So today, we learned that John McCain does not intend to pander to full blooded conservatives; rather he intends to continue to harness his Maverick, BiPartisan, NewTone image to convince his friends in the media that he's really not one of "those" Republicans. The effect of this of course may be that he does indeed get elected to the White House, but by distancing himself from mainstream Republicans as he intends to do, he is going to kill the GOP's prospects downticket. Where has he strayed off of the reservation this time, you ask? What has he done to warrant an entire blog? What he has done today is saw off another leg of the already shaky stool he was one. Today McCain's violations were threefold. The first two go hand in hand: McCain decided to bury his credentials as a conservative, by supporting signing the Kyoto treaty as well as supporting a carbon cap and trade deal. Now here's the problem with this, other than the fact that it is taking money out of American's pockets and allowing Europe to police the American economy. We know McCain is not a full blooded conservative, but unlike Rudy Giuliani, who sought to downplay his differences with full spectrum conservatives, McCain seems anxious to run to his friends in the New York Times and give them more evidence of how he's not such a bad guy, after all, he worships at Al Gore's church of Global Warming, which has about as much credibility as Ron L Hubbard's Church of Scientology. This decision by the McCain campaign to once again run to the media to beef up his Maverick credentials is another move by McCain to show off his great BiPartisan power, because this of course is legislation that he sponsored with the only sensible Democrat, Joe Lieberman, the last of the Scoop Jackson Democrats who is right on the GWOT and wrong on everything else. Unfortunately, Joe isn't running for President, McCain is, and this was another middle finger to the base and to the American people who in a time of economic distress, don't need politicians making up more regulations and taxes to hit them in the pocketbook. However, it did bolster McCain's earlier statement that he doesn't really know anything about the economy. Further boosting that claim was McCain's third faux pas in today's NewTone trio, that sources have leaked America's Snake Oil Pastor, Mike Huckabee is in line to hitch his trailer onto the back of the Straight Talk Express. I don't need to go into every single reason why Mike Huckabee is bad for this job, I think I've been pretty clear in the past. Suffice it to say that McCain achieved the one two knockout punch for flushing his economic credentials down the toilet as well as his pledge to pick someone who knows national security. Huckabee wouldn't know national security if it appeared personified, sat down in his double wide and ate a plate of fried squirrel with him. The vice President is poised to be the future leader of the party, a heartbeat away from the Presidency. McCain was supposed to assure his party and the American people that they can trust that America will survive if something happens-with his Huckalove, the only thing that we can be assured of is that there will be plenty of class warfare and Kool-Aid to go around. And this is only the beginning-if you liked McCain-Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, and McCain-Kennedy, wait until you see what he gets going when he has an even weaker GOP minority in the fall. Thusly, I have decided to get off the Straight Talk Express, and I am no longer voting for John McCain, nor will I treat him with the kid gloves I had been as a good little Republican, getting in line no matter how I had to grit me teeth through the knives he put in the heart of every conservative.
But fear not, Dear Reader, for this is not a goodbye cruel world diary. This is the opposite of that in fact. This is my do not go gentle into that good night diary. Rage, rage at the dying of the light. Brothers and sisters, at RedState there has been one series of diaries giving us a history of conservatism, and what conservatism means and stands for. In my series I have attempted to show where conservatism must go to survive the 21st century. I will not stand by without a plan while the Party destroys itself by accepting the urine the Democrats bring to our cup of orange juice in the name of NewTone Bipartisanship. In 1994, conservatives took action, and regained the majority with a plan called the Contract with America. Today my brothers and sisters, I give you the New Contract with America.
1. End all earmarks-we were thrown out not because of the Iraq War, but because the party had become as corrupt as the party that we threw out during the Clinton years. Every single Republican Congressman and Senator should sign a pledge to no longer accept earmarks. The Congressmen and Senators who won't sign it, should be primaried by strong Club for Growth supported candidates.
2. Term Limits-remember these? Comfort bring corruption. The hallowed halls of Congress have been dominated by the Kerry's, Kennedy's, Byrd's, and Rangel's. Force them to answer to the people. House members should serve 3 terms at the maximum, and Senator's should serve 2. If you can't accomplish it in 8-12 years, you are wasting taxpayer money most likely, and if you have greater visions, run for something else or choose a good successor. President's can't be President forever, why should the Congress be treated differently.
3. A commitment to solving the Social Security crisis-This is a huge issue, and the Democrats won't touch it with a ten foot pole. This is going to be the next big issue in 20 years, when the system goes bankrupt, and the GOP needs to commit to coming up with solutions before it becomes an issue that the Democrats can use against us by saying Republicans won't pay for higher payroll taxes and they want Grandma to starve. The younger generation hates payroll taxes that are paying for a system we will never gain from-show us that the free market really does work.
4. Free market healthcare solutions-Again, the Republican party needs an answer other than, we don't want socialist healthcare. Romneycare is much better than a socialized system, because it is an insurance program, not a single payer healthcare. It allows you to pick your plan, untied healthcare from a job, most importantly, and allows the free market to drive down the cost with different companies offering a better plan. We must step up to show that we know what we are talking about in relation to the economy.
5. End No Child Left Behind, and remove the federal government from regulating education-This is a bold step because it involved The Children, and most politicians are scared to touch anything that might hurt The Children, but the federal government has no business regulating or controlling how a state educates it's children. While a President can advocate for vouchers and charter schools, it cannot be up to the federal government to intrude on state authority and set the agenda for each state's educational system.
6.Commit to fighting the Kyoto Treaty-this is something where the GOP needs to show overwhelming solidarity. The rest of the world cannot be allowed to set the economic agenda for America, and regulate our economy. We must be allowed to regulate as we see fit, not as the world does.
7. Across the Board tax cuts-the money that we will have made through cutting spending, earmarks and entitlement programs will pay for across the board tax cuts. Show the American people we know what to do with a surplus-we give it back to the people. We can afford to send people an economic stimulus and cut the gas tax entirely if we can offset the cost. We must also commit to cutting the corporate tax, providing incentives for businesses to stay here rather than moving to cheaper labor overseas.
8. Securing the border-the American people have spoken that they want a fence, and they want the border secured. Every GOP member needs to sign a commitment that we will not stop pushing this issue until we have a fully functional and operational security fence across the entire border.
9. Winning the War on Terror-again another necessary commitment for the GOP to make. We have enemies of the United States and her allied. We must swear that we will hunt them down in all parts of the globe and bring them to justice. There will be no retreat, no surrender until good prevails over evil.
10. Ethics-anyone indicted of a crime while in office will be asked to resign without questions. We are going to nip any signs of corruption completely in the bud. Every GOP member needs to be on board with this, and it will likely lead to less questionable dealings that could be described as walking the fine line.
I believe that this Contract, while mostly economic, very much like the original contract, lays out conservative principles in a winning formula. We need to fight back hard, and we need to remake the case for conservatism in American politics. The old saying goes, every time conservatism is tried, it works. Well, it's time to try try again. This is no time for moderation, this is a time for extremism-an extremism in defense of liberty.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Good Job BR...Below is what I would do!
1. Commit to a floor vote to end all earmarks within 100 days of taking control. This would create a more specific and measurable goal to show a Republican Commitment to earmark reform that can be verified. By holding a floor vote, House members would be put on the spot and forced to deal with constituents if they were to vote against reform..
2. I would replace Term Limits with a commitment to hold a floor vote on repealing the McCain/Feingold Incumbent Protection Legislation within 100 days. Language means something here and Republicans should call CFR what it is, a law protecting incumbents from Challengers that are not well financed with their own money!
3. I agree with reform of SS, especially when it comes to attracting younger voters who are tired of propping up this pyramid Scheme. Republicans should commit to hold a floor vote within 100 days to taking all SS payroll taxes out of the General Fund and start buying bonds that will pay a return into a new SS fund. As time goes on, the funds plus interest earned would build up into a fund that can not be touched by Congress. As these funds build up, the entire SS system could be paid out of this fund and eventually there would be enough in the overall fund for individual workers to be able to have individual accounts ending all Government control of the program. Republicans should commit to a floor vote within 100 days on this as well.
4. You know from our earlier discussions that I don’t agree that Romney Care is a free market plan any more than McCain’s so called free market plan is. As a Federalist, I am appalled at the idea that the Federal Government could compel an individual citizen to purchase insurance. Massachusetts is currently undergoing budget shortfalls and runaway budget costs as businesses stop providing insurance for their employees thereby letting the State pick up the tab. That being said, Republicans should commit to holding a floor vote within 100 days on the Health care problem that addresses two issues. Tort Reform and make it clear that Doctors are increasingly leaving the profession because of runaway malpractice premiums. Second would be a commitment to repeal all tax regulations that force Insurance Companies to favor employer funded health care plans and allow them to form larger pools of insured individuals that would cause costs to go down since the larger pool allows the healthy individuals in the pool pay for those that are sick.
5. I agree with ending No Child Left Behind, again I would make a specific commitment to hold a floor vote within 100 days to repeal this program as well as shutting down the Department of Education and return our school system to local control.
6. Again I agree with fighting Kyoto as well as McCain’s Cap & Trade legislation. Making this more specific, Republicans should commit to holding a floor vote within 100 days to condemn Kyoto and Cap and Trade Legislation as well as committing to fight the current practice of Europe using Environmental Treaties to influence and control the US Economy.
7. I agree with across the board tax cuts. Again to make it more specific Republicans should commit to hold a floor vote to repeal the Gas Tax Permanently and return control and maintenance of our highway system to the States. In addition Republicans should commit to a floor vote forming two committees that would look at all alternatives to our current tax system such one for the Flat Tax, the other the Fair Tax, This committee would be tasked with writing legislation for each proposal with a mandate to abolish the IRS. These Committees would be tasked with reporting bills out of committee within 9 months and a vote to be held on each bill within 1 year.
8. Again, a specific commitment to a floor vote on a mandate to complete a fence along our southern boarder and committing the National Guard to patrol our northern border within 100 days. In addition to a border fence along the southern boarder, a bill should be submitted that would fund a network of Barrage Balloons at intervals along the southern border that would provide overlapping fields of view along the whole length with IP cameras linked via the internet to a central location where dispatchers could view the video and dispatch Border Patrol agents to pick up aliens as they cross. This legislation should end the practice of giving illegals a hearing date and releasing them into the general public. Detention Camps should be set up at equal intervals along the Border each with enough hearing officers to hear cases within 72 hours. Detainees that are denied entry would then be taken back to where they were picked up along the Border and release to return to where they came from.
9. I agree with winning the War on Terror. Republicans should show how serious they are about winning the WOT by committing to hold a vote on a formal Declaration of War against Terrorism in all its forms. This would free the President up to take on Terrorists wherever they are found. It would also end the debate as to whether Terrorists have a right to due process in American Courts since a formal Declaration of War would convey POW or Enemy Combatant status under the Geneva Conventions without question.
10. Committing to resign without question while motivated by a noble goal is misguided as evidenced by the Dem tactic of using Democrat prosecutors to go after Republicans in leadership because of a similar pledge to remove anyone in leadership because of an allegation of wrongdoing. Democrats would used this as a way of getting rid of opponents by bringing indictments against leaders forcing them out of leadership positions. I would change this slightly by committing to a floor vote within 100 days to apply this to any member in congress be they Republican or Democrat, holding leadership positions be they committee chairmen, Minority leaders or Majority Leaders, Whips, etc. This would apply the rules to all members regardless of party and lessen the likelihood of mischief by one party against another because of it’s rules.
CFR, Amnesty, Spending, Corruption,
Earmarks, Socialized Medicine, Global Cap & Trade:
”Your Silence Is Your Consent!”