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

[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-

[Iscool]

If the ultra conservative ideologists want to leave so be it. It happened before when the Buchananite wing of the Republican party left or was kicked out, and since then the GOP has won the Congress and state governorship since 1994 then the White House in 2000 and 2004.

So that's yer problem...Your memory is shot...

When we conservatives left the party, you stayed and let Clinton get elected...We came back because there wasn't enough of you to keep Gore and Kerry out of the White House...NOT because of Georgie...

And you imply we were kicked out??? You don't have a party without us...All you have is John McCain...

[birbear]

some people will never understand.

[CindyDawg]

Where would this country be without George?

Can you say President Gore? N..o..w freepers, let go of the Internet. You h..a..v..e to share. Repeat after me. The U.N. is o..u..r friend.

[cripplecreek]

You should try to intimidate and ridicule democrats into agreeing with you, it works better.

[Gondring]

With all due respect, your view is too short-sighted and narrow. The American people are getting sick of the games of the left, and if President Bush had made a courageous appointment and wasn't intimidated into a "Stealth" candidate, then the left either had to accept the nominee or look bad by rejecting the nominee. Conservatives would win either way.

[thoughtomator]

The basic compromise that was made as a matter of politics was for conservatives to accept the socialistic tendencies of George W. Bush in exchange for the moderates' cooperation in the reversal of many decades of judicial tyranny - the prime motivator for conservative voters. This nomination appears to be a breach of that basic agreement, not by the conservatives, but by the moderate politician in whose charge this agreement was kept.

I know you have both been here long enough to remember the innumerable times that this appeal was made to persuade conservatives to support Bush in 2000. The offer was accepted, and followed through... until now. This was a key opportunity, at the very core of the conservatives' interests, and it appears to have been carelessly squandered. I realize that there is a small but nonzero chance she may actually turn out like Thomas. Given the historical percentages, there's less than a quarter chance this will happen.

But make no mistake. It was the President's act that precipitated the fallout. This is do-or-die for the conservative voter not persuaded by the President's considerable personal charm. Conservatives are simply expressing the natural reaction to a knife in the back, at the hand of a trusted friend. Y usted, George?

[gogogodzilla]

Conservatives realize that the best defense is a good offense.

As long as the Republicans are attacking the Democrats, the Democrats will be on the defensive. That allows the Republicans to set the agenda, while Democrats can only rebut the Republican argument.

That leaves the Republicans with the upper hand.

President Bush and the RINO's have been trying to reverse that; having the Democrats on the offensive. And that is a sure-fire way to lose.

[Iscool]

Do you know the reason why 30% of conservatives are against the anti-Miers nomination? It is because they did not get the BLOODY battle that they were waiting for with liberals. They want a fight more than anything else.

You've gone off the deep end...WE, want to get back to a Constitutional Government...You don't get that, do you??? That means nothing to you...It's not even in your deck of cards...

[cynicom]

When they rejoin the democrats will they take Bush with them????

[Gondring]

I fail to see how this article can claim that Republicans are no good at governing.

That line got me, too.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

The reason Clinton was elected twice is because his chief adversaries in those two successive elections were George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

RINO's on parade alert!

[Cautor]

"Pragmatic Conservatism Is The Only Way for a Long Lasting Conservative Majority."

Pragmatic [compassionate] Conservatism Is The Only Way for a Long Lasting Conservative Majority. Maybe that'll work.

[Iscool]

Bigger question: Where would this country be without George?

Probably just about the same place we are right now, except without the war...

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

We can only hope so.

[gogogodzilla]

True, but you can stop the growth. Eventually, as the economy grows, the percentage size of the government in the American GDP will shrink.

That allows for those still want 'what's coming to them' to get what's coming to them.

[Ken H]

so too is conservatism evolving apace away from the small-government, libertarian model so dear to the hearts of Rush Limbaugh and his acolytes.

Conservatism = big-government?

In any event, it's good to see that big-government pseudo conservatives have dropped the pretense.

[cynicom]

For the next three years George is going to be more like a ruptured duck rather than a lame duck.

[taxed2death]

"So, do you think your comments promote unity or drive people away?"

Cause and effect amigo. Does Bush's actions promote unity within the GOP or drive conservatives away?

[jveritas]

Listen Iscool Buchananite. Over 80% of Conservatives are members of the GOP and they never left the GOP. The remaining 20% of conservatives (6% of the electorates) are made up mostly with bitter Buchananites, libertarians, Constitution party voters, and other moronic third party voters. The Republican party have won all these election not because of the bitter 20% of conservatives who left the party long time ago and they never came back but because they were able to get 90% of the GOP vote and over 45% of the independent vote.

You and some of your ilk on FR have made the most damming threats last year on how President Bush and the GOP were going to be crushed because the conservatives (they refer to Buchananites and other morons) are so made at GOP and Bush illegal immigration stands, spending, medicare bill, no child left behind, CFR, blah, blah, blah. And to their great chagrin President Bush re-election with the largest numbers of votes ever cast for a President in history of the US and the GOP increased its majority in Congress and Governorships.

Please do not tell me that you voted for President Bush last year, you were bashing him every minute as you have been doing now. Anyway in the last poll before last year election 10% of freepers said they will not vote for President Bush. These are the same idiots who keep threatening us of staying home and causing us defeat where in reality they never vote for and we always win despite this because they are such a tiny minority.