Because Jack Bauer was still in China...
Posted on 11/10/2006 7:27:00 PM PST by outofstyle
Election Day is over, the votes have been counted, and it's clear that conservatives took a beating. I have always maintained that Christian leaders should not make partisan endorsements — and I never have. But I am unashamed to say that I am a conservative.
In one sense, I think, all Bible-believers are conservative, because we believe in governing our lives by revealed truth rather than by man-made, utopian ideologies. Modern liberalism wants to remove all restraints on people's behavior. Conservatives believe in the moral law. So Bible - believers might be liberal on a lot of issues, at least in the common sense of that word, like helping the poor, but they would be fundamentally conservative in their disposition toward life.
House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejoices with House and Senate leaders as the Democratic Party takes control of the House of Represetatives at an election-night rally at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. Pelosi is regarded as first in line to become the next speaker of the house. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) So, what happened in Tuesday's election? The economy is strong. And it's true we're in an unpopular war, but people vote their pocketbooks most often. Yet the conservative movement, which had been gaining ground, has blown it. It has been defeated. Why?
The answer is one that may startle you. Conservatives lost because they deserved to. They failed to live up to the high standards of personal behavior they preach about. And that's what brought them down.
Is there a double standard here? Why should the case of Mark Foley have helped bring down the Republicans? After all, twenty years ago a Democratic congressman, Gerry Studds, had an affair with a male page, disclosed that he was a homosexual, got his wrist slapped by the House, and then got re - elected! Why has Foley's indiscretion turned into Foley-gate?
The answer is because it's just the tip of the iceberg. Look at how the conservatives for years railed against the Democratic liberal establishment and all of its money, the lobbying establishment, the junkets, the payoffs. The conservatives campaigned against it in 1994, only to take over Washington and do exactly the same thing. This is what is known as rank hypocrisy.
Is it unfair that when conservatives do things liberals do, that they, the conservatives, are labeled as hypocrites? No.
According to that great conservative thinker Russell Kirk, the first tenet of conservatism is the preservation of the moral order. True conservatives don't look at government as a plaything by which they can impose their latest ideas on the country; they look at political power as a guardianship, what Chesterton called the democracy of the dead. In other words, we have a debt to those who have gone before us, and the primary debt is to preserve the moral and constitutional order that our forebears fought to defend.
So when a conservative has a much - publicized affair or is outed for improper sexual behavior with pages, or digs into the congressional budget pot to hand out earmarks to his own district, he is a hypocrite to be scorned.
My hope and prayer is that conservatives in America will do some serious, sober soul - searching. We need to get our own act together before we can preach to others, or before we deserve to hold power. And if we break trust, we are breaking trust with the very essence of who we are. Our own character is at stake.
You can talk all you want about the unpopularity of President Bush, or the Iraq war, or immigration. But what this campaign really boiled down to was, well, when it comes to conservatives, it's character, stupid. If conservatives don’t learn that lesson, they will spend a long time in exile — and deservedly so.
Why did you move to NJ? More comfortable with the big hair thing there?
I think he is exaggerating only one aspect of the problem. A huge problem was a lack of leadership in being able to herd the cats and the fact there were virtually no Republicans in Congress capable of speaking and persuading people.
And how did you fight the 'lies' about immigration? Or the spending (outside of the military) like a drunken sailor?
"Will they expose who they really are?"
No, and neither will their fans in the press.
Republicans keep spending Federal funds,
on non-Federal budget items,
blurring differences.
At least Republicans supported lower tax rates,
and will have alot of spending cuts to do,
when and if, the press and Democrates are revealed.
Over half the nation is a parade of dolts. The question is best how to deal with the dolt factor. Clearly conservatives have an edge as too many pubs have crossed the line into doltness.
The author obviously doesn't know the the difference between conservatives & republicans.
Nothing happened but some tough love.
Liberal media.
If by 'implemented into national policy' you mean interfering into the affairs of the states and their respective citizens to forward views that were never meant to be the business of the national government, then yes I suppose they are.
Libertarians are not conservatives
Don't accept the blame, blame others. I lean towards the Libertarian Party as it's the closest to what I believe and I'm conservative. And I wouldn't support 5% of what the Republicans have foisted upon the citizens of the respective states in the past 6 years.
If that wasn't so damn long that would be my tagline.
Long story, but to briefly respond, what the president wants is not mnesty, per se, more amnesty light and a necessity because of practical problems deporting twenty million invading Mexicans! Frankly, I suspect the entire morass was a calculated means to allow Congress critters to distance themselves from the President until after elections, before working out a real immigration bill, with closed borders, migrant registrations (guest workers with a four year limit), and amnesty light for those actually wanting to become citizens (and most illegals don't want to be Americans, just drain dollars to Mexico). Pork is a failing of the soul when ushered into power over the billions of tax receipts. Some deficit spending actually blunted the effect of 911 and Katrina, but there was clear excess too.
They are a huge part of the problem, but it's an intractible one, I fear.
susie
You, Rush and Sean, can pump any wild dreamed up excuse you want to but the facts are clear: The culture of the country is much different that it was a decade ago and hard right conservatism lost. The only silver lining I saw in the dark cloud of the election for conservatism was marriage amendments being passed in five of six states. Other than that, it was a complete bust.
I do, however, think libertarian principles of freedom of choice and sanity won and I truly believe that Republicans will have to embrace more of them to get back control of the government.
Seriously, that's like my drinking Michelob Ultra. On the surface it looks like I'm cutting carbs but then, I open up the fridge and eat all the leftover pasta. It's eyewash, baby.
True. He won't be back until January. I hope we can hold out that long.
susie
I agree -- conservatives lost -- because the current vehicle for conservative change in the USA is the Republican Party and Republicans lost. Republicans showed that once they were in power they weren't interested in enacting conservative agenda, but in preserving and enhancing their own power by any means necessary. The attitude exhibited by Republicans was one of "it's our turn now." That's not why we elected them.
You clearly need to toke up.
..very well stated...
Fact of life
GOP voters do have standards
Democrats don't and will vote for anybody
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