Quite a interesting and thought provoking article:
With John McCain’s all-too-easy road to the nomination paved through Florida and now nearly complete one thing is clear: The Republican Party has been hijacked. Over the past month a new Axis of Evil has emerged — not one based in Damascus, Tehran or Pyongyang — but instead in Cedar Rapids, Charleston, South Carolina, Derry, New Hampshire and Boca Raton, Florida. It is the liberal and “independent” voters in these 4 states that have nearly completed a deed that makes Kim Jong Il envious — the near crippling of the American Electoral System. These four states have combined their native liberal populism with an imported liberal electorate and have forced the GOP to accept a nominee so distasteful that in more than one poll — the numbers of voters choosing not to vote and those choosing to vote third party actually exceed those who will hold their nose and vote for Maverick, War Hero, Amnesty Supporter, John McCain.
I can hear you saying, “surely you aren’t saying that South Carolina has gone liberal — are you?” Are you kidding me? Drive through the Carolinas and count the number of license plates from NJ, NY and Pennsylvania. There is not much Dixie in the Carolinas; it’s more like Trenton and Long Island with fireworks. “But”, you protest, “New Hampshire, is Live Free or Die, it’s been a backbone of conservatism since the 1950’s.” No longer my friends — NH has become an exurb of Boston, with Boston’s sensibilities and, ugh, their voting tastes. NH hasn’t been reliably conservative since Reagan’s first term. These voters would rather be loved by the Boston Globe, than respected by the Union Leader.
Sadly these 4 states have done more than set the tone for the other 46 — they’ve dictated terms. Frankly I could extend the analogy to include Nevada, which is down to about 13% native — but why beat a dead horse.
The authors suggestion to fix this is one huge Super Tuesday where every state votes on the same day.
It makes sense actually. Why should a handful of states decide who the nominee is going to be? The one with the momentum going into Super Tuesday always has a advantage, as evidenced by the rest of the field dropping out after only a few states have voted. If you want to spread it out then have it spread out by time zones. Each spread out by a few weeks. But this madness needs to stop.
See author page
Yeah, bye guys, your party are belong to us. Maybe you can scrape together a few dozen voters and start over somewhere.
Something definitely needs to be done. The Republican party definitely has been hijacked.
I am so disgusted. We’re nominating a slimeball who has stabbed the Republican Party in the back every time chance he got. I am so disgusted with the GOP leadership and the RNC too. What a bunch of sellouts! No more donating to the RNC. I’m done.
Hillary or Obama will most likely wipe the floor with McCain. McCain is a dimwitted clueless old fart who doesn’t really believe in free speech or the free market . I can’t wait for the raving lunatic McCain when the news media turns on him after he is nominated. I’ll bet we’ll see an endless loop of the McNasty loosing it, (which he will and does often) and boy will we all of a sudden be reminded of the Keating Five.
This really could be the begining of the end for America. McCain will likely take down a whole lot of good Republicans with him, so the Dems will probably control enough votes for Cloture on any important vote. Welcome to the new living breathing Constitution knocking on your door in the middle of the night! We’re going to have much higher taxes, a new improved activist IRS, FBI and Justice Department, great new global warming regs to stifle any Capitalist instinct, one helluva recession, and all that followed probably by a global panic. What great new compassionate soup kitchens we’ll have! We’ll be such an easy takedown for the Fascists and the Islamists who will soon be our leaders.
I believe it goes further than just a few states. The major conservatives that launched Reagan are much to old to keep the drive alive. They have been unable to get major younger players interested on the conservative end. Thompson’s campaign had to have seen the numbers. I’m guessing the numbers looked bad across the board so he dropped out. If the numbers did look good for later states he would have stayed in. He didn’t even stay in to act as a Ross Perot and keep the issues alive. I believe the conservatives in the Republican party looked for a young vibrant conservative to go up against Hillary and Obama. Condoleezza Rice was probably their best bet, but she didn’t want to run. After that they didn’t have anybody. That was their fault for not grooming enough people.
I love this site. I can always count on you guys to articulate what I’m thinking. And when you do, you don’t pull any punches.
Every time I hear a new endorsement for McCain I feel betrayed by someone I thought was above the politics of barter and trade.
Until Tuesday, can we continue to beleive Romney can win the nomination? How will you guys handle voting if McCain and Clinton are the choices?
I have had issues with McCain for years and feel stunned (shocked, incensed, betrayed) that he is the front-runner for the Republican party. I think the issues conservatives have with McCain are serious. They mean something. They will have an impact on our country. They represent core beliefs. I think about this stuff a lot (mistake?) and look forward to reading your posts as each of you reach your own decision.
Let’s not forget that we also let the MSM dictate when and where our debates will be and how they will be conducted. Our debates are designed to marginalize the most competent conservatives.
The problem with one Ultra Super Tuesday is that votes could be split by candidates allowing the same thing to happen. Say it was Romeny, Fred and McCain. The votes could be Romney-30%, Fred-30%, McCain-35%, Other-5%. If it was only Fred and McCain, the votes might be Fred-45%, McCain-40%, Other-15%. For example.
Then there’s lack of a campaign cycle to allow people to become familiar with candidates. A lot more people know Romney now, although they may not be overjoyed, than two months ago and probably more likely to vote for him because of that.
To me is should be a cluster of 5 states over 10 weeks randomly selected. Or 10 states over 5 week randomly selected.
It is interesting that so many Democratic Stronghold states which happen to permit crossovers pulled their primaries ahead and then got their delegates stripped freeing them up to crossover vote.
Part of why I find it interesting is that at one point it seemed like Michigan was going to switch back to regain her delegates, but then that movement just quietly died.
So many are seeing exactly what’s going on, but is it too late to correct this. All conservatives must talk, cajole, another to get to the polls and vote Romney, its the only choice we have. Can’t vote for Huckabee, because thats a vote for Mcinsane. We may not be successful, but lets try, after all its our lives at stake here. We cannot let the enemy dictate our party choices.
Isn’t it a little early to be joining the stampede and anointing McCain the winner? I mean, those of you in states that have already voted, like South Carolina, may be sort of sidelined. But anyone who is in one of the later states should be doing what they can for their candidate.
Having all the primaries on one date would change things somewhat, but I don’t really accept the thesis put forth in the article that the existing early primary states are hotbeds of liberalism. The problem that I see is in people’s willingness to accept the verdict of inevitability too easily. If you change things around so that all the primaries are on one date, you will have a similar coronation of winners (based on polling) before the votes are cast.
I’ll be out this weekend or next dropping literature for Ron Paul at the households of Republicans in my precinct (my wife and I signed up as precinct captains). Those of you who support Romney and are in states yet to vote should also be doing what you can to help him out. Don’t let the NYT and CNN pick a candidate for you.
Will you stand strong for our Party ??
Conservatives are in agreement; there was no other truly conservative candidate for the nomination of the Presidency in 2008 than Fred Dalton Thompson. The Republican Party is leaving us with its big government candidates who don’t believe in restrained spending or federalism. Our nation is at a crucial crossroads with threats at home and abroad. If we are going to protect our nation’s identity and our sovereignty, then we must force the Republican Party to return to the conservative prinicples that will lead us forward. It is with that in mind that we urge all conservatives to VOTE FOR FRED DALTON THOMPSON during your state’s primpary. And if he isn’t on the ballot, WRITE-IN FRED THOMPSON. It is imperative that we sent a message to our party and our nation, that it is time to return to ideals of our founders and our constitution. Its time we send a message to our party and the media that this should once again become a serious process among professionals who are serious about the task at hand and not just looking for power and prestige. Its time we return to citizen servants who seek to further the cause of democracy and not just their self interests.
Will you take the pledge? Will you to Write-in Fred Dalton Thompson in your state’s primary and force the Republican Party the remember that we are a party of principles and conservatism? Leave your comment below and let’s take back our party and remind everyone that there was only one true conservative in the race.
http://www.writeinfred.com
While your principals and your heart may be in the right place delburd, (and so was mine), I gave everything I could afford to the Thompson campaign, (including money), and when Thompson dropped out—-so did the direct emails—-no thanks, plans, kiss my butt, NOTHING!
So, let me ask you delburd? What’s the purpose and the motivation other than a “fashion statement”? Of course, for every write in for Thompson would certainly take more votes away from McCain than Romney. Further fracture the party and elect Hillary Clinton for eight years?
NO THANKS AND NICE TRY
I have to agree with Rovin. Not with the anger at Fred because Fred had no choice to drop out. The earlier primaries in those states ensured he had no momentum and when he came in 3rd in a state that a real conservative should have no problem in he and his campaign knew it had big problems. While I hate he had to drop out I understand it. (btw, I received a thank you letter and an email from his campaign.)
Writing him in would only do as Rovin said, it would take votes away from Mitt and give them to McCain.
No way I can call for that.
“(btw, I received a thank you letter and an email from his campaign.)”
I have to attempt to take a bit of credit for “your letter” Curt. I wrote the Thompson Headquarters (3 times a week for two months) linking your site and reminding them of the support here. I guess “Santa” just forgot the little bloggers. 🙁
A better, or a parallel, goal to work towards would be to (1) eliminate “independent” voters from voting in the Republican primaries (2) prohibit party switches for some period of time prior to the primaries.
While any of these solutions may “work”, I think all of this is missing the point (or two points): there IS a power structure that wants the party to move towards the left and proposing “solutions” to the after-effects of that imposed will is trying to treat the symptoms not the root cause. You don’t think that Crist and Arnold endorsed McCain simply because he was the front-runner of the moment, do you? Also, if McCain is the nominee, the illegals will be legalized by either of the three remaining front-runners. It’s academic to argue how the Republican party will be fixed when sooner or later the resultant demographics will make it impossible to have ANY Republican (or a Conservative) to win the nomination for at least two generations after all the “family reunification” is over.
Try explaining this “philosophy” to Bush or McCain after the what happened last summer. They both recieved a rude awakening from a majority of the public that had their representatives running for cover like squirrels down the hole.
In the meantime, while we wait for our “purification process” Hillary will have appointed maybe three liberal Supreme Court justice’s —– try explaining that to your grand-kids.
In the meantime, while we wait for our “purification process” Hillary will have appointed maybe three liberal Supreme Court justice’s —– try explaining that to your grand-kids.
Most of us have already taken the pledge to support the eventual nominee of the party.
The fact that so many would even consider not voting for the nominee documents the weakness in the sector of the electorate relied upon most heavily to actually do the grunt work, donate the money, make the phone calls, put up the yard signs etc.
One of my lib commenters today suggested that McCain was a strong candidate because he and some of his lib buddies might actually “consider” voting for McCain. I asked if he was going to do the grunt work and have received no answer.
P.S. the idea of a super primary is NOT a good idea. Candidates would only campaign in big states and tailor their message to big city voting blocks. We’d have even MORE liberals shoved down our throats.
It’s a shame we can’t have a rotating primary with changing sets of the smaller states (less than ten electoral votes) being selected to go first, second third before we get to the big states.
weakness in the sector of the electorate relied upon most heavily to actually do the grunt work
Yes – this is why McCain has done poorly in almost every caucus so far: shut out in Wyoming, third in Nevada, fourth in Iowa… early reports suggest he’s not doing so hot in Hawaii or Maine either. In Louisiana he had some friends in the LAGOP that allowed him to list his delegates on the fusion ticket (pro-family/pro-life) they put together, which allowed him to do well there – but it wasn’t because he had a big organizational effort of his own, he just had connections that allowed him to piggyback. Which is why you need to stop buying into this aura of inevitability that he’s trying to construct…
I guess I’ll feign and play “devil’s advocate” (or more precisely, the contrarian, Michael Medved, will).