With the loss of the both houses in the US Congress, one might think that the Republicans are licking their wounds and wondering how something so drastic could have happened to their control of policy making in America. That would certainly be a strong recommendation from activists across the nation who are still steadfast in their central beliefs in small & efficient government, a strong national defense, a business-friendly environment, and a reasonable tax system.
Have Republicans lost their message or have they wandered from it?
Pork-barrel spending continues to be out of control, just as it was when the Democrats were in control pre-1994. Corruption appears to be just as prevalent as it was when the liberals had the power. Positive change for the middle-class, arguably the backbone of our nation, has been quite similar as it was under a Democratic Congress. So what did the conservative unaffiliated voters and some Republicans do? They punished Republicans. This anti-Republicanism may have spanked the nation more than they know however. I am in agreement with many conservative pundits that Republicans largely lost this election because it was Republicans who had abandoned their principles. The problem is that now that those voters have spanked the Republican Party, they may have punished America in the process.
The real question is will the Democrats deliver America what she most desperately needs? Will the Democrats win WW III? Will they keep a pro-business culture but help the middle-class? Will they stop or curtail pork-barrel spending? Time will tell. I am not convinced that the country will be better off now after having punitively hurt the Republicans.
Worse, the media frenzy over Rumsfeld’s resignation, and subsequent discussion of the "end of neo-conservatism" may be the largest lost in great political philosophy in our a nation’s history. Neo-conservatism is exactly what it is: open trade, expansionistic of liberal democracy, fundamental family values, pro-capitalistic, pro-business, pro-efficient government with a strong national defense and the fortitude to fight our enemies. We must NEVER lose sight of those fundamental values within the context of that worldview: neo-conservatism. Moreover, to say that neo-conservatism is a ideology that is over is a gross misunderstanding of a great many of Americans who fully understand the threats that we face in 2006 and beyond. Paleo-conservatives and liberals do NOT have an answer to the Islamofascist threat. They do NOT have a plan to integrate the world economy. They do NOT have a plan to help our economy be strong through a pro-consumer market. As of consequence, the only action they can do is protest and complain about the status quo. Unfortunately, that will not help in any one of these important discussions.
Defiance.
Yeah, I am defiant of America’s decision to oust the Republicans. Sure, I get it! I understand that Iraq is a mess, the middle-class could do better and that the Republican Party has left many of its basic principles. However, to punish the party may have been the worst of all worlds in rewarding the terrorists, even encouraging them, closing down trade, living in a family valueless country, and creating an anti-business environment. I don’t want to be France and I am really worried that is where we are headed.
So where are we headed? Much of the next few years will depend upon conservative Democrats, almost all freshmen legislators, bucking the liberal hierarchy of their party, working with President Bush to find common ground and the Republican Party getting back to its principles.
Getting back to Republican principles not only means living it (something they have not adequately done), but also promulgating it to American unaffiliated and Democratic patriots. They can do it. The question remains: will they remain a house divided (seeking to supplant either moderates or conservatives within the party) or will they unite under a common banner of optimistic conservatism.
A common banner would be a one of a recognition that the country is ready to move to the left (VERY bad idea). So, the best idea for Republicans would be to not move to the center, but embrace the marketplace of ideas (this is acceptance of compromise), send out their message better and LIVE BY THAT MESSAGE! Juxtaposed to that concept should be the idea that Republicans MUST work to get ALL Republicans elected at all levels of government. This should be an amalgamation of their common theme. Unity is paramount!
Yeah, the Republicans are divided and they have left the party’s basic tenants. However, now is the time to unite and send a clear message, uncorrupted and without the post-election "Washington as usual" attitude.
This attitude can and should be actuated. Moreover, it must be actuated or our nation may be something quite different from what it is currently: the greatest nation to have ever existed.

House Divided

“A House Divided Cannot Stand,” Abraham Lincoln—First Republican President. This ongoing power struggle between the conservatives and the moderates must come to a halt. This is not to say that there ought not to be engagement and discussions about issues, however, it does suggest that the sole pursuit of power is not a worthy goal in and of itself. This is especially true given the context of all being in one party. That party has a platform.

If moderates do not like a specific piece of the platform, or messages being made by conservatives, then it is up to them to promulgate a better message and rally more like-minded people to caucuses, conventions and meetings. Seeking to supplant conservatives for the sake of power is a faulty paradigm of thinking since power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts ultimately.

If conservatives are so afraid of a moderate take over because of moral or fiscal issues, likewise it is up to them to rally the base, provide a better message and have solutions ready so that the moderates can see the value of not spending money on government ones. Seeking to supplant moderates for the sake of power is a faulty paradigm of thinking because God commands us to be humble.

Power and the Market Place of Ideas

Of course the ultimate goal is getting Republicans into office, which is power. However, what dictates a faulty paradigm of thinking is encompassed in the desire of pursuit. Is it to get your ideas out there in the Market Place of Ideas? Or is it simply a power game for you?

Moderate and conservative Republicans are just that, Republican. Ronald Reagan once said that “at the end of the day, we are all Americans,” in reference to the ongoing debates between Democrats and Republicans. If Ronald Reagan had this view of our opposing party, then how can we possibly not have that view of members of our own, should we call ourselves students of him?

Moreover, by actively working against one another, we create animosity between ourselves, form opposing factions and divide ourselves. When we do this, we fail to capitalize upon a wealth of resources from the other factions. This means that we limit ourselves in getting our personal worldview into the Market Place of Ideas, being within the context of government, or power if you will. This is an aberration and only creates an environment that assists the opposition party.

If the Market Place of Ideas is good enough George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and Ronald Reagan, then I would must humbly offer you that it is good enough for us.


Majority or Minority…you choose

Democrats are extremely diverse, yet somehow (at least in Colorado) manage to hold their coalitions together. We MUST do the same or we will continue to be the minority party. This is unacceptable to both moderates and conservatives.

Recommendations

To the moderates I offer this suggestion. Your fear of conservatives is unwarranted in many contexts. You should actively begin to work for and with them. After all, a friend who helps a friend will later receive assistance. By getting conservatives into our public institutions and the party apparatus, you insure that your moderates have an easier time getting legislation through. Debate will always remain in any institution, interest group, or political party or between any given two people on Earth for that matter. It is okay and is not grounds for war. Democracy may be imperfect, with often imperfect results, but it allows much freedom! It will be okay.

To the conservatives I offer this suggestion. Your ideologically driven passion ought to be channeled into getting all Republicans elected because again, having a large (or even super) majority will best insure your vision of Colorado and America will come to fruition. Again, debate may ensue, as it always will, even among conservatives. However none of us has all the answers. Only God has that privilege. You must remain humble or you will remain in violation of God’s plan which will most definitely not allow the vision you have to come to fruition. The early disciples of Jesus argued fervently over orthodoxy and orthopraxy: Catholicism vs. Protestantism is most noteworthy. Today many of those debates (and others) persist. It is okay, you must work together. Agree to disagree if you will. Western Civilization has created such an environment and I do not think that bucking the system by not allowing rigorous debate is not only self-righteous, it is wrong.

Conclusions

The result of the inter-party bickering and fighting and all but war has created a chasm. This has proved to be a structural problem of great magnitude with a complete breakdown in communication with the result being a great loss of income for the party. This is unacceptable. Either new leadership needs to replace the power-mongers or we need to each rethink why we are involved within the apparatus in the party. When your party’s leadership cannot even communicate with one another, then you most definitely have a structural problem. That structure must either be immediately fixed or we have solved nothing and problem will continue, which is most illogical. That is the crux of the matter. The option of rethinking or not is of course yours.

Ideologue. Black and white. Islamic fundamentalism. Dar al-Islam or Dal al-Harb, which are you? Are you a Muslim or a "kafir" (an infidel)? An infidel is anyone who is not a Muslim, being a part of the Dal al-Harb world. Killing infidels equals a host of virgins in heaven for the slaughterer. Thumping Nazi propaganda into Islamic fundamentalism with a fusion of extreme left-wing hatred of capitalism promulgates a message of hate, anti-Americanism but especially anti-Semitism. Nazi propaganda from the 1930’s stated in part that the real problem of the world was Jewish capitalists. Hitler was able to woo leftist communists to his National Socialist Party with this chatter despite his extreme right-wing ideology. The Mufti of Jerusalem of the time personally promised to assist in Hitler's "Final Solution" to the Jewish Question in the Holy Land. This is well before the UN resolution to establish Israel as a state in 1948. Mufti Haj Amin al Husseini was a Waffen-SS leader who commanded Islamic Nazis in Albania. After the UN declared Israel a sovereign state, the mufti declared Jihad which largely created the Arab refugee problem in Israel. Of note, the Nazi collaborator Haj Amin al Husseini was Yassir Arafat's uncle. Today Islamofascists continue to carry this message in their educational systems, and by socialization from their media. "Kill the Jew, kill him there, kill him everywhere." "Oh Muslim, the rocks and trees will call out, 'Here is a Jew hiding come and kill him.'" Fascism has components (among others which also reinforce this argument) of hyper-patriotism combined with public marches, uniforms and totalitarianism. Uniforms do not have to be by Western standards. The head dress and clothing requirements of al-Aqsa Brigrade, al-Qaida, and Hamas all qualify as uniforms. Left-wing hatred of capitalism finds its home easily with Islamofascism because it teaches that the proponents of the capitalist structure are Jews. This unholy fusion may be seen on our universities and Colorado State is not excluded. We must wake up and get our heads out of the sand! Israel, although it is a pluralistic, democratic and free society, that protects every person's right to religious freedom and voting rights, is being attacked by the leftists. Islamofascism teaches that America is run by Jews and the Zionists control our government. That makes sense to a leftist on campus because of her or his inherent Marxist desire to break the structure of the capitalist system. That is absolutely NO different from what the furor taught. His obsession with anti-Semitism caused the single most destructive war in human history. The so-called "Final Solution" caused the persecution, torture, and extermination of millions of Jews. At Colorado State University, under the guise of a "cultural awareness group," the Palestinian Student Association is demonstrably anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism comes in two forms. One, it can be a desire to kill every Jew. Two, it can be a desire to destroy Israel and drive it into the sea. The later is exactly what Yassir Arafat, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and three time visitor to the Clinton Whitehouse, repeatedly stated, even after the Oslo Peace Accords. "Resort" is the word of the day on campus. The Palestinian people have to "resort" to terrorism. Resort? Excuse me, when is it ever acceptable for anyone to sit down in a pizzeria next to a mother and her two young children to blow them up? American beheadings okay with you too? Resort is the worst excuse to ever possibly justify an act of horrific terror against innocent civilians. It is not courageous; it is pusillanimous and it is wrong. Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Arafat, the leaders of Iran and others in the Middle-East are ideologues desiring the slaughter of Jews and the destruction of America. They do not care if you are an atheist, a Christian, a Buddhist, or a Hindu. Nor do they care if you are an ethnic minority or not. They are not interested in your sexual preference either. What they really want for you, if you fail to share their religious-based and fascist form of governance, is to die. This unholy alliance between the left-wing and Islamofascism must be combated. I challenge anyone who has an appreciation for diversity, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and a pluralistic form of governance to take a stand against this truly deplorable villainy. There is only one nation in the Middle-East that protects its citizens' rights and is fighting on our side in the War on Terror: Israel. Israel is not an apartheid state, nor does it terrorize anyone. It does protect its citizenry against Islamofascism however. If it is okay for the United States and the United Kingdom to fight it, why is it not okay for Israel to do it? Together, Israel and America share a common destiny: Individual freedom and representative democracratic governance.