Time to Band Together

The primary season has just about wound down across the nation. In some states we saw surprises while in others we got pretty much what we expected. In this neck of the woods, Shelley Moore Capito will likely be returned to Congress. David McKinley was selected from a strong field of candidates to represent the party this November. Sure there was some family squabbling there that we don't always see here in West Virginia, but McKinley will do very well this summer and fall.

Across the country, Republicans are preparing for November, but there are two schools of thought on what should happen. The first school says that moderate Republicans squandered their opportunity to make a real impact last time they had power. They played politics as usual, handing out more and more pork while mouthing the principles that got them elected. Voter anger tossed them out for two straight elections. Some say that these men and women ought to be purged and replaced with more ideologically pure Republicans.

Others, such as Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, insist that we are all in it together and that we all have an interest in defeating the Left wing that holds the angry nation in its grip. There is some truth to this too. The political paradigm has shifted. Voters want debt reduction more than money sent back to the district. They fear socialism more than they want an old theatre refurbished (or whatever. Pick your pork example here!) And Republican voters want no compromise with the Left. They can see that this is a different Democratic Party than in the past. Horse trading won't work right now. But Governor Barbour has a point. We need all Republicans and all conservatives and libertarians period to overthrow Pelosiocracy.

Third parties and factions will doom us this year. Personal antagonism will as well. This year is bigger than all that. Republicans, independents, libertarians, and conservative Democrats need to vote for the Republican candidates whoever they are. They need to support the Republican Party organizations. Some of you are dissatisfied with how the RNC has conducted itself lately. So am I. I'm pretty disappointed some days. Declaring victory well before the election is never a good stretegy. However there is a lot of reason for optimism.

The party is evolving slowly, but surely. Texas's GOP defied their governor and passed a resolution calling for an Arizona style immigration law. State legislators across the nation are coming up with ways to defy unconstitutional federal measures. State attorneys general are filing lawsuits against the expansion of federal power. Most Republicans do "get it." It's time to unify and march on all fronts against an enemy desperate to hold on to power.

Leftism will transform this country stage by stage if it is not stopped quickly. We must avoid the fate that history imposed upon other nations over the centuries. That means setting all else aside and standing up for our rights and our nation. There is a reason that we call ourselves Republicans. This year and in 2012, it is about saving the Republic.