A few thoughts on an interesting exchange of ideas taking place in the blogosphere, based on Byron York's recent article Republicans deserve blame for Democratic excesses.
Things got interesting when SusanAnne Hiller posted the following on RedState.
Yes, Byron, The GOP Deserves Blame, But You Need to Go Further
In analyzing the Franken-Coleman senatorial race, it doesn’t simply come down to ‘if only 157 Franken voters would have voted for Coleman, then Coleman would have won’ mentality.
Well, actually, it pretty much does. To win, you have to get more votes than the other guy. But I agree with Stacy McCain who says:
When York says Republicans are to blame for their own woes, I believe he means the GOP establishment (elected office-holders, party officials, staffers, consultants, etc.) rather than Republican voters.
What York's faulting here is not voters, but the Republican Party's failure promote the right candidate, and to do so with an effective strategy. When you lose by numbers so small, it's the machinery that failed. Not the people.
SusanAnne brings up a number of good points and I'll share my favorite near the end of the post. But I've got one bone to pick. It may seem nit-picky, but I think it's important.
Again, it was at this time that the MSM started its ground assault of the Bush administration and mauling of the GOP. And the GOP never fought back. Bush never fought back.
With this defeatist attitude, the MSM reshaped conservative thought to hate Bush, creating apathy and division in the Republican party, and ultimately causing Republicans to vote Democrat or stay home on election day in 2008. (emphasis added)
Um, no. George W. Bush "reshaped" conservative thought to hate Bush. The federal take-over of public schools, free prescriptions, messy wars, stimulus, TARP, and bailouts "reshaped" conservative thought to hate Bush. Let's be real here ...
Conservatives woke-up one day and said, WTF?
Have you considered how offensive George W. Bush's progressive domestic policy was to conservatives? The same goes for John "Bailout Maverick" McCain. The Republican Party might as well have gone and laid a dookie in each conservatives cereal bowl.
It's hard to stay friends with someone who laid a dookie in your cereal bowl.
Under the circumstances, it's amazing Barack Obama didn't win in a landslide! And that should tell you all you need to know about Americans. We live our lives as conservatives and because of that, we vote conservative too.
The MSM aren't biased as we often claim either. It's much worse, they're straight-up organs of the State. But still, they didn't "reshape" conservative thought. The Republican Party simply broke the last straw.
Fight!
In reality, the American people crave a party to take on the media, Democrats, and corruption. Just look at Joe Wilson, Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, Andrew Breitbart, Rush, Hannity, Beck, Tea Partiers, and our own Erick Erickson. Look at Fox's sky-high ratings. All signs of the American people's thirst for knowledge and someone --anyone -- to stand up against Obama, Congress, the media, and the left. And those who do get major support from the GOP base.
Right! And you can't "take on" anyone by shouting "me too" either. But I like how Stacy McCain says it:
The point which strikes me most strongly is SusanAnne's emphasis on the courage to fight, which requires the willingness to become a target. Americans love a fighter.
FREEDOM!
More here
You say re: Franken-Coleman race: "Well, actually, it pretty much does. To win, you have to get more votes than the other guy." OK, but on election night Coleman had MORE votes AND after the second recount, Coleman STILL had more votes than Franken. Did you read the information in the blockquote? And did you read the linked information?
Win by a larger margin and you don't have these worries.
Um, no. George W. Bush "reshaped" conservative thought to hate Bush.
Nonsense. The Right was had by the MSM. It was a typical divide and conquer agitprop operation. Lots of people warned people like you at the time, but they were not listened too.
Just the way you characteris the WOT is the tip off that you have been had.
Pace the war and TARP issues, Bush campaigned on those issues. You were just not listening. He knew what these doctrinaire conservatives do not: Conservatives are a distinct minority in the USA today.
Hey,I do not know if you noticed, but the electorate just elected a "Afro-American" named "Barak Hussein Obama" in the middle of a war with Muslim, who, to anyone who was listening, was identifying himself as a Marxist by spouting Leftist cant from day one. It is not then 1980's. Americans do not want "small government", at least not yet, though Obama does get one's hope up. Franken stole an election out in the light of day. I did not see a lot of outrage out of the American voter. Did you?
Bush was trying to stop a hard left take over, he was trying to get to higher goals. He compromised and played the center.
Now look what we have. Did doctrinaire Conservatives accomplish anything worth all of this? Anything with this punish the impure tactics? Seem pretty fould to me, what they "accomplished"?
And those that hope for a 1994 style victory for the GOP next will be deeply disappointed. I expect the MSM to play the same card with the Tea Parties as they did the last two elections with the duller GOP voters, this time using the Tea Parties. No doubt either the Tea Parties or the GOP will "not be conservative enough". They will get the same results as they did by pitting conservatives against GWB.
No doubt this too will be "Bush's fault".
I'm not sure what you're getting at here. What is WOT? What does "Afro-American" have to do with anything?
Are you saying that conservatives were brainwashed by the media? If so, sorry, but I do not buy that crap. People are more than capable of thinking on their own 2 feet. And if they are actually influenced by the MSM, then that's a very sad statement about the American people (particularly conservatives).
Worth all of what? Are you blaming conservatives for Bush's left-wing policies and Obama's too?
Bush's domestic policy was progressive policy (so was his foreign policy). In truth, Obama is just continuing what Bush started - Spend, Spend, Spend ... Government Will Save Your Soul!