Posted on 04/05/2007 8:46:45 PM PDT by Pistolshot
I came here in 1998 looking for conservative, logical, thoughtful conversation and debate on the things that matter to us the most. I was a Reagan Republican. One of those who had watched in horror as our embassy staff in Tehran was taken by fanatics. The answer should have been overwhelming force, but it was Carter, that limp-wristed, can’t-we-just talk-this-out, weakling who had made the military a shambles, and stripped it of its soul because of VietNam. I knew from the beginning that there was no room in this world for weakness and that was the beginning of my road to conservatism.
Now here we are, in the beginnings of a campaign to deny the Democrats not only the White House, but the two houses of Congress. It is extremely early in this race, the leading candidates that have announced are far from acceptable to a large majority of us. Yet, day after day on this site we have the Rudy machine, the McCain people, Mitt’s people, and every other supported candidate backer posting missives about their guy. Some are repeated vitriol that has no debatable content, and only begs to be ignored. Some of it is the adage of ‘Don’t like it, too bad. He will be our candidate.’ In the past I’ve seen posters here who were thoughtful, logical, literally passionate about impeaching Clinton, but with a HUGE degree of civility.
What is taking place here, and I am guilty of it too, so don’t think I am pointing fingers here, is the destruction of what is good about this site. WE ARE CONSERVATIVES, first and foremost. We have our passions that lead us to the candidates we have running. Debate is the give and take of ideas to reach a consensus about a direction. A direction we should all look at for the country, not because of the ‘he can beat Hillary’ dogma, but because the candidate we choose is THE one to carry what our hopes and dreams are for this great nation. I have seen posters here demean others, insult integrities, bash people they DON’T EVEN KNOW ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, and generally look like some of the slime that lurks on DU.
We are supposed to be better than that. It’s time we stop acting like we cannot debate without insult, stop treating each other as if our opinions don’t matter or our vote. It’s time that Jim starts looking around and suspending or closing some accounts for this type of behavior until it gets under control.
We are not DU here. The candidate we vote to carry the platform will be the one who reaches out to the most diverse among us. If that doesn’t happen for your candidate, I’m sorry. But to stoop to some of the tactics I’ve seen here based on a persons opinion or religion is despicable and speaks poorly for all of us.
To me the title of this thread sounds like a line William Shatner would deliver in a particularly bad Star Trek episode.
I don’t think this campaign is much different than others. The Recall election in California produced at least as many personal attacks.
I don’t think everyone believes that. Some here have stated there is no difference between Hillary and Rudy.
But who’s keeping score... :^)
If you want to wander in the political wilderness for another 40 years, be my guest.
Abortion is a conservative issue and how a candidate views abortion is a good indicator of just how conservative he might be.
I have a question for you. If a Republican candidate is only say 90% conservative, would you vote for him? Ok, how about if he is 75% conservative? 60%? Just how liberal does a Republican candidate have to be before you would not vote for him? How many of your principles are you willing to give up just to keep the Democrats out of power?
Everyone in this forum seems to hate the Rinos, but we forget that they were elected for the R after their name rather than on their conservative principles.
When we give up our principles to vote for our party, we become a party without principles.
I don’t remember Howlin saying anything about being “civil” to each other...lol. She’s talking more about keeping Democrats out of the White House.
Really. Rudy himself stated it.
If Candidate X was 90% conservative, that candidate would be considered a RINO around these parts. We lost 4 pro-life conservatives that I know of, just in the last election.
We will still have to stand before God and give an accounting of our life. Christians will have an advocate before the father. Non-Christians will be on their own.
Us bickering among each other is the only way she will get elected.
Oh please. In most elections the choice is between a Republican and a ‘rat — the other candidates usually have no chance. I vote for the better of the two. That doesn’t mean I endorse every position of whoever I vote for — sometimes there is not much of a choice.
I would vote for a 20% R over a 0% D because I’m better off 20% of the time and the other 80% it does not matter.
Yep. Me too. Sad.
You know what we're doing that the Dems aren't, this time around? We're attacking each other's candidates. We should be embracing them all and allowing them to develop as they learn how to respresent us.
What about working to keep liberals out of the White House?
Bull.
Naturally. But I seriously doubt I'm going to have to explain away 40 million abortions I had no part in, many of which occured before I turned 18.
Ronald Reagan signed an abortion bill into law in California. Had he vetoed the bill it might not have become law. Does that mean you believe he has to answer for all of the abortions in CA before Roe v. Wade made state law irrelevent?
No bull. He said that.
That is true to some extent, but there are also times when you have to vote for the candidate who’s principles are closest to your principles, to block another candidate who is much worse.
I agree with you 100%
The root problem here is that many have convinced themselves that Rudy and only Rudy can beat the Hildebeast. As a result, they get mighty snippy with those of us that support other candidates based on actual issues. They consider such handing the White House over to the Wicked Witch of Arkansas.
Those of us supporting other candidates believe nominating another RINO hands the White House over to her.
So Houston, we have a problem.
At the end of the day, the Primaries are for just this very thing - sorting out the best candidate. IMO whomever you support, now is the time to make your case.
I just don't see any reason for either side to get so pissy about it.
Not true, EV. Your rigidity and methods represent a very small segment of the population, found on both sides of the political spectrum. Maybe it's a very influential segment as you tell it, but if that's the case, I know I can count on a landslide defeat in 2008.
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