Happy Warriors Still

From Erick Erickson at RedState:

It is easy in the face of what happened tonight to sound or become defeatist. You mustn’t.

Freedom needs you now more than ever. The fight has only just begun. But we must be clear what the strategy is and what the battle plan looks like.

Tonight the Democrats voted to put people in jail who have no insurance, raise the costs of health care, destroy the federal government’s bond rating, keep unemployment high, and kill forever the mythological creature known as the pro-life Democrat.

On Friday, Rush Limbaugh said we should remember that there is a difference between the Democrats and Republicans. That is true. We see it tonight. But we need to be crystal clear on something — the Republican leadership remains accommodationist and fearful of being labeled the ‘party of no.’

Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you again that it is not enough to just throw out the Democrats in favor of Republicans. We must throw out the Democrats and replace them with the right kind of Republicans — conservatives who actually are conservative. And then we must insist that these newly elected Republicans not settle for the status quo in leadership. What is now need not be left in place.

Already we have a few Republicans positioning themselves in grand theatrics to call for full repeal of Obamacare. But these same Republicans in the past have talked about the good parts of the bill and how repeal should be measured. The only way to ensure today’s rhetoric turns into future consistent actions is to surround these Republicans with true conservative warriors.

Friends, if we are going to destroy the Democrats, we must first build up an army of real conservatives in Congress. Half measures, Democrat-lite, and men who compromise in favor of more government must be unacceptable.

Let me be blunt: any Republican who says we will repeal and replace will themselves be replaced. We want repeal period.

This is not to say we will not offer up our own ideas, of which there are many. This is to say that right now there is no consensus on what to replace this monstrosity with, so instead of nuancing just promise to repeal it. We don’t need cute and clever politicians right now, we need a commitment to repeal Obamacare.

Now, here is what we must do. The time for choosing is over. The time for fence sitting is at an end. If you are committed to the cause of freedom, if you are in it for the fight, if you want to win, you need to listen closely.

We need to support the conservative candidates I’ve listed below. We can shift the Senate to the right. We can put some of our more squishy Republicans in awkward positions by pairing them with another member of their state delegation who shines conservatively and brightly. This is our best chance to get real conservatives, not capitulators. This is our best chance to get men who will stand up with Jim DeMint and fight unapologetically for the American experiment. This is our time, but we must stand up and fight.


March

Mike Lee (UT)

If you live in Utah, show up Tuesday at your local caucus, become a delegate to the State Convention, and cast your vote for Mike Lee. Remember, Bob Bennett’s alternative health care plan is just as bad as Obamacare, complete with individual mandates, federal funding of abortion, etc.


May

Rand Paul (KY)

Marlin Stutzman (IN)

Pat Toomey (PA)


June

Chuck DeVore (CA)

Danny Tarkanian (NV)


August

Ken Buck (CO)

Marco Rubio (FL)


These candidates will deliver change we can believe in. I know a few of you have preferred candidates, but I trust this list. It is not comprehensive of all the races. But these are the races we can win if we rally now. Don’t hold off support either. Ken Buck needs your help this very day if he is to have what will get him through his race.

We can do it if we commit to it. I’ll give up Starbucks to fund these guys. I’ll get in my car and go help on the ground.

Once we have secured in the primaries an army of unapologetic conservative Republicans, we take the fight to the Democrats in every district. We preach the conservative gospel of individual liberty and choice and point out the only choice the Democrats want you to have is whether or not to kill a baby. We preach free markets, free people, and free voices. We remind the people that it is not the tyranny of big things that is going to get us, but the tyranny of small things done over time by the Democrats that destroy our bond rating, keep unemployment high, keep job growth low, and more and more bind Americans to the whim of the state.

There is a God, there is good, and there will be a last day. And on that last day we will win. Victory comes though we know not when. So we must be happy warriors until the end — warriors willing to fight with a smile and willingness to sacrifice for freedom.

We have not yet begun to fight