When is Conservative enough, Conservative enough? (vanity)

Karen Dennison

[rbbeachkid]

Although I am very happy with the events so far in New York and I support both Hoffman's run against a liberal GOP Candidate and the conservative statement to the GOP, I have some concerns.

I think that Hoffman's campaign will encourage more independents to buck the GOP establishment. While I think that this is necessary in showing the GOP that the conservative grass roots don’t want the establishment’s compromising, weak spined, unprincipled moderates, when will conservative enough be conservative enough?

There are few politicians that espouse the (small l) libertarian, small government philosophies that I believe in. I am not a public school proponent. I would like the majority of business regulations done away with. I think that the fed’s job is national defense and arbitrating between states in disputes. I think that the federal government should have little to no impact on individuals other than guaranteeing freedom.

Few candidates will have the purity that I would want. So, will I always want a third choice? Scozzafava was the logical conclusion to a GOP gone “moderate” (read liberal). She was absolutely unacceptable on a multitude of levels. But are we going to see the destruction of a real chance to make some of the changes that we want by demanding purity? In a reliably Republican district it was ridiculous to support a liberal candidate, but there are districts that are more balanced and maybe less strictly conservative candidates should represent less strictly conservative constituencies.

Unfortunately, always putting up a more conservative choice means that victory over the Democrat will require more than 2/3 of the votes. Except in situations like Hoffman, that is unlikely.

I voted for McCain last election (after vowing to never vote for him) for one reason, judgeships. There is a reason to have Snowe and Collins in the party (I would like them replaced in the primaries). The system is set up to require a majority in Washington to get things done.

Where do we reach the balance between pulling the GOP back to their conservative roots and continually shooting ourselves in the foot? We will never really win with Democrat light. We won’t even come out to vote for them. Conservative can and do win elections. But when is a candidate conservative enough?

I don’t have an answer; I am only just concerned with what we may be setting ourselves up for.

[Eagle Eye]

Calling Scozzafava libertarian is intentionally misleading...actually dishonest.

[ansel12]

You are being dishonest, I never called her a libertarian I said that she was too libertarian for conservatives, it was her social views on abortion and homosexuality that brought her down.

“Dede Scozzafava was too libertarian and conservative independents and conservative republicans rebelled against her selection.”

[gitmo]

It strikes me that dealing with the Republican party is a lot like raising kids.

If your kids pitch a fit when you go to the grocery store, demanding some treat they want, then you as the parent have two choices. You can get a short-term win by caving in and giving them the treat. You get peace and quiet until the next trip. You also get brats.

If you refuse to give in for a short-term gain, and discipline your kids for their unruly behavior you get a short-term loss (a public scene and possibly an aborted shopping trip) but in the long term you get more polite kids and pleasant public scenes.

The party has been behaving badly. They provide RINOS as candidates saying, "Where are the conservatives going to go? They sure aren't going to vote Dem." We get a short-term win by caving in and voting for the RINO figuring at least he/she ain't a democRat.

In the long term we get a party that is indistinguishable from the democRat party.

The irresponsible conservative will cave and vote for the Rino.

[Eagle Eye]

You called her “too libertarian”.

Isn’t that calling her libertarian as I said before?

[ansel12]

No, her views on social issues were too close to libertarian, I never said she is a libertarian, we know that she is a republican.