Posted on 04/01/2007 1:45:19 PM PDT by quidnunc
There is an argument floating around Republican circles that in order to win again, the GOP has to reconnect with the truths of its Goldwater-Reagan glory days. It has to once again be the minimal-government party, the maximal-freedom party, the party of rugged individualism, and states rights.
This is folly. Its the wrong diagnosis of current realities and so the wrong prescription for the future.
Back in the 1970s, when Reaganism became popular, top tax rates were in the 70s, growth was stagnant and inflation was high. Federal regulation stifled competition. Government welfare policies enabled a culture of dependency. Socialism was still a coherent creed, and many believed the capitalist world was headed toward a Swedish welfare model.
In short, in the 1970s, normal, nonideological people were right to think that their future prospects might be dimmed by a stultifying state. People were right to believe that government was undermining personal responsibility. People were right to have what Tyler Cowen, in a brilliant essay in Cato Unbound, calls the liberty vs. power paradigm burned into their minds the idea that big government means less personal liberty.
But today, many of those old problems have receded or been addressed. Today the big threats to peoples future prospects come from complex, decentralized phenomena: Islamic extremism, failed states, global competition, global warming, nuclear proliferation, a skills-based economy, economic and social segmentation.
Normal, nonideological people are less concerned about the threat to their freedom from an overweening state than from the threats posed by these amorphous yet pervasive phenomena. The liberty vs. power paradigm is less germane.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nwanews.com ...
Why stop at nine posts?
It's been an established pattern that our society swings back and forth between conservative and liberal, from one 'side' to the other. If we are headed toward the liberal side again, why put the onus of that disaster upon the Republican party by having a liberal president preside over the country being turned into a cowardly, deballed socialist cesspool following the steps of the cowards in the EU?
If we are already headed in that direction, then nominating a liberal to head the Republican ticket is the dumbest move we could make. Let the marxist win and turn the country into a third world sh*thole and that will begin the movement of the pendulum back towards conservatism that much faster instead of the slow bleed track that putting a liberal Republican in office offers.
The other alternative at this point in time is to nominate a solid conservative that can win in 08 and you know exactly who I'm talking about. It would be best to put all of the GOP's resources behind a conservative that unites the right and also draws from moderates and even some on the left instead of your suggestion. Your proposal is to win at any cost, even if it means making the Republican party just as liberal as the democrat party. That will not fly with more than enough conservatives to insure that your worst fear will come true, that HRC wins the election.
Actually, I'm of the opinion that your faction has that goal in mind by having RINO Rudy nominated to the Republican ticket. You seem bound and determined to get HRC elected with your divisive candidate, IMO.
The sooner we are clear about that, the better off we will be.
That is not the point which I was making. There are certain truths that are timeless and do not become irrelevant with the passage of time. The Goldwater/Reagan principles of individual liberty and limited government are such principles. If they have become unpopular with the public, then conservatives need to find a way to sell them to the public, not fish around for a new set of principles. In the Information Age, rugged individualism and limiting the role of government is as relevant as ever, more so.
What are the current "Republican economic policies... tax policies... health care policies..."? Part of the problem is that there is no leadership in the party to create unity with regard to these policies and no charismatic articulation of conservative principles.
"The first destroyer of the liberties of a people is he who first gave them bounties and largess."
Plutarch
"But many 'conservatives' won't. Look even here. "
A very good point. We do have a lot of big government conservatives and a lot of nanny-state conservatives on here.
"What are the current "Republican economic policies... tax policies... health care policies..."? Part of the problem is that there is no leadership in the party to create unity with regard to these policies and no charismatic articulation of conservative principles."
A very good point that should be repeated.
They aren't conservatives, despite fervent attempts to rewrite their NuSpeak dictionaries.
That's one of the most revolting comments I've ever seen quoted on FR!!!
"a solid conservative that can win in 08 "
That's an oxymoron -- meaning it's mutually exclusive. If you nominate a "solid conservative", he is going to be beaten by Hillary with a huge margin.
If you want to win, you have to nominate somene who is a leader and has crossover appeal and someone who can overcome the Hillary machinery.
An old guy with a folksy manner, who can't even make up his mind whether he wants to run, with NO executive or leadership experience, who even rolled over for John Glenn, is NOT going to beat Hillary.
Remember the Carter era just before Reagan we had high inflation and unemployment, higher taxes, energy crisis, double digit interest rates for home mortgages, Iran hostage crisis 444 days and a general uneasy feeling in the nation. Reagan exuded confidence, character and patriotism....maybe we need (gulp) another Carter era fiasco for America to wake up and reject failed liberalism....we need another Reagan-like leader as president.
Mostly because we have leaders from both parties calling for bigger government.
Basically the same arguement telling us the Constitution is a living document or that the Bible is outdated. Right is right and wrong is wrong, whether it is today, yesterday, 20 years ago, 50 years ago or 500 years ago.
Your concept of oxymoron is incorrect.
That says it all.
Reagan's legacy of minimalist government (more of an aspiration than a policy under his administration) is still a model for the future.
However, the author is correct that voters today are less concerned about government power than they were 25 years ago.
I also partially agree. I think Brooks is right in noting that tax-rates have been slashed and much progress has been made -- but as Reagan noted, he knew that the revolution wasn't completed by any means.
Where I really disagree is with Brooks looking at the polls to support his belief that voters prefer Democratic economic policies and health care policies... all he's doing is reflecting the echo-chamber of the mainstream media which has promoted these things plus global warming, etc.
Brooks also seems to dismiss Reagan's enduring principles: the vision of the shining city on a hill; America's goodness; the need for unleashing the power of the free people; that government gets its power from the people. These principles have gotten dropped and/or a bit forgotten. Those of us who yearn for another Reagan are looking for a leader and and communicator to bring those big ideas back into the American conversation.
Back to what I'll agree with him on: the next election will swing on "security" -- particularly security in the war-on-terror. And security will depend upon leadership -- someone who can take up the issue of defending America as a first principle -- not some secondary issue which is where the Democrats want to put it -- regardless of how it comes out in the public opinion polls.
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