My comments marked thus '?!?' Sorry, but the formatting changed in the cut & paste. Pat will tell you these aren't my convictions, and he may be correct, as I'm having difficulty concentrating with his hand up my arse?

peaceably

Richard A. Viguerie "Strategies for a Bold Conservative Future" Conservative Political Action Conference Regency Ballroom Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington, D.C. Thursday, March 1, 2007

To have a successful future, it helps to understand the past. Agreed. First, let's understand that conservatives and conservatism did not lose last November.

?!? Really? What did we win? Wasn't conservatism drug through the mud with these pretenders? Give me a break. Any time I mention the fact that I'm a Christian it's immediately assumed I'm part of the Christian Right, those conservative mad men who put President Bush and company in office. So realistically I'm slurred twice based on a simple profession of faith.

The election loss was a direct result of the Republican Party and its leadership in the White House and Congress moving left. The Republicans became that which they beheld.

?!? This Administration did precisely what it planned to do, they were lefties before they entered office. Major portions of Congress have always been left of the American people and their best interests. He speaks like the major players haven't been ensconced in DC for multiple decades. Sure sure, it's a two party system ... when they're talkin'(what we want to hear). One more reason the 17th Amendment needs be repealed. Too(I'm guessing), enacting,the Titles of Nobility Amendment would suddenly move the nation toward the spirit of natural law and a balanced budget, including the elimination of that ol' interest bearing deficit.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, they beheld the corruption and abuse of power by the Democrats. But a few years after the voters threw the Democrats out of office, the Republicans became that which they beheld-the Republicans became corrupt and abused their power.

?!? Is this fella a Christian? If not, he probably shouldn't be using the term 'beheld'. All! is not good. Do note the second use. Ain't that rich, "our guys" were corrupted by viewing the Democrats. In a less bombastic world, they were corrupt before they went to DC or even the school board. Ain't that why they call it a party system? Who do you invite to your parties, why birds of your feather of course. D'oh.

When most of the Congressional Republicans first ran for office, they ran against the sewer that Washington had become. But after a few years in Washington most of them act like they've discovered that Washington isn't a sewer after all – it's a hot tub.

?!? I bet they were less surprised than this fella seems to be. How many get to DC without party assistance(other than Ron Paul) Ain't that how it's played, if ya ain't acceptable the RNC/DNC support you little to none. Look at Bernie, he's acceptable so the state and national DNC's take a powder while the RNC lets Mr Tarrant spend his own money freely. And what kinda guy is Bernie, why he's an ends justifies the means sorta guy. How can I say that, because he ignored the Progressive Party who helped him get elected, once he didn't need em anymore. Yup, Bernies fit fer halls of Congress 'cause he's the DNC's kinda people too.

In other words, the Republicans' real message was: "We didn't want the Democrats spending the money, but now that we are totally in charge, let's blow the door off the bank vault, and let's spend and spend and spend our children and grandchildren's inheritance."

?!? Which makes them marxists in the guise of Republican clothing, not conservatives. And if at any time they said, or suggested, they were otherwise, weren't they lying from the outset?

ALL FOR THE SOLE IMMORAL, CORRUPT PURPOSE OF HOLDING ONTO POWER.

?!? Like that's an oddity anywhere, let alone in DC. I woulda wanted to cheer if this weren't so insulting.

And how appropriate that it turned into ashes in their mouth. In January 2001, for all intents and purposes, the Republicans in the White House and Congress adopted a one-word strategy to govern. And that one word was BRIBERY. In essence they said to the voters 'you've got votes-we've got money-let's talk - let's deal.'

?!? Wouldn't it be more accurate to say they decided "amongst themselves", coupled with midnight arm twisting(with promises of graft resulting)? What did the voters have to do with it? That's a mighty big misdirection, ain't it? And how again did it turn to ashes, apart from a few scape goats? Mostly, as the gentleman previously pointed out, the Republican betrayers of conservatives remain in office, in the highest posts of their realm.

The illegal corruption of Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff, and Mark Foley is not a serious problem for us, our children, or grandchildren's lives. They've been caught and punished.

?!? How has Foley been punished? And Abramoff's punishment hardly reflects the scope of his on-going influence. Plus, didn't he just take one fer the team? I mean, who of consequence went with him? What was cleaned up?

But far worse crimes have been committed by the politicians who are still sitting in their Capitol Hill offices I'm talking about the legalized theft of trillions of dollars these politicians have stolen from the children of tomorrow – in order to buy votes to stay in office today. Therefore conservatives, our #1 need going forward is for new leaders.

?!? Yeah, like the 2 trillion Mr Rumsfeld announced missing from the pentagon on 10 Sept '01. Or the tons of palleted greenbacks that were unaccountably distributed in Iraq.

New leaders huh! We need a new team. Or the backbone to 'to throw the rascals out', beginning in our own neighborhood.

Conservatives are like the Biblical Jews who had to wander through the desert for 40 years until that generation of immoral corrupt leaders had passed away. As conservatives, we're not going to get to the political Promised Land until we also get new, uncorrupt, principled leaders.

?!? More appeal to the traditionalists language, although his conclusion is true enough. The problem is how to get principled leaders into place in a corrupted system. It's a rare breed who bucks such multifaceted and pervasive peer pressures.

Dr. Phil, the TV psychiatrist, likes to say: "How's that working for you?" And I say: How's that working for you conservatives – to be an appendage of the Republican Party? The voters spoke in November, and what was the first thing the Republicans did? They kept in power all the leaders who had led them over the cliff! Obviously the initials GOP now stands for Go On Partying. Or Give up (G) on (O) principles (P). Well, the Republican party apparently has a death wish, but that doesn't mean we conservatives have to go along with it.

?!? So let me get this straight? The Bush/Cheney Administration is bad. The Republican Congressional leadership is bad. There's agreement upon that among conservatives?

My strong recommendation is for conservatives to stop being an arm of the Republican Party and become a 3rd Force, but not a 3rd Party. The left has had enormous success by building strong 3rd force groups and coalitions. The left has hundreds of environmental groups, consumer groups, civil rights groups, feminist groups, and homosexual groups, etc., etc. And these groups have their own agenda, their own members, their own money, and most importantly they operate independent of the Democratic Party

?!? I was wondering when this would show up. Don't leave the party, stay elbow to elbow with your betrayers .... And yet, the 3rd Force Dems operate in conjunction with the greater good, I mean marxist goals. Not unlike the Republican Party growing government expenditures and intrusiveness exponentially. How again is that better because people calling themselves Republicans are doing it. I suspect Jefferson would view this group as Tories.

Conservatives must do the same. No longer think of yourself as a Republican, but as a Reagan conservative. Let's re-launch the conservative movement. Let's act independently of the Republican Party and their failed big government leadership. Let's focus on the conservative movement, not the GOP.

?!? Ahem, Mr Reagan talked a great game, but the results indisputably illustrate he was but a sock puppet of the same people who are in charge today. Yes I consider secession from father to son -even discounting many of the same key players in the present picture- as the same people being in charge. Again, I agree with the conclusion Let's focus on the conservative movement, not the GOP but who holds the purse strings of the Republican Party. Until we get it through our heads that the Republican Party is a conservatives enemy, conservatives will remain co-opted, and thus ineffectual and ignorable.

We need to greatly increase the size and number of principled conservative organizations. Let's launch a thousand new organizations reaching out to: 1. Small business owners, especially women, Hispanics, and Asians. 2. America's youth, who know the current Social Security system just won't be there for them. 3. Independent voters, most of who support a balanced budget, family values, and fiscal restraint. 4. Values voters, who agree with us on same sex marriage and the culture of life and promoting traditional moral values – not Hollywood values. 5. Young married couples, who care about child tax credits and better schools. 6. Senior citizens, who want to stop the politicians' raid on the Social Security Trust Fund – and don't trust them to manage their health care, either. 7. Doctors, who are already being hamstrung by red tape – and are scared to death of the prospect of socialized medicine. 8. And all the Americans in the "sensible center" who know deep-down that conservatives really are "right:" We're right on illegal immigration, right on taxes, right on health care, right on the economy, right on terrorism – and right for America.

?!? Since when is conservatism the "sensible center". SS is mentioned twice in 8 points. One instance of which the myth of a SS Trust Fund is forwarded as fact. What is Values Voters code for again? Couldn't soccer mom's be fit in too! Tax Credits huh? How again, s that form of graft a conservative principle? It seems to me folks are right quick to sign up for new health care programs. Financially oriented doctors are leaving the profession. More delusional yammering.

Let's withhold support from all Republican National Committees because they spend our money in primaries to defeat conservatives. Let's withhold support from most Republican elected officials, supporting only those few principled conservatives Let's challenge in primaries all establishment big government Republicans and Democrats at the National, state, and local levels. Let's run principled conservatives for local, state, and national party offices.

?!? Sounds good. But how long will it be before 'We've gotta stop Hillary' is rolled out. Or some other bogey man. It's inevitable y'know.

A I congratulate CPAC for not having the Chairman of the Republican National Committee at CPAC for the first time in memory. and conservatives­this is important – for the time being, we should withhold our support from all of the top tier 2008 Presidential wannabees. Not a one of them deserves our support today. They all fail the Goldwater/Reagan test.

?!? Only for the time being huh? Ron Paul would ace that test. Why not a word for a real conservative. Mr Viguerie could have helped Dr Paul approach top tier status by directing moneys his way. On a similar note, I heard Rush recently had a guest host who mentioned Ron Paul favorably, and when Rush returned, he down played Ron Paul's candidacy. Can anybody verify that? Surely Rush isn't beholden.

Goldwater became our hero when he and he alone in Washington stood up and criticized the Republicans for their big government policies. On the floor of the Senate in 1960, he said President Eisenhower was running a dime store New Deal. He spoke truth to power. Where is the Republican Presidential candidate that has stood up publicly to the big government Republican leaders in the last 6 years? And if they haven't stood up for conservative principles in the last 6 years, they won't start if they become President. And Reagan regularly criticized Presidents Nixon and Ford. And the second test is, tell me who you walk with and I'll tell you who you are. Reagan walked with conservatives- long before he ran for President in 1976; he was at our meetings, our receptions, and our rallies. And surrounding Reagan were conservative stars Lyn Nofziger, Marty Anderson, Dick Allen, Ed Meese, Judge Clark, Joe Coors, and many others.

?!? I'd call that SOP. Why, because government grew by leaps and bounds under, and since Reagan. Why is that continually overlooked. I almost forgot to mention, look what happened to Goldwater, little girls and mushroom clouds, and the sheep weren't bright enough to be outraged(by such tactics). Nor are they today.

If conservatives have not been around a Republican Presidential candidate before he began asking for our votes, I guarantee you conservatives will not be around him if he moves into the White House. And I promise you; you will not have conservative policies or conservative programs without conservative personnel. I don't know about you, but I'm angry and I feel betrayed, but fortunately there are things we conservatives can do to become a governing majority in America.

?!? Frankly, it doesn't seem to matter who surrounds the narrow cast of candidates vying for the White House. Only compromisers end up sleeping therein.

However, it's not likely to happen quickly, certainly not by 2008. One of the strengths of the conservative movement is we've always approached politics as a marathon, not a sprint. It may take 6-10 years for conservatives to be able to govern America. But first, conservatives have to follow the advice that Kevin Costner got in the baseball movie "Field of Dreams." If you build it, they will come.

?!? Certainly not '08?! Why prepare us not to get our hopes up? Hasn't that been the theme of the past 4 or 5 decades. Why not start now with Ron Paul? 20 months 'til the next Presidential election and people cheered for a guy stating " certainly no conservative by 2008 ." No wonder we're so rarely represented in Washington.

We have to build a whole new conservative movement, independent of the two major parties. And once we build a large, dynamic powerful conservative movement, the next Ronald Reagan will appear.

?!? Just what we need, another genius of the teleprompter with no conservative umph after the election.

Remember the movie, "The Blues Brothers" with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. The idea in the movie was " We're putting the band back together And we're on a mission from God' Well conservatives, We're putting the conservative movement back together. And hopefully we're on a mission from God.

?!? No! conservatives need to start voting conservative. And true conservative pols need to stand up and use their bully pulpit. And if they are ignored by the major media then illustrative sensationalism, among other measures, must be employed.

Taking the Gandhi quote below, why should we be postponing our expectations 8-10 more years.

I'm sure this was a rousing speech, but upon examination, it's largely drivel without the aid of enunciation.

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NOTE to EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered ideological and political direct mail and has been called "the funding father of the conservative movement" for his role in helping build dozens of conservative organizations He is the author of the newly released Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books, 2006). Richard A. Viguerie ConservativesBetrayed.com Suite 400, 9625 Surveyor Court Manassas, VA 20110 [email protected] http://www.ConservativesBetrayed.com

"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow." - Mahatma Gandhi