Posted on 02/04/2008 11:46:39 AM PST by pissant
The Republican candidate for president of the United States could probably be easily selected if he were presented to the public in a format similar to the old, long-running TV game show “To Tell the Truth.”
With John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee barnstorming across the primary states, each claiming to be an authentic, rock-ribbed political conservative, Republican voters are divided and frustrated with the choices that are before them.
The demonstrably real conservatives, of course, have all dropped out of the race for lack of money, widespread recognition and the ability to “catch fire”: Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter, and Tom Tancredo.
Ron Paul is really a libertarian, and suffers the fate of all libertarian candidates — marginalization and unelectability. Passionate and feisty in debates, Paul raises important issues, but they are philosophical in nature, an attribute that primarily appeals to thoughtful intellectuals who ponder the role of government rather than to the general public.
Rudy Giuliani, an early favorite, was part-conservative (as he has been his whole political life), but flamed out from a combination of personal scandals, liberal social views and above all, a poor and misguided political campaign strategy.
Who remains, then, are three candidates who may each have a piece of the conservative sobriquet, but not the entire title. John McCain’s voting record on fiscal policy and social issues seems more Democratic and anti-Republican. While governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee raised taxes, expanded government, and was involved in many irregularities surrounding his personal finances.
In Massachusetts, Mitt Romney’s political positions seemed to shift depending on what group he was addressing, and how government could clearly help them if only he were in charge.
The popular conception of conservatives, as advanced by some in the media like Rush Limbaugh, is that of a three-legged stool, with three areas of interest: fiscal matters, social issues and national defense policy. In this view, one might be “conservative” in as many as two areas, but not in the third, as was Giuliani’s problem.
According to this, the fundamental problem is that none of the candidates consistently maintain all three positions to be considered a true conservative, as did, for example, Ronald Reagan, Thus, Republican voters have no single candidate to rally behind and are hopelessly divided among the “pretenders” who are currently in the lead, depending upon those issues that are most important to them.
Unlike the leading Democrats, who are both running on the mantra of “change,” an authentic conservative should be pointing out the danger of the kinds of change that this entails: bigger government, more taxes, avoidance of personal responsibility, and less freedom.
The late Russell Kirk warned that “in the modern world, the love of change has been gaining at the expense of the love of things established, with a consequent weakening of conservative interests.” The real conservative candidate is going to have to spell out the implications of this statement, and why he believes it, to the voting public in a way people can understand.
There is a mountain of literature on the nature and meaning of conservatism throughout history. Suffice it to say that the American conservative impulse is a way of looking at society and political institutions with an instinctive set of established principles, among which are a distrust of political centralization, a defense of private property, a resentment of increased taxation and the redistribution of wealth inherent in the welfare state, revulsion at the decay of private and public morality, and a strong belief in a strict interpretation of the enumerated powers of the Constitution.
Based on what is displayed on their Web sites, trying to nail down where candidates stand on issues and what they will do in the future, is an exercise in fecklessness.
Both Republicans and Democrats paint a broad brush of generalities, make unproven assumptions, and in many cases, propose legislation and policies that are untested and highly questionable — sort of like throwing a handful of stuff at a wall and standing back to see what sticks. Caveat emptor.
The “To Tell the Truth” analogy is most apt.
If Republicans and the Republican Party are to stand for conservative principles, candidates’ feet should be held to the fire. They should be grilled on their past performance, their understanding of all the relevant issues facing the country, and what they intend to do, specifically, to address them and how they expect to achieve success.
Based on what they are saying at present, if asked the question, Will the real conservative please stand up? all of the candidates should remain seated.
I’m not so much confused as appalled!
Too bad the uber conservatives were shoved out by the media.
We don’t even have wannabes now!
The headline is false, and the blackout continues.
Alan Keyes is on the ballot in most states, which puts the lie to the headline.
Yeah, well Medved should stick to what works best for him -- criticizing Hollywood for its hatred of all things conservative -- and leave the important political analysis to people who work in the real world rather than the entertainment world.
They all are seriously flawed and are huge disappointments to the conservative base. I still think any is better than the alternative. I really don’t think I could tolerate a Democrat in the White House with a Democrat controlled Senate and House. That would be produce horrendous results ten times worse than if we had a RINO in there. I want Grid Lock, not the Communists in control of DC.
Now THAT's delusional! I wanted Hunter, could have lived with Thompson, and am now down to Romney or third-party. I was never going to vote for McCain, but considered Huckabee until he started backing McCain. Normally a candidate drops out of the race himself BEFORE endorsing another.
I’m sure that Keyes would be the one who Medved takes an exception to. LOL
Sad, but true.
Mitt Romney is running as a conservative on conservative ideas.
John McCain is running against them
And in the general election, Romney will defend conservative ideas as he runs on them.
McCain will agree with Hillary or Obama when he or she attacks conservative ideas.
Who do we want representing us in the election?
If the Republicans go left, we are heading toward a one-party state.
With a huge bureaucracy to back it up, insinuated into every aspect of our lives.
Well then, let’s hope that Atlas finally has the guts to shrug.
The Father of gay marriage and socialized medicine a "true conservative." Wow. Who'da thunk it?
Republicans are joining the Democrat world, one in which words, and the past, mean absolutely nothing.
So, what pray tell did Newsmax do to help with the lack of "widespread recognition" or to light the "fire" that the REAL conservatives needed? Hmmmmm?
How many articles were written extolling the virtues and bona fide conservative positions of Duncan Hunter, for instance? How many articles have been written about Alan Keyes, Fred or Tancredo?
Like most of the so-called "alternative" or "conservative" media, the answer is...NOT MUCH!!!
The only candidate for Conservatives of conscience...
NONE OF THE ABOVE !
We’re long overdue for a revolution.
Good point! As is the case with most headlines, they cater to sensationalism, caring little for truth.
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