Conservatives Are The Real RINO’s

Leo McNeil ^ | January 5, 2015 | Leo McNeil

[LeoMcNeil]

When Jeb Bush announced he was running for President conservatives accused him of being RINO. (Republican in name only) Conservatives have said the same thing about Mitt Romney, Chris Christie and a laundry list of moderate to liberal Republicans. The fact though is that the progressives in the GOP aren’t the RINO’s. The Republican Party was founded as the party of big government in 1854. They were the remains of the Whig Party, which at the time was the party of Hamiltonian big government. It was the Democrats who favored Jeffersonian small government. The RINO’s aren’t big government progressives, the Republican Party has always been their party. The RINO’s are conservatives who have been trying to find a landing place since FDR began pushing us out of the Democrat Party.

If we look at the last 60 years of Republican Presidential nominees we can only count three times when a conservative was nominated. In 1964 Barry Goldwater was nominated, he was arguably conservative despite the fact that later in life he favored abortion on demand. He was basically a Kennedy Republican who favored tax cuts and opposed LBJ’s expansive welfare state. In 1980 and 1984 Ronald Reagan won the GOP nomination. Reagan was largely a conservative but let’s not kid ourselves about how conservative he actually was. As Governor of California he signed into law bills allowing abortion and no-fault divorce. He later said he regreted those decisions but not enough to stop him from nominating progressives like Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court. He also raised taxes and the Federal debt while in the White House.

Other than Goldwater and Reagan, the Republican Party has nominated one moderate progressive after another. Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Bush 41 and 43, Dole, McCain and Romney were all party progressives. If we want to pretend these nominees are RINO’s then we have to pretend like most of the Republican Party is a fraud. In reality all of these nominees are in keeping with the historic Republican Party. The GOP gave America its first progressive President in Theodore Roosevelt. It gave us a laundry list of progressive Senators and Congressmen, including the progressive La Follette dynasty in Wisconsin the elder of which ran on the Progressive Party ticket in 1924 and won 17% of the vote. There hasn’t been a Republican President who has reduced the Federal budget since Calvin Coolidge in the 20’s. Coolidge is perhaps the most conservative President of the 20th century. His replacement was Herbert Hoover, a typical progressive Republican.

No doubt that party philosophy can change over time. For most of the 19th century the Democrats were the party of small government. They looked to Thomas Jefferson rather than Alexander Hamilton for guidance in governing. By the 20th century the Democrats had shifted to the progressive outlook, having been swept away with the progressive movement which started gaining steam after the Civil War. President Woodrow Wilson represents the Democrats formal break with their historic conservative past, which in the last election or two has been finalized with the elimination of the last blue dog conservative Democrats. By the time FDR was elected, the Democrats had moved well to the left of the Republicans. That doesn’t mean the Republicans had moved to the right, only that the Democrats shifted left. The Republicans have stayed remarkably consistent, the difference between Hoover and Romney is negligible.

Conservatives have no party to flock to. The Democrats largely pushed conservatives out decades ago. The Republicans have only taken us on because it helps them retain their power. While the Republican Party is more conservative today than the Democrats, its core philosophy isn’t small government but rather a slow shift to bigger government. This is in contrast with the Democrats who want a shift to bigger government immediately. Make no mistake though, conservatives are the RINO’s. We’re the outsiders in the Republican Party, we always have been. The GOP wasn’t created as a party of small government, it was created as a Hamiltonian party of expanding Federal power and expenditures. The GOP has remained true to its core philosophy, the Bush’s, Romney’s and Christie’s of the party have made sure of that.

[GilesB]

Absolutely! That’s what I meant by “...vehemently opposed to the income tax”.

[defconw]

Well if you are going to make it here, keep your head down. It's amusing and scary all at the same time.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

The Blue Dog Democrats of the 80’s have evolved into the RINO’s of today.

[ConservingFreedom]

I would love to vote for someone I actually like this time around.

I do that by voting Constitution Party.

[Pajamajan]

"Call them what they really are, big government progressive Republicans"

Or you could keep it simple and just call them Democrats posing as Republicans, and working to advance the goals of the Democrat party.

[Mr. K]

Silent Cal basically said “No” every time someone came to the government for ‘help’ and it turned out always to be the right decision.

The economy was great thanks to him

[Enlightened1]

Will do

[snowrip]

Well, I see that the lunatic RINO machine is alive and well.

Today’s Socialism Lite republicans are solidly liberal and borderline anti-American.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Rino, Liberal, Progressive, Conservative,blah, blah, blah, what does it matter what they represent? Whoever gets there “firstus with the mostus” free stuff will win. You are up against the most “stupidous” voting block in the history of our country. :(

[onedoug]

What’s Cruz up to?

[muir_redwoods]

I find it helpful to do a personal assessment every once in a while. I’m sure most people would find it annoying if I recommended that they do the same. However, it could be useful to look objectively at the relative merits of the GOP versus the Libertarian Party.

I have issues with both but on balance the LP is fear less progressive and far truer to its stated principles. On abortion, there is no difference between the two. The GOP will not stop drug legalization which (IMHO) will be law in thirty states in ten years.

The GOP is moving away from me. LP is becoming less objectionable and has some seriously good positions on taxes, 2nd amendment and regulations. At my age I expect nothing good from government so less government seems to be the only route to good government.

[skinkinthegrass]

this poster must be from AZ,
an personal friend of Sen. McPain..

[DiogenesLamp]

As Governor of California he signed into law bills allowing abortion and no-fault divorce. He later said he regreted those decisions but not enough to stop him from nominating progressives like Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court. He also raised taxes and the Federal debt while in the White House.

I agree with your overall point, but I take exception to these assertions. Reagan signed a bill that would allow abortion if a Doctor deemed it medically necessary. (A position which is completely reasonable.) As it worked out in practice, any women who wanted one would get a Dr's statement for any reason at all. It was a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, and Reagan cannot be faulted for failing to realize as much prior to the fact. He had no way of knowing that Doctors would whore themselves out.

On the other assertion, that Reagan grew the deficit, this too is not a reasonable accusation to bring against Reagan. He continued and increased defense spending (a necessary and constitutionally justified expense) and his policies brought in increasing revenues for the Government far over and above those of Jimmy Carter, but the spending was controlled by Democrat Tip O'Neill who refused to control his pork barreling. Tip O'Neill would not even honor spending agreements he made with Reagan which Reagan took in good faith.

The increase in federal debt should be lain at the feet of Democrats and specifically Tip O'Neill.

Reagan is only guilty of not realizing this scum was a liar.

As for O'Connor and Kennedy, I suspect bad advice and deal making. Sometimes he had to throw a sop to the Liberal wing of the party, and nominating O'Connor was it. (First Woman! Yah!) Kennedy, on the other hand, wasn't so obviously Liberal at the time. He simply grew more Liberal as he remained in office.

[jaydee770]

He’s not name-calling; he’s pointing out the painfully (to conservatives) obvious, that the Republican party is not a good match for conservatives of any stripe. He’s laid out the salient points that demonstrate that the GOP differs from the democrats only in the speed at which they increase the size and over-reach of govt.

If you disagree, I’d be interested in hearing a refutation to any of the points stated. Particularly, how the GOP welcomes and accommodates conservatives. Even if tongue-in-cheek — we could all use a good laugh.

[TomGuy]

Conservatives Are The Real RINO’s

I posted that same assessment years ago.

==

Conservatives suffer an ailment comparable to Battered Wife Syndrome. They keep voting for the same and expecting a different result. They keep complaining as the establishment leadership rolls over them.

Anytime they get fed up enough to maybe do something, they are cautioned against it. Rush L declared he quit carrying the water for the GOP around 2006. Mark L is 'one inch away' from dumping the Republican party.

Yet, every 2 years we keep hearing 'vote Republican because they are not Democrats' and very little changes.

I posed the same question in the early 2008 and 2012 GOP primaries season: Are these the best the GOP can find to represent their party? If those were the cream of the crop, the GOP is in bigger trouble than they realize.

[defconw]

They only thing I would say and here is the problem. Voting third party guarantees a Democrat will win. I wish I had a way to make a third party more viable, but I don’t not a conservative. Ross Perot got close, but he’s not conservative either.

[Nip]

Political parties, outside the city level, have mutated into something else.

Look at all the high powered consultants that are collection millions of dollars every election cycle and produce ZERO winners. Look at Carl Rove what state and/or national election victory can he point to in the last decade plus?

Much like labor unions the political parties have become focused exclusively on maintaining their power. look at the extreme districts designed to keep a particular political party in power. Look at the current “revolt’ within the Republican Party as the establishment actively punishes Republicans who don’t march in lockstep with them.
The important thing to remember is many of the Established Republicans are no longer involved in governing which is the basic job of Congress in a Representative Republic like ours.

There are other example but I think you get the picture. The end of this path lies in mid-20th Century Europe in Germany and Russia - not a very cheerful thought is it?

[mj1234]

“Conservatives suffer an ailment comparable to Battered Wife Syndrome. They keep voting for the same and expecting a different result. They keep complaining as the establishment leadership rolls over them. “

I think it is more complicated than that...

1. Republicans GLADLY excepted Demonrats from the other
side of the Aisle- when Repugs won under Newt Gingrich-
There were literally HUNDREDS of Demons swarming to the
GOP- and DILUTING a more conservative base.

2. As for “holding my nose” and voting GOP- just DAMN!
I have Franken up here!!- if any RINO can win have at it- like O’bummer - he is an out an out communist.

3. Money talks bull-— walks- people like Jeb ,mclame,etc
know how to get ..not millions,-BUT TENs of $millions!
and I see very few Teapartier’s helping to build a
candidates war chest - (just to do mailings costs thousands)

my 2 cents

[CatherineofAragon]

Just to note...should be RINOS, not “RINO’S.”

[Yosemitest]

... most of the Republican Party is a fraud.

We DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND.
THEY ARE !

Not another vote, not another penny.
It's time to DESTROY the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" .
And if they don't DUMP BONEHEAD as Speaker, then WE DUMP THEM.
Even if we have to VOTE FOR A 'RAT, at least we'll be DONE with the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS"