Posted on 09/29/2010 8:34:02 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Barry Goldwater wouldn’t recognize it. Ronald Reagan wouldn’t recognize it. Let alone Jacob Javits, Everett Dirksen, Clifford Case, Margaret Chase Smith, Ed Brooke, Chuck Percy, etc., etc.
Barry Goldwater was not a doctrinaire social conservative; he would be seriously taken aback with the anti-gay and anti-choice views, let alone the hard-right interpretation of religion in evidence with today’s cast of Republicans. Ronald Reagan knew how to get along with Democrats, particularly Tip O’Neill. Something tells me that he would have more trouble with the Christine O’Donnells, the Sharron Angles, the Ron Pauls, the Ken Bucks, and the Linda McMahons than with Ted Kennedy or Tip. And I don’t think it was just their mutual Irish heritage!
Most reasonable Republicans and true independents don’t subscribe to the views of the Tea Party candidates. They are not exactly sanguine that the extremists have others in their sights—Sen. Orrin Hatch isn’t radical enough for them, they want to dethrone Sen. Mitch McConnell from his leadership post, and Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). Even Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who was lauded as a hero less than a year ago, is vilified by the likes of Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham.
How the worm turns.
Is the Republican Party really defined by Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint? Do the Republicans really answer to Beck and Hannity and Limbaugh and the cast at FOX News? Are Republicans afraid to take on those forces because of ratings and the hard 25 percent of their base that believes Obama is an illegitimate president, a Muslim, and is anti-American? Or do most of the Republican candidates and officeholders believe the falsehoods that are spread so far and wide by Fox?
Unfortunately, the Republican Party has changed radically over a generation. First, it was the purging of the moderate voices within the party in the late 1970s. Lately it is the purging of any conservative who might cooperate with Democrats to actually pass legislation.
When the anger is so visceral, the personal fear of losing a job, a home, or a retirement plan is so front and center, voters will “vote no” and elect “Mickey Mouse to the House or Senate” as former NCPAC head Terry Dolan once said. Many officeholders of both stripes don’t understand the extent of voter revulsion with politics and government right now.
Voters were angry and scared and wanted change in 2008; they are angry and scared and want change in 2010. They are furious at elites--those in charge--be they big business or big government. They are frustrated that change is not happening faster. The past couple of years seems like an eternity to many, to those who have watched as this economy has rolled over them like a flood.
Americans want to see immediate action and progress, not some brand of ideological purity or self-destructive rant. The Republican Party is going down a dangerous road if it rejects those who actually do know how to get things done and embraces the candidates who run their mouths, but have never been able to run much else.
********
Peter Fenn is a Democratic political strategist and head of Fenn Communications, one of the nation's leading political and public affairs media firms. Fenn Communications has worked in over 300 campaigns, from presidential to mayoral, and has represented a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Outside of his mom and his boyfriend, to whom else is his point of view interesting?
Just another self important leftist douche, who doesn’t realize we don’t need him.
In-valid.
Former President Jefferson would have blown his brains out if he’d seen what the Democrats would become.As for Former President Reagan,I don’t see how he’d have anything to do with Democrats these days.They’ve been anti-business,anti-military insulting to our allies.Generally very pro-communist and very antagonistic at the same time towards countries that have to deal with the activities of the same communists.
I still believe one should respect former President FDR because he was willing to fight for what he believed in.This isn’t his party anymore.
There is also the tendency to think that Germany along with Japan are basically US properties.It is like putting your foot down on chunk of the first world and saying the people there are no better then cattle.
I am not against stationing troops there but harassing the crap of German nationals if they happen to be in liberal Universities in the States when their country shows a bit of independence...........yeah I have an idea exactly how this will end.
Part of the big Democrat plantation if you will is it that it enforces itself on white taxpayers and then tries to stipulate some authority in some country that ending up being on the losing side of WW2.Although last I checked the Nazies lost that particular war.
US troops stationed there are not part of the problem although you have some liberals who view their presences here as a good reason for say Japan to kowtow on about anything.
Again it is pretty much the same pattern,extort from those who can pay or be guilt tripped and enslave those who aren’t wise to the way the system works.It is why it is become a fundamentally anti movement against the American Repbulic.President Reagan would have wanted America to dominate the west and the first-world not retreat into a dream land where the US gave in to China while refusing to defend its own allies.
At the end of the day,Islam is not going to stop being a force of destruction and ultimately terror in this world.The left would rather appease continually those who are willing to fight to destroy Western civilization while stepping on those who do in fear that they may decide to cut out this cancer.Which as far as I am personally concerned they are right,I will never stop coming after these idiot carnies.
My point is they will still be raving about how Republicans are willing to accept social security,government aid or backpay from the Army.At the end of the day,it is about asking you to be self-sufficient which means they will screw you if necessary.
Which is basically like anything else,I’ve heard of people living in a red state being lambasted for taking aid after a national tragedy.Or talk about paying the US military less even as it is engaged in multiple fronts.
What is basically happening is telling people that to follow the footsteps of former conservative Presidents you would have to accept that net taxpayers should be willing to sacrifice over those who’ve been feeding in the trough for years.
A kinda logic that suits the Democrats,stay on the welfare and follow your masters.Don’t and don’t come whining that things are going bad.
You are basically looking at parts of the population that won’t fight or won’t understand why their local government will screw them over,being basically ran over by the Democrats.
Coming from the genius who claimed Fred had a 100% prolife record, I’ll take that as a compliment.
What a crock. Reagan ENVISIONED the rise of the teaparty movement. http://pascalfervor.blogspot.com/2010/09/theres-no-such-thing-as-left-or-right.html
Hell, that’s just Irish for friend.
Ronald Reagan had a particular delight in giving Tip O’Neill a political “wedgie” every chance he could.
This guy works his business by catering a certain message to skew other peoples thoughts. What a hack.
There’s a new fax-meme this week from the left: use ‘room temp’ IQ as frame of reference for TPX. Watch for it in your paper this week.
You said it, not me, MENSA. Of course you are just as starry eyed about Palin as you are for McCain’s old stalking horse, so some embellishments were bound to happen.
DeMint/Bachmann. Just say no to the RINOs
This hack has no idea what Reagan or Goldwater would recognize or not! In fact, both of these gentlemen would probably carry banners for today’s Tea Party. They are no doubt now rolling over in their graves at what the Republican Party has become! How dare Fenn evem mention Everett Dirksen’S name! God rest all their souls. And shame upon shame on Peter Fenn!
i wonder if harry truman and jfk would recognize the modern democrat party?
He didn't demand government 'do something' about abortion, but instead knew that if there was a government strong enough to 'do something' about it, then there'd be a government strong enough to 'do something' about it after he left office.
He best summed it up with 'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help' and 'Man is not free unless government is limited'.
They know exactly what they are saying. Here are the groupthink commandments that hang framed on their wall. It is their guide.
I
Thou shalt create an illusion of invulnerability shared by most members to foster excessive optimism and encourage extreme risks taking
II
Thou shall not allow any member to question the group’s inherent morality, instead members shall be encouraged to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions
III
Thou shalt promote collective efforts to rationalize in order to discount warnings, or other information that might lead members to reconsider their assumptions before they recommit themselves to their assumptions
IV
Thou shalt reinforce stereotyped views of enemy leaders as too evil to warrant genuine attempts to negotiate, or as too weak and stupid to counter whatever risky attempts are made to defeat their purpose
V
Thou shalt self-censor any deviation from the apparent group consensus, inclining each member to minimize the importance of their doubts and counterarguments
VI
Thou shalt create and maintain a shared illusion of unanimity concerning judgement conforming to the majority view
VII
Thou shalt apply direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group’s stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, making clear that this type of dissent is contrary to what is expected of all loyal members
VIII
Thou shalt appoint mindguards to protect the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions.
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