Posted on 12/31/2015 7:41:46 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
In short, mainstream conservative parties were tailoring their policies to please a small national constituency while seeming oblivious to the fact that they were alienating or even dissing the moral traditionalists, the patriots, the national-defense conservatives, and the "social fabric" conservatives who together make up the great bulk of their national constituency. Moreover, the longer this continued, the more these constituencies became outraged not only at particular policies but also at the general failure of the center-right parties they usually supported to respond to their concerns.
As for Donald Trump, he has realized that there is a great opportunity for a political entrepreneur in a two-party system when one party systematically betrays its supporters as the GOP establishment has done on the issue of immigration. Others may have had the same realization but lacked the means to do anything about it. Trump has the money and the bombast to fight. He has gained within the GOP the mass support of alienated conservatives that has clustered around insurgent parties in other countries.
Making concessions to Trump in order to undercut him would therefore seem to be the order of the day. Instead the House Republican majority negotiated with President Obama on a budget package that was seemingly designed to outrage Republicans outside Washington -- everything from sanctuary cities to the quadrupling of temporary work visas.
All that was omitted was funding for assisted suicide. Like their conservative counterparts abroad, however, maybe Republicans reckon that when it comes to suicide, no assistance is necessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
No, it’s that most mainstream “conservatives” have proven to be FAKE, NOT “failed”.
Gee, you think so?
The media and so-called political pundits are so slow.
I think the disconnect here is in equating establishment Republicans with Conservatives in any manner at all. Actual Conservatism doesn’t fail. It works every time it is earnestly and honestly applied.
The problem is in establishment Republicanism, indeed Republican Leadership, and its traitorous representation they purport to be, the so-called Republican-as-Conservative. They have shown themselves to be nothing of the sort.
In truth, they are a far greater danger to true conservatism than liberals.
IMO it represents a trend in the country where the voters are becoming more self centric and less concerned about group dynamics.
Bunch of Conservatives-In-Name-Only in Washington. You will find many more conservatives at the state and local level office holders. They are more concerned with their power in Washington and ability to scam money than political stance
The GOPe is not a conservative party.
We in the base were stupid not backing just one conservative to go against Romney, or McCain, so they won every state with just 30% of the vote.
This time we have Trump, Cruz and Carson splitting our vote.
But the GOPe is even in worse shape. Jeb, rubio, christie and the rest are splitting that 30 percent that is all they have.
What we needed was a conservative party, the GOPe is too corrupt. Every lobbyist buys the GOPe off. And the people of America suffer.
The template is the decentralized Tea Party. It remains local and doesn’t become a giant bureaucracy itself that exists only for its own self-perpetuation. It remains grass-roots and driven by the people who don’t care about the “party” per se, only about recovering their freedom and their American Free Constitutional Republic.
When did the Republican Party or any other Western "conservative" party push conservative economic issues? Who seriously tried to contain spending? No one. So the idea that Western conservatism has focused on economic issues is just plain wrong.
National Review and their definition of “mainstream conservative” can be likened to Bill Clinton’s meaning of is.
They use populist like it’s a dirty word. When all they really have to do is admit that their candidates, Bush and Rubio are mere democrats turning conservative because they are running for election.
No Washington DC “Conservatives” have failed
Why aren’t they a reflection of the failure of the “peoples party”/Democrats? Many non-parasites now understand that the Dems as much as the Repubs are the tools of wealthy special interests...
Agreed! Populist parties are rising because mainstream conservatives AREN’T (conservatives)!
We already know this National Review
It would be interesting to see a chart of all DC Republicans with one of three grades beside each of their names: Reliable, Untrustworthy, Fail.
While they are useful, I’m not sure that the various ratings (ACU, etc.) are a reliable indicator as that (I think) various votes have equal weights. Good votes on 9 insignificant items and a bad vote on 1 important one would give 90%.
For Maine we have Collins (Fail) and Poliquin (Fail).
I would argue that the Republican party is, in spirit, a conservative party. I would even argue that many "establishment Republicans" enter as conservatives or think they are conservative. However, rather than being duplicitous or traitorous per se, are simply weak-willed. They come into it with good intentions but are too easily cowed by the media and other external forces.
Finally, and this is more of an aside than anything, I think we should consider dropping the phrase "establishment Republican" or "GOPe" as synonyms for RINO. It implies that liberal is the establishment and conservatism is "the fringe," when its really the opposite when you get to the rank and file.
I can’t help but think that the way congress votes on bills is also a big problem. There are seldom any “clean” bills to vote on. Everything is laden down with this amendment, that rider, this one’s pet project, etc. The thing you want to vote for as a conservative is coupled with the thing you despise. Lots of hold-your-nose votes going on. And, in the end, lots of government!
This practice must end, in order for conservative principles to have any chance of restoring us to the kind of government Freepers are looking for.
There is a Democrat National Committee and a Republican National Committee. Is there a Conservative National Committee?
Good points.
How about GOP-fe GOP former establishment ?
two-party system when one party systematically betrays its supporters as the GOP establishment has done on the issue of immigration
*********************************************
Trump has laid bare the fallacy of two parties.
The flooding of our country with fraudulently documented foreigners was not accidental or the result of incompetence.
It was intentional.
We have been sold out by the ruling class.
GWB REDUCED border and interior enforecment AFTER 9/11.
Most of the GOP Presidential candidates are on the side of illegal aliens and their employers.
Less than 50 House members and maybe 6 Senators are on the side of the citizens and the rule of law. The rest are on the payroll of The Cheap Labor Express.
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