Perfect As The Enemy Of The Good - A Dose of Reality

So Rs got thrashed for not being the conservatives they should have been? They never will be. Democrats have never been the leftists that leftists want them to be, but they are a far more loyal and forgiving group it seems. I've seen a lot of this type of excuse from Rs since Tuesday night. Mark my words, the narrative from here on out will be "Voters threw Republicans out because of the Iraq war". It will stick and no amount denial on our part will change that. That doesn't mean I think Republicans deserved to be thrown out because of the Iraq war. No way. People have unrealistic expectations of the Iraq war. They were constantly told that it was going poorly because Bush and Republicans couldn't make it better. Democrats were NEVER expected to step up and present an alternative vision that would meet their expectations of what constituted victory (which they defined as nothing short of absolute tranquility, Iraq without bloodshed), and if you think that is going to change, then you have forgotten the NUMBER ONE reason why conservatives have found themselves in the minority in congress and without representatives like Rick Santorum - the Media carries the water for the Democrat party. If you don't control the debate, you don't win in the realm of ideas. Period. How much time did we spend debating how poorly Republicans performed as conservatives? Constantly. How much time did we spend debating how poorly Democrats were performing as their radical left wing base expects them to? We didn't. Oh sure there was a brief mention of this dynamic when Lieberman lost his primary to Nutroot Lamont, but that was the extent of it. Were any of the following issues solely Republican - corruption, earmarks, pork, Abramoff, improper dialogue with minor congressional pages? Hell no. But they were the issues that got the lions share of attention and Republicans were the only ones that were hounded relentlessly on them. Remember hurricane Katrina and the resulting chatter in congress? All the blame laid where? Ever see the video of the levee breaking? Probably not. It had been leaking at the location where it broke prior to the onset of the storm. The water did not flow out over the top of the levee system. The people most directly responsible for the tragic flooding were the local authorities. The rescue effort, when compared to previous rescue efforts, was nothing short of incredible. Yet! Blame Bush. Blame Republicans. On this and a meriad of other issues smug imbiciles like those at National Review endulged the idiotic accusations of Democrats and postulated half-hearted half-assed defenses for those who best represented them in government when they weren't conceding points to the opposition that should never have been conceded in the first place. The economy roared, and Democrats brayed about the Great Depression. And when Democrats weren't lying their ass off and denying us our successes they were virtually silent on the issues that would keep them from ever being elected. Now, however. More Anti-gun legislation? It's coming. Limits on partial birth abortion and abortion on demand or required parental consent? Try "federal funding for abortion". Despite the success of the Michigan referendum against race based preferences, I think it's safe to add the cause of creating a color-blind society to the ash heap as well. Democrat victim groups rest assured - you will retain your legally enshrined priveledge status. Tax rates? Increased! The global war on terrorism? Defensive posture. Think France. And Iraq? Cambodia. You think you've seen bloodshed there to date? You've seen nothing yet! America will disengage from areas desperately in need of a potent democratic ally. Iran? HAW! Sharpening Hezbollah's scimitars and eyeballing Israel as I type. North Korea? Our wasted bribe money will flow their direction yet again! They should start thinking of ways to spend it. The budget deficits that have been shrinking? Democrats will show you (or remind you) what "spending like drunken sailors" truly looks like. And the whole time this is happening, the Democrat Main Stream Media will lavish them with praise and affection. Casualties in Iraq will evaporate from the headlines and evening news reports after congress forces our withdrawal from Iraq, as will worries about the health of the military. Lessons? Know what lesson Republicans will learn? Be like McCain. Be more like Democrats. They win. I realize I'm bucking conservative punditry conventional wisdom regarding the "why" of our 2006 election losses and what the prudent way forward should be, but when we're still getting our asses kicked and Republicans are acting more and more like Democrats all while blustering about how we need to rededicate ourselves to the principles of the Contract with America, ask yourself where expecting perfection from Republicans has gotten us. Ask yourself if Democrats are discussing earmarks, pork, budget deficits, spending restraint, or limited government and if WE are discussing those things why they aren't having an impact on Democrat fortunes. You want a way forward? Lead. Fight harder. Stop expecting a limited number of elected Republicans to take the lead on every issue and fight the opposition party, the news media, and the entertainment industry on their own. We can't let Democrats and their Media continue to set the subjects, focus, or tone of the national debate. If we do, our status as the minority in government will be permanent. And cut the introspective crap.