Posted on 12/10/2003 8:59:00 PM PST by BobbyK
Enough With The Neocon And Paleocon
Carping—I'll Stand With George W. Bush In 2004
Like most Toogood Reports readers, I observed this year's battles within the conservative ranks with profound discomfort. In my mind, there are far too many real enemies out there to waste time and print fighting one another.
It seems that the world of conservatism has been split up between the "conservatives" and the "paleo-conservatives" or between the "conservatives" and the "neo-conservatives." Both sides present themselves as the bona fide article and the other side as the one in need of a prefix.
Personally, I just want to spit up this strife the same way the bleachers of Wrigley Field do the opposition´s home run balls. This qualifies as a "which side are you on boys" issue. It is my goal to conserve America's wonderful, non-living Constitution, and to forever preserve the personal and economic freedoms that embody our way of life. If you agree with me about these basic propositions, then you're on my side and the rest of your views are of secondary concern. Simply revering the spirit of the Founding Fathers puts you in the top 50 percent of the population on the Chap-o-meter.
Not only is an inter-journalist, inter-intellectual, conservative civil war fruitless, it is also detrimental to the nation as a whole. The country needs all of our efforts just to have a chance of mitigating the damage the culture war has wrought.
Our daily resistance may be the biggest obstacle to the federal pacman swallowing up fifty percent of the economy. We cannot afford to bicker amongst ourselves. The odds are too great. Obsessing over who said what about Taki, Buchanan, Frum, Lowry or any of the other public figures who make up the American right is counter-productive.
The neocon/paleocon debate is as bewildering as it is petty and misguided. Sadly, some conservatives now feel more comfortable with leftists than they do their own kind [I know of one who astonished me by saying that he regards the American Enterprise Institute as "The Death Star"]. Certainly, internal disagreements are to be expected, but they are trivial in comparison to accepting the positions advocated by the other side of the political spectrum. Socialism, cultural Marxism, white guilt, and radical feminism are eternal obstacles to advancing society. Other conflicts pale in importance when compared to them.
I propose that we abandon slurs like paleo-con and neo-con. Instead we should all evolve into "Logicons." The Logicon refuses to slash at the brethren who march alongside him because maintaining some level of public harmony is the only logical way in which we will succeed. Logicons realize that our fighting strength should not be diluted by internecine combat.
Much of the controversy currently centers around President Bush and whether or not one approves of his job performance. I've written here and elsewhere how much I personally admire him, but I also acknowledge that certain criticisms have been valid. Those who label him a big spender are correct in their assessments. He has not used his veto to curb the size of government and has developed a habit of hugging Ted Kennedy's voluminous appropriations.
While this is unfortunate, to pretend that Bush is not the best bet for advancing the country's interests is shortsighted. There are many conservatives out there who could do a better job of slashing outlays, but it is highly unlikely that any of them could get elected by our emotive and squishy electorate. On our side, George W. Bush "feels their pain" better than anyone. He brings in moderate voters the way my old Erie Dearie lures used to bag walleyes .
The problem is one of perspective. We can spend time complaining about steel tariffs or the administration´s pathetic capitulation on affirmative action last summer. Yes, I would have been greatly pleased if he disseminated a Michigan Law brief of his own after the decision entitled “O´Connor a Known Fruitcake,” but the fact is that he didn't and there´s nothing we can do about it. However, we must keep our outlook global by remembering what the alternatives are.
What would Al Gore do with affirmative action? How about Howard Dean, the neurotic would-be-king, with Al Qaeda? Makes you shudder doesn´t it? After the election, Al Sharpton would take his standup around the world as our Secretary of State and we´d hear Patricia Ireland lambasting “patriarchal textbooks” in her role as Secretary of Education.
In actuality, my examples really aren´t all that farfetched. The radical left has been carrying the Democrat Party since 2001 and, now, if the Democrats win, bills will need to be paid.
Rather than fantasize about an ideal future, conservatives need to think about how things can, and will, get devastatingly worse, should Bush lose. Be it Dean or Kerry or whatever burrito they decide to roll out of the Taqueria next summer, the fate of the country will be in jeopardy. By this time in 2006, there will be a foreign policy coward in every pot and a benefit check in the hands of every college drop out. Think France, think Germany, and then be grateful we have a president who doesn't spit after saying "tax cuts."
Besides, the Bush Presidency has produced many hidden benefits. His appointees may well be our salvation even though he backs obese budgets. In the latest issue of The New Criterion, we see that his appointments to the National Endowment of the Arts have had a wonderful effect. Under Dana Gioia, the agency is sponsoring Macbeth for military bases and has resurrected traditional Shakespeare at the national level [Shakespearean plays are now staged as in the days of old which means brothels and bath house scenes are no longer mandatory].
I don´t care if you insult him or trade in Karl Rove conspiracy theories, but, in November of 2004, this particular rightist is going to stand by George W. Bush just as the bumper sticker on my car promises. Our hopes for a better tomorrow rest in the White House on his bed. We must support him because heady days await and also because his reelection keeps the Democrat Party headless. Let´s proudly stand by our man as he loudly subsumes the popular positions of the left while promoting many of ours in the shadows though his judges, appointees, and minions.
Can the ACLU martyr schtick, would you. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.
What you and your ilk refuse to even consider, is that the alternative is far and away more destructive to my life and those I hold dear.
Please explain to me, just how Dean, or Kerry, or Hillary, or any other Dem president wannabe, is going to preserve, protect, and fulfill your " conservative " yearning. If you can't, and you most assuredly can not, then you're just like a spoiled brat, throwing a two year old's temper tantrum, or a teenager's willful and self destructive behavior, doing precisely what he/she has been told repeatedly NOT to do.
You may enjoy cutting off your nose to spit your face; however, the rest of us don't want to have the nose bleed too.
Nations, or governments, do not exist to ''satisfy'' me or anyone else. They exist TO exist, and generally to expand their power over time.
An honest man or woman requires nothing from government, except that it obey its stated rules. Granted that no government anywhere does so, in a scrupulous fashion, some governments do so FAR more reliably than others. Until the past 25 years or so, the USA was among the top 3 or 4 nations who DID obey their own rules to a **greater** extent.
Whether you or I like it or not, the USA is now NOT obeying its own rules for governance, i.e. the Constitution (which, btw, I can cite you chapter and verse right through, and -- a no-brainer -- cite any number of very specific examples of the US gov't violating its own rules, almost cheerfully, even).
At bottom, your complaint against me is that I don't (any longer) like a politician that you prefer.
Doubtless, you'll be very happy with the next anti-Constitutional outrage that is about to occur, specifically, the taxation of Internet transactions. Perhaps you might consider reading Article I, Section IX if you happen to hold the view that such taxation is somehow legitimate.
Ignoring your vitriol, may I -- VERY sincerely -- wish you the best of the Christmas season, and of the New Year to come!
we got Clinton, one of the highest tax increases, just say no policy; 93 WTC bombing; national security sold to the Chinese; blow jobs in the White House; Khobar Tower bombing; Black Hawk Down; Africa Embassy bombing; USS Cole attack; N. Korea bogus agreement with nukes and more .. all because you were upset about "Read my Lips"
Gee thanks
Yeah, sure. And if I don't give all my money to charity, I'm starving people to death.
Hb
If one constantly votes for the ''lesser of two evils'', one ends up with, ultimately, evil. In 1992, I chose not to do that.
You've misread/misunderstood what I posted to you about governments.I was reacting to your IMPLIED position, that governemts were there to fulfill your positions.want lists, since that is precisely what YOU want from the GOP. So,wanna try that one again ? And, having lived in 11 different countries, which one of those is better, now, than the USA?
An honest man or woman requires his/her government proyect him/her from foreign enemies, for one. Since even that position seems to have escaped you, I shan't go on, even thought, like you, I do know the Constitution and the ammendments, as well as quite a lot of other things you haven't mentioned; not the least of which is unvarnished historical facts.
No, at bottom, I am displeased that you are incapable of seeing that, in reality, there are only ever TWO presidential candidates, one of whom will win. One side will deliver some things that a Conservative wants, the other will do everything in his power to thwart ALL that a Conservative wants. By not voting for the glass 1/2 full, one aids and abetts the enemy. That's it, there's nothing else, this is a fact and there's just NO getting away from it, around it, or spinning it.
Your comment is at best obscure, but nonetheless, may I wish you the very best of the Christmas season!
Doesn't the thought of your Constitution being dismantled and you being extorted in voting for the very guy who did it by threats of "if you don't, you'll get someone even WORSE" give you the least bit of pause?
America has lost it's fortitude.
Hb
When you reach your destination called "perfect political world", would you send me a post card. I have a feeling that I will be waiting a long time by the mail box.
BTW, I guess in your perfect world, that you have the perfect car, perfect house, and eat the perfect diet.
We do not live in a perfect world and never will.
And a Merry Christmas to you also.
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