Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
First, let me congratulate Democrats for their win. I was certainly wrong in my prediction, but contrary to what some will attempt to claim, it is only the second presidential election in the past 30 years, I have gotten wrong. Why I was wrong, doesn't really matter, and there is no reason to cover that now, the fact remains, the Democrats had the right strategy and smoked the competition. I was not happy with the candidate chosen by the GOP, I made this very clear on numerous occasions, and regardless of anything else, I was absolutely correct, Mitt Romney was not the right pick to represent Conservatives. He ran a far too passive game, at a time we really needed a firebrand. The real problem is, the GOP had no one who could have beaten Obama. The only candidate who was enough of a firebrand, was Newt, and he simply had too much baggage to be a suitable candidate. Perhaps there were firebrands who chose not to run? But honestly, I don't believe that is the case either. I think Obama was destined to win re-election because the people who support Obama are passionate and devoted, and very little was going to stop them from making this happen. The GOP would do well to take notes here.
It's time for some real soul searching for Conservatives. We seem to be starkly divided into various camps, when we need to be united for Conservative principles and values. We have the Ron Paul camp, who essentially sat this election out and did not vote. They will gloat with the Democrats today, smugly telling the GOP, "told ya so!" We have the "Consultancy Class" or establishment GOP elite, who will claim we weren't "moderate" enough. We have the TEA Party, who simply didn't turn out the numbers they did in 2010. The TEA Party itself, is comprised of starkly different conservative ideologies, ranging from evangelicals to libertarians. So the challenge becomes, how does the GOP establish a coalition between the various factions of conservatism. This is not going to be easy, because each of the aforementioned 'factions' are as deeply passionate as Democrats about Obama, about their little niche of Conservatism. A Ron Paul guy isn't going to vote for a Mitt Romney type. An evangelical isn't going to vote for an agnostic. The establishment elitist isn't going to support an unorthodox personality. The constitutionalist isn't going to support a status-quot establishment elite. You may as well be expecting an Obama voter to cast a vote for Mitt, it ain't going to happen. This should be the lesson the GOP takes away from this election. What they tried this time, was to put up the establishment candidate who offended the other factions the least, and the plan failed. Mitt was a nice guy, but far too passive and unwilling to attack Obama, and he didn't really try to represent ANY of the factions comprising the conservative base, he simply tried to "be nice" to everyone and charm his way to a win, and again... it failed.
Much like the Democrats found out with John Kerry, you have to bring something besides "I'm better than the other guy" to the table. Especially when you are a wealthy elite from the establishment class. The formula is just not a winner, and this has now been proven in repeated election results on both sides. The GOP is shattered and in disarray today, and the ultimate reaction will be for the elites, as well as the other factions, to point their fingers of blame at each other, and remain defiantly beholden to their particular passionate beliefs regarding conservatism. It's because we weren't liberal enough on social views... It's because we weren't 'evangelical' enough... It's because we didn't uphold constitutional originalist values enough... It's because we weren't conservative enough... It was because we were TOO conservative! The excuses and reasons will abound from every faction, but the bottom line is, it's all of the above and more.
The bigger point is, it was the GOP's inability to bring the assorted factions of conservatism together in one coalition, for one purpose and cause. As much as I am tempted to say it's time for a third party, I really don't think that time has come just yet. Clearly, if the GOP is unable to meet the challenge presented, it might be time for such a measure, but I haven't given up on the GOP just yet. What they can't do, is continue with the elitist establishment mindset, and ignore what has happened in this election. Conservatives need to face the facts, regardless of your particular brand of conservatism, we are just not strong enough alone, to defeat the Democrat coalition, and we won't ever be. Conservatives of all stripes need to start asking themselves, what is it about the other factions of conservatism I don't understand? Where can we find common ground? How can we formulate our seemingly universal understandings of conservative philosophies into a single message which will appeal to all conservatives? Again, this will not be an easy challenge for ANY conservative, because we are staunchly tied to our particular niche. It starts by being open-minded and trying to understand your fellow conservatives. I don't have the answers, all I have is my opinion, and there will certainly be conservatives who disagree with my opinion. And I will likewise, disagree with their opinion, so we are back to square one. The only suitable answer is for all conservatives to evaluate what they believe and start looking for ways we can compromise on parts of what we believe, in order to coalesce with other conservatives and form a winning and viable coalition. Clinging to our beliefs of what makes a REAL conservative, is not going to work, we know this now. We may be absolutely correct, but we haven't convinced enough conservatives to think like we do, so it doesn't really matter if we are correct.
This is a time for the "libertarian" conservatives to reevaluate their factional beliefs, and try to gain an understanding of what the "evangelical" conservative brings to the table, and visa-versa, the "religious right" needs to reevaluate and try to understand the message of the less-religious factions of conservatism. The strong constitutionalist needs to step back and consider, maybe their beliefs are correct, but it's idealistic to believe the rest of the conservative base is going to suddenly see things as you do, regarding the constitution. Establishment types need to step back and consider, there is nothing to gain by trying to appeal to the middle and being more like democrats. That doesn't mean the radical conservative is right, and we should all become extremists. It means we should all reflect on how we can change, how we can re-establish conservatism in the wake of such a bitter defeat. What we have clearly learned is, we can't staunchly cling to one particular brand of conservative ideology, and expect to defeat the democratic coalition. It simply doesn't work, the numbers are not there. A president with a tremendously dismal record, has just won re-election over a candidate who was not the most popular among conservatives, but the least divisive and offensive to the largest number. It wasn't good enough, that strategy failed. There is not another candidate who could have defeated Obama, there is not a better conservative ideology that could have prevailed. Some conservatives can fool themselves into thinking that, but it's just not reality.
Conservatism did not lose the election to Liberalism. It was a relatively close race that came down to the bitter end. What lost the election for conservatives was the lack of cohesiveness and message. The GOP candidate wasn't really a strong conservative, that was at the insistence of the establishment elite, who told us a strong conservative wasn't wise, that we needed to try and appeal to the moderate independents, and again.. the strategy simply failed. The various factions of conservatives, simply could not get behind a candidate trying to be "none of the above" and appeal to moderates. We needed a Ronald Reagan and we got a Gerald Ford. Many conservatives "held their nose" and voted for Mitt, supported him wholeheartedly and went to the mat for him, but in the end, the strategy simply failed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, and originator of government health care, to see what was wrong. Regardless of how much he tried to represent conservatism, he simply did not appeal to the conservative base as a whole. He had strong support from the Republican elite, the Grand Old Party blue bloods were behind him, and he had somewhat tepid support from the various conservative factions who simply didn't want 4 more years of Obama, but he lacked the cohesive message which united conservatives under Reagan. I think it's because he lacked conviction and passion in conservatism, the way Reagan did. He had to expend too much time and effort explaining himself, trying to justify contradictions in conservative positions, trying to convince us he was really a conservative candidate.
We conservatives have some lessons to learn here, and the challenges aren't going to be easy. We now face 4 years of a revived and invigorated Liberal juggernaut, who will surely portray this shoestring victory as some sort of mandate for Liberal policy. We have a Marxist Socialist president who will have 4 years to finish transforming America, and will use the power of executive order with impunity, in order to do so. Forget everything you ever understood about how government is supposed to work, and forget about what you thought your constitutional rights were, or how you presumed life would always be here in America, things are about to radically change. Conservatism will not only survive, but will come through this fire even stronger. Now is our time to reflect on what we believe, what is important, and how we can come to mutual understandings between the various and assorted factions of conservatism, to impact the future. It is NOT the time for finger-pointing and blame, or renewed vigor for your particular view of conservatism. Remaining defiantly opposed to any brand of conservatism other than your own, is not a winning strategy, we know that now, we see the results. The challenge for conservatives is to learn the lesson and open their minds to the voices of other conservatives. To find mutual understanding of what is conservatism, and what is most important.
I'm not going away, and I know this must be a major disappointment to many a liberal here, but you won't get rid of me that easily. I'll still be here to confront liberal tyranny, I will still speak out for, and advocate conservatism, and I will still be the same obnoxious loudmouth as I always have been, that's never going to change. You can call me names, you can ridicule and mock, you can denigrate and insult, but I am not going away. The next 4 years, you liberals will have to deal with me, and you'll continue to have to prop up this failure of a president as he continues to take the country down the toilet. You're still going to be confronted on your stupidity and you will still have to answer for the monumental failures certain to come. Nietzsche said, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." I believe, as disappointing as this election was for conservatives, this statement is the truth, and conservatism will emerge from this even stronger in the end.
Let the challenge begin today!
It's time for some real soul searching for Conservatives. We seem to be starkly divided into various camps, when we need to be united for Conservative principles and values. We have the Ron Paul camp, who essentially sat this election out and did not vote. They will gloat with the Democrats today, smugly telling the GOP, "told ya so!" We have the "Consultancy Class" or establishment GOP elite, who will claim we weren't "moderate" enough. We have the TEA Party, who simply didn't turn out the numbers they did in 2010. The TEA Party itself, is comprised of starkly different conservative ideologies, ranging from evangelicals to libertarians. So the challenge becomes, how does the GOP establish a coalition between the various factions of conservatism. This is not going to be easy, because each of the aforementioned 'factions' are as deeply passionate as Democrats about Obama, about their little niche of Conservatism. A Ron Paul guy isn't going to vote for a Mitt Romney type. An evangelical isn't going to vote for an agnostic. The establishment elitist isn't going to support an unorthodox personality. The constitutionalist isn't going to support a status-quot establishment elite. You may as well be expecting an Obama voter to cast a vote for Mitt, it ain't going to happen. This should be the lesson the GOP takes away from this election. What they tried this time, was to put up the establishment candidate who offended the other factions the least, and the plan failed. Mitt was a nice guy, but far too passive and unwilling to attack Obama, and he didn't really try to represent ANY of the factions comprising the conservative base, he simply tried to "be nice" to everyone and charm his way to a win, and again... it failed.
Much like the Democrats found out with John Kerry, you have to bring something besides "I'm better than the other guy" to the table. Especially when you are a wealthy elite from the establishment class. The formula is just not a winner, and this has now been proven in repeated election results on both sides. The GOP is shattered and in disarray today, and the ultimate reaction will be for the elites, as well as the other factions, to point their fingers of blame at each other, and remain defiantly beholden to their particular passionate beliefs regarding conservatism. It's because we weren't liberal enough on social views... It's because we weren't 'evangelical' enough... It's because we didn't uphold constitutional originalist values enough... It's because we weren't conservative enough... It was because we were TOO conservative! The excuses and reasons will abound from every faction, but the bottom line is, it's all of the above and more.
The bigger point is, it was the GOP's inability to bring the assorted factions of conservatism together in one coalition, for one purpose and cause. As much as I am tempted to say it's time for a third party, I really don't think that time has come just yet. Clearly, if the GOP is unable to meet the challenge presented, it might be time for such a measure, but I haven't given up on the GOP just yet. What they can't do, is continue with the elitist establishment mindset, and ignore what has happened in this election. Conservatives need to face the facts, regardless of your particular brand of conservatism, we are just not strong enough alone, to defeat the Democrat coalition, and we won't ever be. Conservatives of all stripes need to start asking themselves, what is it about the other factions of conservatism I don't understand? Where can we find common ground? How can we formulate our seemingly universal understandings of conservative philosophies into a single message which will appeal to all conservatives? Again, this will not be an easy challenge for ANY conservative, because we are staunchly tied to our particular niche. It starts by being open-minded and trying to understand your fellow conservatives. I don't have the answers, all I have is my opinion, and there will certainly be conservatives who disagree with my opinion. And I will likewise, disagree with their opinion, so we are back to square one. The only suitable answer is for all conservatives to evaluate what they believe and start looking for ways we can compromise on parts of what we believe, in order to coalesce with other conservatives and form a winning and viable coalition. Clinging to our beliefs of what makes a REAL conservative, is not going to work, we know this now. We may be absolutely correct, but we haven't convinced enough conservatives to think like we do, so it doesn't really matter if we are correct.
This is a time for the "libertarian" conservatives to reevaluate their factional beliefs, and try to gain an understanding of what the "evangelical" conservative brings to the table, and visa-versa, the "religious right" needs to reevaluate and try to understand the message of the less-religious factions of conservatism. The strong constitutionalist needs to step back and consider, maybe their beliefs are correct, but it's idealistic to believe the rest of the conservative base is going to suddenly see things as you do, regarding the constitution. Establishment types need to step back and consider, there is nothing to gain by trying to appeal to the middle and being more like democrats. That doesn't mean the radical conservative is right, and we should all become extremists. It means we should all reflect on how we can change, how we can re-establish conservatism in the wake of such a bitter defeat. What we have clearly learned is, we can't staunchly cling to one particular brand of conservative ideology, and expect to defeat the democratic coalition. It simply doesn't work, the numbers are not there. A president with a tremendously dismal record, has just won re-election over a candidate who was not the most popular among conservatives, but the least divisive and offensive to the largest number. It wasn't good enough, that strategy failed. There is not another candidate who could have defeated Obama, there is not a better conservative ideology that could have prevailed. Some conservatives can fool themselves into thinking that, but it's just not reality.
Conservatism did not lose the election to Liberalism. It was a relatively close race that came down to the bitter end. What lost the election for conservatives was the lack of cohesiveness and message. The GOP candidate wasn't really a strong conservative, that was at the insistence of the establishment elite, who told us a strong conservative wasn't wise, that we needed to try and appeal to the moderate independents, and again.. the strategy simply failed. The various factions of conservatives, simply could not get behind a candidate trying to be "none of the above" and appeal to moderates. We needed a Ronald Reagan and we got a Gerald Ford. Many conservatives "held their nose" and voted for Mitt, supported him wholeheartedly and went to the mat for him, but in the end, the strategy simply failed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, and originator of government health care, to see what was wrong. Regardless of how much he tried to represent conservatism, he simply did not appeal to the conservative base as a whole. He had strong support from the Republican elite, the Grand Old Party blue bloods were behind him, and he had somewhat tepid support from the various conservative factions who simply didn't want 4 more years of Obama, but he lacked the cohesive message which united conservatives under Reagan. I think it's because he lacked conviction and passion in conservatism, the way Reagan did. He had to expend too much time and effort explaining himself, trying to justify contradictions in conservative positions, trying to convince us he was really a conservative candidate.
We conservatives have some lessons to learn here, and the challenges aren't going to be easy. We now face 4 years of a revived and invigorated Liberal juggernaut, who will surely portray this shoestring victory as some sort of mandate for Liberal policy. We have a Marxist Socialist president who will have 4 years to finish transforming America, and will use the power of executive order with impunity, in order to do so. Forget everything you ever understood about how government is supposed to work, and forget about what you thought your constitutional rights were, or how you presumed life would always be here in America, things are about to radically change. Conservatism will not only survive, but will come through this fire even stronger. Now is our time to reflect on what we believe, what is important, and how we can come to mutual understandings between the various and assorted factions of conservatism, to impact the future. It is NOT the time for finger-pointing and blame, or renewed vigor for your particular view of conservatism. Remaining defiantly opposed to any brand of conservatism other than your own, is not a winning strategy, we know that now, we see the results. The challenge for conservatives is to learn the lesson and open their minds to the voices of other conservatives. To find mutual understanding of what is conservatism, and what is most important.
I'm not going away, and I know this must be a major disappointment to many a liberal here, but you won't get rid of me that easily. I'll still be here to confront liberal tyranny, I will still speak out for, and advocate conservatism, and I will still be the same obnoxious loudmouth as I always have been, that's never going to change. You can call me names, you can ridicule and mock, you can denigrate and insult, but I am not going away. The next 4 years, you liberals will have to deal with me, and you'll continue to have to prop up this failure of a president as he continues to take the country down the toilet. You're still going to be confronted on your stupidity and you will still have to answer for the monumental failures certain to come. Nietzsche said, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." I believe, as disappointing as this election was for conservatives, this statement is the truth, and conservatism will emerge from this even stronger in the end.
Let the challenge begin today!
