As the dust settles from the annual pilgrimage to Washington D.C. by Conservatives, otherwise known as CPAC, several things were on display that made for an interesting weekend.
All the big names, and rising stars of the Party were on hand. Paul, Rubio, Palin, Santorum, Cruz, Gingrich, Romney, Ryan. Of course, this is not the complete list, and no doubt some of those names were auditioning for bigger and better things.
One thing was glaringly obvious, the names that were not there. McCain, Graham, Boehner, Rove, and others of their ilk. The names that are often collectively known as "the old guard".
The Old Guard are not happy campers these days. Life is just a tad precarious if you are what is commonly known as an "establishment" Republican. There are fresh faces, demanding fresh ideas. The old guys are having trouble keeping up.
Poor Old Guys. It's just not their father's GOP anymore. Back in the good ol' days, they didn't have to worry about the message, or how it was getting out, and to whom. Messages were for campaign season. As soon as they got to Washington, it was business as usual. Go along to get along. They knew that if they just kept trying, kept being nice, the Democrats and the media would like them and say nice things. Well, no, it hasn't happened yet, but they will! Just you wait!
Well, Old Guys, there are new kids on the block. They are young, educated, informed, articulate, hungry, and tired of being nice. The New Kids were were hanging around way back in 2011, even voted Ron Paul the winner of the Presidential Straw Poll. But the Old Guys sniffed at them, and promptly dismissed them. Then came 2012. The Old Guys did not do so well.
So the New Kids came back in 2013. Ready to take over and get to work. The New Kids don't care whether or not the Democrats and the dinosaur media like them or not. They have their own media. The New Kids are tired of losing elections. The New Kids want smaller government, free markets, and adherence to Constitutional principles. The New Kids don't want to change the message. They want to tweak it, make it better, and make it resonate with all who are able to hear.
The bending and stretching of the Republican Party between the old and the new may not be pretty, but it is necessary. A growing pain that must be felt in order to get to the next level. Some will emerge on the other side. Some will not. It is the next phase that has to happen, so that no one else but ourselves will identify who we are, and what we stand for.
Fur may fly, and hair may be pulled, but it is our fight.
The true Conservatives will emerge victorious.
All the big names, and rising stars of the Party were on hand. Paul, Rubio, Palin, Santorum, Cruz, Gingrich, Romney, Ryan. Of course, this is not the complete list, and no doubt some of those names were auditioning for bigger and better things.
One thing was glaringly obvious, the names that were not there. McCain, Graham, Boehner, Rove, and others of their ilk. The names that are often collectively known as "the old guard".
The Old Guard are not happy campers these days. Life is just a tad precarious if you are what is commonly known as an "establishment" Republican. There are fresh faces, demanding fresh ideas. The old guys are having trouble keeping up.
Poor Old Guys. It's just not their father's GOP anymore. Back in the good ol' days, they didn't have to worry about the message, or how it was getting out, and to whom. Messages were for campaign season. As soon as they got to Washington, it was business as usual. Go along to get along. They knew that if they just kept trying, kept being nice, the Democrats and the media would like them and say nice things. Well, no, it hasn't happened yet, but they will! Just you wait!
Well, Old Guys, there are new kids on the block. They are young, educated, informed, articulate, hungry, and tired of being nice. The New Kids were were hanging around way back in 2011, even voted Ron Paul the winner of the Presidential Straw Poll. But the Old Guys sniffed at them, and promptly dismissed them. Then came 2012. The Old Guys did not do so well.
The bending and stretching of the Republican Party between the old and the new may not be pretty, but it is necessary. A growing pain that must be felt in order to get to the next level. Some will emerge on the other side. Some will not. It is the next phase that has to happen, so that no one else but ourselves will identify who we are, and what we stand for.
Fur may fly, and hair may be pulled, but it is our fight.
The true Conservatives will emerge victorious.
No comments:
Post a Comment