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1/19/2010
Burri: Conservatives off the chart for a RINO?
Driving in to work every day, I pass seven gas stations. That's good: it lets me pick and choose the station with the lowest price, when the time comes to fill up.
Not that it matters much: even the lowest price is still gawdawful expensive. But it's the principle, see. Don't pay more than you have to. Reward the lower-priced station. Provide incentive to keep prices down. Maybe that sounds silly, but that's what I do.
I have a similar philosophy about voting. Last year, I supported John McCain, despite his liberal record on some key issues. I supported Sarah Palin, despite her lack of experience. I supported the Republican Party, knowing that Republicans in power hadn't done much for conservatives the last few years.
I did that, because even though they were gawdawful expensive, the Republicans were cheaper than the alternative.
Let's give due credit to the "voting against them is the only way they'll learn" philosophy (discussed at greater length here). We can't simply continue voting for the same Party, regardless of how that Party acts, can we? What's the point of voting at all, then?
When I buy gas, I'm "teaching" the other stations a "lesson." Their gas should be cheaper! So by voting…oh, let's say Libertarian…I'm teaching the Republicans a "lesson." They should be more conservative!
But now my metaphor breaks down. See, regardless of where I buy my gas, I'm still buying gas. It'll make my car run the same as any other gas. Voting third-party, and maybe handing power to the Democrats…
How's that engine running these days?
We've had this argument before, and we'll have it again. And again, and again, and again. But before we have it again, we'll have to wait until after the Massachusetts special election for U.S. Senate.
In case you haven't heard: Massachusetts is holding a special election today to fill the seat previously held by Sen. Teddy Kennedy. Democrat Martha Coakley, the state Attorney General, is up against Scott Brown, a Republican state senator.
Pigs should fly before a Republican takes the Senate seat held by Kennedys for the past 47 years. Pigs aren't flying, but Brown is poised to win. Polls showing Coakley 30 points ahead six weeks ago suddenly show Brown somewhere between 4 and 11 points ahead.
Like the man said: great, kid. Don't get cocky. We've still gotta count the votes.
Still. Enthusiasm for Brown is off the charts. Conservatives, Republicans, Tea Partiers – everybody's in love with the guy. His rallies are overflowing. His campaign can't keep up with its volunteers. He raised a million dollars a day last week.
But guess what? He's not a core conservative.
He's pro-choice. He voted for a regional version of Cap-and-Trade. He voted for RomneyCare – an early version of what we now call ObamaCare.
Three big strikes, where conservatives are concerned.
Remember the angst over John McCain's immigration stance? The anger at Olympia Snowe's vote in favor of the Baucus health care "reform" plan? Conservatives were getting the hot tar ready over those. They were plucking the chickens.
And yet, where Brown is concerned, conservatives don't seem to care.
Now: there are circumstances. A Brown victory – in that seat, especially – would be an enormous slap at President Obama and the Democrats' liberal national agenda. No matter how you spin it. That alone is enough to bring in the troops.
Still, it's interesting to note how conservatives – die-hard, RINO-hunting conservatives – have leaped onto the Brown bandwagon. Welcome, of course. Plenty of room. But interesting.
I hope to be just as interested again.
Lance Burri blogs regularly via his site, The TrogloPundit.
COMMENTS
Let's say you were building a house. All of a sudden a fire breaks out in another building on the property. You stop building the house to go put out the fire, right?
Not the thing you WANT to do at the moment, but you do what you must to put the fire out before it spreads to the new house you're working on.
There IS a Libertarian in the race, John Kennedy (no relation to "the" Kennedys) and he'd be my choice IF I lived in MA ... and IF I was focused on 'building my house' (Constitutionally focused members of Congress). But ObamaCare is the fire raging in the barn and if this RINO promises he'll help put out the fire - I'm thanking him for his help.
We can go back to building the house after the fire is extinguished.
Jeff Riedl (Tue Jan 19 08:13:33 2010)
I certainly hope the RNC takes a long, hard look at just why Brown is being elected and digests it correctly. It has nothing to do with accepting RINOs in the conservative tent; it has everything to do with being the lesser of two evils. It has everything to do with one issue statement: "I'll be the 41st vote against it."
Some commentators think the liberal Democrats are going to pull-in their horns over this election. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nasty Pelosi is even now planning to ram through socialist health care, via a Senate bill that's not even half-baked. Good!
This single issue, and the liberal Democrats (ALWAYS use those two words together) absolute out-of-touch insanity will spell the end of their reign of terror come next November. Brown is just the "shot heard 'round the world."
Duke (Tue Jan 19 08:14:26 2010)
Brown is really not a real RINO. He is against the Obama/Liberal health plan and has said that the Massachusettes plan is not working and will go down in the next year or so. He is against abortions, lower taxes, small government, etc. Not that bad! Any better than Kennedy? Not even worth asking!
John Hyland (Tue Jan 19 10:07:20 2010)
***He is against abortions, lower taxes, small government, etc.***
John, I just know you didn't mean to say he was against lower taxes and small government.
C. R. Stevenson (Tue Jan 19 12:07:59 2010)
Jeff says it all. We have to get rid of Dem, as they are currently the ones threatening this country through their "food safety" bill their "water" bill, CapnTrade...Then when they're gone, we can go after the Reps.
emily matthews (Tue Jan 19 12:40:43 2010)
I agree with C.Stevenson ~I'm sure John H. had a case of dumb thumbs and he is FOR smaller government and lower taxes. IF I lived in MA and IF Scott Brown is really pro-choice that would be a negative for me but, like Burri said, I'd have to choose the one who more likely reflected my views and for sure that is not Ms. Coakley. I contributed to his campaign and am excited that he professes that he will be the 41st vote AGAINST Obama-care. I can hardly wait for the polls to close and see if my heartfelt prayer to unseat the appointed Democrat and put an end to the Kennedy dynasty come true and for our government to be redirected to a more productive path and recovery from the long nightmare we've experience the past 2 years. I'm anxious for the Congress not to be an automatic rubber stamp for Obama/Pelosi/Reid.
BHMurray (Tue Jan 19 13:53:53 2010)
Mr. Burri:
There's a solution. It's called the Independence Caucus (or icaucus.org). You can find it online. Icaucus vets and supports true fiscally conservative candidates. The concept worked in Utah and dislodged an incumbent. It is now spreading to other states and areas of the country. A regional director covers Wisconsin, along with MN, IA and IL. No matter a person's political party or persuasion, we all ought to want to control the fierce spending and the debt growth in Washington.
Jan T (Tue Jan 19 18:01:12 2010)
Sen. Jim DeMint's Senateconservatives.com is also a source for locating conservative candidates. DeMint is not averse to locking horns with Sen. Cornyn, chair of the NRSC, over the championing of true conservative candidates over the business-as-usual RINO's.
Jan T (Wed Jan 20 10:29:07 2010)
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