Rush's Blueprint (David Frum Barf Alert)

National Review ^ | October 27, 2008 | David Frum

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Last week, Tony Blankley published and Rush Limbaugh publicized what may prove one of the most important articles of 2008. I don't mean that the article was good - very much the contrary. But bad work can be even more important than good, if enough people can be got to believe it.

--snip--

If I understand it correctly, the Blankley/Rush argument goes like this:

1) Reagan-style conservatism remains wildly popular with the American people. It was the "blueprint" for winning landslides between 1980 and 1994, and it remains the blueprint today.

2) Yet for some unaccountable mysterious reason, politicians are ignoring this blueprint! There is not a strong elected conservative voice in the country today.

3) So obviously what we need to do is return to the politics of the 1980s - and sit back and collect the rewards.

[SoDak]

Did Frum recently take a serious blow to the head?

[IncPen]

Over three-quarters of Republicans say Palin was good choice, while a majority of the electorate says the opposite.

Let's talk the morning after the election, Mr Frum.

[Valpal1]

Do the world a favor and stop reading Frum and stop clicking on links to his by-line.

He doesn't get it and he won't get it because he's afraid of the great unwashed middle of flyover country.

None of the Northeast intellectual elites who think they are conservatives are, they are in denial of their RINO habits as well as their irrelevancy,

[wiseprince]

The biggest benefit to a McCain win will be to keep people like David Frum out of real work

[Malesherbes]

I’m following your advice - not only with respect to Frum but with respect to all the others who have so disdainfully stuck a knife into Sarah. They are no longer welcome into my house in any form - print, electronic, or most unlikely, in person.

[ex-snook]

Frum thinks a conservative is one who believes in sending American armies and wealth all over the world. I think Reagan would turn over in his grave.

[SargeK]

And yet another brick is added to the growing pile of evidence that National Review is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. Their continuing indulgence of Kathleen Parker’s spittle-flecked vituperations against Governor Palin are another.

Such a dramtic decline in faculties in an old friend is sad to witness. However, we must accept that the one we once cherished is no more - merely a shell, a shadow of its former self.

[nathanbedford]

Does Frum's logic apply only to Republicans and not to Democrats? In other words, are Democrats about to overwhelm us in this election because they moved to the center with the farthest most left candidate ever to gain the Democrat party's nomination?

The fact of the matter is that the undecideds must ultimately choose between someone on the right and someone on the left. The choice is not always made in favor of the one who crosses over the farthest, it is more often made in favor of the one who is the most credible candidate, regardless of ideology. This time around, for various reasons which are almost incomprehensible to us conservatives, Obama is a very credible candidate to more than half the country despite the fact that he is actually a radical.

The lesson for conservatives is not to try to place oneself precisely in the middle of the chess board but to present and properly sell principles which are attractive to the voters. Conservatism still remains the most attractive philosophy in America-when it is properly presented.

[o2bfree]

I think the Republican party has jumped the shark. When we have idiots like this claiming to be one of us, we definitely have a problem.

Maybe we should change our name to something else, and leave the RINOs behind claiming to be good republicans.

In Canada, the Tories changed their name to “The Conservative Party” and they’ve been on the rise ever since.

[pissant]

With any luck, Frum will join the democrat party.

[Old Sarge]

1) Reagan-style conservatism remains wildly popular with the American people.

Sadly, Reagan is dead and his revolution died with him.

[mkjessup]

WORD!

[wideawake]

In Canada, the Tories changed their name to “The Conservative Party” and they’ve been on the rise ever since.

The official name of the party in Canada has been "The Conservative Party" since at least 1873.

They didn't change their name from "Tories" - it's an old nickname and was never the Party's official name.

[jalisco555]

The official name of the party in Canada has been "The Conservative Party" since at least 1873.

IIRC, the Canadian Conservative Party is new. It was formed by the merger of the old Progressive Conservative Party and the Alliance Party a few years ago.

[FarRightFanatic]

Frum is an upper-crust elitist snob. He doesn’t get us at all and is not what we need in our party. I doubt he even knows anyone that is part of the poor unwashed masses in flyover country. I’m sure he has a great time at Washington cocktail parties, though, as I am sure he attends each and every one with his fellow upper-crust elitist snobs.

[TalBlack]

“Yet for some unaccountable mysterious reason, politicians are ignoring this blueprint! There is not a strong elected conservative voice in the country today.”

With this Frum is either lying, ignorant or stupid. The reasons are discussed by Rush and others all the time.

[LeonardFMason]

David Frum would have us return to BOB MICHEL, permanent minority status. No thanks.

[backhoe]

IMO, Frum is a hack who spends too much time around elitists, and not enough in flyover country.

Of course, since I'm a rural Southerner, what do I know? But I call 'em like I see 'em.

[wideawake]

It started as the Conservative Party in the 1800s.

In the 1920s it merged with the Progressive Party to become the Progressive Conservative Party.

In the 1980s the Reform Party started.

In the 1990s the Reform Party became known as the Canadian Alliance Party.

In 2003 the Canadian Alliance party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party and decided to just go by the name The Conservative Party of Canada, as the party's traditional name.

They had been called the Tories as a nickname all along.