Publius' Forum

-By Warner Todd Huston

"Judges do not cease to be human beings when they go on the bench. In important cases, it is my humble opinion that finding the right answer is often the least difficult problem. Having the courage to assert that answer and stand firm in the face of the constant winds of protest and criticism is often much more difficult... The Founders warned us that freedom requires constant vigilance, and repeated action. It is said that, when asked what sort of government the Founders had created, Benjamin Franklin replied that they had given us 'A Republic, if you can keep it.' Today, as in the past, we will need a brave 'civic virtue,' not a timid civility, to keep our republic."
-- Justice Clarence Thomas

Many of us are quite mad at the GOP today. And we are 100% right to be mad. Republicans today have become worse spenders than the Democrats, seem to have walked away from the Conservative principle of smaller government, and have had a difficult time pushing their political agenda at a time when they are in a majority.

We have every reason to want to scream bloody murder at them for these failings at a time when they have the power and capabilities to do better.

On the other hand, this teach-them-a-lesson type of thinking going around Conservative circles, where Conservatives are saying not to vote GOP, is the most stupid campaign tactic I have ever witnessed in my life.

Only a Conservative could be so stiff necked, so self-defeating, as to advocate for his own removal from the process.

Here is the best analogy I can think of to describe how foolish this don't-vote-GOP thought process is...

Imagine you are starving.

Then imagine that you are told you may come to the diner table, but may only have half a meal.

Then imagine how STUPID you'd be to turn down the invitation on the grounds of not being allowed to gorge yourself!

That is what you get when you refuse to vote GOP this Fall. As a conservative, you have a seat at the political table with Republicans. You may not get all you want -- in fact you WILL not get it-- but at least you can get the proverbial "half a loaf" by sticking with the GOP and pushing your agenda. However, with the Democrats in power you will get absolutely nothing whatsoever.

Democrats won't give you a single scrap from their table, Conservatives. And, as you are peering into their kitchen from the street, they will laugh at you as your ideas and policies are starved to death.

Nice going, Conservatives.

One of the reasons that Conservatives have become such a power since the Goldwater campaign and the Reagan revolution is that we’ve became engaged in the process. We’ve written, thought, and advocated. We’ve elected grassroots candidates and brought together the disparate Conservative groups, working with each other to build a viable coalition.

Coalition building is necessarily done by compromise. Sometimes that means not getting your way. But it also means having the possibility of getting it, if not now, perhaps later. As the saying goes, Politics is the art of the possible.

Allowing your enemy to win, though, means you get nothing and deserve nothing.

All that being said, one must necessarily weigh the factors in a vote for a Party. The benefits must outweigh the negatives, naturally. And there are three things that a vote for the GOP will affect, two things that outweigh all other factors at this time.

One is security -- and the first of the two that outweighs all others. Nearly every major Democratic Candidate and leader is advocating for a withdrawal from Iraq, a dampening of our capabilities to conduct surveillance on terrorists and gather intelligence on them, and a retreat from the war against Islamofascism.

The GOP, while sporting a somewhat spotty record, will at least make a good faith effort to resist those dangerous and stay clear of the kind of self-defeating policies Democrats want. That's a half-a-loaf we can work with.

The second is that a vote for the Democrats is a vote to raise taxes. Bush's tax cut is one of the main reasons our economy stayed strong in the face of Sept. 11, 2001 and Katrina, but the Democrats would erase that boost and raise taxes to the detriment to the economy.

Thirdly, and this is the second point that outweighs all others, a Democratic Congress or a Democrat president in 2008 will turn back Bush's trend of placing constructionist judges on the bench. From the Supreme Court to the lower Courts, we will be right back to the efforts of Democrats and other leftists of attempting to put judges who will be "progressive" (meaning socialist) on the bench. We will be right back to judges that treat the Constitution like so much toilet paper, if you’ll excuse my vulgarity?

Despite his less than stellar conservative bona fides otherwise, Bush has done a good job with his judicial appointments. But, electing a Democratic Congress will instantly put an end to that. Further it should be noted that Bush never was a strict Conservative in the first place and his style of governance should be no surprise at all.

So, Conservatives, unless you want to damage our security, raise taxes and turn our courts into a socialist social experiment once again, you'd best vote GOP. Stay with the Party. Stay seated at that table where we can at least have some impact on policy and the debate in the public square.

Otherwise, you deserve to get nothing for all your efforts. And that IS what you will get.

Nothing.

So, despite the many problems between Conservatives and the GOP it makes more sense to continue voting GOP and try to work from within to affect the policies to get we want.