Why The Republicans Lost (A Rant)
By Corey Thompson, filed in Corey Thompson, General on Nov.12, 2008
As that fateful Tuesday night rolled on, it became more and more obvious that the tide of power and influence was changing in Washington and across the country. Not that the GOP had been dominant over the past few years, but as this election cycle proved, no Republican (incumbent or otherwise) would have an easy path to grabbing a slice of the “power pie” formerly known as our American government.
After thorough reflection and analysis, “The Thirsty Quill” is ready to point out that the Republican defeat last Tuesday can be traced to several important factors…
First and foremost, the biggest roadblock was the demonizing of President George W. Bush in the post-9/11 era. Never mind the fact that President Bush had been faced with (perhaps) more challenges than any Chief Executive this side of World War II. Even still, the Democrats, the media, and our American society consistently labeled him as: “the worst president ever,” “not my president,” “a liar,” “a dictator,” “Hitler reincarnated,” “a cheater,” “a Hurricane creator,” “an economic disaster,” and “a warmonger in the quest for ‘big oil,’” just to name a few. While I understand some frustration over the handling of the war and the tragedy in New Orleans, I cannot help but worry about the intelligence of the average American who believes, and worse, preaches such nonsense. Could our society really be so shallow-minded as to buy-in to this lunacy, or are they just looking for a scapegoat on which to stake their personal frustrations? Could our fellow countrymen be so nearsighted as to give President Clinton (a proven “liar” and “cheat” who was impeached while holding office, and who also carried out military operations against Saddam Hussein and Iraq), a free pass while crucifying Bush? But never fear Conservative ‘Quills,’ as “The Thirsty Quill” will run an entire series devoted to defending President Bush and his legacy prior to Inauguration Day!
Sadly, once Bush was branded, the next phase was the constant linking of all Republican candidates directly to him. Commercials aired nonstop with a barrage of images portraying the “bond” between Bush and Candidate X,Y, or Z. As contributor Sean Flynn noted in his article “The Black Eye Of Perception,” the ‘R’ became a literal scarlet letter that convicted every elephant of “guilt by association.” The verdict was, in many cases, a political death sentence.
Next, the overwhelming bias in the mainstream media, and among Hollywood’s elite, was part of a master blueprint to influence the majority of American voters, especially the youth. In their eyes, their opinions could sway our opinions, and thus turn the tide of the election. According to the media’s message, it wasn’t “smart” or “intelligent” to vote for “four more years of George W. Bush.” From the mouths of the Hollywood icons and demigod musicians spewed forth a never-ending diatribe of how voting for McCain and Palin just wasn’t the “cool” thing to do in America. I often found myself wondering how the radical artists (who have made their careers off of being defiantly anti-American), suddenly felt the overwhelming conviction to become model citizens who were full of civic pride? In many ways, the media and the leftist celebrities used little more than pop-culture peer-pressure to make Americans feel guilty if they weren’t “sold out” for Obama.
That brings us to our next point. The emergence of a youthful, charismatic Barack Obama was the antithesis to the current brand of politics. His case was certainly helped by his ability to speak with a resounding vigor that could motivate the masses, even if they weren’t paying much attention to the actual message he was delivering.
In turn, the failure of the Republican base to cling to a sound identity only made matters worse. We couldn’t decide if we were the “old” brand of Conservatives, the “new” brand, or some strange combination of the two, all rolled up into one big ball of political Play-Doh with no definite shape, form, or clear direction.
And lastly, the overall general attitude of American voters toward the current status of our government didn’t help much either. Two wars, a busted economy, and a general feeling of societal ‘sour grapes’ were all clinging to the vines of a government locked in political paralysis…and the American people weren’t fooled. Indeed, “change” was what the majority was looking for.
If the Republican base is to regroup and reform the party, we’ll first have to figure out just who we are, where we stand, and where we want to go…and who we want to lead the way. Only then can we figure out how to win back the faith of the “majority,” and ultimately carry them back up the slopes to that “shining city upon a hill.”
Sadly, Its Worth A Thousand Words...
November 13th, 2008 on 2:08 pm
“In the rise and fall of the recent Republican reign of power these past decades, the goal of the party had grown to be only that of gaining and maintaining power –with total sacrifice of the original Republican belief in shrinking the size of government.
Most Republicans endorsed this view in order to achieve victories at the polls. Limiting government power and size with less spending and a balanced budget as the goal used to be a “traditional” Republican value. This is what Goldwater and Reagan talked about. That is what the Contract with America stood for.
The opportunity finally came in 2000 to do something about the cancerous growth of government. This clear message led to the Republican success at the polls.
Once the Republicans were in power, though, the promises faded, and all policies were directed at maintaining or increasing power by trying to whittle away at Democratic strength by acting like big-spending Democrats.
The Republican Congress never once stood up against the Bush/Rove machine that demanded support for unconstitutional wars, attacks on civil liberties here at home, and an economic policy based on more spending, more debt, and more inflation — while constantly preaching the flawed doctrine that deficits don’t matter as long as taxes aren’t raised.
But what the Republican leadership didn’t realize was that ALL spending is a tax on middle-class Americans through price inflation and that eventually the inevitable consequence is paying for the extravagance with a financial crisis.
Party leaders concentrated only on political tricks in order to maintain power and neglected the limited-government principles on which they were elected. The only solution for this is for Republicans to once again reassess their core beliefs and show how the country (not the party) can be put back on the right track. The problem, though, is regaining credibility.
After eight years of perpetual (and unnecessary and unconstitutional) war, persistent and expanded attacks on our privacy, runaway deficits, and now nationalization of the financial system, Republicans are going to have a tough time regaining the confidence of the American people. But that’s what must be done.”
-Ron Paul