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Ike was no shmuck, when those Ardennes troops were overwhelmed, without warning, in the coldest December in twenty years for soldiers posted thinly against Panzer and Tiger tanks of the advancing Wehrmacht. American GIs took the brunt of the Battle of the Bulge, with heavy losses [over 100,000, one-third fatalities] amidst anxious retreat by the bulk of our forces, and the famous isolation of the 101st airborne troops at Bastogne. More than two months were required, accompanied by more blood, sweat, tears and treasure, before the Germans were pushed back to their pre-Bulge positions.

It was humbling.  Indeed, almost as humbling as Tuesday night’s Republican rout as the Democrats are en route to a Pelosi speakership [and, boy, will she be speaking a lot, even as Lott was re-elected as a potential new “leader” returning to head the Senate?].  And the metaphor is apt, for this battle is a broad-front advance into stupidity and arrogance and socialist prattling.  We let down our guard, Republicans, as nasty Republicans and narcissistic Republicans and queer Republicans and earmarking Republicans forgot what Republicans are supposed to be: Different from Democrats!

Contributor Steve Finefrock Founder of Hollywood Forum, a speaker-bureau and panel-discussion vehicle to "Bring the Potomac to the Palisades" on issues that overlap politics and culture with the Hollywood film-TV influence on such national concerns. His scripts have addressed politics [including a TV series pilot/bible package about state political combat, called "A State of the Union"], hazardous materials [from twelve years in emergency management, including six years managing FEMA's Superfund curriculum for hazmat], terrorism, equestrian reincarnation, serial murderer killing journalists in the nation's capitol, and fantasy about time-wasters.[go to Finefrock index]

 
Taste the shame, taste the shock, taste the ‘cordite’ of this battle, and notice how Arnold won and do not learn the Wrong Lesson from this tasty-&-testy victory for BAR candidates: Barely A Republican is Arnold, whose economic conservatism was hidden in favor of embracing liberal social issues enroute to re-election.  Albeit with Matt Doud as his strategist, an indication of Matt’s boss supporting Arnold.  And maybe part of an overall strategery, Rove-style, even as Arnold precinct workers wore shirts in the national colors of Mexico.

We are in disarray in this Ardennes of politics.  We let down our guard, and let down our message, and flopped pitifully at selling our message.  One Democrat scion’s acronym, COIM, comes to mind: Candidate plus Organization plus Image plus Money [and Message]: a variation on many acronyms of political dictums, each proof of life in politics being complicated.  This defeat was a mix of many factors, in varied proportions according to district, state and regional concerns.  Some weren’t such good candidates, others lacked money, some just didn’t like to campaign and had coasted on good luck in prior successes.  And none knew how to sell the message. Indeed, ran from our message.

We’re a long way from Reagan.  Somehow, we ain’t selling the most invigorating message in politics.  We’ve been saved this past decade or so by an even more incompetent Democrat message machine: worn out FDRism, old slogans in new faces blathering socialist schemes we’ve heard before, and thought we’d defeated when The Wall fell in ’89.
 
In our midst are a large majority of Foley Republicans: more selfish than Narcissus, concerned first with themselves, and then worried about the party, the message, the mission, the nation.  Foley couldn’t just slink away in shame; he had to put out updates on his justifications [abused by a priest, a great trump card to put in liberals’ quiver] and help him feel better, even though it added legs to the attack-dog the Democrats were feeding with glee.
 
Also a majority of Republicans are weak-kneed, all fired up about others’ courage, or lack of it, while utterly failing to exercise any courage inside their own venue.  Some go for the gold, while the getting is good: thus earmarks and Abramov and the manipulations which led to the sense of a corrupt Congress, giving a taint to the White House in the bargain. “Show me the money” instead of “Let’s sell the message” – not the revolution given new life in ’94.  
 
Not that Dubya has been much of an inspiration; by that we need not expect him to be Regan-like in personal manner, for such an awesome phenomenon as the Gipper comes but once a generation, or two, or three.  No, Dubya has spent like the terminally ill spendthrift, squandering our remaining trump card, as dems slither inside other issues with some success, now giving them the opening to state – with a straight face – that they are going to bring Fiscal Responsibility to America.
 
There was one bright spot amidst otherwise demeaning Republican incompetence: Kerry’s flop was fully exploited with precision, decision and incision into his political corpus.  If only that kind of balletic competence were displayed more regularly, by the RNC, White House and congressional leadership.  With this Ardennes of Angst, maybe some re-examination will arise.  Like Ike assessing the German onslaught, we can figger out what went wrong, what to put right and Right.
 
Our message is still a winner.  But only if we understand it first.  We can’t teach, persuade, convince and mobilize until we know what we believe.  Sure, there’s some variance among neos and paleo and libertarians.  But smaller government is the core, and less taxes, and minimal interference in individual lives add to that core.  For one brief shining moment we had our Camelot of conviction.  Then lost it amidst power meisters who loved the eyeballs and adrenaline of being king of the hill, even if that were a hill of fetid garbage.
 
Long ago a famous Speaker of the California Assembly uttered his objections to campaign finance reforms under consideration: If  ya can’t drink their booze, take their money, screw their women and vote agin ‘em anyway, why are we in this game in the first place?  That was a Democrat speaking. For us, it should be: If you can’t make America a better place, preserve her greatness and convince Americans themselves of that greatness and its rightful loyalty, why are we in this game in the first place?

We will lie down and bleed a while, as Pelosi prattles and Reid rattles.  Even here in Okie-stan, Republicans screwed the pooch, couldn’t get on-message, even repeated California’s “Where’s Bill Jones?” with GOPster Ernest Istook’s effort for governor more theoretical than real.  If Republicans weren’t looking in the Ardennes of Oklahoma, of all places red among red states, it’s not surprising we got skunked in the national Ardennes.

Hopefully, we have an Ike in the mix, or better yet, many Ikes and Pattons and Bradleys.  A mix of competence, ready to lead us back to the slow but grinding victory march to vanquishing socialist prattle and riff-raff that Pelosi embodies.  Sell our message.  Fire up the troops. Get our ducks in a row.  Quit quacking in a circle and find a common theme.
 
For we don’t have the same advantages in place from years earlier, for the coming ’08 battle.  If we don’t learn Ardennes lessons, get some Pattons and quit playing “Survivor” instead of “Apprentice” [a mess of messy mini-people voting off the island the most competent member of the team for fear of being bested later, versus the best being kept and insurgent and unreliable getting “you’re fired” from a clear leader], then ’08 will be a mortal blow.
 
As Goldwater said sternly, Grow Up Conservatives.  He’d like to say we’ve Grown up fer good, but this Ardennes makes some wonder if that insurgency of ’94 was merely our entry into arrogant adolescence.  And we’ve flunked our senior-week exam, searching for a make-up opportunity to prove we know what we’re about, how to do it, how to sell it, and how to Be Republicans, not just lesser-versions of Democrats in power.

Bleed a while, then suit up, re-load and ride to the sound of socialist gunfire.  We’ve got a country to save, not just our earmarks. That’s our Mission, not finding suitable pages for future exploitation.  Or badgering constituents for fundraising events, though that is a mandate of modern campaigning.

If we’re not different, if we’re not better, if we’re not motivated for love of an unapologetic great nation, proven traditional values, unabashed patriotism and reliable political courage, then register as an independent.  Or for some of us, register Democrat.  Because far too many these past years have given fodder to the Democrat advantage.  And thus, the Ardennes was full of surprises in this winter of our diss-content. We dissed our own values, and the price is paid; but not only by us, but by America.

Did America deserve this, even if Republicans did? CRO

copyright 2006 Steve Finefrock

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