In an on-line poll on Richard Viguerie's website ConservativesBetrayed.com, readers were asked: "Who was responsible for the Republicans' disastrous defeats, including loss of control of the House and Senate, in the 2006 elections?" They were given 31 choices of various individuals, factors, and groups, and were asked to select 10.Some of this I can agree with and others I just can't...
Their number one culprit: "Conservative leaders who kept silent when the GOP became the party of Big Government." Coming in sixth was "Conservative media that kept silent while the GOP became the party of Big Government." More than 77.1% of Republicans selected conservative leaders, with 47.8% selecting conservative media, as one of the reasons for the negative outcome of the election.
"While many conservative leaders and conservative media outlets kept quiet, or were even cheerleaders for the White House and Congress, the grassroots noticed very little of a conservative agenda but huge increases in federal spending," Viguerie explained. "And because the Big Government Republican politicians were not receiving criticism from conservative leaders and conservative media, they felt free to indulge their tendencies to spend and spent in order to buy votes."
"It is interesting to note that the #3 reason cited by Republicans was 'legal corruption' to 'buy' votes through the use of taxpayers money for special interest purposes. That strategy backfired with the voters," Viguerie said.
The Top 10 selections made by 850 self-identified Republicans were:
-- Conservative leaders who kept silent when the GOP became the party of
Big Government
-- Illegal corruption, such as Mark Foley, Robert Ney, and Jack Abramoff
-- Legal corruption, such as spending on special interest groups to "buy"
their votes, including earmarks
-- Mainstream media that may have influenced the voters to throw out the
Republicans
-- President George W. Bush
-- Conservative media that kept silent while the GOP became the party of
Big Government
-- Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), former President Pro Tempore of the
Senate and promoter of the $223 million Bridge to Nowhere
-- Blunders and misstatements by Republican candidates
-- Former Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)
-- Congressman Dennis Hastert (R-IL), former Speaker of the House
There were only minor variations in the order of the list among self-identified Democrats, members of other political parties, and independents. The poll's full ranking of all persons, factors, and groups from both Republicans and total voters is available at http://www.ConservativesBetrayed.com [Link].
Republicans didn't lose because of President Bush...that much I can tell you right off the bat.
Ted Stevens I can buy...Denny Hastert I can't...
Foley, Ney, and Abramoff...sure. Republican candidates blunders and misstatements...not so much.
But it is an interesting read...
