Top conservatives to meet on rebuilding Republican party

Top conservatives to meet on rebuilding Republican party

www.guardian.co.uk

Senior Republicans are planning to meet at a rural retreat in Virginia within days of the election to discuss how to rebuild a party they expect to be badly beaten in the White House and congressional races.

News of the meeting emerged as a poll in Arizona indicated that John McCain could suffer the embarrassing loss of his home state. The poll put McCain on 46% and Barack Obama on 44%, indicating the Republicans are struggling to hold on in their traditional heartlands.

Details of next week's post-election meeting, to be attended by state chairmen and prominent activists from the conservative wing of the party, are being kept secret for fear of being seen to preempt the outcome of the presidential contest.

It is intended to look at who should take over chairmanship of the party, whether the party needs to switch to the right, and to make plans for the next presidential election.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Switch to the right??? Like they could get any further right without becoming fascists?

If they moved further to the right they would be assure a continued exile in the wilderness.

In case they haven't noticed, most people are moderates and a move to the right would further alienate an already disgruntled populous.

Let me offer a modest suggestion as to what would help the Republican party.

return to its roots as the party of the small business owner, not a pawn of mega-corporations... the party of main street, not wall street.

Reject the extremism of the funnymentalists as well as reject the no tax gut government zealots and return to a party that had moderate and liberal branches as opposed to just the party of movement conservatism.

It used to be that I could accept Republicans even if I disagreed with them... as it stands now they have become exactly what they accuse the Democrats of being, a party of extremists who have all but forced out or silenced their more moderate and liberal members.

Republicans are at their best when they are the big tent party as opposed to simply the party of their base.

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Republicans have become Democrats, plain and simple.

What they need to do is get back to their Conservative roots, and I mean "true" Conservatism, not the big government conservatism the Republicans have been practicing for years now.

The party does not need to reinvent itself. What it needs to do is un-reinvent themselves. What we have now is the Republican party that arose from reinvention.

We need to get back to our roots.

Getting some real conservatives in Washington is the first step.

reply to post by nyk537


Surprisingly I agree with you... up to a point.

Big government aside the party has been taken over by extremists who do not represent the mainstream, whether that be religious or economic extremists.

There are plenty of ways of being a conservative without being a fanatic.

It's sad they have to meet and discuss it. Like they dont get it?

Stop increasing the size of the government. Stop spending my money. Stop dumping our troops in other countries. Stop pushing for laws to control my life (like those damn Democrats keep doing).

Being a conservative politician should be the easiest thing in the world.

Republicans are through. It'll take a while, they won't go without kicking and screaming.

Real conservatives are all looking into the Libertarian and Constitutional parties. Real conservatives don't give a flying frick about Republicans. That party got hijacked a long time a go, by corrupt people and religious fanatics. A sure recipe for disaster.

I think the dems will slowly lurch left for the next few years, and the Libertarians, and possibly Constitutionalists will emerge as the conservative party of choice. This means maybe we can get back to true liberal vs conservative politics, and stop discussing issues like abortion, and gay marriage on a national level.

reply to post by nyk537


I agree with you.
I also think Republicans need to take 2 steps away from the church immediately.

Couldn't agree with you more.

I haven't considered myself a Republican for over a decade now. I just tell people I'm a Conservative.

We (as conservatives) can take the party back, but it won't be easy.

Unfortunately it may take a President Obama to make them realize the error of their ways.

More than likely though, they'll continue their idiotic ways and think, "that's what we need to do" and continue to act like liberals.

It's frustrating.

reply to post by nyk537


Actually its funny because I have complained that the Democrats have done their best to become Republican lite while the Republicans have become progressively more extreme.

In my opinion there is no real left left in this country. Only more or less slightly left of center while the right consistantly moves fruther away from the center.

Actually the push to the middle really is a push to nowhere. It has been my experience that people want an actual choice, not some meally mouthed middle of the road.

AND while I do believe that the majority of people are moderates and do not want extremists in either camp they do want a difference between the parties.

Of course.

Nobody wants middle of the road. Middle of the road is undecided, it's gutless.

I don't agree with you that there isn't a real left in this country, but I do think if the Republicans can get back to their Conservative roots, the American people will once again have a clear liberal-conservative choice in elections.

That's what we need.

Grover, today's Republican party is so liberalized it's become a farce. The idea that GWB is right wing or that neo-conservatives have anything whatsoever to do with the party that was essentially founded by Barry Goldwater and was in all its glory under Ronald Reagan is offensive to me. I'm not a modern Republican, the neos can have the name "republican" if they want it, but the Grand Old Party I've belonged to my whole life is not theirs. They can take their liberalized neoconservative nonsense and choke on it.

reply to post by burdman30ott6


My sentiments exactly.

The Republicans of today are nothing more than liberals in sheep's clothing.

Star for you for so eloquently laying that out.

The Republican Party has been weakened by leaders like John McCain reaching out and compromising with Democrats. You never compromise on your beliefs.

The first thing we need to do is clean up the Republican Party, get rid of the RINOS like John McCain, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Arlen Spector, Chuck Hagel, and I'm sure there are others. Recruit real conservatives to challenge these people, and take back the Republican Party.

Fresh faces like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, JC Watts, will energize this party.

Look at the Democrats....Lieberman strayed from thier hardcore principals and they ran someone against him, Republicans need to do the same. Democrats never compromise, and if you go against them you are ostracized. Republicans shouldn't compromise their principles when Democrats refuse to. Republicans aren't there to get along with Democrats they are there to defeat them and their ideas.

[edit on 30-10-2008 by RRconservative]

reply to post by grover


I wonder how this kind of meeting gets arranged? At what point did someone 'call for the gathering' and who was this person? "Top conservatives" sounds like a purposefully vague description of attendees. Especially since there are many conservatives - most of whom aren't at the top of anything (except maybe in their own minds).

Why would they want such a gathering leaked, especially BEFORE the election. It seems that this only paints a negative outlook on the party itself. Perhaps they are trying to rally wavering support from lukewarm Republicans, hoping they will vote with the party-line. But then, this is a UK article, which didn't cite any mainstream American media source.

They can't even 'leak' information properly. "The one party" (Republocrats) is totally broken, they all end up doing the same thing, regardless of their 'make believe' differences. That's the problem when both parties are owned by the same mega-corporate interests. Too bad they own the media too.

Edit to add:

This all seems to have started with the Rovian stratagem of 'embracing' the religious right. Ever since then logic seems to have abandoned the party.

[edit on 30-10-2008 by Maxmars]

Excellent points RR.

I've been calling for JC Watts to run for President for years now.

That's the kind of man we need to get the Conservative movement back on track.

We have to get these RINO's out of the party though. You're right about that.

Start by ditching the born agains and the religious zealots and get back to fiscal conservatism and you might just see intelligent voters coming back to the Grand Old Party.


The way it sits right now, sadly enough, is a broken down party of geriatrics and bible thumpers. The money class has already started distancing themselves from the party. The true future of the conservative movement lies with Libertarians and those who wish for a return to the tennents and principals of the Constitution.

Small government, reduced spending and waste, limited government interferance into our daily lives, lower taxes, a live and let live mentality.

What is there for anyone to disagree with?


I believe once the country gets its first strong taste of socialism to come, there will be a wild swing and an upsurge in the opposite direction. Right now because of the horror show that has been the Bush administration people are fearful and desperate and going in every direction looking for answers to this mess.

Give it time though....Once they see what a Democrat led house, senate and white house have planned for them they will go running for the hills in terror.

I'm definitely hoping that McCain will get absolutely trounced in 5 days time.

The Republican party will only rethink their position when total capitulation occurs, and they have to face up to the moral failings of W and the neocons.

A shift towards Reagan/ Paul/ Goldwater is needed, ie a seed change towards the right in all arenas. More importantly of course, the size of government needs to be slashed brutally. All modern repubs claim to be small statist yet none of them actually vote for it.

Where victory didn't bring it, perhaps loss may bring humility.

I can't say I disagree with your thinking.

I do worry though about what the next 4 years could bring under complete Democratic control.

It's scary. Unchecked power from anyone is scary.

I agree with everything said, but.....Who in the Republican party do you consider Religious fanatics and bible thumpers?

"I have often expressed my sentiments, that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." -- George Washington, letter to the General Committee of the United Baptist Churches in Virginia

"It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible."

"Do not let any one claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics." -George Washington

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." -James Madison


"In regard to this great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to found portrayed in it." -Abraham Lincoln

reply to post by 44soulslayer


If that AWB was off the table I'd be right there with laughing it up at a McCain defeat and dancing jugs while the full (D) government socializes everything to kingdom come but within 4 years they could bolster up and pass that AWB to cover everything from AR-15's to airsoft guns like Australia. No airsoft in Australia. I wonder if they can have Nerf?

Once government passes a law or ban they never easily give it up.
It takes decades of pain to get a right back if you get it back at all.