After the Thumping

Opinion Journal ^ | 31 Jan 07 | Charles R. Kesler

[edcoil]

"In their hearts, he knows they're Right."

He is right. He just never did it. The vast majority of "republicans" know if elected again he would fail republicans again.

Einstein once said, "You cannot get out of a situation with the same mindset that go you into it in the first place."

We need to put Republicans into office if we want smaller government, lower taxes individual rights and constitutional freedom.

[bigbob]

Excellent piece.

Don't just react - THINK.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

A teaspoon of water in a pitcher of sewage gets you SEWAGE.

A teaspoon of sewage in a pitcher of water gets you SEWAGE.

Time for a season of Conservative and Republican repentance and revival, so that the terms may once again be synonymous.

That-which-has-seeped into the GOP from the Democratic swamp must be filtered out, EARLY in each race.

"If My People, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves..."

[Cicero]

Well, as this writer says, conservatism is up for grabs. He is quite right to suggest that President Bush failed to cut spending, and indeed has managed to expand the government while not even trying to weed out the clintonoids and carterites who are basically running the bureaucracy.

Where he is strangely silent, however, is on everything else EXCEPT fiscal conservatism. How about the right to life? How about the right to bear arms? How about the right not to have tyrannical liberal judges redefine marriage and morality for us? How about freedom of religion? How about the right to pray in school or mention the name of God? How about an end to racial and gender favoritism, so all are treated equally before the law?

Those are all issues where the great majority of the country actually IS conservative. And those are some of the issues on which the Republicans in congress betrayed their base.

Bush has been strong on the right to life, but he has not gotten a whole lot of support from the Senate on these issues.

[HitmanLV]

PING!

[Howlin]

The notion that a steady conservative majority exists, waiting only to be activated by the right Republican appeal, thus makes for bad GOP strategy. It lures Republicans into thinking their job is easier than it is, by disguising the hard truth that victory still depends on persuading, not merely reminding, a crucial segment of the electorate to think conservative and vote Republican.

[onyx]

BUMP

[Miss Marple]

Persuasion is the key, and apparently a lot of people on Free Republic, in talk radio, and in the conservative movement don't understand this.

Conservatives are handicapped by the public opinion that they are uncaring, parsimonious concerning anything except the military, and react only to the opinions of James Dobson and Pat Robertson.

None of these things is true, but it puzzles me why people think that moderates can be persuaded towards conservatism by insults, jokes about suffering people, and rants about people who aren't evangelical Christians. If you want to persuade people, this is not the way to go.

Politics, at the most basic level, is about making friends. If someone insulted and mocked you or something you cared about, why would you consider that person a friend?

I have to assume a lot of people who post here are either clueless about what it takes to win, or they are democrats trying to stampede conservatives into destructive behavior.

[Txsleuth]

Thanks for the ping....good article...although the writer seemed more optimistic than I am right now about our "party" getting together.

BTW..I saw a blurb a little while ago on C-span that said that Gov. Pataki of NY is thinking of running for POTUS...his take on Iraq: he doesn't LIKE the Bush plan.

[brothers4thID]

I'm sorry, I was distracted after the bit about McCain being a "conservative spokesperson".

Say whaaa?

[kipita]

We need to put Republicans into office if we want smaller government, lower taxes individual rights and constitutional freedom.

Republicans or Conservatives?

[Spirochete]

We need to put Republicans into office if we want smaller government, lower taxes individual rights and constitutional freedom.

Well, you'll get lower taxes.

[edcoil]

Only temporary ones - they they rarely sunset a burden the taxes are temporary reductions. Offset by increased and new fees.

[Teacher317]

We need to put Republicans into office if we want smaller government, lower taxes, individual rights and constitutional freedom.

Didn't seem to work for the 1994-2006 "Revolution".

[cgk]

Thanks for the ping... BFLR! :))))

[Peach]

That will go over a lot of heads, but I thought I'd repeat it:

The notion that a steady conservative majority exists, waiting only to be activated by the right Republican appeal, thus makes for bad GOP strategy. It lures Republicans into thinking their job is easier than it is, by disguising the hard truth that victory still depends on persuading, not merely reminding, a crucial segment of the electorate to think conservative and vote Republican.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

I grew up in the Republican Party and have watched from the early sixties on the vitriol expended on those who were different from what used to be "country-club Republicans" vs. the "John Birchers", the "Bible Belt Christians" vs. the "Catholics" and "Jews". I've never seen such a waste of time among people who should be pulling together on important issues like, say "survival". The joke in college in a very republican county was "Young Democrats" were everywhere, but no one could find "Young Republicans" because there weren't any.

Well, there were and there still are, but while the rest of the folks squabble over "Mormons" vs. "Bible Belt Christians" (and while there are still some folks out there who don't even realize Catholics are Christians -- talk about ignorant), while we argue over whether "pot" should be legal or "cigarettes" should be illegal, we fiddle while Rome burns, and I can't say we're any different today than 45 years ago. Only difference I can see in politics now is that the Democrats are even MORE vitriolic and hateful to each other.

There are certain irrefutable principles upon which we must unite and then table the rest of the crap for your next family get-together with Crazy Uncle Ray or balmy Aunt Edna.

[Howlin]

Republicans or Conservatives?

When you ask questions like that, you're part of the problem.

[Txsleuth]

Not over my head...but, I appreciate the repeat!!

Can't be said too many times.