Posted on 08/01/2006 7:15:19 PM PDT by NutCrackerBoy
On the surface, the Republican Party appears to be better poised now than at any time since Calvin Coolidge. Republicans have controlled both houses of Congress for more than a decade (interrupted briefly by Senator James Jeffords's defection in mid-2001), occupied the White House for the last five years, and held a majority of governorships since the 1994 elections. In short, the GOP has come a long way since 1968 or 1980.
So why are Republicans feeling so sour in 2006? Having now held power in Congress for over a decade, there is a sense that the corruption-fighting revolutionaries of 1994 have now become what they once opposed--a problem starkly symbolized by Duke Cunningham's boat house and Ted Stevens's bridge to nowhere. The Republican coalition, considerably bigger than it was in 1975, is now much harder to hold together. More generally, Republican discontent is driven by a growing sense of philosophical malaise--a sense that the party has become unmoored from its most basic philosophical commitments, and that elected Republicans no longer seek power to advance their principles but for its own sake. For Republicans, this transformation is potentially devastating.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Gee think maybe the Conservatives are grumpy because all our talking heads and columnists spend all their time shooting at their own side.
Hey "Conservative pundits" How about actually attacking the Democrats ONE time on ANY thing? It would such a refreshing change from this continual hyper negativity and verbal self fragging.
Sorry Chief, but Conservatives are grumpy because the Republican Congress kicked them in the teeth.
"a very large number of Republican voters are both limited-government and social conservatives"
Not true. Here on FR, some will support the most outrageous forms and increases of welfare, freebies and general spending waste provided a speech is given with some folksy Biblical maxim.
Gee think maybe the Conservatives are grumpy because all our talking heads and columnists spend all their time shooting at their own side.
Darn good article, seems to sum up a lot of what I've been thinking lately.
Hey "Conservative pundits" How about actually attacking the Democrats ONE time on ANY thing? It would such a refreshing change from this continual hyper negativity and verbal self fragging.
Its not just the conservative "pundits" who are grumpy (HOW ABOUT FED UP AND REALLY PISSED) AT THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ALL RINOS IN CONGRESS and I suggest (predict if you will) that the results will become very apparent on Nove. 2nd.
No, I'm not staying home and not advocating anyone else do either. But there are enough disgruntled and others who feel disenfranchised and abandoned by their "party" and leadership, that I won't be shocked (albeit disappointed) if I wake up on Nov 3rd and have to face a Speaker Pelosi and a Senate Pres Reid.
If that happens, I would suggest that W take a hard look in the mirror and think about changing course for the next 2 years and see if its possible (though doubtful) to try and undo some of the major harm (as outlined in this article) that he had been personally responsible for.
I had the impression, could be mistaken, that Milton Friedman was essentially the architect of compassionate conservatism. I've defined it to myself as the compromise to allow the GOP to exert some conservative influence on the country, instead of none (since electorally promises to shrink government just loses).
Bill Buckley had this ghostwritten for him.
Left-leaners have expressed to me disappointment that the GOP no longer reduces the budget.
Just out of curiosity ..No strong conservative has ever expressed disappointment to you over governmnet waste ?!?!?!
Yes, they assuredly have. I was remarking that even liberals are aghast at the big-spending GOP.
As the saying goes, "I didn't leave the GOP. The GOP left me." Too true.
Funny how we never hear about Goldwater advocating prayer in school whenever some 'Goldwater Conservative' bashes the social conservatives nowadays.
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