The Bottom Line

November 5, 2008
By Princella Smith, Conservative Commentator

The results of the 2008 election caused me to wonder if McCain ever really had a chance in the first place. Truthfully, about mid September, I realized that if there was indeed a shot for a Republican to win the Presidential race, it was lost. (Mid-September was the start of the HORRENDOUS financial bailout.)

Last night, when I was on the air, I didn't bash President Bush, but I did point out that there were some failed policies that have ultimately led to the political blood bath that Republicans suffered last night. The American people are responding in anger and disgust for what has happened over the past 3-4 years. It's NOT entirely Bush's fault. Some things could not be helped, but a leader is not judged by what happens but on how he/she responds to what happens. I believe Bush is a sincere person whose actions were based on what he felt was the right thing to do, but he was loyal to a fault to some people who advised him and/or served in his administration, and it has unfortunately ruined his legacy. Even yesterday, my driver (a minority who is an Obama supporter) told me that he believes that Bush was sincere, but the people around him ruined him...(This isn’t true for ALL Bush advisers, but it is true for many of them.)

The reason why Republicans got kicked this cycle is because they have all been thrown under the bus with President Bush. There is a reason why so many incumbents were sent home. We held Congress from 1994-2006, and then the GOP broke the Contract with America (look it up on Google if you don’t know what it is). They did NOT govern as conservatives but as tax and spend liberals, and President Bush didn't even use his veto power until his 7th year in office.

What's crazy is that people say that they are upset with the Republican way, but actually, they are upset with the liberal way. Conservatives in Congress along with President Bush governed as tax-and-spend liberals--not as conservatives. THAT is what the public is rebelling against, but since Republicans were the ones doing it, they are thinking: "The Republican way is the wrong way."

Ironically enough, McCain was one of the people who fought against pork barrel spending, but he too has fallen at the hand of this mass act to throw Republicans under the bus.

There will be many in the GOP who point fingers to determine "whose fault this is", and I’m not going to get into the pettiness of that. It is a waste of time. The GOP has to get to the root of its issues in a constructive way…HOWEVER, I am quick to defend McCain against people who want to blame him for this. Some people were angry that he had to distance himself from President Bush and blamed his loss on that, but I think that argument is WAY off base. You could not expect McCain to run side by side with President Bush when Bush’s approval rating is 28%. McCain was not my first choice. Mike Huckabee was, and I do believe he would have come much closer to pulling this off than McCain was, but please do not get angry with McCain for distancing himself from Bush. And, we most certainly should NOT blame this on Gov. Sarah Palin who was thrust into the spotlight at the last minute.

Last night, a fellow conservative e-mailed me the question: “What now?” Here is my answer.

1. Everybody quits whining. If you didn't see this coming, you were delusional.

2. GOP gets to the root of the problem without finger-pointing

3. GOP picks a strong national leader and develops the "up and comers"

4. GOP tells people of age that they either get with the new, forward-looking party or retire.

5. "Forward-looking" is defined as new, innovative ideas to enact conservatism and/or the right of center views—not a change in the definition of conservatism itself.

6. GOP actively recruits, young people, women, minorities, for positions of authority in the party without making them look like tokens.

7. American Solutions becomes a voice for the center-right majority and "checks" Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank when they are too far to the left and out of line.

8. GOP draws up a new charter pledging to return to fiscal responsibility and holds each other accountable to it.

9. GOP pushes for a COMPREHENSIVE energy plan that makes sense. (This includes drilling.)

10. GOP makes it clear that Karl Rove does NOT speak for us, and diffuses the effects of Rove’s continuous presence on FOX News. (His politics of division have caused us to suffer greatly.)

The GOP is in somewhat of an identity crisis, so we should weed out those who aren't adhering to its fundamental ideals, and THAT'S the bottom line.

CLICK HERE FOR A MORE MORE OP-ED LIKE VERSION. COUPLE OF DIFFERENT POINTS WERE MADE: