Posted on 10/03/2003 9:31:22 AM PDT by Egon
I was recently directed to FreeRepublic by my Dad, who has been using it as his primary source of news for quite awhile now. I've been reading it extensively now for a month or so, picking up on familiar names, starting to understand the nuances and the lingo. I'm even able to recognize people by their previous views and predict which ones are going to respond in which way. It's a really fun exercise in getting to know new people.
As I come up to speed in this medium, however, it's amazing to me how quickly some of the forums degenerate so quickly into derision, name calling, and rhetoric. The gubernatorial recall race in California, for example.
In every related forum that I've read, the respondents can best be classified into three groups of people: Liberals, "pragmatic" conservatives, and "principled" conservatives. I haven't read much, if anything, from actual liberals here, but it's amazing how quickly the other two groups label each other as liberals. Here's my take on how the groups are actually divided:
I tend to automatically identify myself as a "principled" conservative. My Dad is a VERY principled conservative. After watching events in California unfold, however, I've found myself drifting over into the pragmatic end of things, much to the dismay of my Dad.
California has been dragged inexorably toward the left by the liberal establishment. California has always been a strong-bed for liberalism in this country, so that's not much of a surprise. But what strikes me about this migration is that it's been slow and steady. Californians didn't suddenly wake up one day and exclaim, "Today, let's elect Vladimir Lenin as our leader!" No, it was a gradual, incremental process.
Now I could say something really derogatory about liberals like: "Sure! They can compromise their principles and elect progressively more liberal, moderate Democrats because they have no principles." But I don't believe that to be the case. I DO think, however, that they have taken a more reasoned, far-sighted approach to politics than we have been able to. They understand the old axiom that it's much easier to boil frogs when you turn the heat up slowly.
I think Republicans need to learn this lesson. Instead of suddenly reaching to the farther right and selecting a candidate that represents the ideal of conservative values, we need to recognize that it took a long period to get to where we are now, and the road back is not going to be traveled instantaneously either. Additionally, as we've slowly drifted left, the lines distinguishing what's moderate and what's considered extreme have also drifted left. 20 years ago, Tom might have been considered a moderate candidate. Heck, most Democrats of 50 years ago would be considered Republicans today.
Complicating matters is that "principled" conservatives are being forced to choke down another issue: If Arnold wins, he's either going to win again in the next election, or he's going to lose to a Democrat. There is no apparent way for another, farther-right conservative to nose into the process anytime soon. In fact, many "principled" conservatives would argue that as we keep electing moderate Republicans, it'll become harder and harder to introduce a true conservative candidate.
Arnold: Despite my misgivings about your stand on some core issues, the advisors you're surrounding yourself with, and the way you've conducted yourself in the past, we're counting on you to steer the state of California back toward its former glory.
Tom: I admire your principles and your moral will. I hope we can figure out a way to allow you to represent our values, if not in 2006, or in this venue, then certainly again in the future.
To the rest of the conservatives (myself included), I guess I'd say this: We all believe in something, we all make decisions, we all get frustrated at other people who hold different views from ours; but we all want basically the same thing in the end. Intelligent, civilized people can disagree without over-the-top rhetoric, and without burning too many bridges.
E-e-e-e-e-x-c-ellent, Smithers!
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