Schwarz Defeat A Wake Up Call To Washington
Republican Mainstreet Partnership Now Attacking Bush
By Erick Posted in 2006 — Comments (23) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
As we suggested when we called on Republican voters to help defeat Joe Schwarz, the message has been heard in Washington. Republicans in Congress are realizing they need to be more conservative in their governing.
Rep. Joe Schwarz campaigned personally with Sen. John McCain and had the support of President Bush -- but what the incumbent didn't have was the right positions on issues for a conservative Republican district in Michigan.
His loss in last week's primary to conservative state lawmaker Tim Walberg is being read in Washington as a message to other Republicans about the need to control spending and listen to the conservative base on issues such as immigration and abortion.
Of course, our friends at the Republican Mainstreet Partnership, having thrown a few punches at Tim Walberg after his victory, is now throwing punches at President Bush, blaming Schwarz's loss on Bush instead of on Schwarz's liberal record.
Read on . . .
Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of a group of more liberal House and Senate Republicans called the Republican Main Street Partnership, . . . . said conservative-base voters turned out, but about 10,000 other Republicans did not. Mr. Schwarz lost by 3,000 votes.
"For some reason, people sat home this cycle, and the issue is why," she said. One reason could be that many centrist Republicans are "turned off" by the war in Iraq and the Bush administration, she said.
Considering Mrs. Resnick's group claims to speak for these liberal "centrist" voters, I guess she and her "Republican" group are turned off by the Bush administration. So much for party loyalty -- the party loyalty you were using two weeks ago to attack Tim Walberg and Republicans who supported him. The truth is laid bare in your defeat.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is another reason we should be supporting Sharron Angle, a candidate Mrs. Resnick's anti-conservative, anti-Bush administration "Republican" group opposes.
« When Negative Ads Backfire — Comments (4) | Lieberman Leads In Post-Primary Poll — Comments (20) »
Schwarz Defeat A Wake Up Call To Washington 23 Comments (0 topical, 23 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
So, you oppose Bush but are not anti-Bush? Rather, it is Bush who is anti-whoeveryouare? Suffice to say: you disagree, however you chose to spin it. This I can respect.
However, there is no crime in repeatedly crying wolf if there are indeed many wolves. Many of your ideological bedfellows decry Iraq out of one side of their mouths while the other complains that we're not taking Iran, NorK, etc. seriously enough. Which is it? Give diplomacy a chance? Sometimes, to borow from George Lucas, you have to engage in "Aggressive Negotiation."
The "townspeople" will never take us seriously if it is they who begin from the position that the wolves are merely harmless, fuzzy little puppy-dogs.
"Any love letter is incomplete without a Ronald Reagan quote"
--my sophomore year roommate
Pro-life and pro-marriage issues have nothing to do with, as you snidely put it, what people do in their "bedroom." Or is there some pending anti-sodomy legislation I don't know about?
It seems to me that what the radical homosexual activists want isn't privacy, but rather approval by society of what they do in the bedroom!
I mean, as the Supreme Court noted in its sodomy case, the trend was entirely on their side when it comes to those laws. And in Texas they probably could have gotten the law repealed since it wasn't really being enforced.
But when you march onto the public square announcing you're a homosexual and want to register with the government, you're practically begging the world to look in the bedroom.
--
"In this day and age, you're not going to get a fair shake in the media" -- Lance Armstrong
Your comment reminded me of something. A friend of mine when he was in college (note this guy is a lib) got roomed with an openly gay roomate. He didn't want it because as he put it, he didn't really care what gays did in the bedroom but now that it was his bedroom he wanted no part of it. He and i unfortunately both walked in on things, that well.. eek. He tried to get himself a new roomate or move elsewhere, but the resdean in charge was herself gay and just called him a bigot and told him to put up with it. It took him almost two months and had to threaten a lawsuit before they finally let him get out of there.
You are right, its one thing to do whatever your gonna do in the bedroom, but don't come running to us for approval or expect us to preach it.
Save the planet, Kill yourself
Is this the new, soft-hearted Thomas at work?
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.
"One reason could be that many centrist Republicans are "turned off" by the war in Iraq and the Bush administration, she said."
One reason could be that many centrist Republicans are "turned off" by liberal Republicans, I say. Had these voters been excited by Schwarz, they would have turned out for him.
conservative-base voters turned out, but about 10,000 other Republicans did not. Mr. Schwarz lost by 3,000 votes
In Michigan's open primary system, it is likely that the only reason Schwarz was a close as he was was that he had crossover votes from Democrats who were seeking to elect one of "their own."
People who don't live in MI-7 often don't realize that, had there been a runoff election in 2004, Schwarz, who only won 28% of the vote, would never have been elected in the first place. Schwarz assumed that he could parlay his incumbency and pork-barrel projects into re-election, despite his thumbing his nose at us conservative constituents.
Far from being a referendum on President Bush, this election was more about our district finally getting the representation we want. If the Republican party takes notice and is driven away from "Main Street" and into "Growth" then that's great.
quoted a former democratic state lawmaker who said he was crossing over and voting for Schwartz in the primary. He said the district was so republican that he knew that was the only way to get a liberal in the congress. So I guess Schwartz just didn't get enough of those dem's to vote.
They learned from their mistakes in 2004. Uniting around one candidate for the primary did the trick. I wouldn't read much of anything from this election -- a conservative district voted conservative.
Lieberman promises to caucus with the Democrats. WHY ARE SO MANY REPUBLICANS ENDORSING HIM?!? Why aren't we getting a stronger candidate in CT, or at least supporting Schlesinger? He would be much, much better than Lieberman. If all these so-called conservatives would start endorsing him instead of Lieberman, we would have a shot.
the ballot ( ala Bob Ley in Ohio ) and he refuses to do that.
As for why he isn't being supported, he has absolutely no chance of winning, plain and simple.
so a stronger candidate can replace him. Jack Orchulli is a good possibility. He has the money and name recognition. He took about 35% last time he ran for senate, and he would do even better since Republican voters would be inspired to get out and vote for him, instead of just letting Lieberman win. If national Republicans stopped getting behind Lieberman and got behind Orchulli, he could win.
Now THAT would send a strong message to lefties. Nominate your fringe candidate and get a Republican elected.
Right now the message we are sending is: nominate your lefty and Republicans will support an independent who typically votes for with the Democrats and promises to caucus with the Democrats.
We have limited resources... we should spend them where they count. Even on the off chance Schlesinger could be convinced to bail and a better, willing candidate could be found and he stood any chance of winning (and this is all unlikely), he wouldn't win reelection in 6 years. If we are going to start trying to recruit some up decent candidates at the last minute, we should start with the red states that have incumbent Democrats where we are just taking a bye. If we have extra money to spend, we should spend it in states where we are competitive and stand a chance.
Disagreement with Bush does not make one a moderate Republican especially given the fact that Bush has been moderate to liberal as it is.
Smaller government
Enforcement first
Hmmm... it seems like someone else may have had something to say about a platform ... oh, now, I remember, it was Hugh:
Win the war.
Confirm the judges.
Cut the taxes.
Control the speending.
Secure the border.
That's mainstream Republicanism .. too bad Bush only believes the first three.
If, I don't know, 200 popular Republicans get re-elected to the House without having any plans to control spending, then is spending control really a mainstream position?
--
"In this day and age, you're not going to get a fair shake in the media" -- Lance Armstrong
If more than 50% of the Republican base wants spending control, from the perspective of defining the mainstream, it doesn't matter what the 200 elected officials who have no plans to do it think.
On the other hand, if those 200 elected officials don't pay attention, and 70%+ of the base wants it, they may find their base under-enthused come election day. They are also likely to not understand why/how they lost the election.
The electors speak every time they nominate and elect these guys though.
--
"In this day and age, you're not going to get a fair shake in the media" -- Lance Armstrong
I wish I were mainstream. The Democrats would live in I think three cities: Boston, San Francisco, and Washington. Once in a while Kerry and Kennedy they'd be kingmakers though, in the case of a Senate split 49-49-2 Republican-Libertarian-Democratic.
--
"In this day and age, you're not going to get a fair shake in the media" -- Lance Armstrong
We -mainstream- republicans have been opposing many of Bush's policies for a long time. This does not make us anti-Bush. It only says the administration has lost track of what it means to be a republican.
Where is immigration reform? Who is going to pay for this sky-high deficit? What ever happened to smaller government? And where is the idea that government has no business in the bedroom? Social security reform? Stem cell research? On and on.
Now we are nation building and screaming WOLF at every opportunity. We need to increase our defenses here at home, not abroad. And we can only scream wolf so many times before the townspeople stop taking us seriously.
Clearwater Conservative