That’s it, Face…I’m cutting off my nose!
Most of the time we swallow that disappointment and realize that we and our all of our countrymen would be better off electing the Republican nominee rather than the Democrat, even if we rooted for the other guy in the primary. However, it seems like that kind of post-primary reconciliation is increasingly difficult to come by.
Whether it was some social conservatives and liberty types who were disgusted with “Massachusetts Mitt” in 2012, or GOP traditionalists and Bill Bolling fans who sat out the 2013 election rather than cast a ballot for Ken Cuccinelli or E.W. Jackson, we’re seeing increasing difficulty in bringing the entire Republican coalition to the polls in November. More recently, a contentious nomination contest has left some conservatives apparently unwilling to vote for Barbara Comstock in the 10th district.
Folks, this is madness, and it has to stop.
My purpose here is not to defend any particular nominee, or any particular policy positions our nominees have or may have had. Instead, my goal is to defend the effectiveness of our party as an organization.
We all get into politics to advance our beliefs. We choose to politically associate with those who have similar views in the well-founded belief that there is strength in numbers. All very elementary, I know, but the key bit is this: unless the people who think precisely as we do constitute a majority of those voting, we have to form coalitions with groups that think only mostly like we do. Voters in fractious parliamentary systems get this intuitively–just ask any Israeli–but many Americans, enculturated within the two-party system, too often fall into the trap of thinking that every vote is an us-or-them struggle, forgetting that we ABSOLUTELY MUST be agreeable to those within our coalition with whom we may disagree on some issues.
No one group or school of thought that currently makes up the GOP coalition can win an election on its own. Not one. Just as importantly, the GOP as a whole cannot win elections without all elements of the coalition showing up. None of the parts of the whole can stand on their own, and the whole cannot win without all of the parts.
People on different ends of the spectrum within the GOP routinely feel like they’re getting the shaft (“Why am I always told to hold my nose and vote for Bush/McCain/Romney?” or, “Those tea party people are wrecking the party!”). And yes, if you’re constitutionalist, small government conservative, you haven’t had much luck lately.
But the solution to your problem is (a) to elect our nominees, and (b) work harder to get good candidates, and to get them nominated next time. The solution is most certainly not the scorched earth tactics we witnessed last year, when certain elements of the coalition refused anything but token support for our ticket.
So I implore supporters of candidates who lost on Saturday to set aside the primary season bitterness, and realize the larger fight is with the *real* “other side.” Don’t sit it out, and don’t believe the false narrative that there is no difference between our nominee and the Democrat she’s running against. Most of all, don’t fall for the angry temptation of quitting the party just because only 80-90% of your views are being advanced by our candidate. That’s absurd.
Democrats are the only people who win when we burn our own house down in the vain and spiteful attempt to teach fellow Republicans a lesson.
Just ask Governor McAuliffe.
46 comments
I disagree 100% that “we and our all of our countrymen would be better off electing the Republican nominee rather than the Democrat,”.
This statement can be true, but NOT always. If the R is a big government candidate, then he might be no better. I don’t know if this is the case with Comstock, because I know little about her. But it is the case with some candidates who have records no better or little better than the democrat.
Several examples, in my opinion are McCain, Lindsey Graham and Eric Cantor. The are god awful on our natural (civil) rights, as well as on fiscal matters and a myriad of other issues liek amnesty and the like.
For those in the 7th District, here is an example of how Eric Cantor is NO better or not much better than a democrat (except maybe in rhetoric and empty votes), and should be replaced by a real conservative in the June 10th primary by David Brat read this article (lists all of Eric Cantor’s big government non-conservative votes):
http://www.floydbayne.com/2014/05/you-tell-me.html
And check out how conservative Dave Brat is: http://davebratforcongress.com/
Luke Mahoney is a good man. He’s someone to watch in our party.
I realize that this story doesn’t have to do with VA but, expecting the party to unite seems like nothing but a dream-
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/04/29/Oklahoma-Grassroots-Leaders-Oppose-T-W-Shannon-in-GOP-Senate-Primary
Now we don’t even have Tea Parties able to agree on a candidate. I’m remembering something about some Tea Party members not even being able to agree on supporting Cuccinelli because he was accused of abandoning them.
Kudos to Stephen Hollingshead and his terrific wife and mother of 13, Jan Hollingshead. Despite having lost the election two days prior, last night they joined the Loudoun County Republican Committee, showing their commitment to supporting our party. They are a great asset to our committee and our republican community.
Someone else who deserves recognition is Hollingshead’s campaign manager, Luke Mahoney. What a fine, young, man! Things did not go as he had hoped on election day, despite all of his hard work during the campaign. We know that campaign managers in local primaries do not make a fortune and it is often a labor of love and commitment to our cause. Yet out of Luke’s small salary he saved $1,000 to present to the winning candidate to show his support for our candidate and our party. Despite having no sleep for the three nights leading up to the election, Luke asked his girlfriend to drive him to McLean Saturday evening so that he could give Barbara Comstock his personal check for a thousand dollars. On top of all that, it was Luke’s 23rd birthday! Our party needs more young people like Luke Mahoney!
Wow, what a role model indeed!
The circus hasn’t left town yet. Its apple blossom.
The guy seemed too good to be true, I kept watching for the candidate or campaign to slip up, nothing, nada. No savage attacks, no embarrassing behavior nor bizarre revelations, or even bad mouthing the opposition. He really doesn’t fit in Loudoun.
Hollingshead and his entire staff conducted themselves professionally and assumed they would win, but behaved classily and were always polite and respectful and Party/November oriented. (and you say the LCRC accepted him and this behavior?)
Our party needs more people of every age like Luke and his right hand Mike Kemp.
I’ll bet we won’t see Luke switching parties to run for office like some other celebrated former GOP youth.
Steve’s a good guy, but don’t historically revise his position. He called a spade a spade… I listened to him several times. One in our TPARTY meeting.
I don’t consider straightforwardness not polite and respectful. The other candidates did need to be called out as Stephen did so. Politics IS a contact sport.
Thanks, Jeanine, I appreciate the kind words. Barbara Comstock is going to be a great congresswoman and leader among Republicans for years to come. I would have given more, but I had to save some to bring my wonderful girlfriend out to a nice dinner after driving me over there! We had a good discussion about ideas during the primary and now it’s time to join #TeamComstock and beat John Faust.
Bravo Luke, you are a fine guy.
Go Barbara!! My check is in the mail.
This is why I will never swear allegiance to any political party. I choose the best candidate at an election just like I’d hire the box applicant for a job interview.
We don’t swear allegiance, we work for an uncommon goal. Hopefully the candidates we put out are good enough for you independent spectators to validate.
Steve Albertson is spot on target. I’ve experienced, first-hand, what Steve is saying.
When I retired in 1999 my wife and I moved from Richmond to our second home on Lake Gaston in North Carolina. Having time on my hands, I got involved in local politics and was elected chairman of our county Republican Party. Over the next three years I became Vice Chairman, and for a short time, Chairman of the First Congressional District GOP encompassing 23 counties.
In those positions, over that entire time, in nearly every party meeting, I faced “political purity” arguments. “If the nominated candidate doesn’t agree with me on every issue, I’ll stay home on election day or cast a write-in vote to ‘send a message'”.
Not only couldn’t we count on the votes of the “Political Purists”, they wouldn’t help recruit candidates, help in GOTV efforts, or even donate to the party. If their “Purist” candidate was not nominated, their interest in elected governance was reduced to whining about how “the Party” let them down.
The Party follows the money and the energy. If solidly conservative candidates garner support, the Party takes notice. If their solidly conservative candidates begin to poll well, the bigger money starts to flow, the volunteers begin to flock, exposure swells and the hierarchy of the Party is forced to respond.
They, too, are elected officials. If they ignore the obvious shift in the base in deference to a “favorite son” candidate, then the shifting base must work to change the Party leadership.
We get the candidates we work to elect. Hand-wringing, whining and message-voting don’t change anything.
Mike: I wish it was that simple, but when you have the sitting republican Lt. Governor attacking the republican party’s candidate, its really hard to be all koombaya over it. When you have party insiders running an independent against the republican in a commonwealth attorney’s race, its hard to see the “unity”. How about a little leading-by-example?
But yes…FAR more elbow grease should be expended before going third party or any other “extreme” course….the pathway to victory there is even more daunting.
The entire Bolling debacle was more than a little depressing. The fact that Cuccinelli came as close as he did, despite the odds, actually made it even more depressing as we wouldn’t have a Clintonista sitting in the Gov. mansion right now, or should I say auctioning off the bedrooms, if he had the support he deserved as the legitmate candidate.
Go back even further than that to the 2012 presidential primary when we had only 2 candidates on the ballot. I’ve heard and read many stories of how the signatures were verified, or not, or pages of them thrown out, and whatever was true or not, those who had a problem with it were told to just suck it up and shut up about it. Who was a very towering figure in all that, why yes, that would be Bolling again, pictured rolling the Romney signatures over to be counted, or not. I read something he had written on a website at the time how he had it all figured out. Romney would be president, McDonnell would be VP, he would finish out McDonnell’s term, and be the shoe in as the next Gov. None of those chickens ever hatched, but that is when the snowball started making it’s descent.
I don’t know, maybe it’s just the rainy, cold dreary weather today but, I’m feeling very down about being a conservative in VA, maybe even the whole country.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Republican Establishment wants you and me to give up and go home. I am actually excited about where we are in VA. We’ve made a lot of gains and I believe the tide is turning in our favor. Comstock was absolutely not my first choice, but she’s not that bad. She actually voted against the McDonnell Transportation Bill Tax increase and she lives in the heart of NoVa and she almost lost reelection because of it. There are much worse Republicans than Comstock.
2016 could be the year we get someone like Rand Paul nominated. And we should take the Senate in 2014 and at least have a deadlock in Fed Govt for Obama’s last 2 years. Now’s not the time to feel very down about being a conservative. Now’s the time to be optimistic and fight harder. We’re winning.
I don’t live in the 10th, so I had no vote there. I liked Marshall, but oh well. We shall see what she does when she gets to DC. Hopefully she will be much better than Wolf who has a 43% conservative rating. I know it’s NOVA, so what can I say.
I’m unfortunately in Cantor’s 7th district. I won’t give up on doing whatever I can to help Brat at least give Cantor a run for his money, so to speak. The way I see it is that Cantor’s butt cheek marks will be imprinted on his House seat until he is wheeled in for his last vote at about the same age as Robert Byrd. He’s like an incurable disease that doesn’t kill you, but it is never cured. You read things such as he is from Virginia, he has an R after his name, and he can become the very first Speaker from VA, and I’m supposed to be thrilled by that I guess.
I’m thankful you said that we “can get someone like Rand Paul” as I do not, and will not support Rand Paul. It’s not just a few little things that disappoint, it’s many big things like supporting amnesty, saying that we will not ever get rid of Ocare, we just have to fix it, and wagging his finger at the Republicans for going overboard for attacking the voter fraud issue. His collusion with, and support of too many of the establishments positions are surprising, and more than a little unbecoming. That’s just a starter list but, I’ll leave it at that, and counter with we can get a Ted Cruz in 2016. You’re welcome to add your list of grievances against Cruz. Lord knows Kenney took his hatchet to Cruz in an article slamming him for being a grandstander and all but agreed with the leftist MSM, who on que, blamed him for the government shutdown. Mind you Mike Lee, who was a part of that effort never had a hair on his head touched, likely because he will not be a candidate in 2016. I never saw Rand Paul get attacked for his drone filibuster as being a grandstander, despite later saying he didn’t care if a drone or a policeman killed a guy running out of a liquor store with a gun and 50 bucks in his pocket. I’m also not into pandering. The liberals have that down pat.
Yes I know that it is the goal of the establishment to depress the conservatives into throwing up their hands and saying it isn’t worth the fight. I really prefer not to hear things like we should be thankful to have Susan Collins in the Senate, who has a 25% conservative rating, meaning she votes against conservative positions 75% of the time. No lie, there are a few liberals who have a better “conservative” rating than that. Yet I’m supposed to believe that anything with an R after their name is better than anything with a D?
Collins votes with the GOP 60% of the time lifetime, and 66% of the time this Congress. While Democrats may appreciate you giving up Senate seats so they can stay in the majority, I most certainly do not.
Here is Collins voting record according to Heritage Action-
http://www.heritageactionscorecard.com/members/member/C001035
You are more than welcome to go along with Boehner who smashed conservative groups, such as Heritage Action, and the conservatives and Tea Party types but, I took Boehners position as an insult. Didn’t Ayotte slam and trash Cruz at a Senate R luncheon because he dared to back and support Heritage? She wanted him to denounce those that were accurately rating those that were conservatives, including the trick votes where they could have stopped legislation in Committee. Collins was one of the votes that brought Obamacare to the floor for a vote, in a time period when the Dems. held the majorities in the House and Senate. There was no chance at stopping the legislation once it left committee. I appreciate Heritage minding those trick votes. It was the biggest project to date to expose the tricks supportedby McConnell and Boehner. Of course they had a problem with that.3
Collins actually has an even worse record than even Magoo and McAmnesty if you could believe that.
There are a few Democrats that have higher conservative rates than Collins. I’d vote for one of them if they were running against Collins. I reject that any R is better than any Dem. That attitude put us in the deplorable position we are currently in. I’m so thankful that here in VA. we have complete R control of the Gov., Lt. Gov., Atty Gen. and both Senators, aren’t you? It can’t get better than that right?
I agree but think that a nuance of any ‘True’ R is better than any ‘Faux’ R.
Watering down our brand so that is mistaken for the other by low-info voters is no way to go through politics.
Yes, some Democrats are conservative, but they’re not from Maine. In Maine, our choices are 50% with Susan Collins or 0% with whatever liberal they put up for that seat.
I support the primary challenge against Lindsey Graham, because we’ll keep South Carolina no matter what.
And having a liberal Republican elected in Maine has absolutely zero impact on elections in Virginia. None whatsoever.
“I support the primary challenge against Lindsey Graham, because we’ll keep South Carolina no matter what.”
Agree. I support the primary challenge of Dave Bratt, because we’ll keep the 7th district no matter what.
Yep, but it’s just so darned much fun to needle the establishment dem-lite rinos. It is our duty to hold their feet to the fire.
With that said, Barbara is conservative enough. AND most of the 10th clearly went with her as the safest route to hold the seat.
So, as much as we thought our pick was good, the full whole blinking party thought she was better.
And now we must drink the Kool-Ade and try not to blow this election.
PLUS, here’s the political reality of this race : If Barbara wins, it’s all because she’s wonderful and deserves the Ruby Slippers and all that — but if Barbara loses, it is the fault of the conservatives, the canvas, that fink Whitbeck, and all the last cycle RPV statewide candidates selected by demonic conventions etc, etc, etc.
So if we’re going to take the hit anyways, we might as well show them just how devastating the conservative election machine can be. Besides, it’s good practice, and Babs has real metal campaign buttons.
Eric, we don’t disagree. But it really is that simple. It IS NOT easy. It’s hard work. And here in VA, just as it was in NC, the obstacle course that has to be run is created at the executive levels within the party. The cronyism, the “we owe this guy a shot”, the constant rules shuffling; let’s slate, let’s not slate, let’s nominate at the convention, let’s primary, etc.
The folks reading the Bull Elephant stay tuned in to what’s happening. They roll with the punch. They see through the maneuvering.
But our like-minded friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members who don’t follow the action closely feel manipulated and used.
You’ve heard it…. “THEY never choose a candidate I like.” “THEY don’t push for the issues I care about” “THEY take my vote for granted.” And my favorite…..”Well, there’s nothing we can do, THEY are gonna to do whatever THEY are gonna do.” These apolitical folks make up the bulk of the numbers at the polls in the general election and they really don’t understand that looking in the mirror is where “THEY” is found.
It wouldn’t have taken too many of these good people to put Cuccinelli in the Guv’s seat.
The Bolling episode was an embarrassment. The Sarvis intrusion didn’t help. That stuff, in varying degrees, happens every cycle.
Candidate development if the key. It’s hard work. It cannot be left up to the party hierarchy to choose candidates. It has to bubble up locally.
“It wouldn’t have taken too many of these good people to put Cuccinelli in the Guv’s seat.”
Thank you, and, that is still an open wound here in VA. amongst many. Without much help, Cuccinelli proved that he could very well have gotten over the finish line, with just a smidgeon of help from those that could have, and should have been there, but weren’t.
I truly hope that Bill Bolling has no further opportunity to hold any office in VA. but, McAuliffe does owe him something big.
And campaign development. You can’t run a campaign to win… Between 4 other candidates(all pretty much the same politically on the issues). And only bring your friend family and neighbors to the voting polls. You’ve just drowned out a voice and removed 18-20% from a candidate that could win. Point – run to win… If you don’t – this happens.
Let me make this clear as well. I am not attacking you, Marta or Steve Albertson. I do not know you, what I’ve heard about Steve is all very good so my intention is not to attack you two, but to say to conservatives, lets not be hoodwinked here into thinking if we would just fall in line that things would get better for conservatives, for in fact we have tried that in the past and as I said, thus we are here now. There is history here is my point.
I hear what you’re saying, Steve. What I’m saying, though, is certainly not that we “fall in line.” We have a nomination season every year in Virginia. That’s the time to push our people. After that, we simply do not have the luxury of backing out if our guy doesn’t win.
And I disagree that conservatives have nothing to show for having toiled at this over the last 10 years. Compare where the party was temperamentally and ideologically 10-14 years ago to where it is today. Clearly we’re nowhere near 100%, and almost certainly never will be, but we’ve made incremental but meaningful improvements (e.g., compare who our presidential frontrunner is now to who it was in 2000). We have to keep at it.
Clearly the party will have growing pains when we bring in new people, and traditionalists and “establishment” types will often react badly to being challenged in areas where they’ve always held unquestioned sway. But that’s no reason to give up, because when we walk away all we do is cede the ground we’ve already fought so hard to gain.
And who is the presidential frontrunner?
Clearly that race is wide open and will be for a while, but just as clearly, Rand Paul is in front for the time being. I think that represents a remarkable shift in a fairly short period of time. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-lehrer/rand-paul-yes-hes-really-_b_4976900.html
Thanks. Paul is my candidate too. And I’m involved in the Republican Party actively since 2012. Unfortunately most of Ron Paul’s supporters gave up and went home after he lost the nomination in Aug 2012. I have stayed active and I know it’s imperative to be involved now, if I ever hope to help Rand in 2016.
At the moment, it’s really anyone’s nomination, as Huckabee, Paul, Bush and Christie are all within a couple points of each other. Huckabee leads the Iowa polls and Paul leads the New Hamshire polls at the moment. But it is VERY early.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html
Sarah!
Who?
Who is the presidential frontrunner? I’ve read many opinions that it is Jeb Bush, Christie, Huckabee, a few have said Paul. Now I’m hearing Romney may make a third run. The last thing I would count on at this time are any polls of any kind by anyone. I truly do not believe that there is any frontrunner at this time.
I’d only say this, do what ur saying, Steve and in 10 years see where you are. That’s been tried before which is why we are where we are now, some may have been in this fight for a few years but we’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.
so what is your suggestion? to continue the intra-party bickering and continue losing elections? What a fantastic idea – NOT!
Marta, there is no evidence to support that we are losing elections because conservatives are fighting back within the party. However, we did lose in 2013 because the moderates in the party were awol, largely because some of the candidates were true conservatives, there were other factors as well that we are all aware of.
We’ve actually made more advancements in the last couple years with the help of tea party and libertarians coming into the party. But in the fight at the moment, much of it is those opposed to conservatives trying to root out and get rid of conservatives, tea party and libertarians from having leadership positions in the party and to get rid of conventions as a nomination method.
That being said, there is something to be said for unity in the party, but not at the expense of principle, which is what would have to happen for us to have unity present day, us to give in on principle, shape up, be a team player when we are getting absolutely nothing in return. That’s not unity.
And let me say as well that if this is all for the sake of winning for the sake of winning, or majorities for the sake of majorities, what good does that do for our cause, what good does that do for our principles if we are not using those wins and majorities to advance our principles. For if we were truly using our majorities to advance conservative principle as Reagan did, we would find that our party would grow substantially as a result of the electorate and Americans seeing the fruit of their labor because our principles in action and our view of the role of government are seen by those not in our party as what is best for them and their families.
Otherwise, these victories and majorities ring hollow and are meaningless.
I think that we’re pretty good in the 10th on principles, but where we seem to fall short is with personalities — we have more independent warlords than Africa and the Middle East, each pursuing grudges and factions and perceived slights. seems to me if we brought back dueling, a lot of this would thin out.
Look at the Presidential election in 2012. Many sat it out because Romney was not conservative enough for them. Look at the US Senate race where George Allen lost, again, because he was too “establlishment” and not conservative enough. Without arguing degrees of conservatism and purity, both of those where lost due to intra-party discontnet. The net result is putting another progressive in office. And yes, in 2013 the Bolling faction sat is out, which I publicly condemned, to include Bolling himself practically endorsing T-Mac, and we know where that has led us as a state. When Steve referes to infighting here, ALL factions of the party are at fault. The bottom line is we cannot win elections without unity, and getting everyone to back our nominees after all nominating conventions and/or primaries are over.
Ay, if only it was that simple. True, while Romney was not Conservative enough, that made little difference to the party people, everyone in my unit went to the rallies, worked hard, very few took their marbles and went home. In fact, many of us whined as to how we didn’t like the guy, but he was better than the alternative. The reason Romney lost was because he got rejected by the electorate. They went with the devil they knew. Our product was not better enough to replace the bozo in the Oval Office.
We lost because our product wasn’t good enough for the consumers.
George Allen blew his election twice — another product not good enough for consumers. Same with Bob Marshall — not good enough for the voters.
Bolling, May, Potts, all dumbasses who should have been turned out long ago — they exemplify what you get with annointing and non-contesting.
Oh, and Gov. ‘Bobs for Jobs’ Rolex didn’t help our ticket either.
In the aggregate, we really haven’t been deserving of a win statewide.
We aren’t losing elections in Loudoun county. ALL of our Board of Supervisors are republican. ALL of our Constitutional officers are republican. ALL of our state delegates are republican. Only one state senator is a republican and our lone democrat elected in Loudoun is a the other senator. And Loudoun is in Northern Virginia!
Yeah, but are they good enough for an encore? Also, ya gotta admit our quality control has been slipping.
at the local level, that is great. We haven’t won a presidential election in the last 2 cycles, and lost all 3 state-wide contests last year.
Very well said, Steve!