"If there is a distinction, it's not a dime's worth. ... I hope that anyone but Bush gets elected because then at least we will have gridlock rather than the Bush socialist agenda. The country can afford to hold out for 4 years..."
No, the country can't afford to have a Democrat selecting the next 5 Supreme Court Justices (who will be retiring in the next 5 years).
And for distinctions: Bush has banned Partial Birth Abortion, something that no Democrat President has ever tried to do, much less actually do.
Bush is building our national missile defenses, something that Al Gore was against, as if defending the U.S. from rogue nuclear missile attacks was somehow a *bad* idea.
I didn't see Clinton or Gore cutting income taxes, but Bush cut federal income taxes so much that a family of four earning $40,000 per year now pays slightly less than $4 (yes, four) Dollars per month in federal income taxes (for a Tax Independence Day of January 1).
Democrats weren't exactly lining up to follow U.S. law (i.e. the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act) to effect regime change in the Middle East, either, but Bush did.
So it's rather dishonest, intellectually, to try to claim that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. The above issues alone highlight polar opposite positions on the political color spectrum.
Moreover, the whole "libertarian" viewpoint is impractical. Libertarians don't have the money or the popular support to be anything other than a useful tool for Democrats to use to siphon gullible votes away from Republicans, which is precisely why the largest donors to the Libertarian Party here in Alabama are Democratic Party Trial Lawyers. Voters break 5 to 3 Repub to Dem for going Libertarian, thus it is an easy way for the Dems here in Alabama to shift more than a full percent of the Republican vote edge by simply giving a few measly thousands to the Libertarian Party here.
But on top of being tools for the Democratic Party, Libertarians have nonsensical beliefs such as fully Open Borders to immigration and a ban on using our military first, not to forget that Libertarians don't even want a standing Army, Navy, Air Force, National Missile Defense, or Marines, only a volunteer civilian militia...hardly the stuff required for pre-emptively smashing rogue regimes like North Korea or Iran, should they get sufficiently out of line.
Worse, you libertarians like to argue too much. Good Lord you can talk until you are all out of breath (which is to say, for far too long).
And then there is the ingrained Libertarian opposition to taking political baby steps (the stuff of real change). You all want your Revolution "now," and anything less is unConstitutional and unsatisfactory. Forget privatizing Social Security, you all scream, you want to disband it immediately (a political non-starter). Ditto for privatizing Medicare.
And you want your Instant Revolution because none of you have had enough actual elected political experience to yet learn firsthand that such instant gratification is intellectual cannon fodder rather than the sort of thing that actually gets debated and enacted.
Thus, there are hardly any worse enemies to Conservatism and to our great free republic than you misguided, inexperienced Libertarians, for you attempt to trick us with your grand ideas and psuedo-conservative rhetoric at times, yet your every action saps our strength and reduces our ability to enact the real changes required to take back this great nation from the hard core Leftists of academia, the news media, and various entrenched political forces.
So many misconceptions. Lets pick them apart, one by one:
No, the country can't afford to have a Democrat selecting the next 5 Supreme Court Justices (who will be retiring in the next 5 years). If idiot Bush can't get a federal judge appointed with majorities in both houses, how will a Dem get one appointed with a Rep congress? I guess the Reps would have to actually like the nominee, but that of course would necessarily mean the nominee would be "conservative". The last Bush gave us that bastion of judicial restraint, Justice Suter.
Bush has banned Partial Birth Abortion
Personally, I can't even imagine what kind of f^&%ed up person would actually preform PBAs. That aside, abortion will continue until it is addressed at the constitutional level so the fact that PBAs can no longer be performed is little consolation to the other babies that will be killed via some other method.
Bush is building our national missile defenses, something that Al Gore was against, as if defending the U.S. from rogue nuclear missile attacks was somehow a *bad* idea
I am operating off the assumption that the Reps will retain Congress, so the Reps can pass funding for missile defense. You think any politico worth his salt would veto such a thing? Politicians like to get elected. A veto of missile defense would practically get him tossed out on the spot.
I didn't see Clinton or Gore cutting income taxes
To borrow a Clinton election phrase, "it's the spending, stupid". Cutting taxes now and running a deficit means that we will have to pay those deferred taxes in the future with interest. It's kind of like Christmas shopping with your credit card. You feel good when you are doing it, but with the bill comes the hangover.
regime change in the Middle East
Call me greedy, but I am an America first guy. Let the Arabs do their own regime change.
dishonest, intellectually, to try to claim that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.
I have made the argument and so have more notable "conservative" authors. Fundamentally, the biggest difference seems to be foreign affairs but I think once a Dem gets in office, he/she will suddenly express the need to 'engage' in other countries affairs. It's not so much the go / no go argument as "how do we make the world better for Arabs, Palestinians, Africans, etc. etc." The difference is in the details and quite frankly I don't care about those as I am not interested in changing any of those places.
the whole "libertarian" viewpoint is impractical
A couple of centuries ago, it created the most powerful nation the world has ever seen. Practicality seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Don't blame libertarians if they don't want to vote for the RP's brand of socialism. If the RP gives me a reason to vote for their candidate, I'll do so.
nonsensical beliefs such as fully Open Borders
I disagree with the LP on this. It is one of the few items I disagree with the LPs on.
Libertarians don't even want a standing Army, Navy, Air Force, National Missile Defense, or Marines
Actually, the founding fathers were the ones who did not want the feds to have a standing army. That is why the constitution prohibits funding of the army to exceed 2 years in length. Personally, I have no problem with the navy as the constitution mandates one. Marines are just a part of the navy, so they are good. I would personally make the air force part of the navy to avoid any constitutional issues.
Forget privatizing Social Security, you all scream, you want to disband it immediately (a political non-starter). Ditto for privatizing Medicare.
I would take this as an intermediate step. So why don't your Republicrats, now that they have congress and the prez, put forth a bill? No, we got even more of the same old crap with that drug bill. When are you going to learn, pal. The RP doesn't actually mean this sh!t, they just say it to make you feel good when you vote for them.
Libertarians, for you attempt to trick us with your grand ideas and psuedo-conservative rhetoric at times, yet your every action saps our strength and reduces our ability to enact the real changes required to take back this great nation
That's funny. Most of the time you Bushbots are telling us we are a bunch of inconsequential whiners. I don't see what the LP is doing to keep Whore-Hay Bush from enacting some real "conservative" changes. They sure have not managed to keep him from pushing his socialist agenda through.
I love how people spout this intellectual honesty bullshit in trying to win an argument.
Intellectual honesty be god damned. He's no conservative, he's not supportive of MY values as a Voter. I've done the math and have come to the conclusion that I WILL NOT have my vote taken advantage of by an individual who will NOT support MY values as a voter. This is not a one issue vote, if it were just one issue then I would be voting for the man in November.
Get the assholes at the RNC to start acting like Conservatives. Get the jerks in the house and the Senate along with the White House to act like conservatives instead of increasing the size of government at every single solitary opportunity and THEN I will probably vote again in November.
Until that time comes the RNC, the Republican in the White House and all the rest of their supporters and nay sayers can kiss my ass.