By Bobby Eberle Scott Browns unbelieveable victory of Ted Kennedys Seat showed that running a campaign built on conservative principles could not only win but it could win in the bluest of blue states. What does that mean for the future? The answer is simple; it means that the so-called Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) should beware.
Browns platform keyed in on the frustration felt by Tea Party activists that the federal government is out of control. He made Barack Obama and left-wing policies his targets and he won.
Actually any Washington incumbent should probably be sleeping with one eye open as we move into the primary election season but those Republicans who put politics over principle and helped pave the way to massive spending should be particularly troubled.
In order to truly change Washington there needs to be a fresh approach. You cant do that with stale leaders.
In my analysis of Scott Browns victory I noted two main themes used by his campaign:
Point #1 -- Us Against the Machine
Brown struck a note with voters by signaling that he is one of them. That the real opponent was not Martha Coakley but rather the political machine that is 
Washington DC.
But it is more than that.
The machine also refers to political parties Republican or Democrat when they try to subvert the will of the people to get their pet issue passed their candidate anointed or keep the perks in place. The American people are sick and tired of it.
This is a bottom up country not top down. A revolution was fought on that very principle and it is part of the very fabric of our nation.
Point #2 -- Putting People First
While the media referred to the Senate seat as Ted Kennedys seat Brown saw things more clearly. It is the peoples seat.
Americans dont want socialism. They dont want an all-mighty government. They want the America that has become the most powerful and most generous in the world.
Putting people first does NOT mean having a central government that does everything FOR the people by taking money and power away from them to distribute to the programs causes people and jobs that the government says are worthy. Putting people first means adhering to the notion that this is a FREE country with Americans free to pursue the American dream without being penalized for it.
Putting people first means respecting the role of government and limiting it to the core functions for which it was created. The American people can do the rest.
Both these points key on the sentiments of many Americans especially embodied by the Tea Party activists.
The problem for some Republicans is that they were the ones who did not put people first and who became part of the machine. Spending big government programs and amnesty are not part of conservative principles. Yet thats exactly what we were getting. People want conservative government not a promise of it.
Thus the big question is How many times are we going to trust the same politicians who continue to put politics over principle?
Former Arizona Rep. J.D. Hayworth has his answer.
The popular conservative turned talkshow host is saying enough is enough and will be challenging Sen. John McCain in the primary. As noted in AZCentral.com:
Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth appears ready to take on Sen. John McCain in Arizonas Republican Senate primary. With Hayworth severing his ties Friday with Phoenix radio station KFYI-AM (550) the entry of the former six-term congressman into the race seems certain.
Hayworths consideration of the race has already affected McCains reelection strategy. McCain wants to win reelection by branding himself as the conservative with experience. Hes even enlisted former running mate Sarah Palin to help. But this is the conservative who told George W. Bush to slow down on tax cuts and target them to only the people who need them. This is the conservative who helped let outstanding conservative judges hang in the wind. And this is the conservative who championed amnesty as our cure for illegal immigration. Again compare Scott Browns Issues Page on his web site and the points he raised in his campaign to many of the so-called conservatives in Washington. They just dont match up. We cant hope for real change if we keep electing Republicans who embrace Scott Brown-style conservatism only during election time. We need real conservatives during the rest of the year when laws are actually made. The massive stimulus plan that was pushed by Barack Obama and left-wing Democrats would have failed had Republicans just stuck together. The problem is that there were not enough of them who believed in basic conservative principles. Im not talking about far right-wingers here. Im just talking about Republicans who believe in lower taxes and smaller government. If any Republican has a problem with issues like that then he or she SHOULD be voted out of office.
