(or, Why RINOism Fails)

The sales tax rate in Los Angeles County is 8.25%, of which 5% is the state sales tax. The voters just approved a .5% state tax increase for transportation projects.

It’s no secret that this state is in dire financial straits, with a budget shortfall in the tens of billions of dollars. This was exactly the problem that led to the recall of Gray Davis, and the election of Sir Arnold the Idiot on his promise to fix the problem and cut government spending and waste.

Well, here we are five years later, and not only is the problem NOT solved, but it’s grotesquely worse.

Sir Arnold’s proposal? To raise the state sales tax by another 1.5% – a 30% increase – to meet the shortfall. This is supposed to be a “temporary” tax that will “expire” in three years.

R-i-i-i-i-i-ght…….

This, of course, will raise the sales tax in LA County to over 10%! Yippee! I’m “doing my part”!

He also wants to expand this tax to currently untaxed sources such as appliance repair, furniture repair, vehicle repair, golf and veterinarian services.

Throw in a tax on oil extracted, at 9.9% of “gross value”, and a nickel a drink “sin tax”, and you’ve got a classic liberal approach to taxation and governance.

What happened to “cutting waste and spending”?

Democrat leaders in Sacramento (Assembly Speaker Karen Bass) state that it’s up to Sir Arnold the Idiot to deliver the Republican votes to support his plan. In other words, to “reach across the aisle” to support increased taxation rather than cut spending.

And I have yet to hear Sir Arnold say anything about vetoing a budget that doesn’t contain spending cuts.

This is the critical failure of RINOism. False claims of “conservatism” that try to cloak a proclivity to liberal action. A fear that truly acting tough and principled will result in decreased popularity. Being more concerned about just holding office than with using that office to advance real conservative actions and principles.

Sir Arnold the Idiot is contemptible. But he’s a classic study in RINOism, the exact kind of candidate who just failed in a run for President.

First, congratulations to Obama, our new President-Elect.

Congratulations to our country for another example to the world on how power is successfully transferred in an orderly democratic society.

I think we saw many examples of how this election will be a redefining moment in the political landscape, and I’m not talking about the first election of a “person of color” to the Presidency. There are many Winners and Losers.

Loser: John McCain and his brand of liberal Republicanism, which was completely rejected and repudiated at the polls as traditional conservatives voted with their feet and stayed away in droves, thus his poor showing… frankly, a wipeout. An EARNED wipeout.

Loser: The GOP itself, for the same reasons. They refused to pay heed to the message sent so clearly during their 2006 spanking, and now they have to pay the penalty for being deaf, obstinate, or both. Conservatism sells; “me-too” Liberalism-Lite is a loser message.

Loser: Sarah Palin, who tarnished her bright future as a rising star of traditional conservatism in the GOP by hitching her wagon to the McCain horse. It’s a long time to the 2012 elections, and there are many other, untarnished conservatives in the GOP ranks chomping at the bit to make names for themselves. Along those lines… Jindal, among many others.

Losers: The spokesholes like Limbaugh, Hannity, Medved, Hewitt and others who profess to be “conservatives” – many of whom excoriated McCain for his liberalism – yet caved in and turned into noseholders for him, thereby sacrificing their own credibility as real people of principle. They talked the talked, but totally failed to walk the walk.

Loser: The NRA, which until yesterday could make the statement that “since 1980 the GOP nominee has won every time – and ONLY when – endorsed by the NRA”. Rather than following the same practice that lent that statement credibility and withholding their endorsement – as they did when Dole ran, and Bush 1 ran for re-election – they decided to endorse “C”-rated McCain while ignoring a legitimate “A”-rated candidate in Barr. Now they’ll suffer consequences: a loss in clout and credibility, and a loss in membership (I know of one Life Member who’s already cancelled his membership: me).

Losers: The neo-con/RINOs like Rove, Kristol, McConnell, Giuliani and the like whose strategy of appeasement has finally blown up in their faces.

Winner: True traditional conservatism, which now has a chance to regain dominance in the GOP if the cards are played right.

Winner: RealClearPolitics, whose polling data turned out to be almost surgically precise and correct.

Winners: The Young Turks of traditional GOP Conservatism, the Hunters, Tancredos, Jindals, Coles… the next generation that can hopefully wrest control of the GOP away from the neo-con/RINO faction and set it back on its course to principled victory – the only kind the GOP can ever really win in today’s political climate.

THE JURY’S STILL OUT: The GOP’s future. Does it finally clean out the ear wax, and realize that pandering to liberals won’t win elections? Do they finally hear the message sent so loudly and clearly in 2006, and just repeated? Do they clean house, overhaul the system, and send the RINOs and neo-cons packing? Do they learn that conservatives mean what they say when they constantly proclaim loudly and repeatedly that some candidates are totally unacceptable?

Or do they follow the California Strategy, and keep tacking Left, thereby assuring themselves permanent minority status?

One final Winner: This blog. Forgive me for a moment of self-indulgence, but I’ve been writing this blog since my first essay on July 4^th of 2006. I’ve made many forecasts and predictions. Virtually all of them turned out to be correct. This election is the most significant of those predictions, primarily because it proves to be a vindication of my political philosophy and the theories I’ve taken pains to explain, elucidate, and promote: that true conservatism is the key to success, for a campaign, a party, and a country.