What Now?

by Colonel Dan

The Cowboy Chronicle

January  2009  

It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.  Samuel Adams

Although it’s impossible to write about current events when your column is published monthly and the submission deadline is two months prior to publication, it usually turns out to be a good thing.  It gives me time to think and reflect rather than feel and react.  Having said that, the question I’ve been asked most after the big Democrat win is, “What Now?  What do we do in light of this liberal victory and what’s to be done with such a dysfunctional GOP?”  Many entrenched Republican Party leaders are now telling us they know how to fix the GOP by returning to conservative basics!  Well, if they knew that, why did they abandon the basics in the first place and where were all these political wizards for the past 13 years?  Traditionalists knew what was wrong and told them so.  Now many of the same old names that authored the GOP disaster are lecturing us on the solution?  Sorry, I don’t buy it. They had their chance and they betrayed our trust so now they should just go away—far away.  We want new leaders with new found spine and old fashioned courage.

What traditionalists need today more than ever is nerve. Steel your nerves and resolve yourself never to compromise on principle.  It was compromising of conservative principle that infected the GOP and we saw the outcome.  That “new tone” introduced by George W. Bush would prove to be the start of a big GOP sell out and the end of the “GOP reign.”  Fiscal conservatism and respect for their constitutional obligations were relegated to the trash bin. Conservatives saw this for what it was and rightfully fired them.  But I’ve written about that before so no need to rehash.  The big question is, “What now?”  Is the GOP dead? If you mean the GOP that sold out conservatism, yes, it should be dead.  Then is conservatism itself dead also?  Not by a long shot!  If traditional conservatism was dead, those that fired the current GOP wouldn’t have cared enough to give them the boot and many of those RINOs would still be in power today.  [RINO, Republican in Name Only, is code for fake conservative.]

As I see it, the GOP has two options if it really wants to right the party and get back on track with those they deceived.

Option 1, the GOP must cleanse itself of all these fake conservatives and find new wood--a new set of true conservative leaders from which to rebuild the house is crucial. You can’t rebuild anything using the same rotten wood from the structure that just collapsed.  The Bush mantra of setting a “new tone” and McCain’s “reaching across the isle” never worked and will never work.  Anytime the GOP reached across the isle, they got their hands cut off.  You’d think that after the first 6 or 7 times they would have learned their lesson but apparently in the 13 years since the GOP first took over in 1995 that never sunk in.  Bottom line, they need a solid core of new leadership.  If they don’t establish that premise from the start, they might as well just re-register as Democrats.  The Bush/McCain approach failed and will fail every time it’s tried.  We need leaders with fire in their bellies, steel in their spines and dedication to our founder’s values solidly entrenched in their hearts and souls.  From this new core, they can slowly fight to earn back the trust and confidence of the people. But this must be demonstrated with determined action on the battlefield of government—no campaign speeches or empty words and promises.  They must first show the gumption to stand up and fight for traditional values and principles.  They must first demonstrate the courage needed to withstand the liberal onslaught that’s sure to come and not back down nor compromise those principles. They must adopt the philosophy that compromise of principle is no compromise; it’s surrender.  As Jefferson said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”  When they first show that, then and only then will their words mean anything at all to me. Who will these new leaders be?  Don’t worry. Those with the right grit will rise up, show themselves worthy of the task and we will know them by their fruit.

In any case, the GOP must renew itself on a rock of solid principle; it must be reborn and it can’t do that with any of the old names that had a hand in its destruction.  New strong leadership is central to all and priority 1 or they risk being just like the leadership of old—hypocrites. And what can we, the unwashed masses, do to help usher in this rebirth?  We must get mean dog mad as Josey Wales said, insisting on and accepting nothing less than authentic renewal.  We have to declare open season on all RINOs and run them out of the party at every opportunity.  We must be that irate, tireless minority Sam Adams described, taking no prisoners and giving no quarter to any pseudo conservative. 

America ’s core values and her very life as we know it are at risk.  So where do “we the people” get the authority to exterminate gutless pretenders from the party?  Our RINO extermination license was issued by the Founding Fathers and that’s all “we the people” need.   If this core of new leaders finds the current GOP even the least bit reluctant or doesn’t have the moral fiber for Option 1 then I see Option 2 as the only currently acceptable alternative.

Option 2, retire the GOP flag and start a new party.

Just the view from my saddle…

Contact Colonel Dan: coloneldan@bellsouth.net

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