But as the world economy recovers, oil will probably surge back over $100 a barrel, increasing our oil-import tab by 25 percent or more. The Obama administration, though, mostly is obsessed with subsidizing relatively small amounts of wind and solar power. It likely won’t be long before angry motorists at the pump are demanding to know why we have not pushed for more development at home of still-plentiful natural-gas and oil fields.
(end quote)

I think his conclusion is clear.  Angry public reaction to higher gas and oil prices is inevitable.  Prudent conservatism demands long-term planning.  Remember the days, long ago, when “long term planning” was even possible, and meant you were wise?

So where are our conservatives, in Congress, demanding of Democrats that they invest in our oil infrastructure?  Over and over – they SHOULD be demanding this of the Democrats.  Setting them up for the inevitable future backlash.  Get all the demands on video NOW. Show foresight.  Show prudent planning.  Show wisdom.

But no.  All I ever see, all I ever hear from them, is crickets chirping.  Then eventually an issue rises to the surface, and the citizenry erupt, and THEN, and ONLY THEN, can our great GOP representatives be found talking about it.  Just for a short time.  Then the furor dies down… and the “intense GOP concern” disappears, too.

Of what use is any of this?  No wonder we gain nothing.  We’re playing by the Democrat rules, we’re playing the Democrat game.  We have no prudence, we have no wisdom, we have no plan.  We have no courage, especially not the courage of our convictions.  How can you have the courage of your convictions, when you have no convictions.

That is why I’m abandoning the national GOP and the national RNC.  The pattern of utter worthlessness is too consistent.

I hope you’re right and I’m wrong, because that would be better for us all.  But I believe they voted against it near-unanimously because their voters are so dramatically against it.  Not out of any principled stand that *they could explain*, but solely based on polls.  The health care bills are one of a very few situations where the voters are speaking en masse in one direction only – at least in their districts.  This one’s a no-brainer for the congress critters.

If you asked them to explain their voting pattern – what principles led you to vote X on this bill, and Y on that bill… you’ll find that they practically *cannot* explain themselves.  A pattern of explanation will emerge that will make you see that most of them are as shallow as Obama.  They are about one thing and one thing only – getting reelected.  Getting reelected is fine, if they stood up for this country and fought for the principles we hold dear, but they don’t fight.  THEY DON’T FIGHT.

I’ve never been an advocate of term limits for the higher positions in our national government, but I’m beginning to change my mind.  If term limits are good enough for the President, then they’re good enough for the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, too.  Either apply them across the board, or repeal the limits on the President.  Let’s be consistent.  (Of course there’s a risk here – since Congress is the national government branch that actually controls the flow of money, term limits run the risk of the rascals actually becoming MORE corrupt as they would have only twelve years (or so) to set themselves up for life, as opposed to what we have now, where they can take their time about the graft and corruption, because once elected, all they have to do is ensure their re-election.

On the plus side for term limits, these people hob nob with each other at all the same parties in the fever-swamp that is Washington D.C., and they come to be immersed in that culture and lose touch with much of the conservative sanity that they might have had when they first arrived. (Speaking broadly here, for there are exceptions of course.)

I ask myself over and over: Why did it seem to me that forty years ago and before then, both Democrats and Republicans seemed to be interested in improving the daily lives of most of all Americans?  They used to be in the game “for America”.   I have seen less and less of that as the years go by.   I genuinely believe we are living in the age of Cronyism.  Crony Socialism for the Democrats, and Crony Capitalism for the Republicans (again, painting with a broad brush.)  It’s corruption, pure and simple, and they don’t give a damn about any of us.

You could say that the choice, every two years, between the Dems and the Repubs is like the choice between a child molester and a thief, and so you’d better vote for the thief – the lesser of two evils.  But what if the choice is between a child molester and a serial rapist?  What’s the difference in the lesser of two evils when they’re both so bad, you really have no business voting for either?

So yes I agree, analyze each candidate for what they are worth, and how principled they are, and support them as you can… but as for me, when it comes to the national organizations of the GOP, including the RNC, I am at the point where I believe they are beyond redemption, and hopelessly corrupted.  I no longer can trust someone simply because of the “R” next to their name.  I cannot trust it AT ALL.  If I don’t know what they stand for; if they haven’t consistently set forth conservative principles;  if they play along and go along to get along in the corridors of Washington D.C., only to suddenly turn conservative in their ad campaigns as election season kicks off… I will in fact vote against them in the primaries, and probably not vote either way in the general election, in their case.

There have been repeated travesties such as the Scozzafava election where she. the anointed GOP candidate, withdrew and endorsed the Democrat over her more-conservative rival.  Over and over we find secret liberals running under the GOP banner.  Why?  And why do we keep allowing it?  To what extent does our own acceptance of this fuel the problem?

Not supporting the RNC for now (and letting them know why),
Checking out our local Republican party (my plan for the next few weeks), and
Becoming a bit more active in the Tea Party movement.

I think we need to be very much on guard against trash-talking and broad-brushing Republicans; rather, we should be encouraging where encouragement is needed, and working for better senators and representatives whenever possible.

It warms  my heart to see so many commenters agree with me that they have had it with the RNC and the GOP establishment.  I was feeling quite alone these last few months as I became more and more disillusioned with their lack of fight.  And their lack of fight is caused by their lack of principles.  They don’t know what their supposed conservatism is based on, because they haven’t thought about their principles.  They can’t explain their principles.  They can’t give a speech that fires you up because their belief in their own principles is so shallow.  They’re adrift and helpless.

You can only get so far muttering “lower taxes” over and over and over.  You have to know what your principles are, and you have to be able to explain them, before you can fight for them.   As Sadie closed her post:  We’re on our own.

I’ll repeat Sadie’s link, too, in case you want to go read those refreshing comments:
http://comments.americanthinker.com/read/1/486414.html

They don’t read the bills, they don’t fight against bad legislation.  They can’t give a speech if they’re lives depended on it.  All they want to do is raise more money for their own re-election.  In fact, it seems that that’s all they CAN do.  They’re ineffective at best, most likely they’re just plain stupid and incompetent, and at worst they’re mired in the entire DC swamp of complete corruption.  Yes, Virginia… all of D.C., including 95% of our GOP, CAN in fact be nothing more than completely corrupt.

Are the scales falling from our eyes, finally, as we perceive a basic truth?  Not only may Obama be exposing the hard left to all Americans to clearly see… he may be exposing the entire GOP, too, as a false, corrupt organization.   I urge all of you, as we head towards the 2010 elections, to put the GOP on trial in your heads.  If they don’t fight, and fight effectively, we should abandon them.  Because the principles of the fight have never been clearer.  The necessity of the fight has never been clearer.  If they can’t fight effectively NOW, given everything that is going on these days, they will never be able to.