The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Gadsden Phoenix Rises. Detractors Can Kiss Her Ashes.

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 47 Comments

by Smitty

Instapundit liked the tweet last night:


 

There was some admission of the suckage of the situation, and discussion that we need to get over the fact that (to paraphrase) BHO delivered on his promise to change the culture fundamentally. For my money, time, and effort, this means that the Tea Parties need to veer even more toward the Libertarian disinterest in the traditional SoCon turf. That is a losing battle which, joined, will ensure a dearth of Conservative victories going down the road.

Most of the discussion was state-internal, and thus of precious little interest outside the Commonwealth. The VA GOP will have a convention to pick candidates for next fall’s off-year gubernatorial election. This means that there won’t be godless Commies and lurkers helping pick a squish to run for office on the GOP ticket. This is a good thing.

There was also a great deal of discussion of the need for unity. The gradual pushing out of senior GOP deadwood must continue, as Tea Partiers continue to infiltrate their local GOP committees. Elections require increased participation. The NOVA Tea Party put in massive amounts of effort, across the spectrum, and didn’t get the results.

Various areas to improve participation were identified, in particular, serving as Election Officers. Recovering the Republic will not be a spectator sport, folks. We can sit here, bickering and arguing over ‘oo shived ‘oo, or we can make adjustments, refine our efforts, grow our numbers, reach out to the young and not of European extraction. An economic horror story is set to unfold with ObamaCare. Clutching the woobie and whining about a shredded Constitution is not going to improve it.

American history isn’t grinding to a halt; our inalienable rights are out of the Left’s reach. Let’s get working to un-frack it, folks.

 

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Category: Culture, Tea Party

Comments

  • McGehee

    For my money, time, and effort, this means that the Tea Parties need to veer even more toward the Libertarian disinterest in the traditional SoCon turf.

    Be careful. It isn’t that Libertarians are merely “disinterested” in “traditional soCon turf” — it’s that many uppercase-L Libertarians take entirely too much pleasure in parroting the Left-progressive stereotypes of social-con voters/volunteers/donors. Social-con baiting seems to be one of their favorite pasttimes.

    Don’t let social cons divert the discussion onto their issues — and don’t let Libertarians do it either.

  • http://www.jackiewellfonder.com/ Jackie Wellfonder

    Un-frack it…indeed!!

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    There comes a point where the distinction between a godless commie and a godless libertine baby-killing, pot-smoking, gay-marrying, isolationist pervert is essentially meaningless.

  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    Splendid reply.

  • JeffS

    I have a Tea Party meeting tonight. It’ll be……interesting. Thanks for your perspective on the future.

  • Adobe_Walls

    The Tea Party Movement isn’t radical enough, that’s part of the reason it has already failed in it’s attempt to take over and transform the Republican Party. Part of the movement doesn’t want any part of “political parties” and insists it is only about issues. With it’s more limited ambitions it may be able to maintain it’s independence. Taking over a party must be done in a very short time span. The longer this takeover takes the more the Tea Party will be changed by the GOP as it attempts to change the GOP.
    Can’t imagine why we’d want to become more like the libertarians given how few votes the Libertarians get every cycle.

  • Quartermaster

    Lose the SoCons and you might as well throw in the towel. The SoCon issues have to be part of the mix because if you negelct the moral aspect you are essentially leaving the field for the ammoral moonbats. One of the reasons the Libertarians get so little attention is because of their immorality. They would be better known as the Libertine Party.

    This is not saying the SoCon issues should be the only thing, just in the mix with the caveat that much of the problem with the country is morality. The main point of attack for the new left was the moral roots of the country. Forget them at your peril.

  • Quatermaster

    Indeed! Very well put.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Any political victories we who are seeking to restore our freedoms and liberties achieve will not last long if also do not restore Virtue and Morality.

    John Adams: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    Wow Smitty! I’m not a so-con myself. In fact, I’m not even a conservative. But I know two things that will hold for at least another twenty years:

    1) The libertarians STILL have way too much of “Teh CrAzY” to win anything. Until they flush out the crazy elements, or at least overwhelm them, running toward libertarianism is running toward obscurity. (Unless you do it on the down-low.)

    2) Lose the so-cons, and you pretty much have nothing. This is still true, even today, where an awful lot of socially conservative folks are liberal bozos who still voted for Obama. Total cognitive dissonance, there.

    Additionally, it’s my observation that most Tea Party types like a more libertarian version of conservatism, but what they actually like is the pro-liberty, pro self-sovereignty element that was always part of conservatism. However, they adhere more toward a so-con outlook than libertarian. That’s why Palin and Bachmann (to pick two random names from the hat) are incredibly popular with the Tea Party types, and Ron Paul is more in the “honored for his service,” territory.

    (last aside, Palin herself is more libertarian than paleocons like Pat Buchanan).

    What we need are people who can deflect the media’s pack mentality of going after the issues of homosexuality, abortion, and guns, and get on with selling self-sovereignty and free markets. Reagan did that. No one else has tried it since him. They just suck on the Carl Rove big money express and hope for a miracle.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    This doesn’t help at all, either. Why, you’d almost have to have some sort of “other” political party to get around it.

  • Wombat_socho

    You, too?

  • Wombat_socho

    I think there’s a point at which we can attract the libertarians on the fiscal issues at the national level and agree to disagree on the social issues at the state and local levels – another reason to push federalism.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    And me.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    libertarians will always agree to disagree…until you disagree with them.

  • http://twitter.com/RangerSG Shawn Gillogly

    I concur with this. Agree across the board that Roe is bad precedent and needs to die gruesomely. Then say that cultural issues are the purview of the states, and only the states. Federal coercion, for or against, is an unconstitutional usurpation. I think 90% of SoCons would accept a Federal compromise, if they were assured they wouldn’t be villified for pursuing their agenda at the State level.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    Well, that’s the rub. The states don’t exactly instill great confidence they are willing to go up against the federal monster.

    Look at the EPA, for example. Where do they get constitutional cover for what they inflict upon the states? Meanwhile, the states just lie back and take it.

    Things are beyond bizarre in this country.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    I think we do need to make a strong alliance with libertarians. I just don’t see it happening, which is a real puzzler, frankly.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    An article at the Shark Tank discusses this from a “merging” or “alliance” concept, and it’s a good start, IMO.

  • http://twitter.com/RangerSG Shawn Gillogly

    Perhaps they won’t on the whole. But the issue is, So-Cons have been fighting for ‘total’ reversal for 30years, and have gotten nothing but platitudes. Overturning Roe and getting a 10th Amendment marker on the Culture War would be a big win. Besides, do we really, want the FEDERAL Gov’t sticking hands in the womb?

  • SDN

    The other argument that no one seemed to make for socons is that if the Federal leviathan is reduced at least they won’t have to worry about the state having the money to mandate national sex ed or a lot of other things they hate.

  • McGehee

    A strict “no food fights” rule should be universally understood, and enforced without fear or favor.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Hmmm…that’s an idea…hmmm….

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    I tried twice to start a fusion between the two and got slapped up both sides of my head.

  • Quartermaster

    They’re all linked McGehee. If you think the rest is just a side street, then the point is lost on you and you might as well throw in the towell. Lose the SoCons and it is all over. The choice is yours.

  • Quartermaster

    Operation Whig!!!

  • Quartermaster

    And that is the bottom line. That is why the country is going down. Morality is not something you can limit to just one thing like fiscal issues. Immoral people don’t engage in immorality in just one aspect of their lives. It colors everything they do.

  • PhillyCon

    What happened?

  • PhillyCon

    Not to mention, the SoCons do the heavy lifting in campaign cycles. I know this for a fact after working on many campaigns. The economic moderate types have no time for drudgery such as phone banking or door knocking. Just my experience.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Exactly.

  • McGehee

    If you’ve read what I said, you ought to have seen that I want the Libertarians prevented from hounding the social-cons out of the Tea Party.

    Mutual forbearance is what makes it work. If you can’t see that then the movement is already doomed.

  • McGehee

    Think of it this way: the best way to get Roe overturned is to get a SCOTUS majority that is willing to return abortion to the states. What you want is not necessarily pro-life justices, but pro-federalism justices.

    Guess what part of the political spectrum talks a damn good game on the Tenth Amendment? Libertarians. So it may actually be the case that a two-term libertarian president who is pro-choice may be the means to overturn Roe v. Wade.

    I have met the odd uppercase-L Libertarian who is pro-life, but that’s taking into consideration multiple possible definitions of “odd.”

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    We really do need the states to step up.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Published the comments by you that you gave me permission to:
    http://thecampofthesaints.org/2012/11/14/big-tent-and-all-that-jazz/

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere
  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    I think it has to do with the fact that the capital ‘L’ Libertarians are Ideologues and, therefore, are not willing to compromise, just as none of the other Ideologues will.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    Man, you cleaned it up reeel nice! Excellent finish!

    Put a couple three of us folks in the same room, we make one decent writer.

    Stacy makes it look too easy.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    I didn’t edit a thing, KB – that’s you in all your glory!

  • PhillyCon

    Wow. I just skimmed it, but its really meaty. I will have to read it when the kiddies are in bed and with a clear head.
    Do you remember the vitirol directed at Santorum when he was on the rise? Alot of that came from Ron Paul’s minions. Ron Paul even ran ads saying that he was not a true conservative and that Santorum supported Planned Parenthood. I don’t think the L’s are reliable, and Mark Levin has done some good exposes on this. For example, I did not know they had joined forces with Code Pink in protesting the war. Plus, their view, or lack thereof of jihad is worrying and troublesome. For this, we are called “neocons.” I think its all about name calling, but I’ll go back and read your post.
    Thanks for linking, looks very thought provoking.

  • PhillyCon

    K-Bob:
    That was really good. I saw it at RS, but didn’t have the time to read it at the time. How about you and Bob “consult” our pro-life candidates on communication. Its sorely needed. Any new R running for office will be bullied and harassed over the life issue.

  • PhillyCon

    Both you and K-Bob need to start up a consulting group for SoCons who are running for office. Maybe if Akin had you two on staff he would have never been goaded into his rape comments.

  • PhillyCon

    Bob:
    When I was reading K-Bob’s essay, this article written by Rachel Campos Duffy came to mind. Its very good, and explains clearly why the Left has its hooks in the Hispanic community.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/333319/gop-s-hispanic-opportunity-rachel-campos-duffy

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    You’re welcome. The reason why, I think, the Libertarians can make an alliance with Code Pink is because they are both Ideologues.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    Thanks!

    We sure do need a “candidate school.” I always thought each party’s major committee (the RNC and DNC) would operate something like that as a matter of course. Evidently not.

  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    God help us.

  • PhillyCon

    If anything, the RNC is a hindrance to genuine candidates (who actually believe in principles). They are probably told to “water down” whatever belief system they have and talk about something else. The MSM being the piranhas they are for the Dems, focus even more on those “divisive” social issues, until the said candidate is toast in the eyes of the uninformed public. It’s a great challenge our side has to overcome.