DEMOCRATS CONTROL 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Have you noticed that there is a very distinct lack of enthusiasm in GOP circles when it comes to the 2008 Presidential race. Sure political junkies are involved, watching, listening and posting. But for, " John Q, " Republican and Independent the interest is not that high. Every day Democrats, even when the GOP holds a debate manage to steal the spotlight in the overall debate for the 2008 election.

Some of this spotlight theft comes from the fact that the MSM and the Democrats are political partners and anything that they say is considered news worthy and , "awe inspiring, " by the liberal media. But Sunday's GOP debate revealed an extremely telling problem that has beset the GOP and is in a very real sense a prominent reason that Democrats are controlling the debate for next years election.

Throughout the night most of the candidates spent a considerable amount of time lashing out against Hillary Clinton, who is only the perceived nominee and not official yet. Second a great deal of time was spent on one particularly issue that is not only NOT a GOP issue but did not become a top issue until Democrat candidates began campaigning with their versions of Universal Health Care.

First, let's deal with the Hillary factor. Everyone in the GOP understands that she is dangerous and that if elected she will not only tax the country to death but will plunge the nation into an American form of Socialism. With that said it is very appropriate to attack her and what she is proposing and running on. The problem is that GOP candidates are not offering the voters much of anything in opposition to Hillary except that they are not her.

While anyone who has any drop of conservative blood in their veins understands that Hillary is proposing ideas that will ultimately damage the country, GOP candidates are only running against her and not taking the offensive on the issues to oppose what she offers. While her plans and ideas are tax heavy and expand the government to an unheard of size and scope of control that would be unprecedented, she is proposing ideas and not JUST saying that the people should elect her BECAUSE she is not George Bush or a Republican.

The GOP candidates are more or less running REACTIVE campaigns rather than PROACTIVE campaigns. Voters regardless of political affiliation as a whole vote on issues. As they make their decision as to who they will vote for the ideas that a candidate present decide in the mind of that voter who best will deal with the important issues facing this nation.

While wrong Hillary is dealing with issues by offering plan after plan through massive government give-aways or pulling out of Iraq etc. and the GOP candidates are not offering anything as an alternative, except that we don't need Hillaryism.

One telling example of how Democrats have taken control of the 08 debate is the issue of Health Care. As we entered 2007 there were several polls that asked questions about which issues the American people were most concerned about. In just about every poll the top issues were the war, terrorism and illegal immigration. Health care while important was down the list at around fifth or sixth and in some polls as low as tenth.

The issues at the top were what are considered GOP issues. Then came the Amnesty Bill debacle and with its failure due to the outcry of conservatives, illegal immigration in many respects dropped of the political radar. Democrats then started revealing their Health Care plans and low and behold an issue that was in the middle or near the end of the list of importance to voters suddenly jumped to the number one issue in the campaign and the GOP was left scratching their head.

Even in the debate last Sunday only Tom Tancredo expressed the real issue as far as Republican voters are concerned about Health Care. Most of the candidates when asked gave their version of government solving of Health Care. Though not the Socialism plans of the Democrats, they still were plans that involved the Federal Government in solving the problem.

Tancredo then interjected almost in frustration that the real debate should not be how the government is going to solve the Health Care problem but whether the government should be involved at all. This one statement is the key to how the GOP is handling the 2008 campaign. They are reacting to the Democrats rather than countering them with strong conservative ideas that are more appealing to voters than the Socialism plans of the Democrats.

Democrats have taken the debate on the war and made it into a referendum on pulling out of Iraq rather than the real issue of defeating Islamic radicalism and the terrorism that they use as a weapon. Republicans have lost control of the war debate and now only defend victory as if it were a plague instead of a necessity for our security and the reason that we must continue to fight.

If Republicans do not take back the issue initiative from Democrats, 2008 could very well be a disaster for the GOP with gains in Congress and a Democrat President who will most likely be Hillary Clinton.

The American people want a debate on the issues, but a debate that offers differing ideas and plans as to what direction the nation should go. Democrats are offering their plans and ideas and Republicans are reacting rather than presenting plans and ideas that not only offer alternatives to the liberal/socialist plan of the Democrats but give real and non-governmental alternatives which will reduce the size of government and the tax burden on individuals.

Republicans must take back the debate on the war by stressing the success and accomplishment and the alternative to defeat which as we know is the death of Americans and the destruction of our way of life. Revitalize the illegal immigration debate but this time stressing the need to control the border and reduce the flow of illegals while cracking down on illegal employment thus cutting the life line which will begin a voluntary return to Mexico by illegals as the jobs dry up.

Democrats have never been able to win elections when there has been a serious debate on the issues. They have always thrown out give-aways as ideas and plans with little substance on solving problems other than let government do it. Republicans on the other hand have always won on the issues BECAUSE their plans and ideas have offered true solutions and limited government intervention both to individuals and business.

That is how the GOP has been successful in the past and also why they lost in 2006. The loss was due to the fact that GOP candidates and the GOP majority in Congress abandoned the non-government solution oriented ideas and exploded government spending and ran in a defensive posture both on leading the government and the war in the 2006 election.

Unless the GOP begins standing firm on traditional conservative issues offering solutions and taking back the offensive in the 2008 debate rather than responding to Hillary's plans and Democrat give - aways and taking the offensive for victory in the war rather than defending why we are fighting, on November 6, 2008 we will wake to a super majority Democrat House and Senate and another Clinton in the White House.

Ken Taylor