Micheal Medved: New and younger faces in the GOP

from TownHall.com

It’s true that the November elections brought prominent winners in both parties, but the contrast between Democratic and Republican victors is highly revealing.

The biggest Democratic success stories involved re-elected Sens. Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid, and new California governor Jerry Brown – all age 70 or above! The GOP, meanwhile, hailed breakthrough victories for 39-year-old Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, 43-year old Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, 38-year old Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina, 42-year- old Sen. Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, 47-year-old Sen. Rand Paul in Kentucky, and many other youthful candidates bringing fresh, conservative perspectives to high office. Moreover, with Hillary Clinton ruling out a future presidential race, Joe Biden reaching age 74 by 2016, and John Edwards utterly unthinkable, what younger generation Democratic star could plausibly succeed Obama?

The Democrats, in other words, have become a party of shop-worn retreads while the GOP bench is full of next-generation leaders of potential national stature, including Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Rick Perry of Texas, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Senators John Thune of South Dakota, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, and many more.

Looking toward the future, the rising stars of the GOP not only look more vibrant and dynamic than the Pelosi/Reid Democrats, they also count as increasingly diverse.

After the recent elections, skeptics can no longer deride the GOP as an all-white party of grumpy old men. Marco Rubio, 39, became the new Senator from Florida while fellow Latino Republicans Bryan Sandoval in Nevada and Susana Martinez in New Mexico became the nation’s only two Hispanic Governors. Jaime Herrera, age 31, captured a Democratic Congressional seat in Washington State, while Raul Labrador did the same in Idaho. Two more Hispanic Republicans– Bill Flores and Quico Canseco—knocked out incumbent Democrats in Texas. In South Carolina, Indian-American Nikki Haley won for Governor while black conservative Tim Scott beat Strom Thurmond’s son (among others) for a Congressional seat. Alan West, an African-American Iraq War hero, trounced an incumbent white Florida Democrat.

In the new Republican House of Representatives, eight members of the GOP majority will proudly qualify for a potential “Republican Hispanic Caucus.” Geraldo Rivera may dismiss such victories as “window dressing,” (as he did recently on Fox News) but they have changed both image and substance of the GOP.

 

Alvin just having a bad day… LOL

From the Daily Caller:

Timing out the Alinsky bullys

“I think it’s based on racism,” Carter said in response to an audience question at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta. “There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.” MyWay

Jimmy Carter is the roundly acknowledged worst president we’ve ever had.  His book now recommended reading by Osama’s book club and his anti-semite, race baiting diatribes have given him a place in history that he othewise would never have had. Most people would not want to have that particular place. But I guess if you’re Jimmy Carter, considering what the alternative is, you’ll take whatever historical position you can.

Callling RACISM on anyone who doesn’t tow the Obama line is starting to wear thin. Like calling someone a Nazi, the overuse of these labels are  losing their impact. And in fact, it’s starting to make these name callers look delusional and desperate. Case in point:

Hank Johnson a democrat and member of the Black Caucus suggested that a “failure to rebuke the South Carolina Republican is tantamount to supporting the most blatant form of organized racism in American history.”  Johnson also went on to say, “people will be putting on“white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside”!  Moonbat Patrol

Alinsky’s rule of targeting, attacking and freezing the opposition only works when the attackee allows it to work. Name calling puts the victim on the defensive. It’s no different than the playground bully we’ve all had experience with.

There are 3 tactics to counter this Alinsky rule: 1. defend against it; 2. return the name-calling; 3. diminish it’s impact –  demeaning it’s use by ignoring it.

Tactics 1 and 2 esculate the “discussion” and are counter-productive. They are forms of rewarding negative behavior and reinforcing it. (Many of us understand this if we raised kids.) Letting the message deteriorate to a one word label (racist or nazi) doesn’t further the message of the victim. On the contrary, it reinforces the position of the bully.

On the other hand, ignoring the people who scream racist at the top of a hat, demeans them and renders them inconsequential to any debate. And seriously, who can be more inconsequential  than Jimmy Carter?

The victim needs to ignore the name and continue the conversation beyond and past this or end the conversation until or unless the bullying stops. It’s kind of like a “time out” for the Jimmy Carters and the Hank Johnsons of the world.

Someone needs to be the adult, the parent if you like, in this and take control of the situation or the bullys will keep running amuck.  These are obviously not mental giants if their argument is to scream racism at every turn. We need to start timing them out, isolating and ignoring them until they can come to the table with intelligent discussion and more than a one-word argument.