Missing The Point?
Or not even in the same zip code as the point! The SL Trib has a short little hit the 3rd CD Republicans.
What CQ, the SLTrib, Congressman Cannon AND the RNC just don't get is that the PARTY has drifted away from the party platform, core conservative principles AND the will of their voters. Illegal immigration, the "single issue" (according to beltway pundits) that shot Cannon down, is a classic case in point. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY supportive of the rule of law. Our country's laws say that if you want to come here YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VISA, yet the "Republican Party" led by President Bush and Congressman Cannon, put the needs of special interests above the needs of citizens and pushed "amnesty". The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY about fiscal responsibility, yet President Bush signed legislation that Rep. Cannon voted for that spent record amounts of money. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY for limited growth of government, yet President Bush signed legislation (voted for by Rep. Cannon) that grew government. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY for personal responsibility yet President Bush signed (legislation supported by Rep. Cannon) that gave government more control over the individuals than ever. The Republicans of the 3rd District recognized that and voted appropriately. That earned them the scorn of the Salt Lake Tribune AND Rep. Chris Cannon - that should tell you all you need to know.
The problem (with the SLTrib column AND the RNC) is that they have bought into the consultancy classes "convention wisdom" that the electorate in this country has taken a "turn to the left". When push comes to shove (as we have seen on the energy debate) this country has much more common sense than the political class and their DC consultants ever dreamed of having. It is about time that the RNC (and by extension their state affiliates) quit listening to the consultants and started listening to the voters! I know - a radical thought, but hey....I can dream can't I?
A Congressional Quarterly study of partisan votes during the Bush years shows that Rep. Chris Cannon has voted with Republicans 97 percent of the time and supported the president 89 percent of the time, making him the most conservative member of Utah's delegation.
But maybe not conservative enough. Cannon recently lost the GOP primary in the 3rd District to Jason Chaffetz, who ran as a conservative alternative.
"For some reason his constituents could never focus on how loyal to the party he was, and it created this strange phenomenon with him always having to struggle," said Kirk Jowers, director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics. "Really because of one issue - immigration - people were able to define him as not being as conservative as the overall data would suggest."
Cannon had been dogged for his support of the Bush immigration plan, which would allow some undocumented residents to stay in the country and gain legal status.
What CQ, the SLTrib, Congressman Cannon AND the RNC just don't get is that the PARTY has drifted away from the party platform, core conservative principles AND the will of their voters. Illegal immigration, the "single issue" (according to beltway pundits) that shot Cannon down, is a classic case in point. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY supportive of the rule of law. Our country's laws say that if you want to come here YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VISA, yet the "Republican Party" led by President Bush and Congressman Cannon, put the needs of special interests above the needs of citizens and pushed "amnesty". The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY about fiscal responsibility, yet President Bush signed legislation that Rep. Cannon voted for that spent record amounts of money. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY for limited growth of government, yet President Bush signed legislation (voted for by Rep. Cannon) that grew government. The Republican Party is SUPPOSEDLY for personal responsibility yet President Bush signed (legislation supported by Rep. Cannon) that gave government more control over the individuals than ever. The Republicans of the 3rd District recognized that and voted appropriately. That earned them the scorn of the Salt Lake Tribune AND Rep. Chris Cannon - that should tell you all you need to know.
The problem (with the SLTrib column AND the RNC) is that they have bought into the consultancy classes "convention wisdom" that the electorate in this country has taken a "turn to the left". When push comes to shove (as we have seen on the energy debate) this country has much more common sense than the political class and their DC consultants ever dreamed of having. It is about time that the RNC (and by extension their state affiliates) quit listening to the consultants and started listening to the voters! I know - a radical thought, but hey....I can dream can't I?
Labels: Jason Chaffetz, Journalists and Media, Republicans
posted by The Lady Logician at
10:37 AM
14 Comments:
Not to defend either Cannon or the RNC (you know me better than that), recent public opinion polling on immigration and the Iraq War actually shows (very consistently) that Americans are trending to the left on these issues. Further to the left, in fact, than Senator Obama himself.
I'm just pointing it out, because you're ranting about people being "out of touch" while you write a piece generalizing Americans without apparently digging into recent public polling and voter trends (in primaries, nationally).
By
Jason The, at 11:52 AM
If the average citizen is to the left of Obama, they're in a very small space.
The way to win elections is to find an candidate who can articulately apply common sense to common knowledge. It's common sense that you don't pay somebody else for oil when you already have some, and it's common sense that you don't walk away from a fight until you win. It's common sense that you don't put out the welcome mat for law-breakers and expect people not to break the law, nor to reward law-breakers and expect them not to break the law.
Nothing new in this, except the ability and desire of the Left to spin the truth so that everybody seems to agree with THEM.
J. Ewing
By
Anonymous, at 12:18 PM
recent public opinion polling on immigration and the Iraq War actually shows (very consistently) that Americans are trending to the left on these issues.
San Francisco doesn't represent "public opinion", son.
By
Kermit, at 1:25 PM
Actually Jason, the trend is going AWAY from the left on the War. The latest Rassmussen shows that the number of people who support FINISHING THE JOB in Iraq is UP not down.
Nice try though....
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 1:38 PM
The two most recent polls I've seen indicate 62 percent of Americans disapprove of the Bush administration's occupation of Iraq.
This is only slightly less than the 64-69 percent disapproval that's held steady over the last year and a half. In fact, it's close to the margin of error.
What is "finishing the job in Iraq" anyway? There seems to be nothing more the USA can do after handing over control of the country to the Supreme Islamic Council and other Iranian allies.
The occupation was never successful due to not enough troops to control a large country of 27 million people. The only thing to do is end it, and if more people approve of Bush's policy it could be because he has now committed to a withdrawal timetable, at long last.
By
rmwarnick, at 5:02 PM
rwm - talk about missing the point...
Just because 62% of people disagree with how the war is being conducted (an old poll by the way) does NOT MEAN that they want troops out now. People like John McCain (and others including myself) have disagreed with how the President has run the war....
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 5:28 PM
An "old poll" from FOUR DAYS AGO. It's the most recent Iraq poll posted on PollingReport.com.
Here are the choices: (1) End the occupation of Iraq or (2) Send a half million more soldiers in.
If you pick the second option, as Senator McCain did before he decided to go with Senator Obama's withdrawal proposal, then you have to explain where the extra half million troops are going to come from.
By
rmwarnick, at 6:13 PM
rmw - how about a link to that poll please? I have to admit I have not seen any recent polls from the big three (Rasmussen, Zogby or Quinipiac) on that issue since early July (which in political cycle terms is ancient news). Before I comment further I would like to see the poll and examine the metrics of the poll.
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 8:14 AM
The poll link can be found above, but since you missed it here it is again:
www.pollingreport.com
By
rmwarnick, at 11:36 AM
Dude, did you even look at the poll you linked to? It completely contradicts your claim.
By
Kermit, at 12:45 PM
Gracias senor. Kermit - if you scrolled down to the AP Ipsos poll you would see the one that rmw is referring to.
That said, there are no links to the the methodology which is telling. The sample size is awfully small and anyone who knows anything about polling (and how easily it is manipulated) will tell you that a sample size that small can give you misleading results.
What is MORE TELLING is the trending. If you go back to as recently as April/May this number was at 69% which means that as we allow the troops to do their jobs and people see the positive results they are becoming more and more favorable to the way the President is running things.
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 2:20 PM
How about a link to the poll you say indicates an upsurge (thought not a majority, because then you would have claimed a majority) in favor of "finishing the job in Iraq"?
Also, what is "the job in Iraq"? If it's withdrawal, then yes, steady majorities in the USA and Iraq have advocated a withdrawal plan.
By
rmwarnick, at 8:07 PM
From Today's Rasmussen Report.
"Voters see stark differences between Obama and McCain on two key issues of Election 2008—Iraq and Energy. On Iraq, voters believe Obama’s top priority is getting the troops home rather than winning the War. Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters say that is their top priority as well. On energy, voters believe McCain is more focused on finding new sources of energy rather than reducing the amount of energy we consume. That’s also the view held by 65% of voters."
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
I had actually cited their weekend report but this has a little more detail than the weekend report did.
Enjoy and thanks for all of your comments. I do enjoy them - even if we rarely agree.
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 9:20 AM
Here's Rasmussen's headline: "49% Say Bring Home the Troops, 42% Say Win the War First" So, even if you frame the issue falsely in terms of losing the war, about half of Americans say fine, let's do it!
What would the poll results be if Rasmussen acknowledged that it's not a war, it's an occupation? By definition, an occupation is unwinnable because all you can do is leave sooner or later.
By
rmwarnick, at 10:06 AM
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