The Arrowood Dispatch

Now that the election is over, it is time for the GOP to examine itself.  The GOP needs to evaluate what has gone wrong the last 8 years, and then we need to create a plan of where we will go from here.  I have some pointers on what the GOP can do nationally and at the state level. 

First, let’s examine the McCain loss.  They say hindsight is 20/20, but many Conservatives saw this coming.  Many of us simply hoped that if McCain were to win, he would continue to pretend to be a Conservative.  The Palin pick energized the base, but that seemed to be just a ploy to make Conservatives believe that McCain was one of us. 

McCain says that he puts country first.  He did put country first as he fought valiantly for our country, but Obama-mania literally scared many Republicans into thinking that this has been more than a catchphrase since he has been in the Senate.  If McCain had a ‘D’ next to his name, I dare say that most Conservatives and/or Republicans would have a far different take and spin on his “country first” slogan.

He has been a champion of some of the most detrimental legislation and confirmation votes that we have ever seen.  These votes certainly did not put country first.  These votes gave liberty a backseat.  If we were to look at the courts, we can see two judges that should never be in a courtroom except as defendants in Breyer and Ginsburg.  Both of these justices were confirmed by John McCain.  Neither of the justices put country first as evidenced in their usage of international law in deciding “constitutional law.”

Another anti-liberty measure that McCain not only supported, but that McCain also developed is the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2000.  Most of us know it as McCain-Feingold.  If you are not sure what it is, basically it is legislation that attempts to limit freedom of speech by limiting what type of ads can be run within a certain timeframe of an election.  It also limits ones ability to donate money to political causes.

McCain has several other positions that show that he is not one to be trusted with our rights and liberty.  McCain was self-serving as he considered changing parties and even considered (and possibly even lobbied for) the Democratic nomination as VP for John Kerry.  McCain also flip-flopped on tax cuts when it became politically suicidal for him to be against the “Bush tax cuts.”  McCain has also not been a friend to gun owners.  (Note: McCain did get the NRA endorsement, but it was more of an anti-Obama endorsement.)  Let’s also not forget that McCain pushed hard for perhaps the most anti-American legislation that we have seen in the last decade.  In a time when America has been under attack, McCain fought hard to allow the US to be vulnerable to future attacks when he pushed for McCain-Kennedy which would have given amnesty and citizenship to illegal immigrants.

I would argue that McCain has caused severe harm to our liberties as Americans, and I would argue that McCain has caused great harm to the Republican name.

Next, I would like to focus on the sitting President.  I want to say that I think President Bush is a good man.  I also feel that history will be better to him than we see now.  However, we see that President Bush is not the Conservative that he tried to portray himself as in 2000.  A few of the instances are the immigration fiasco, out of control spending, the bailout plan, and his nomination of Harriet Miers as a Supreme Court Justice.  All of this bumbling, combined with the division that the Iraq War created hurt the Republican brand.

The third, and perhaps the one with the most blame, is the Republican controlled chambers of the Bush presidency.  Republicans in the House and Senate had trouble telling President Bush, “NO!”  Divided government is good when there is a lack of principle.  The Democratic Party has been the one with a lack of principle.  They have stood for bigger government.  The Republican Party has been the party of principle with an ideology for smaller government.  We Conservatives learned that this principle was skin deep as the Republicans expanded government at a very alarming pace. 

Conservatism was not rejected on Tuesday.  The moderation and liberalism of the Republican Party was what was rejected.  I will go on record as saying that the American people were either blinded by Obama’s message of “Change,” or the American people were duped.  I won’t blatantly say that Americans were stupid for electing Obama.  I won’t blatantly say that Republicans were stupid for choosing McCain.  This election was not just about the lesser of two evils.  Obama is extremely anti-American.  I won’t say that he hates America as it is, but there is no doubt that he despises what the Founders created.  Look at his quotes on the Constitution and the Founders.  It seems that he believes that the Founders made a mistake in their ideas.  However, McCain was a far greater evil than most Republicans were willing to recognize.  McCain should have never even come close to the Presidency.  While McCain was the lesser of two evils, he nevertheless was too much of an evil to have in the Oval Office.  America would have been worse than it is today as a result of a McCain presidency.  Sadly, the United States is much worse off with an Obama presidency.  The GOP needs to focus on republicanism and small government.  The GOP needs to get serious about its Conservatism.  The Tennessee GOP has done this fairly well.  The National GOP needs to take notice and return to its Conservative roots.