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    Friday in the Sphere: November 21


    By Nick, Section News
    Posted on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 07:20:25 AM EST

    Akindele Unleashed: The New Faces of the Michigan Republican Party

    Blog of Bodnar: Someone Get the Dems a Thesaurus

    MSU Conservative: The City of Detroit Waste Money?  Nah!

    Five Ws: Hey, Big 3, Reality is 90% Perception

    Jack McHugh: When There Used to Be Air Travel, and Cars...

    < On billion dollar deficits, new home value numbers and mass transit | So, what happened? >
    Display: Sort:
    Akindele Unleashed (none / 0) (#1)
    by maidintheus on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 09:04:28 AM EST
    Please check out this article, take notes.

    Akindele's Article (none / 0) (#2)
    by John Galt on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 01:43:32 PM EST
    Great article.  The substance is that we need to be an open tent, and support diverse Republicans.  Opening roads and helping support good, diverse Republicans and not treating them as tokens will lead to more success as a party.

    To me, this means is that we need to stop the infighting.  We need to stop calling decent Republicans "RINOs" because we disagree with a couple of points.  Olympia Snow?  Lincoln Chaffey?  Fine.  Joe Knollenberg?  Not so much, even though I ADAMANTLY disagree on the bailouts.

    LBJ had a quote - "I'd rather have people inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."  Quit pissing in the tent, and start pissing out - onto the liberals and the ideologies that are not going to bring a strong America for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

    This also means that we have to let the poisonous people go.  I don't care that you feel the Republican party "left you".  I don't care if you think I'm not a conservative.  I'm not going to let my party be hogtied by ultimatums - don't threaten to vote Libertarian, just go.  Go and do it.

    I suppose lastly, we have to realize that the Republican party, like our government, is a committee of many people.  We appoint representatives for us to handle party business.  Committees operate on majorities and consensus.  Complain about it all you want, but you have to play the game to get what you want.  If you're not going to play the game, go start your own.

    By following these generalized guidelines, and making a large personal commitment to helping bring in more diverse candidates and members through education and friendship, we'll be able to bring back the Republican party.

    • Seriously... by JGillman, 11/21/2008 01:52:11 PM EST (none / 0)
    Yeah, actually. (none / 0) (#4)
    by John Galt on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 01:58:36 PM EST
    Elaborate.  

    Poisonous people pissing in our own tent aren't going to make us strong, and detract from our larger goal of bringing government right again.  We don't have the time and shouldn't have the patience for "more conservative than thou" battles.

    Besides, does it matter if they're outside the tent pissing in?  They're already inside the tent pissing in.  No change in status, and it makes them someone else's problem.  We'll surely lose less poisonous people who sit around pissing and moaning than we'll gain when they're gone.  RightMichigan is the perfect example.  When the arguments over Ron Paul settled down, much more productive conservation erupted.

    Someone who wants to waste people's times can go play with other people.  Let the Libertarians have them.  They can either work within the system, or they can piss in someone else's tent.

    And as to those who VOTE for Democrats.. (none / 0) (#5)
    by JGillman on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 02:05:26 PM EST
    Ask yourself why they might have.

    If it is because the Republican alternative is farther to the left, I personally leave the sheet blank assuming there isn't a libertarian available.

    While I have the utmost respect for MR. Akinyemi, I fear the point is still being missed.  Perhaps I misread, and please correct me If so, but one of his highlighted subjects is/was a Democrat?  Before supporting such a person for advancement in the field of IDEAS, shouldn't you know what those IDEAS are?  Because we have had a plethora of good Democratic "administrators" in government by all means in clerk, road commission, or county government spots, but when the move is to a point where they carry the banner of the conservative or Republicans, should they not represent us in their views?

    The issue at hand, is how can we deliver the message of conservative government when we keep throwing the same people with mediocre ideology who have been failing us?  If you don't "really" believe strongly enough in limited government to be able to educate people WHY IT WORKS..  perhaps you shouldn't try to lead with that angle.  At least not in a party which carries that as a PLATFORM and CORE PRINCIPLE.

    Yes..  we want a big tent.  But we also want the message to be true.  LET THE REVIVAL BEGIN!

    Both of Akindele's people (none / 0) (#7)
    by John Galt on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 02:24:51 PM EST
    Both of the black republicans whom he's backing were - in fact - Republican.

    He mentioned african americans who helped campaign for DeVos who voted for Obama.  What drew them to DeVos?  What drew them to Obama?  I don't think this is a Republican/Democrat issue.  I think it's message-based and reaching out to these people.

    McCain lost to Obama by 8 million people out of almost 122 million votes cast (66m to 58m).  

    A lot of areas where Republicans lost in Michigan, the votes had to be recounted because it was a narrow win/loss.  Several areas that Republicans won were the same way - narrow wins.  All of these were likely targetted races with a 2:1 spending by Democrats.  To get a narrow win.

    I don't think we need to rebuild the party "from the ground up".  I don't think the Republican party is "shattered".  

    I DO think we've been so hampered by poisonous people.  I DO think that we're not getting our message out there.  It's not simply saying "Oh, the solution is lower taxes."  "Oh, you disagree with me, so you're a RINO."  But explain, and work to convince - and outreach to the people you disagree with or whom you fear disagree with you.

    I'm sick and tired of seeing Republican "stuffed shirts" who are destined to lose in a district doing nothing.  I'm sick and tired of seeing Precinct Delegates doing nothing.  I don't care if you're in a 95% Democrat area - you can be out there talking about why the Republican party is the better way to run things.

    We have a "Diversity Vice-Chair" or "Ethnic Outreach Vice-Chair".  What has the guy actually done?  Why should he still be the Vice-Chair when he's not doing the job?

    Don't misunderstand. (none / 0) (#8)
    by John Galt on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 02:54:11 PM EST
    First and foremost, don't misunderstand.  This is NOT talking about kicking people out.  There's enough room in the party for disagreements on things and to come together on others.  

    It's about letting people go who are threatening to go.  They are a minority of people and yet they make the loudest clattering.  

    I'd rather lose 1,000 loud mouth detractors and spend my time spreading a positive, conservative message to others... than wasting my time convincing those 1,000 loud mouths to stay in the Republican party.

    And all urine related analogies aside, small l Libertarians make up a significant part of the party.  People who demand limited government, yet want strong security measures..  you want to shrink the party to half it's size?

    Is half the party threatening to "go away" unless they have their demands met?  I don't think so.  

    Poison is that which drives us away.
     

    EXACTLY.  Let's let the poisonous people go, so we can focus and spend our precious resources (time, energy and money) where they will do the most good - spreading a Republican message.

    This whole discussion is not aimed at any single person.  I knew before I posted that I was going to get responses from individuals who have threatened to walk away.  But I'm not going to have individual arguments.  I'm not going to allow myself, like I won't allow my party, to be distracted from a larger goal.

    I'm not talking about "kicking people out".  I'm talking about letting people go who threaten to go.  I'm talking about treating people who are pissing inside the tent as the outsiders they really are.  I don't care if they're die hard libertarians, 'true blue' conservatives, or lefties like Olympia Snow.  If you're going to piss and moan and beat up our own party, you can leave.  We don't need you.  You're wasting more resources than you'd bring to the table.

    We lost by 8 million out of 122 million votes.  MANY races around the country were narrowly won by Democrats.  I don't think this means we have to tear down and "identify core principles" and march to a single drummer.  I think this means we have to "let go" the people distracting us as a party (the "poisonous people").  Then we allow Republicans to be "Republicans" and work together to spread a message.

    urine related analogies aside (none / 0) (#9)
    by maidintheus on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 04:46:15 PM EST
    Hey! That's a great analogy. It's not going anywhere :D

    Akindele Unleashed (none / 0) (#11)
    by maidintheus on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 05:37:38 PM EST
    Okay, yes. I've seen him state several times that he'd support the other side. My personal opinion is this is nothing (spelled N O T H I N G) to worry about. I'll admit I don't like it, I'll pester him on it. I'm also convinced that he's a thinker and working for the same goals as I.

    I may not be able to agree with him 100% but my husband (hubby is at 97.8 today, grr) doesn't get that either and we're fine.

    Other then that, he's an intelligent guy. Send him an email, he'll see good sense.

    Again, let's not split hairs.

    Mr. G, The Controversial One is a mover and shaker, imo. We'll see. I'll bet you the best cup of joe in town (we can do this) that he is. Don't miss the train.

    Together we're going to turn this around and make a stand for freedom.  

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