And a third choice; You could watch Obama or Clinton sworn in next January while you nestle in your bed of principles.
Thank you Frankfurt School!
Why, yes, we might.
We are a dying breed in a dying country.
Excellent article
I took the opportunity to see Newt Gingrich (and some others) kick off his Solutions for America program which, for me, was moderately disappointing because of the large amount of populist drivel that was being pushed -- the largest applause lines were rhetoric concerning getting tough on illegal immigrants and allowing the teaching of God back in public schools while shrinking the size and scope of federal government and social security choice options garnered much less in comparison. This was in Atlanta, by the way.Anyhow, just toward the tail end of the event, as Newt appeared as though his was wrapping up his speech, some guy from the audience in a suit (with clipboard and pen) stands up and says something that I couldn't quite hear. The gentleman repeats himself as the rest of the audience wonders just what in hell he's doing: "Mr. Speaker, will you be taking questions?". Newt, appearing not to have rehearsed this, basically tells the guy that, no, he's not going to be taking questions and that he's almost done with his speech. And then Newt says to the guy, after a short pause, "But I am going to be doing a book signing after the event, in the lobby, and you can catch up with me there."
I think that the guy was a plant, myself. I find myself susceptible to certain conspiracy theories whenever and wherever marketing is involved (and also at Vegas-style shows when weird 'random' events seem to happen with audience members being incorporated into the act somehow.
Will Newt run? I don't think so; he seems committed to bringing ordinary Democrats and ordinary Republicans (and everyone else, for that matter) to the table to propose solutions to America's biggest problems. I just have this feeling that the 'solutions' that people will come up with will rarely include allowing markets to facilitate optimal results.
No joke, at this event, the statements that garnered the least amount of applause...privatizing Social Security and limiting the size of government. What does that tell you about the state of conservatives? What does it tell you when the state of the Right has denigrated into perpetual pessimism; that people like Pat Buchanan can rail against capitalism being harmful and it gets traction; that somehow Romney and Huckabee (or, Coulter even sarcastically saying, Hillary) are more conservative than is McCain [Lord do I hate to defend McCain here but it is a legitimate gripe].
Conservatism, if really dead, is only dead because the people in the movement -- and not its leaders -- have embraced the idea of using government to achieve agendas and have instead rejected liberty.
When voters do this kind of thing, is it no wonder that the politicians will give the people what they want? Politicians pander and will deliver the goods that they believe their constituents want. And you know what, we're getting it! Republicans rejected Fred Thompson and Thompson believed he had to toughen his message on immigrants to make it as far as he did.
Nope, conservatism is not dead, classical liberalism is. If you doubt this and think that Reagan wasn't a classical liberal, then I really suggest you go and read (or re-read or listen to) his speeches. Liberty is what is dead. Conservatism lives...conservatism in its classical definition.
Conservatism will be dead when you kill every last one of us... try it... if you think you can! I for one will not go quietly into that good night. I say bring it liberal!
LLS
Conservatism isn’t dead at all, only a “Gone Fishin’” sign in the window. Be back soon to a Party near you.
BTTT Great article!
I am 100% in agreement with thevabove.
-—great article—you should repost it after everybody is awake—
Right Heart: A morally serious look at government aid.
Filing Supports Second Amendment Rights If you're reading the briefs for Heller, check comment# 1.
This should make us all stop and think
Have Conservatives Failed America?
From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Hence, John McCain is a "conservative."
bookmark
Bookmark
the truth is that we need to be Counter-Revolutionaries in a liberal culture, rather than right-liberals.
He's right about some of those things. But like a lot of activists he has a "point-scoring" mentality. The idea is that after 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 years we can go back, get our way, and "win" the point.
Most Americans hate that way of thinking, and their feeling is understandable. It's not that we go back and undo what's been done and legislate a conservative philosophy.
Rather it's that we demonstrate that those liberal policies aren't necessary, either because they've done their work already or because they don't work. Voters care about what works, not about giving victories to this or that political team -- and rightly so.
Yet many would paint America as under the sway of rightist politics, and some of the reasons for this are obvious. Some liberals know that the best way to ensure constant movement toward the left is by portraying the status quo as dangerously far right.Thanks neverdem.
He understood and could define Libs in a way that the country understood.