GOP Needs to Wakeup

Over the last couple of days, I have gotten many emails from longtime Republicans upset with my blog that is working to ensure that a conservative Republican challenges Senator Arlen Specter in the 2010 GOP Primary. They have repeatedly told me the actions that I am taking are unhealthy for the party and goes against the "party discipline" required to be involved in politics.

To begin with, here lies the GOP's greatest problem: we have begun putting cronyism before values and forgotten the major beliefs that have made us a majority party in the past. It is unacceptable for a party to support somebody simply because they have an "R" next to their name. The Republican Party establishment should view our party's platform before coming out in full force to support a liberal Republican who has blatantly opposed many of the positions that our party highlights in its platform.

The Republican Party establishment must also realize that elections are decided by the voters, not the party establishment. The party has begun to forget that grassroots organization wins elections, not party bosses in Harrisburg or Washington, DC.

Many of those who have criticized me tell me the main reason we need to support Senator Specter is because he is the only one that can win a statewide election in Pennsylvania. Therefore, according to many of these people, we should negate values in a simple attempt to win an election for a Republican who does little to enhance the values we use to so proudly stand for. The party can win a statewide election with a conservative Republican as long as the party realizes the importance of grassroots organization over party cronyism.

The Republican Party lost in 2006 for one single reason: they forgot what it was they believed in. If our party does not reflect upon its victorious years, it will lose its way and vanish into the annals of history. Our party has been able to claim itself to be the party that stands up for American values for so many years, yet that trademark has significantly diminished because of the actions taken by the party establishment.

I am sure that criticism will continue, and more and more party establishment members will become disgruntled with the fact that there is a group of Republicans unwilling to rollover to partisan Republican politics that does little to reach out to the average conservative voter who seeks to find candidates and representatives that fight for smaller government, a strong national defense, states' rights, and strict interpretation of the United States Constitution. It is time for these conservative voters to stand up and let the State and National Republican Committees realize they are out of touch and to return our efforts to grassroots, value-driven elections.