I count at least a dollar there. Outstanding idea; I’m a particular fan of Town Halls and Lincoln/Douglass, as it would allow ideas to make a return to politics in an interesting way.

the Nationalist GOP are those who oppose hanging a sign over the entrance to the GOP tent, “Enter here, Constitution Rules, all welcome”.

How often do you hear GOP talk about the Constitution? It is always less government. To me, that is code word for Nationalist conservative, who could care less of State Sovereignty.

To put it plain, the Patriot movement is very serious about Constitutional conduct and if the GOP establishment will not repent, they will be defeated or find an empty tent.

The disrespect of the Constitution must stop or it is dead. A U.S. District Court rules in the Obama Birth Certificate, that you cannot claim injury by someone acting unconstitutional to you. That is the foretelling of what is coming, international mantra controlling our very lives. That will not happen in this Nation. The only cure is for everyone, everyone, to start honoring Law.

Been saying for yeas, as we watch the Federal Government blatantly and willfully defy Law and that action spilling all the way down into corrupting every part of our Nation. Florida supreme court holds lying as not liable. Insanity on parade folks. Who will trust who when this is allowed to complete.

Constitutional conduct and FairTax please

…so I tend to agree with Erick’s position on pledges. It;s easy to pledge to voters then renege, not so easy to lie to someone sitting next to you everyday.

If you will recall the Contract with America, the one BIG LIE was the term limit lie…But I favor contracts among sitting members.

But a more active and aware citizenry (thanks Tea Party/RedState et al) lengthens the public memory, so the old “lie paradigm” is out the window as well. There’s been a sea cgane on poilitical lying, especially in two year cycles, and distcricts and states with strong conservative groups….which in another 2-4 years..will be everywhere.

I still believe a conservative platform, 10 points, whatever, is a good idea, if only for keeping score.

Republican events and Republican debates need to take place in the districts and states not in DC/NY/LA. Republican House Members should go on a crusade aimed at making big city reporters learn that a Holiday Inn Express IS a luxury hotel. If you want to have a presser, do it in your state’s largest city or your capital city and let it be filtered through local and regional media, not national media The AP is a left wing organ so it is foolish for you to talk about your state or districts issues someplace where the only coverage you’re going to get in the local media is the AP story. The local media may be lefty too, but they have to at least somewhat adhere to local folkways and mores. Few big media companies are more lefty than McClatchey, and you know the McClatchey-owned Anchorage Daily News would have just loved to have broken or showcased some of the more vile things that were being circulated about Sarah Palin – BUT THEY DIDN’T DARE because there would have been a firestorm from their readers and, especially, advertisers. Out in the hinterlands, not a lot of lefties own businesses big enough to break a newspaper or TV station, but a lot of car dealers and real estate agents sure are big enough.

I favor the idea of open debates. However, how does the party determine how many candidates have a seat at the debate table?

For example…
Hopping in my way back machine…
Does Alan Keyes get in to the debate or not… see Atlanta, Geogia, March, 1996.

No, and I mean *No* purity tests. besides, we have a high-pass filtering mechanism in place already. It’s called a primary system. If you aren’t actively involved in your local party and either running or fighting to get your choice through the primary gate, take you “litmus test” and wipe off the dingle-berries.

I wouldn’t ask for a yes/no on 10 issue positions but rather ask candidates to write in 50 words how they would support each and 50 words on what each position means to them. Voters can review each and perhaps mentally score the candidates on how well they adhered to each position times how important that position is to them. If abortion is their number 1 position, you would rate that a 10. If the candidate is moderate on the issue he scores perhaps a 6. Multiply the two to get 60 points. Continue for all other issues.

Or whatever.

Just give us the chance to review their orthodoxy and plans to the point where I have something to make a decision on now and can use to hammer them later when they renege.

the RNC has to be able to embrace a CONSERVATIVE independent. The independents outnumber the registered voters of both parties combined by a considerable margin (sic MA) and if the RNC choses to exclude them we will be doomed. Throwing support for the guy in NY23 would have been better than what we got. We need to support the most conservative/constitutionally aligned candidates regardless of whether or not they sport an R after their names.

The “Litmus Test” already exists. It is the Constitution and Amendments.

Grand ideas to change the world or create a “better” America belong in the private sector. Period. Our national politicians had better start to work on stopping/dismantling the decades of Federal expansionism, pushing issues back to the States, and educating our fellow citizens what their individual responsibilities/rights are.

Just like Fred said, and I’m paraphrasing, Let’s look at the issue to first decide if it falls within the domain of Government; if so, at what level: Local, State, Federal. And most importantly if it is not a government issue explain to public why!

Why can’t this be simplified, you step over the line you are tarred and fathered. We don’t need to make up any fancy list of do and don’t, this was already written a long time ago, it is known as the Constitution. The Conservative side and the Republican Party side should have the same perspective, an originalist perspective. This is not far right, it is centralist on the political spectrum.

“It is promote the general welfare and not provide. Healthcare is not in the enumerated powers thus the power goes to the 9th and 10th.”

The Constitution sets a clear dividing line in almost everything. You step over the line someone grabs you by the ear and marches you off to the woodshed.

Why is everyone trying to make this so complicated and rewrite everything?

1. I like all three debate formats. Lincoln-Douglas, then face-to-face, then Town Halls. That would allow the propositions to be put, debated by the candidates then followed up at town halls. NO MODERATORS / TV PERSONALITIES. I would limit the debates to two candidates at a time. They do not need to be sponsored – the two campaigns can organize them, with non-participation a huge red flag.

2. twduke: Amen! Federalism is the key. The only way forward is to roll back the federal government’s encroachment. We should repeal the 16th and 17 Amendments before proposing any other, although we need to find some way to reign in the SCOTUS. Perhaps 3/5s of the state supreme courts must concur within six months or so, with non-response = concurring.

3. Achance is spot on. Local media, local venues.

Let’s make it happen.

The GOP should avoid the term purity test (text, NSFW) for pretty much the same reason it dislikes the term teabaggers. (More such tests here. The origin of these tests predate the Web even; I remember seeing the 500q test back in 1989.

If you don’t understand why, follow the link and you’ll soon figure it out. Try reading through the 500-question purity test, for example.

it isn’t MSM appeasement. Then they will come up with ever more absurd talking points such as “Tea Partiers are nothing more than racists”. Thus MSM marginalizes itself.
Achance is right on- If “all politics is local” then all press should be local. Screw AP