At the end of his HBO Show, Bill Maher presents his “New Rules,” a monologue revolving around issues of the day comprised of cheap sarcasm and hit-or-miss one liners.
With the Democratic Party seemingly in disarray following the 2004 election, Maher upbraided the Kerry campaign for its pandering to the center. From this segment, I have replaced the words “Democrat” and “liberal” with “Republican” and “conservative”
“Republicans will never win another election if they continue trying to siphon off votes from the Democrats. They will only win if they create more Republicans. And you no don’t do that by trying to leach onto issues you should be denouncing. You wind up in a goose-hunting outfit a week before the election trying to appeal to guys who would sooner vote for the goose.”
“These folks aren’t undecided. They aren’t in play.”
To paraphrase Reagan, conservatism is an ideology that has a party, not the other way around, and this is what separates us from the muddled mess of interest groups jockeying for a space at the trough that comprise the Democratic Party. If for tactical expediency, the Republican Party “goes gay” or moderates its position on abortion, it will be still be so far from the Democratic position on the issue that anyone really concerned with “gay rights” or abortion rights will still pull the lever for the Democratic nominee. All this would accomplish is to provoke stories in the mainstream press that x nominee is fighting with the base, which plays right into the hands of the Democrats.
If the time comes when wide majorities across the nation embrace gay marriage, let the Republican Party do so as well. I think Burke once said conservatism is at its best when it concedes the world is changing in ways it does not favor, but nonetheless resolves to moderate its course. As election results from California to Florida suggest, that day for emrbacing gay marriage has not yet come.
One final [edited] word from Maher:
“Republicans and conservatives stop saying you’re going to move because Obama won. Real Republicans and conservatives should be pledging to stay because Obama won.”
Here here.
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Recommended
Hooah_Mac (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 2:35AM EST (link)This is a great posting, and I Rec’d it.
Ok, I’ll admit you had me at Burke.
-Priorities-
1. Mission 2. Soldiers 3. Everything Else
A day without quoting Burke is a day without sunshine
McKinley (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 6:03AM EST (link)Thanks for the rec. Wish I had proofread the post.
Disagree
Dencal26 Thursday, April 16th at 10:03AM EST (link)In order to control House or Senate you most certainly need to siphon off Democrat Votes, What has so far been successful for Democrats is the fact that they have not started attacking their right leaning members like Pro Life Bob Casey or Heath Schuler . Without the Susan Collins types we will never control Senate. Lets take NJ as an example. Republican Challenger Chris Christie leads Corzine by 10-15 pts in polls. While Conservative Steve Lonegan also leads Corzine by a smaller margin I doubt Lonegan can beat Corzine. Do we run the very conservative Lonegan and lose or run Christie and win the NJ Governors seat? Rudy was another example. Rudy is a social liberal but New York City was certainly not going to elect anyone to the right of Rudy. We have to stop boxing ourselves into the litmus test mindset. Nobody is 100% Conservative on all issues. Ok maybe some but very few.
If Chris Christie is like Rudy, then I would support him 100%. I'd rather lose ...
Martin Knight (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 10:26AM EST (link)… than win with someone like Arnold.
Schwarzenegger has essentially destroyed what was left of the CAGOP. Pataki left the NYGOP in virtual tatters and it was only a matter of time before the Dems would finally boot us out of the Majority in the State Senate.
DTaft wrecked the OHGOP with his “moderate” stupidity – a walking and talking proof of the truism that a man with no principles is easy prey for corruption.Rudy may be a social liberal, but there any similarity between him and so-called “moderates” like Snowe, Collins, Chafee, Specter ends. On defense, fiscal, economic, justice, civic, etc. issues he was a four square conservative. And unlike the so-called “moderates” above, he’s not a coward who votes based on fear of what would be said about him in the newspapers the next morning.
PS: Bob Casey is not really pro-life – it was a campaign gimmick, no more.
Is that why the left never challenged Lieberman?
Beaglescout (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 11:21AM EST (link)Now I understand it all. Yep.
YOU FAIL.
“A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.”
Rudy??? Heh.
mbecker908 (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 1:17PM EST (link)Rudy was to the right of every candidate but Fred last year.
I personally have no problem with the ME girls, they aren’t in leadership and typically do no harm.
The issue should be that wimps like Specter should never ascend to a committee chair or a leadership position.
Agreed
Finrod (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 2:34PM EST (link)Unfortunately, thanks to dirty tricks by our enemies near the end of 2007, and those among us who fought tooth and nail against him as a nominee for not being sufficiently pro-life (even though his pledged behaviour for being President was indistinguishable from what any pro-life President would do), we ended up with the moderate squish McCain as our nominee instead someone that would stand up and fight for us.
I will say that regarding Specter, he was good as Judiciary Committee Chairman/Ranking Member; he was better than I expected and far better than I feared.
Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?
Then Finrod, your expectations must have really sucked.
mbecker908 (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 11:01PM EST (link)Specter did absolutely nothing to move very good, very well qualified nominees to committee hearings and floor votes. The guy was (is) a total piece of crap. I actually have significantly stronger negative opinions about him, but I have to be careful of what I say given my former Governor’s recent comments.
Specter needs to be made an example of
AKSteveB (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 2:37PM EST (link)He is a back stabber in a state that could elect someone a lot better. The Maine girls are as good as it will get from that state, and at least you do know where they stand. Specter may be the one congresscritter where it would be better to lose to a Dem than elect the Repub.
Hell is other people – Sartre
Specter is the best we'll get from PA
McKinley (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 3:51PM EST (link)unless its a strong Republican year, or the Democrat is a crook.
I think Toomey could win...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 3:54PM EST (link)and the Democrat is almost always a crook…regardless of the strength of the Republican Party in any particular year.
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
Follow @Aaron_RS
Many people posting here from PA think differently
McKinley (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 4:00PM EST (link)Given how critical it is we hold forty seats in the Senate, I don’t think now is the time to jeopardize a seat that would lean-R if the incumbent runs.
I think playing safe is a failed strategy McKinley...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 4:11PM EST (link)I think it is time for people to let go of the idea that their bad Senator is really ok because he is *theirs*.
I say let the primary happen…then we can support whoever wins.
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
Follow @Aaron_RS
didn't you write another diary about sticking to your guns?
Beaglescout (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 5:01PM EST (link)What would Bill Maher say about republicans pretending to be democrats to get democrat votes? You refute your own comment.
“A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.”
...or the Democrat is a crook.
mbecker908 (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 11:02PM EST (link)Of course the Democrat will be a crook. Since when did that inhibit their ability to get elected. Usually it enhances it.
McCain Lost
papalee Thursday, April 16th at 11:26AM EST (link)because people who voted for Bush in ’04 weren’t buying the same used bull again. I firmly believe that what people are looking for is a candidate who will return to the Constitution as written and not as viewed by the Supreme Court. The problem is that we, as Republicans and not as Conservatives, have too many folk who believe that folk really believe that their newspapers and major networks are telling them the Truth.
The number of folk who dared to come out after Homeland Insecurity labeled Conservatives as Right Wing Extremists indicates that where their minds, hearts and, hopefully, pocketbooks are at. We just need to look to the places where we absolutely must win the election for the House of Representatives in ’10 and make sure we begin right now. We also need to make sure that the census is not used to steal seats from we Reds and give them to the Blues. After all, if places like Detroit or Seattle can have more voters than population above 18, we are going to have real problems winning back the House.
Most places have a mismatch between registrations
Achance (Diary) Thursday, April 16th at 3:17PM EST (link)and population since Motor Voter. They have to register everybody who walks in at the welfare office, the unemployment off, the DMV and in some states other offices as well. The registrars are not allowed to purge the rolls adequately, so they’re full of people registered at more than one address, who’ve moved, were illegal, felons, you name it. In the honestly run states, it is merely an inconvenience. In the corrupt states, that would be the Blue States, it is a prescription for fraud.
And don’t worry, the Census will be used to steal seats. We can only hope we have some Republican governors and AGs with the guts to sue the US over it.
In Vino Veritas
The Democrat Governor of Oklahoma Just Vetoed
papalee Monday, April 20th at 12:31AM EST (link)a law that would have required showing picture id before voting. He had the support of the Tulsa World who said that there was no need for same. But what they were and are actually supporting is the continued ability of the Democrat Party to corrupt elections. There best current way is to vote folks in nursing homes who have Parkinson’s or Altsheimer’s as they did at one Tulsa Nursing home in the last election. That they learned, I believe, from various social programs which made the frail elderly dependent upon them so that they would hand over their ballots for fear of losing services. That went on in San Francisco under dear leader Mayor Feinstein.
I'm still registered as independent
mom2oneson (Diary) Monday, April 20th at 12:46AM EST (link)I remember the food stamp worker asking me if I wanted to register. I didn’t know if I had to pay dues or something to register republican. I went to vote for the primaries and couldn’t! The problem is they ask people and people surely are not going to say no to anything that might rock the boat, when they are trying to get approved for benefits.
With the economy the way it is and there being a huge surge in applicants, maybe the gop should set up help spots or even phone support (for people applying online) where people can get assistance with navigating the social service beuracracy. We could have a main number and then a volunteer in each state that is familiar with what is needed to get the initial app approved.
Many times when you hear people say “We didn’t get approved becaue we were white” or we didn’t get approved becaues we own a home” (neither one are true!) the truth is they didn’t have the knowledge to navigate through the system that seems to be present in most black communities or just the wilingness to play the paperwork game.