Author Topic: The Way forward for Republican party  (Read 52779 times)

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Sen. Tim Scott
« Reply #200 on: May 17, 2022, 08:46:28 PM »


Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #202 on: August 29, 2022, 03:14:53 AM »
What is the GOP’s election platform?

Absence of stated policy preferences hurts voters, party and republic

The inability or unwillingness of the Republican Party over the last few years to clarify its intentions with respect to policy has, rightly, damaged the party’s chances to take control of the federal legislative branch in this election cycle. This failure has led to a number of pathologies, the most immediate of which is the creation of the vacuum that has allowed both former President Donald Trump to loiter in everyone’s head and voters to forget (hopefully temporarily) how truly inept and disastrous Team Biden has been.

If you are an elected official nowadays and not talking about issues or achievements, you are invariably responding to the trivia of the day; or, worse, trailing along in the wake of the former president, or, even worse, responding to whatever nonsense the Democrats want to talk about.

The absence of policies and ideas also opens the door for the other side to define and identify their opponents. We’ve seen that this cycle as the vacuum created by congressional Republicans’ aversion to alerting voters about what they intend to do if given partial control of government has allowed the Democrats to define the Republicans and, consequently, now match them in voter enthusiasm.

A focus on policy is also essential to wave elections, in large measure because it helps to frame individual campaigns as part of a national narrative. That especially helps weaker candidates. If Mehmet Oz had some material policies to talk about, he would likely be talking about them instead of raw vegetables or getting drawn into Twitter conversations about how many houses he owns.

Similarly, Herschel Walker would at least have a fighting chance of speaking in public without damaging himself. Candidates like Blake Masters in Arizona and J.D. Vance in Ohio would be able to talk at some length about nationally important issues and policies rather than riff on their general theories about the world.

In short, an emphasis on policy helps keep candidates away from trouble.

The other thing that policy ideas do is acknowledge that work remains to be done. We have not heard much about the border wall in this campaign, despite the fact that the southern border has essentially vanished under Team Biden. Nor have we heard much about the Obamacare subsidies to the wealthy, despite the fact that they were the main impetus behind the disastrous, economically destructive reconciliation. Nor has there been much talk about defunding Planned Parenthood.

Republican candidates have been acting as if the last time they were given the majority they left no element of the agenda undone. Everyone knows that to be inaccurate, and current candidates’ failure to acknowledge previous failures does not instill confidence among voters that previous errors will be corrected.

An emphasis on policies and proposals also strengthens confidence in representative government and is healthy for the republic and its citizens. When voters are told what the candidates are going to try to do if elected, they are better able to decide between candidates. Even if the choice in question is simply framed as avoiding the disastrous policies of the incumbent, at least there is clarity. Such emphasis helps everyone stay focused on the actual purposes of government — advancing the longterm interests of the nation and its citizens — and helps avoid campaigns devolving into candidate self-aggrandizement and ego-gratification.

Campaigns are always about something — the incumbent, the mood of the country, the disastrous economy, whatever. Talking about policies is smart because it helps keep voters focused on material (rather than trivial or cosmetic) differences. It keeps the conversation focused on those topics your side would rather talk about (for the Republicans, that would have to be the economy, inflation, energy prices and the disaster in Afghanistan). By denying them room to maneuver, it precludes your opponents from shifting to topics more favorable to them.

Despite all this, the Republican party, with fewer than 80 days remaining in this cycle, has failed to produce any sort of policy documents or indication of what sorts of things they may attempt to do if given the majority in the House or Senate. That should not come as surprise, given that this same party failed to produce a platform during the presidential election cycle of 2020.

That’s a very serious problem, one that can’t be explained and should not be ignored.

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Schlicther agrees with above post (whoever wrote that ?)
« Reply #203 on: August 29, 2022, 08:37:32 AM »
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/08/29/republicans-desperately-need-an-agenda-n2612316

I suspect they are holding back the "new contract  with America"

to keep the Dems from stealing the best ideas
a la BJClinton

with an adoring media willing to pretend all along that is part of their platform

otherwise I have no clue why we can't make a firm policy

instead of infighting over TRUM P for Godsakes

amazing we see McCarthy frequently on air

I can not remember the last time we saw McConnell preaching

DC Mitch with grifter wife ...... for all we know she is CCP spy.......

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: Schlicther agrees with above post (whoever wrote that ?)
« Reply #204 on: August 29, 2022, 10:31:54 AM »
The people who take children to give lap dances to drag queens aren’t interested in winning over votes.

It’s all about stealing elections and targeting dissidents from here on out.

https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/08/29/republicans-desperately-need-an-agenda-n2612316

I suspect they are holding back the "new contract  with America"

to keep the Dems from stealing the best ideas
a la BJClinton

with an adoring media willing to pretend all along that is part of their platform

otherwise I have no clue why we can't make a firm policy

instead of infighting over TRUM P for Godsakes

amazing we see McCarthy frequently on air

I can not remember the last time we saw McConnell preaching

DC Mitch with grifter wife ...... for all we know she is CCP spy.......

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
playing right into the hands of the Crats:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ben-shapiro-says-republicans-cruising-161752419.html

exactly!

Trump is the problem, not a weaponized DOJ/FBI. Not massive vote fraud

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #207 on: August 29, 2022, 01:29:13 PM »
"Trump is the problem, not a weaponized DOJ/FBI. Not massive vote fraud"

Trump IS a big problem

YES.

He can't get 50 % approval, ever.

yes that is a problem

He cost us the Senate in '20 and may very well in '22.


G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #208 on: August 29, 2022, 01:49:27 PM »
"Trump is the problem, not a weaponized DOJ/FBI. Not massive vote fraud"

Trump IS a big problem

YES.

He can't get 50 % approval, ever.

yes that is a problem

He cost us the Senate in '20 and may very well in '22.

Vote fraud cost us the senate, not that it really matters.

Remember when Romney was going to put black people back in chains?

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #209 on: August 29, 2022, 02:35:57 PM »
"Trump is the problem, not a weaponized DOJ/FBI. Not massive vote fraud"

Trump IS a big problem

YES.

He can't get 50 % approval, ever.

yes that is a problem

He cost us the Senate in '20 and may very well in '22.

Vote fraud cost us the senate, not that it really matters.

Remember when Romney was going to put black people back in chains?

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/124572-romney-campaign-tells-obama-to-rein-in-his-supporters-on-nazi-comments/amp/

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #210 on: August 29, 2022, 02:55:06 PM »
you provide
straw man arguments

I point trump could not get over 50 % and you bring up a different topic - cheating

to my knowledge he never got over 50% in any poll

with all due respect did you see this:

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fbi-election-interference/2022/08/29/id/1085063/

aw come on

this stuff is retarded.....

already

train left yrs ago
on this ....

not that he is wrong but this won't help conservatives win the Senate .....







« Last Edit: August 29, 2022, 03:20:00 PM by ccp »

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #211 on: August 29, 2022, 05:02:05 PM »
What did the polls say when he beat Hillary?

They’d never lie to us or rig the elections!

you provide
straw man arguments

I point trump could not get over 50 % and you bring up a different topic - cheating

to my knowledge he never got over 50% in any poll

with all due respect did you see this:

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fbi-election-interference/2022/08/29/id/1085063/

aw come on

this stuff is retarded.....

already

train left yrs ago
on this ....

not that he is wrong but this won't help conservatives win the Senate .....

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
WSJ
« Reply #212 on: August 30, 2022, 07:00:11 PM »
I much dislike sentences that begin “Polls have shown . . .” Still, but, yet, nevertheless and however, polls have shown that the confidence Republicans earlier felt in the forthcoming midterm triumphs may not be justified. The gain in House seats is now predicted to be less than expected and hopes for a Republican Senate majority dimmer than a few months ago. Among the causes of this are the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which is said to have roused many women against the Republicans; the poor quality of the current batch of Republican candidates; and the division within the party between pro- and anti-Trumpers. But I wonder if something deeper isn’t in play.

I wonder if the problem isn’t inherent in our political parties, at least in their current propensities. Here the Democrats feature the particular, the Republicans the general. Democrats are for, among other things, fighting climate change, eliminating student debt, taxing corporations more heavily; the Republicans, among other things, are for entrepreneurship, laissez-faire economics, strict construction of the Constitution. With their specific programs, the Democrats seem always on the political offensive; with their general principles, the Republicans on the defensive, seeing it as their chief task to block costly Democratic bills and other attempts at radical change. The best offense is a good defense, or so it is often said in football and other sports; it is less certain that this is so in politics.

Can one hope to win elections based on general principles instead of particular policies and programs? What the Republicans had going for them in the midterms was opposition to inflation, the obvious madness (and sadness) of our open southern border, the crime openly rampant in big-city streets, the wobbly foreign policy of an American president who in this realm and others seems well over his head. However worthy of attack these things are, they leave the Republicans in the respectable but limited position of loyal opposition. What, apart from this opposition, does the party stand for that American voters can get behind in the passionate way that wins elections?

The lack of positive policies or programs leaves Republicans open to the old argument that the party stands for little more than the defense of rich and the maintenance of the status quo. In this scheme—or, as we say nowadays, narrative—the Democrats stand for progress, they are the party of the people, holding the torch of social justice high, while the Republicans stand for regress, the continual enrichment of the 1%, a deep insensitivity to injustice and suffering.


In time not for the midterms but surely for the 2024 presidential elections, it would be of great aid to the Republicans if they were to formulate and promote some significant policies and programs. This might begin with a sound immigration policy that also dealt justly with the so-called Dreamers, the children born to illegal immigrants and raised in this country. How useful it would be if the party looked into the reasons for the escalating cost of higher education and devised better policies than those that now travel under the wasteful banner of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Instead of being against all economic regulation, why can’t Republicans stand for sensible regulation? Rather than denying climate change, Republicans might get serious about a solution that doesn’t simultaneously cripple the economy and diminish the general quality of life. The party could also unapologetically take up the law-and-order mantle in a way that Democrats, lest they be thought racist, have obviously been nervous about doing.

If Republicans were to promote policies and programs formed from their principles, it would have the not-trivial benefit of putting give-and-take back at the heart of the two-party system. A politics that encouraged the parties to argue over rivaling ideas would invite the intelligent participation of a great number of Americans. The rancor and division that has been the main feature of our politics over the past decades would fade. This might not, as the man said, make America great again, but it would make our politics a hell of a lot more sensible.

Mr. Epstein is author, most recently, of “Gallimaufry: A Collection of Essays, Reviews, Bits.”



Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #215 on: September 24, 2022, 11:23:37 AM »
A fair zinger, but OTOH getting rid of Obamacare would have required real legislative work and here all that is needed is just denying the money.

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #216 on: September 24, 2022, 12:16:18 PM »
A fair zinger, but OTOH getting rid of Obamacare would have required real legislative work and here all that is needed is just denying the money.

The Romney/NRO wing will help the Dems defeat it.

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #217 on: September 24, 2022, 02:48:08 PM »
Romney's capacity and his willingess to be a cunt is never to be underestimated, but I disagree completely with the idea that the NRO folks would not be with us on this.

G M

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 26643
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #218 on: September 24, 2022, 02:55:20 PM »
Romney's capacity and his willingess to be a cunt is never to be underestimated, but I disagree completely with the idea that the NRO folks would not be with us on this.

NRO is Never Trump - RINO to the core.

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #219 on: September 24, 2022, 03:01:23 PM »
trying to find Kevin McCarthy's promises contract

but only Leftist websites show anything about it

tried his web page and do not see

anyone find not MSM BS reporting of it?

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Good news
« Reply #220 on: October 24, 2022, 05:17:59 AM »
Judiciary adviser gets fuel to fight wokeness

$1.6 billion donation worries liberals

BY STEPHEN DINAN AND ALEX SWOYER THE WASHINGTON TIMES

He helped reshape the Supreme Court. Now Leonard Leo, a driving force behind President Trump’s judicial selections, is taking aim at broader culture war battles over “woke” politics.

And he’s sitting on a pile of cash to get it done.

Mr. Leo’s Marble Freedom Trust received what is thought to be the largest gift in political history: a $1.6 billion donation from Chicago businessman Barre Seid. The money, first reported by The New York Times this summer, has sent shock waves through liberal activists while conservatives rush to work up proposals to try to get in on Mr. Leo’s action.

Mr. Leo said he is eager to see what he can do beyond the courtroom.

“The conservative legal movement has had significant impact on our legal culture, resulting in a much greater level of adherence to the Constitution and traditional legal principles,” Mr. Leo told The Washington Times in a statement. “I am hopeful that the infrastructure and talent networks we are building now will have similar impact in other areas of American life, well beyond just the law.”

Mr. Leo spent nearly three decades helming The Federalist Society, a right- of- center group that bills itself as a forum for debating the big legal questions of the day. Critics say it’s at the heart of a rightward drift in federal courts. He took a leave of absence to work with the Bush administration to win confirmation of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and then worked first with candidate Donald Trump and later President Trump to shape his judicial picks.

He helped Mr. Trump craft the list of potential judicial nominees that the campaign released in 2016, solidifying pro-life and other conservative supporters and helping propel the political newcomer to an improbable White House victory.

Mr. Leo then assisted as Mr. Trump installed three high court justices and filled lower courts with dozens of conservatives — many of them Federalist Society members.

That record of success has far-left activists worried about what Mr. Leo might do with more than $1 billion at his disposal.

Elliot Mincberg, a senior fellow with People for the American Way, disagrees with Mr. Leo on policy but said he has been an “incredibly influential political figure.”

“Well recognized, but quiet power — and I think that’s what he’s been able to achieve,” Mr. Mincberg said. “It’s an enormous accomplishment for Leo, I have to acknowledge that.”

Meanwhile, a conservative operative said Mr. Leo has been besieged with requests from right-of-center groups eager to tap into Marble Freedom Trust’s new deep pockets.

Conservative activists are excited for an influx of cash to help counter billionaire liberal funders such as George Soros, who has influenced political discourse in the U.S. by funding liberal organizations with millions of dollars to support leftwing Democrats.

Not all are praising Mr. Leo. One said he “monopolizes” money and is making the conservative movement stagnant.

Few public details are available about Marble Freedom Trust, thanks in part to its organization as a trust rather than a corporation.

Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said Mr. Leo likes to work behind the scenes so as not to be “the story.”

“He operates not to get himself personal recognition or attention, but to have impact,” Mr. Shapiro said. “He’s friendly, he’s smart, he’s effective.”

It’s that combination of low profile and exceptional success that has liberal activists worried.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has long dogged The Federalist Society and Mr. Leo with accusations of impropriety over so-called dark money — funds that make their way into political activism and advocacy without going through the full disclosure strictures that apply to campaign money.

After news of the Marble Freedom Trust’s cash windfall broke, the Rhode Island Democrat expressed fear at Mr. Leo’s new reach.

“Leo’s dark-money web funds voter suppression and disinformation, bogus arguments about ‘critical race theory,’ and attacks on President Biden’s nominees. Expect to see a whole lot more of that now,” Mr. Whitehouse said in a post on Twitter.

Accountable.US, which bills itself as a nonpartisan watchdog group, also has a pointed focus on Mr. Leo’s finances.

It issued a report this month showing a dozen groups that have benefited from Mr. Leo’s deep pockets. The group said its report is part of a new project to monitor influence and “to uncover the relationships between powerful rightwing organizations and the influential mega-donors who fund them.”

“As the country braces for the start of yet another perilously uncertain Supreme Court term, Leonard Leo and his ultra-wealthy funders who’ve invested billions into his network of right-wing fringe groups eagerly await the return on their investments — high court decisions that erode our democracy and favor the privileged few over everyday Americans,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “We cannot allow Leo’s groups to dictate public policy from the shadows.”

The complaints are nothing new for Mr. Leo. The New York Times said he had a hand in more than half a billion dollars in politically charged activities from 2015 to 2021.

The Honest Elections Project is part of Mr. Leo’s advocacy grapevine and is involved in the high court’s Moore v. Harper case, which is set to be heard in December.

The case involves an election challenge in North Carolina, where a state court struck down the congressional map that lawmakers drew. The Republican- controlled legislature says state courts should butt out. They point to a clause in the Constitution that says the “times, places and manner” of electing members of Congress “shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.”

The Honest Elections Project filed a brief with the Supreme Court, supporting the North Carolina Republican lawmakers’ arguments.

Other groups within Mr. Leo’s network include the Judicial Crisis Network and The 85 Fund, CRC Advisors and the BH Group, which are conservative public relations and consulting organizations.

Consumers’ Research, which has helped lead efforts against “environmental, social, governance” initiatives aimed at green corporate policies, is also part of Mr. Leo’s affiliation.

Marble Freedom Trust is expected to support outfits battling critical race theory and the spread of “woke” culture in business and politics. Groups that get cash are likely to span a range of activism, including hosting events, running ads and battling in the media.




Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Dan Crenshaw: Mid-terms are a time for choosing for Reps
« Reply #221 on: October 27, 2022, 03:37:11 PM »
Midterms Are a Time for Choosing for Republicans
Nearly six decades later, the GOP is divided and Ronald Reagan’s famous speech still resonates.
By Dan Crenshaw
Oct. 27, 2022 1:05 pm ET


Ronald Reagan gave his famous speech “A Time For Choosing” a week before Election Day 1964. Nearly six decades later, the speech remains relevant, and the parallels to the circumstances we face today are striking. The battles against big government and Marxist do-gooders have changed only in the sense that they have intensified. Americans are still debating our role in the world—even as war rages in Europe. We are uncertain of our future, as we were then.

Reagan decried a bloated welfare state, a militant tax-and-spending regime in Washington, and the blatant bribing of Americans with their own tax dollars for their votes. Full Democratic control of Washington over the past two years has produced the kind of government Reagan could have imagined only in a fever dream. The inflationary Inflation Reduction Act and the unconstitutional forgiveness of student loans via executive fiat were shameless attempts to buy votes before a midterm election.

The choice before Americans next month is simple. Will we sell our votes to politicians promising us prosperity if only we give them more of our money? Will we choose to be free—acknowledging the risks and challenges that inevitably accompany freedom—or will we choose to be dependent? Will we, as Reagan said, “believe in our capacity for self-government, or abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves”?

As Republicans, we believe in the challenge of freedom and individual responsibility. We affirm, as the Founders did, that prosperity and innovation and greatness are born from free enterprise, and that the government exists to protect that freedom, not diminish it. The good news is that polling indicates most Americans agree. This election may well be a referendum on the kind of governance Reagan warned us about decades ago.

But it is also a time for choosing for conservatives. We have to choose how we will fight for the great vision that Reagan articulated.

The right is divided these days, which is odd, considering that by any measure there are fewer ideological and policy differences within the Republican Party than ever. Yet factions persist. The divisions are becoming more severe and more toxic. Some in our movement insist on sorting themselves into labels: populists, nationalists, MAGA, mainstream—but without any real clue as to what ideas separate these groups. These groupings function more like grade-school cliques than serious political divisions. They are about style over substance.

These divisions are manufactured by opportunists—mostly online and on television—who can’t string a sentence together about serious public policy but are quick to label anyone and everyone a “RINO” or “establishment sell-out.”


These are the people who say they fight for the conservative movement but in reality only fight for attention, fundraising dollars, clicks and views. They know that Americans have been conditioned to be attentive to Kardashian-like drama, and so they serve it up in our political arena. It’s unhealthy, and we have to stop rewarding it. It makes us seem bitter, unserious and unlikable.

To beat the increasingly radical left, we have to unite, and we have to fight to win. In politics, you win only when you’re persuading those who disagree with you.

This is the choice before conservatives: Will we be happy warriors or furious flame throwers? When we communicate, will we persuade? Or will we serve up a limited menu of red meat? Will we succumb to our grievances and bitterness as the left advances, take the bait they’ve set for us, and become the caricatures they want us to be? Will we do the hard work, play the long game, win majorities and sustain them, in order to implement policy?

I would rather we follow the electoral success of President Reagan, achieved not through grievance but through inspiration. We may win this one election off the coattails of the other side’s seemingly endless incompetence. But we will win the next 10 elections with inspiration, with vision and with the time-tested principles that Reagan defended so well.

That is the choice before us. Let us choose wisely.

Mr. Crenshaw, a Republican, represents Texas’ Second Congressional District

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Jim Jordan plan
« Reply #222 on: November 06, 2022, 12:16:02 PM »
if he is speaker ?

https://republicbrief.com/breaking-gop-drops-bombshell-1000-page-report-on-fbi-corruption/

or Keven McCarthy:

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3712764-mccarthy-says-hes-better-prepared-for-speakers-gavel-than-in-past/

Kevin has been doing a great job as far as I can tell and I like what he has been saying

(since his being on record as stating Benghazi was a political charade or something to that effect.   :-o

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
New angle Dems will use against us on hearings if McCarthy is speaker
« Reply #223 on: November 06, 2022, 01:49:21 PM »
memo will go out to call this the ***McCarthy*** hearings [redux]
https://spectator.org/hard-of-hearings-2/

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Sen. Ron Johnson
« Reply #224 on: November 10, 2022, 01:41:21 AM »
A Governing Agenda for Senate Republicans
If the GOP gains the majority, the American people won’t settle for business-as-usual.
By Ron Johnson
Nov. 9, 2022 6:29 pm ET

SAVE

PRINT

TEXT
15

The U.S. Capitol.
PHOTO: JOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS

I was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, and have now been elected for a third term. The dysfunction I witnessed over the past 12 years made me reluctant to run again. But I pledged to myself that should I win re-election, I would do everything I could to return function and fiscal sanity to Washington.

OPINION: POTOMAC WATCH
WSJ Opinion Potomac Watch
Why Didn't a 'Red Wave' Materialize on Election Night?


SUBSCRIBE
Unfortunately, the red wave Republicans hoped for didn’t materialize. It makes you wonder how bad things have to get before voters reject the Democratic policies responsible for so much destruction. Massive, out-of-control deficit spending sparked 40-year-high inflation. The war on fossil fuels has produced record prices, which also contributed to inflation. Radical progressive policies have caused crime to skyrocket, and President Biden’s open border has resulted in a flood of illegal immigrants and deadly drugs.

Republicans campaigned against these failed policies and vowed to reverse them. With Mr. Biden still in the White House and Senate control still in doubt, accomplishing that will be difficult. But the American people expect results. If Republicans gain the Senate majority, allowing the current dysfunction to continue won’t be an option.

If we gain majorities in both chambers, at a minimum we can bring greater function and regular order back to Congress. Rank-and-file members should vote only for leaders who commit to passing a budget that drives a fiscally conservative appropriation process. Ideally, we can find sufficient budget cuts and rescissions from the Democrats’ massive spending bills to produce a balanced budget. If not, the debt ceiling will have to be increased, but only with other legislation attached that will minimize the need for future increases.

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

Morning Editorial Report

All the day's Opinion headlines.


Preview

Subscribed
I have four bills in mind: the Prevent Government Shutdown Act, the Full Faith and Credit Act, the Reins Act (an acronym for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) and the Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act. Collectively, these bills would help control the size, scope and cost of the federal government.

Senate Republican Conference rules require us to adopt an official legislative agenda. In my 12 years in the Senate, this has never occurred. Again, members should vote only for leaders who commit to both adopting the required agenda and fully involving the conference in its development. I suggest two agendas, one for the next two years under a Democratic president, and a four-year agenda that can be adopted by Republican presidential and congressional candidates running in 2024.

A few basic principles should apply to both agendas. On the discretionary side of the budget, other than national defense, don’t consider any bill that would increase the size, scope or cost of the federal government. Instead, focus congressional attention on oversight of existing programs to determine which should be reformed, reduced or eliminated. Concentrate on areas of the budget that have the greatest negative effect on freedom, our economy and people’s lives.


The four-year agenda would assume Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. It would prioritize reversing the damage done during the Biden administration and re-establishing constitutional balance. Unlike 2017, Republicans must be fully prepared should voters give us the opportunity to govern.

The agenda items should be obvious: secure the border, regain energy independence, restore fiscal sanity, ease the regulatory burden, and ensure a competitive tax environment.

Having an open and transparent process for development of the agenda will be crucial to gaining the conference’s support. The devil will be in the details, and we must have the substantive policy proposals supporting each agenda item. Empty political rhetoric won’t be acceptable. Once the agenda is completed, explaining and selling our policy proposals to the public is essential. Expectations will probably exceed what is possible with a Democratic administration in power, so underpromising and overdelivering is the prudent approach.

My sense is that Republicans will be on a short leash with the general public—and this definitely includes our supporters. We should fully expect to be held accountable in 2024 if we don’t deliver on our promises.

Conservatives understand the peril the country is in. They know how difficult it will be for Republicans to work with the socialist ideologues who set the Democratic Party’s agenda. But that sympathy will have its limits, particularly if Republicans return to business as usual. We simply can’t let that happen.

Mr. Johnson, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Wisconsin.

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Tom Cotton
« Reply #225 on: November 11, 2022, 09:14:35 PM »
I see this Senator Cotton on cable
and admit he is not electrifying or entertaining

and have not listened to him because he just comes on Hannity to speak the soundbites
but I listened to him during the Megan Kelly Podcast which is often quite good:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxQKTUDVHEbQ9beJqUbqF99DD3gXBb_3u

and I have to say he comes off as  brilliant.

Not sure if he could cross over appeal though to independents .

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #226 on: November 12, 2022, 08:07:42 AM »
He has my attention as well.  That said, I too do not sense him reaching outside the Republican minded parts of the population.


DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
Re: Lewandowski
« Reply #228 on: November 28, 2022, 06:55:50 AM »
https://dailycaller.com/2022/11/27/opinion-money-winning-elections-corey-lewandowski/?utm_medium=email&pnespid=tql3EX1fabxG3viQuy3pHIqduRisU8otMfSh2.FyoQNmgxv5s2HM2dq_BfbQKz8De5wQkVnA

"It’s about messaging and reminding the American people of what the Republican party stands for — lower taxes, less regulation and personal freedom."

  - I didn't hear much about that.  Does anyone recall what was in this year's contract with America, or even what it was called?

"the general disdain from the mainstream media against Republicans factor into election outcomes as well."

   - The "MSM" is WAY more than newspapers and network news these days.

"It’s easy, and lazy to blame former President Donald Trump. He’s the media’s easy target. They blame him for endorsing the “wrong” candidates, not spending enough of his money to help get them across the finish line, for not campaigning hard enough, etc., etc., etc."

   - He (Trump) wanted credit for the win.  He gets the central blame for the loss.  He picked these candidates and he did not go all in with his money or successful messaging.

Trump wanted to win primaries.  We want to win the Presidency, House and Senate, and the direction of the country, all headed in the wrong direction.  He 'won' and we lost.

All this 'hindsight', but the elections are not over.  We are still losing in Georgia.  Where is our message there?

After a season like this, the coach or manager (Trump) gets fired.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2022, 08:20:54 AM by DougMacG »

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #229 on: November 28, 2022, 08:33:32 AM »
"After a season like this, the coach or manager (Trump) gets fired.

yes

I don't believe there are still blind loyalists left to get him elected

Most Republicans are done with him

That said I am worried he will run anyway
and bring us all down with him

Isn't that what narcissists do?

DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
MAGA is not the way forward
« Reply #230 on: November 28, 2022, 08:58:46 AM »
MAGA is not the way forward - for two reasons:

Make America Great Again is backward looking.  Opponents ask, when was America great?  At the Founding when slavery did not get settled.  After the Civil War when women still couldn't vote?  In the 1950s when women were mostly staying home?  In the 1980s or 1990s when gays could not marry?  Do we want to re-argue any of those?

The answer, politically and necessarily, is to take all that is great from our past and paint a successful vision of how that fits into our future.

The other backward aspect of "MAGA" is that it points back to one person, Trump.  He had a miraculous win in 2016 and three years of amazing accomplishments, but he left office a loser and a net negative on the public perception of the Republican Party. 

Ask 100 voters this, when you think of Trump, do you think of his many significant accomplishments as President?  Do you think of lower taxes, less regulation and greater freedom?  Or do you think of his (flawed) personality? 

Compare Trump to Reagan, the gold standard of modern American freedom.  Look at the debates and look at the results in their reelection efforts.  Instead of playing the part of a successful incumbent President, Trump was a complete insecure imbecile in his first debate with Biden, interrupting constantly and acting surprised the 'moderator' was partisan and against him.  In the same circumstance, Reagan quietly and confidently waited his turn and then knocked it out of the park as he answered the main concern of his reelection.  Trump thinks he was cheated while losing the last three states by only 40k combined votes.  Reagan won 49 states, none of them particularly close.

Over the next two years, we aren't winning by looking backward, and certainly not winning by being the party of Trump.  That ship sailed.

DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #231 on: November 28, 2022, 09:08:55 AM »
"After a season like this, the coach or manager (Trump) gets fired.

yes

I don't believe there are still (enough) blind loyalists left to get him elected

Most Republicans are done with him

That said I am worried he will run anyway
and bring us all down with him

Isn't that what narcissists do?

Right.  He is running, and dropping out is not in his nature. 

He has enough loyalists to mess up the primaries in a wide field, but not enough to ever be elected again.

We need a primary before the primary - to determine which singular Republican runs against Trump in the primaries.

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #232 on: November 28, 2022, 09:22:49 AM »
good points about Maga
and how the LEFt (successfully apparently ) uses the label as.a club for all Republicans who are not Rinos

MSM -->

Maga = haters

Woke = lovers

I guess


ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Harmett Dhillon--the Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #234 on: December 09, 2022, 08:43:16 PM »
A Credible Conservative Warrior Emerges to Lead the RNC
If heads do not roll after the disastrous 2024 midterms, it will show that the Republican Party is not serious about putting America First.
By Gavin Wax

December 9, 2022
After the 2022 midterm elections and the failure of the “red wave” to materialize, the conservative base wants RINO scalps while the establishment wants to blame Trump. The battle for the party’s soul is no more apparent than in the leadership battle at the Republican National Committee.

There have been several interesting suggestions for RNC chairman. Lee Zeldin, the candidate for governor in New York who made a strong showing by going on the offense against far-left Democrats; Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder who has become an election fraud crusader following the 2020 presidential fraud; and Scott Presler, the grassroots community organizer who has registered thousands of Republicans on the ground around the country.

But one stands out above the rest: conservative civil rights attorney and California RNC committeewoman Harmeet K. Dhillon.

Dhillon’s record makes her uniquely qualified for the position. She is intimately aware of crucial America First issues and has her finger on the pulse of the movement. There is a wide variety of high-profile cases that Dhillon’s firm has taken on that have national ramifications for defending constitutional freedom.

Years ago, Dhillon took up a case of viewpoint discrimination initiated by Big Tech giant Google against an attorney who brought up legitimate concerns about bias in the workplace. This was long before the issue was on the radar of most conservatives, who were slavishly devoted to the free market. She remains active in fighting against tech censorship, but her work on culture war issues has gained recent acclaim.

Dhillon has taken up the cause of parental rights. She is suing a school district and two teachers on behalf of a mother whose daughter was groomed into transgenderism without her knowledge or consent. While the GOP folds on moral issues, Dhillon is emboldened to defend the values that bind America together. This is the type of leadership that will rally the base and incentivize party unity, which is essential during a time of unprecedented division and confusion.

Dhillon is the gold standard for conservative lawsuits in an age when disreputable attorneys regularly use cases as ways to bolster their public persona or as a quick grift. Dhillon, in contrast, is taken seriously in the courtroom and has a strong track record of success.

Report Ad
Report Ad
Liberals have been able to project political power through lawfare in recent years or through legal threats or activities designed to enforce their political agenda. Dhillon has been a pioneer in the conservative antidote to lawfare, showing leftist extremists that they will pay the price for their overreaches even if weak-kneed government officials refuse to take action.

As a personnel manager, Dhillon is demonstrating that she understands the stakes. She has floated the idea of hiring Presler to handle voter outreach for the RNC “to inspire and train our ground forces on voter registration and getting every ballot to the ballot box by all legal means.” She is unconcerned with the good ol’ boys club of Republican consultants who would usually box out someone as impressive and unflinching as Presler because he might upstage or overshadow them. She will drain the RNC swamp, something that is long overdue, building upon improvements made with the election of America First committee members throughout the country who have censured soon-to-be-former Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

Dhillon’s record is second-to-none. But what about current Chairman Ronna McDaniel’s record? McDaniel became RNC chairman after hogging the credit for an unexpected Trump victory in Michigan, where she served as Michigan Republican Party chairman in 2016. This allowed her ascend to the top of the Republican National Committee, where she has overseen failure after spectacular failure. Before it became a political liability, she was widely known as Ronna Romney McDaniel. As Mitt Romney’s niece, she used nepotism to become a favorite of the Republican establishment in Michigan, where Mitt’s father, George, started the Romney political dynasty when he was governor in the 1960s.

McDaniel is the ultimate political chameleon, using Romney’s bona fides to claim an unearned position of authority but reinventing herself as a Trump Republican when that suited her ambitions. Although she masquerades as a Trump ally now, it is clear she has brought the baggage of the establishment with her. The RNC under her control has failed time and again. In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, the RNC failed to mount adequate legal challenges to stop the grotesque fraud that was obviously in the works. The attorneys hired by McDaniel were busy collecting their paychecks and twiddling their thumbs while the nation was stolen out from under us. After the election, McDaniel was able to raise tons of money to “stop the steal” but that money also disappeared into the pockets of attorneys, consultants, grifters, and hangers-on.

If there is anyone who is equipped to handle legal challenges in a professional, intelligent, and credible manner who can change election laws and protect voter integrity when it counts, it is Dhillon. She has a record showing that she can fight and win in these high-profile cases. This is the type of competent, forward-thinking professional needed to lead the RNC to prevent another disaster from happening in 2024. If heads do not roll after the disastrous 2024 midterms, it will show that the Republican Party is not serious about putting America First. Getting rid of McDaniel, and cleaning the RNC of the foul stain of Romney’s legacy, would be an admirable start.

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile

DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #237 on: December 19, 2022, 02:19:19 PM »
VDH is a real blessing for America.


ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
mcconnell
« Reply #239 on: December 21, 2022, 07:25:53 AM »
the only reason I can think of in ramming the giant omnibus through
is McConnel's recall that once before Republicans tried to hold the budget in effort
to reduce spending

AND THE MEDIA BASHED THEM DAY AND NIGHT
FOR "SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'

WITH ENDLESS TALK OF PEOPLE WILL NOT GET CHECKS SERVICES
ETC

AND MSM POLLS TELLING US HOW THE REPUBLICANS WERE THE ONES DAMAGING THE COUNTRY. contrary to reality

so perhaps with this in mind he feels that making concessions is better

I do not agree with him at all if this is the root explanation
but just trying to figure out why he wants to go against what real conservatives want

As I mentioned before

WHY CAN'T WE GET A SENATE LEADER WE ACTUALLY WANT

NOT THE ONE THE DC SWAMP WANTS!!!

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Rhonna McDaniels case going forward
« Reply #240 on: December 23, 2022, 11:21:33 AM »
promoting how great our/her ground game is :

https://townhall.com/columnists/ronnamcdaniel/2022/12/23/the-rncs-infrastructure-is-built-to-gotv-n2617463

me:

 :roll:

What a bunch of BS
get rid of her
related Mittens

what could go wrong?




ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
fighting the Federal bureaucracy which has self serving big Gov. bent
« Reply #241 on: December 27, 2022, 08:41:29 AM »
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/12/27/exclusive-conservatives-build-governing-machine-ready-2025/

seems like good idea

though not sure in reality it would work
as human nature - right or left - is the same -

and it will usually trump good ideological intentions


ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
RNC chair
« Reply #242 on: January 06, 2023, 09:59:11 AM »
some more detail about McDaniels and Dhillon:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/01/06/the-race-for-the-rnc-chair-intensifies-a-close-look-at-both-candidates/

though after listening to this I am more confused then before.....

Dhillon sounds a bit more moderate
but then McDaniels has the repeat  losing track record






DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
Re: RNC chair
« Reply #243 on: January 06, 2023, 12:15:53 PM »
Yes, confusing.  Based on what I've read, I would support the Challenger. If she's too moderate, then let's get a better Challenger. It ought to be somebody from the Florida Republican party.

There's no way the best answer is more of the same.

DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
Don't tell me both parties are the same
« Reply #244 on: January 10, 2023, 06:41:51 AM »
Republicans first act is to try to repeal Democrats worst act.  I'm impressed!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-republicans-pass-legislation-trying-to-block-new-irs-funding/ar-AA169y9C

House GOP Kicks Off Majority With Vote to Defund 87,000 IRS Agents
« Last Edit: January 10, 2023, 06:45:14 AM by DougMacG »

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
an opportunity for us
« Reply #245 on: January 11, 2023, 08:22:59 AM »
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/01/11/why-asians-has-fled-new-york-democrats-n2618147

Republicans should be courting Asians left and right (pun intended!)

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
interesting poll do repubs want compromise or opposition
« Reply #246 on: January 13, 2023, 07:24:22 AM »
FWIW
since polls are only that: surveys

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2023/01/13/poll-do-gop-voters-want-house-republicans-to-work-with-democrats-or-focus-on-opposition-n2618086

I am surprised more are not in the opposition camp as I am

DougMacG

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18127
    • View Profile
Re: interesting poll do repubs want compromise or opposition
« Reply #247 on: January 13, 2023, 09:27:02 AM »
There is some gray area between those two choices but the larger lesson is, our faction is roughly a half of a half of the electorate. Hating, dividing and beating up on those who differ in the approach is not how we grow the support.  cf. Michael Young opinion piece on Governor Abbott.

Crafty_Dog

  • Administrator
  • Power User
  • *****
  • Posts: 69122
    • View Profile
Re: The Way forward for Republican party
« Reply #248 on: January 13, 2023, 09:42:43 AM »


"Do repubs want compromise or opposition?"

YES.

ccp

  • Power User
  • ***
  • Posts: 18353
    • View Profile
Ro Khanna trying to promote America first and woo back blue collars
« Reply #249 on: January 19, 2023, 07:33:37 AM »
has some JFK like tones
but must not forget he is VIRULENT partisan democrat who should not let the bipartisan speak cover that up :

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/01/18/khanna-davos-is-more-of-the-problem-its-cosmopolitanism-for-elites-that-forgets-citizens/

I believe this is how the Dems , post Biden will try to posture in '24.