Posted on 06/06/2002 9:57:11 PM PDT by Big Guy and Rusty 99
Dear Mr. Robinson,
I have been a loyal member of the Free Republic since before the 2000 election. I have been a Conservative since the early days of Clinton. When I found this site, I thought "Thank God, people who think like me." I have continued to think this until the more recent days. Now, it seems that there are threads left and right bashing our President.
Why? There are things the President has done which I don't agree with but my loyality still lies with him. I am not sure if these "Bush-Bashers" fail to see the reality that with politics comes comprimise or it is something worse. I feel there is a cancer in the Free Republic. Some are eating their own.
I feel that some of these people are members of the dreaded democratic underground disguised as disgruntled conservatives. They are only here to stir up trouble. What's worse, they are doing just that. I am not sure what I think you should do.
As a conservative, I believe in our moral code but I also realize the reality of politics. I back our President but if he were doing something unsavory (like lying under oath,) I could not support him. This is unlike the left's clintonista dogma. What President Bush is doing is not betraying the conservative cause. He is using politics to confound the left. Those who do not understand this are either leftists themself or unable to separate themselves from their zealousness.
This is your show. You choose who gets to be a member and who does not. Those who break your rules are banished from the kingdom. I am not discouraging free speech, but this is free speech in your forum. These Bush-Bashers are brining us down. When this infighting happened in 1992, Bill Clinton got elected. let's not let that happen again.
Yours,
Big Guy and Rusty 99
CONFOUND THE LEFT??? We didn't vote for him so he could confound the left. We voted for him so he could uphold Conservative principles, and you accuse us of not being able to separate ourselves from our zealousness??? LOL
And it flies in the face of the Gipper's eleventh commandment (which I concede, I do not always follow): ""Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow republican."
GW will never be as conservative as I am. But he's the best we got now. With luck, we may have him for eight years--but not if we go pouting off and take are marbles home because W is not sufficiently pure.
Here is a post I replied to earlier today (in italics) that typifies the Bush is Satan crowd and my response (following the italics). I am posting it because I am sick of people whining about how liberal the republicans are. Generally, I suspect those same people have no exposure to real politics and the real constraints that come from running a country that is 50-50 divided between liberals and conservatives. Instead of whining, I suggest they do something; and my post quoted below suggests what that ought to be.
The earlier poster's argument was that I should use your resources to mobilize the people who think that Bush is a sell out traitor to the conservative cause to bring lots of "angry voter" pressure on the Bush administration.
Traitor? My response, which follows, applies to this thread also.
Well, I for one don't want to mobilize algore right back into control of our beautiful country. Conservative anger needs to be focused and it has to be directed at the correct culprits. Remember who the bad guys are: the left and their butt puppets--the democrats, the universities and the major media. They got us here; not GW.
A more effective course than calling this president a traitor would be for conservatives to be going to their state caucuses, running for local office, contributing money to the Republican party etc. Those things buy you influence and power.
We need conservatives to have influence and power in the party. We need that EVEN IF THE PARTY IN YOUR STATE NOMINATES A RINO NOW AND THEN, OR EVEN IF IT DOES SO FREQUENTLY. That RINO senator may be the reason the next Anton Scalia gets to the floor of the senate for a vote for Supreme Court. That's important. Not the political impurity that sticks to me for having supported some schmuck RINO who noone will remember in 20 years.
Political power comes from having large organizations that can raise a lot of money and be focused on achieving goals. The only organization that remotely fits that description today is the Republican party.
The only way to move the republican party in a more conservative direction is to join up, roll up your sleeves, gain a position of influence, and then use the power and influence you have accumulated. This is the way Barry Goldwater did it in the 60's and Ronald Reagan in the 80's--hard work and hard politics. You would be surprised how much power and access a little enthusiastic volunteer work and money contributions can produce.
For example, my wife does a lot of volunteer work for a politician here that is widely accused of being a RINO. Largely unfair but on some issues, he is squishy. Well, she is a continual thorn in his side on CCW. He hears about it everytime they talk. His wife hears about it everytime they talk. That stuff makes a difference.
And even if it doesn't in the short term. THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. The left has goobered up our country over a 75 year period. Great strides have been made at turning the Republicans into a viable conservative alternative over the past 40 years. It's way far from complete. But compared to the Nixon days, we have made huge progress. Politically, Nixon would be way to the left in today's Republican party. Geez, Rockefeller was his main opposition in the primaries.
We stand on the shoulders of the guys who took over the party for Barry Goldwater and Reagan. Even if, in our lifetimes, we only accomplish 10% of what we want, if we don't do it, if we pack up our cards and go home or mobilize an OK republican out of office by calling him a traitor, those who follow us won't have anything to stand on.
Only a long term perspective will make any difference. That perspective would not refer to a good man who is somewhat conservative (just not nearly as conservative as me) as a "traitor." GW is not a traitor for disagreeing with me or for not being as conservative as I am. But RIGHT NOW, GW IS THE "RIGHTMOST VIABLE CANDIDATE."
We can grumble all we want here--and if you check my posts, I do a lot of that--but right now, he is the guy who can do the most to stop or slow the leftward lurch of this country. We should to support him financially, organizationally, and with our votes.
Can you honestly pretend that this "traitor" [GW] is making things worse than algore would have? I get frustrated too that a moderate conservative like GW is the best we can do. But right now, that's the case. So roll up your sleeves. Get involved in the party. In ten years, maybe the two of us will be in a position to actually move the party a little further to the right.
That's your opinion ; which counts for absoluely nothing, as far as the definition of Conservative goes.
Well, you can't be talking about me, because I've been told day and night for the last six months I'm not a conservative or a Republican. I'm a lying socialist, didn't you know? :-)
But never never forgive or forget this fact. Both Houses gave them free pass to do it as did both parties as well. Politics won over Constitutional Duty and Sacred Honor. That by far was much worse than the wrongs of Clinton and Condit as they let these things go unpunished. That was and still is our governments biggest problem and not who's sitting in the White House.
It isn't the Bush bashing that gets me, that's OK, and Dubya will be fine in spite of these guys. It's the bashing of anyone who supports the president that pisses me off.
He returned his back on his seemin renunciation of that stoopid "Christy Todd Whittman EPA Globular Warmin caused by productive Americans" piece of poop before Rush even signed off yesterday!!!
Now a lot of us Freepers were demonstratin real hard in Sacramento to keep his Presidency from bein stolen. Demonstratin like nuthin seen since Veitnam days with all them commie lovers pukin up the place to disgrace our country and our troops.
He's truly creatin a "Bad Mood On The Right!" You better go talk to him and let him know we don't like bein taken for granted, one bit!!! We don't hate the sinner, just the sins!!!
You have stated my problem very well! It keeps getting missed that I am "not" against debating honestly or ignored is probably a better word that missed! Thanks!
You might have me on that one, but in spite of everything else Gates has done, he is still a captalist. And I believe in the free market. That's what pays my bills.
We all know you like him very much, that's fine, but it also makes your opinions of the issues very biased, as you have an obvious conflict of interest. The issues mean nothing to you, only the President and the party. Again, no offense meant.
Weirdo!
Oh why bother ? You ReaganBots don't care about facts; yu just want to worship your god, Ronald Reaga, and forget the man and his deeds, ALL of his deeds. : - )
But....I was a member of the Republican Party all my life up until a few years ago.
First campaign I worked on was Goldwaters..(ya know...the guy who really influenced Reagan)
...and I can say very truthfully...the Democrats of the 60's were much more 'conservative' than the Republicans are now...Hell..Hubert Humphrey would probably be one of the first to complain about GWB and all the spending he's doing.
redrock
Thanks for your excellent comment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.