Hugh Hewett: "Yes, Gentlemen, I am a Party Man." (The conservative movement jumps the shark)

hughhewitt.com ^ | October 7, 2005 | Hugh Hewett

[quidnunc]

Quote:

Nothing lasting will be accomplished with SCOTUS unless the GOP remains in power beyond 2008 and 2012. If the current seven veterans linger, and the GOP is crippled because of intra-party quarrels, how will President Hillary's and Vice President Obama's justices rule?

Mull that over for a while.

If the ideological Right's Daffy-Duck hysterics succeed in crippling the Bush administration, say goodbye to to the Congress and presidency for at least a decade.

Frankly, there is a subset of the conservative movement which is becoming the mirror image of MoveOn.org.

[rightinthemiddle]

Bravo! My post from another thread:

I'm amazed how many elitist conservatives, and those who post on the Internet for all to see, have become willing tools of the MSM and the left.

I wanted Janice Rogers Brown. I wanted a big fight. I want Congress to cut spending and I want the borders sealed. I want the Ten Commandments tattooed on Ruth Bader Ginsberg's forehead.

But, I'm not going to bring down the President and the party because these whiners want another conservative intellectual on the court (didn't the President give us Roberts?). He is appeasing his base by providing the reliable vote with Scalia and Thomas; but that's not good enough for some. They want to lose the battle and the war.

They're doing more than airing dirty laundry. They're soiling the nest.

[austinite]

Here ya go!!

[traderrob6]

Jeeez another Bush bashbot.

[coconutt2000]

I think Austinite is trying to share his kool aide with Quidunc.

;-)

[austinite]

But, I'm not going to bring down the President and the party because these whiners want another conservative intellectual on the court (didn't the President give us Roberts?). He is appeasing his base by providing the reliable vote with Scalia and Thomas; but that's not good enough for some. They want to lose the battle and the war.

There is no Republican Party anymore. It is the RINO party now.

By the way, the left shift of the repubs will ensure they do ok without my vote. The Dems are so weak, the rinos have nothing to worry about.

The rino party has made a political calculation and so have I.

If it looks like a rino, grunts like a rino, defecates like a rino, then it is a rino.

[veronica]

Frankly, there is a subset of the conservative movement which is becoming the mirror image of MoveOn.org.

No doubt about it. I do understand when folks feel strongly about the court, especially after the savaging of Bork, and I think debate is healthy, but in the end we have to be as one, united against the Dems.

[loreldan]

Hewitt nails it. Much of this opposition actually has a lot more to it than just this nomination. It's just reaching the boiling point. The immigration single-issue people have been looking for an excuse and encouragement to openly rebel. Much of this comes from that; they're just piling on.

[.cnI redruM]

>>>>>They want to lose the battle and the war.


No they consider another war more important. They want to define conservatism in their image, rather than compromise in order to remain in power nationally. This happened to the Dems with Hatred-Powered Howard in 2004.

Losing is fine to some 'real conservatives' because of two things.
1) They can blame the defeat on all the 'apostates' who failed to bow down before their 'real conservatism'.

2) They really think Hitlery will be the next James Earl Hick-wad Carter, and a 'real conservative' will waltz back into The White House in 2012. A lot of people tried sticking the fork in Bill Clinton in 1994 and 1995. Let's rewind and ask ourselves how accurate that was.

[oblomov]

In other words, we can't have any differences from the President on any issue? There can't be a spirited debate? We have to be the loyal marching millions no matter what?

It seems that our rulers need to be reminded who they work for. For example, they can't seem to find any more fat to trim out of the budget. Apparently the fat is blocking their carotid arteries, and they can't think clearly. Perhaps they should go on disability.

[oblomov]

OK, let's have a good nominee, and I'll be happy and willing to "unite". Roberts wouldn't have been my pick, but he was acceptable.

[GVnana]

If the ideological Right's Daffy-Duck hysterics succeed in crippling the Bush administration, say goodbye to to the Congress and presidency for at least a decade.

Funny how so many are focused on the past when it's the future we need to worry about.

[oblomov]

In what sense are conservatives in power?

[eyespysomething]

Bush bashbot.

LOL!

[Antoninus]

Actually, I think of Hugh as Mr. Politics over Principle.

Hey Hugh: Robust conservatism wins elections and changes hearts and minds. Being a wishy-washy, back-stabbing, no-count RINO may win you an election here or here, but it ends up getting us to exactly the same place that President Hillary would have gotten us--only a bit slower. And it makes the conservative true believers lose their faith that the GOP isn't just more of the same PC BS.

Ask those of us in NJ how voting for a RINO like Christie Toad Whitless worked out. Now we have a GOP in NJ that can't even put it's pants on right--that actively torpedoes its own promising conservative candidates like Bret Schundler--and a state that's utterly and completely controlled by a hyper-corrupt Democrat party machine. Is that what you want for America?

The only solution for the GOP is to throw some of these RINOs under the bus. Bush's support of Arlen Specter in the 2004 primary was a clarion call to many of us. Between that debacle and the nomination of two stealth candidates for the Supreme Court, you'll have to excuse us for feeling a bit anxious. Those knife-wound-scars in the back of the Conservative base tend to itch from time to time.

[oblomov]

My opposition to Miers may be a little different than some here. I'm opposed to corporatism, and I think Miers record shows her to be a corporatist. Corporatism is much trickier to reverse than socialism. It has market and "conservative" elements, so it can't accurately be called socialist. Nonetheless, it results in less freedom for individuals and less opportunity for small businesses. Ultimately, it is as oppressive as a Soviet-style regime.

We need another Clarence Thomas on the Court, not a Sophist, willing to make any argument based on who is the highest bidder.

[traderrob6]

"Hey Hugh: Robust conservatism wins elections"

And extremism loses them.

[quidnunc]

Antoninus wrote: Actually, I think of Hugh as Mr. Politics over Principle.

Like it or not, politics is how things are accomplished in government.

Ideology is all well and good, but nothing gets done without compromise.

[.cnI redruM]

In the sense that taxes are lower than they were in 2000.

In the sense that monetary policy is left to the discretion of the central bank rather than implemented via price controls.

In the sense that the leadership of our nation's military actually engages its enemies abroad rather than sitting around with its thumbs up its ass and whining "Why do they hate us?"

In the sense that faith-based organizations are now eligible for Federal aide when they react to social problems.

In the sense that The Assault Weapons Ban that expired prior to the lase election cycle doesn't stand a chance in Hades of making through the current Congress.

In the sense that Dr. Lawrence Tribe isn't on the most remote list of possible Supreme Court nominees.

That's just what I could think of in about 2 minutes...

[Antoninus]

And extremism loses them.

You want to talk about losing elections, if the GOP has nothing to show the conservative base by 2006, just watch and see what happens...