Conservatives, It’s Time to Grow the Hell Up.
Dan Riehl is not happy with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today. Why, you might ask? It’s not as if Christie has been a milquetoast conservative. He has gone head-up against public sector unions and beaten them. He is regularly combative with the MSM in his own state and around the nation yet does not come off as bitter or furious. He’s also won over enough reluctant Democrats in his own state legislature to get his budgets, which are heavy with spending cuts and light on tax increases, passed. These are all valuable lessons the GOP will need if it’s going to bring our runaway Federal government to heel, yet Riehl would like to exile Christie to the outer darkness of “establishment Republicans” where there is only the bitter snarkiness of the right-wing commentariat.
The answer is simple. Christie dared to suggest that Mike Castle, who lost the primary battle to Tea Party Express darling Christine O’Donnell, would not have made a terrible Senator. See, in some conservative circles, any suggestion that Castle would have been anything but a dirty turncoat liberal, that he could have been useful to the conservative movement, is met with all the calm rationality of Regan MacNeil listening to the Lord’s Prayer.
While a Republican, a corporatist, or a governmentalist might describe Castle as potentially a good Senator, no honest, serious thinking Conservative ever would. That does not mean that O’Donnell was an ideal candidate. But it is imperative that the conservative movement learn from 2010, come to understand why we lost where we did, and reject the conventional Republican wisdom that only serves to undermine our cause. Surrendering to liberalism, while claiming victory as a Republican, is a defeat for conservatism. And it is precisely those types of defeats Republicans have been fostering for too long, damaging our movement and, ultimately, their own brand in the process.
If Dan had been able to pull in his claws here he would have realized that Christie wasn’t talking about O’Donnell at all but of the man who easily beat her, Chris Coons. It is obvious that Castle would make a far better Senator compared to Chris Coons who will be the Senator. In other words, had the Tea Parties shows a bit more discretion and wisdom, they most likely would not be looking at a reliable progressive vote in the Senate but someone who would side with Republicans at least as often as he would Democrats.
That’s not to say that Castle would have been our bestest buddy. We would have had to fight with him at least as often as we would with the Maine sisters, but we wouldn’t have to fight him all the time. I’m not big-shot blogger like my friend Dan, but even I know that someone who votes with conservatives half the time is much better than one who will never vote with conservatives. It’s better to have someone you have to drag to your side five or six times a year rather than someone you will have to pluck from the lap of Harry Reid. I might even describe such a person as really good compared to the alternative.
Let’s be clear here. The Tea Party was an unalloyed good for conservatism and, so far as I can see, it will continue to be so. However, with increased power must come at least as much increased wisdom. Tea Parties bring a great amount of energy, stubbornness, and willingness to go toe-to-toe with progressives and, Lord knows, the GOP needs all of those things. However, the GOP has a wealth of political experience, technical know-how, and money the Tea Parties sorely lack. If we conservatives ever hope to remain in the majority for more than an election or two, we are going have to figure out how to marry the outsiders with the establishment without blunting the strengths of either one. If we can do that, then perhaps we can figure out how to capitalize on the wins of candidates like outsiders Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson and insiders like Dan Coates and Rob Portman to grow a majority. That will not happen so long as we continue to snipe over a candidate who carried more baggage into her Senate race than Lovey and Thurston Howell III going on a three-hour tour. It certainly will not happen so long as Riehl, and folks like him, continue to throw crotch-punches at the most innocent provocation.
We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done. Riehl’s silly tirade against “corporatist” Republicans is not going to get Obamacare repealed, Medicare reformed, or Social Security reined in. What it will do is make us all look like a bunch of ungrateful brats who can’t accept a historic gift from the electorate without whining about how it wasn’t the super deluxe extra historic win we really wanted. The voters are watching how we handle this. If we can show them a little competence and some willingness to blends our strengths in order to give them back their lives and liberties, they’ll give us more next time around. If we can’t avoid bickering like a bunch of undisciplined brats, they’ll yank away what we have and park us in the corner for a while longer. And we will deserve it.
UPDATE: Thanks to UNRR and Donald Douglas (who has a few cogent comments of his own) for the links!
Other Posts of Interest:
- Can Conservatives Conflict with the Republican Party? Yes, We Can!
- Conservatives Strike Back?
- Excuse Me, New Jersey, Can I Borrow Your Governor A While?
Category: Conservatism, The Republican Minority
I have a slightly different perspective on this because certain people are trying to set up a point they can constantly refer back to justify not getting the most Conservative Candidates possible to run.
Would Castle had been in a better position to win to start with?
Of course he would have as he's been a professional politician for a long while but that was no guarantee of him winning. Because we all know according to the logic that we hear repeated over and over that these states like Delaware are more liberal so if we accept that which I do not then the corollary is they will vote for the Democrat before the Republican. You can't have the one point without that corollary point as well.
Christine O'Donnell despite her flaws was willing to run and she won her primary so you either support her or you don't but trying to make her the BoggyWoman to why other candidates didn't win is wrong.
Whose fault is it that the local GOP outfits are so weak?
If you concede territory to your political opposition because it is harder to win then it comes as no shock that your influence wanes. If you become more like your political opposition to win elections then it should come as no shock that eventually people will not really be able to tell the difference between you and your political opposition and stop showing up in disgust.
The Media will always try to magnify anything they can find except for Democrats who can be crooks and be elected so trying to find these saintly people to run for office is idiotic and pointless. Trying to find some political genius who will handle everything perfectly so they never look bad is also pointless.
I just see people (Lindsey Graham and Trent Lott) trying to set up a narrative they can put in peoples mind now so in 2 years and 4 years they can use it to stay in power.
When is the best time to fight that narrative?
It is right now not after it has time to set up and solidify.
[...] course, as Jimmie Bise notes, this criticism simply misses the point of what Christie said today, and also manages to ignore the political realities of states like Delaware: It is obvious that [...]
The substantial reason our politicians are bad is that they are drawn that way by the current system of DC wins–>US loses.
Which is why, unless something along the lines of Barnett's Federalism Amendment is brought in Real Soon Now, I'm not terribly hopeful for the country.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jimmie, Katherine Miller. Katherine Miller said: RT @jimmiebjr: New Post: Conservatives, It's Time to Grow the Hell Up. http://bit.ly/cM2pgT [...]
Maybe a bit off topic but …. I think the key for the Conservative Populist Movement (which I like better than Tea Party) is to study the "game films" re: the candidates they put forward and/or support wholeheartedly and learn the lessons that are there. Didn't we REALLY know O'Donnell would come up a loser? Didn't we have that same hunch about Angle?
I suspect Ron Johnson would have won just about anywhere he ran. Knocking off Feingold was just one amazing feat. The man was "on message" all the time and he came across as very successful individual that would be totally sincere and consistent no matter what setting you'd project him into. No messiness in his track record. Not a "big shot" or a seeker of fame and glory on a power trip. And not shallow or shaky in ANY way. Salt of the earth. Genuine articles. Easy to see as a public servant who will return to the real world (whether it be business, or law, or education, or law enforcement, or military, etc) after a while in politics. People who are more "achievers" than "talkers", because we love and admire success stories.
Let the Democrats put forth their policy wonks and career political types, and people beholden to some special interest group(s). Those kinds of profiles are going to be sitting ducks for the foreseeable future.
The Conservative Populist Movement must not offer up candidates who are in the least way "kooky" or opportunistic or with a egotistical agenda. And no privileged people who haven't made a mark on their own. Because the opposition will jump all over those things and probably succeed in attaching that image to the candidate in an indelible way.
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[...] those folks who might later want to beat me about the head and shoulders for criticizing Erick or Dan Riehl or anyone else who wants to take a brickbat to the party establishment for blowing a [...]
[...] Now, that kind of experience isn’t hard to get, but it does take time. I, for one, am not eager to see the other Angle-style campaign debacles that will happen as the Tea Parties continue to learn the political ropes used as a weapon against the Tea Parties. So, at the risk of being run out of one of my favorite blogs on a rail, I’d like to suggest that the Tea Parties and the Republican Party start working together. [...]