Follow the usually sane and reasonable Ed Morrissey's request to refuse to send more money to the GOP. Here is his post, No. Not One Dime.
He is understandably upset with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's ineffective leadership and ability to stand up against opposition from Democrats over judicial nominations. Yes, this is a huge issue and I recommend that anyone reading this to pick up your phone or email the Senator to express you disappointment with his leadership. Although this man may need to be replaced as Majority Leader, harming everyone by refusing to support the entire party is not the solution.
I have never always agreed with the entire platform with the Republican party, although I identify with it more than the Democrat's ideology by a long shot. Yes, I want the big things solved. I want the judicial system back in control of conservatives not judicial activists. I want better immigration control (although my opinion about the minutemen may be very different than most of my fellow Republicans). I want social security fixed so the money I pay every two weeks will at least come back to me eventually. I want more choice in where I send my daughter to school. I want my husband's business to have incentives and the economic freedom to continue to grow. I want to pay less to the government and be able to be trusted with how I spend my money. I want what most of the Republican party does.
These desires of mine do not equate in any way to what the Democrats of the federal legislature have shown that they desire. They want judicial activists, they have not been pushing for immigration control until recently (thanks to Hillary wanting a chance to be elected in 2008), they have said that social security does not need to be fixed and that our education system should be left alone. Vouchers and Charter Schools are not their solutions. They want to demonize big business and corporations when I can only dream of the day that my husband is a big business. They do not believe that tax cuts are necessary and many of their programs would require more of my money being sent to the government.
If I refuse to support the party that I can mostly identify with on most aspects of my ideology then I will be represented by the party that I identify with the least.
In our government, no one will get everything they want regardless of what party brochure they believe. We find the party that represents us and work within those confines. This is how it has always worked, and how it will always work until someone thinks of a better solution. Do you think the founding fathers were 100% sastified with the government they created? No it was a compromise for the greater good. Sometimes compromise is not a dirty word.
We need to grow up and realize that government is just a bunch of imperfect people trying to work together to keep this thing going. It is not such a bad idea to know that you are not always going to be happy. And it is not even a bad idea if a few make you unhappy to withdraw your support politically and financially from those few.
But it is a terrible idea to punish everyone for the sins of a few.
More thoughts on this can be found at MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy here and here. You should actually go now and read the posts linked above, then read them again. Beth makes sense (as usual).
And Matt Margolis over at GOPbloggers says, "Give until it hurts."
Update (4/17):
Rightwing Nut House warns against the Goldwater Syndrome contending that, "It was there that Republicans sealed their own fate by proving they’d rather be “right” than win. This attitude manifested itself in the inability of Goldwaterites to recognize that by drumming the Rockefeller wing out of the Republican party, they were dooming themselves to almost permanent minority status."
Marchand Chronicles offers the unique solution that the Republicans should let the Democrats continue to filibuster reasoning that, "America won't stand for the Republicans attempting to break the filibuster with brute force. Let it die like every other unsuccessful filibuster has."
Captain Ed Morrissey stands firm with his stance saying that we need to remember the personal side of this issue and the nominees who are hurt by the Democrats grandstanding. He writes, "Starting on Monday, I plan a series of posts on how the GOP has allowed this process to mistreat others who have spent years trying their best to support justice and the rule of law while our Senators wait, McClelland-like, for a mythical "perfect opportunity" to call the vote." Again, I completely understand the frustration, just not the solution offered by Ed Morrissey.
Mark Noonan's compelling piece about the "art" of possibilities in politics and that to "get incensed that in April of 2005 (ie, not three months into the second term in which President Bush said that Social Security would be the main domestic priority) that the borders aren't airtight against illegals is absurd; to get incensed that President Bush hasn't managed to push through reform on a 60 year old American political icon (Social Security) in 60 days is absurd; to get incensed that the GOP Senate leadership hasn't successfully concluded the battle over judicial filibusters in 60 days is absurd...things take time; and in politics, they generally take a lot of time." I agree completely.
Beth at MVRWC is compiling a list of bloggers who say that cutting the Republican party off financially is not the solution. She has done a great job calling both Ed Morrissey and Hugh Hewitt on their quick withdraw of support to the GOP.
What do you think? Let me know, I am interested in any ideas or solutions you may have.