The Pink Flamingo :: Why Is There No REAL GOP Leadership in the House?

Novak has a Townhall piece today that is basically humiliating in nature for the GOP. Nancy Pelosi has run rough-shod over them for nearly 2 years and they’ve basically surrendered.
Flap is covering Newt Gingrich’s cry in the darkness.

“…Nine Acts of Real Change That Could Restore the GOP Brand

Here are nine acts of real change that would begin to rebuild the American people's confidence that Republicans share their values, understand their worries, and are prepared to act instead of just talk. The Republicans in Congress could get a start on all nine this week if they had the will to do so.

Repeal the gas tax for the summer, and pay for the repeal by cutting domestic discretionary spending so that the transportation infrastructure trust fund would not be hurt. At a time when, according to The Hill newspaper, Senator Clinton is asking for $2.3billion in earmarks, it should be possible for Republicans to establish a "government spending versus your pocketbook" fight over cutting the gas tax that would resonate with most Americans. Lower taxes and less government spending should be a battle cry most taxpayers and all conservatives could rally behind.

Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market. That oil would lower the price of gasoline an extra 5 to 6 cents per gallon, and its sale would lower the deficit.

Introduce a "more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill" as a replacement for the Warner-Lieberman "tax and trade" bill which is coming to the floor of the Senate in the next few weeks (see my newsletter next week for an outline of a solid pro-economy, pro-national security, pro-environment energy bill). When the American people realize how much the current energy prices are actually a "politicians' energy crisis" they will demand real change in our policies.

Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009. The American people are fed up with politicians spending their money. They currently believe both parties are equally bad. This is a real opportunity to show the difference.

Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically. The recent announcement that the Census Bureau could not build an effective hand-held computer for $1.3 billion and is turning instead to 600,000 temporary workers to do a paper and pencil census in 2010 is an opportunity to slash its budget, shrink its bureaucracy, and turn to entrepreneurial internet-based companies to build an information-age census. This is an absurdity that cries out for bold, decisive reform (see my YouTube video "FedEx versus federal bureaucracy" for an example of what I mean).

Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. The problems of the Federal Aviation Administration are symptoms of a union-dominated bureaucracy resisting change. If we implemented a space-based GPS-style air traffic system we would get 40% more air travel with one-half the bureaucrats. The union has stopped 200,000,000 passengers from enjoying more reliable air travel to protect 7,000 obsolete jobs. This real change would allow the millions of frustrated travelers to have champions in congress trying to help them get places better, safer, faster.

Declare English the official language of government. This real change is supported by 87% of the American people including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Latinos. It is an issue of national unity that brings Americans together in a red, white, and blue majority.

Protect the workers' right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people against the union power structure.

Remind Americans that judges matter. Senate Republicans should mount an ongoing fight (including a filibuster of other activities if necessary) to get the American people to realize that liberals want to block all current judicial appointments in order to maximize the number of left wing radical judges they can appoint if they win the White House. This issue has three advantages. It reminds people that judges matter and that a leftwing radical Supreme Court would be bad for the values of most (70 to 90 percent, depending on the issue) Americans. It shows the Democrats are not engaged in fair play. It arouses the activism of those who have been disappointed by Republicans and have forgotten how bad a liberal Democratic Presidency would be….”

I've waited several weeks before doing anything about this. First, I wanted to see how much attention it would receive - not much. Makes a person wonder. I think last week's defeat of Woody Jenkins in LA-6 was a wake-up call, but for all the wrong reasons. Jenkins was yet another flawed GOP candidate. We have the same thing going on here in New Mexico. We have some terrible candidates running for Steve Pierce's vacant seat. Gone are the days of Joe Skeen. It really doesn't matter how you over-analyze the situation, if a party can't field decent candidates the party is going to lose.

It's really quite simple. Let's take Arizona for an example, a really pathetic example. Russell Pearce decided he was going to run for Congress. Fortunately he had no support. In 2006 his racist email to his little Nazi friends caused JD Hayworth to withdraw his support for Pearce. Did just that small association cost Hayworth his seat in the House? Randy Graf lost his bid because he refused to distance himself form these nasty little people.

I am sick and tired of sounding like a broken record, but hard-line immigration reform is a loser for Republicans. Make a list of the candidates the Minuteman Pac is supporting. Let's see who survives. They put quite a bit of money in the Bill Greene for Congress tank. He lost.

In 2006 the RNC did an internal about which way the immigration reform wind blew. It's like this. If you do a poll and 25% of those who responded said they would vote for Candidate A and 75% said they would vote for Candidate B - what platform should an intelligent political party support?

You know, that was my response. Let's go for Candidate B. He/She has a better chance of being elected. After all, elections are about winning, right? Evidently not - at least not for Republicans in the House. They went with program A - which had the support of only 25% of the people. When do we get to use the word "Brian Dead"? So - what is the NRCC endorsing? Well, it's a bastardization of the Candidate A plan - that only 25% of Americans support.

Makes you wonder who the heck Republicans in Congress are listening too. It certainly isn't the American people. What special interest is controlling them - pulling their strings? Is it possible that these strings are being pulled by entities who don't care what party wins - only their agenda? Do you support a group of people who vows to defeat honorable Republican office-holders?

Let's put it this way - John McCain, who is considered soft on illegal immigration has won the 2008 GOP POTUS nomination. The hard-liners: Tancredo, Brownback, Paul, Romney, Hunter all lost. Doesn't this say something?

If the Republicans want to re-take Congress and hold on to what they have, they need to stop sounding like a broken record on immigration reform. Do you see anything in Newt's proposals about hard-line immigration reform? Even he realizes it is a looser.

If you knew only 25% of Americans supported your primary issue, why would you even bother running? You are going to get slaughtered.

PATHETIC LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP
We all know the problem is the leadership of David Boehner.

“…Davis, however, thinks Republicans have made little headway in improving their tarnished image. House minority leader John Boehner talks about fixing the Republican "brand." Davis's assessment: "We haven't done anything the last year and a half to re-do the brand." Instead, Republicans have focused on "looking out for the president." Pollster Frank Luntz, a sharp critic of Boehner's leadership, believes the Republican image has gotten worse. "It used to be that Republicans won [in polls] on economic and values and foreign policy issues," he says. "Democrats won on quality of life. Now Democrats are winning on everything."…”

I rarely agree with Frank Luntz, but I do here, for different reasons.

IS THERE ANY HOPE?
Is there?

Frankly, I don't see how we are going to regain the House unless the Republicans serving in the House remember they are Republicans first and conservatives second. They are Republicans. They stand for Republican values (allegedly). It is quite obvious Republicans, especially in the US House or Representatives have sold their soul to special interest groups. They have lost their honor. They have lost their courage. They no longer know how to lead. They are only interested in padding their campaign chests. Their morals are no different from Democrats. They have become a losing version of Democrats, incapable of honest and honorable behavior.

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for one of the pathetic losers who will vie for Steve Pierce's seat. The winner doesn't stand a snow-ball's chance in hell. Why? They are all running on pure conservative and the 25% version of immigration reform.

LOSER = CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICAN