Posted on 11/09/2006 10:16:11 PM PST by goldstategop
The country is buzzing about Rush Limbaugh's post-election comments that he felt liberated now that he would no longer have to shill for those who had not earned his unequivocal support. Limbaugh said, "I feel liberated, ladies and gentlemen, because I feel like I don't have to carry the water for people that I think don't deserve to have their water carried."
Limbaugh's success as a talk-radio host comes from his incredible talent at analyzing the lay of the land, breaking down the issues of the day for his audience and seeing things that most people miss when sizing up a news story or political debate.
For the past few years, Rush has grown increasingly disenchanted with Republicans in Congress and inside the Bush administration who repeatedly put their own personal and political interests ahead of the interests of this nation.
Yet, Rush was delicate in his criticisms of Republican missteps, given that these were divisions within the Republican family. He preferred instead to cajole, prod and encourage GOP decision-makers to follow the path of conservatism so as to lead this nation to greener pastures. He tried to explain that by doing so they would ultimately also advance their own personal ambitions and be rewarded for such good work.
Unfortunately, many Republicans in the Bush administration and on Capitol Hill have had other ideas about the future for this nation, and too often Bush and his Republican colleagues in Congress rebuffed conservative solutions to the problems facing America.
You know the issues of betrayal that have angered conservative activists the most: amnesty plans for illegal aliens, massive federal spending, multiple corruption scandals, the prescription drug plan, Harriet Miers, etc.
Even when it came to the war against terrorism there were too many times when cut-and-run voices managed to neuter the Bush administration from taking the fight to the terrorists and aggressively selling the case for war to the public.
On occasion, I have been somewhat critical of the Bush administration for failing to articulate a clear, concise message about the Global War on Terror. I did it knowing that it would cause a backlash among people who support our troops and want nothing more than to see us win in Iraq and other fronts in the fight against terrorism.
I've felt it was necessary for the administration to hear from many of us who are working tirelessly to make sure that the anti-war left in this country didn't dominate the discussion. We've needed to explain why it is that we are engaged in a life and death struggle with radical Islamists who murder, rape and kidnap indiscriminately as a tactic to advance their forced Shariah law upon growing numbers of people.
I failed.
I think that this week Rush Limbaugh realizes that he failed, too. Both of us have tried to be loyal to the greater cause even when we felt that at times we were being taken down the wrong path.
In the end, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, myself and many others recognized that as much as we felt betrayed on many fronts by Republicans in Congress and at times by the White House, the fact remained that our nation is at war and the Democrat Party has decided that we should surrender to the enemy.
Sorry, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Jack Murtha, but surrender is not an option. So Republican pundits and grass-roots leaders have tried in different ways to work from within the GOP to stop the drift from conservatism that was taking place. Like I said, we failed.
Sadly, the Bush White House has taken exactly the wrong message from this election. Mr. Bush has decided he will appease his critics by firing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, a true warrior who tried to fight the established bureaucracy at the Pentagon. I'm sure that Madame Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Islamic Republic of America), is thrilled with this decision, as are the editorial geniuses at the New York Times.
Bush has also said that he is seeking cooperation with Democrats in enacting a guest-worker program (read amnesty) for people pouring across our borders, some of whom are terrorists.
Our president is moving in a direction that, I fear, will result in more terrorist attacks on American soil, if he is left unchecked by political pressure.
And that's where you come in.
My philosophy in dealing with political enemies is that when they hit you, you hit back twice as hard. The anti-war left's election victory this Tuesday has hit this country with an attack more serious to our nation's future than was 9-11.
Now is not the time to allow Republicans in Congress or in the White House to sell out to Pelosi, Reid and the cut-and-run crowd.
It's time to take the gloves off and fight for the cause we believe in, even if that means fighting members from within our own family from time to time.
Rush should have sounded off against the Republicans long ago. What happened to the party of small government, fiscal conservatism and individual liberty?
The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. We had every branch of government and we governed like Democrats. I shouldn't say "we", because it got so bad I no longer consider myself a republican. I am a fiscal conservative and that is it.
We have two parties. Both of them are unwilling to do anything about the size of government. Screw both of them. I am glad the republicans got canned. Maybe they can do some soul searching and find the ideological underpinnings. Maybe bible thumping and "God Hates Fags" isn't a constructive way to run a government. Maybe ballancing a budget and not passing on debt to future generations would be a place to start.
Well .. he probably does need a vacation. I think he's held off because of the election - but now I expect with the holidays that he'll take some much needed time and spend it with his family.
Excuse me, but what gives you the right use the name Milton Friedman? Is that your real name?
I agree totally with your observation of what I call
the prissy conservative. I they fell slightly offended they cut'n'run. They too often have unrealistic expectations
wanting immediate gratification.
Now the clock is turned back a great deal. If the Iraq
war is imperiled they are to blame. There will be hell to pay for decades if the democrats purge this war effort. We are still doubted over the legacy of cut'n'run in Vietnam
Clinton iced the cake.
What we have now are a bunch of neo-comms in congress
which shadow the 1974 elections.
Thanks cut'n'runners.
I wish him well.
Oh, so you like the hard left? Your no conservative.
Thanks for the hard core left you elected, bud.
What the heck are you talking about? "God hates fags," bible thumping? Last I checked, our government wasn't being run with either of those. Let me guess: you're now pleased that the neo-comms have won, so that you can see the Republicans get their proper come-uppance. Well, guess again, dude. It's you and me who are about to take a beating. If you were pissed about the way things were being run before, just stand the f*** by, 'cause socialism's about to go nuclear. Just think how happy you'll be, when you get to be REALLY mad about stuff. BTW, how's it feel to be rooting for the same thing as our enemy?
What melodramatic nonsense.
The Trans Texas Corridor was a non-issue in the Texas governors race and Perry won big time.
What is this hangup people have with "corporate interests"? It takes corporations to take on big projects. Thousands of small business, like mine, work for people and corporations that are making money.
In my opinion, all economics are "trickle down". I prefer to tap into the private sector's trickle, as opposed to the government's (tax payers) trickle.
Pelosi hasn't even become Speaker yet. But she's already commited at least two crimes: One, promising that she will run the most ethical House in US history; and two, promising that she does not seek vengeance. She will be shown to be a liar on both counts before long.
Take off the gloves and equip yourselves with brass knuckles.
Ever since Tuesday and the outcome, I have been frantically trying to figure out how we as conservatives can stop this foolish, childish cut and run idea that the compassionate, caring (so they believe) democats are hoping to do.
First to all conservatives out there, we have to be able to communicate within our own ranks. To much of this election was about conservatives not being content with 80% of their ideas being advanced. Yes, on many issues Bush was more centrist than we would like, but we knew that going in. Yes, we had absolute retards (esp. senate) who were elected as repubs, but were obvisiously borderline socialist. Yes, We ALL have our own "pet" issues however, conservatives as a whole, this election acted like spoiled 4 year olds. We stamped our feet, and held our breaths because we weren't mature enough to look at the bigger picture, but only our pet issue. We were all upset because we couldn't find our own personal republican saviour. We overlooked the "big picture", under-estimated the effects of the MSM on the average voter, and we got spanked for it. You would think we would have learned from the Perot debacle. At this point all we cab do is stand stong and voice our opposition to the liberals. The more conservatives stand together, the better chance we will have in holding our own for the next 2 years. In the mean time, we need to watch our conservative representatives, support them when they advance a conservative agenda, and remind them of this election when they appear wobbly. The key to this is CONSTANT communication with our elected representatives.
The other thing is we have to stop blaming others, we are the ones that voted, Rush didn't cast your ballot, none of the radio show hosts did.
Hmmm... let's see... he was against Miers, he repeatedly put American laws above the GOP's stance on illegal immigration, he's been a critic of the politically correct way of fighting the war in Iraq and the kind treatment of terrorist prisoners... hmmm.
I think Rush has been less of a party hack than msDNC, CNN and cBS combined.
I think the blue-blood open border republicans are now on the defensive about something :)
No wonder they attack Rush. He predicted a loss because of the GOP's stance on open borders and their too little too late fence a week before the election.
Sounds like a guilt trip to me.
As a registered Independent, I would never listen to Rush if he was a party hack.
Nice try!
I love it! Sounds like a good tag line: 'Looking for my own Personal Republican Saviour.'
Glad you like it, go ahead and use it.
Precisely! can't tell you how many freepers bought into this. I spend a lot of time on the immigration threads and so many have come forward to post about how this was no big deal....sorry, but it was and is!
As I have posted before, we legislate from the ground up and the grass roots, and not the other way around. This is not a dictatorship!
I am no conservative? What is a conservative these days?
I am for small government, fiscal conservatism, and individual liberty. Does that make me a conservative?
I also voted for Steve Chabot and Mike Dewine. Chabot barely won, Dewine lost. I don't blame either of them for the Republican collapse. It is not my local leaders but the national party that has lost it's way. I hope that this election gives us a chance to get back on track.
I am not Milton, he is my idol. I think he is the greatest person alive on the planet today.
I wish that we could get back to the policies and type of government advocated by Milton. I think that in 50 years school reform will have taken over and that Milton will be regarded as one of the greatest American thinkers in our history.
I apologize if I said something that was insenstive and off the cuff. I shouldn't do that if I want to post under this moniker. Your point is well taken.
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