Conservatives: Prepare to be pushed further left by State GOP
I am amazed. I have come to expect the secular wing of the GOP to blame the Christian wing for every failure that comes along, but the lengths to which they are willing to ignore "discordant feedback from reality" to hear only the message that they want to hear has been taken to new and fantastical heights.
Asked in this John Lyon column about the poor GOP showing this year, Republican Party of Arkansas Director Clint Reed said this, "We must listen to the message that the voters sent us and provide real reform within our party. We must be an inclusive party that is not relegated to fractional or regional ideologues,".
"Inclusiveness" is, of course, a well-known code word for the faction of the GOP that favors abortion, amnesty for illegals, and a gay-friendly Republican party. It can be accurately translated to mean "shut up all you pro-lifers, border control nuts, and all you bible crazies who want to keep social conservatism as important issues".
Those are the "idealouges" Reed says they need to get away from. In rejecting an ideology, Reed comes to perfect agreement with former President Clinton, as we discussed in this article. Idealouges in this case are simply people with ideals. Where do people with real belief systems go when the leaders of both parties reject ideals? Where do we go when they both reject standards? When both are committed only to saying and doing whatever think will help them "win"?
The reason the GOP lost is as plain as day, and it wasn't because our state candidates were "too conservative". It is because a dismissively arrogant President Bush and a corrupt overspending GOP congress were like an anchor around their necks.
Indeed, the most conservative of the lot, Jim Holt, got the most votes, even though he got zero help, and I mean zero, from the state party. Meanwhile, the Democratic party realized that the Lt. Governor's race was the only one they could lose, so they dumped $250,000 into ads assuring people that Halter was a good guy- and until that point many had questions- and that Holt was a terrible guy. The Republican party lifted not one finger in response. That was when the polls showed movement for Halter. Because the money totals for the Lt. Governor's race were so much smaller than the Governor's race, a smaller infusion of cash would have had a proportionally bigger effect, but that help never came.
Instead of making the no-brainer decision (that the democrats made) of throwing weight into the closest state-wide race, the GOP focused entirely on the Governor's race, and did so by constantly emphasizing Asa Hutchinson's ties to the Bush administration. They called even more attention to the very anchor that was around the necks of all GOP candidates, even those that had disagreements with Bush. That was a strategic blunder of immense proportions. It only adds insult to injury to hear them say that, rather than their own strategic blunders, conservatives are to blame for the election results.
24 Comments:
Well said, Mr. Moore - thank you for your logical and level-headed analysis.
The Republican Party of Arkansas can only move forward in the right decision when their leaders are willing to confront the situation with total honesty and humility instead of casting blame on this or that.
I'm not willing to be pushed any further left.
I think many Republicans (not in leadership) across the country are expressing the very same sentiment. But I am afraid the leaders are sorely lacking the conservative convictions - open borders, SPP, meddling in unnecessary foreign affairs, active stripping of our nation's sovereignty... you name it! What a sad time for this nation!
O this is only because they are coming after you because of your dogmatic support of Sen. Holt. Holt always said he was a great closer and would pull it out. And you were constantly pointing that out and attacking the Little Rock media. Well the fact is the Little Rock media that you have attacked got it right and you blew it. Holt did not even get what he got last time. You are the far right and this election showed that the far right looses elections. The party must be a balance of the social conservative and fiscal conservatives. And you demanded total social conservativeness. Yes you are out, but not the conservative just the far right.
The far right lost elections this round... as opposed to the stellar performance of the RINO's and weak-kneed moderates?
Moore, quit trying to ruin the GOP and go back to pushing the CP with Jason.
Jim Holt and Drew Pritt are the same. Think about it.
anonymous 10:58am,
I have to say I am a bystander and am a follower of different Arkansas blogs... but if you are representative of the GOP, then I am not surprised the Arkansas GOP is in the state it is in. Your comment is ungentlemanly, and classless. How about some honest discussion and analysis of the situation at hand for the good of the state and country?
Boo Hoo! The Republican party did not pour any money into Holt's campaign because they did not want his kind of representation. If he wants to keep running, fine. But go run in another party. He's not a true Republican.
Moore, quit trying to ruin the GOP and go back to pushing the CP with Jason.
How about you quit acting childishly and trying to ruin any real discussion of issues here, and go back to your own blogs where you can read all the views that are agreeable to you?
The Republican party lost because it abandoned the values voters, of which Arkansas is made up of by a wide margin. A good number of them are Democrats who don't realize that their party is now full of socialists. If the state party moves in the direction of the national party, they'll never win anything again and the state economy and everything else will suffer as a result. As it will when Governor Nick Wilson raises everyone's taxes.
Exactly, the so-called "Value Voters" feel betrayed and used by the Republicans because they are only courted by politicians for their votes, but when it comes to really doing something about the issues (illegal immigration, homosexual activism etc) important to the value voters, the politicians can't care less.
Then switch parties!!!
Oh, I see. The Republican Party somehow belongs to you and your ilk, but me and my kind are the ones who are out of place. Is that it?
I'm not the one complaining and complaining about my dislike for the Republican party. If I were as dissatified as you seem to be, I would either switch parties or make a party of my own.
My dislike of the party is that people like you are in it.
One side or the other is going to have to leave. Neither side can get their message out to the people like this. Neither side gets a chance to persuade people like this.
Tis a beautiful thing to see the corporatists and the bible-beaters in a no holds barred, civil war for control of the now defunct Republican Party. I should have brought some popcorn!
The corporatists control the Democratic Party too Robo. Only we are starting to realize that we are being used.
Let me ask you this, have the big corps taken a "side" in the culture war over homosexual marriage? Yes they have, and the Democrats and the Corporatist agenda coincides perfectly. Does that bother you?
The power-- being in control of the House & Senate-- helps soothe the grated conscience. Just like it did the last six years for the Republicans.
Thank you for your analysis, Mr. Moore. It is this sort of ridiculous thinking that has hurt Republicans in our state.
Jim Holt didn't stand a chance. Regardless of how much money he had.
We are the Republican Party. Not the Christian Party. We have other concerns, like j-o-b-s. and our children's future.
And Christians can't be concerned about jobs? You can't be concerned about jobs and social issues too? That is a false choice.
Maybe you are right though, there is no sense in Christians hanging around where they are not wanted.
I heard a lot of people say that they thought Jim Holt was the only one that would win out of the entire slate of GOP statewide candidates. Arkansas is a conservative state and these stupid conservative Democrats that keep voting Democrat just because they have for so many years, need to wake up and realize that their party has gone socialist and has left them....even in Arkansas! The DPA put up the most liberal, socialist slate of candidates to run this election cycle. And they ALL can't deny that they're a bunch of liberals no matter how "moderate" or "conservative" they want to talk.
You still don't get it do you? The Republican Party is the party that has left most of its followers behind. Reagan Republicans have nowhere to go but to the Democratic Party if they want fiscal responsibility and smaller government. You would think after a drubbing like the one you just took, you would think "What did we do wrong?" All I have heard is that the Arkansas voters are stupid and they don't know what their values are. Keep telling yourself that and keep sending up lambs to the slaughter like Asa!
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