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Posted on 10/18/2011 12:13:01 PM PDT by Bokababe
I became a conservative because of Rush Limbaugh. In fact, only three contemporary American political figures have had a real life-changing influence on me: Limbaugh, Pat Buchanan during his presidential runs in the 1990s, and Ron Paul, for whom I remain a humble servant as his 2012 campaign’s official blogger.
But first there was Rush.
In the summer of 1992, my mother would often fold laundry in the family kitchen while listening to Limbaugh’s radio program. Regularly listening with her, usually over lunch, quickly my interest went from curiosity to ardent devotion. By the time I was 17, I considered myself a hardcore conservative, scheduling my days around Limbaugh’s program, which I would eagerly listen to for all three hours. I devoured his books “The Way Things Ought to Be” and “See, I Told You So,” and I watched virtually every episode of his television program. When Rush appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1995, I arrived at the store as the clerk was turning the key to get the first copy, which asked: “Is Rush Limbaugh Good for America?”
Seeing the cover, I exclaimed, “Yes! Of course he is, you stupid liberals!” aloud in the store.
In the time between then and now, a chasm widened between Rush and I, particularly during the dark days of George W. Bush’s presidency. In the 1990s, Pat Buchanan’s wars with the Republican Party became my wars, and the same has been true of Ron Paul’s battles with the GOP — but these fights were always about the Republican Party not being conservative enough....
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Rush isn’t tough enough on illegal immigration in my opinion. He’s against it, but it’s a lot lower on his list of the most important issues than it should be in my opinion.
Really? Perhaps you have the wrong website. Don't worry, happens all the time. You'd be suprised how often libertarians confuse their lame philosophy with conservativism in a futile attempt to stay relevant. Have you tried this one?
I guess it’s nitpicking, but if you look at it, Ron Paul votes for a lot more spending than one would think.
Reagan On Conservatism and Libertarianism...
REASON: Governor Reagan, you have been quoted in the press as saying that you’re doing a lot of speaking now on behalf of the philosophy of conservatism and libertarianism. Is there a difference between the two?
REAGAN: If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories.
The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.
Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy.
I believe there are legitimate government functions. There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals. The strongest man on the block will run the neighborhood. We have government to insure that we don’t each one of us have to carry a club to defend ourselves. But again, I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path.
REASON: Governor, could you give us some examples of what you would consider to be proper functions of government?
REAGAN: Well,.....
EXCERPT
Interesting Nick, because The Citizens Against Government Waste organization has named Ron Paul "Taxpayer Hero of Year" four times and given him a lifetime "Taxpayer Hero" award. He scores 98% in their Congressional Ratings.
I didn’t title the article, thought that it was a risky title, and I frankly thought twice before I posted it for the precise reason you offered — Just a few weeks ago Rush said that “Ron Paul was going to be the death of the Republican Party”. But I liked what Jack Hunter had to say and thought that others might too.
You are the sanest, and nicest, Ron Paul supporter I have EVER run across.
Ronald Reagan, so clear, so wise. He was one in a billion, always shining in his mind and heart.
And...there were Taft and Goldwater before him too...
The BPs are OK—it’s the duty-drvnks...
Ah, thank you! You may just be catching me on a good day ;)
Clicked out of curiosity. Less Government, more freedom sounds OK to me.
Libertarians are a disease to this website. Every time a conservative points out that libertarianism and conservatism are seperate political philosophies, some underinformed libertarian is motivated to post that quote without context.
For the record:
Ronald Reagan made that comment in a 1975 interview with Reason Magazine. Thus, he was appealing to a libertarian audience at a time when he was mounting a primary challenge against an incumbant Republican president. He was looking for votes. In the following 20 years that he remained in the public eye, he never made another positive comment about libertarianism, or linked it to the conservative cause.
Quite to the contrary actually, he ran his presidency in direct dispute with libertarian principals:
* He sought and implemented necessary trade restricitions on Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Mexico and elsewhere.
* He engaged in unauthorized foreign military intervetion in Grenada, Libya, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
* He sought restrictions on abortion.
* Federal spending increased under his tenure.
* He broke his campaign promise to eliminate two cabinet positions.
* He fired the air traffic controllers for striking.
* He made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants.
* And (dear to the heart of every libertarian I've ever met), while Nixon introduced the term "the war on drugs," it was Reagan who actually invented the program we know today. He declared drug trafficking a "national security threat," expanded drug treatment, stronger law enforcement and drug interdiction efforts.
None of this is meant as a critique of Reagan. As is their habit, libtarians fail to learn all the facts before invoking the man's name. Conservative reverance for Reagan is usually limited to the man who was president, not the Democrat actor, the California governor who legalized abortion, or the candidate who sucked up to libertarian voters.
Less Government, more freedom sounds OK to me.
LOL, that’s a hoot! But I said LESS government, not NONE!
8^)
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