Give Until It Hurts
In the last election, most of Kerry’s votes were not for Kerry, but they were against Bush.
But, they still counted for Kerry, and he got 48% of the popular vote—and he wasn’t even that popular.
I am as disappointed as anyone that the Republican Party hasn’t done more to defend President Bush’s nominees. When Miguel Estrada withdrew his nomination, I wasn’t sure whom to be more upset with, the Democrats for being partisan obstructionists, or the Republicans for letting them.
Some people feel good about themselves when they speak out against—or vote against—their party for not being as liberal or conservative as they would prefer… they usually get what they deserve: In 1992, President George H. W. Bush would have been reelected if not for Ross Perot’s candidacy. In 2000, Al Gore would have been elected President if not for Ralph Nader.
It’s disturbing to read a fellow conservative blogger advocating that we cease donating money to the Republican Party due to disagreements with how they’ve fought for us. It’s a no win situation to not help our leaders in any way we can. You can’t be pleased with their actions all the time. It was Republican self-righteousness that ultimately gave us eight years of Bill Clinton… Think about it.
I disagreed with the actions of Congressional Republicans who got involved in the Terri Schiavo case. I can’t say I was thrilled with Bush’s role either. But you won’t see me punish them for it. They did what they felt they had to do. I don’t have to agree with it or understand it. I accept it. I’ve moved on.
What the Republican Party needs the most right now is our support and our encouragement. They need to know we’re behind them—that we’ll fight for them as long as they fight for us. The less support we give them the less safe they’ll feel fighting on our behalf. It comes down to a choice between the Republicans we got, or the Democrats who will take their seats and their leadership roles if we cease supporting our party.
And I don’t know about you, but I’d take Arlen Specter over Patrick Leahy any day.
We have to show our support with our wallets, and our displeasure with our voices. If you think the Republican Party isn’t fighting hard enough, then pick up a phone, or write a letter. Whining about it and hiding your piggy bank is no different than voting for the libertarian candidate or staying home on November 2, 2004, and then kicking yourself on January 20, 2005 while watching John Kerry get inaugurated.
To make this “Not a Dime More” farce even worse, Hugh Hewitt seems to have warmed up to this financial protest:
My message is simple: I will support on air and with cash those Democrats who oppose the Senate Republican incumbents who defect on this vote [to ban judicial filibusters]
I’ve read Hugh’s book “If It’s Not Close They Can’t Cheat,” I liked it a lot. And if there’s any message made clear in that book it’s that we have to support Republicans, even if they’re not our favorite ones.
On page 123 Hugh had a list of rules for political contributions. Here’s rule number 5:
5. Give to the NRSC and NRCC on a regular basis, especially in off years. Politics requires machinery and machinery requires money. These are the pros. Keep them in the field.
Here’s rule 9:
9.Never give to a Democrat. Even if it’s your parent, sibling, or child. Love him, but don’t help him. Be there for him when he loses.
Hugh explained on page 51, that “Politics is a zero-sum game. For every win there is a loss, and every loss inflicted on any member of the opposite side is a win for your side.” That also means that for every loss inflicted on any member of our party it is a win for the other side: The Democrats.
No matter how displeased we may get with how hard (or not hard enough) Republicans fight for us, we have to look at the bigger picture… As Hugh explained on page 131, “when you help elect Republicans, you help win the war on terror.” So, from all this we can deduce that by not helping Republicans we are helping the Democrats. And by helping the Democrats we are jeopardizing the war on terror.
We have to crush the Democrats… in every election. I may not be thrilled with John McCain, but you better believe that if he was the Republican nominee in 2008, I’d vote for him over Hillary. Our lives depend on it.
Open your wallets back up. Donate to the Republican Party. Give. Give until it hurts. But also, let them know how you feel. Tell them to start fighting harder for you. I’m still going to send money. Others are as well. You better too, because I don’t want to hear you complaining in 2006 and in 2008.
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John McCain vs Hillary Clinton? I’m not sure if this is a “lesser of two evils” question… it’s more like “which flavor of evil would you like? We have vanilla and french vanilla.”
Since the days of Roe vs. Wade the GOP can toss around words like “family values” and bash homosekshuls every four years and the religious right would dutifully show up at the polls and pull the lever they are told to pull. The fundies finally must have realized they were played for suckers for thirty-one years, hence the Terry Schaivo debacle and the censorship bills currently before Congress. But most Americans currently are more concerned about things like the skyrocketing cost of medical insurance and the price of gas than over what someone else is watching on TV or doing in their bedroom.
You now have the Majority Leader of the House pandering to 20% of the electorate and that’s not the pragmatic thing to do. Matt’s blog really is contrast to what you hear on talk radio these days, yelling about RINOs and nominating judges who will protect us from ourselves. Infighting and backstabbing? The Republicans are acting like Democrats.
Whats your address? I want to send you these beautiful 24kt gold blinders that you’ll love to wear.
I’ve quoted MLK a lot lately on this area. On his support of Kennedy over Nixon, King wrote:
Of course, to me the line only deepens my support for the Democrats, but maybe you get my point Matt. There are many elements in play with the party in power. The elements that surround the party are just as important as anything else.
Yet another reason to support Republicans.
Matt after reading this entry, I really think you need to get out more.
“Never give to a Democrat. Even if it’s your parent, sibling, or child.”
If you guys actually buy into this shit, then you seriously need help.
Jeff, this is Matt being moderate. At least he’s addressing the schism among Republicans now. Look, the word “liberal” is an insult nowadays, the GOP controls all three branches of the Federal government and the majority of Governors. What you have now is Republican congressmen trying to impeach Republican judges for doing what Republicans USED to support, strictly and narrowly interpreting the Constitution. Yet what do you hear on talk radio and conservative Internet forums?–”LIB LIB LIB”.
What the hell was Sean Hannity talking about with his “liberal culture of death” which he’d still be harping on if the Pope hadn’t died? When did 82% of America become liberal? According to talk radio, Matt is liberal!
“We have to crush the Democrats… in every election.”
How the hell is that being moderate? If you believe that someone is better fit for a job but won’t vote for him just because he’s affiliated with Democrats, then that’s just plain ignorance.
I think you’re forgetting about centrists when you formulate that 82% liberal number. It’s ok to not be hardcore conservative or hardcore liberal. Personally, I think it’s insulting to be associated with either one. Life isn’t that black and white and neither should our government. That’s just my opinion.