For my part, I remember 1980 very clearly. The Democrats and the Media tried desperately to convince the public that Jimmy Carter had a 5-7 percentage point lead in the last week. The Media was certain that John Anderson's Independent bid would ruin any Reagan chance of victory over Jimmy Carter and that Carter would win big. Surprise! Surprise! The rascally Public said: Enough with the incompetence! ... Enough with the cowardice! ... Enough with the bad economy! Ronald Reagan blew the peanut farmer away in a landslide. Jimmy Carter, still to this day, can't believe the whuppin' he got from Reagan. He also still makes excuses to this day as to why he lost. As Bugs Bunny might characterize Mr. Carter: "What a Maroon!"
In 1994, I was a small cog in the Montana Republican election organization, we went door to door, manned the small GOP HQ, raised money and worked hard. We thought we would pick up some seats but we were not certain how many. After all we were dealing with "Slick Willy." We got a whole bunch of seats: Eight Senate seats and Fifty-four House seats ... another whuppin' for the Democrats. It is interesting listening to "Slick Willy" Clinton alibi his party's terminal sickness at that time.
But you know what? Sadness followed jubilation. The GOP managed to steal defeat from the Jaws of victory by running Bob Dole as Standard-bearer in 1996. What were we thinking? That silliness caused me and many others [and our checkbooks] to leave the GOP for a time. I did vote for Dole, twice for Bush II, and for McCain, albeit not always happily. Well, now the GOP has another big chance. As Constitutional Republicans, we can build a safe America for our grandchildren and begin to wipe clean the slate of Obama crew and his Big Government, Socialist Agenda and Mass Media Statist Flirtations. Will we succeed this time, or will the GOP [aka the Stupid Part] blow it again? Will Charlie Brown kick the football this time, or be tricked again?
I have a hope, not to be confused with a vision, for the emergence of a new Constitutional Republican Party bereft of RINOs [Republicans in Name Only]. OK, OK, calm down and listen to my explanation. I know this will not happen overnight, nor with one election. A RINO is not a Liberal Republican, this is a contradiction in terms. Republicans are Constitutionalists. A RINO thinks differently from Constitutionalists. They, like most Democrats, believe that the United States is a Chartist Democracy, and not a Constitutional Republic. A RINO is in truth a Liberal Democrat who has found that the convenience of running as a Republican gets them elected where they happen to live. They usually have more in common with Progressives than Conservatives on most issues but only flee to the GOP on issues where the Progressives and Socialists scare them too much. To RINOs, reaching across the aisle means compromising the limits of the Constitution in exchange for more Progressive Liberal Programs. To a Constitutional Republican, reaching across the aisle means coming to common agreement on matters in such a way that we do not violate our Constitution.
A Constitutional Republican, therefore, is one who sticks to the Constitution and its original intent. The GOP Big Tent should never again become the Democracy of a Three Ring Circus. There are many who refer to themselves Reagan Democrats who are Constitutional Republicans. Most calling themselves Conservative and Libertarian are Constitutional Republicans. Those who simply believe in traditional American Values are very likely Constitutional Republicans. Most in the Tea Party are Constitutional Republicans. Welcome to all of you! Let us resolve to hold tight to the US Constitution. There is only room in this Big Tent for charging Bull Elephants ... no RINOs are allowed. We may not get another chance.
But wait. In all fairness, it is never too late to learn. The period between 2012 and 2016 can become a "Grace Period" where those wishing to remain in the Grand Old Party can re-examine their philosophy and see where they have failed our Constitution and [dare I say it] repent. It can be four years to re-learn the true principles of Republicanism and obey their Oath to the US Constitution. It is that simple. At the end of that time stay as a Constitutional Republican, go join the Democrat Socialist Party, or be voted out of office. If Republicans stick to the scope and limitations of the US Constitution, the rest of the issues sort themselves out: Patriotism will thrive again, Political Correctness goes away, Social Issues again become a matter of conscience, Judeo-Christian beliefs are allowed again in the Public Square, E Pluribus Unum will return to it's original meaning, Races will not be pitted against each other, and we will do our Founders proud!
Now, see for yourself where you stand. The last Eighty years of Progressive Chartist Democracy has given us 14 Trillion Dollars of Debt. It has assault our National Character. It has denied American Exceptionalism. It has incited Class Warfare. It has created a sycophant Mainstream Media and a Beltway Statist Elite who wear velvet gloves to cover their iron fists. They rule by the winds of populism and the whims of democracy, contemptuously ignoring the Constitution and any dissent.
Political philosopher and sage, H.L. Mencken, once observed, "Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage." The Progressive Democrats have done their work well since the 1930s. They have done it with the aid and assistance from deluded RINOs every step of the way. All we got were economic policy failures, bigger debts and deficits, and a deliberate move away from our tradition of Constitutionalism and Free Enterprise. Yet with each failure they make up things, shift blame, or outright lie about their failures. They will say we didn't spend enough, didn't regulate enough, didn't transform enough, didn't do it long enough, didn't provide enough welfare ... yada, yada, yada.
Liberals ... Liberals ... Liberals ... always with the excuses:
There wasn't enough Stimulus. It was too small, we needed more.
- Paul Krugman, Valerie Jarrett, George Miller [CA], Joe Sestak [PA], Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Joe Biden, Barack Obama ... pick a Progressive. [... ho, ho, ho ... ha, ha, ha!]
We should have ended tax breaks for the wealthy sooner.
- Liberal Mantra from the top down. [Except for their own bank trusts of course!]
We did not not get enough credit for our accomplishments...
- Barack Obama [Oh yes you will, it's coming!]
Americans did not wait long enough for the stimulus to work
- Barack Obama [Hey, let's take Air Force One to New York for a Broadway Play while we wait!]
Unemployment benefits create jobs.
- Nancy Pelosi [... she really did say this!]
We won't find out what's in the bill [Healthcare Bill] until we push it through...
- Nancy Pelosi [again... she is simply incoherent!]
Mean Republicans have blocked Barack achieving his goals.
- Michele Obama sentiments in a fundraising plea [right First Lady ... it's that damned Redneck GOP again!]
Americans are afraid and not thinking clearly...
- Barack Obama [ah... it is those guns and Bibles again!]
It's Bush's fault.
- Every darn one of them says this. [... such an obsession is defined as a Mental Illness]
I, for one, think it might be grand to be taunting the Democrat Socialists with their utter failure. If we were Viking Raiders and they were the simple English Villagers we would hurl insults, threaten them with extinction, take the spoils of war from their pitiful hoards. Burn and loot, burn and loot! ... and not leave a trace of their miserable program ... as they well deserve! That sound like revenge best served cold, eh? But that would not be charitable to the vanquished. Instead, and for the moment, look forward to dancing in the streets. I also encourage and challenge The Progressive Left to follow up on their promises of 2004, that they would to flee to France if the GOP won. Better late than never, I say. If they hurry, they can get there in time to protest with their Socialist and Communist buddies in the streets against the evil Sarkozy Government, and sing L'Internationale: " [... Debout, les damnés de la terre, Debout, les forçats de la faim, La raison tonne en son cratère, C'est l'éruption de la fin ... barf, barf, barf...] until their little hearts are content.
Good riddance!
Let us heed the warning of James Madison in Federalist No. 10, arguing in favor of a constitutional republic:
"...democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."
So, "Back to the Future"... back to the Founders' Dream. Long live our Constitutional Republic. Vive les Etats-Unis!
