Posted on 11/05/2008 7:29:39 AM PST by bigbob
Conservatism always has been and always will be a force to reckon with because it most closely approximates the reality of the human condition, based, as it is, on the cumulative judgment and experience of a people. It is the heir, not the apostate, to the accumulated wisdom, morality and faith of the people.
As a force in electoral politics in any given season, conservatism, like all ideas and causes, is hostage to the effectiveness of the party that carries its banner, the candidates and leaders who articulate its principles and programs, and the engagement and spirit of the people who are its natural adherents.
(Excerpt) Read more at gopusa.com ...
As we all know in our hearts, as ironic as is sounds WE were the ones who were not ready to lead. Too many of us viewed the candidate bearing what passed as the conservative mantle with begrudging accceptance, at least until Sarah Palin came along.
Read, ponder, restore your spirit - and then remember my WWII Vet dad's favorite phrase: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!"
Amen, re-read Burke, buy some books by Buckley, take out that dogeared copy of “Up From Liberalism”, and Goldwater’s “Conscience of a Conservative.” It’s time to get to work.
When is the GOP going to ever learn? Whenever we stray away from conservatism we lose.
Great article from Mr. Blankley.
Correct. And add to that, during a time of supposed despair arrives an articulate young man promising hope and change, and you have the makings of a perfect storm for GOP defeat.
Generally, conservatives and religious libertarians wish only to be LEFT ALONE to live their lives unmolested and for government, in Jefferson’s words, to be bound down from mischief with the chains of the Constitution. They are selling nothing but self-reliance, independence and FREEDOM.
Statist liberals of the sort who carried the day on 11/4/08 have been selling the FREE LUNCH and SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. That they attracted far more customers is no surprise. Historically, that has ALWAYS been the easier “sell.”
If this nation is not destroyed outright, the danger is that the first major threat to their welfare wonderland will be for huge numbers of them to line up at the Customer Service Desk seeking to return the defective bogus goods they bought.
The other danger is that if the free lunch period goes on long enough, there will be no REAL goods for which to exchange them.
“Our challenge is not to retreat to the comfort of self-congratulatory exile but to sweat and bleed — and be victorious — in the arena of public opinion.”
I am in the fight for life.
I fought them yesterday, I will fight them today, I will fight them for all tomorrows.
I swear it.
Time to clean conservative house.
2010 is not far away, we have have much work to do.
That's as good an analysis of what happened yesterday as any I've read.
"conservatism, ...is hostage to the effectiveness of the party that carries its banner"
The GOP has divorced itself from conservative principles. As for carrying our banner, see below...
"the candidates and leaders who articulate its principles"
Outside of Sarah Palin, the ticket did not articulate conservative principles. That's why the GOP did as well as it did yesterday; Sarah Palin delivered the votes; McCain did not. The conservative base was there because of Sarah Palin and the desire to vote for anyone other than Obama. We were not there because of John McCain. This also answers "and the engagement and spirit of the people who are its natural adherents."
...and a perfect storm for the rise of Hitler.
In the short term, read “Animal Farm”. It’s a primer for the next four years.
I predict 2010 will be very good to Republicans if we learn our lessons. Two years into Obama’s administration we will probably have high inflation, high interest rates and high unemployment.
Conservative principles will be needed and we need to make sure those are the candidates that are recruited and put on the ballot.
Good post. Thanks for reminding us, but what other than McLame options did we have? Like Rumsfeild said “you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want”. Still this occurance will resonate against Liberty for many years to come. Let’s all hope it does not end our Liberty nor our prosperity forever.
Absolutely! As I said on another thread, what we have right now is opportunity.
We know 0 is a narcissist. Do you really think he will be able to moderate himself given the Democrat leadership in Congress? As Hillary! did with universal health care that directly led to the 1994 Republican Revolution, I believe, and I am only an imperfect human, so take this for what it’s worth: I believe 0 will scare the bejeezus out a great many people in his first year. Among them some of those who were easily fooled by his promises of a utopia during tough economic times or those uninformed who don’t know what was at the root of this economic downturn: Democrat corruption, ACORN, Fannie\Freddie and corrupt elitists and chicken-$#!t Republicans who didn’t call them out on it before and during this election cycle (God forbid they’d be called racist!). In that order.
The economy is not magically going to improve, and we know 0’s plan to raise taxes will cause inflation and unemployment. Fixing what’s broken with the economy right now would be a long, slow and difficult process for folks who DID now what they were doing. But 0? Hardly. It will only get worse. Worse than Jimmy Carter’s second term. Much worse.
Grassroots organization is very important now. So is a strategy to coordinate efforts to protect the First Amendment from the death knell that is the so-called “fairness” doctrine.
There are natural constituencies to band together on this, from both sides of the aisle. The purpose of the First is POLITICAL free speech (as opposed to the right to publish pornography) and the free exercise of religion.
I’ve heard a great deal about how a censorship doctrine will effect talk radio but haven’t heard much about talk about how badly it will completely gut Christian broadcasting—radio and TV/satellite. Equal time and all. Egads! I guess the Church Channel will have to play one Christian service then one service each of everything from Wiccan to Islam. They won’t do it, and will fold.
There is a great deal to be done. Now is not the time for a pity party!
Thanks to Mr. Blankley for this piece. I’m not reading much today- but this was worth it.
Great suggestion, I’m going to finally take the opportunity to READ Buckley myself, to get more of a philosophical underpinning for my own beliefs. This is a time to seek clarity and to get to work, not a time for whining and despair. That’s what liberals do!
We all know that “Freedom is never free”, perhaps the corollary is “Conservatism is never easy”?
(Hate to second-guess Rush and the rest of the talkers, but I think we’ve just read the outline for their programs for the upcoming year).
Is it still NC or is it SM (South Maryland)
They targeted Red States and began to gain control of the local governments.
The GOP has to regain local control.
The real battle is local at the State level.
We need to look to those States that now have Democrat Governors in Red leaning States and regain those offices.
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