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RINOs are Not Moderate Republicans

Posted by Playful Walrus on Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:00:00 PM
Every once in the while, a letter gets printed in the Los Angeles Times that should be shouted from the rooftops.

Behold, Pat Murphy of Pacific Palisades calls out the MSM on the "moderate Republican" title being misapplied:
Describing people like Dede Scozzafava as a "moderate Republican" is disingenuous. She's a liberal on almost every issue…Consider the following alternative scenario: How would liberals feel if the Democratic Party had pro-life candidates who supported the war on terror, reduced taxes, voted against bailouts, didn't want government healthcare and saw the United Nations as a threat to American sovereignty?
Thank you, Pat.

There are liberals who are Republicans, because parties are about power and networking and pooling resources, and some people think they have an advantage, for whatever reason, in a party that has been dominated by a philosophy different than theirs. Let's not try to disguise Leftists as moderates.
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Republicans Should Dump Conservatism

Posted by Playful Walrus on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 12:54:39 PM
So say Democrats and members of other parties other than the Republican party.  Surely they have the best interest of the Republican party in mind, right?

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GOP Big Enough For Powell and Limbaugh

Posted by Playful Walrus on Sunday, May 10, 2009 10:22:10 PM
The GOP is big enough for Powell and Limbaugh.  Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer who also informs his audience.  He is not a GOP official.  He is not an elected or appointed representative.  He's a businessman and entertainer and salesman.  Powell is a soldier and statesman.

We can't really know why Powell voted for Obama.  Clearly, that's not a GOP thing to do.  Maybe he has personal problems with McCain.  Many Republicans do.  It is one thing to agree with the campaign platform of someone, and quite another to believe that they will be a better President than someone else.

Powell, or anyone else who believes that:
1. Vigilant national defense has to be one our highest priorities
2. There are few things the government does better than the private sector
3. People should generally be free to enjoy the fruits of their own labor
4. The Constitution and our system of limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and state rights must be preserved
5. We have a nation of laws, not entitled elites - we, the people have a government, not the other way around

...should feel welcome in the GOP.
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A Circular Firing Squad

Posted by Playful Walrus on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 12:47:14 PM
The tired drumbeat of the GOP needing to ditch the "extremists" continues.  Why don't we ever see widespread reports of prominent Democrats complaining about extreme Leftists messing up their party?  It certainly isn't because there are a shortage of them.  Heck, there are Democrat factions whose priorities are in direct conflict with each other, and yet we still don't see them spotlighted in the MSM denouncing each other.

Guess what?  Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are not going to go away.  Deal with that.   Complaining about their positions, style, or tactics is a waste.  If you claim to be a conservative and want the GOP to succeed, you are better serving your interests by touting what conservatism offers and saying where the Democrats are messing things up.

Don't forget John McCain.  He tried sucking up to the MSM.  He tried "reaching across the aisle".  He tried being the "moderate".  Yes, it got him enough praise and enough of a pass to get the party nomination.  But it didn’t get him elected President, and it wasn't because of extremists.  It was because so many of those people who were praising him during primary season had no intention of supporting him over a Democrat when it came to the election.   Seeking MSM and poll approvals are a false hope, unless all you want is a ego stroke.  If you really want the GOP to gain more offices, then that isn't the way to go.

Follow Reagan's 11th Commandment.
Espouse conservatism.
Point out the flaws of the statist Left.
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Not All Conservatives Are in the GOP

Posted by Playful Walrus on Tuesday, May 05, 2009 1:41:00 PM
Nor are a lot of them in "third" parties.  There are some that are registered Democrats, independents, or "decline to state".

Take Tammy Bruce, who has her own radio show but sometimes fills in for Laura Ingraham.  Bruce also writes books and columns and appears frequently on Fox.  Bruce is anything but a GOP shill.  Heck, she's pro-choice, a self-identified feminist (was even President of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW), openly lesbian, and for most of her life was a registered Democrat, working to elect California Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and President Clinton.

Ah, but she is also a proud gun owner, pro-death penalty, and supports waging war against terrorists

Clinton's actions towards his female intern and his feminist supporters, NOW's abandoning of feminist issues for the sake of Leftist unity in the Clinton scandal and the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman helped push Tammy Bruce towards independence.  And while is pro-choice, she points out that having an abortion is nothing of which to be proud – it usually means a woman screwed up, and, despite the ability to abstain or use many different forms of contraception, she got pregnant when she wasn't ready to be pregnant.

So what makes Bruce a conservative?  Her opposition to big government, her championing of individual instead of collective rights, and her support of strong national defense, and her making those things a priority.

So tell me - if Republican became more like Democrats, would Republicans gain any votes from independents like Tammy Bruce?  No way.

There are no doubt many "sleeping conservatives" – people who aren't politically active and rarely vote, but who live conservative values and, if we reach out to them the right way, and if our elected conservatives actually lead or vote as conservatives, will put us into more offices.
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Don't Let the Door Hit Ya

Posted by Playful Walrus on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 12:54:19 PM
Let the RINOs who are only interested in consolidating power underneath themselves leave.  You may notice some of your Leftist acquaintances talking about how this is a sign that the GOP has gone extreme.  Please.  Calling for us to stick to the Constitution is not extremist.  It is the "progressives" who continue to go to extremes.  That these people like the RINOs shows exactly what is wrong with RINOs.  The fiscal and social conservatives belong together in the GOP, as write in this classic Playful Walrus installment.

To be sure, there is a political advantage to have more legislators in your party, even if they often vote with the other party, because it makes it easier for you to advance your party's platform.  But when such legislators bolt, we shouldn't cry over it.  Rather, we should replace them with authentic conservatives.
Tags: GOP   RINOs  
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Stop Playing the Left's Game

Posted by Playful Walrus on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 6:31:35 PM
Leftists are trying to keep conservatives and Republicans fighting each other so we'll be less effective in pointing out the perils of Obama's government-growing plans.

If a Leftist tries to make an issue of Rush Limbaugh, ask them to quote exactly what Limbaugh has said that is offensive or that they find to be wrong.  Otherwise, point out that Limbaugh has been "elected" to his position by listeners providing huge ratings, not by the ballot box, and you'd like to discuss what elected officials are doing that is leading this country in the wrong direction.
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Kalifornia Loses Because of Weak Republican

Posted by Playful Walrus on Thursday, February 19, 2009 12:33:05 PM
We have a budget deal now.  Bad news for productive California taxpayers.  Associated Press writer Judy Lin has the story.
The budget deal flew through the Assembly less than an hour after it won approval by a single vote in the Senate after late-night horse trading to win over a final Republican vote.
Sellout.
The package included a combination of spending cuts,
Mostly reductions in planned increases, not actual cuts.
tax increases
Plenty of those!  Bend over, California!  Let's be sure to drive even more productive Americans out of California so that they can be replaced by illegal aliens and people who have let themselves become dependent on money forcibly taken from other people.
and borrowing,
Which means MORE taxes,
intended to close a projected multi-billion dollar deficit and avert fiscal disaster for the state.
Intended to protect public employee unions, actually.
Senate leaders secured the final vote needed from moderate Republican Abel Maldonado in late-night negotiations by agreeing to his demands for election changes, government reform and removal of a gas tax increase, giving them the two-thirds vote needed to pass the package.
You are a SELLOUT!  None of those "reforms" are going to stick.
To win Maldonado's support, legislators agreed to ask voters to revise the state's constitution to allow open primaries for legislative, congressional and gubernatorial elections.
Ooh, big whoop.  Now Democrats will be able to determine Republican candidates.  Great.
Leaders also met Maldonado's demands to remove a provision to increase the gas tax,
For now.
freeze legislators' salaries in deficit budget years and to eliminate new office furniture budgeted for the state controller.
Symbolism, mostly.
Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth warned the crippling effects of passing the state's largest tax increase in California history.

"You may count this as a win because you got a few Republicans to vote for it," he said. "The taxpayers of California are going to view this as a loss."
Exactly.  The only power the Republicans in the California legislature have is blocking a budget/tax increase package, and they FAILED.

Where did we get the idea that the state government was some independent entity that should get full funding and never have layoffs no matter what?  This is supposed to be OUR government, comprised of OUR representatives.  It functions on OUR money.  When we have less money, our government has to do with less money.  If that means a diminished quality to state facilities and programs, then so be it!
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Getting Involved and Networking

Posted by Playful Walrus on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 6:34:50 PM
The Presidential election is ancient history, Obama has been in office for almost a month now, and we've seen a big push towards more socialism.

What are you doing to advance limited government principles?

Since you are here, you are obviously trying to stay informed.

But what are you doing with the information?

Are you persuading your family, friends, and coworkers?

Are you letting your elected representatives know what you want?

Maybe you are thinking about getting actively involved in a campaign?

Now is the time to network.  Now is the time to persuade more people to our point of view.

Help advance limited government principles within the GOP.  Check out your friendly Neighborhood GOP.

Connect to me on Facebook.

Get involved.  You can still make a difference.
Tags: GOP   winning  
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Yes, He Will Be My President

Posted by Playful Walrus on Thursday, January 15, 2009 3:12:36 PM
For over eight years, we have heard the whining and hysterics and paranoia and derision from the Left about President Bush.

He stole the election!
He actually believes the religion he professes!
He's going to force women into back-alley abortions and make sure they'd never get equal pay for doing the same amount, quality, and level of work!
He's going to end all medical research!
He's going to destroy education and force all the kids to be indoctrinated with young-earth creationism and abstinence preaching!
He's going to destroy the planet with global warming!
He's not going to force other people to provide me with top-notch health care are no cost to me!
He's giving tax breaks to the rich!
He's taking us to war only to enrich a handful of companies!
He's making hurricanes to kill black people and preventing them from leaving areas facing disasters!
He's not listening to or cooperating with Democrats, or other countries – everything is unilateral!
He's going to cancel elections and turn us into a Christianist Theocratic Dictatorship!
He's letting Cheney and Rove run everything!
He let 9/11 happen when he could have prevented it, or was in on it!
He's listening in to my phone calls, reading my e-mails and chat sessions, and going to stick us all in secret prisons and torture us!

Just about every person he nominated was vehemently opposed as one or more of the following:
1. completely inexperienced
2. just a crony
3. just a political hack
4. out of touch
5. extremist
6. the person who was really going to be in control of the whole Presidency
7. incompetent
8. evil

There was no honeymoon, there was no "wait and see".  This kind of thing was how it was from the start.

Sure, most people rallied behind him immediately after 9/11, but that moment was very brief.  Aside from that moment, it has been a constant barrage.

And now, some Republicans are tempted to respond just a little bit in kind now that there is a Democrat President coming in to office.  One way we see this is with calls to "protest" Obama’s inauguration – not picketing like so many unwashed Leftist freaks – but by deliberately not watching and letting others know that they are going to "protest" or "mourn".

I call on my fellow Republicans, conservatives, and defenders of limited government to be respectful of the inauguration.  Regardless of who is being inaugurated, these events are a testament to one of the blessings our founders secured – a smooth and orderly transition of power.  In some countries, bloody coups are pretty much the norm, or corrupt dynasties that crush all potential rivals and rule for decades.

Thank God we live in the U.S.A.

We are a nation of laws, not men.  Our nation is a collection of fifty states, each a democratic representative republic.  Collectively, our fifty states elected B. H. Obama as President per Constitutional procedure.  We should respect that, because we value doing things in an orderly, lawful way, an unlike too many of our political opponents, we have respect for the office of President and for our Constitution.  Notice that a President on our side wouldn't take his jacket off in Oval Office, while one their side soiled an intern’s dress with a body fluid that shouldn’t have touched another person other than his wife.

Think of the inauguration as a celebration of our Constitution.

I'm no fan of Obama or Biden.  That's obvious from my blog entries.  But as far as we know, there wasn’t enough voter fraud to call their election into question.  They won by unfairly blaming Bush and linking McCain to Bush, by fostering false hopes and wishful thinking and racism, and through massive voter ignorance – but that is all legal and orderly and Constitutional.

DON’T be like so many of our political opponents, who were constantly disrespectful and tacky and whiny and at times downright bizarre.

DO support our President in what he does right.

DO be vigilant in protecting our rights.

DO stay informed, be active, network, encourage, and persuade others towards limited-government thinking and action.

DON’T cast pearls before swine, wasting your breath with hardcore Leftists who will never change, but instead focus on the young and the undecided and the moderates, who will notice the difference in how we react to Obama and how the Left reacted to Bush.

Yes, Obama will be my President, because that is who our country elected.
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Another RINO in California in 2010?

Posted by Playful Walrus on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:07:38 PM
The stories are starting up in the MSM about the 2010 California Governor's race.  This one is on two people who are expected to seek the Republican nomination – Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner.  Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The high-tech rivals are both out-of-state transplants -- Whitman a New Yorker, Poizner a Texan. Each led tech companies that rocketed to the top of their fields. Whitman was chief executive of EBay, the Internet auction giant. Poizner founded SnapTrack Inc., a pioneer in putting satellite positioning devices in mobile phones.

They are unconventional Republicans. Neither hails from the party's conservative wing. Both support abortion rights, a potential flash point in the primary that leaves an opening for the type of candidate the party has most often embraced.
I'm not sure if the abortion question matters when it comes to California Governor.  Our legislature is controlled by the abortion-loving Left.  Even if the abortion matter is sent back to the states, it isn't likely that a Governor will be able to do anything to advance the cause of life by law or order.
Whitman's Republican ties are recent, a fact sure to be explored by primary opponents. She was nonpartisan until 2007, when she switched her registration to the GOP. In the recent presidential campaign, Whitman worked as a top fundraiser for Mitt Romney, her boss at an early-career job at Bain & Co. in Boston. After Romney's defeat, Whitman signed on as national campaign co-chair for party nominee, John McCain.
Hopefully, she learned what not to do.
At a time of deep economic pain, Whitman will face the challenge of showing that a mogul accustomed to corporate-jet travel understands the needs of ordinary voters.
You know what we need?  Protection of our rights, including the right to use our own property and earnings.
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We Need Each Senate Republican

Posted by Playful Walrus on Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:00:00 AM
Even if Franken's shenanigans are rejected and the GOP keeps that Senate seat from Minnesota, the Democrat party will be close to having a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

What does this mean?

1) Each and every Republican in the Senate needs to stay clean, and stubbornly defend themselves from any accusations of wrongdoing.  The last thing we need right now is a GOP Senator being removed and then replaced with a Democrat.  The MSM and the Democrats will be gunning for you.  Behave like you have a private investigator documenting your every breath.  You probably do.

2) Each and every Republican in the Senate needs to stick to authentic conservative principles, championing limited government, and effectively communicate with the electorate in a proactive way that supports conservatism and contrasts it with what the Democrats are doing.

Reaching across the aisle gained McCain nothing but a back strain.  You can't outpromise the Democrats when they are handing out things at the expense of taxpayers.  You will not gain "centrist" voters by acting like a Democrat.  They vote for Democrats when they want Democrats, not Republicans.  Voters will respect consistency and integrity, even if they don't always agree with your votes.
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On Promoting a Limited Government GOP

Posted by Playful Walrus on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 3:21:32 PM
We have a two party system.  Yes, although there are times where Democrats and Republicans are too similar, there are many times when the differences are clear.  Third parties were irrelevant in the 2008 Presidential Election, despite the wariness of libertarians and many conservatives about the GOP nominee. It will be better to reform the GOP than build a whole new organization, so I favor working towards a GOP that consistently promotes limited government through conservatism, free market capitalism, and federalism.

One of the difficulties we have is that we’re electing people into positions of power, and then hoping they will vote themselves less power.  It is very tempting for someone to attempt to the use the force of government to "do something”"to make a perceived ill better, or to spend money taken from others.  Still, I believe it is possible to elect people who will restrain themselves and each other, bringing true reform, focusing on protecting our actual rights.

It should not be the role of our government to attempt to cure every social and moral ill through a law or a government program.  It is possible to elect people who understand that and will fight for limited government, but we have to work hard and work well to do it.  We can't just have candidates who are committed to limiting government – we have to get them elected and hold them accountable in order for them to be able to do any good.

Here are some of my other entries relevant to this issue:

Why Do People Vote Democrat?

Why McCain Lost

One Way to Win in 2010 and 2012

More Ways to Win in 2010 and 2012

Winning the Voters

Why Social and Fiscal Conservatives Belong Together in the GOP

Different Republican Camps Need Each Other

Conservative Christians Must Have Sensible Priorities

Conservatives Can’t Influence If They Sit on Their Hands

Six Lessons Republican Politicians and Pundits Need to Learn

Is the Battle Lost?
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More Ways to Win in 2010 and 2012

Posted by Playful Walrus on Thursday, November 13, 2008 7:03:06 PM
I’ve already blogged about turning new voters who voted for Obama towards Republicans in 2010 and 2012, and some ways we can reach some of the people who vote Democrat.  However, there’s more to keep in mind.

We need to Speak up, Speak Well, and Speak Far and Wide.

Speak Up – Some who voted Left this time simply haven't heard good arguments from our side.  We tend to try to deal with life instead of complaining – going about quietly fixing problems without waiting for the government to do it.  But we now need to speak up and let other people - especially independents and people who don't always bother to vote - know what is going on.  We need to tell them when a new regulation or law or policy change or tax rate negatively impacts us, especially if it will also impact them, even if only by extension.  Some of us have been intimidated by being shouted down by professors or dope-smoking protestors or emotional family members.  We need to face intolerance and ignorance head-on and speak up.  If someone gets angry as us - oh well.  They'll calm down.

Show our fellow citizens when the media and the Left are attacking them and their values.  Show them how things that move us further away from limited government bring negative consequences.

Speak Well – There are effective ways to be persuasive.  Stay focused.  Keep on topic.  Lead things towards their logical conclusion before the subject gets changed.  Part of speaking well is informing your audience.  Perhaps we should be passing out pocket copies of the Constitution with footnotes?  Running television spots talking about Constitutional principles and limited government?

We can't ignore image or neglect the fact that much of our audience will be fickle with short attention spans.  We have to deal with how things are, not as we want them to be.

Speak Far and Wide – We need to use technology effectively to make our case and show it to be stronger than the Left's case.  Engage our fellow citizens in conversations that can make a difference.  The Left is using technology, especially social networking sites.  We need to use every ethical and effective means to reach, keep, inform, and motivate an audience.  Get them hooked on some of your favorite blogs.

We can turn things back towards limited government.
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Winning the Voters

Posted by Playful Walrus on Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:42:17 PM
It is very appealing to a lot of people that "someone else" is going to pay for things, and they are going to get "refunds" or services from the government, which really means other people.  When you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can almost surely count on Paul’s vote, and there are more Pauls than Peters.

I wrote earlier about some of the reasons why some people vote Democrat.  In this entry, I wanted to quickly go over ways we can address some of those reasons and get these people to vote for limited government Republicans.  If you haven’t done so yet, you can also read my entry on how to turn the newer voters who went with Obama our way.

We can turn some of the people by appealing to them as voters, taxpayers, parents, investors, potential employers, homeowners and potential property owners, churchgoers, military families, law enforcement families, crime victims, and lawsuit victims – showing them that have a stronger overall interest in limited government than they do in getting hand-outs.

We can appeal to voters by publicizing our efforts to fight vote fraud, but more importantly, emphasizing that the legislators they voted for should be making law, not activist courts.  In states where there is direct democracy, this can be even more effective.  Voters do not like it when courts overturn their votes without solid justification.  Witness Prop 8 passing in California, even in blue Los Angeles County.  Voters, obviously, think voting is important.

We can appeal to taxpayers by keeping taxes low and by using their money wisely.  It is nice to be able to “bring home the bacon”, but all we’re really doing is paying people in federal government to handle our money for us, and do so inefficiently.  Everybody thinks they pay federal income taxes.

We can appeal to parents by fighting to maintain their authority over their own children with things like school choice and parental consent laws.  Most of the population experiences parenthood at some point, and most of those people don't like it when someone interferes in the parent-child relationship.

We can appeal to investors by letting them decide how to run what they own, not taxing them more, and going after fraud aggressively.  We should point out that anyone with an IRA, 401(k), or some other like account is an investor.  That’s a lot of people.

We can appeal to potential employers by fighting for their rights to reach compensation and benefit agreements with their employees, and to keep the government from interfering more in the workplace.  A lot of people hope to be employers if they aren’t already.

We can appeal to homeowners and potential property owners by interfering less in their choices.  Most people will either own property or seek to buy property sometime in their lives.

We can appeal to religious communities by respecting them and not forcing them to keep their religion in a closet.  Most voters are either part of some “faith community” or are sympathetic to such groups.

We can appeal to military families by respecting and thanking our military personnel and giving them clear, effective missions and caring for their wounds – physical and mental.  Most people in our country have either served in the military or have some family member who has or does.

We can appeal to law enforcement families by keeping law enforcement personnel from being scapegoated and having their hands tied.  Most upstanding citizens appreciate law enforcement and are sympathetic to their struggles.

We can appeal to crime victims by aggressively pursuing criminals and restorative justice, and blocking Democrat attempts to extend voting to more felons.  Most voters have been victims of burglary or some serious crimes, or know someone who has been - robbery, identity theft, grand theft, arson, assault, rape, kidnapping, murder.

We can appeal to lawsuit victims by reforming legislation so that Litigational Harassment is discouraged instead of handsomely rewarded.

Overall, we can appeal to a lot of the Pauls out there because many of them hope to someday be Peter, and more people can if government is limited.

We can’t outpromise the Democrats when it comes to hand-outs.  We must appeal to the self-worth of the voters.


Previously: Is the Battle Lost?
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