Thanks to Poor Richard for pointing this one out.
Apparently, the sign has come down just in time for Mr. Fernandez’s court appearance today.
Facing a Court Hearing, Man Begins Removing Pro-Immigrant Billboard
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403620.html
Emma,
I do remember your apology, but, if memory serves me correctly, it was short lived, and you returned to your old habits. I believe it was your comment about breeding that finally turned me off Emma. I honestly don’t want to “hurt” peoples feelings or make them feel like they have nothing to contribute to this blog. Without differing opinions how could we debate.
I have met TWINAD and her husband, both are genuinely kind, good, and hardworking people. I find real life experiences a blessing to this blog, it reminds us that we are all not so very different in our hopes and dreams for ourselves and for our children(if we have them). I recognize that there are issues with undocumented immigrants, but I just won’t go to a place that demoralizes or dehumanizes people. I wonder, on a regular basis, when I look at the world around me, see the suffering, how is it, that I was so lucky to be born here, in the best country in the world.
Emma, this environment is simply not condusive to playing conflict mediator on a regular basis, nor, to be perfectly honest, do I want to. Conflict mediation is impossible in the cyber world, I do the best I can to remind people to remember that we should imagine that we are face to face, and try to behave accordingly.
As much as am for pro-immg posts, what I never thought was a good thing was that sign. Maybe the first message I got, the third message made me bitter. I remember when 9500 Liberty St.(the house) was a slum lord paradise. I remember driving by daily and seeing elec. cords strung from the top windows into the windows below. I distinctly remember thinking “There’s a fire hazard.” Imagine that..house burned due to an elec fire. Then came the signs. My thought…You are a slum lord, your house burned b/c of elec problems. Then when you cannont get a rezone for your property to commercial…voila! There is a sign.
Michael,
Someone had a really good idea off line, maybe you should come to the next economic party. It may help to meet face to face. I don’t think you are mean at heart or unfeeling, but I do believe that you lack a certain sense of empathy. Empathy and the law can go hand in hand. You referenced a scienc fair that you believe you were mistreated because of your gender, you seem to carry that anger with you still. Michael, if I carried all the anger with me, from all past wrongs in my life, and there are some pretty serious wrongs, I would be such an unhappy person, full of anger at the world and all those who let me down. But in the end, we must make a decision on how we will incorporate these experiences, bad and good, into making ourselves better human beings. Ultimately, we must decide to be at peace with how these experiences shaped our integrity, our character, our inner strength.
DB,
I believe you reflect how many people felt regarding the messaging of the sign, including myself. I am glad the sign is down.
WHWN, since you are such a huge fan of McCain but a detractor of Palin, why is it that you use Palin’s tactic of snide remarks and sarcastic ridicule? Wouldn’t the divide bridger McCain reach out to someone like Michael instead of poking fun at his stream of consciousness writing style?
DB certainly sums up my feelings about the sign. It was just time for it to go. It was propped up on the side of a building, violating zoning laws, and finally, it insulted people. The point, was made. Again, and again, and again, and again.
The lead editorial in this morning’s MJM is on target. The sign was “showboating”,
“over-the- top”, “counterproductive” and “an ostentatious eyesore”. Amen.
“I remember when 9500 Liberty St.(the house) was a slum lord paradise. I remember driving by daily and seeing elec. cords strung from the top windows into the windows below. I distinctly remember thinking “There’s a fire hazard.” Imagine that..house burned due to an elec fire. Then came the signs. My thought…You are a slum lord, your house burned b/c of elec problems.”
One culture’s slum lord is another’s hero. Sad and politically incorrect to reflect on but true.
I wish the opinion piece in MJM had been better written. It was hard to follow and has several sentence fragments. Perhaps the print copy was proof-read better.
I think their strongest point was the wall alienated people who might not have negative feelings had they not had to look at that ugly sign for a year.
Any good feelings I had about unempowered people fighting back were diminished by the time I saw the third version of the sign. I don’t like racism coming from anyone and that third sign was racist. I don’t use that term often. For the third sign, I make an exception.
Actually, at first read I don’t find anything disagreeable in the opinion piece.
And to whoever asked if I thought ‘illegals’ should be included in the process, no. How about attempting to include the legal immigrants? What we have witnessed is a process that has not been inclusive of minorities in the community.
Actually, Moon-howler, I make a LOT of good points, and you and I have had some enjoyable exchanges. I understand how easy is for you to forget that when the gang mentality sets in here. But, honestly, if I dish out “a barb here and a barb there,” there are plenty HERE who get “all pissed off and aggressive.” It worlks both ways, doesn’t it? That’s my whole point, just the hypocrisy of singling out someone who doesn’t happen to agree with the majority voice here and deciding to be offended by what that person says, whle that person is told they should have a thicker skin. That’s blogging. Sometimes you have to push the envelope a little to make a point.
But I also understand how impossible it is for some of you to see “the human side” of HSM. You’ve got us all lumped in as brainwashed clones. It would be awful if I were to turn that logic around and generalize about illegal immigrants now, wouldn’t it?
Elena, if you don’t like the challenge, then maybe you should think about censoring. This could get really complicated, because then there would have to be an anti-anti blog.
Emma, can’t you just take a compliment? I complimented you and it wasn’t good enough. You had to go get all argumentative and say you make a LOT of good points. I just don’t think that saying that was in the interest of everyone getting along. How much is ALOT and how does that amount vary from SOME?
I don’t know we are even having this discussion. You seem to thrive on controversy. I believe what singles you, and a few other regulars out here, is who the barbs are usually directed at. It is one thing to go after the public policies of an elected, or even appointed official. It is another thing to attack individual bloggers who are just expressing their own opinion.
Let’s clear something else up. Everyone on this blog is not in total agreement. Not by any stretch. As for lumping all of hsm as brainwashed clones, I don’t know why you would imply I think that. I think too many of you all listen to your master’s voice and lack the personal integrity to stand up to your leader publically when he lies and attempts to vilify and ruin people’s careers and personal life. I speak for myself here and do not reflect the opinion of this blog or its contributors.
When I see members of HSM coming out against their leader when he is obviously handing out bullshit and lies and manipulating data to advance his own cause, then those individuals will have my respect.
Rick Bently would be a person who I often do not agree with but who has spoken out when he feels HSM leadership is wrong. Rick isn’t a brainless clone.
Finally, Emma, yes it works both ways, which is why you need to stop complaining about it. it is beginning to sound like whining because you know if you come here on the attack, you are going to get it right back.
Emma, without going back to research what “good points” you’ve made, I’ll assume there have been a fair number and address what’s really getting to you. You seen to strongly identify with a perspective that also attracts many racists. This opens you up to guilt by association and you seem desperate to prove that you are nothing like those who founded, funded, organized, and led the group you belong to, and it’s various other front groups leading back to F.A.I.R.
If we all agree (and I certainly do) that not everyone in Help Save Manassas and not everyone in F.A.I.R. is a racist, can we just drop it?
FortKnocks, there are McCain Republicans and there are, sadly, Palin Republicans. Sometimes the McCain Republicans have to lower themselves to speaking the language of the Palin Republicans. It’s the only way to get through to them, as the Convention recently proved.
I think everyone here has at one time or another made a good point. Acknowledging that is only fair. This is the core of the issue in Washington. If we can’t form a consensus and without ego playing the major role, how on earth do we expect our elected officials to do so.
C’mon, stop expecting things from others when you don’t expect them from yourself. Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, Outcome……
It is disengeneous for individuals to lambast the PWC/Manassas area with
every means possible from net posting and blogs to clearly propaganda films
to letters-to-the editor to ugly billboards –and then ask us to listen to them
and reform our ways — because of our “poor image” — one that they have labored
so hard to help create.
Moon howler, distinguishing between “alot” and “some” is a little too Clintonesque for me to even attempt 😉
Actually, I don’t see how my last post was “whining” or even “complaining”–just acknowledging the give-and-take and that EVERYONE needs to have a thick skin with blogging. You’re smart folks–otherwise why would I bother here?
Enough for now–need to go back to my Master now for further instructions 😉
OH BROTHER.
“When I see members of HSM coming out against their leader when he is obviously handing out bullshit and lies and manipulating data”
I think Greg’s blog, which is not HSM, and HSM get confused in people’s minds. I don’t agree with everything he posts in his blog, but I think HSM’s positions and efforts are reasoned, moderate, constructive, and positive.
What Poor Richard? We created the bad image? No, WE RESPONDED to the craziness that Greg promoted!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Dw1ioGPGY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAWEMOgAJw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBbjrk0QWqw
These ARE the facts Poor Richard. Don’t you dare blame me for speaking out against the hate that was clearing building like a tidal wave, daring to drown us all in its aftermath.
Eleana,
I’m not a supporter of Greg or any other extremist on this issue,
right or left. My point is that needless turmoil stirred up
by both sides has damaged the entire community with
what often seems more like a nasty grudge match than a
reasoned discussion.
If PWC has such a horribly racist reputation, and if some of you believe you are living in what is rapidly becoming a “police state,” why do you continue to live there and keep your families at risk? Please don’t give me the baloney about how you wouldn’t be able to sell your house, etc. If it is so morally repugnant and scary, then take a stand and move away from this den of iniquity. You would live in fear and oppression just because your house and neighborhood are too comfy to leave? Or do you remain because you know the whole “bad reputation” thing is bull.
Emma, the county is not “morally repugnant and scary;” you are. But you do not represent this county. And you sure as hell aren’t going to chase any 40 years residents out of the county just because you can’t take any criticism and can’t process complex ideas or issues. Why are you imploding over the fact that you can’t convince people who are obviously your intellectual superiors? Go over to the other blog and try to convince people in your own league.
Poor Argument,
There are millions of viewers on local TV and cable TV. The GregNCorey show have disgraced themselves and disgraced this county on mainstream media outlets again and again and again. You can’t blame ordinary citizens for commenting on this behavior using new technology that has a great deal less firepower than Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Riley. You certainly can’t blame long time residents for a reputation that recent arrivals like Greg Letiecq, Corey Stewart, and John Stirrup have earned for us.
Your logic is below average for high school debate teams, and not sufficient to deceive anyone who is not already a Gospel Greg clone. The self-hypnosis that grips you and your fellow clones exists only in Gospel Greg’s virtual echo chamber, and in the meetings he runs every month or so just prove that the same propaganda can be spoken with a straight face as long as there is no one there to challenge you.
On the street, around the region, and to some degree around the nation, it is well known that Help Save Manassas, Greg Leteicq, and Corey Stewart are to blame for our damaged reputation, compromised public safety, and sinking economy.
But, again, I’m heartened to see that at least we are arguing on a plane of reality in which the bad reputation is real (even though some of us don’t have any friends who read the newspaper).
Ssshhh, calm down, WHWN. You are quite the caricature. The bogeymen won’t get you, I promise.
Emma, I’m quite calm. As I said, I’m heartened to find that you and others who have consistently displayed a head in the sand, are now peaking out enough to come to terms with the basic facts:
Whether you want more immigration to meet the needs of our local and national economy, or you want less immigration to preserve the white majority, THERE SIMPLY IS NO ARGUMENT that as the Lab Rats of The Federation for American Immigration Reform, Prince William County has gotten the short end of the stick.
You can blame the news. You can blame the newspapers. You can blame the You Tube filmmakers. Or you can blame this blog. But the bottom line is we are the last place new investment and new home owners want to come right now. We have the worst reputation of any county in America (except for the KKK Sheriff’s county in Arizona). And even Gospel Greg had only one argument for the disastrous Immigration Resolution: less brown faces at the bus stop.
Was it worth it to you? Be honest.
Where are your supporting data? And please don’t say SPLC. I would like to see some objective FACTS from relatively objective SOURCES, because all indications are that things are improving in PWH and throughout a country that is still digging itself out from under a mortgage crisis.
Just because your intellectually superior self says it is true does not make it true.
Incidentally, I ate dinner with my family at the Bulll Run Tony’s a little while ago. There were a couple of county cops there enjoying a meal. Can you believe that there were two Hispanic famlies there as well, laughing and enjoying their pizza RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE COPS? Someone needs to tell those fools that they are playing with fire.
Emma, if you really have an open mind to understanding what’s going on, the Center for Regional Analysis puts out a couple of reports a month:
http://www.cra-gmu.org/
This will get you started. Thanks for asking.
I’m sorry if I sound cross with you. As I’ve said many times I’d say it nicer if we were talking face to face. When it’s just a fake name I really do get frustrated with the inanity of blaming a negative economic downturn on immigrants in order to pass a law, and then citing the same statistics (only worse) to claim there IS no economic downturn now that the law has taken its toll on the county.
On this very thread, I’ve seen people go from blaming the negative reputation of Prince William County on Elena, Alanna, and a You Tube vidoes, and then turn around and say there is no such thing as a negative reputation for PWC.
I don’t mind if there are self-deceived people in the county, but they are making matters worse for all of us by perpetuating that self-deception, especially now that there is nothing for them to gain by it.
Poor Richard,
I, along with a multitude of other people, who have been out front and behind the scenes, are simply NOT responsible for the mess we are in right now. I really am suprised by your comment. We simply reacted to the mess that Greg, FAIR, Corey, and Greg imposed upon all of PWC. I WISH, I can’t tell you, how I wish NONE of this had ever happened. Maybe you can turn a blind eye to what was happening in this county, but not me, and not alot of other people too. We worked hard to get the resolution amended to what it is now, it may not be perfect, but a blow was struck to Corey et al, and that matterd Poor Richard, it mattered alot.
Emma,
I love this county, I love this state, and I love this country. I will not abondon my county to the likes of Greg or Robert Duecaster. That simply is not my nature. As the republicans love to say “I don’t cut and run”
Too bad some Republicans in PWC wouldn’t “cut and run”. Of course, that includes the wannabe politician type Rupublicans too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwhTBTaD6D8
🙂
WhyHereWhyNow, 6. September 2008, 11:07 wrote:
WHWN,
I think I get the difference between a “McCain Republican” and a “Palin Republican” in your mind. McCain Republicans are respectful grand dad types and Palin Republicans are mean snide remark haters. Right?
You know, I think the accusation you wanted to say above was hypocrisy. I agree that’s annoying, but if hypocrisy annoys you so much, why aren’t you annoyed that the same people who said Governor Kaine was unqualified to be Obama’s VP now say that Sarah Palin is ripped, ready and roaring to be a heartbeat from Commander in Chief?
For X’s sake! Listen to Karl Rove flip-flop on whether experience is an important qualification for VP. It’s classic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOxs6_3TfPE
The entire party is singing the same tune. Even Mr. Straight Talk McCain is feeding us the same b.s. about Palin being qualified to be President due to her months in the Alaska governors mansion.
So aren’t “McCain Republicans” and “Palin Republicans” fused into one big hypocritical con job right about now?
Great point FortKnocks!
Thanks WHWN, I will review that link tomorrow when my brain is fresh, although if it is authored by Dr. Stephen Fuller, I will find it suspect, sorry. I don’t for a minute believe that legal immigrants had anything to do with the economic downturn. The downturn was a nationwide crisis in part due to greedy lenders and oil speculators, among a few villains, but no reasonable person believes that the economy tanked just because of immigration.
And really, the “bad” reputation goes back to John Wayne Bobbitt, and continued with a string of stupidity that kept putting the Manassas area in a negative public light. And our own Washington Post, read by millions all over the world, is only too happy to gleefully perpetuate this image.
Whatever is said about the “reputation” of this area, this region has jobs, and the area roads are clogged every day with people trying to get to those jobs. We’re not that bad off.
“And really, the “bad” reputation goes back to John Wayne Bobbitt, and continued with a string of stupidity that kept putting the Manassas area in a negative public light.”
NOPE, WAY before Bobbit! Now, that was funny, in a circus way. I would say as bad as it was, he didn’t suffer any short Cummings from it. He EXPLOITED HIMSELF!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uunSnYz3t4
RD
Where is Bobbitt now? First he was a porn star, then a minister or something–or was it the other way around?
Emma,
Who knows 🙂 He probably disappeared like a dead fish rolled up in yesterdays newspaper.
That is how significant THAT story was when it broke HEADLINE news 🙂
I do admit, I watched the video out of curiosity -hometown-historical-news making shit-yeah right, lol!!!!!!
I do hope not TOO many people watched the Bobbit video but did not watch my video about the Presidential election. Here it is again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOxs6_3TfPE
Coming to this thread extremely late, but are there really people who would refer to Eric Byler as a wannabe filmmaker?
It isn’t exactly difficult to find his three feature film credits. If you check out his 2002 feature, you will find reviews from Roger Ebert, the New York Times, Variety, SF Chronicle, etc. linked to that feature on the IMDB. Do you suppose they reviewed a non-existent film? Do you suppose the festivals that screened his work screened non-existent films? Why make yourselves seem so utterly foolish by implying he isn’t *already* an experienced filmmaker?
Leila,
I’m guessing that the people who say stuff like that are not film buffs or indie fans. If someone isn’t Steven Spielberg with blockbuster popcorn movies hitting the local multiplex, than they may not consider him or her a real filmmaker. It’s kind of like saying, “Well I’ve never heard of you before, so you must be insignificant.”
To me, those comments are just little jabs they are hoping will hurt someone’s feelings. I’m sure that Eric and Annabel are in NO WAY bothered it. They probably just consider the source.
Being a film fan myself, I hope that those people do start taking a look at smaller, independent and arthouse films. Mainstream movies are great, but if that is all you are seeing (or maybe even all you’re aware of), you are REALLY missing out!
Often obscure filmmakers get attention from national reviewers. But they’re still obscure.
And, I’m sorry, when your message becomes purely political, you’re going to turn off a segment of the population, no matter how much they might enjoy indie films.
Emma, It wasn’t a question of “obscure” or non-obscure. It was a question of the use of the word “WANNABE” by someone above, plus Rick appearing to suggest that the information in the Wikipedia entry was made up.
The word “wannabe” implies someone isn’t yet what they desire to be. Eric Byler is a filmmaker with several features completed. Under no possible meaning is he wannabe. Plus frankly very few independent filmmakers (relatively to their numbers) get any kind of national review attention especially beyond festival coverage from Variety. Vastly fewer Very get nominated for the national and televised awards of the indie sector. But all that is beside the point. The point is while Eric may be a wannabe race car driver, chef, nuclear physicist, whatever, the one thing he is NOT is a wannabe filmmaker.
The people who continue to use that terminology (and it has occurred in other threads repeatedly). Or the people who imply that info on him is made up, are doing so to belittle him and are showing themselves to be willfully ignorant, unwilling to do the smallest amount of fact checking. But that’s nothing new.
Common tactic, don’t like the message, shoot the messenger. The reality is that Eric and Annabel have done a fabulous job documenting the events in PWC.
“Fabulous” because they have documented the events from your point of view. If they were biased against illegal immigrantion, you would be lumping them in with Greg, Corey, FAIR and all of your other bogeymen and doing everything possible to discredit them here.
FortKnocks, your definitions are a bit crude, but I will try to answer your questions.
Palin Republicans (my term) are really Culture War Republicans. I’m referring to E. D. Hirsch’s book “Cultural Literacy,” which was part of a vanguard of books and papers written during the 80’s arguing that multiculturalism was a threat to America, and that Western Culture should extinguish all else before we lose our common language … our “cultural literacy.” Pat Buchanan’s 1992 GOP convention speech, known as the Culture War speech, famously ended with a foaming-at-the mouth scream: “block by block, we must take back our cities, and take back our culture, and take back our country.”
Buchanan’s speech also added, rather listlessly, that as governor of Arkansas, Billl Clinton’s national security credentials were “limited to eating once at International House of Pancakes,” but his real problem was with gay rights, multiculturalism, and equal rights for women, all of which would see advancement if “Clinton & Clinton” reached the White House. The aim of Culture War, or Palin Republicans is to inspire hatred … a them vs. us fanaticism that we saw perfected during Palin’s speech the other day. This worries me because Buchanan’s speech in 1992 was so shrill and hateful that, in my view, he cost George H.W. Bush the election. And, perhaps worse, his insurgent candidacy that year gave birth to a movement that had 8 years to boil into a hateful Culture War fervor. They reached their apex during the 2000 election and the run-up to the Iraq War. Today, the remnants are what I call Palin Republicans.
So what are McCain Republicans?
G. H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan were McCain Republicans. Both were pragmatists who saw the big picture. Although they were supported by and (in Reagan’s case) beloved by the the Culture Warrior types, they were never slaves to them, and never, EVER let themselves become consumed with the sort of rage and resentment that we see in politics today.
For this, I blame the current President Bush (Bush the 2nd), who internalized this Culture Warrior tactic that was supposed to be limited to election season. He somehow became convinced that, as leader of the party, he was supposed to create hate and division in America 24-7 for every day of his term. Hate and division are useful during a campaign, but once you’re in office, there are more important things to do, some of which are quite hindered by hate and division. Karl Rove and Dick Cheney took advantage of Bush’s inexperience, and abused the power of the Federal government … our spy agencies, our Justice Department, our military, the Office of “Faith Based” Initiatives, and most shamefully: the tragedy of September 11th … to create fear, manipulate the public, and attack the Democratcs.
To cement his power, Karl Rove wanted to turn the whole party into Palin Republicans, and he might have if not for McCain. But what he did accomplish was pushing the base of the party into right wing extremism (including the Anti-Immigrant clones). Moderate Republicans now classify themselves as Democrats or independents. McCain was the only candidate who had a chance of winning them back. That’s why he’s the nominee. The majority of Republicans are McCain Republicans.
With this in mind, yes, I’m annoyed by Palin Republicans, but I don’t want them to stay home from the polls, so I suppose I’m stuck with them. Truthfully, I’m more annoyed at that irascible Karl Rove disciple who now runs McCain’s campaign. Their Palin strategy has manipulated the Culture War Republicans so obviously that I fear many of the moderates who left the party will not come back.
Palin R’s have been behaving like fanatics. They can be made to care about, say, national security, but they can also be made NOT to care, which is what annoys me most. Any intelligent person would have had misgivings about an inexperienced governor as V.P. with a 72-year-old nominee for President. But these fanatics instantly went cuckoo for Palin. Why? Because they were told to. Frankly, it’s scary.
I detest the long term strategy of dumbing down the party into Palin Republicans (in the information age, this is a dead end street), but I can accept reaching out to them as a short term band aid to hold together a coalition that Bush nearly destroyed.
Palin is a true Culture Warrior who thrives on hate and resentment even more than Buchanan did in his day. She was, from a political standpoint, the perfect choice because McCain just has too much class to behave the way Palin does, and he has too much intelligence to believe the things she believes (global warming is a hoax, gays are going to hell, the earth is 6,000 years old, etc). Palin Republicans and McCain Republicans don’t speak the same language … McCain Republicans speak of complex ideas or policy initiatives. Palin Republicans need only to be reminded who to hate. Palin speaks that language. But my problem with her is that she doesn’t speak McCain’s language.
But, this is election season, when all bets are off. So, while I was angered at first by the choice of Palin for VP, I’ve come to terms with the fact that McCain was forced to choose her. He had to reach out to the Palin’s of the party in order to save it.
WHWN, but how does McCain save the party if he attracts Palin Republicans at the expense of moderate Independents and moderate Democrats? I’m an Independent who doesn’t hesitate to vote for a Republican at the local level but I’ve not voted for one at the state or national level in almost twenty years. As time goes on and the Republican party moves farther to the right and closer to the haters, I’m less inclined than ever to vote for a Republican. The only way they would win me back as a voter is to move toward the center. I felt as though John McCain had a chance to make a real difference and then didn’t. Do you think that Republicans think that there are more haters than moderates out there – thus they court that element?
Censored, look at it from my perspective. For 8 years I have been waiting for McCain to clean house, not of the corporate lobbyists which would be impossible, but of the Culture War extremists in the GOP.
At first glance, it seems like inviting Palin on the ticket is a step back. But if McCain lost to an African American candidate with a name like Barack Obama, the extremists and the fanatics would go insane and probably take over the party. McCain would be powerless to stop them. The GOP would become more and more extremist as the nation becomes more and more tolerant and progressive. This is a dead end street for the GOP.
So, I’m trying to think along with McCain. He had little chance of winning without the Culture War fanatics, and he was too classy to go out and get them himself. So, he made a little compromise. He plans on using Palin to get into the White House, at which point he will muzzle her pit bull mouth, lock her in the VP mansion (or better yet send her on a Just Say No tour) and move the party to the center.
Greg’s and Duecaster’s video speak for themselves, literally Emma. Their own words are there for all to see
WHWN, I’m curious about where the Culture War fanatics would have gone had McCain chosen a more moderate running mate. If BVBL is any indication, many appeared to be willing to sit this election cycle out or write-in a candidate (or so they say…haha). McCain may have been able to pick up more moderates though I’m not sure he would get enough to win. Had the CW fanatics chosen to go a third party route, it seems that would have left the moderates in the Republican party a chance to claim to be a party of fiscal and constitutional conservatism. That would be a hard sell given Bush’s spending on the war, the various mortgage bailouts, etc. It probably would result in a loss this year but the party may have been able to offer new ideas after that. How it is, they’ll still be faced with the yoke of right-wing extremists next time around because they (the nutjubs) have gotten what they want – a visible seat at the table and a voice in drafting the platform.
At this point I’m glad I’m not a party animal and don’t have to worry about the gate-crashing.