Posted on 01/24/2016 12:44:29 PM PST by Calpublican
Growing up in an unhappy and unsupportive home, I took pride, at least, in our family history. My great-great grandfather, a Southern boy, defied community and family pressures and supported Lincoln. He went to Illinois and joined the Union Army. We were Republican ever since and it was the one inspiration I took from my heritage.
Over time though I was no longer proud to be Republican as the party began to stand for almost nothing. I found solace, however, in describing myself as Conservative.
"Conservative" embraced my values and political positions exquisitely. I unashamedly proclaimed myself to be Conservative.
Recently a candidate has presented himself as "Conservative", yet his rhetoric, behavior, positions and principles (or lack thereof) do not represent Conservatism as I have understood it for so many years.
He touts Single Payer, bank bailouts, has a tax plan that a study has just shown will add $34 Trillion debt,ethanol subsidies, and could not be bothered to support the March for Life because, in honesty, he is pro-abortion and in recent years supported partial birth abortion. In addition he does not humble himself before God.
Conservatives in droves who criticized DC politicians for abandoning their principles, are abandoning their principles and finding excuses to follow him.He is an extraordinary salesman and they like the way he says things and is conservative on 2-3 issues;they count that enough. They say he is the only one who can beat Hillary as a driving excuse even though head-to-head polls say otherwise.
Now I am embarrassed to use the Conservative label for fear I will be associated with this person who has co-opted it.
There are alternative labels (Libertarian, Indpendent, etc.) and minor parties (Constitutional). None fits or appropriately and easily conveys my philosophy politically. Somehow I feel invaded and robbed of my identity.
But, more importantly, I feel sad for the future of our country. The counterbalance of opposing thought is truly disappearing. The Uni-Party has trickled down from the Legislature to the masses.
Another incredibly bitter pill is that even now in D.C. McConnell & McCain must be discussing Conservative "Wacko Birds" and laughing their flaccid butts off. Their assessment of Conservatives is proving to be too true.
Constitutional conservative and Tea Party advocate.
Why do people feel the need to “self-identify”? Are we all Caitlyn jenners now?
The call of groupthink in America is overwhelming.
What happened to independant thought? Can’t we all just vote for the candidate that appeals to us - personally - without allowing the media to pigeon hole us into their predetermined catagories?
Listen to, watch the candidates...don’t base your preference on what your friends and deadheaded media types tell you. I mean, they’re telling you THEIR opinions, why can’t you have an opinion of your own, with their approvals?
You’re just as much a citizen of this country as they are, you can listen to the candidates, just like they do... But people seem to let their brains idle until some mini-skirted anchor chick tells them what to think, and how to vote.
My gawd, America...grow some balls, make your own decisions and screw the party labels. We have seen the politicians break their oaths, lie, and screw the voters in both parties. Yet, we keep coming back for more?
The constitution doesn’t specify a party affiliate requirement to be president. The founders specified the few requirements of the individual to run for president.
If you meet someone new, do you rely on your friends to tell you if you like them or not?
Turn off the media and engage your brains, we’ll be a lot better off!
Being a independent is the best thing in the world. You always know what a dem will do in office, the mystery is the GOP.
Basically, I think we all want the same thing.
We want:
--to rein in Federal Spending
--to eliminate, redirect, or severely downsize several Federal Agencies, including (but not limited to) The EPA, TSA, NSA, DHS, DO Education, DO Energy, HHS, IRS, and others
We want our RKBA uninfringed, as promised.
We want our military strong, combat ready, and competently led, without social experimentation and special interest experimentation which affects mission readiness and effectiveness, often at ridiculous expense.
We want our borders secure.
We want to remove those illegally here, and eliminate the possibility of returning for those who have committed crimes here other than just being here.
We want to strengthen American Industry, and put America back to work.
We will need a serious restructuring of taxation in this country to accomplish that, likely a flat tax which is low enough to allow growth.
We need to eliminate the tax on breathing: repeal Obamacare.
We need to ensure access to the resources we have, and that means opening Federal Lands to mining, logging, and the exploration for oil and gas resources to ensure a secure supply of what we need in the event of war or other failures in supply chains from elsewhere.
We need to end the seemingly limitless slaughter of the unborn.
We need to end omnibus bill packages which include unrelated legislation.
We need to limit again the power of the Executive Branch, restore the business of writing laws to the Congress, and quit giving the ability to regulate with force of law to unelected bureaucrats.
That's a warm-up, I'm sure I have left things out.
Now we need to decide who is most likely to get that done without compromising those points.
We have to be successful.
We do need to raise the bar from 'he said/she said' and 'I saw it on twitter' to more substantial discussion of why we think one candidate or the other would be more faithful to such an agenda and whether they would have the conviction to see it through, even against opposition from their own Party Members in Congress.
That will require at least an attempt at civil discourse, and that we step back and emotionally detach from those candidates in order to dispassionately evaluate them, especially in light of developments during the campaign and additional information which may be disclosed.
We're FReepers.
If anyone can do this, we can.
Let this site be the voice of sanity, even if we disagree.
Calpublican? Meaning those that produced Regan? Anyway you are absolutely right about Trump. Just go to Mark Levine website or Facebook and you will feel better knowing you are not alone. That being said! Sarah Palin’s attempt to bring him slightly over Tea Party way was a valiant effort. If not very well executed. I’m first generation American with deep roots in middle European war and peace. Mostly war. But my great,great grandfather was the French Admiral that brought the fleet of ships to America with Lady Liberty on board. We deep rooted Conservatives need to face the facts. We need to get through to Trump somehow and teach him to be a grown-up. We can’t abandon him. He might be appointing up to 4 supreme court justices. Time to circle the wagons, vote Cruz, but have a plan to convince Trump to reject the Dark Side.
And this agog infatuation with a candidate is simply embarrassing to watch.Embarrassing and, to anyone who cares about what's left of the American experiment, disgusting. A country whose founding was a revolt against a king has become the very thing that one of the Founding Fathers (George Mason, to be specific) called "elective monarchy," which said founder believed would be worse than monarchy monarchy, in which we seek a president who will be all powerful, all knowing, all everything, at the expense of the separation of powers, checks and balances.
That one particular Republican front runner personifies the very thing the Original Dads did not want, and seems embarrassingly cheerful in his actual ignorance, is more than merely embarrassing.
Recommended (required?) reading: F.H. Buckley, The Once and Future King: The Rise of Crown Government in America. (Note: F.H. Buckley is not known to be of the Buckleys of William F. Buckley, Jr.)
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
I have not read Buckley’s Once and Future..although I have intended to for a long time. Will do.
Things appear to be going from Obama to worse in the US.
He should not but he calls himself one and that appears to be good enough for his worshippers.
He also claims he is an Evangelical. (speech in Iowa)
Someone needs to take him aside and give him definitions for both.
Look up “Conservative” & learn what it means.
No thinking Conservative supports Trump.
Says he supports 2A
Says he supports Israel
First and foremost he loves $$$ and power.
This has been his entire career.
Look up opinion and learn what it means.
Constitutional conservative, William F. Buckley admirer, lifetime NRA, Tea Party advocate, Reagan voter & future Cruz voter.
No conflicts here.
We communicate with words and actions. We label or identify ourselves constantly, daily even.
If I’m a Christian and proudly proclaim it but Christians begin committing dastardly deeds, I will be ashamed and will choose a more appropriate label to signal who I am. Perhaps I’ll say I’m a True Christian.
Politics is no different. Labels have significance, meaning and convey a sense of community.
And no, I make my decisions, and that’s precisely why I cannot sign on to the Trump Mania or wish to be identified with it.
Look up Newbies usually have the sense to be quiet for a bit.
Oh, but you’re a Trump voter so no principles for you.
couldn’t handle the burn eh? Read me sig
Of course, my deepest dismay is Conservatism moving so Left and not caring. It changes everything.
In other words, if you have no substance to contribute to the dialogue STFU.
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