I’ll just throw out one liners and
let your responses do the rest.
Posted on 09/10/2012 2:47:28 AM PDT by shibumi
Nope, there isn't, any more than we are all "Americans".
Let me explain.
Simply enough, conservatism has suffered the same fare as being "American". It has been hyphenated.
If we focus on all being conservative, much as all being "American", then that is what comes first.
But we have been fractionated, philosophically balkanized by the addition of hyphenated prefixes.
Thus, the So-cons can be set against the Neo-cons, against the paleo-cons, ad infinitum.
In reality, there is no more deep separation of Conservatism than there is of Americanism: a failure of either takes all down.
There will be no fiscal responsibility without some sort of moral responsibility, and neither function well without the Rule of Law grounded in the Constitution (original intent, please). so, no more than the -Americans will benefit to the exclusion of another group of -Americans, conservatives are all in the same boat: opposed by the liberals, regardless of their party labels.
Successfully sinking one end of the boat will not make the other end float better. The Liberal wing of the Party knows this, but it keeps the Liberals riding high while everyone else is slugging it out in the bilges.
Unfortunately, the boat is sinking deeper every cycle, deeper into the cesspool of liberalism, and in the name of being 'tough on crime/terror/drugs/three toed sock monkeys/whatever excuse will fly', the tools are forged for the totalitarian state, often in blatant violation of Constitutional principles, by those wearing the big 'R" brand.
Those who foment this conflict between ginned-up conservative factions have no moral base (hint: they're Liberals at their core, and in it for themselves. They're politicians, not statesmen).
Yes, the rest, the Conservatives of every stripe and gradation which make up the remainder of the party are ill served by the strife, but could agree on more principles than they can field in a candidate because of the fractionation of their ranks by the faux-conservatives who make up the (well-funded and entrenched) liberal wing.
How can Conservatives quit being suckers for this play?
Either bury the hatchet and displace the Liberals or start a new party with a platform we can all agree on.
Frankly, I don't think that is going to happen, because the Liberal GOP-e will be in the middle of that causing disarray at every turn, scuttling it as sure as any Palin candidacy, including her VP run.
It is the guerrillas in our midst, those who pretend to be Conservatives/Republicans (the two are not synonymous)--the ones we can agree are RINOs, who should get the lion's share of the blame.
They'd be at home in that other Party if they were just a tad more accomplished grifters.
But again, blaming Conservatives for this rape is like blaming someone who has a nice car for the thief who stole it. In the end, it is the turncoats and traitors who do Conservatives ill, and if that has sparked some critical vetting of candidates, so be it, although one in particular was trounced by the media allegations and the factions of the Party who were all too willing to support that.
I see conservatism as a set of ideals--social, fiscal, and legal (Constitutional)--and fundamentally, I do not believe any who believe deeply in any one aspect of that would so vehemently reject the rest that they would vote for a Liberal, unless, of course, they just aren't a Conservative in the first place.
So, instead of the Party dictating to Conservatives what bitter pills to swallow, Conservatives need to turn that around. In the meantime, though there are stunts like the delegate slate at the ND convention and the shutting off power to the microphones when the composition of the slate was protested, which indicate to me the GOP needs some serious housecleaning, or Conservatives need to move.
Unfortunately, once again, there is little choice but to play their game (the GOP-e), or sit this dance out, with predictably disastrous results.
In the end, if there is a Republican victory, I predict little will be reversed, only "fixed", and the damnable aspects of the current regime will become entrenched facets of an already unwieldy and overblown bureaucracy, to the detriment of us all.
I’m going to quit writing essays.
I’ll just throw out one liners and let your responses do the rest.
Not all states are like California
Only these states will count writes with preconditions.
Alabama
California
Delaware
Iowa
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Wisconsin
Not all write in will be counted and many times they end up listed as other with no real political statement being made.
These states don’t count write in candidates.
Arkansas
Hawaii
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nevada
New Mexico
Oklahoma
South Dakota
These states will not allow candidates that failed to win there party primary to switch parties for the general election.
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
North Carolina
South Carolina
Missouri
Oregon
Washington
Most states require the person to be registered as a candidate before they will be counted.
Seriously, keep it up, you have sparked some good conversation! (and I enjoyed your essay, too!)
I’m not condemning anyone who follows their conscience and votes in a manner different from my own.
In my first comment, I tried to make it clear that if I were in a “locked” state, my reaction might be different.
Here in Indiana, however, every vote is going to matter. Not a few of us were shocked in the last election to see our state fall into the “blue” column. If that were to happen again, I want to be able to say I did everything in my power to prevent it.
I don’t know why I responded like that.
I have always enjoyed your views. in particular, your humor.
I hope I didn’t offend you.
I woke up and my shoulder was killing me @2am. Might have made post a little quick on the trigger . Took 4 hours on the ice machine before was relaxed enough to sleep again.
Again, apologies.
"We at the FBI have no sense of humor.
That we are aware of."
That’s great info.
Of course my vote is mere concsoius and of no value. Were I in a state and vote would make a difference I would be forced to vote for Mitt.
As it is, he will have to earn his stripes with me for 2016. But that is looking doubtful as everyday he demonstrates he is a statist. ie he like certain part of ObamaCare® and work to implement this he likes. Which sounds more he is equivocating out one side of his mouth while saying “Day One” he will destroy ObamaCare®.
LOL
Too much!
I gotta get out of this doctors office. they have absolutely no respect for my time. I show up on time and it takes an hour to get in and now I’ve been sitting in BS exam room.
That’s twice he’s done this and after today he fired.
I’m never late and have tolerance for people who have this habit.
“Late” is a 4 letter word and I’m the king of some four letter words right now. Rude, prik, *.*, *.*, *.*.
What a punk. its now 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Unacceptable ....
And what will that do exactly?
Once again, your ideas stir me. Once again I, like you, shall hold my nose as I enter the polls and vote for the lesser of two evils. And I, like you, shall toast that SOB known as Romney if he wins.
Must stop the tide of HusseinProgressive.
Another *half-a-loaf-is-better-than-none*; how can he be *worse* than Hussein?
My prayer: God, you blessed America. God, please save America.
Nothing. the same as if I cast my vote for Romney.
Actually, it will be my silent protest to GOPe and the RNC. Eff them again and I hope they choke on their cheap liquor.
Don’t hurt me. I’m still your wingman .....
I’se just axin’.
Peace baby...
“Paul Ryan, has been excoriated in the press for the mere suggestion that he might have found an idea or two with some merit in the works of Ayn Rand.”
And yet, the scumbags in the arrogant and lazy media have no problem with a “president” who has found a heck of a lot more than an idea or two from the likes of Frances Fox Piven, Frantz Fanon, Richard Cloward, Saul Alinsky, and Karl Marx.
I’m not going to pretend that I like voting for yet another GOP-E candidate, but I have no intention whatsoever of repeating my voting mistakes of the past. In 2000, I seem to be the only person in South Florida to have willfully voted for Pat Buchanan. (I guess it was some sort of phase I was going through.) My lack of mental clarity could very well have handed Al Snore the election, but thankfully justice prevailed.
I resent being put in this situation, but the primary is over and We the Conservatives didn’t win. It sucks, but it is what it is. As a movement, we have to drag Romney over the finish line. There is no other choice. It does us no good to pretend that there is. We don’t have the luxury of writing in Sarah Palin or Jew hater Ron Paul. We can’t vote for that Virgil Goode guy (a former backbencher lib Dim), either. The stakes are way too high this time around.
Great post as always, FRiend!
Alan
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