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The Rise of Uncompassionate Conservatism
National Review ^ | 6/21/2011 | Rich Lowry

Posted on 06/21/2011 9:23:31 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross

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To: Qbert

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/258873/liberal-bouquets-dead-conservatives-jonah-goldberg

Fits your point quite nicely.


41 posted on 06/21/2011 10:42:30 AM PDT by Personal Responsibility (if there were a little more of me around we'd all be better off.)
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To: GenXteacher
He realized that the party had to win over the center as well as the right, and that unadulterated doctrine would appeal most only to the doctrinaire.”

This is absolutely the wrong way to deal with people in the so-called center. The right conception is that they are people you want to convert to your way of thinking, not you converting to theirs. Instead of trying to moderate your way to the middle, you convince them to immoderate and tilt to the right.

You don't convert the middle by preaching doctrine. That's the point being made, not that No Child Left Behind or the Medicare drug benefit was a good thing.

You lead by example and lead people to make the conclusions that make sense. You don't go preaching the 10th Amendment. People, normal people not FReepers and other political junkies, tune out on this kind of thing.

Preach that the EPA is killing the economy. Make it real. Use concrete illustrations. Then give it a doctrine name, if you have to.

42 posted on 06/21/2011 10:43:17 AM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Servant of the Cross

“.....You were prophetic....”

Well shucks. In light of the idiocy that Huntsman was spouting just a few minutes ago - right in line with the new tone and such - you might be right.


43 posted on 06/21/2011 10:44:32 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (American Thinker Columnist / Rush ghost contributor)
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To: 9YearLurker

What Huntsman doesn’t realize:

Compassionate conservatism = LIBERALISM

True conservatism = equals true compassion.

Huntsman = clueless silver spoon up his a$$ trust fund baby.

That’s my math for the day.


44 posted on 06/21/2011 10:47:25 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (American Thinker Columnist / Rush ghost contributor)
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To: kevslisababy

“I am an “uncompassionate conservative”. My compassion has been sucked right out of me by those who look to the government to steal from me and support them. They never have enough and demand more.”

Sometimes compassion means making the “victim” stand on his own two feet. That’s my kind of compassion.

Colonel, USAFR


45 posted on 06/21/2011 10:59:15 AM PDT by jagusafr ("We hold these truths to be self-evident...")
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To: Qbert

“the insufficiently cheerful Robert Bork”

Not the Judge Bork I saw on TV including Firing Line. He would drop zingers and ad libs which made the show host grind to a giggling halt amid a sea of teeth. The best jokes are told deadpan and Mr. Bork knew the technique well.

But he was an across the board no compromises Reagan conservative and did not fit the template of `compassionate conservatism’ favored by GWB.

That was the real reason Judge Bork was shunned by Republicans. The MSM turned him into a sort of American Solzhenitsyn with an image of being dour and out of touch with the need to `grow’.


46 posted on 06/21/2011 11:09:00 AM PDT by elcid1970 ("Deport Muslims. Nuke Mecca. Death to Islam. Freedom for mankind.")
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To: SoothingDave
You don't convert the middle by preaching doctrine. You don't go preaching the 10th Amendment.

So, let me get this straight. The Tenth Amendment of U.S. Constitution* is "doctrine" that a candidate for the 2012 (that means post Tea Party America) GOP POTUS nomination should NOT be "preaching" to the electorate?!

You aren't Rich Flowry, are you?

* The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. ... the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

47 posted on 06/21/2011 11:14:03 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free!)
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To: Servant of the Cross
As the press clues into the new anti-Bush drift of the GOP, we can expect a revival in Bush’s reputation.

No there won't! Obama needs to bash Bush, not emulate him. So the MSM will be in a pickle. They will default to protecting the annoited one.

48 posted on 06/21/2011 11:20:15 AM PDT by VRW Conspirator (And, therefore, isn't Jim (Robinson) the original Blog Father? - FReeper Aevery_Freeman)
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To: Servant of the Cross

I’ve never felt like a compassionate conservative, just one that believes in a leg up versus a never ending hand out.


49 posted on 06/21/2011 11:23:01 AM PDT by existentialist
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To: TexasFreeper2009
this whole article must be a lie, because I have been informed many times on this board that Perry is a RINO...

Only after elections.

50 posted on 06/21/2011 11:29:03 AM PDT by itsahoot (I Stand with Sarah Palin)
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To: SoothingDave
If Rick Perry thinks the 10th Amendment is going to have cachet with voters worried about their jobs, their wages, and the value of their homes, he’s been spending too much time at Federalist Society seminars.

To me, the implication of this statement is that freedom will not appeal to voters with concerns about economic security. They will want the government to guarantee that everything will be all right.

As my original phrasing "... seems to think ..." indicated, it is possible this is not what Mr. Lowry intended to convey.

51 posted on 06/21/2011 11:55:31 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Quien vive? JESUS! Y a su nombre? GLORIA!)
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To: Servant of the Cross


Pelosi's NET income went up by 62% last year ... someone document how much of that she donated to charity and we'll talk 'uncompassionate' or 'incompassionate' Conservatives.

Until such time ...

52 posted on 06/21/2011 12:07:00 PM PDT by HighlyOpinionated (I am a Catholic, A US Citizen, A Patriot, A TEA Partier, An Oath Keeper, A Voter, An Auburn Fan!)
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To: SoothingDave

“You don’t convert the middle by preaching doctrine... You lead by example and lead people to make the conclusions that make sense. You don’t go preaching the 10th Amendment... Preach that the EPA is killing the economy. Make it real. Use concrete illustrations. Then give it a doctrine name, if you have to.”

—I agree with some of your points, but I think you’re forgetting the flip-side to the 10th Amendment. Under a pure 10th Amendment view, states are allowed to experiment with the powers reserved to them (and not expressly given to the Federal government, etc.); if that means that a blue state wants to enact gay marriage or whatever social-related policies through its police powers, then under this view it has that right. If one believes the poll numbers that support for such policies is around 50/50 or so, then it why wouldn’t moderates support such a 10th perspective (once it was properly explained to them)?


53 posted on 06/21/2011 12:20:59 PM PDT by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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To: Servant of the Cross

Christian Conservatives are the most compassionate people on earth, as a group.

They give far more than any other groups, money wise and time-wise.

And since they believe charity is both a voluntary and personal matter, not something measured by how much government forciby demands from one set of people it thinks has too much, and redistributes to those pet groups it believes ought to have it, well then, yes, I guess if that’s the definition of ‘compassion’, you can see where such a warped headline the lewinsky media comes up with.


54 posted on 06/21/2011 12:40:31 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Servant of the Cross; sickoflibs
Yes, Rich is a RINO. But he's being prescient here:
...As the press clues into the new anti-Bush drift of the GOP, we can expect a revival in Bush’s reputation. He will be portrayed as more reasonable, more internationalist, and altogether more statesmanlike than his benighted compatriots. If only it were still the party of George W. Bush will be the lament. And it will make the party even more glad that it’s not.
If we're fortunate enough to choose a solid conservative as our primary candidate, expect the lamestream media to begin touting the virtues of Duhbya.
55 posted on 06/21/2011 1:23:04 PM PDT by BufordP ("Drink me if you can't take a joke." -- Kool-aid)
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To: Tax-chick
To me, the implication of this statement is that freedom will not appeal to voters with concerns about economic security. They will want the government to guarantee that everything will be all right. As my original phrasing "... seems to think ..." indicated, it is possible this is not what Mr. Lowry intended to convey.

Thanks for the thoughtful answer. I didn't read it that way. Especially when this follow on later in the article:

Even as he preaches the old-time religion, Perry in his proto–stump speech returns again and again to a highly practical theme: his success in fostering a pro-jobs environment in Texas.

Like I said, people don't want to be lectured about the 10th Amendment, they want solutions for their economic problems. These solutions do not have to be anti-10th Amendment, mind you, but normal people do not respond to academic arguments.

56 posted on 06/21/2011 1:35:06 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Qbert
Under a pure 10th Amendment view, states are allowed to experiment with the powers reserved to them (and not expressly given to the Federal government, etc.); if that means that a blue state wants to enact gay marriage or whatever social-related policies through its police powers, then under this view it has that right. If one believes the poll numbers that support for such policies is around 50/50 or so, then it why wouldn’t moderates support such a 10th perspective (once it was properly explained to them)?

I think the case can certainly be made. My point was that normal, everyday people want to hear about normal everyday things. You can use these to teach principles, like the 10th amendment. But you don't attract a large following just by preaching to the choir.

Ever heard that the best way to learn something is when you are so into it that you don't realize you're learning?

57 posted on 06/21/2011 1:37:53 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Servant of the Cross

Good luck with that. Preaching to the choir doesn’t win elections. You need to broaden your appeal by appealing to normal people.

That’s not to say give up your principles. Don’t get confused. It means talk about real world things letting your principles animate your words. Don’t just preach the doctrines or regard them as a panacea.

If the American people understood or demanded a 10th amendment style gov’t they would have one. We have to lead by example to get there.


58 posted on 06/21/2011 1:41:04 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: Servant of the Cross

Rick Perry talks a good game, but he governs like a RINO.


59 posted on 06/21/2011 1:46:03 PM PDT by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
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To: SoothingDave

“Ever heard that the best way to learn something is when you are so into it that you don’t realize you’re learning?”

I think a lot of people are currently learning how much they hate Obamanomics.


60 posted on 06/21/2011 2:46:34 PM PDT by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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