Noonan: Baseless Confidence. It may take a defeat in Nov for the GOP to unlearn the lessons of power

WSJ Opinion Journal ^ | May 11, 2006 | Peggy Noonan

[FairOpinion]

The Republicans talk about cutting spending, but they increase it--a lot. They stand for making government smaller, but they keep making it bigger. They say they're concerned about our borders, but they're not securing them. And they seem to think we're slobs for worrying. Republicans used to be sober and tough about foreign policy, but now they're sort of romantic and full of emotionalism. They talk about cutting taxes, and they have, but the cuts are provisional, temporary. Beyond that, there's something creepy about increasing spending so much and not paying the price right away but instead rolling it over and on to our kids, and their kids.

So, the normal voter might think, maybe the Democrats. But Democrats are big spenders, Democrats are big government, Democrats will roll the cost onto our kids, and on foreign affairs they're--what? Cynical? Confused? In a constant daily cringe about how their own base will portray them? All of the above.

Where does such a voter go, and what does such a voter do? It is odd to live in the age of options, when everyone's exhausted by choice, and feel your options for securing political progress are so limited. One party has beliefs it doesn't act on. The other doesn't seem to have beliefs, only impulses.

What's a voter to do? Maybe stay home, have the neighbors over for some barbecue, and then answer the phone when a pollster calls asking for a few minutes to answer some questions. When they get to the part about whether America is on the right track or the wrong track, boy, the voter knows the answer.

[FairOpinion]

I am deeply disappointed in Peggy having joined the "cut off your nose to spite your face crowd".

[BW2221]

I don't agree. The GOP had a great opportunity for the past six years and they've blown a lot of issues. Hopefully, it's not too late to salvage 2006.

[Rokke]

Peggy is a bitter old coot who can't get over the fact that she is no longer employed to write presidential speeches. Now she just bitches. She has become predictable and boring. On the bright side (for her), her plunge into irrelevancy makes her a prime candidate to host a news show on MSNBC. If I were an agent, I'd be all over that one.

[FairOpinion]

Time for that great collage of "wake up and smell reality, if the Dems win" and look to whom you are turning over Congress.


People have to remember, that after Republicans lost the House, it took 40 years and a leader like Newt Gingrich to get it back.

Do we really want to hand control of Congress over to the Dems for another 40 years?

[Lurker]

I'm sure she'll learn to deal with your disappointment somehow. But somehow I don't think Peggy is all that worried about how disappointed you are in her.

The question that really matters is how the voters, particularly the GOP base is going to deal with their disappointement in the folks they (read we) elected to do the things Peggy mentions in this article.

Hey I know. Why don't you try dealing with the folks who have serious concerns in this regard by belittling them publicly, calling them names, and impugning their motives! That should work!

L

[Howlin]

FR's Third Party/Stay at Home Voters

2007 They're Just Like Republicans Congressional Delegation

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House	John Conyers, Jr, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Tom Lantos, Chairman, House International Relations Committee	David R. Obey, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations
John Dingell, Chairman House Energy and Commerce Committee	Chaplain for the US House of Representatives??
Charles Rangel, Chairman, House Ways & Means Committee	Jane Harman, Chairman, House Intelligence Committee
BARNEY FRANK, Chairman, House Financial Services Committee	Henry Waxman - House Government Reform Committee
Patrick Kennedy, Chairman House Entertainment Committee	Chairperson, House Committee on Conspiracies
Harry Reid, President pro Tempore of the Senate, 3rd line of succession.	Joseph Biden, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee	Jay Rockefeller, Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee
Robert C. Byrd, Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee	John F. Kerry, Chairman US Senate Committee on Finance
Joe Liebermann, Chairman, Senate Homeland Security Committee	Chris Dodd, Chairman, Senate Rules and Administration Committee
Carl Levin, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee	John McCain, some things will stay the same
Ted Kennedy, Chairman, Senate Committee on Immigration	President in Waiting.
First Husband.	Patrick Leahy, we’ll find him a job
Barbara Boxer, we’ll find her a job.	Senate Chaplain???

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34 posted on 05/10/2006 11:13:40 AM EDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do!)

[SJackson]

FR's Third Party/Stay at Home Voters

2007 They're Just Like Republicans Congressional Delegation

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House	John Conyers, Jr, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Tom Lantos, Chairman, House International Relations Committee	David R. Obey, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations
John Dingell, Chairman House Energy and Commerce Committee	Chaplain for the US House of Representatives??
Charles Rangel, Chairman, House Ways & Means Committee	Jane Harman, Chairman, House Intelligence Committee
BARNEY FRANK, Chairman, House Financial Services Committee	Henry Waxman - House Government Reform Committee
Patrick Kennedy, Chairman House Entertainment Committee	Chairperson, House Committee on Conspiracies
Harry Reid, President pro Tempore of the Senate, 3rd line of succession.	Joseph Biden, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee	Jay Rockefeller, Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee
Robert C. Byrd, Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee	John F. Kerry, Chairman US Senate Committee on Finance
Joe Liebermann, Chairman, Senate Homeland Security Committee	Chris Dodd, Chairman, Senate Rules and Administration Committee
Carl Levin, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee	John McCain, some things will stay the same
Ted Kennedy, Chairman, Senate Committee on Immigration	President in Waiting.
First Husband.	Patrick Leahy, we’ll find him a job
Barbara Boxer, we’ll find her a job.	Senate Chaplain???

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[bad company]

Maybe I'm just simpleminded, but instead of giving up the gains we have made and turning things over to the dems, wouldn't it be a better plan to begin addressing these problem rubbies in the primaries and replace them with more conservative candidates?

[nathanbedford]

I am greatly encouraged that Peggy, after having written a series of marshmallow columns which I have sharply criticized, has finally grasped the nettle.

The Republican party has unarguably lost its soul and it is time for a come to Jesus awakening.

[monkeyshine]

It would be hopeless if the Democrats weren't so defenseless. The GOP policy has been to give the Democrats nothing to campaign on.

The GOP has risked alienating their base. The reward (keeping the Dem base demoralized and unenthused) is a risky strategy. The GOP must hope that GOP voters think their congressman is OK, it's the others who are no good. If they pull that off Tip O'Neil's "all politics is local" will be the lesson learned - unfortunately not a good one in the long run.

[ozzymandus]

I cannot believe how many alleged conservatives are buying in to this stupid and self-destructive theory of letting the RATS win congress to show the 'pubs how mad we are. If you want conservatives in congress, vote for them in the primaries. If you want to ruin what's left of this country, let the RATS win and see what happens.

[FairOpinion]

Maybe you should send this collage of Dem pictures to Peggy and ask her if she really wants THIS to happen.

[capt. norm]

Your photos made me realize that the Democrats are running a "zoo".

"Do Not Feed The Liberals"

If they could just resurrect Marlin Perkins they could have their own Sunday afternoon TV show.

[GregH]

Exactly how having a Dem Control of congress is going to help America? It will lead to more taxes,more illegals, more activist judges pushing perversion down the society and creating special rights for terrorists..

I think Americans are smart to recognise this and would continue to support GOP control of Congress. GOP has its flaws but far beats the alternative party.

[bpjam]

Hey, be nice. Peggy has been fighting our side for a long, long time. She just got out of the 2004 election campaign for Bush in case you don't remember.

I agree with her every time I see the news. But then I rebound when I remember that the news is THEIR side of the story and our side can only be found on the web and on AM radio. But living in NY must be a nightmare since it is essentially a democracy free zone.

[Rokke]

"The Republican party has unarguably lost its soul and it is time for a come to Jesus awakening."

Enjoy Speaker of the House Pelosi. I'm sure she will have the answers this country needs. The dems were saying the same thing in 1994. 12 years later, do you think they kind of wish they hadn't lost the House? Do you think their "come to Jesus" has been beneficial to liberal causes? Do you think conservatives will take the house in 2008 after Republicans lose the House in 2006? Or will this country enjoy another 40 years of fine democrat leadership.

[Coldwater Creek]

They have also got a lot done. Stop your whining!!!!!!

And, yes they could stand up and do more.

[FairOpinion]

"I cannot believe how many alleged conservatives are buying in to this stupid and self-destructive theory of letting the RATS win congress to show the 'pubs how mad we are. "

===

I am glad you said "alleged" conservatives. Notice that these people spend endless diatribed bashing President Bush and the Republicans, but mostly don't post a single post criticizing Democrats. Even on thread about how the Dems want to raise taxes, they dismiss that as "no big deal", then spend their time bashing the Republicans. NO REAL CONSERVATIVE would do that.

I think many of them are the people described in this article:

The new 'Republicans vote on Wednesday' game (FR Mentioned) (article full text)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613957/posts?page=87#87


"But there seems to be a new “Republicans vote on Wednesday” taking form in time for the 2006 election. This effort targets grassroots conservatives known for their passionate views about issues who may be open to a grassroots voting rebellion. But the effort is being led, or at the very least aided, by liberals pretending to be grassroots conservatives, as opposed to actual grassroots conservatives themselves.

The premise follows a scheme previously found most often on talk radio programs: a liberal activist calls a conservative radio host, such as Rush Limbaugh or Laura Ingraham, and delivers the line: “I’ve been voting Republican for 30 years, but I’ve finally had it and I’m not voting this year.” Or my favorite: “I’m a Reagan Republican, but I’m fed up and voting for John Kerry.” (Because that is what Reagan Republicans would do, vote for John Kerry.) At this point, the host usually asks a couple of questions and it becomes painfully obvious that the supposed Reagan Republican has probably never voted for anyone left of Michael Dukakis.

The intentions are clear: the caller hopes to make it appear as though there is already a large uprising of conservatives who are rebelling against GOP candidates, and thus, wishes to incite other Republicans to pick up the same attitude and pass it along, leading to the Democrat becoming more competitive. The successes of such a strategy on voting habits are unclear, especially given that the conservative radio host often refutes the caller’s talking points.

But the pretend-conservative act is being carried onto a whole new playing field, one that has become wildly influential over the past few years and one that does not stand to be instantly recognized as a fake. That playing field is the blogosphere, which is then used in conjunction with massive e-mailings to “spread the word” (as one e-mailer insisted I do to my readers/e-mail list) to other conservatives.

The concept is the same: the blog or e-mail claims, first, that the said writer has been a conservative for years and that they have “had it with Republicans.” They then point to an issue that conservatives would likely be upset about such as excessive spending, immigration, or the expansion of government. Their supposed rage over the issue has convinced them to either not show up to vote in 2006, or, in order to really show Republicans, vote for the Democrat instead.

The blogs and e-mails are convincing in their wording and could incite the sort of reaction that occurred following the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. Of course, any liberal could read Free Republic and find out what’s irritating conservatives this week, grab a handful of phrases, and toss it on their “I’m a conservative but voting for a Democratic because of (insert issue here)” blog. After tossing in a few posts about the evils of Hillary Clinton and abortion, the blog is now being run by a bona-fide “conservative.” A few e-mails and link connections later, the message of conservatives voting against Republicans is spread. "

[Constantine XIII]

Aaaaaaah! Common Sense!

*head asplodes*

[Rokke]

"Hey, be nice. Peggy has been fighting our side for a long, long time."

And now she think our side should be defeated. I don't care who she is...I don't take the side of defeatists.