Political Success without Compromising Principles

I have been watching the political landscape for a long time and got involved in the process at the young age of 17 as someone campaigning for Ronald Reagan and casted my first vote ever for him in 1980 at 18. Over the years I found myself supporting candidates in general elections that I would never support in primaries. I bit into the idea of "the lesser of two evils" which was feeding a movement towards political parties being built on patronage and compromise and not on principle. The current mess we are in today is built on years of good intended people like myself backing candidates who were only taking a slower path to totalitarianism, when we should have been investing in a new political paradigm (not a new party).




The Democratic and Republican parties are merely vehicles. They are recognized organizations with a built-in political apparatus that can get candidates elected. The Democratic Party has become, in my opinion, socialistic. It's principles are so extreme that Barack Obama received the nomination of the Communist Party USA in the 2008 elections (a fact largely ignored by the mainstream media). We might be able to learn a lesson from the Communists. Libertarian and Constitutional parties certainly do not have the luggage of the Communists, but they also lack the legs to make a difference on a large scale. A Republican Party, taken back by those who truly believe in the Constitution could, on the other hand, have value. For that to be the case, however, those of us who support liberty will have to shy away from the sick, co-dependent role that I believe we have been guilty of for years and take a more aggressive and strategic approach.





This approach will take time to see a lasting impact, but not the decades that a new political party will require. Friends of liberty every where will have to take the following steps:

• In this new political paradigm, "party discipline" should be about abiding by the Constitution, not towing a party line that undermines freedom.
• Ask candidates what it means to "defend the Constitution?" If the conversation does not include a discussion of Article I, Section 8 (which lists the very limited powers of the Federal government) and the Tenth Amendment (which restricts the government to those powers listed in Article I, Section 8), the conversation should be over. Certainly educate people about the Constitution, but don't believe that Congress is suitable for "on the job training."
• Become very familiar with the Constitution yourself. How can we hold candidates accountable if we do not know the limits of government?
• Remind the candidate often of what the Constitution allows.
• Work aggressively in the primaries for candidates who support the US Constitution literally and not in word alone.
• This is particularly true in the US House of Representatives which is far easier to get people elected and those who are conservative are far more in number than their colleagues in the Senate.
• If the candidates in your district do not understand their Constitutional obligations, work for candidates outside of your district. Don't let any candidate take you or your vote for granted. If your candidate loses in the primary, support a candidate elsewhere, in time or money, who is a believer in the Constitution.

This approach will produce winners both politically and philosophically, which is greatly needed in our time. It allows those who support liberty to do so without becoming Don Quixotes, merely chasing windmills.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Farewell to Arlen Specter

Senator Arlen Specter has exited, stage left, from the Republican Party. The truth is, he has long been a Republican in name only for decades. Having begun his tenure in the Senate in 1981 as one noted for his independence, he has evolved into a very serious Liberal. One could argue that Democrats like Bill Nelson of Florida and Evan Bayh of Indiana were as conservative as him.
In spite of this, he had his moments that were beneficial to conservatives. One could argue that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (certainly one of the most conservative jurists on the Supreme Court) would not be if it were not for Specter championing him in a very grueling confirmation process. In fact, the bulk of the help conservatives have gotten from Specter has been in the appointment arena, but then again he has helped many Liberals get into their various offices as well.Spectorbelieves that the President should have discretion to make appointments. His help to conservatives in the appointment area is philosophical, but not in the way those on the right desire.

The final straw for conservatives when it came to Specter may have happened in January of this year when the Senator voted for the President’s far reaching “bailout” that dramatically increased the size of the government’s budget and scope of its power, but the electoral problems facing the Senator go much further back. In 2004 conservative Congressman Pat Toomey won 49 percent of the vote, on a much smaller budget, in the Republican Primary. This came with Spector getting substantial support from President George Bush and Sen. Rick Santorum (himself almost as conservative as Toomey). Spectoer knew it wasn’t looking promising in the future. When Specter sided with the Democrats on Obama’s package (one of only three members in either House of Congress to do so), Toomey couldn’t wait to go after Specter again. He immediately resigned his position from the Free Market think tank, Club for Growth to get ready to run again.

There was no way Specter would survive another Republican challenge in 2010. There have been rumors that Specter was changing parties for years, he formally made that decision when he casted his vote in January for the President’s package.

Those Republicans who are moderate or lean to the left will cry “the sky is falling” with the departure of Specter. The most common concern will be the end of the GOP’s ability to filibuster. Anyone of either party can filibuster and it will require 60 votes to bring it to a stop. Spector’s failure to support a filibuster in January is among the reasons the bill passed. For most conservatives, Specter’s departure is a victory in restoring the GOP into a party that means something. It is a first step towards becoming a party that stands for traditional values, free enterprise, and limited government. This is a first step in the Republican Party’s own road to recovery.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Michael Steele: Trendy or Substantive?

After one of the most contested races for GOP Chairman in years, Michael Steele was chosen to lead his party. Why anyone would want that job is beyond me, but he pursued it with a vengeance and he now has the post.

The question many will ask is, why was he chosen. Is he the GOP's answer to Barack Obama? Are they saying, as a party, that "we can choose a black man too"? There is no doubt that he is an articulate and successful African American who certainly has the biography that is worthy of the post, but is he the best person for the party in the times we are in today?

Pros of Steele

The new media is playing a bigger role in politics now than ever and that is only expected to grow. Steele is a huge fan of social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and used them even towards the goal of getting elected as Chairman of the party.

Furthermore, he is extremely articulate and conveys an image of the Republican Party that most people simply have not seen else where, but certainly needs portrayed if it is going to be anything more than a minor party. When Steele discusses the needs of minorities and issues of importance to them, it resonates in a very sincere way.

Cons of Steele

We keep hearing that the former Lt. Governor of Maryland is very "conservative." This is one of the statements that demands an asterisk or a disclaimer. He is "conservative" by media standards and the reporters who interview him. He is "conservative" by African American standards, which is a population that tends to be over whelming liberal. He is "conservative" by Maryland standards, which is one of the most liberal states in the union. He is not nearly as conservative, however, as the rank and file of his party that is crucial in electoral success.

The biggest problem facing the GOP is that it is becoming increasingly like "Democrats Light." Republicans are socialist, they are just not as socialistic as Democrats. We are soft on social issues, just not as liberal as Democrats. Some where along the way Republicans became convinced that the big thing the GOP can do is be a "softer" version of the Democrats. That is what the media, which is clearly in the Democrats pocket, has encouraged for years.

The GOP has always enjoyed its biggest level of success when it acted more like Republicans than Democrats. The stronger the positions that the party has enjoyed on free markets (particularly taxes), strong defense, and pro family, the greater the electoral wins. I believe Republicans need to restore its Reagan roots and becoming the party of success it use to be. I don't know if Michael Steele can help the GOP reach that objective.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Conservatives Should Stop Defending Brats

I cannot stand it when I am in a store and there is a bratty kid pulling cans off the shelf while mom is chasing him. "I'm sorry, he is just a bright boy and so full of energy." The parent is actually so "full" of it. We roll our eyes and try to navigate around the mobile disaster area in tennis shoes. I want to get away from that aisle as quickly as possible.

I believe conservative media has suffered a terrible blow this past election cycle. It wasn't by the Democrats who simply articulated the same dangerous ideas that haven't worked nor were well received in the past. We expect Democrats to behave like Democrats. The problem was with Republicans who often tried to "out socialize" the Democrats and proved electorate cynicism about the GOP as the party of the rich as they voted for a bailout.

Many, if not most, elected Republicans have become Democrat copy cats and I am convinced that most Americans will simply vote for the real thing. Why vote for a Democrat impersonator when there is an actual Democrat available? These poorly behaving Republicans have talked about wealth redistribution (bailouts), have promoted the myth of Global Warming, and have disregarded the need of defending our borders. These are the same positions supported by the Democrats' Standard Bearers.

Smart conservatives in media have distanced themselves from such politicians. All four or five of them. The vast majority have joined the ranks of the mom in the store with the child out of control and the voters are distancing themselves from the brats and may soon do the same to their apologists.

As I have said, most conservative pundits are guilty. I sounded almost schizophrenic near the end of the campaign because I am disgusted by McCain's positions, but felt Obama was so much worse. Fear about the Fairness Doctrine (which should be called the Censure Doctrine), the extreme positions Obama took on the war and the economy, and the simple lack of choices made conservatives get in line behind the GOP. We have nothing to show for it and I am not convinced that we would have if McCain had won. Maybe the shock of Obama is what America and the Republican Party needs.

Conservative pundits need to hold candidates to task and stop being satisfied with the "lessor of two evils." If we held those who are dishonest about their philosophy to the same standards of admitted liberals, we would have a much more honest political process and would find conservative pundits held in higher regard, with greater credibility, and would force the Republican party to the roots that made it once so successful.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.