Hangover

What to say?  There have been rants, pontifications gnashing of teeth, renting of garments, pulling of hair, etc.  Talk of let it burn, death of a republic, it con only go down hill from here, SMOD is surely coming now, if only to remove the pain.  Then I was told to shut up already.  So now I write this screed hoping to help clear out my head.

So after the emotional roller coaster that I have been forced to ride over the last 18 or so hours what have I concluded?  Principles matter.

Romney ran a good race.  In fact, once the first debate was over I was convinced that I had judged this man wrong.  I saw a fire that I longed for.  Not a fire-brand but someone with conviction I could follow.  Someone who stood up for principle.  I eagerly watched the adds, the speeches, the rhetoric.  I drank it up like kool-aid.  Then the second debate happened.  Benghazi was becoming a big issue.  In fact it was THE issue.  And Romney fumbled the ball.  He let Obama off the hook.  He allowed Crowley (the ham-faced scrunt) to defend Obama.  DEFEND HIM for #$@#$ sakes.  I remember screaming at the tv NOOOO!!!! You had him!  Who cares if Cowley came on right after and admitted she was wrong.  Just how many of the general electorate actually watched those talking heads after the debate, after any debate?  Not many.

It was too late, the damage was done.  And the MSM had their talking points.  They got to talk about how Obama was all prezzy like with the Rose Garden speech and how Romney was so very mean and being a bully to our poor prez-e-dent.  How Obama was just so offended at the very suggestion that he didn't do anything to help out our men in Benghazi. Offended?  He was offended?  He watched them die.  He denied them the very help they were assumed they would get when called upon.  3 times he denied them support.  All for political gain.  These facts were known.  At least the facts about how the White House was covering up Obama's involvement.  And Romney went small ball.  It that moment his momentum stopped.  Obama caught his footing.  Reminded me of the scene in 300 when the enemy was charging the spartans, they clashed and the spartans lines were being pushed back.  They slid and slid until.... they stopped.  Then the push back started, with force.  This is when the election turned.

Then Sandy hit.  The Obama team pushed the shit out of that.  They had photo ops in the situation room, they had their guy out in front of any camera they could find to show just how much he cared.  He announced that all the red tape would be cut so everyone could get their FEMA help ASAP.  Who cares if he was full of shit.  Did. Not. Matter.   he had gotten away with making and then breaking so many promises why would this promise be any different?  it wasn't   5 days Romney was off the national stage.  5 days!

And this gets me to the one thing that really drives me nuts with the GOP.  Messaging.  They suck at it.
The left has their chants, their slogans, and they are catchy.  The right bitches about them but just can't stop talking about them.  In fact they even try to amend them for their side.  If they really suck and hove no point why do they stick around?  "Bush lied, People died", "No War for Oil", "Bush Tax Cuts", "War on Women".  These things are easy to remember, roll of the tongue and make a point.  THey pull at the emotional heart strings of everyday people.  They are ambiguous enough that they can be twisted easily to fit any narrative so long as they attach at the opponent.

The right is now pointing fingers at each other.  This is exactly what the left wants.  It wants to destroy the right.  Not knock it down, but destroy it forever.  They attack on multiple fronts simultaneously.  They attach the religious, the pious, the tolerant, the fiscal conservative, the traditional family.  They make accusations that are so blatantly false but do it with good messaging.  So that the right had to defend instead of counter-attack.

Racism, homophobe, bigot.  These just piss me off beyond belief.  Everything a conservative says is one of these; code words, undertow, insinuations and the list goes on.  This is done for good reason.  Because it works.  Because no one actually came out and called them on this bullshit they are empowered to use it again.  When conservatives are no longer afraid of these accusations and are willing to call bullshit and attack back.

And this leads me back to my first observation.  I thought I saw a man with passion, character and fire.  I was wrong.  Actually I was right.  My first impression of Romney was of the typical northeastern  RINO who the GOP establishment foisted on us because he paid his dues and it was his turn.   But at the end of the day a pig still stinks and a leopard can't change its spots.  I still think Romney is a good man, ran a good race and faced his defeat with class and honor. Now get me someone who will slog it out in the trenches, someone I would crawl through fire for, someone who makes me ashamed of how little I have fought and inspires me to fight harder, longer and tougher.  I want, nay need a leader.  America needs a leader.  Someone who stand and fights and demands I stand with them.  America needs leadership.  Get America such a person and then watch out liberals.

Until then, the GOP is dead to me.  The establishment GOP types will falter, bargain and cower at the first sign of trouble and we will have to pay for their fecklessness.  So in turn I support something that I thought about many times over the last decade.... a third party


Now, I don't actually thing that we need a third party.  I think we need a renaissance in the GOP.  The tired, old RINO's need to be forcibly retired.  The new, young Tea Party types need to take over and force these old established turds out.  Are we on our way?  You bet your arse we are. The GOP controls more governorships now than any time in the last two decades.  The GOP controls more house seats than yesterday.  The GOP didn't lose many Senate seats (or any, I haven't looked today).  This is where it starts.  Going forward we need to get out to the people and bring a damn message to everyone about what conservatism stands for.  Limited government...period.  Scream it from the rooftops if we have to.  Re-butt every attack head on.  Never let them get away with anything.  Get dirty with them.  So no mercy!  Attack, attack attack.  And attack again.  Show how progressivism actually destroys America.  Show how much is costs.  Defend freedom.  Defend hard working, successful people at every turn.  Do not back down, ever.

Patton famously said

No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country

Talking figuratively, make the progressive die for their cause.  Make them defend their postion and never let them attack yours.   Do this and soon the left will have nothing but chants and logans that resonate on deaf ears.

This will not be easy.  It will be hard, hard work.  But is America worth it?  Is the idea of freedom, true freedom worth it?  Are our rights granted from a higher power than some government or are we just slaves to "our betters"?

If we cannot garner up the courage and strength to fight not, then let our montra be LET IT BURN!

But

If we finally tire of licking our wounds, gather ourselves up and decide that on this day we start down the long road of recovery of our once great nation, built on honor, integrity and the basic principle of unequivocal freedom of the mind, body and spirit then let the fight begin anew.

In the words of Thomas Paine:

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death 

SG