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Where is my party going and why are we all in this handbasket? Towards a modern conservatism pt 2.
By BlackRepub Posted in Republicans — Comments (30) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Someone posed the question on RedState today, what is it that we want from the Republican Party? Enough with the complaining about McCain, we need to work on giving people something to vote for rather than the liberal bogeyman to vote against. Frankly, I'd rather have the Left take the rap for gross insufferable spending, corruption and unethical politicians, and a growing cynicism by the majority of Americans towards their politicians. As we move towards an election featuring two guys that most people are shocked made it this far, I have elected to no longer discuss John McCain. His crush on Hillary Clinton I find disgusting, and I fear he will be nothing more than an extension of the NewToning we have seen from the past 8 years. In light of that, my objective is to move the Party towards the right, by rolling out a new modern conservatism that will refuel the rise and excitement of conservatism in the 21st century. So what is the solution than?
We need something to excite conservative, someone to revive a movement that is increasingly dominant by older voters in the GOP. My solution is Ron Thompson. We need the domestic conservatism of Ron Paul, the willingness to stand up for our constitution and for conservatism. Ron Paul for me is a lot like Fred is for other conservatives-it is not so much what he has accomplished in the House, it is the ideals that he stands for. He opposes the Patriot Act as I do under the grounds that it is a gross intrusion of the federal government and civil liberties of American citizens. He is against Roe vs Wade and believes that abortion law and gay marriage are things that should be up to the citizens of the states, not the federal government, and he is against the drunken sailor spending that Congress has been doing throughout the Bush-Clinton-Bush years. And most of all, he was able to generate an excitement among voters that no other candidate in the GOP was able to duplicate. While he did not win any primaries, it was the excitement factor of taking back the GOP that I think should be seized upon, in terms of his domestic policy. Where he failed with most GOPers, and where he failed me is foreign policy. To this I turn to the other great man who could save our party, Fred Thompson.
"I'm never going to apologize for the United States of America."-Fred Dalton Thompson
This is the key point in conservative foreign policy that many people, including our current Presidential nominee have failed to extrapolate on, where our current President George W. Bush has-the doctrine of American exceptionalism, the key in any conservative foreign policy discussion. Bush, like Reagan, like Thompson understood the value in America as the shining city on a hill giving out light towards the rest of the world. It was never about Iraq, or Afghanistan, my fellow GOPers. (Here comes the neo-con in me) It has always been about America being a leader for freedom and democracy and standing up against tyranny and oppression. America must not ever stand down in representing freedom for all of those who seek it. It is why we must remain on the forefront against the Chinese, it is why we must continue to speak out about Sudan, and it is why we must always continue to stand strong in the Middle East against Iran and to defend our allies of Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel, while supporting true democracy in Pakistan and India. There is a an American interest in a free and democratic society, as we are a global economy that profits in peacetime, rather than having to deal with coward terrorists who seek to use America as a scapegoat for their unjust administrations like the Taliban and Mahmoud Ahmadinejād, a cruel and evil dictator in the mold of Hitler, who would outdo the Holocaust if given the capacity. We as conservatives must continue to stand for injustice in the world, protecting our interests at home and abroad. We must never forget these words "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
As we look towards a new conservatism, we must not hesitate to look towards the past for the future. We must not look at the principles of Barry Goldwater as ones to be set aside for a creeping federal and executive power grab that is necessary out of a need to protect citizens from foreign and domestic threats. We must look to smack down encroachments of the liberties of American citizen from the left and right wing, and reject them as perversions of conservatism. People who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither, to quote Benjamin Franklin, and we must not let conservatism die while we wonder aimlessly in the desert for forty years, wondering where our party has gone. We must avoid the massive domestic gaffes in spending, corruption and violation of our constitution that has taken place on our watch. We must end the NewTone pandering that allows the Republican candidate for President to speak to racist hate groups like La Raza and pandering to Black citizens in New Orleans, calling out ineptitude of the federal government as if a state disaster should not be handled by the state, feeding liberal Democrats with more ammunition against our own party. We must continue to support American exceptionalism, and America's interest abroad, preserving our image as a the shining city on a hill, and the superpower that is on the side of the people, not the dictators. It's time to take this party back-its time to fight. As the last great Senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater said, if we're going to take this party back, and I think we can, let's get to work. Let's stop the complaining, the moaning and NewToning an rebuild the conservative wing of our party. Conservatism doesn't die unless we let it and I refuse to sit back and watch our movement die because of the top of our ticket. I hope y'all are with me-let's go get to work.
Thanks GC-I've been rewriing this for a few days now
by BlackRepub
I've really decided to work more on rebuilding the Party and work on re-energizng the GOP and commenting on issues rather than the candidate. I'll be glad to fight the Democrats, and show how bad they are, but I won't be going out of my way to say what a great guy McCain is. I look forward to you "more later" ::smile:: White Sox are playing a late game so I'll be on after the game is over or gets ugly.
Someone's got to punch the hippies.
Ozzie is a hero of mine.
truly
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/940616,CST-SPT-joe09.ar...
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
BR we have to start in the trenches
by kyle8
and rebuild the party from the ground up. That means the importance of our previous political leaders must be diminished. It is not like they did much good for us anyway.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
I think it depends on who you mean kyle
by BlackRepub
If you mean Bush-sure, I agree. I believe that Goldwater is a standard that our party should continue to aspire to, more than anyone else. As for our elected officials-I'd throw them off the bus one by one until the only ones left were Coburn and Demint.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Jeff Flake's another keeper n/t
by aesthete
Your typical Spartan warrior clinging to spears and gods:
Don't count out the RSC
by simpson316
They've been hitting pretty hard at the ridiculous Farm Bill, pork, etc. for a while now.
Now also found at The Minority Report
I'm glad to hear simpson-I'm just rapidly losing faith
by BlackRepub
And worried about the direction that the conservative movement is taking as we await our Fearless Leaders inauguration. I hope our Congress does a better job fighting against the next Republican President than it did the last one.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
I love your "End the NewTone" line BR!
by Tim Schieferecke
The New Tone was like a cheap NFL phone. It looked good (to some) when they first took it out of the box. But it was really crappy and our political enemies used it against us. BR, I hope you have considered grooming yourself towards public office someday. We need strong black leaders in our party, and I and many others would back you up fully. I know your still young, but I like your passion.
Tim Schieferecke
Building the Foundation
by Whitehorse
Up from the Grassroots is the way to do it. This will provide the firm foundation from which to make real, positive & effective change.
McCain was not my first choice, nor even my second. He is exponentially (I know I'm a broken record on this) better than Obama or Clinton. They could cause real damage that could last for a long, long time. In building for the future we need to keep this in consideration, because I'd prefer that those who come after us have as little mess to clean up as possible. As in any presidential election, the stakes are high for 2008 & we don't need the ineffective & possibly devastating effects of an Obama or Clinton presidency.
I hear you Whitehorse, but I'm not too sure anymore
by BlackRepub
The they're going to be so much worse doesn't really do it for me anymore. I am not convinced that they will be all that much worse then what we have now. As for the GWOT, Obama is talking of a drawdown for two years, which will be more than enough time especially considering how well we're doing now as well as saying he's going to continue to pursue an aggressive policy in Afghanistan. So where will be Obama be worse-immigration? Spending? Because the GOP has done so much better. I just am at the point where the Democrats don't scare me as much, especially considering that an Obama presidency may revive the movement in a way a McCain president never would since we'll all be told to be quiet and act like good Republicans. I'm not gonna sit back and watch McCain NewTone and bipartisan about and destroy the R brand with his base, the New York Times. I'm voting for Paul in Michigan as my way of giving the finger to both partys this year.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Don't forget that
by StephC
the new President will be working with a Democratic majority in Congress. Under those circumstances given what the Democrats want to do, there is a lot of damage that can be done that we don't even consider. They can hit us broadside with any number of attrocities, including but limited to major rewrites of the Constitution. A Democratic President will give them free reign to do these things, considering what the two candidates stand for themselves.
There really is nothing we can do about anything before this election, but that doesn't mean because we're stuck with the choices we have been given and we have to immediately become a love-fest for McCain. This is the big argument I have with his supporters. We are barely surviving Bush's "compassionate" conservatism. Now we're being told to swallow what I have dubbed "PC" conservatism and like it.
We need to spend this time "holding their feet to the fire" with no respite. We need to point out, each and every time, the consequences of moving away from conservative principles. Just telling them they're not conservative, as has been done with McCain, ad infinitum, is not enough. Point out every nonconservative position and explain why it's not conservative then enumerate the consequences of that position.
The William F. Buckleys, Reagans, and Goldwaters are all dying off and there are none to replace them unless we start digging in our heels and refuse to be pushed back any further.
It's late
by StephC
and in spite of previewing the post there are a couple of places in that which might be hard to read...
It should be: ... "but not limited to" in the first paragraph.
In the second paragraph, replace "and" with "that" and it should make more sense.
Let this scare you,
by Flagstaff
Let this scare you, then.
Whatever the Democrats come up with will not be vetoed by Obama, no matter how wacky, because he's one of their wackiest to begin with. It's not like he's a "centrist" Democrat. He's hard-left all the way.
"Obama is talking of a drawdown for two years, which will be more than enough time especially considering how well we're doing now as well as saying he's going to continue to pursue an aggressive policy in Afghanistan."
How do you know that two years will be enough? You don't. And neither does he. But he doesn't care, because winning the war isn't what he wants to do.
McCain has already demonstrated, under severe circumstances, that he's tough enough to be counted on under stress. I don't think he'll cave to terrorists. I have no idea what Obama will do, other than quit fighting in two years, as he's conveniently announced to the rest of the world.
"So where will be Obama be worse-immigration? Spending?"
Yes. He won't even build the "g-d fence," because his constituents don't even want that little bit of fluff. And I believe McCain will indeed be a spending-cut bulldog. He's the first guy we've had who has campaigned on the point. Obama has merely promised to bankrupt us. There is a difference.
Yes, a BO Presidency by its ineptitude may revive the movement. But I consider the country more important than the movement, and more important than the party. I think a BO Presidency truly has the potential to destroy the country, or at least to undo all the progress initiated by the Reagan years. And it can certainly tip us over into a deep recession, a la Jimmy Carter.
Building from the grassroots is commendable, but it's long-term. You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had. In real life, it seldom makes sense to lose a battle if you hope to win the war. But it's your prerogative to give both parties the finger, whether you've realistically weighed the consequences or not.
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.“--Jeff Cooper. From Bill Coffey's collection of military quotations
Corker hasn't done badly...
by StephC
for a junior Senator. Not perfect certainly, but not terrible either. Alexander, on the other hand, is a good argument for term limits. It seems like the longer they're in their jobs the less conservative they become.
So, in rebuilding the party from the ground up, take a good look at the junior senators before throwing them all under the bus, okay?
I'm with you on reform, reform and did I mention reform?!
by Tim Schieferecke
But central to our efforts to steer the GOP away from populism and towards traditional conservatism is gutting our current primary process. It is simply too easy for the powers that be to guide the outcome of the primaries towards their preferred candidate. As long as Iowa and New Hampshire hold kingmaker sway with their deplorable open caucus/primary structures, we'll never be able to break the stranglehold of corrupt populism. It is my hope that Operation Chaos will force the parties to close all primaries/caucuses or even go towards a national primary day. Imagine the shenanigans that could be stopped by doing that. When the candidates are forced to appeal to the whole nation all at once, the GOP will get more conservative candidates. The Democrats would have to run more conservative candidates as well instead of the two marxists they have in contention this time.
Tim Schieferecke
I agree 100 percent there Tim
by BlackRepub
Imagine if SC got to lead the primary process followed by Georgia, Texas, Kansas and Michigan-as well as having closed primaries in every single state, and you have to register two months in advance with a party. Democrats should have New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio to start themselves off. That way, the little states that have way too much influence stop picking the craziest far left populist candidates and we start getting some decent picks. I wouldn't have minded running against Lieberman in 2004, honestly.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Primary system
by Adam C
I agree about the need to reform them, but this part makes me laugh: "It is simply too easy for the powers that be to guide the outcome of the primaries towards their preferred candidate."
The powers-that-be were mainly behind Romney and partially behind Rudy. McCain had less money and fewer "insiders" than the other campaigns. Whatever the problem of the system, it is not that the "powers-that-be" get what they want. Even on the D side, the insiders and power brokers were almost all in the Hillary Is Inevitable camp. They, too, lost because the system requires winning votes, not insiders.
In other words, neither Obama nor McCain would have won if we had the old "backroom deal" system so the powers-that-be choose the nominee. Both won by garnering the votes of people outside the system.
But as we've agreed elsewhere, it would be nice if more states were involved in the decision making. This year at least 20 or so got some say in the R nomination (my state of residence did not).
______________________________________
Donate to the Rs in Close Senate Races through Slatecard
States Iowa and NH, who I agree have way too much influence over the GOP's political system. It would make a lot more sense to have a reliably republican state like SC be the first in the nation for the GOP rather than the fickle voters of NH and the populist fundamentalists in Iowa who hearted Huckabee. Not so much the "backroom deal" as much as Iowa and New Hampshire don't represent the average GOP voter across the nation. It would make much more sense to rotate the first four states with SC being one of them and others being reliably GOP states.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Thanks BR. My deal with the primary system is that candidates
by Tim Schieferecke
on both sides can merely hyperfocus their concerns towards Iowa and New Hampshire. It is absolutely true that early D crossovers there affected where we're at now. I'm not going to go into the specifics of this and its affect on the GOP because I don't want to get into the specific argument about our nominee. I strongly believe that Hillary got herself into trouble early, because she had an institutionalized plan that asked those in her camp to crossover. The strategy backfired and Obama was the beneficiary.
Tim Schieferecke
Huckabee should have never gotten out of the gate, and he wouldn't have except for Iowa's love for religious populists. Not to mention if SC goes first, Fred is our nominee. It should rotate with each region picking a state. So if the Midwest wanted to have Iowa and the Northeast wanted NH, fine. That way states like Texas and SC could undo the damage of the Huckabee's before they get off the ground.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
How about this BR...
by Tim Schieferecke
Each region gets a (1st state), but it is chosen by lottery and the candidates have no idea which state it will be till one week before the primary/caucus. They would be forced to do the right thing and appeal to their respective bases in a way that gets the most bang for the buck. Otherwise, we'd better start thinking about a national primary.
Tim Schieferecke
I'd definitely buy that
by BlackRepub
And I wouldn't mind a national primary, with a run off between the top two candidates if no one gets over 50 percent.
End the NewTone. Punch the hippies.
Posted this a while back about Primaries ...
by Martin A. Knight
Fair enough
by Adam C
I disagree that "if SC went first, Fred would be the nominee" but I don't think it's worth getting into that hypothetical. I agree that too few states get a say. Given that we have a few states with outsized influence, I disagree that they should be GOP strongholds.
I think the fact that the early states were 4 swing states and 1 GOP stronghold is probably good for electability purposes. It's not like we went MA, NY, IL and then called it after that. I wonder what the coastal activists in the D party think of this. They have to rely on union Ds in IA and conservatives Ds in SC to have a big say while the hippie states and the limo liberals in NY have to wait their turn. Heh.
But all that said I think you overestimate the difference between IA/NH primary voters and other GOP primary voters. The bigger distortion is the caucus system in IA that means 2-10% turnout is normal and only the rabid activists show up. That makes the sample very different from primary states and the general election.
But I'm very open to rotating regionals or other systems. I think the caucuses are the most dysfunctional part of the system, but the IA/NH first in the nation system could definitely be improved as well.
______________________________________
Donate to the Rs in Close Senate Races through Slatecard
I love Fred, but subsequent to his exit I read a lot of first hand accounts from conservative reporters that proved to me that he simply was not going to campaign hard enough to win.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
this is why 20/20 Hinzsight is so special
by pilgrim
Nobody deserves to be President. Somebody has to be willing to fight hard to earn the office of the Presidency.
The purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better.
Dr. Theodore Dalrymple
Rebuilding
by rjd27
the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement has to start locally. It also has to start with people of conviction - people that won't be corrupted by the political process.
McCain will probably receive my vote because of his stance on judges. If Obama (or Clinton) win, I half expect Ginsburg and Stevens to retire within minutes of the inauguration speech.
I still worry that McCain could do real harm to the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement - and I believe this will hurt the nation, maybe as much as a Liberal Presidency will.
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more later
recommended due to:
provocativeness (I wake people up at dawn after all)
respect for BR (this is the main one!)
history with dealing with schizophrenia as a lawyer in DIB cases
I loved that candidate that slipped into the hotel bedroom to watch football after 5 minutes of shaking hands at a fund-raiser!
Would love to see My favorite martian veto a continuing budget resolution
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson