I think one of the problems is that true conservatives have been forced out of GOP leadership in the last 8 years.  And those who weren't forced out have compromised their integrity on a range of issues so much so that rank and file true conservatives have no confidence in these former leaders.  RINOs are content to be defined by liberals.  True conservatives are not but there are virtually none of them left in party leadership at this point.  

I am certain that RINOs hear from constituents all the time.  I have blasted my RINO congressman for years and he simply ignores me.  He does not care.  He got what he wanted and now he is retiring from congress with a bright future as a lobbyist.  

There are conservatives out there.  Jindal comes to mind.  In my area, Keith Fimian is running as a true conservative and Jason Chaffetz in Utah seems to fit the bill.  But these are young men just entering politics.  They must first win election and then survive as true conservatives in an arena that vilifies conservatives and then seeks to co-opt them.  Frankly, the odds are stacked against us.  

I think conservatives have the will to fight for our core principles.  Right now we lack an effective platform.  I believe we will either recapture the GOP leadership or finally leave and form our own conservative party within the next 2 to 4 years.  But, it will take 4 to 8 years to build a party.  And we will have to be sure we don't let the failed RINOs infiltrate the new party and destroy the new party.  

I don't think the fight is lost but I do believe we have lost the last several battles.  But, I think Bush may have done conservatives a favor by governing as a big-spending, big-government liberal.  I think his actions, combined with those of RINOs in congress have finally pushed conservatives out of the illusion that the GOP cares about the things we care about.  I believe McCain represents the end of the beginning of the decline of conservative power and influence.  

I believe Obama is likely to win and his presidency will represent the nadir for the conservative movement and the nation but I expect Obama will represent the beginning of the end for Liberals for a long time and give rise to a conservative rebirth in this nation.

You may be correct that we have to go through Obama's reign to finally realize what true liberalism does to society, but who will point out his failings? I would think that a great number of people would respond well to a listing of what I think are desirable traits. Things such as honesty, desire for education, respect for others, ambition to make ones self better, hard work, self reliance, self responsibility, fiscal responsibility and charity when deserved. These qualities and others are admired by most , but we lose focus when we describe people by political party names. Bush et al have besmirched the Republican and conservative appellations by acting like my definition of liberals, and those with perception difficulties lump all Repubs or conservatives in the box Bush helped create. I think conservatives should first define what they stand for, the way the best citizen should be. Then anyone who believes in these principles can  join the group. This transcends politics, which after all is just a contest to see who can gain the most power and get the best perks--the country be damned. The political  system isn't just broken, it's all patronage , perks and pork. The total bill for this presidential election will be over a half billion dollars to elect a half- assed leader. Unless conservatives can fully explain their difference from liberalism and walk the walk, why would anyone care who gets the leadership?

restan wrote:Unless conservatives can fully explain their difference from liberalism and walk the walk, why would anyone care who gets the leadership?

This is a wonderful summation of the problem and solution!  Well done!  

I suspect the GOP has shot itself in the head and destroyed its credibility with citizens.  I know I have no faith in the party apparatus and no longer consider myself a Republican.  I don't think the GOP leadership has any interest in walking the walk.   They are desperately trying to "rebrand" the GOP and make the least actual effort in an attempt to regain some credibility to stave off a devastating electoral defeat in 2008.  But, cheap marketing won't help at this point.  

Therefore, I believe a new, conservative party, must emerge with leadership that can explain their beliefs and win the needed credibility from citizens by walking the walk.  But, it will take time.  I suspect that time will be time spent in the "political wilderness" and it may lead to Marxists winning the next two elections before a true, conservative party has a chance to organize itself.

I like what I've seen with Jindal but like you said, he's young and just beginning. Palin from Alaska is also promising. There are some real conservatives out there in the political arena. I heard Newt or perhaps it was Rove state the Republican party leadership will take approx. 8 years to rebuild. I don't know if I can handle that many years if a dem wins this election.

I have no problem believing it could take 4 to 12 years for a truly conservative party to build sufficient credibility with the American people.  If somehow the conservatives can firmly grasp the reins of power in the GOP it could be toward the lower end of the time scale.  If we need to create a new party it could be somewhere near the upper range of the time scale.  

Of course, I have not done anywhere near the damage to the GOP that Gingrich and Rove have done so my estimates may not be worth as much as theirs.

I don't believe the GOP can be saved.  It has been infiltrated by lightweight socialists and it will only get worse.  How do you get rid of all those fossils and all those cretins who display ideologies left of center?  It takes too long to vote them out.  When you think about John Murtha (I am just using him as an example.  He of course is a member of the Communist Party DNC) and the fact that the people of Johnstown keep voting him in over and over and over again, it makes you wonder just exactly how it could ever be possible to get rid of 3/4 of the GOP and start over.

SoldiersMum wrote:I don't believe the GOP can be saved.  

I doubt that the GOP can be redeemed as well.  I suspect the RINOs in the GOP have doomed the GOP to irrelevance.  I only suggested that if it might happen it could enable a conservative resurgence more quickly than building a new party.  Building a national party from the ground up is an arduous and lengthy task.  But, I favor a new party at this point.

There may be diverging opinions on Newt Gingrich, but he has a very interesting website called Americansolutions.com. On this site important issues are presented and the public is invited to propose solutions to that problem. The comments are frequently pithy and far better than what is being done by the politicians. While it may be the site is being used by Newt to form a base and get money for a presidential run in 2012, it is still worth a visit.

restan wrote:There may be diverging opinions on Newt Gingrich, but he has a very interesting website called Americansolutions.com. On this site important issues are presented and the public is invited to propose solutions to that problem. The comments are frequently pithy and far better than what is being done by the politicians. While it may be the site is being used by Newt to form a base and get money for a presidential run in 2012, it is still worth a visit.

I hope Newt is smart enough to realize his negatives will doom any potential run for the presidency.  Plus, his recent conversion to the "Dark Side" by joining forces with the MMGW crowd will certainly doom him with the conservative base.  

Newt had his chance and he sold out.  I think he is one of the leaders who failed to lead and stick to principles and hope he will not hinder a new generation of conservative leaders from building a new party.

Missyb wrote:I don't know if I can handle that many years if a dem wins this election.

Of course you can handle it.  We got through 4 years of Carter and 8 years of Clinton.  It won't be fun but your only options are suicide or to emigrate.  

I have lived in 5 different countries and I assure you, things are better here, even under the Clintons.  

Tough it out.  Don’t give up.