Sarah Palin helped to energize the party faithful (sorry, that’s not me) but failed to make enough of a difference due to a successful Democrat attack strategy that made her look like a complete idiot and a McCain strategy that assisted the Democrats in that effort. Those conservatives that believe in principles and not party stayed home or voted third party in November. I hate to say I told ya so…

Of course the conservative blogs and magazines are filled to the brim with prescriptions for the revival of the Republican Party. Move to the center, move to the right, return to conservative principles, etc. The truth is that only the principles matter. Parties are corrupting influences and they will always promote the accumulation of power rather than the enhancement of freedom for the electorate. You are seeing the rise of the Liberal Party’s accumulation of power, now. It will be very disturbing because it is more committed to group-think than the Conservative version (think Contract with America).

Expect the green revolution to drive much of Obama’s agenda and Global Warning to be the catalyst for much of the “change” we see in the next four years. Expect government giveaways to become the norm and inventive methods of extracting the revenue from the citizens of this country to expand exponentially. Bad driver fees, licensing fees, speed cameras and their automatic ticketing, enhanced police traffic enforcement and many other revenue-raising tactics will dominate the scene over the next few years. Remember, “buzzed driving is drunk driving“. Yes, and texting while driving is the same as driving dangerously.

What all of this means to me is increased government presence in my life and less individual freedom. Both parties are signing up for this prescription, not just the Democrats. John McCain would have happily signed the same bills you will watch a beaming Obama sign. I don’t want a party that changes its principles to get me into the fold. I want a party that changes its principles because the principles are the right ones to hold for a free and prosperous citizenry. When the Republicans pay more attention to that prescription, they might gain a member.

A check of the webpage linked to above will show many more items of interest, as well. It also appears that the recording industry tradegroup, the RIAA, has decided to pamper the Democrat politicians with their very own free Kanye West concert! Tickets that can go for as much as $1000 were provided gratis to the visiting Dems (the Senate ethics committee had no problem with this but the House ethics committee required a $90 payment). Why does the music industry give away millions every year to Congress? Influence, why else? The recording industry is begging for Congress to pass even more stringent and punishing legislation against music downloading and copyright infringement. They figure some free tix to a hot hip-hop concert will help. Man, I sure hope none of those congresscritters has a tape recorder or a video camera in there!  The house has already passed one of these bills and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has introduced a companion bill in the Senate. That’s the same Leahy who was given a small speaking role recently in the blockbuster film, The Dark Knight…Oh, it’s OK, he donated his pay from Warner Brothers to charity. According to ABC News, the West concert capped a week of lavish parties and entertainment put on by corporate lobbyists who push legislation and regulatory issues in Washington.

The fact that ABC News is reporting this, especially as damaging as it is to the Democratic Party, whose nominee for President has pinned a lot of his appeal on a reputation for honesty and a promise to end lobbying and reliance on PAC money, really is astonishing. They even have a piece about Charles Schumer’s (D-NY) creation “The Legacy Circle“. This is an elite group of donors, designed to finance the campaigns of Democrat senatorial candidates. “Membership requires that individuals – or couples – give the legal maximum (which is adjusted for inflation) to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) five years in a row or have donated $500,000 over a life time.” There are about 60 couples or 120 people in the group, so far. Member benefits include invitations to special events throughout the year.

Bravo to the one television news organization that seems to be interested in real reporting! Go ABC!