Posted on 07/17/2004 5:33:14 PM PDT by Kuksool
The presidential election in November will be decided by priorities, more in this cycle than any other. For the general voter base, America is polarized along party lines. This was obvious, even from four years ago with Al Gore and George W. Bush. This division between left America and right America is intense.
So, as it is with America, the national stage has been lit up with an even more intense division between the two camps. Mud slinging abounds; hatred and spite-filled rhetoric is everywhere in this political season. So much so, it's nauseating to watch and makes me want to ignore politics altogether.
Lately, Moveon.org has continued to compare President Bush to Adolf Hitler. Talk radio continues to hammer on John Kerry. The RNC attack machine is always on alert, with columnists, talking heads and hosts ready to back them up. The same goes for the DNC, with its own talking heads, celebrity friends and liberal news media.
Thus, with everyone polarized, the intensity of partisan politics has picked up, and voters will again head to the polls with a party view of politics. America is no longer together on issues and people; we're divided and we're going to be divided severely in November. That's how it's going to shape up.
Yet, for some conservatives, choosing a candidate isn't limited to George W. Bush and John Kerry. Because President Bush has betrayed conservatives on various social and fiscal issues, the conservative base is divided and hasn't rallied around Bush like it did four years ago.
This leaves some conservatives wondering whether or not they should jump ship for a third-party candidate like Constitution Party nominee Michael Peroutka or even the Libertarian, Michael Badnarik. Meanwhile, the rest of the conservative/Republican camp is griping that a vote for a third-party candidate will do nothing but help John Kerry.
In reality, they're right. A vote for a third-party candidate may be a stand for ideals, and it may send a message to the GOP, but it won't do much good. There aren't enough conservatives who will vote third party to scare GOP officials, but there are just enough third-party voters that it may help John Kerry.
Yes, a vote for Michael Peroutka is a wasted vote. It's hard to say whether a third-party candidate will ever be viable, but it's obvious that no third-party nominee has a shot at the presidency in this election cycle.
Therefore, conservatives need to look at the priorities. What's important? If we truly care about appointing conservative judges, then we can't have John Kerry in office. If we truly care about the economy, then we can't have Kerry in office. If we care about the War on Terrorism, then we can't have Kerry in office. If we truly care about cutting taxes, then we can't have Kerry in office.
The only viable alternative is President Bush. He's not a conservative, true. He has betrayed conservative principles and has taken actions that would make a liberal proud, but he's the man when it comes to the economy, taxes, war on terrorism and, most importantly, the judicial branch.
This election is about these priorities, and it's about choosing the lesser of two evils. It's sad that the grass-roots GOP can't come up with an alternative to George W. Bush, but reality dictates that conservatives should support the president in this cycle.
The Republican Party needs reform and it needs to be changed, but jumping ship from the GOP won't do any good. It will give John Kerry the office of the presidency, and it won't help America.
Some conservatives will take a stand and vote third party because of the principle of the matter, but in the real world, the Republican Party is a conservative's only hope of changing America.
As for you vet, I love God with all my heart, and I will stand by the principles of God till the day that I die. I won't compromise those principles for the sake of a short-term, temporary victory. Those sort of compromises always result in moral decay and eventual defeat for those who hold those principles, and I will not be party to that any longer.
It's amazing to me how people can put their political parties in the Bible somewhere and start condemning people based on that. The Bible I have teaches that no matter what the persecution or temporary result I receive for doing so, I should always stand for the truth and what is right. Caving for the sake of temporary gains at the expense of principle is something that God has always condemned. So I, sir, won't do it.
Amen!
His election over McClintock is the fault of all the high-and-mighty, so-called conservatives in the Republican Party who believe one way and vote another for the sake of victory.
If they'd ever grasp the fact that we could have real conservatives in office if we'd just vote for them, this country would be in a lot better shape.
If being a republican means letting your principles take a back seat to your party, then glock I think you just got complimented.
As to your being a conservative, I love how those folks somehow manage to position their minds to where they can make themselves believe that if you don't vote for the Republican mainstream candidate every time no matter what they do that that makes you a non-conservative.
Keep your head up. You're right on this one.
As to your comment on another post that people like myself just hope that someone or something will the turn the Republican Party back to the "whacko" right wing, you're dang right. I'd love to see a return to the Godly, founding principles of this country, and if that's not on your voting agenda then I am proud to say that you and I differ, because those Godly, founding principles are exactly what we in the "whacko" right wing espouse.
You have no idea what I did or do; your need to put that into words says volumes.
Of course I don't which is why I said "probably." On the other hand, the fact that you don't have the least idea what I did or didn't do in the last election didn't stop you from saying of those of my persuasion, "I'm not wasting MY time on a "voter" who probably didn't vote for Bush in the first place."
By the way, the fact that you keep posting responses to me lets me know that you in fact are quite willing to continue "wasting" your time with me and others like me.
Well stated. These people adamantly deny the appeal of conservatism. It's almost as though they feel conservatism won't persuade because they don't believe in it themselves.
I didn't post to you in the first place; nor did I post about you. If my words hit a nerve with you, so be it.
Well said, Willie.
I refuse to reward Rove's stupidity by blindly voting, as he expects, for Bush because "who else am I going to vote for?"
I have no problem seeing the GOP lose the White House and Congress, all on my vote, if need be, if they learn a lesson from that defeat and return to minority status.
Whoops, looks like I did post to you first.
But I stand by my posts to you.
When you stop thinking about what's good for you and start thinking about what's good for the country, then maybe you'll understand what we're up against.
It's hard enough fighting liberals without having to fight "purists" to get the job done.
The latest Pew Research survey says that 97 percent of conservatives -- the base -- are supporting George W. Bush in this election.
Apparently it is you who are out of touch.
Individuals acting in their own self-interest, will collectively make decisions that result in what's best for the country. Your appeals to put the group above oneself are, frankly, reminiscent of an Ayn Rand novel.
As I stated before, show them why it's in their interests to vote for Bush instead of belittling their views. You do your "cause" far more harm than good by insisting on your divisive rhetoric.
ME:----- "Maybe you could provide some specifics about what you would do differently than President Bush with the economy?"
YOU:----- "GWB is clueless on the economy. GWB is clueless on the economy. GWB is clueless on the economy. GWB is clueoess on the economy."
ME:------ "Wow, you really bowled me over with your intellect, not to mention all the specifics on what YOU would do with the economy."
What a typical complaining know-nothing you appear to be.
Considering the recession President Bush inherited, and all the crisis situations he was dealt (thanks to the previous head-in-the-sand administration), President Bush has worked miracles to bring the US economy back to the strongest growth it's had in 25 years.
GWB inherited a business spending crisis, and an investment crisis, largely the creation of Alan Greenspan, though triggered by the Y2K boom and bust. The problem is that GWB and people like you thought it was a consumer spending recession, and that the stock market was doing OK.
Sure you will, every day. You'll just lie to yourself in the mirror to think you are better than the rest of us while you betray your country. Do you know what a young man who has just lost his arm or leg defending your sorry self looks like ?
Take your sanctimonious principles and move them to another board that is holier than here.
You throw around your self-defined terms like "business spending crisis" as opposed to "consumer spending recession" as if there is some humunguous difference.
In today's entrepeneurial world with a large portion of GNP growth coming from proprietary start-up businesses, there is scant difference between the two terms.
Sure there are business expenditures (large ticket items) like a GE turbine-generators or a Catapillar's earth mover, but the large portion of growth comes directly from small family-owned businesses just getting off the ground.
And those type businesses have been doing quite well, by the way.
Bottom line: GWB inherited a shrinking economy, devastated by the 9/11 attacks and the the corporate governance scandals (which Clinton"s SEC ignored), and he turned everything to the good, with GNP growth nearing 5-percent annually.
Not bad for a "clueless" man, huh?
As to your being a conservative, I love how those folks somehow manage to position their minds to where they can make themselves believe that if you don't vote for the Republican mainstream candidate every time no matter what they do that that makes you a non-conservative.
Keep your head up. You're right on this one.
No, if they really believed in conservatism they wouldn't be so scared of their party being pulled back to the "whacko" right. Sounds like Hillary's not the only one scared of a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, doesn't it?
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