Cracks around the edges

The Washington Times ^ | March 6, 2006 | Suzanne Fields

[Lorianne]

That crunching noise George W. Bush and the Republicans hear is not ice in the White House bird feeder, where those of us taking in the sun here at the southernmost tip of America imagine ice must be. It may be the faint sound of the conservative coalition cracking at the edges. A few tiny cracks don't constitute a trend, of course, and strange and unexpected noises in the night aren't necessarily trends.

Nevertheless, Rod Dreher may be an outrider of the new counterculture. He's a columnist for the Dallas Morning News with impeccable credentials in Hillary Clinton's celebrated "vast right-wing conspiracy" -- he worked in the nation's capital at The Washington Times and then at National Review -- and his new book, "Crunchy Cons," rebuking the perceived sins and shortcomings of what he regards as runaway mindless capitalism, got a glowing review in the Wall Street Journal. He's a devout Christian (a lapsed Protestant who becameaRoman Catholic) and a father of two small children who should expect to be schooled at home.

But he doesn't like shopping malls ("the point of life is not to become a more satisfied shopper"), industrial farming, big cities, television, and what he calls "lifestyle libertarianism." He likes environmentalism (by any other name), organic farming and the New Urbanism, the anti-urban sprawl movement.

[frankiep]

The Republicans, he says, look like "a Party of Greed" and "the Democrats act like the Party of Lust."

If that sentence doesn't just perfectly sum up my opinion of our two major parties, then I don't know what does.

[King Prout]

what does/may this have to do with any weakening of the BigTent conservative movement?

[M. Thatcher]

As a reader of "The Corner," I find Dreher insufferable.

[RunningWolf]

Parties are for the most part, always conflict, compromise, tenuous etc.

Lets see what happens in the 2006 elections and then the lead up to the 2008 POTUS.

I hope GB gets a few more SCOTUS nominees in place in the mean time.

Wolf

[JamesP81]

I would put it more this way:

The Republicans, he says, look like "a Party of Greed Spending" and "the Democrats act like the Party of Lust Death and Destruction."

In short, if the GOP doesn't want to drive its base away, don't nominate a RINO (read: John McCain or Rudy Guiliani) for president in 2008.

JMO

[Jaysun]

I consider this fellow a kook. For Conservatives to embrace "organic gardening" and "free-range farming" at the expense of our present system would be disastrous. If you want to eat locally grown free ranging chickens, go ahead. But don't demand that everyone else do so.

There's already a mystical place where almost all of the food is locally grown, organic, and free-range. It's called the starving continent of Africa.

Besides, I don't see how his misguided opinions about could possibly effect the Conservative movement. The jest of this article is absurd.

[Jaysun]

CORRECTION!!

Besides, I don't see how his misguided opinions about (Capitalism) could possibly effect the Conservative movement. The jest of this article is absurd.

[Reagan Man]

Conservative fractures, fractured conservatives, principled conservatives, pragmatic centrists and status quo Bush-Bots. The GOP is a mess.
Even with that political smorgasbord, the Dems will still have a tough time taking back Congress.

[elhombrelibre]

I'll say this only partly in jest, but the word you meant to use is "gist."

[CBart95]

The Bush enemies continue their mindless chatter about fictional "Big Things" underway often as a direct result of their running series of the "Bush Scandal Du Jour".

Even they don't buy their own blather which resemble story idea rejects for the Natnl. Inquirer.

And the whole Bill/Hil Thing has developed a dreadful aroma as each new revelation of their insanity for a One-World government comes out from under the covers.

Odd as it seems,no one in the Losercrat party has seen fit to even suggest an agenda of any kind.

[bybybill]

We must stand with the President. The country is at war for Pete`s sake, and our enemies ONLY chance of winning is if we are divided. And, we must win.
Educated conservatives should understand this, but it seems , judging from several posts here, that what should be the Presidents closest supporters, are the first to turn on him, often without the facts.( see the Ports)
Don`t understand.

[CBart95]

Lets clear up your confusion. Those so called supporters are "fair weather " friends...

RINOs.

Clustering around the hem of the Prez's robe like fleas and less loyal than fleas.These are the legendary "sycophants" that flock to power bases as they have from time immemorium.

[Luis Gonzalez]

It's eight months to general election; Texas has primaries today.

The GOP incumbents in races have been taking a beating for months in the news, and the numbers reflect it. The ports deal, the wiretapping deal, the Guantanamo deal-specifically the ports thing-are making President Bush more of a liability than an assset as a campaigner, and setting some incumbents at odds with the GOP White House at a bad time for us.

Cheney's in no better shape.

The GOP needs to start some pretty massive campaigns of their own, and watch out for the sixth year swoon, or things will get ugly.

[Old_Mil]

The Republicans, he says, look like "a Party of Greed" and "the Democrats act like the Party of Lust."

Ouch. A bit too close for comfort there, eh?

[CheyennePress]

Yes, the Republican Party has floundered because of incredibly poor leadership and communication from above.

The administration could have put themselves in so much better of a position if they led with authority and set the course. All too often they've just drifted along, taken a beating, and then did something completely out of the blue.

Very poor performance.

As for Guantanimo and the wire-tappings, I generally don't think most Americans could care less. Most everyone I spoke to who didn't really follow politics thought the wiretappings were a good thing. The ports are another issue, and Bush should have known better than to try to pull this.

And to threaten the veto pen over that? After everything else that has gone through?

[frankiep]

I like your tagline. I've been telling people I know about the Constitution Party, and how they are a true conservative party, for a while now. Unfortunately most people either never heard of them or write them off as a joke.

[Old_Mil]

Thanks frankiep. In a system like ours, we get the government we deserve...whether we vote our consciences, or sell them into the slavery of pragmatism. I can only imagine the response that George Washington would have given to a Whig who had told him he "couldn't win, and so he shouldn't fracture the empire lest the French/Spanish take the new world" in 1776. Yet, this is the same sort of RINO fearmongering that many conservatives succumb to when it is time to pull the lever.

Perhaps, in 2006, it will be differently.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"As for Guantanimo and the wire-tappings, I generally don't think most Americans could care less."

They don't need "most" to win elections, they just need to swing "some" away.

Right about now in 1998, the GOP had Clinton in a full Lewinsky, but the impeachment united the Democrats; the ports thing is dividing the GOP.

"During the first 90 years of the 20th century, for example, there were nine midterm elections held during an administration's second term. Each time, the president's party lost House seats. Those losses averaged 33 seats."