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The Fastest Fall: On the Need for the Conservatives To Get Their Game Together – Soon
The Richmond [VA] Times-Dispatch ^ | October 13, 2005 | Ross Mackenzie

Posted on 10/12/2005 6:06:38 PM PDT by quidnunc

Try this for a picture:

The nation with a President whose Investor's Business Daily Leadership Index stands at 41, a 9-point plunge since August; Republicans, who during his presidency have rated him as high as 95, now rate him at only 79. Declining support for the American presence in Iraq. Deficit spending at record levels, with more to come for Katrina recovery. Gasoline at $3 per gallon, and big jitters over the prospect of winter heating bills double those of just a year ago.

-snip-

So what is it about this, perhaps the fastest fall in presidential approval?

The ideologization of the right.

For decades, a conservative ideology — a set of "correct" beliefs forming a lens through which one views reality — did not exist. The conservative movement, such as it was, contained former Communists and anti-Communists, free marketers and compassionists and private-sector welfarists; unionists (Ronald Reagan's "hardhats") and those driven by a commitment to the Taft-Hartley Law's section 14-B; Burkeans, traditionalists, libertarians, religionists, and believers in living one's life according to an individualized secular virtue; neo-con refugees from the liberal swamp.

The conservative umbrella kept the rain off all these disparates; the conservative tent had room for just about anyone.

Conservatives took over the Republican Party and drove it to political power. On their way to consolidating power, two things happened. (1) They demonstrated time and again that they were not particularly good at government — that in many ways they don't do the governing thing well, often not so well as liberal Democrats. (2) They coalesced around a set of views and values one generally had to embrace in order to have one's claim of allegiance to the conservative flag accepted.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservatives; mackenzie; miers
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To: HitmanNY

I don't want a "conservative activist" (although I strain to imagine the reasons why one would be particularly horrible at this point in time). I want someone who will defend and restore the rule of law, like Thomas.


101 posted on 10/12/2005 10:38:45 PM PDT by thoughtomator
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To: thoughtomator

I know. I do, too.

That being said, some folks have an unusual fixation on Meirs religion and specualtion on her being pro life is misplaced.

Neither has much to do with whether she is able to interpret the constitution through an originalist prism.


102 posted on 10/12/2005 10:41:39 PM PDT by HitmanLV
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To: cripplecreek

"I prefer to be a loser with my integrity and ideals intact than a bought and sold winner."

I'm sure moonbots will line up to disagree with you there.


103 posted on 10/13/2005 5:39:06 AM PDT by LibertarianInExile (Kelo, Grutter, Raich and Roe-all them gotta go. Pick Judge JRB! She'll nuke `em 'til they glow!)
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To: thoughtomator

These fools are a waste of time. They don't even care if they know what they're talking about as long as they get obedient drones.

They keep calling me "the far right" and spewing it with the same hatred as Nancy Pelosi and I can't figure out how I got the lable to begin with. I support teaching both ID and evolution in schools. Ive been quite supportive of Harriet Miers nomination although I have a few legitimate questions. Ive been very supportive of the President on all but a few issues.

These people have a bigger problem than they're willing to admit. It's more than just the "far right" who have had enough. They're frightened children who need to blame someone for the massive failure of the party coming down the tubes.


104 posted on 10/13/2005 5:43:39 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: quidnunc
This is the reason Bill Clinton was elected twice.

I scanned the article twice and did not see that last sentence.

It was Ross Perot who was responsible for Bubba being elected twice...not actions on behalf of conservatives.

105 posted on 10/13/2005 5:52:06 AM PDT by DCPatriot ("It aint what you don't know that kills you. It's what you know that aint so" Theodore Sturgeon)
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To: quidnunc; Gipper08
so too is conservatism evolving apace away from the small-government, libertarian model so dear to the hearts of Rush Limbaugh and his acolytes.

If this is true, coservatism is dead

106 posted on 10/13/2005 5:54:31 AM PDT by NeoCaveman (you call me a right wing extremist like it's a bad thing.....)
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To: veronica
However, if movement conservatives start an ideological war withing the GOP, everything which Ronald Reagan and those who believe as he did accomplished is in danger of being wrecked.

This could have been written in 1976 by an author lamenting Reagan's primary challenge to Ford.

107 posted on 10/13/2005 5:58:00 AM PDT by NeoCaveman (you call me a right wing extremist like it's a bad thing.....)
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To: Iscool
You've gone off the deep end...WE, want to get back to a Constitutional Government...You don't get that, do you???

I want my Constitution back!!!!

108 posted on 10/13/2005 5:59:04 AM PDT by NeoCaveman (you call me a right wing extremist like it's a bad thing.....)
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To: MNJohnnie

"Right the Dems would of passed the Tax Cuts and have Soc Security Reform on the table. They would of passed the Refinery Bill the House passed on Friday. They would have appointed John Roberts, Priscilla Owens, Pickering and Brown to the courts. Sorry but for any Freeper to be saying this clearly indicates a segment of Freepers is NOT intrested in reality but only in spewing their knee jerk Bush hate."

A tax cut WITHOUT a spending cut is simply a postponement of a tax INCREASE at a later date, for another administration. If you can't understand such a simple concept, you yourself are not interested in either facts OR reality.

You sound about as smart as the average used car salesman on a $1000.00 dollar lot.


109 posted on 10/13/2005 6:04:20 AM PDT by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
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To: quidnunc
From the article Another Democratic heavyweight James Carville -- said the other day, "Sometimes the problem with being a Democrat is being a Democrat."

I think they've found out how to solve that problem - just run as Republicans to get elected.

110 posted on 10/13/2005 6:05:51 AM PDT by NeoCaveman (you call me a right wing extremist like it's a bad thing.....)
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To: quidnunc
Hey, just grab some mustard pretzels, a cold soda, and watch the show. Don't bring anything rational into this.


If you want a Google GMail account, FReepmail me.
They're going fast!

111 posted on 10/13/2005 9:55:47 AM PDT by rdb3 (Have you ever stopped to think, but forgot to start again?)
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To: cripplecreek

"Obiedience to party doesn't suit me. If you roll over does your master rub your belly?"

I’m not going to let the democrats take over the leadership of this country because a hand full of pencil pushers didn’t get their way over a Supreme Court nomination. There are not a lot of “Pat Buchanan Republicans” out their, yet the few vociferous ones who want to impeach Bush and give power to the Democrats are getting the attention in the press (I wonder why?)

There is a huge difference in the two political parties maybe more so then ever before. I understand that people on the far right aren’t happy with the Republican majority, but the flip side is much worse.


112 posted on 10/13/2005 10:06:58 AM PDT by JeffersonRepublic.com (There is no truth in the news, and no news in the truth.)
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To: JeffersonRepublic.com

Threaten somebody else.


113 posted on 10/13/2005 10:08:56 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: sinkspur
Smaller government is a myth.

You probably really dislike the Mike Pence crowd.

114 posted on 10/13/2005 10:11:17 AM PDT by jmc813 (Bork Miers)
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To: quidnunc
so too is conservatism evolving apace away from the small-government, libertarian model so dear to the hearts of Rush Limbaugh and his acolytes.

Hey pal, the purpose of this forum is to decrease the size and scope of government. What might your twisted definition of "conservatism" be?

115 posted on 10/13/2005 10:18:24 AM PDT by jmc813 (Bork Miers)
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To: Cicero
He can be a fighter, but I hope he decides to fight his enemies instead of his friends. I hope he takes a good hard look at this whole business and finds a graceful way to back out of it and start over.

Spot on, Cicero.

This reminds me of 1991-1992, when Dick Darman gave Dubya's dad shockingly bad economic advice, in the wake of breaking the tax pledge. Remember how the IRS withholding tables were tweaked, to reduce taxes withheld from a paycheck?

It accomplished nothing, because the average increase was less than $10 a week. Even economic illiterates discovered (the following year) that it wasn't a tax cut.

It seems to me that second terms fail because the nature of being President, and the isolation from the real world.

I wouldn't want to be a Presidential staffer for more than six months: the hours alone would wear me out, let alone the stress. I truly think that part of the problem is staff fatigue. President Bush may be in bed at 9:30, but everybody else is doing 16 hours a day.

116 posted on 10/13/2005 10:23:01 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (1 John 3:18)
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To: cripplecreek

"Threaten somebody else."

What do you mean? I don't believe I have ever "Threaten" you. Unless you are referring to me challenging your ignorant stances the Miers nomination.


117 posted on 10/13/2005 10:24:08 AM PDT by JeffersonRepublic.com (There is no truth in the news, and no news in the truth.)
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To: JeffersonRepublic.com

"Unless you are referring to me challenging your ignorant stances the Miers nomination."


What stance is that mr wizard?


118 posted on 10/13/2005 10:26:43 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: quidnunc
so too is conservatism evolving apace away from the small-government, libertarian model") You're saying this as if it's a good thing...or am I missing something?

I'm saying that it is what it is, and no amount of fulminating and pontificating will make it otherwise. The small-government model is fading and the model which advocates using government to move towards desirable, socially-conservative outcomes like the ownershio society is in the ascendency.

And of course you dodge the question as to if you think this is a good thing or not. I'd have a lot more respect for you liberal/moderates if you were simply upfront about your political philosiphies.

119 posted on 10/13/2005 10:31:05 AM PDT by jmc813 (Bork Miers)
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To: DCPatriot
It was Ross Perot who was responsible for Bubba being elected twice...not actions on behalf of conservatives.

Running Bob Dole in '96 was like Adlai Stevenson's candidacy in '56. After the debacle in '95, when Newt shut the government down without a viable exit strategy (and lost the political battle to Clinton), there was no energy on the Republican side. Ergo, Dole got the nomination because it was "his turn".

I'm not sure Dole would've won in '96 with Perot off the ballot.

120 posted on 10/13/2005 10:33:24 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (1 John 3:18)
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