Posted on 08/04/2014 10:44:18 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
After six years of bending to the gales of tea party vituperation against President Barack Obama, the 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls seem to be rising up like visitors to Oz — with a heart, courage and a brain.
"Idea conservative" is a common nickname given to those who seek to respond to liberal ideas, policies and programs with something more than a simple "No."
We've seen this "new ideas" dance before. Ronald Reagan revived post-Watergate Republicans partly by inspiring conservative think tanks and market-based alternatives to the government-centered remedies of liberal New Deal Democrats. Bill Clinton revived Democratic fortunes by embracing the center-left ideas of the Democratic Leadership Council. George W. Bush pushed "compassionate conservatism" in 2000.
Now, after losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential races, Republicans appear to be ready to put their thinking caps — or think tank caps — on again.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has been pushing an activist "American dream" agenda to boost economic mobility through wage subsidies, affordable child care and other "equal opportunity" measures.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is backpedaling away from his earlier libertarian-inspired criticism of the 1964 Civil Rights Act after a year of visits to black, Hispanic and low-income communities across the country. In Cincinnati recently, he told the National Urban League convention how he would expand voting rights, grow education opportunities and "stand and fight for justice" in a judicial system that's stacked against minorities.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has alluded to similar themes on the stump, sounding as though he already has put his Bridgegate scandal behind him. "I'm pro-life, and if you're pro-life you have to be pro-life when they get out of the womb also," he told the Aspen Institute in Colorado.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who also continues to sound like he wants to be a candidate, wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed of "a need for compassion" in responding to the recent surge of migrant children at our southwestern border.
Wow! Conservatives have no heart, courage or brain? Clarence Page sounds a bit bitter and abusive himself.
Just once I would like to see a headline in the MSM like “Can Democrats Lure Conservatives Back by Cracking Down on the Gaystapo?”
trying to pander to individual groups is the Democrat’s game. Unfortunately, we have a government run by their ideology, with unlimited printed debt and Federal Reserve dollars available they can use to buy votes.
Clarence has never had an original thought in his life. He’s a happy house slave on the liberal plantation
I haven’t seen a column by this stupid boofer in a long while. Sorry he’s still active.
Obama has messed up so bad...along with his boot lickers...it might be that those votes won’t come in like the Dems expect. Blacks have gained nothing. Hispanics have gained nothing. Immigrants are no farther ahead. Obama and the Dems are/were just pure rhetoric...
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these same ideas, policies and programs have kept minorities in the clutches of government handouts and constantly playing catch-up. It would be to their benefit to simply say "no" to liberals as well.
I think it would be more appropriate for Mr. Page to research whether the Democrat Masters would be willing to put down their whips and allow the blacks off the plantation.
If blacks are being “lured” to Republican candidates that can only mean those Republicans are running on democrat divide and conquer principles. I do not want them lured back. I want them ignored as a collective group because there is no room for tribalism in the conservative philosophy.
That's what Democrats do. Evidently it's the only thing he knows how to do.
If the GOP can find a way to attract more black voters without increasing spending, raising taxes, or redistributing wealth...fine. I’m all for it.
If the GOP can find a way to attract more Hispanic voters without condoning illegal immigration or lax borders...fine. I’m all for it.
If the GOP can find a way to attract more female voters without compromising its position on abortion or taxpayer funded contraception...fine. I’m all for it.
[ these same ideas, policies and programs have kept minorities in the clutches of government handouts and constantly playing catch-up. It would be to their benefit to simply say “no” to liberals as well. ]
The government wants to play the “Parent” but not BOTH Parents, they are like the ONE side of a Divrocing set of parents who never say NO to the children in order to lure them away from the other Parent who is “Lady Liberty”. Lady Liberty does say NO for the children’s own good, however the children think she is a big meanie pants....
The government has a girlfriend called “Fascism” that he is cheating on “Lady Liberty” with and when they finally get the kids and hook up we are all going to be totally screwed....
Given any immoral, greedy constituency, free sh*t wins every time, doesn't it?
We don’t have to bring back what we never had. The Republican brand is rising because Clarence and company has so messed up their own brand.
Can democrats keep minorities in their camp? They don’t think so, it’s why they are importing Spanish Americans by the millions as well as muzzies into the country, stepping on laws but it’s the end result that counts
Right Clarence ?
Jeb Bush, Rubio, Rand Paul, Christie, etc., are simply pandering, just like all the other communist Democrats do.
What does he mean back? "Minorities" haven't been Republican since LBJ.
That's the fallacy the establishment holds: that minorities will vote Republican if only they wimp out and be Rat-lite. Hasn't worked up to now. Never will work.
No. Not a chance. Just the way it is.
Maybe the GOP should play up issues like traditional (not “same sex”) marriage and see the likeminded “minorities” realize who they really agree with politically.
“Lure minorities back?”
Absurd. Minorities are not stupid. They belong to the Democrats and they always will.
The problem when DEMOCRATS give Republicans political advice is that the Republicans are more likely to listen to that advice than to their own voters...and that same Democrat advice is echoed by the highly-paid Republican consultants (most of them gay, by the way), which probably isn’t a surprise, give how wobbly our leadership is.
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