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You Say You Want a Revolution? We’d all love to see the plan.
National Review Online ^ | Septmber 10, 2014 | Kevin D. Williamson

Posted on 09/13/2014 4:35:28 PM PDT by No One Special

Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party paid National Review a visit last week, and two things stood out: First, he is an extraordinarily charming man, almost suspiciously so; second, he is a man of the Right who is manifestly more excited by the prospect of beating Conservatives than by anything else he spoke about. In this, he reminded me of any number of conservative figures here in the United States. I do not follow U.K. politics especially closely, and Mr. Farage may in fact be absolutely correct that there is not a dime’s worth of difference between Labor and the Conservatives back home.

But there are many dimes’ worth here.

A strange phenomenon on the right is that many of the same people who believe Barack Obama to be not a mere feckless academic progressive but a conspirator against the interests of the United States and an active malefactor are precisely the same people who vow to stay home or write in Donald Duck if the Republicans should be so crass as to expect them to go to the polls in support of . . . Mitch McConnell, or Marco Rubio, or Rick Perry, or Ted Cruz, or Chris Christie. It is one thing to believe that Barack Obama is Antichrist Lite or to believe that Mitt Romney was something less than a vision of perfection from a conservative point of view. But while I am sympathetic to the view that what currently ails the United States may be beyond the power of elections to reverse, to believe that in terms of the presidency that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are roughly interchangeable is poppycock. To believe that, in terms of the Senate, it makes no difference whether we have Mitch McConnell or a fairly fruity Democrat is unsupportable.

My own belief is that such changes as we are likely to be able to achieve through winning elections and passing laws (as opposed to dealing with economic reality per force when the bill for those unfunded liabilities lands on the budget with a meteoric thud) is likely to be marginal, but that, over time, an accumulation of marginal changes can make a substantial difference. I do not see how those marginal changes can happen without electing Republicans and passing laws.

Which is to say, it is possible to be uncompromising as a matter of philosophy while at the same time taking a good-enough view of operational politics. Is Paul Ryan’s budget something that satisfies my every fiscal priority in a way that is absolutely consistent with my values and preferences? Not by a long shot. Is it good enough? Yes, it is. Enacting it would represent an important step in the right direction. And not a baby step, either. I like Rick Perry and Rand Paul. Marco Rubio? Good enough. Scott Walker? Double-plus good enough.

Organizations such as the Club for Growth and the various tea-party groups do important work keeping Republicans honest, and I am all for challenging incumbents in primaries. That’s why we have primaries. But when defeating conservatives becomes more important to you than moving conservative reforms forward, you become part of the problem. And don’t tell me that Mitch McConnell or John Boehner aren’t “real conservatives.” Either one would have been well on the right side of congressional leadership in the Reagan years. If you cannot figure out why you’d rather have Speaker Boehner than Speaker Pelosi, you need to take a deep breath.

Conservative critics of Republican leadership have two options for advancing the cause: First, come up with conservative proposals that can move forward in the current political environment, which includes a Senate run by Harry Reid and an Oval Office occupied by Barack Obama. That is not easy. The second option is come up with a plausible program for changing that political environment.

It’s there that conservatives, particularly conservative populists and media figures, go spectacularly wrong. We are constantly hearing from talk-radio and Fox News pundits that the United States is just waiting to rally behind a right-wing candidate who can articulate the conservative agenda in a persuasive way with a smile on his face. But both experience and our best research suggest that that is far from the case. The American public is decidedly mixed in its political views: Americans think taxes are too high, but they also think that the minimum wage is too low. They think that there is too much regulation of many businesses but that free trade is a net loss for the country. They are not simply waiting for a conservative who is conservative enough.

But it does not follow that they are necessarily waiting for a moderate. They have short attention spans. Barack Obama, no moderate, was elected president twice, once as a repudiation of George W. Bush’s foreign policy (which is not looking nearly so bad in retrospect, though, is it?) and sundry Republican congressional shenanigans, and a second time when Republicans nominated an excellent man who carried the baggage of being a gazillionnaire private-equity guy with the common touch of Thurston Howell III. But Barack Obama did not fool Americans — not the first time, and certainly not the second time. They knew what they were getting. And now, as H. L. Mencken would appreciate, they’re getting it good and hard.

Reform is a long-term project; elections, unfortunately, are about what is happening right this minute. But it is a safe bet for conservatives that they should prefer, sight unseen, whomever the Republicans nominate in 2016, because historical trends suggest that we already have a good idea who it is that the Democrats are going to select to replace President Obama: Someone worse.

— Kevin D. Williamson is roving correspondent for National Review.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 09/13/2014 4:35:28 PM PDT by No One Special
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To: No One Special

“And don’t tell me that Mitch McConnell or John Boehner aren’t “real conservatives.”

chortle


2 posted on 09/13/2014 4:40:00 PM PDT by headstamp 2
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To: No One Special

“there is not a dime’s worth of difference between Labor and the Conservatives back home.... But there are many dimes’ worth here.”

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


3 posted on 09/13/2014 4:41:10 PM PDT by Viennacon (ILLEGALS ARE VIRAL WEAPONS!!)
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To: No One Special

“But it is a safe bet for conservatives that they should prefer, sight unseen, whomever the Republicans nominate in 2016, “

Yeah right. Groupthink is for the liberals.


4 posted on 09/13/2014 4:41:22 PM PDT by headstamp 2
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To: No One Special

Ted Cruz does not belong in that list. JMHO.


5 posted on 09/13/2014 4:42:36 PM PDT by piytar (So....you are saying that Hilllary (and Obama) do not know what the meaning of the word "IS" IS?)
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To: piytar

Ted Cruz is a smart, limited-government conservative.

However, his performance this week suggests that he not quite ready for prime time


6 posted on 09/13/2014 4:49:19 PM PDT by Skepolitic
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To: Skepolitic

Ted Cruz had a great week and reminded us of why he should be president.


7 posted on 09/13/2014 4:50:21 PM PDT by ansel12 (LEGAL immigrants, 30 million 1980-2012, continues to remake the nation's electorate for democrats)
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To: No One Special

One of Mitt Romney’s stated positions after winning the nomination was his opposition to the GOP’s pro-life platform.

Romney wanted to turn the GOP into the democrats, and contribute to moving the democrats farther left, and eliminate conservatism from American politics entirely.

Romney had plans to finish us off and eliminate conservatism.


8 posted on 09/13/2014 4:53:02 PM PDT by ansel12 (LEGAL immigrants, 30 million 1980-2012, continues to remake the nation's electorate for democrats)
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To: No One Special
But while I am sympathetic to the view that what currently ails the United States may be beyond the power of elections to reverse . . .

Mr. Williamson obviously reads my posts to FR.

So, since elections alone cannot cure what ails our republic, the solution is . . . ?

9 posted on 09/13/2014 4:53:34 PM PDT by Jacquerie (Article V. If not now, when?)
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To: Skepolitic

On the contrary, Ted called out some pro-Hezbollah Mideast Christians on their hate for Jews. When he pointed out that the people who are killing Christians are the same ones who want to kill Jews, he was booed, so he walked. That’s called principled leadership.


10 posted on 09/13/2014 5:04:14 PM PDT by Hugin ("Do yourself a favor--first thing, get a firearm!")
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To: Skepolitic

“However, his performance this week suggests that he not quite ready for prime time”

Why? I thought that it was very principled. If you are saying that he is not ready to be a weaselly politician who will do or say anything to get elected, OK, then.


11 posted on 09/13/2014 5:10:26 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day.")
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

To: No One Special

This guy is still clinging to the theory that the GOP will restore the Constitutional Republic. Not in a million years.


13 posted on 09/13/2014 5:30:54 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose o f a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: Skepolitic
"However, his performance this week suggests that he not quite ready for prime time."

Clearly, you only read the headline on Drudge, "Cruz booed from stage".

Had you read the article you wouldn't have made your post I quote above.

Vim Toot!

14 posted on 09/13/2014 5:59:10 PM PDT by Atomic Vomit (http://www.cafepress.com/aroostookbeauty/358829)
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To: No One Special
many of the same people who believe Barack Obama to be not a mere feckless academic progressive but a conspirator against the interests of the United States and an active malefactor are precisely the same people who vow to stay home or write in Donald Duck if the Republicans should be so crass as to expect them to go to the polls in support of . . . Mitch McConnell, or Marco Rubio, or Rick Perry, or Ted Cruz, or Chris Christie.

As others have noted, Ted Cruz doesn't belong on that list.

If you are looking for someone to secure the border, and stand reliably against butchering our marriage laws, and reliably against abortion, then there is no point to electing a Repub who isn't strong on those issues.

15 posted on 09/13/2014 6:09:49 PM PDT by marron
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To: Jacquerie

The solution is....

1. Military coup
2. Civil war

Both solutions suck but I’ll take them over any further movement to the left.


16 posted on 09/13/2014 6:42:59 PM PDT by QuisCustodiet1776 (Live free or die.)
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To: No One Special

This is a bait and switch article. Don’t headline UKIP and Nigel Farage if you plan to write about something else.

Especially something vapid.


17 posted on 09/13/2014 7:45:37 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("Don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative." -Obama, 09-24-11)
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To: No One Special
What an IDIOT!

I'll take out(vote AGAINST) an "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICAN" every time I get an opportunity to, and that INCLUDES the GENERAL ELECTION.

You got it?

"ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS"SHALL NOT PASS !



It's SIMPLE.

18 posted on 09/13/2014 8:03:01 PM PDT by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: No One Special
What a DISAPPOINTMENT!
Compromisers ALWAYS LOSE !

"Establishment Republicans" lose everytime they're listened to.
They wouldn't care if they DO lose.
If they can't be in power, they don't want US in power.
It's just that simple.
It's WAR!

We will never unify under "Establishment Republicans" .
"Establishment Republicans" have more in common with the Democrats, than they do with Conservatives.
The weak candidates are "Establishment Republicans", weak on national security, amnesty for illegals, abortion, and government spending.
"Establishment Republicans" scream "COMPROMISE".
And people who study the Bible know that COMPROMISE almost always leads to destruction.
Someone once said [We're] 'Not victims of "the Establishment." '
I disagree.
I ask you again: It WAS Mitt Romney, leader of the "Establishment Republicans"
and it WAS the "Establishment Republicans" who funded all those negative ads against Conservatives.

So conservatives, the BASE of the Republican Party, WERE ' victims of "the Establishment." '

These "Establishment Republicans" are being weeded out, one by one, and slowly but surely, the TEA Party is taking over.

"Establishment Republicans" Want to Redefine the Term "Conservative"
DO CONSERVATIVES "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" WANT TO WIN IN 2014 OR NOT?

Jack Kerwick wrote an article on May 24, 2011 titled The Tea Partier versus The Republican and he expressed some important issues that I agree with.


I'm fresh out of "patience", and I'm not in the mood for "compromise".
"COMPROMISE" to me is a dirty word.
Let the RINO's compromise their values, with the conservatives, for a change.
Take a good long look at where "Establishment Republicans" ALWAYS take us.



The "Establishment Republicans" can GO TO HELL !

19 posted on 09/13/2014 8:08:55 PM PDT by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: No One Special
— Kevin D. Williamson is roving correspondent for National Review.

I'll bet he is.

20 posted on 09/13/2014 8:12:07 PM PDT by TADSLOS (The Event Horizon has come and gone. Buckle up and hang on.)
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