Posted on 09/30/2010 6:40:56 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
The Republican Party has a history of using desperate times to call for drastic measures and when bailing out AIG, bolstering Medicare or bombing Iraq, that party has always been willing to go big and bold on some of the largest government expansions in this nation’s history. But what about cutting government? You know, that stuff GOP politicians always talk about during election time?
One might think that in a political environment in which so many are desperate to reverse what they see as unsustainable government growth, Republican rhetoric might at least attempt to reflect that desperation. But when GOP leaders unveiled their “Pledge to America” last week, the only thing revealed is that these Republicans remain what they have always been-pansies. In a nutshell, the old Republican guard now pledges to save America from the excesses of Obama by basically returning to the level of government we experienced under Bush-when these exact same Republicans were doubling the size of government. The pledge reflects little substance, there’s not even anything about a balanced budget amendment or earmarks-two longstanding but fairly tame Republican gripes-and some of it even promotes GOP statism, with promises to repeal and “replace” national healthcare, and of course, to spend even more money on a “defense” budget that already accounts for half the earth’s military spending.
From the Contract with America in 1994 to the Pledge to America last week, the GOP has broken every contract or pledge it has ever made with conservatives. Now these same Republicans have made another empty promise, similar but even less appealing than the lies they’ve told in the past. This “pledge” is a joke.
When asked to give his take on the Pledge to America, Congressman Ron Paul stated the obvious on FOX Business, “I don’t hear enough precise things we would cut. I never hear that the military-industrial-complex should be addressed. I don’t ever hear that the discretionary and non-discretionary funding is all the same. I never hear which departments they really want to get rid of, so, it goes on and on and you just can’t have a little tinkering on the edges… as long as we want big government you can’t tinker with the edges.”
Tinkering indeed. In a Tea Party environment in which so many are tired of conventional GOP politicians screwing around with the peripheral and irrelevant, why shouldn’t conservatives look to the one Republican who has never screwed around? Instead of wondering if John Boehner is now serious, trying to figure out what Sarah Palin is saying, hoping that Scott Brown turns out to be something special, looking for something worthwhile about Newt Gingrich or wondering which version of Mitt Romney might run for president, why shouldn’t those serious about limiting government get fully behind the one conservative leader who has always been dead serious?
Congressman Ron Paul’s pledge to America is over three decades old and was taken the day he was sworn into office, or as he explained during a 2007 Republican presidential debate: “Hello, my name is Ron Paul. I am a congressman from Texas serving in my tenth term. I am the champion of the Constitution.” Virtually every Republican claims to be for the Constitution, but most with the moral authority of a cheating husband claiming to be a champion of marriage. Paul’s unwavering fidelity to this nation’s founding charter and his peers rampant infidelity can measured by the countless votes in which the Texas congressman stood as the sole opposition to the entire House of Representatives. This distinction is important as so many new Tea Party candidates are now criticized by the mainstream for being “extreme” in suggesting that we should follow the Constitution to the letter of the law, including dismantling the IRS, phasing out Social Security or abolishing the Department of Education. Such constitutionally-minded, nuts-and-bolts suggestions should be included in any serious conservative “pledge” to America-and have all been advocated by Paul his entire career.
To that extent that some conservatives may take issue with aspects of Paul’s constitutional philosophy is more often an invitation for self-examination. For example, many say they like Paul but part ways on foreign policy. Fair enough, but in supporting undeclared wars, the PATRIOT Act and forever empowering the Executive branch, such conservatives shouldn’t delude themselves that they actually stand for the Constitution or limited government in any substantive manner. In fact, they stand with the bulk of the Republican Party, who’ve also long made these constitutional exceptions, along with countless others, and not-so-curiously helped expand government every bit as much as the Democrats. Most Republicans claim to be for the Constitution-”but”-with the biggest “but” typically being a ridiculous and unnecessary foreign policy that costs as much as anything else the Tea Party now targets. Paul has always been for the Constitution, period, no “buts” about it.
So how comprehensively constitutional are conservatives willing to be? Those who wrote the Pledge to America obviously aren’t the least bit serious even as the Tea Party continues to show unprecedented conservative will. If the big government establishment now considers the Tea Party too radical, perhaps conservatives en masse should finally and fully consider the constitutional philosophy of the one man that establishment has also long considered too radical-and for the same reasons. There’s a reason Ron Paul’s influence continues to rise in conjunction with the rise of the Tea Party and to the extent that the movement adopts his philosophy, it will pledge itself to limiting government in a far more serious and comprehensive manner than it would listening to any other figure who now speaks in its name.
fyi
Bush could have used 9/11 to get our borders under control.
Divisive third party bots such as yourself are Obama's greatest hope. Congratulations.
Have had lots of his supporters coming into our Republican Headquarters asking for signs for him. We don’t have any because he’s running in the adjoining district but his signs are now popping up everywhere. Was told that his campaign staff wants to put his Congressional signs all across Texas so that people will get used to seeing his name. Embarassing.
The pervert Paul is a complete and utter fraud in regards to Constitutional principles. Besides being an apologist for terrorists who blames America, and wanting to slash our National Defense, he also holds the Marxist agenda of treating homosexuality as equal to heterosexuality and to force this upon our military. Hardly Constitutional but instead simply Paul’s own perverted anti-American agenda. He rushes to the forefront to support the 1st Amendment right of terrorists but then trashes the 1st Amendment right of those who oppose the spread of terrorism and dictaroships.
[ Bush could have used 9/11 to get our borders under control. ]
Indeed, it was the PERFECT opportunity to do so.
Brilliant. Thank you. Made y day.
Remember that town in Texas that opposed the fence because it ran through their golf course?
No I don’t. Sounds wierd to have a golf course half in Mexico, half in USA.
Darn, now I’m going to have to look it up.
It’s good to see conservative writings posted here.
WTF, has this become the “Ron Paul Site”. Enough already...give it a break.
IMPEACH OBAMA 2010
First Act of New Congress should be
IMPEACH OBAMA 2010 Eligibility,
First article of Impeachment
More to come!
Amen bro. I am pledged to become forever an INDEPENDENT registered conservative voter. (except at primary time when I will be forced to chose the party of my choosing because of the corrupt 2 party system that requires voters to be either a R or D to vote in the primary)
The only way that Americans will ever beat the system that puts the PEOPLE first (described in the US Constitution as WE THE PEOPLE) after the special interests such as corporations or unions with all the influence and money (that are not mentioned in the Constitution), is by not aligning with a political Party. Register as Independent and refuse to give these political Parties your vote unless they claw at each other to improve the system and deserve your vote. Eventually the people will get responsible government.
I have donated significantly to Ron Paul because I am a true conservative for the people not for corporations or Wall St. I believe we need to end our foreign aid, corporate welfare, people welfare, and pretending that we’ve been sworn by God to act as policeman of the world. I’m old enough to have seen much and in the last thirty years I don’t like what I’ve seen. We had a once great self sufficient nation that has given its economy to the Commies in China.
Bush had the perfect opportunity to close our borders and put an end to illegal immigration. Instead he and McCain came up with a plan to give them another amnesty and a promise to taxpayers. I’ve had enough of promises from politicians that are never kept.
It takes a special politician and Republican to refuse the $$$$ handouts that big business offers to those who will permit ever lasting open borders. I don’t see things changing unless we see many more Lou Barlettas and Tom Tancredos elected. The scam is the promise not the action. We know the Ds will happily give the illegals amnesty, but the Rs offer some hope even if only Ronald Reagan has actually done the amnesty deed.
Politicians use hope to get elected and then they forget why they were elected. The Parties need to be pitted against each other by 150 million Americans that could vote either way. Only then will they actually listen to the people.
bump
“I never hear that the military-industrial-complex should be addressed.”
The pro-nation-building part of the GOP base is ignorant on this and thus blinding supports what they don’t understand.
Under both Clinton, Bush and Obama the civilian forced of the DOD has grown faster than the men in uniform. And they get paid a lot more. These civilians do social engineering projects and other things that do not add to what the base thinks of as national defense and constitutional activity.
Under both Clinton, Bush and Obama the pork and earmarks in the Defense budget has skyrocketed faster than the men in uniform. The generals don’t want this pork. But powerful establishment politicians and lobbyists tell the generals they have to support it in order to get what they do want.
In short we could easily cut the DOD budget without touching national defense .... if congress were pushed by a truly informed base.
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