Redstate

Iustum et tenacem propositi virum non civium ardor prava iubentium, non vultus instantis tyranni mente quatit solida.
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus

I think we do ourselves too much credit when we say we are "fractured". There are two parties, we slug it out every four years. This election was not a surprise to anyone. If we field a poor team, if our people can't stay united and focused, then we will lose, fractured or not.

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Molon Labe!

and that undoing the fracture is key to victory

The idea big government compassionate conservatism/social conservatism failed miserably. Whenever you increase the power of government, corruption will increase in tandem.

I don't need sinless politicians, I need a government with less power so that those sins will hurt me less.

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Molon Labe!

IMHO, it all started with Daschle who, after sucking the Farm bill out of W [which started the early rumblings from the so-called far-right like myself about departing from core "Conservative" principles...you know, smaller government, spending cuts, reducing entitlements, etc].

The kids on the left started chipping away at the President (as soon as they could after 9/11 "settled" in to our senses), going after mismanagement of the war, forcing concessions on Airline bailouts, scuttling SS reform, getting that Education bill, prescription drugs, and [ahem] McCain Feingold, and adding the overall "corrupt Republicans" meme for good measure.

Give the Dems their due-they were able to take advantage of our sense of "pulling together" and use that to drive a wedge within our own collective of factions and got concessions from the Administration pulling it closer to the middle.

The GOP leadership, basically, owns this...and our need to stick firm on Iraq made us bail (concede) on a HOST of other issues on the floors of the House and Senate...and here we are now-Republican leadership that still thinks they can stay elected if they move closer to the middle...but I'm just an angry old white guy...what do I know?

Iustum et tenacem propositi virum non civium ardor prava iubentium, non vultus instantis tyranni mente quatit solida.
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus

So I don't understand why McConnell has become so popular lately.

"The GOP leadership, basically, owns this"

Isn't Mitch senior GOP leadership? Maybe he's just better than McCain.

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.“--Jeff Cooper. From Bill Coffey's collection of military quotations

I think I remember some steel tariffs being thrown in as well back then which is when I first had my worries.

The GOP corruption problem comes more from earmarks and other fiscal issues then from social conservatism. The only socially corruption guy out so far was Foley. Do you really want to defend his actions? Are you comfortable with what he did? Do you think most voters would be? Contrary to most puritan Republican bashing, most social conservatives realize that people (especially politicians) are not perfect.

The problem with compassionate conservatism is the spending not the social aspect.

Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson

This is a powerful message. We meed to come up with the goods and show the other side that our way is the right way (get it?, RIGHT). I just don't see how we can undo the damage done by Bush to our party unless we promote the best that we have to offer. And I'm really not sure if McCain is the proper messenger after all. It's scary to think of what might happen with a Dem takeover.

But our best messenger has been demonized by a significant part of our membership.

"This is a powerful message. We meed to come up with the goods and show the other side that our way is the right way"

Mitt Romney has been deemed persona non grata by so many that we've cut off out nose to spite our face. He could get our message across to the uncommitteds better than anybody, and he could do it without changing the message.

Currently, we're trying to sell them on the idea that we're just like (we think) they are, instead of the idea that they should become like us, or that they already are like us but just haven't realized it yet..

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.“--Jeff Cooper. From Bill Coffey's collection of military quotations

dirigisme

Oh, the economy!