[mojito]

I thought I'd post this. A bit of well-stated good cheer, for a change.

[Grunthor]

?Conservative Gloominess (Buck Up FReepers - It’s not as bad as you think)”

We have a “choice” between a Liberal with an R after his name or a Liberal with a D after his name. How exactly is it not as bad as I think?

[pissant]

Here is better ‘good cheer’. Cheers

http://falconparty.com/

[xcamel]

until “none of the above” counts... PM can take a hike.

[padre35]

Losing is never pleasent, perhaps this election cycle will teach us all a very very good lesson.

As for the dhimmis, they win be acting Republican, as soon as the zanniness begins, it will be interesting to see the newbie Dhimmis ‘splain to the folks back home what the heck is going on in DC on their watch...

[ex-snook]

Conservatives have nothing to fear but fear of incompetence itself.

Republicans are not losing Congressional elections because of the top of either ticket, it’s an R vs D contest and the R’s are drawing dead in 2008.

The best thing that Clinton did for Republicans was to elect a Republican congress for the first time in years, another Democrat will give Republicans that opportunity in 2010. Tell why they should be elected rather than why the other guy shouldn’t.

Cheer up 2010 is coming. Be ready.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I see the future for conservatism that has several paths.

Conservatives, almost by definition, are less inclined to enjoy change unless change has an advocate who promises a better tomorrow. And I mean positive, Reaganesque change, not the reactionary, socialist liberal change promoted by Obama and Clinton.

This means a clear picture of what change is needed, and how to change in that direction. This is why on the fringes of the Republican party, we are starting to see more radical ideas, be they reasonable, like from Duncan Hunter, or less so, like from Ron Paul.

But what we need most of all, is to step back and see what the real problems are, the long-term, enormous problems that underlie our nation and perhaps the entire world.

One of these is more obvious today than it has been for a while. In short, it is the abuse of credit, not just by people and business, but by entire nations. So what should conservatives do to turn this situation around?

Things that are really big ideas. To start with, everybody has to control their spending to match their means:

1) A balanced budget amendment to the constitution, and tight restrictions on government debt.
2) Not just limitations on government growth, but real reductions in the size of government.
3) Restrictions on credit that prevent its issuance without close to matching collateral.
4) Replacing much of the credit industry with debit. It goes back to the truism that money should only be lent to those that do not need it.

Right now, the assumption is that if the credit market is controlled, enough to prevent wild excess, that there will be a tremendous shortfall of investment. But this is not entirely true. Uncontrolled credit is just a very easy way to obtain money, but it is not the only way.

Uncontrolled credit creates economic bubbles, going all the way back to the first Dutch tulip speculation craze. If you take away easy credit, it makes foolish speculation much harder, bubbles much rarer, and markets far more stable.

So those that would “suffer” most, are irresponsible speculators. Not a whole lot of sympathy out there for them. But for typical people, it would be the end of many “get rich quick” schemes promising double-digit returns even in a dull market.

Enormous trade deficits would also wind down. A lack of easy credit also means that unless we paid cash on the barrel head, we would no longer import huge amounts of products like oil and goods from China. It turn, the makers of such goods would have to return to the US, if they hoped to sell their goods here.

Much of the credit abuse in the world only exists because the US is involved. So if we got our own house in order, it would force reform around the world.

And this is just one thing conservatives could do. If we have a future candidate who can bring about such changes, we could all face a much brighter future than a terrible worldwide economic collapse, that seems to be our destiny today. Sooner or later.

[rmlew]

Towards the end of his thoughtful new book Comeback: Conservatism that Can Win Again, David Frum gently takes issue with Russell Kirk’s invocation of “the permanent things.” “How few of those there really are!” Frum writes. “The fact of change is the great fact of human life,” he says, pleading with conservatives to “adapt” to change and retake the intellectual and political initiative.
1. Frum isn't a conservative. He is a right-liberal from a scion of Canadian Liberalism.
2. He gleefully wants a less conservative conservatism, which consists of being Ceahp liberal hawks.
I heard the smug bastard on the Laura Ingram show on Thurday. He suddenly supports border-enforcements as a political issue, after helping to defeat it for 7 years.

[bilhosty]

Actually it is looking up a little bit now that our genius's in Washington have finally figured out that our backs are to the wall. Maybe they will do something about it. If so it will have been worth it to lose that Mississippi seat.

[sionnsar]

Good read ping!

[Don W]

Interesting you find this to “be of good cheer”.

With what I see happening, especially the numbers of “those of good faith”, I am truly frightened for our children.

God Bless.

[MaggieCarta]

This is why the miasmic gloominess emanating from many conservative circles today is so dispiriting. It goes against the grain of what it means to be conservative. It is dampening, and I for one hope it will prove to be a quickly passing phenomenon.

And if not, there's always mood altering drugs to be had at taxpayer expense from the Medicare program.

Thanks for posting this article. It is uplifting.

[parsifal]

The only thing that will save republicans in future is forced internment in re-education camps. While there, loudspeakers will blare out common sense messages to cut thru years of robotic subservience to pseudo-conservative ideation.

For example, “Republican Mind Slaves—Living wages are not a sin!!! Increases in the minimum wage do not reduce jobs!!!!Poor folks are people, too!!! Credit card companies do not deserve protection over your fellow citizens!!!

That, for 24 hours a day and you might produce thinking Republicans who can uphold traditional conservative values like strong defense, 2nd amendment rights, liberal judges, and decentralization of power.

Or maybe not. The geeks with spreadsheet programs have been running the party for years.

parsy, who bolted for the criminal party about eight years ago.