Over at Right Wing News, John Hawkins has posted a memo from Rep. Thaddeus McCotter that outlines the kind of strategy that ought to work. While the whole thing is a pretty good read, I want to clarify a couple of points.Let's start with this from the Challenges section:
4. Homicide vs. Suicide: The Democrats want to kill us off. We must not help them by committing suicide. Following their successful 2006 “rubber stamp for Bush” election, the Democrats again seek a national referendum on us. Thus, we must stop running public referendums upon ourselves, because it abets the Democrats’ goal. Remember: a self-obsessed quest for an illusory ideological purity will put our conservative philosophy into a permanent minority.Emphasis added.
Now, don't be confused, I'm all for supporting the most conservative candidate that we can get that isn't screaming for a return to the 19th century. But we do have to be realistinc about the choices we are making. For the POTUS race, that means making a choice between John Sydney McCain and Barack Hussein Obama. I've heard conservatives actually say that they can't tell a difference between the two and there are a few issues in which the guy with the "R" at the end of his name is not on the right side; but if you can't see a difference between these two candidates, you're not looking at the candidates at all. (There is a time and place for that discussion and this ain't it...there will be plenty of time for contrast pieces between these two candidates and trust me, we'll get to it.)
Moving on...
...to the Opportunities section, where we have this bit:
4. Mavericks vs. Hacks: Each member must be able to augment their core principles with issues that maximize their in-district appeal. Our Conference must not impose an arbitrary ideological litmus test or label upon any member, for it will harm every member’s personal ability to appeal to their constituency and win.My take on this comes down to the very simple fact that if you don't vote for -- as much as it pains me to say this -- a Steven "Cut and Run" LaTourette, if that's the choice you have, then the agenda of Rep. Jeff Flake doesn't get advanced. This comes down to getting enough Republicans in office in order for conservatives to have enough horses to move the agenda.
The answer to the LaTourettes of the party is a little thing called party discipline. That will require real leadership...
Bottom line: electing Democrats or letting Democrats get elected, doesn't help Rep. Jeff Flake or Sen. Tom Coburn or the conservative agenda. It is just that simple.
