Revolt in September, Not November

I know the 'cool kids' are all saying sit out in November. I personally think you just had a lobotomy if you back that idea.

(Sorry Chris, love ya, but this is nuts. Same with you Bob Dohnal.)

Captain Ed points out that Fiscal Conservatives can get their point across in a much more effective way. And they bagged big prizes in Pennsylvania in the primaries, the time to show the RINOs who's boss!

Angry taxpayers on Tuesday tossed out the two Republican Senate leaders who helped engineer last year's legislative pay raise, an issue that apparently cost 13 House members their jobs, too.

Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer of Altoona, and Senate Majority Leader David Brightbill of Lebanon County conceded to their challengers, becoming the first lawmakers in major leadership posts to lose a primary election in 42 years. The House defeats would be the most since 1980.

"We have had a dramatic earthquake in Pennsylvania," said Jubelirer, a 32-year legislator.

The defeats of Jubelirer and Brightbill "will send shock waves throughout he political establishment for years to come," said Mike Young, a retired Penn State University political science professor.

These were last night in the Pennsylvania primary. Politicians who had lost their way got their comeuppance when the base is suppose to have their say.

As I wrote late on Friday night, the idea of staging a mass conservative walk-out in November here in Wisconsin only hurts conservative causes. Especially when you figure that many of those who some of you want to exact 'sweet revenge on' aren't even going to be on the ballot this year.

How are you going to get Concealed Carry, a TPA, or anything else without a majority in both Houses of the Legislature?

Remember, we were inches away from getting concealed carry in 2001. It had passed the Assembly, Zien had the numbers in the Senate, and then-Governor McCallum was going to sign it.

Know what happened. By mere Parliamentary Procedure, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala (D-Madison), killed it by bottling it up in committee.

Who's to say Judy Robson (D-Beloit) won't do the same in a similar position?

As Ed puts it, fiscal conservatives can win and have their times to flex their muscles.

Without a doubt, the Pennsylvania Republican Party got the message, along with the incumbents who now find themselves out of a job after the general election. It is entirely possible to turn the rascals out if conservatives remain committed to the cause. This can be replicated on a Congressional level with enough effort and organization. In fact, thanks to the reapportionment process, it actually carries less risk than one might fear. Solidly Republican districts will likely elect whichever GOP candidate wins the primary, so the argument that the incumbent somehow protects against the loss of a seat holds little water. That gives Republicans the ability to offer true choices in the primary elections, a strategy deftly employed by Pennsylvania conservatives.

And look how the press reacted! They have given fiscal conservatives a huge victory in the recognition they received for holding the line on spending. No one expected the conservatives to organize this well or this effectively, and it gives them momentum heading into the general election. The political story of this year in Pennsylvania will be the housecleaning performed on the state legislature, and it puts candidates of both parties on notice that conservatives have grabbed the momentum. Don't be surprised if that changes the entire tenor of the debate on Pennsylvania public policy.

Conservatives can achieve these victories across the nation, especially in Congress, by working within the GOP to effect change. It requires engagement and organization, which may be less immediately satisfactory than boycotts and protests, but carries much greater potential for actual gain.

Remember Primaries matter. Remember the State Senate 20^th in 2004.

They matter more than some of us seem to think.