Posted on 11/20/2006 6:05:25 PM PST by PurpleMountains
On Sunday, November 12, 2006, I wrote a piece entitled, “Where Do Reasonably Moderate Conservatives Go From Here?”. I posted this article on my weblog and also on a conservative website. It resulted in a slew of comments from conservatives that “it’s not possible to be a moderate and a conservative, too”. Some of the comments to that effect were not so polite as they could be, and obviously I had touched a nerve among some people. It got me thinking about two questions: can you be a moderate conservative; and, what separates a moderate conservative like me from a ‘real’ conservative. The answer to the first question is yes – without being a wishy-washy RINO. We are not liberals masquerading as Republicans. The answers to the second question appear below:
(Excerpt) Read more at forthegrandchildren.blogspot.com ...
I tend to think that so called "extremists" tend to be more honest. They may be wrong or they may be right but they aren't as likely to lie in an effort to get their political enemies to agree.
I'm sick of politicians fishing to find out what I want to hear. I want politicians to speak their mind. If I agree I'll vote for them, if not I won't.
I would consider a "moderate conservative" to be more of a pragmatist, willing to compromise on some issues in order to win on others. Also, there's a matter of "tone" -- there's kind of a hard-edge to some conservatives, rhetorically, that frankly isn't conducive to discussion or real political debate (the same kind of hard-edgedness that is seen among the hard-left).
With organically grown hemp rope?
There are 3 separate issues here.
1) The goal(s).
2) Creeping to the goal or revolution.
3) Tactics, packaging the product in order to sell it.
Conservatives are worst at #3. In Nov 2006 both Chafee, McSweeney and Graff lost not because of #1 or #2, but because of #3.
But #2 is also a problem. I'd love to eliminate 6 entire cabinet departments (Education, Energy, Commerce, HUD, HHS, DHS). But that is not going to happen in my lifetime. So I need to accept that it is "moral" to cut their fingers off, and then their limbs off one by one.
We need CREEPING SMALL GOVERNMENT in the same way that my parents generation was afraid of creeping socialism.
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.