I sent a note to someone this week asking a question about the Coleman – Franken recount and never heard back, so I am going to throw it out to the RF readership. 

In the saga of the recount, wasn’t it only when Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (ACORN) allowed the Canvassing board to add in previously rejected absentee ballots, that Al Franekn took a lead? Before that, Sen. Coleman had been ahead n the count of the actual ballots cast and counted on election night, if my memory serves. 

It is an important point and I’d like some help in clarifying it.

It matters because the absentee ballots were not uniformly reviewed and sure seem to be unequally scrutinized by campaign workers, volunteers, and lawyers. It wasn’t something that was done in a way that every single ballot was treated equally, as Federal law requires. It also exposes how Mark Ritchie did in fact abuse his power to help a pal and steal this election. 

If anyone can help correct my memory that would be great.

No really, I am seeing a new push to blame conservatives for the election results and a shaming of them for thinking their principles are worth standing up for. Some are saying that conservatives stayed home and it is solely their fault for the loss of the scores of Republicans across the nation. 

No I am serious, some people who I thought were smarter than that are now going to try to shame principled conservatives and cast blame for election losses squarely on their shoulders. 

I think over the (almost) 4 years of this blog, I have done a pretty darn good job trying to expose how Republicans going left loses them votes, so I am not going to go into that again. 

Let’s use one simple and tragic example of what they want us to do. 

George W. Bush. Now I am not ready to say he was the worst President ever, and it wasn’t him who destroyed the country, no he was just acting like a Democrat. And that’s the point. 

Bush was a Republican, but he governed like a Democrat, sans the tax increases. He increased spending exponentially. He expanded the size and scope of Government. Deficit, don’t get me started. He made more and more Americans dependent on Government. Oh sure it was carrot and stick tactics on most parts, but if he was a Democrat, no one would be complaining about anything, except for conservatives. But he did prevent a second round of terror attacks in America, a feet no one thought possible on September 12th, 2001. 

Now let’s take a look back at how the GOP got tossed out of relevance, shall we. History is fun, sometimes. 

In 2000 it was all about how conservatives have to prevent the liberal AL Gore from keeping the White House in Democrat hands. It worked, Bush won. Then in 2002 we sent scores of Republicans to join Bush in Congress and gave him majorities in both lawmaking bodies. 

Then in 2004 we sent Bush back to the Oval Office with more Congressional Republicans, growing the majorities. 

And then what happened? 

That’s right, all liberal hell broke loose, and under the Republican’s watch. 

Conservatives did show up then, and they felt burned after they won. Whose fault is that? Is it conservative’s fault that Bush and Congressional Republican made drunk Democrat sailors look like penny pinchers? 

Are we supposed to simply assume if we sent more Republicans to Washington that maybe we would do away with the K-Street project and stop the Rove tactic of stealing the Democrat issues through pandering policies? 

I’m sorry, I know some people think they are doing the right thing by trying to deflect the blame for why Republicans have faced 2 straight ass whoopings at the polls, but they are exposing themselves for the (sorry to say) hacks that they are. I am not interested in remaining on the cocktail party circuit. I was on it for a tad, but then my darn principles got in the way and I became an enemy for speaking the truth or at least being honest and candid.

It is a candidate of a party’s responsibility to build up his coalition. After conservatives got fooled twice in thinking George W. Bush was closer on the issues to Reagan than his father and we learned different, we woke up. 

You cannot expect conservatives to dig their own grave. We’re limited government and personal liberty conservatives. When the Republican is as left on these issues as the Democrat, with just marginal differences, we do say “why bother?”. And that;s our fault? Franken and Coleman were indistinguishable on global warming. McCain and Obama the same. And the similarities from candidate to candidate go on.  

Now not everyone did stay home as some think, but if you look at how Norm Coleman choked against Franken, don’t ya maybe wonder if Coleman’s campaign team is kicking itself for not listening to me? 

yes, Coleman pissed off his base numerous times. Amnesty, SCHIPs, Bailout, spending, ethanol, global warming, etc. Is that conservative’s fault? No seriously, is it our fault Coleman tried to thread the political needle and cut his own base off at the knees? 

Look at John McCain. We couldn’t have had a worse candidate than him. God bless him for his service in uniform, but as a Republican Senator John McCain has done more to marginalize the conservatives than he has for us. Pork? Yeah, thanks, you would blow through that $25-50 billion in a heartbeat on Amnesty programs and global warming ponzi schemes there Johnny.

And do you remember the one time that McCain looked truly impressed with himself and proud of a campaign line? It was when he was smearing Romney in the California debate with lies. That smug smirk still is burned into my brain. The guy takes more pride in trashing a Republican than he does against teh most liberal Democrat every to run for President. 

Had we had a real conservative who not only believed in the free market and limited Government principles, but would take that debate to the electorate, Obama would not be enrolling his kids in DC school today and Franken wouldn’t be packing for Washington. 

It was the war against conservative values that caused the Republicans losses, the problem is, some people aren’t willing to shed light on who lit the fuse on the bomb that took the GOP down. 

Yes, Republicans like Bush and the RINOs tore down the house that Reagan built and Gingrich expanded. It was left leaning Republicans who destroyed the gains they made. It was Republicans who demoralized the base and soured the public on the notion that Republicans would actually provide freedom, liberty, and the opportuinty for personal responsibility. And the final nail was the corruption. 

So as we begin this new year, we are once again forced, as conservatives, to have fellow Republicans blame us for the Democrat majorities and electoral wins. 

Would you put a tent up in your back yard and offer free food and lodging to a crack dealer? Of course not, it would be detrimental to you. Sooner or later the car would be missing and so would all your irreplaceable mementos. 

Until the Republican party understands that – until it can win over the people with no other place to go politically, there is no way that they can draw those skeptical of our ideas. 

The MNGOP leadership race is the perfect example of how some people are more interested in keeping their job (and shifting the responsibility for their own jobs on anyone but who collected the paycheck) onto people who thought the party stood for what it says it does. Lipservice to the platform during legislative sessions and in office, but simple quota based liberal lite apologetic strategy in September and October are what has put the GOP in the skeleton minorities across the nation. 

Party leaders have been more concerned about what Governor, Senator, Representative So-and-so think about them then they are about moving the conservative ball down the field of public opinion. 

Ron Carey, Tony Sutton, and the rest of the MNGOP Executive Committee are proof they are tone deaf to the grassroots. Yeah, I named names. They are just the public faces on the MNGOP establishment that aims only to maintain their own power. The grass roots made up of truly principled conservatives are the unwashed and not to be trusted. There are a couple of good eggs in the lot, but look at the results of what the party did this last election and what they are doing this very day. 

What happens tomorrow in Minnesota? Clue: It has nothing to do with Al Franken. 

The Legislature convenes and begins the process of closing a $6 Billion deficit. And what is the party doing about it? Are they putting out research and proposals for public consumption so that Minnesotans can call their Legislators and urge them to cut the waste? Are they working on educating voters how we got into the deficit mess? (ahem out of control spending under a Republican Gov?…. I’d give you a pass if you went on to point out how Democrats own the House and Senate, but you’d have to make the sale to the public and have it stick)

Are they using this monumental issue that will impact every single Minnesotan, one that is a hanging curve for fiscal conservatives, and reaching out to Minnesotans to ID and educate them? 

No. They are trying to save Coleman and have an excuse for spending millions on the whole Angry Al ad campaign. 

You want conservatives to show up and help, I got an idea for you. If workers are really dwindling in numbers and our help in the GOTV process is the sole excuse for why Democrats won big across the nation and state, then why don’t you try listening to us instead of lying to us, shaming us, and ignoring us? 

You think that principled conservatives are to blame, well maybe some of you pointing fingers had better look in the mirror.

I’m sorry, but I am just really getting tired of hearing people on the right who claim to be fighting for conservatism laying down cover fire for those responsible for the demise of the party that Reagan and Gingrich built. 

Yeah, that clearly lost us a handful of US Senate seats. 

No wait, maybe this one. 

Give me a break. Put down the cocktail party invites and consult with your conscious. You might be surprised what you once believed. 

If the Republican party, its candidates, and its elected officials cannot fight for true conservative values, the party is over, turn out the lights. There’s nothing we have that voters will buy.

Well, it is a possibility if the Republican Party can get out of its funk. Obama is scouring the Congressional and now Gubernatorial ranks to fill up his Hopenchange administration. It is opening up Senate seats and Governor’s races that will either be appointed or face an election sooner than expected. 

If Republicans can mount a credible message on how Obama and the other Liberals are trying to nationalize our economy, there’s a chance the anti-Republican tides can be turned. Of course that means throwing turn coats and Big Government liberal Republicans like Bush, Powell, and Ramstad. 

Bush, to his detriment, is worried about his legacy and has thrown free market principles into the woodchipper. Powell is a turncoat fair weather Republican. He endorsed Obama for President and now tries to run home to the party and say to throw conservatives like Rush and me out. And Ramstad is the example for the dime a dozen liberal Republicans in Congress who helped erode the conservative message over the last 8 years. He’s not solely to blame but his voting record coincides pretty well with many who helped kill the party in voter’s eyes. 

So here we are as a Republican party having the door opened to be competitive in some races normally off the table. Open seats are by far much more in play, even in blue states. Americans will quickly see that the bloom was never on the rose that was candidate Obama. 

Obama will never be able to control Pelosi and Reid. Heck they think they got their guy in who will rubberstamp their agenda. Political restraint is not something either one has a record of. Be ready to see an amazing amount of fringe left wing legislation that Obama will have no choice but to sign. Remember, he has helped create a machine of millions. He engaged them, and they will not let him be a centrist. (like he ever was going to)

Congress will be radically left. There has to be a solid conservative opposition showing an alternative. Then, thanks to the Obama appointments, there will be chances to start ticking off Blue seats. 

There’s no way that this Democratic tide can continue. Sure some Minnesota party leaders I have talked to in the last week believe that a real conservative message can never win again and that people like me are nuts. Then again, that’s why they want to run me out of the party. If I am right, they are out of a job. 

Frankly I have the feeling I have a much better idea of the grassroots of this party than people who make a living on the cocktail circuit of by selling themselves to campaigns. I am by far not the best worker out there. I hope I am in the middle of the pack, but the truth is that I spent the 2008 election where the rubber meets the road, unlike many of the people who happen to be showing up locally for the first time in 8 to 12 months. Then again, it is internal party leadership and posturing time. 

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record. Sometimes I feel like the only time I see some so-called party activists in when their internal party leadership position is at risk and people like me holding them accountable is much more dangerous than what the Democrats are doing and saying. 

I’m getting tired of it. Scores of conservatives like me busted their butts to hold the line in this last election. Sure it was another crapper overall, but if not for us who never took their eyes off their area of responsibility, it’d have been even worse. And we wouldn’t have had bright spots like we did. Imagine if we did follow the top down agenda of Coleman and McCain and let the rest swing twist in the wind.

We did win 47 State House races. We did win a Senate Seat until some retards decided to throw it to the Democrats. Kline, Paulsen, and Bachmann couldn’t have done it with out us.  

And guess what, most of us who gave everything we had and sacrificed for the party this election did it because it had to be done in order to keep a conservative message in the political noise machine. A bunch of people had other things to do and were too busy to show up when their help was needed, and surprise surprise, they are now back to protect their cushy positions or shove people like me out. 

That’s exactly what many are doing at the national level of this party. If we get back to being right on the issues, their failures and comp-licitness in the demise of the party will be exposed. 

So Obama is opening the door to get the country back in political balance. The question is will Republican leaders be so selfish and power hungry that they will target passionate hardworking conservatives for expulsion…. simply to maintain their position on the cocktail circuit? 

I’ll be honest, right now I could really care less.

 I have lost my passion lately and very surprised this post went where it did. But it is chapping my hide how some people happen to be showing up now that the party business is about the leadership elections. I’m disturbed that the people who were pulling the strings at the top are once again paying lipservice to the grassroots and dangling fake carrots of inclusion in the leadership decisions. 

But then again, this is what these people do. They stab you in the back. They are two-faced and selfish. They are professional party hacks, not pure activists. We need more of the later if we are going to turn the map red again. They need less of us if they are going to keep their jobs. 

(This post may sound like it is targeted at one person in particular. And yes, I am thinking of one person as an example, but that person is a dime a dozen when it comes to this party these days. That person is not who most of you probably think it is.

I’m just getting tired of knowing who I can and cannot trust. I wish I could get messages to the right people that they have snakes speaking on their behalf. But I cannot and I no longer know who I can and cannot trust.

I’m getting tired of it and am really considering just going back to be a political civilian and stop battling in the trenches to save this party. I really don’t know if I can take much more of it. Unlike my opposition, I don’t get a dime from the party and my only benefit is getting good conservatives elected to fight for my beliefs.

Too many in this party only care to be in leadership and care nothing about the results or accountability.

This post is what it is, crude and unpolished. From the heart.  I gots to get going to work now. )

So McCain now thinks the Republican party should ignore the scandal plagued Chicagoland swamp that birthed Barrack Obama and is continuing his back handed attempts to diss his ticket mate Sarah Palin. 

And some political ‘heavyweights’ are surprised that the base was less than indifferent about the 2008 election. 

So how long until John McCain becomes the maverick again, or worse, goes back to considering switching parties? 

I hope the punks who forced him on us this last go around are the first to see their jobs reduced in the economic woes that should wash up on political shores anytime now.

Here’s a list of who I am hearing about – who may be running for a leadership spot. 

Chair

Ron Carey (I’ve heard it both ways, but I can’t believe he has a prayer. Some say he needs the job, but also say he can’t run after 2 straight beatings at the ballot box)

Tony Sutton (Current Secretary/Treasurer. His performance Saturday and how his budget is received will play big in how he is received as an agent of change who has been on the inside for decades. )

Rod Grams (Former US Senator and rock ribbed conservative. He’s captured some momentum from a “draft” movement. )

Joe Repya (A true American hero lost a bid last time to unseat Carey. There is some baggage involved with him from some party business meetings. So far though he is the only one who is openly running and laying out a roadmap for reforming and reuniting the party.)

There are also some other names and people being tossed out there. So far I haven’t confirmed anything serious. I am sure this Saturday (at our State Central Meeting) we will see who’s for real and who else may show up.

Deputy Chair 

Dorothy Fleming (Current Deputy Chair who has been, in my opinion, treated like crap by her fellow Republicans who suckle at the teats of GOP power. Her genuine connection to the grassroots is something no amount of backstabbing can take away. In my opinion she is perfect for the job, and if there is a Chair who will utilize her skills and abilities  (not shove her in a closet)  unlike the current one, she will help rebuild and reform this party. She is my pick and who I will be supporting.)

Michael Brodkorb (Yes, that Michael Brodkorb. I talked to him and he is serious about running. I’m not sure how to describe it. He’s been turned into a rockstar from his blogging, but many people like me fear the gotcha tactics are the sort of thing that doesn’t (edited for clarity) belongs in the Party’s #2 spot.)

Secretary/Treasurer

With Sutton running for Chair, this is an open seat. Unless Carey shocks the world and seeks reelection on the basis of not being as bad as other states. (Hey, I’ve heard a number of people actually say we did well be not losing more state Legislative seats compared to other states. )

Ed Matthews (Ran for Congress in CD4. A CPA. Something the party could use given our financial troubles in the past. An outsider and reform candidate.)

There will also likely be the leadership (establishment/powerbroker) plant for this spot. It is early and there will be someone with ties to the current crop of string pullers. 

—–

All in all, this leadership election is going to come down to how badly Pawlenty wants to run for reelection. If he can have a blindly loyal leadership, he will be able to run for a 3rd term. If there is a principles first, statewide candidate second team of conservatives at the helm, they won’t lay down cover fire for Pawlenty and knee cap a challenge from the right with in the party. He’ll need that again this time as the base is growing weary. (I’ve been over that before)

This party has a lot of work to do to get back on the path to victory. I see some things finally being admitted as stumblings, but I also see some of the same old people who have been calling the shots all along (from outside the top 3 spots) scrambling to maintain their roles as clingers on and the whispering decision makers.

I for one think this process needs to be open and inclusive beyond just the State Central Delegates and Alternates. Yes, those are the people who actually vote for the 3 leadership positions, but tens of thousands of others have to live with the decision and are fed up with who was picked in the past.

The grassroots knows this party is in trouble and they have seen what is happening with this new moderation mentality from the current crop of leaders. Nationally you have to be living under a rock to not see that the RNC had abandoned what sets us apart from the liberals. That would be conservative stands on the issues. 

Many of us in the trenches here in Minnesota see a similar tact from our party. The ridiculous decision not to engage in legislative issues meant we were virtually silent as a party for 18 months+ while the DFL was out there misinforming the public and spending like mad at the Capital.

Will we spend the next 6 months trying to bury the skeletons in our closets, exposing the ones in others, and watching a small group of people (and with them, critical operatives an workers) battle for the control of this party, when we should be trying to educate Minnesotans on the issues at the Capital? Of course, our system is broken, but hey, its our system. 

If the powerbrokers and top down types from the Pawlentites and Establishment group do what I fear they will, fight tooth and nail to maintain control and absolute power) it will destroy this party. Some are already showing their cards and getting out the daggers and behaving in shameful ways. 

There is a new groundswell of energy from the grassroots. Some of us who have been around and involved for a while are still sick of the status quo, but there’s also the Ron Paul factor. There is a highly motivated group of people out there who finally gives us the ability to get numbers. And that is why some are so scared and want this thing decided by as few people as possible. 

If the establishment of the Republican Party of Minnesota plays for keeps and tries the scorched earth tactics again, the party will unravel. You could see a 3rd party spring up. A real conservative 3rd party. And folks, that will spell the end for the Republican party. There are a lot of people who will gladly cast their vote for a real conservative in state wide races.

So far all those running, bear in mind that you can’t destroy your enemies. If we hate each other again after this election, we’ll not only be 6 months behind the Dems in the election, but we’ll be starting from square one building our grassroots team. 

We need some serious change in this party, but let’s not sink the ship in the process.

John McCain was a terrible choice for Republicans in this election. 

[...] McCain said, “I still am committed to comprehensive immigration reform.”

Had we had someone with true consrvative grit who actually believed in the founding conservative principles and could articulate them, as our candidate, the results from November 4th would have been much different. 

What we needed was someone who was more interested in changing the minds of Americans and tapping into our unique Americanism. What we needed was someone like Reagan. I know we can’t dust off what Reagan did and find any old person to try it in the 21st Century, and that’s my point. 

We ended up having McCain thrust upon us. The process by which he was selected still bothers me. I know you’re thinking, “The election is over Andy, let it go.” 

Hooey!

If we don’t have an honest debate over what went wrong and work to prevent it next time, it will be the death blow of the Republican party. Look, if we are just going to try to steal enough issues from liberals and pretend we can do them with out raising taxes, but still increasing spending and entitlements, the voters are smart enough to pick the real deal. 

Reagan is what we conservatives are clinging to because Reagan didn’t play the political game. He lead. He didn’t chase polls, he tried to move them. He had the ability to explain what made him tick (which happened to be the same as the conservative movement) and scores of Americans found out they held those same values close to their heart. 

The economic times Barrack Obama is going to have to navigate will pose a tough fork in the road for Obama. Does he try to create a new socialist’s dream and make a New New Deal and punish the successful with oppressive taxes and regulation? Or does he try to fix the economy? 

Meanwhile, what are Republicans going to do in gameplanning for 2012? Frankly if we let John McCain and the DC powerbrokers set our agenda with Amnesty, more deficit spending, more green Lunacracy, and the growth of government, we’re done for as a party. 

This is what we need to consider as the framework for the reform of our party. We need to find a genuine Republican who doesn’t need to pretend they are a conservative. Frankly if you are a conservative you don’t need to have people run around saying you are. A conservative can spot a real conservative in a crowd of politicians.

I leave you with this, Ronald Reagan’s announcement speech from November of 1979.

Someone once said that the difference between an American and any other kind of person is that an American lives in anticipation of the future because he knows it will be a great place. Other people fear the future as just a repetition of past failures. There’s a lot of truth in that. If there is one thing we are sure of it is that history need not be relived; that nothing is impossible, and that man is capable of improving his circumstances beyond what we are told is fact.

There are those in our land today, however, who would have us believe that the United States, like other great civilizations of the past, has reached the zenith of its power; that we are weak and fearful, reduced to bickering with each other and no longer possessed of the will to cope with our problems.

Much of this talk has come from leaders who claim that our problems are too difficult to handle. We are supposed to meekly accept their failures as the most which humanly can be done. They tell us we must learn to live with less, and teach our children that their lives will be less full and prosperous than ours have been; that the America of the coming years will be a place where–because of our past excesses–it will be impossible to dream and make those dreams come true.

I don’t believe that. And, I don’t believe you do either. That is why I am seeking the presidency. I cannot and will not stand by and see this great country destroy itself. Our leaders attempt to blame their failures on circumstances beyond their control, on false estimates by unknown, unidentifiable experts who rewrite modern history in an attempt to convince us our high standard of living, the result of thrift and hard work, is somehow selfish extravagance which we must renounce as we join in sharing scarcity. I don’t agree that our nation must resign itself to inevitable decline, yielding its proud position to other hands. I am totally unwilling to see this country fail in its obligation to itself and to the other free peoples of the world. 

Inspire Americans to make their world better, a shocking idea for many who covet Government more than they do the country it calls home. Too many in the Republican party have been coerced into believing Government is the answer. 

In 2012 we will have an opportunity to see another Reagan-esque revolution. Obama and the near Super Majority Democrats in Congress will assault the very foundation of our society. It will look and feel a lot like Jimmy Carter’s reign. And guess what came after Carter. 

The only problem is having the right kind of Republican there to capitalize. John McCain, his Maverick friends, and the new more moderate Republican Party strategists – are exactly the wrong kind of Republicans. McCain is a good man, he served his country well, but ….. Well, did you see what he and the professional pundit folks on the right did in the election? Nuff said.

please keep in mind America (especially the media) that this man has done nothing yet. 

(photo: Politico.com)

Now sure he was elected as President, but not with out a massive amount of media cover fire and an unprecedented amount of earned media skeleton hiding of his nonexistent record. 

No seriously, the way people are getting ready for the profile headshot of Obama for Mt. Rushmore is scaring me. You don’t put a sitting President’s face on money or buses or foodstamps. That’s what happens in totalitarian states. Commies put current leaders on their money. Dictators build themselves shrines. 

A populace who renames schools for men who have accomplished nothing is a populace ripe for the oppressing. I’m serious. This crap scares me. The undying devotion we’re seeing from the media toward Obama and the irrational exuberance of some of my fellow Americans is opening the door for the destruction of America. 

Remember in Obama’s acceptance speech on election night, he said now we change America. To him, him being elected was not proof that America had changed. 

The laundry list of freedom squashing and liberty erasing agenda items from the unchecked Democrats is long and vicious. A President is there to protect citizens from enemies foreign and domestic. Now we all know that the foreign enemies will get a pass if the rhetoric of the last 8 years is to be believed, but if you look at the Democrat’s domestic rhetoric, it is people who think differently then liberals that are considered a threat.

Obama was elected in the perfect manufactured environment. The media was unethically biased and the majority of the American public was duped into believing the hype and negative coverage of Republicans. I refuse to believe that America wants to shred its Constitution and adopt the policies of socialism. 

What scares me is that with a segment of our society ready to give Obama credit as one of the greatest Presidents of all time, before he has even taken the Oath of Office, I’m worried they won’t be able to see the forest through the trees. 

If this man, and please keep in mind that all Presidents are just men (or someday soon, women), was such an unprecidented leader and did actually hold the magical ability to cure what ales America, why doesn’t he have his own people? 

Think about it, this guy, the one you were lead to believe was perfect and ready to lead, is dusting off the Clinton administration for another go around. I wasn’t hyper active in politics during the 90′s but I remember a fair amount of disapproval for what they did. 

And here is Obama, the man some are likening to the greatest US Presidents  we have ever seen lead this nation, having to bail out his own administration, pre-oath taking, with been-there-done-that Washington bureaucrats from a previous administration that also left power with the economy in shambles and book cooking corporations. Let’s not forget that many Clintonistas came to Washington with the clothes on their back, but are now millionaires. 

So please America, before you add that 5th face to Mt. Rushmore, and call for him to appear on our currency, why don’t we see what Obama is going to get done. Cause so far in his political career all he has managed to accomplish is to win 3 elections with nothing in between. Now sure, one of those is the Superbowl of elections, but he didn’t win it as much as he was installed by the journalistically bankrupt mainstream media. 

Now maybe Obama is ‘The One’. Maybe he can unite the country, but the proof will be in the pudding. So far what I see the new party of power, the Democrats, getting ready to do is take over private industry, squelch any dissent, restrict freedoms, spread the wealth, punish success, and weaken America’s security. 

Can Obama lead the entire nation, or will he tear it down and rebuild it into something else entirely? 

All I ask is that we see what it is he accomplishes before we repeal the 22nd Amendment so he can be our first King.

Especially the ones in office and in charge of this party. 

What Went Wrong?
Well, it wasn’t conservatism.

By Victor Davis Hanson

Conservatives have already in the three weeks after the election come up with three competing explanations — and remedies — for their congressional defeats and the victory of the relatively unknown Barack Obama.  Post-election voting patterns and statistical data can be interpreted in various ways to support any of the following three exegeses, which I understand as being roughly the following:

Guess who has a new book out attacking the other Republican POTUS candidates from 08 and conservative groups in general? No not me, Mike Huckabee. 

I saw a clip from Hannity and Colmes last night with Huckabee and it is pretty clear he is following the scorched Earth plan for the 2012 race. Destroy all enemies early and define Republican principles on your own and only your own. An emerging common tactic of all hope-to-be 2012 candidates. 

But Huckabee does it with his southern charm, big smile, and nasty attacks that people like me noticed during the primaries. Let’s not forget if it wasn’t for Huckabee, ROmney would have been our candidate. Gee, successful business man running in dire economic times for the country, or a RINO on Government intervention who barely comprehends the whole free market thing.

Thanks again Mike. We owe ya big time.  

Here’s a snippet from someone’s review/summary. 

… One thought immediately strikes me:  This sort of candor is rare among politicians who have futures (or believe they have futures).  This is the candidate’s equivalent of writing a tell-all Scott McClellanesque memoir.  It will surely generate a lot of buzz and sells a lot of copies, but does it help him win friends and influence people???

This is exactly the problem with Huckabee. He runs around telling everyone they aren’t good enough when the truth is no one is. And since Huckabee obviously has a desire to stay relevant until 2012 begins, this is political suicide to start attacking people and alienating all those people out there who knew we had picked (er: someone had selected for us) the wrong candidate. 
Maybe he is trying to make himself the frontrunner by going after everyone’s jugular hoping for a return favor to gain momentum through the media coverage of the food fight, but the problem is Huckabee just doesn’t do it for his biggest attack target demographics in the Republican wing of politics.

That would be the limited Government conservatives/libertarians.  The road to Republican victory is through what neither party seems willing to stand for, less Government and a passionate campaign to reeducate Americans on the values and principles of Reaganism. 

The Democrats have the whole Government can solve all the problems deal covered and if we get into a bidding war using taxpayer dollars and citizen’s liberties as ammunition, we will send this country down the rat hole that is socialism permanently.

Now I would argue that we have already done that, but it is not too late yet, so long as we don’t send another populist Republican to the top of the ticket in 2012 or let them spend the next 4 years half heartedly saying they are a conservative all the while trying to triangulate between Obama’s socialistic tendancies and the right way to govern a free nation. It is clear as day that conservative principles are what this country so desperately needs. Why that is clear to those trying to lead the Republican party is beyond me. 

Trust me I know how hard limited government conservative principles are to sell to people. I have a hard time even finding Republicans in office who will hear me out, but I’ll be damned if we are going to let a populist ascend to the top of our ticket again. We just tried that and it was a colossal failure.

Karl Rove has a decent breakdown of what the GOP has to do to get its groove back. There are a few things in it that I would take umbrage with, but no time this morning. Here are a couple of teasers that need to be a priority, especially in Minnesota’s Republican party. 

 

6.Good candidates are essential. The GOP’s return can start as early as 2010. In the first midterm, since World War II, the “out party” has gained, on average, two seats in the Senate; since 1966, it’s gained an average of 6 governorships, 63 state Senate seats and 262 state House seats. The GOP can have a better-than-average 2010, but only if it recruits strong candidates. Their cultivation starts now. States remain our best source of presidential contenders and new ideas, so elect more governors.

There’s another reason why governors’ races and state legislative seats must be a priority in 2010: redistricting and reapportionment in 2011. Seven electoral votes (and congressional seats) are projected to move from mostly blue to mostly red states, and every House district will be redrawn.

 

State House and Senate seats are key and cannot be thrown out of the gameplan for one state wide race. If we don’t take back the State House and make the State Senate close, Republicans will be run out of the State Legislature and Congress. 

We need to start working on the Legislative races and we need to do that yesterday! 

8. Anyone interested in 2012 must help in 2010. Republicans should remember how much presidential candidates help in re-energizing the grass roots, raising funds, encouraging good candidates and articulating a strong message. Palin, Romney, Gingrich, Pawlenty, Huckabee, Jindal, Giuliani: if you want to lead our ticket, earn our good will.

Think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Hoover Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute and state-level operations are stuffed with writers and thinkers who should be drawn into the orbits of these potential candidates.

We need a Legislative council in Minnesota. We are running out of Republicans in office and they have barely enough time to address constituents, let alone craft good legislation. We need to assemble a committee of former legislators, industry pros from our GOP ranks, as well as conservative think tankers and yes, even the passionate grassroots. 

This group would work on crafting meaningful legislation and help sell it to the public. This group could help craft a contract for Minnesota, which is key to helping break the stereotypes that the local media have drilled into the head of voters. 

10. The GOP must master new media. Today, more than 70 percent of Americans say they find news online; 37 percent are online daily looking for it. Democrats have successfully developed tools to exploit online advocacy, and Republicans must spend more time and energy doing the same. The Web edge we had through 2004 is gone.

Blogs and cleaning up the online communications is key. Voters are disgusted by the volume and negativity of ads and I don’t think you get a good return on the investment. Sure you need them, but the level of saturation is just stomach turning. 

An online presence and embracing, not alienating, the blogs is also a critical move. True North was created to help fill that gap, and while successful, it faced a State Party and major candidate slate that refused acknowledgment of it. 

We will never make in roads in forming an alternative to the Strib and other hatchet job media outlets in Minnesota if we don’t engage and promote all the great bloggers in Minnesota. If we continue to funnel everything through a select handful of press release or national bloggers, we’ll continue to be preaching to the choir. 

Blogs are not something that are for just people who have already made up their mind. I’ve heard that from far too many decision makers in GOP circles. If these same people would help shed light on  our hard work and promote us as a credible alternative to the biased mainstream press, guess what, other people would read us. 

Yes, we can move votes, but our volunteer status does not have the bankroll to buy our way into undecided’s daily online browsing. 70% of the people get their news online. Why in the world would the MNGOP allow the biased media own that demographic. The online news sites are much more easily edited to favor the DFL. 

Blogs and other online venues of thought are not the enemy, but rather the future. It is time to start engaging them. The left has masterfully done so, but the center right bloggers are facing the big chill. Oh sure, the big names all get their props, but the real grassroots bloggers and Republican/conservative  activists who happen to blog are seeing the fruits of their labor going to waste. 

OK, that was more than a simple link, and I am not running late.