Fight for the Party

I still consider myself to be a Fred-Head, and maintain that he, out of all the candidates originally under consideration, would have made the best president. But it was not to be.

Articles like this blog post over at Townhall.com only serve to reinforce my position. It's good to see that he's still making his voice heard in the political realm. True conservatives are in need of an icon. A leader whose ideas inspire them to remain politically active in times when it seems that our voices are being ignored by those in power. The GOP leadership has ignored the warnings of those who have their hands on the pulse of conservatism in everyday America. And they will suffer for it in November. I really dread the coming elections, as I know it will be painful to watch. But in a way it represents an opportunity. If the results are as anticipated, and the GOP looses significantly more ground in the House and Senate, heads will roll at the top of the party. And that can only be a good thing. The current leadership has failed, and we must do everything we can to ensure that the new leadership will fight for smaller, more responsible government.

Men like Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich still have much to contribute to our political system, and I hope they continue to do so. We need strong, conservative leaders who can articulate our ideas to the masses. This nation, as a whole, still leans center-right. Just look at the Democrat strategy in the recent special elections. In each case a Democrat ran as a conservative, and won in a conservative district. Attempts to tie them to the national liberals failed miserably.

The GOP as a party fell prey to the bandwagon phenomenon, especially in the South. The rise of the Conservative cause between 1994 and 2004 presented an irresistable opportunity for professional politicians everywhere, filling the GOP ranks with those who could talk the talk if it meant a seat in congress. I suppose that's inevitable for any party who remains in power for so long, and though I have always supported our President, he hasn't been the best leader when it comes to conservative policy within the party. November may not be pretty, but we have to take this opportunity to regain control of the GOP.

I will support John McCain because he is what this nation needs right now, and the nation is more important than any political party, but his election wouldn't exactly help our cause. Don't get me wrong, we must do everything we can to ensure McCain is elected. The last thing our nation needs at this point is higher taxes, more government control over our lives, and a foreign policy that consists of tea parties with Ahmadinejdad and Hugo Chavez...and that is exactly what a Democrat-controlled legislature and executive office would give us. So we must ensure that one branch remains in Republican control. As a result, if the party is to return to conservatism, it must be at the grass roots level. We have to fight for our individual congressional districts, and ensure that the imposters are weeded out in the primaries. And with only moderate leadership at the head of the party, we will need Fred, Newt, and other such leaders to step forward and rally our support at the national level. Thankfully, the rise of the new media will continue to facilitate our efforts.

It's frustrating to see the party, that used to represent us so well, so far from our own principles; but we must not abandon it. Let's make sure John McCain wins in November, but continue to fight for the soul of the party.