Posted on 01/29/2009 9:34:54 PM PST by rabscuttle385
As members of the GOP bemoan the inauguration of President Obama, far-sighted right-wingers are looking to the future with their own brand of hope. For the latter, the overwhelming victory of National Journal's most liberal senator of 2007 is a definitive repudiation of the pseudo-conservative principles championed by Messieurs Bush and McCain. Indeed, the results of this past election and President George W. Bush's 22 percent approval rating give testament to their ability to reach across party lines: by receiving bipartisan disdain.
Now while liberals would bash anyone who doesn't call all their plays from the writings of the Frankfurt School, the fact that a good portion of card-carrying Republicans decries their president raises an eyebrow. But this isn't surprising considering Bush and Sen. John McCain have promoted some of the worst policies in Republican history. Under the conservative banner, these two promoted an imperialist foreign policy that provided terrorists with their greatest recruiting tool, robbed us of our civil liberties via the Patriot Act and were complicit in the greatest financial disaster of all time. "At least we haven't had another terrorist attack!" some devout Republican might call out. Well that's a miracle considering the duo's refusal to enforce our immigration laws has allowed millions of aliens to invade and rove unchecked throughout the country. Not all of these aliens may be here to take our jobs; some may also be here to take our lives. On top of all this, Bush and McCain and Co.'s support of hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth redistribution has given us a foretaste of the socialism to come.
Let us be honest on this point: Nearly every aspect of Bush-McCain politics is left wing. In truth, liberals had a win-win situation this election. And with neoconservatives like Bill Kristol now advocating the abandonment of the basic tenet of small government and promoting "national greatness," we might as well call our political process what it is: a one-party system.
And as the Bush administration takes its final turn around the toilet bowl, to whom can we look for hope of true reform? To make an appropriate reference, we wouldn't look to the CEO of Lehman Brothers to revive the failed company — we would punch him in the face. Thus should right-wingers proverbially punch the likes of David Brooks, Bill Kristol and Dick Cheney?
Well, then who is out there fighting the good fight? A good indicator is whether a person has been labeled an "extremist" or "out of the mainstream," which basically means he or she doesn't deliberate between which left-wing policies are preferable. Examples include Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul — both of whom were against the war in Iraq from the start, predicted the economic crisis well in advance, support secure borders and identify and speak out against cultural Marxism. For many, Ron Paul was the only interesting thing to come out of the alleged right this past election season. His grassroots-style campaign rallied two important demographics: students — the future of the political process — and the elderly, who have seen how backwards the GOP has become. As Richard Spencer of Takimag.com says, "The Ron Paul movement has a lot of potential and amazing dynamic. It represents something viable rather than a boring movement that accomplishes nothing.”
Whether the Paulites or the Buchanan Brigade are the keys to the future of the right, or are simply things of the past, is conjecture. What is certain, however, is that real change needs to take place. And to that end, Obama's inauguration certainly provides hope. The centrist Republican establishment consistently tries to blur the differences between left and right. But the Obama inauguration promises to be a gruesome spectacle, one that will again clarify the vast differences between them and us. The desire for a new right wing resistance was born on Inauguration Day. But before you look to the establishment for leadership, remember that it was the Bushes and the McCains — and the Sean Hannitys and the Rush Limbaughs — who made the Obama administration possible. Let's recognize the GOP for what it really is: all-too-grand and all-too-old. Let's hope the toilet doesn't clog and spoil its exit.
Folks, I think this editorial is a bit of an interesting read, if you’ve got the time.
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I voted for Ron Paul. I knew damn well McCain didn’t have a chance.
fyi
There’s not even a pony under this pile.
Agreed. Regardless, Palin 2012 cause she’s hella better looking than Ron Paul :)
As wonky as Paul's was, it was at least something. Didn't matter here on FR... advocate for Ron Paul during the election, and you were considered a no-good SOB.
But the take-away isn't "Vote for Paul"... rather, it's "Have a Vision." Have a coherent image of what the future should and could look like, real ideas that support that image, and be able to connect the dots for people to show how to get there from here.
You hit the nail on the head.
And the financial crisis is the fault of Barney Frank, Chriss Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Franklin Raines and a whole host of Democrats who pretended that everything was just fine.
Paul and Buchanan???
got to be kidding!
How about Palin, Sanford and Jindal?
Feminists are all liberals in practice. They need government to help them “have it all”. Palin is no different.
Then where are the WMDs?
And seriously, how is this any different from Kosovo under Clinton? Of course, if it were a Democrat conducting the war, Freepers would be up in arms, pissed as hell.
And the financial crisis is the fault of Barney Frank, Chriss Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Franklin Raines and a whole host of Democrats who pretended that everything was just fine.
Don't try to pretend that the Republicans are spotless and pure on this one. They held control of the legislative and executive branches for six years and still did nothing.
Oh, goodie. Paleos to the rescue. I think Dev picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue.
“Feminists are all liberals in practice. They need government to help them “have it all”. Palin is no different.”
To date Governor Palin appears to have needed no one to help her get to where she is other than the love of her family, she is the most self made woman to reach her level that I can think of.
She wasn’t born into it, she didn’t inherit it, she did not marry it, she didn’t gain it as a widow, she is doing it on her own, she is the first one of her line to emerge.
You are one bitter feminist trying to control the future of any woman that angers you.
The knee-jerk crap about the Patriot Act was a dead giveaway - - that's where I stopped reading.
The author is a simpleton.
Saddam himself thought he had WMD. So did a lot of other people. He needed removed.
I am not saying that all Republicans were spotless. I’m sure many of them had their hands in the cookie jar too. But he can’t just point to Bush and McCain and say it was their fault without mentioning some of the really BIG players.
” But before you look to the establishment for leadership, remember that it was the Bushes and the McCains — and the Sean Hannitys and the Rush Limbaughs — who made the Obama administration possible.”
What’s to debate here?
I was thinking along similar lines earlier today, we need to lay a clear path to victory in 2010 and 2012. However, in order to find that path, looking to the past may be helpful. The last 28 years of politics has been, for the most part dominated by Republicans. Not necessarily dominated by Conservatism always, unfortunately, but at least by people with an (R) after their names. How did that happen, and how can we achieve a similar string of victories in the future?
The answer lies with Reagan, not only in his qualities as a leader, which Republicans always try to paint themselves with during the Presidential primaries, but in reality with his electoral strategy. Reagan succeeded where Goldwater did not. It wasn’t just because he was charismatic, well known, and principled, though of course those all helped him. It was mainly because he put together a viable coalition of voters who could agree on some common issues and constitute a pretty ironclad majority.
Since then, as conservatives strayed from the principles Reagan emphasized, we saw that coalition erode. When we tried to return to those principles, the coaliton came back to us. But simply winning back the Reagan majority may not be enough anymore. It’s been 28 years, and demographics change. Many of the hawkish “true” liberals Reagan won over were part of the Greatest generation, and unfortunately their numbers are dwindling.
The baby boomers are getting older, but even after 9/11 the majority of them are not getting very much more conservative. If we can’t win them over, we need to go elsewhere for votes. I think the only option are to go after demographics Republicans haven’t been successful courting in the past, such as the youth vote, the Black vote, etc. We can find a way to win these people over without compromising our principles. If we think we cannot, then we are conceding that our principles must not be able to stand on their virtues in a war of ideas. That wasn’t Reagan’s attitude and it shouldn’t be ours.
Drop the blinders about the WOT and get a candidate that doesn’t remind me of a sulking three-year-old and this may go somewhere.
“The baby boomers are getting older, but even after 9/11 the majority of them are not getting very much more conservative.”
Perhaps outside of the “greatest generation” who is more conservative than boomers?
“If we can’t win them over, we need to go elsewhere for votes.”
Who do you think is carrying the conservative load, who is we?
Let me clarify, yes there are a great number of boomers who indeed are conservative. However, what I was referring to was the general axiom that people get more conservative as they get older. As one generation dies out, we might in the past have been able to rely on the next generation growing more conservative and replacing their numbers. But I do not see this happening with boomers. There is a large segment of them that, since the sixties are dyed in the wool leftists, and will stay that way till the grave. This requires a new strategy to fill the void of those missing votes, unless we want to ride the current strategy until we are a stunted and completely ineffectual minority party.
The radical left started running into road blocks as the boomers came of age during the 80s and 90s.
Even during the 70s the worst of the “greatest generations” legislative and Supreme Court excesses were starting to be checked.
Sweeping Reagan into office and following it with the Gingrich 1994 revolution meant that we went from a Lyndon Johnson to a Bill Clinton as representing the democrat party, that was a huge improvement.
Until Bush's second term, in which we lived through the Republican equivalent of Lyndon Johnson combined with Herbert Hoover.
That's true, but folks get conservative very fast when you show them exactly how much the Government is ravaging their paychecks, financially.
The reason that Americans are willing to do dumb things (like voting for liberals of both parties) is because they are insulated from the effects of the destructive policies of Big Government. Tax withholding and a deeply obfuscatory tax code pulls the wool over the individual taxpayer's eyes; he or she is unable to see the true cost to him or her of Big Government. Put parents in their children's classrooms and see the garbage that's being taught. I could go on and on, but until Americans are once again stricken by real hardship, they will be unwilling to cry out that the emperor has no clothes, that Big Government is unable to solve any of their problems, and that the best form of Government is one that is limited and shackled by those whom it pretends to serve.
I don’t think it’s hardwired, as in they are born that way, but I think upbringing is a huge factor. By upbringing, I don’t necessarily mean the political affiliation of parents. I mean whether they were raised in a religious family, whether they were raised in a broken home, or by a single parent, whether their parents taught them responsibility by word and deed basically.
My parents were both lifelong democrats, and not particularly religous, though we were a nominally Christian home and they taught me basic Christian values. However, they never divorced no matter how many difficulties they had, or how many knock-down, drag-out arguments they had. As a child, I sometimes wondered why they stuck together when they seemed to be at each others throats at times, but now I know that love is not all roses, and they had made a true commitment to each other. Divorce simply wasn’t an option, and that type of strength in action taught me a lot of lessons I didn’t appreciate till much later in life. That’s just one example, they also worked hard, saved money, didn’t run up debts, didn’t blame their problems on others, and a lot of other things like that. Despite the fact that they were and are still Democrats, they managed to teach me a lot of conservative principles whether they realized it or not!
“However, what I was referring to was the general axiom that people get more conservative as they get older.”
Our last great warrior generation the “boomers” were conservative from the start, and went for Nixon in 1972.
[and the Sean Hannitys and the Rush Limbaughs ]
I beg to differ. Rush is the last thread holding the right together, not the one percenters Paul and Buchannan.
I think under circumstances like that we would get a temporary boost at the polls, but would that really lead to a lasting majority along the lines of the Reagan coalition? Or would those new votes not bother to show up after a couple elections cycles once their pocketbooks weren’t as battered and a new “Slick Willy” or a hunky Obama showed up to sweet talk them out of their freedoms?
Hardship can be an opportunity, that did help Reagan beat Carter, and Obama is hoping it will help him quietly shred the constitution. But I still think Reagan did more than take advantage of that temporary boost. He built something lasting because he found a way to make people connect with his principles. We need to do that again and soon!
“Until Bush’s second term, in which we lived through the Republican equivalent of Lyndon Johnson”
You must not know what the “greatest generation” did to us during those years or you wouldn’t say something like that.
Just the 1965 immigration act alone was enough to doom this country, demographics is destiny.
Amen to that!
Sarah Palin is a big government spender, and she wants to spend taxpayer money on her personal interests - just like every other RINO:
Oct. 24, 2008:
In her first policy address since joining the Republican ticket, Sarah Palin called for parents of special needs children to use federal funding to pick the school of their choice...
Palin also called for full federal funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, phasing in an additional $15 billion in funding over five years. (snip)
Nothing can conceal your feminist bitterness for a good Christian woman that has made it on her own.
I see you on all the threads trying to bash her because she is so strong and effective.
Bitterness, let it go.
I strongly suspect that donna is a male - a misogynist who masqerades as a woman on here in order to express his hatred.
I agree.
And the sheeple who believe that Saddam didn't have WMD just because the Democrats and the media said so...well, as P.T. Barnum said, there's one born every minute.
As wonky as Paul's was, it was at least something. Didn't matter here on FR... advocate for Ron Paul during the election, and you were considered a no-good SOB.
But the take-away isn't "Vote for Paul"... rather, it's "Have a Vision." Have a coherent image of what the future should and could look like, real ideas that support that image, and be able to connect the dots for people to show how to get there from here.
What you say here is so true. More than anything, Paul stands for small government and sound money. But the mainstream GOP stands for more government (just slightly different than the Dems), and on the money question just more of the same failed fiat money and continuation of the centrally controlled monetary system. And the mainstream GOP (flame me if you will) also refuses to face the fact that military spending is a big part of the problem. Not the only problem, but a part of it.
The truth is, at least it was during the last election cycle, that we had a choice only between two wings of the same party.
That needs to change in order for the GOP to get in a position to win again. The truth is the GOP needs the libertarians and other fiscal conservatives (the old "Reagan" democrats) in order to regain power. I continue to believe a consensus can be built around fiscal conservatism. But somebody needs to voice it in a way that is palatable to a majority. Other than Paul, are there any other GOPers who can actually defend capitalism? Are there any other GOPers who even believe in the free market any more?
Hanging out with baby killers and man haters:
“Palin surrounded herself onstage with two higher-profile defectors from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s camp — Lynn Rothschild, a member of the Democratic Platform Committee, and Elaine Lafferty, a former editor-in-chief of Ms. Magazine — along with Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women, Linda Klinge, the vice president of Oregon’s NOW chapter and Prameela Bartholomeusz, a small business owner and member of the Democratic National Platform Committee. The L.A. chapter of NOW has endorsed Palin’s bid.”
Allegra,
If you can’t acknowledge the the facts when they are presented to you what makes you any different than an Obama supporter?
Next time you want to talk about me, do it to my face. Or, maybe you need as escort to protect you.
In truth, liberals had a win-win situation this election.
Dude, I don't take orders from you, nor do I have any respect for you, so I don't bother doing you the courtesies. Those have to be earned.
If you can’t acknowledge the the facts when they are presented to you what makes you any different than an Obama supporter?
Once again, you use your bile and bitterness to display your stupidity.
Or, maybe you need as escort to protect you.
That sounds like something some guy with a big yellow stripe down his back would say from the comfort and security of his home.
Yeah, thought so. LOL
Devin needs to stop smokin’ his stash of pure libertarian dope and clear his head.
Paul is loony on foreign policy. On economics, money and freedom he is dead right.
Stopped reading right there.
Ouch. Obviously "donna" is not informed as to just how much IDF the Green Zone received. I would've been happier to be outside the wire than inside!
And seriously, how is this any different from Kosovo under Clinton? Of course, if it were a Democrat conducting the war, Freepers would be up in arms, pissed as hell.
Hmmm...you know I've heard this somewhere before...can't remember where...
Great tag line, donna! And unfortunately you are too right about Palin and running her pet cause right up to federal funding in the extreme. The party’s strength seems only to be with some of our congressmen, and even too many of them buckled for the first bailout, which is what elected Obama.
RE :” The war was necessary to get a madman out of power, he was a definite threat, especially after 9/11. ”
The general consensus is the exact opposite of your conclusion. Furthermore claiming it ”was necessary ”is meaningless. Obama and Pelosi claim their Recovery Stimulus plan ”is necessary”. I guess we should just support the Rats too even if the economy doesnt recovery for 5 years after its passed, just because they claim ”its necessary ”
RE “And the financial crisis is the fault of Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Franklin Raines and a whole host of Democrats who pretended that everything was just fine.”
Are you kidding? Those Hannity arguments didn't sell during election because they are dumb. Democrats had nothing to lose and everything to gain from bad economy because GWB had his congress 5-6 years. GWB took credit for the phony paper equities bubble (ie great economy) that was based on public debt, consumer debt and printed money . He also took credit for government promoted (poor) minority home ownership programs, and all those tax revenues based on phony paper appreciation and massive government spending. So naturally, he gets blamed when the house of cards crashes.
Keep up the GWB Hannity like worship. If you like the state of the country now, you can love GWB.
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