that can be used to create any type of tissue. The advantage if this technique is that the cells are taken from the patient themselves so that any organs grown from them have ZERO chance of rejection after transplant. So the patient does not need to take anti-rejection drugs for their lifetime.
This research progressed at a much faster pace than it would have if embryonic stem cells were more available. Necessity is the mother of invention and in this case an alternative was found that is far superior to destruction of embryos for stem cells.
The same is true of abortion. While an unwanted pregnancy is troubling for the mother, killing the potential of the life within them is even more troubling. By allowing abortion we have given a convenient method of avoiding responsibility for our actions. This is a theme that seems to be growing even more common in many aspects of our lives.
By allowing abortions we have removed much of the pressure to develop safe, convenient, and reliable methods of birth control. We would be much farther ahead in this research if the demand for it was not so muted by using abortion as a form of birth control. The necessity was not there so neither was the invention.
Hawthorne on November 6, 2008 at 12:32 AM
I <3 McCotter.
Punchenko on November 6, 2008 at 12:53 AM
Starting…NOW anybody using a form of the word transform in a political context must be thought of as a ninny. Agreed?
Thank you.
thegreatbeast on November 6, 2008 at 1:01 AM
Aside from the religious debate, I would like to add a comment on the original topic of this thread. I have spent the last 20 years watching the Republican party squander the understanding and belief in conservative values that Ronald Reagan instilled in this country. The idea that Reagan compromised his beliefs for more voters is laughable. He was a conservative and did not apologize for it at all.
Since that time I have watch the Bush/Dole/Bush/McCain era completely waste the gift of Reagan. They were part of the “sacred cows” in the Republican Party. They gained their positions because of the inbred nature of the elitists rather than actually deserving to be there because of true leadership in the party based on conservative ideals.
In the last two election cycles we have watched the blood-letting that was the final result of the poor leadership and idealism of our party. The Republican identity is harmed because in our haste to rush to the center, we managed to have nothing to stand for.
The Republican Party is the the party of self-determination. We stand for responsibility. We stand for the rule of law. We stand for individual rights. We stand for reaping the fruits of your labor. We stand for voluntary and private charity. As much as some would like to deny this, we also stand for God, country and family, in that order.
When we live up to the ideals that we stand for, the people of America identify with us. These are timeless values that resonate with the American spirit. They represent everything that has made America a strong and prosperous nation. Most of the people in this country realize that. But they are looking for leadership that can embody all of these things in a graceful and eloquent way. Just like Ronald Reagan did.
When our leaders refuse to enforce immigration laws because of their personal political position they spit on their responsibility and the rule of law. It leaves people wondering if Republicans can be trusted to follow the rules or whether we feel they can be suspended at whim.
If we fear to extend our rights and liberties to all people (even terrorists) we send the message that we do not really believe they are inalienable. Fear to allow due process does not give confidence that our system of justice works properly. We look foolish. We also create fear about what rationalizations will be made to revoke the rights of another group of people. If the justice system is broken we should fix it rather than betraying our own principles.
If we are going to take a position to justify war, we better be damned sure that our statements turn out to be true. The credibility of our leadership in the world depends on it. The WMD justification made us look foolish and incompetent in the eyes of the world. It handed our detractors a hammer to beat us with by allowing them to say we killed all these people over a lie.
In other words, we need to live the ideals that we promote. We cannot talk the talk, if we are not going to also walk the walk.
Hawthorne on November 6, 2008 at 1:08 AM
You are seriously freaking me out. What is the point in attacking people’s values and taunting them that they should be murdering more doctors?
Why are there more of these posts after the election? I guess the Dems didn’t get the map change they wanted, so there is more work to do attacking the enemy.
The Republican party needs its social conservatives, and a culture of life is an admirable one. If you disagree, then it is bad manners to be vulgar about it.
chunderroad on November 6, 2008 at 2:42 AM
Perhaps this will help. (Emphasis mine.)
“Even though the fertilized egg is only one cell, it is a unique cell. The fertilized human egg is unlike any other fertilized egg, because it is genetically human. Its 46 chromosomes and 30,000 genes have all that is needed to make an adult human being. Within 18 days, long before most mothers are even aware that they may be carrying a child, the heart starts the first of the 3 billion beats it will make in a lifetime. Only 22 days later, brain waves can be recorded and the unborn child is already moving. By eight weeks these movements will include swimming motions and grasping with fingers that already have unique fingerprints.
At four months the unborn baby is growing at a rate which, if continued, would leave him weighing 14 tons at birth. Studies show that by the 28th to 32nd week, the unborn child is actually able to remember things.”
Quote from, “The Facts of Human Life” @ http://www.creationmoments.net
oldleprechaun on November 6, 2008 at 7:08 AM
Well if we can get this Liberal “voice” out of our heads and quit thinking that we have to move left or be friendly or even reach across the isles with liberals … we can be an effective party again.
You just saw the Liberals win BIG. Yeah … they moved right with the rhetoric – but even they know Americans don’t believe their rhetoric. They just won running the TWO MOST LIBERAL SENATORS IN THE U.S. SENATE.
Does that sound like “reaching across the isle”?
We need to get back to our Reagan roots … conservative roots. And NOT be ashamed of it. Let’s remember this the next time the MSM wants us to pick a RINO for our candidate.
HondaV65 on November 6, 2008 at 7:32 AM
That is the ugliest man alive.
anniekc on November 6, 2008 at 7:56 AM
Amen, Brother McCotter.
I DO NOT want Republican candidates to be marketed as if a consumer product or an “idea” the way the Dems marketed Obama. If that is the future of political campaigns, I may never vote again.
Brat on November 6, 2008 at 8:02 AM
“you religious people” … where’s the diversity and multiculturalism in that?
FYI I’m a “religious people” who is of the mindset that the government telling someone they can’t have an abortion is tyranny and this is a problem I’ve had with the Republican Party for a while. The party really jumped the shark with Terry Schiavo, btw.
I do think abortion is reprehensible. Even more so given how hard it is for childless couples to adopt a child if they don’t have the money to pay bribes. There are many families that would provide a loving home that end up being empty when they’d cut off their left arm to help a young mother carry a child to term.
No matter how reprehensible I find it, it is something that happens with your body and nobody can tell you what to do or not do with your body. You do though have to accept the consequences of the decisions you make.
Your liberty is something granted to you by God. What denies people liberty? Evil in the form of other people deriving power by their “taking liberty.”
How you use it and how you treat others’ liberty is something you get to reconcile with God. To discount people’s views because they’re “religious people” is just plain ignorant and violative of the same principles that guide me in tolerating others that have a different faith or no faith at all to explain why they have their liberty.
Don’t tread on me.
krl on November 6, 2008 at 8:42 AM
Can we PLEASE have an ignore script for the new (low) signal to noise ratio around here? Please?
rhodeymark on November 6, 2008 at 9:12 AM
There’s just something about McCotter……I can’t articulate it……every time I look at him I get a twitch in my bowels…..like we’re going to discover that he peels babies in his basement.
LimeyGeek on November 6, 2008 at 10:23 AM
I’ve been thinking the same thing myself…both the RNCC and GOPAC (except Michael Steele), need thorough uprooting and cleaning out. We need grassroots input, so that actual Conservatives provide solid input into the direction of this party for 2010, 2012, and beyond.
Dude, Social Security…
I spent a year on the Hill in ‘98 studying nothing but Social Security, and here’s the scoop on that:
Those who retired in 1991 at age 65 got their Social Security investment back in 12-24 months (this is just their investment, not any additional funds).
Those of us who retire in 2030 or later at age 67 will get our investment into Social Security back in 40 years.
Know anyone who lives to age 117?
Can’t wait to see what they’ll do to our 401(k)s…
Miss_Anthrope on November 6, 2008 at 11:19 AM
I’d like to second krl on their response…
As someone who’s not even close to being religious, I can’t tell you how much Atheists anger me right now…the militant attitude is getting really old, so please give it a rest.
But I am different, because as a Conservative I embrace the ideals, ethics, morals of the Right. My rights are endowed by a Creator, even if I don’t know who or what that Creator is.
The Bill of Rights, from our Constitution, are rights explicitly identified to protect us from government, and not rights given us by government. Anyone who’s read our Founding Fathers knows that, but some here who’ve posted the opposite obviously haven’t done their homework.
I am virulently anti-abortion, and my non-religious husband is really tired of that argument from the Left (he’s a former Liberal, but is a refomed Conservative). The hubby thinks the Pro-Abortion policy of the Left is really turning many like himself off as they age, unless they’re so “open-minded their brains have fallen out” (lots of those around, apparently!).
To claim one is “Pro-Choice” is a guise for “Pro-Abortion” and nothing more, for when one choose Life one is denigrated by the Left for that Choice.
Take Sarah Palin. She faced a tough decision, like a close friend of mine. Like my friend, she chose Life. How would the Left have treated my friend, I wonder?
That’s a rhetorical question, for I know the answer.
They’d have treated her the same as they treated Sarah.
Shame on them.
Miss_Anthrope on November 6, 2008 at 11:35 AM
That is not going to win the majority of votes nationally anymore because of all the people of color, especially the new arrivals, voting at the ballot box, rejecting a strong military and demanding more welfare payoffs.
It all starts with immigration.
indythinker on November 6, 2008 at 12:01 PM
I think that we should insist that the RNC move its HQ to Springfield, Illinois. Illinois is the birthplace of the party, and it will help shift its focus away from DC and to the states.
Springfield, Illinois is centrally located, and in the age of the internet where you are located is becoming less and less important. Such a move will make a statement that we are not a party of Washington DC, we are a party of the heartland.
We believe that federal taxes and spending should be as low as possible so state and local spending can be as high as necessary for good governance and no higher.
We are a party that strongly believes in federalism, who will never again run a candidate for President who doesn’t answer any question about school spending by stating that that is an issue for states and local governments.
We will send Republicans to Washington who believe in federalism and are willing to lose an election or two in order to win the larger battle of ideas in the end.
We believe in the dignity of humans from conception to the grave. We acknowledge that humans live in a state of sin, but that death should not be a punishment for sinning, and that therefore abortion should not be made illegal, though it should be regulated. (This does not make me any less pro-life than this who think abortion must be made illegal.)
We believe our country is the greatest on earth and that our elected federal representatives need to represent us as people and not some political ideology. Our leaders should fight for our interests in interactions with the leaders of other countries.
I could go on and on, but that is a part of what I believe we need.
Sheerq on November 6, 2008 at 12:02 PM
It seems you have completely missed the point of democracy and elections. The election is there precisely to discover what direction the country wishes to go. By nature it is a process by which people force their views upon others. Do you feel that many people in this forum want to see the socialist policies that the Obama administration will enact? We will get them forced upon us regardless of how we feel.
If we feel that abortion is murder then we have a responsibility to act upon it. Unlike you, I do not feel that we should meet this with illegal acts. that is the position of a nutcase, not a citizen that respects the law and our system. We need to change it within the system. So we try to get it removed from the list of rights that are given to us.
The fundamental question that is whether abortion is murder or not. That is not a federal question. Murder statutes are decided by the states individually. This issue has no place on the national stage and if Rowe v. Wade is overturned it will not outlaw abortion. It will return this issue to the states where it belongs. The different states will limit abortion in the way that their citizens prefer. It will not be outlawed everywhere. But it will certainly be limited more than it currently is.
The idea that you do not understand the concepts of federalism and limiting the power of the federal government is an indication that you are no conservative. In fact, your statements here show you are likely a provocateur. Your viewpoint is very left-leaning.
Hawthorne on November 6, 2008 at 12:19 PM
The fundamental question that is whether abortion is murder or not. Hawthorne on November 6, 2008 at 12:19 PM
_____________________________________________________
I don’t think this is the question. It is murder.
The question is, should a medical procedure be made illegal, if in doing so you increase the likelihood that the truly odious procedure will be done anyway in less than pristine conditions, possibly causing the death of the woman?
The woman who undergoes an abortion will answer to God, a just and merciful God who forgives the sinner.
Sheerq on November 6, 2008 at 12:25 PM
While I understand (and agree) with your position, you are missing the point of my statement. The point is where the legislation should take place, on the federal level or at the states. Since you feel it is murder, then the jurisdiction on this matter belongs to the states, not the federal government.
I am only trying to illustrate the point of how Rowe v. Wade perverted the separation of powers in our country.
Hawthorne on November 6, 2008 at 1:21 PM
The province of gov’t is to execute God’s authority? What? Is that in the Bible? Is this a new version of Christianity?
B26354 on November 6, 2008 at 9:31 PM
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. Yes.
5. Yes.
Number 1 and 5 are my favourite. There are absolutes in this world. God’s Word is one of them.
********************** END OF MESSAGE **********************
apacalyps on November 7, 2008 at 12:23 AM
So easy to see but there are too many who have difficulty comprehending them. Therefore, it is incumbant upon U.S. to make those having a hard time comprehending the words to draw them a picture of the tangled web they have created (on purpose or accident)showing how much overlap and duplication that needs to be erradicated.
This is a country of the people, for the people, and by the people. There is no verbiage that says to the people – meaning that the government owes you something.
We are responsible for our actions, not the government. Abdicating our responsibility to ourselves we are nothing more than lemming at the edge of an abyss.
MSGTAS on November 7, 2008 at 9:45 AM
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