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.
Sherrod Brown, Harry Reid they need only change to the Republican party and you could vote for these two 20%ers. You know if they had an R after their name you would vote for them.
There was a piece earlier today on Rush where Rudy even said he supported state funded abortions. He doesn’t just have a toe in the water. He’s John the Baptist, fully in the water!
Fortunately it ain’t my decision, but it seems to me that the only way to significantly reduce the number of abortions is to keep it legal but start an active, explicit government policy to reduce the number of abortions. Then get groups like Planned Parenthood out of the “counseling” business. My point really is that this is a tough, complex, emotional issue and people tend to oversimplify it.
That's easy. Women would still get abortions. But now we can send them to the gas chamber for murder.
Yes, it’s a very tough issue. Advancing medical technolgy has created a lot of difficult decisions for people.
But I don't operate out of fear so no argument based on pushing my 'fear buttons' has any effect. I also don't operate in the past or future and Rudy vs Hillary is a hypothetical future. I don't need to make decisions about that.
What is happening now is the pre-Primary season and there are a couple of excellent, highly qualified, very conservative candidates running and I will support them as long as they are running.
Are you going to cast a vote for someone who believes that killing all those children was a constitutional right?
You have been given the right to vote in an election. That is a God given right and you are a steward of that vote and you will some day answer to God for the manner in which you used that gift.
Will you be able to say that you used it for good or for evil?
To whom much is given, much shall be required.
I didn't base my position on that. This is more what bothers me...
Still More Rudy on Abortion Funding (Cirque de Soliel could need you Rudy)
That is not a serious argument.
Yes, and what I’m getting at is that state funded abortions are the absolute kiss of death for the pro-life crowd. If they don’t even get a horse in this race they are going to feel left out and the Republicans are then going to be shut. Then there’s the border issue and the gun issue.
I’ve been told that these are non-issues in the upcoming race. I disagree.
Personally I would like it if we had a place to mark 'none of the above' and if none got the majority of the vote, we start again with new candidates. But for now, when there is no good choice, I can still do a write in.
Sometimes choosing not to choose can be the best choice.
As a life member of the NRA since '86 I think I know how they will stand.
Murder is illegal and you can make money from it. Maybe we should legalize it so we can tax it and regulate it.
Oh wait, we already did.
Without Carter we would never have had Reagan.
“To: Pistolshot
I guess I made a mistake thinking this thread was about manners and civility. Silly me.
128 posted on 04/05/2007 9:36:14 PM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.) “
Y’all missed the point of the original post. And proved it perhaps.
There are people here who seem to me perfectly prepared to lose the White House, and aren't willing to compromise at all in order to keep it.
There are some issues on which I am more than willing to compromise. There are others that do not lend themselves to comrpomise. Some issues are black and white, good and evil. Abortion is one. It is the hill upon which I am prepared to die.
We can surrender some hills and still win the war, but if we surrender on this hill in order to win, then we will have lost that for which we had so sorely fought. We must hold this hill or we must die trying.
Well, I can appreciate your convictions, but to be perfectly honest (no offense intended, I promise...I'm just giving you my true reaction), I deeply resent the position you're putting the country in by being so unyielding. I think the War on Terror is the most important issue of our time, more important than anything else. I can't live with Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton commanding our troops. The very thought of it repulses and frightens me. For this reason, I will do whatever I can to see a Republican in the White House in 2008. I'm very, very sorry that you won't.
You'll probably "die" on that "hill", and slaughter the rest of us alongside you, satisfied with yourself that you stood firm. Yay for you.
Don't you ever get tired of making a damn fool out of yourself?
You're suppose to be some big political know it all and you can't put two sentences together without trashing somebody with something you think is a snappy retort but lands like a rock.
It must suck to be you.
All through this thread you have spewed similar things at other posters. I assume you are doing this in the interest of rational discourse, but for the life of me, I just can't see how this is supposed to achieve those ends, unless you just want to browbeat everyone off the Howlin show.
Give the snyde crap a rest, willya?
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