POLITICAL FRENEMIES

There continues to be confusion as to whether the Tea Party and the GOP are friends and allies or enemies and foes. During this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference we heard this debate between conservatives explained as either tactical differences among allies or real distrust by both. 

Yet isn’t it clear by now to most Americans that the GOP and the Tea Party Movement are at best “Frenemies”? I think a good analogy to the cause of friction between the GOP and the Tea Party Movement is similar to the angry vitriol between a drug addict and an enabler that both sit at an intervention.

We the People are the enabler of many in the GOP establishment that are hooked on the drug of power as they mainline their elitist belief thinking only they (candidates and consultants) are special. Some in the establishment GOP view the Tea Party involvement as an unwelcomed kibitzer at the political roulette wheel that only distracts the real players, rather than help. Yet the Tea Party would argue that the GOP rigs the game by endorsing candidates that have more loyalty to the GOP than to honestly represent conservative principles for the people.  

The GOP pundits like to point out the few failures of the Tea Party Movement candidates such as the lost races of O’Donnell in Delaware, Angle in Nevada and Todd Akin Missouri. Yet like the drug addict that blames his addiction on everything but his own poor choices, the GOP has lost many more elections over many decades than hands and feet can count and should be loath to point fingers. They lost the majority they had in the House in 2006 well before the Tea Party was ever formed.

If Angle (NV) was a bad choice in 2010 then so were these GOP backed candidates in 2012, Linda McMahon (CT), Denny Rehberg (MT), Tommy Thompson (WI), George Allen (VA), Connie Mack (FL), Heather Wilson (NM), Josh Mandell (OH), Pete Hoekstra (MI) and Linda Lingle (HI). They all lost, and lost because they were moderates. Therefore the argument that the Tea Party is backing unelectable candidates in the primary races and that the GOP choice would have won is a false narrative. Bob Dole and Mitt Romney were not Tea Party candidates and well, you can do the math.

Sure there have been blunders by both sides but just as the enabler shares blame by supporting the drug addict, the time for lament must be replaced by resolve. The GOP needs to stop listening to their drug dealers (liberal media, Beltway consultants and Democrats) and instead listen to the people that pay their rent (Tea Party, conservative and libertarian voters). In fact, the eclectic center right electorate is more in harmony and accord than the self absorbed Washington politicos. 

The GOP needs to stop spitting vile at good conservatives that no longer want to tolerate Republican candidates that sidle left under the guise that moderates win elections in blue or purple states. Apparently some of you in the GOP don’t get it, moderate Republicans are just as responsible for the huge expansive government, onerous legislation and unconstitutional rulings by our court system.

Liberal light or moderate conservatism is like a drug addict switching from heroin to prescription drugs and alcohol. We the people are fed up with the constant relapse of conservative principles that these moderate candidates and incumbents revert to once they are elected or re-elected into office.

The other charge of criticism that the GOP has used to disparage the Tea Party is this nonsense notion of political purity. They suggest that unless a Republican candidate agrees 100% with Tea Party values the activists bash and disparage good conservative candidates or Representatives based on single issue disagreements rather than assessing more fairly the full body of their policy positions over all.

Well, let’s chew on this a bit, shall we? First, isn’t it ironic that the GOP complains that a single issue difference should not dissuade the conservative vote for their candidates, yet their whole logic for engaging in immigration reform is that by legalizing illegal aliens, that single issue policy change, will buy them Hispanic voters in 2016? All I can say is “DAH”, because nothing else is more eloquent to explain that thoroughly hypocritical and stupid logic that will fail if the GOP pursues it after the 2014 elections.

Equally, the GOP and indeed both political Parties have used the single minded policy issue to entrap voters for years. Democrats have successfully used the Social Security scare on seniors, the welfare scare on inner city poor, the war on women and the dirty air and water on environmentally concerned voters. While Republicans have used to ad nauseum cry that taxes and spending will be increased if you don’t support Republicans. I grant that the Democrats are better at this game than Republicans but don’t spike our drink with drugs and then blame us for being under the influence of slandering pandering single issue campaigning. In fact isn’t the repeal of Obamacare the single issue drumbeat the GOP plans to use against Democrats in this 2014 election?

 

But the most compelling of all to prove bare and vacant, is this erroneous charge of “Purism” of the Tea Party by the GOP is the difference between fluff and core basic conservative principles. If for instance you only want to associate with a moral minded person that claims to believe in the Ten Commandments but then somewhere along in time with your friendship they confess that they only believe in some, not all, of the Commandments, would that bother you? Would you not be very curious which ones they are ignoring? Wouldn’t the ignoring of some of those Commandments be more intolerable than others? If you try and follow diligently all of the Ten Commandments does that make you a purist or strong principled Christian?

There are many inconsequential political issues and then there are core conservative principles that when breached by Republicans rightfully causes a furor among conservatives and rightfully raises questions or in some cases betrays the heart of conservatism.

Case in point, Senator John McCain of Arizona was in a fierce primary battle in 2008 because he had partnered with Ted Kennedy (D-MA) on an immigration reform package. Aware that conservative Arizonians were of the complete opposite mindset and ready to oust him in the primary for J.D. Hayworth, he sang a much more conservative song about the need for border security. He asked to be forgiven by the voters for his waywardness from conservative principles and vowed to use seniority clout to make Washington address the crises on the border. Conservative voters forgave him and he was re-elected by the so-called “purists” that wanted to forgive his lapse of principles.

Interesting that McCain didn’t just talk conservatively in his primary race but had to re-affirm his conservatism to win in the general election. Then after winning (hoodwinking voters) re-election the so-called contrite reformed John McCain then partnered with Charles Schumer (D-NY) (perhaps only because Ted is dead) on an eerily similar amnesty bill. Conservative Arizona voters now regret forgiving and re-electing McCain. They now know that his first attempt at amnesty for illegal aliens with Kennedy was a breach of conservative principles so key to the core that they should have made him clean out his desk. They should have known that trust for this Republican turncoat was no longer possible. In fact, the Schumer-McCain bill thumbs its nose at Arizonians that tried to overlook the single minded policy difference in light of McCain’s service. 

Winning a Republican House or Senate majority that then proposes leftist legislation is not the Tea Party’s idea of winning back American values and constitutional integrity. Therefore, if as the GOP claims that Tea Party conservative voters should not be “purists” then, I guess under that logic, we all should all make friends with murders because at least they follow all the other nine Commandments? 

No Tea and GOP are Frenemies with the Constitution and the core American values being that which will either bring us together or pull us apart. We reach out our hand to the GOP in friendship with the hope that they will join us in the fight for limited government and maximum liberty. But when some of their candidates act like leftists, then we will treat them as leftists, and when they act like Democrats then we will treat them like Democrats, and we don’t vote for leftist socialist big government statists.

Go to rehab GOP because conservative voters are fed up and we will no longer support your habit of betraying principles for imaginary votes.

LET THEM PLAY IT OUT!

The conservative battleground in the primary has been playing out like a football playoff game. Anybody who regularly watches the NFL is aware that the Pittsburg Steelers were favored to beat the Denver Broncos in the first round of the AFC title playoff game.


Moreover in the NFC the top seated Green Bay Packers were considered a shoe in to be in the Super Bowl. Yet, despite these teams being better on paper than their opponents they went on to defeat rather than victory.

Only the New England Patriots survived their top seated placement in the AFC surprising their loyal fan base that worries then and now about a shaky defense can’t hold a close game lead. It is arguable that the Baltimore Ravens lost their opportunity to beat the Patriots not just because of the inexcusable missed punt but because they fail to make the plays they needed to win.

Romney has been talked up as the frontrunner in the primary by all the pundits declaring that he and he alone will be able to beat Obama and win a plurality of delegates both in the primary and in the general election.

Gingrich was thought to be the underdog that would be forced to drop out long before Perry, Cain and Bachman because of a laundry list of reasons.

Like those picking odds in football the quarterbacks, player matchups and coaching are all analyzed by the sports world to make one team the favorite and the other team the underdog in the Super Bowl.

Green Bay, New Orleans and Pittsburg were all favorites yet they all lost showing once again that no matter how expert and logical may be your opinion you never know who wins until the game is played.

There are just four GOP candidates left to battle in the States vying for 2488 delegates. To date prior to the Florida primary a total of only 58 delegates have been parsed out among the candidates. The Primary will essentially be called when any candidate receives 1,144 or more to claim a victory.

Florida has 50 delegates up for grabs and if Romney had won Iowa and South Carolina a number of political pundits were surprisingly suggesting that he would be crowned not only the front runner but all other candidates should concede.

Once again the so-called expert odd makers are as wrong about elections as football. Romney not only lost South Carolina to Gingrich he lost Iowa to Santorum. New Hampshire has 10 delegates; Iowa has 24 and South Carolina 23 with some states being awarded bonus delegates for a number of reasons such as voting for a Republican governor last election.

However the delegate award is different in different States with some States like Florida being a winner takes all while other States are splitting their delegates. The point being Romney is currently not the front runner and even if he wins Florida he will still be far from a delegate count that presumes him victory.

Sports odd makers and analysts make their living talking about teams and making their picks to win a game based on their knowledge yet unlike political pundits they know that ultimately their expertise means nothing.

The game must be played on the field.

Political pundits however are far more arrogant and infective of the primary process when they spew their predictions. They are trying to influence the vote, discourage the upset, peddle their choice to the public and manipulate the electorate’s desire to vote for a winner.

The South Carolina primary was dispositive of three major changes in the “Party politics as usual” that tries to corral the public into the pen of the Party’s choice for a nominee.

One, it simply did not work. Their so-called “electable” candidate was soundly rejected by Carolinians. Two, the GOP pundits had help from an equally corrupt political influence peddler, the liberal press that threw old dirt in the air on Gingrich days before the ballot. South Carolinian’s said “who cares?”

Three, one of the biggest changes that the Tea Party Movement has made in the political world has been in educating the voter. This electorate is smarter, savvier and refuses to be told whom to support and whom to reject by the GOP, the Press or even each other.

The public understands that in the primary this is their only opportunity prior to the general election to support and vote for their candidate. They are rightfully ignoring the electability pessimism prediction.

Romney has not received the most delegates so far but has received the most endorsements by GOP party elites. Endorsements have always been debated as to their effectiveness in winning over voters. They seem to be of dubious value when coming from outsiders not running and have only marginal success from those who drop out early in a race.

Endorsements seem only to have success when the primary tightens up and a popular candidate decides to drop out and throw their support to the current leader. We are far from any concession speeches by any of the four remaining candidates.

Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and Paul have yet to win or lose anything close to a right to claim victory or a need to concede. Even after the Florida winner- take- all 50 delegates primary that will change the current leader board whoever wins cannot claim anything more than being 50 delegates richer.

The remaining primary candidates have many States races to win and many other hurdles such as fund raising and organizational issues to contend with but electability is not among those obstacles. All four candidates are as electable as they continue to gather delegates or not.

Obama was never considered the frontrunner early on in the Democratic
primary race of 2008 instead Hillary Clinton was the presumptive candidate to beat and we all know how that expert political pundit prediction turned out.