The liberal edge

N\.Y. Post ^ | July 27, 2007 | John Podhoretz

[bilhosty]

THE turn in the polls against the Republican Party appears to be stunning in its ferocity

[bilhosty]

This is meant as a dose of cold water. I have commented before that the the unreality on this board is unbelievable. This is a clear sign of a need for change and a retooling of our message and of our essence. W. and our leaders do not seem to have a clue of what is going on. We are going to have to start dealing with things or face the consequences. Our messages are tired and not working. We no longer appeal to the center and are facing insurgency from our base. W. is so afraid of alienating anyone he is alienating everyone. This is just exactly what happned when W.'s father was in office.

[goldstategop]

I do think that what we're seeing is the product of decades of brainwashing by the publik skrools, the universities and the MSM. The 9/11 effect wasn't bound to last forever. Liberalism may be in the ascendancy and for two obvious reasons: the ability to hand out favors and guilt. Unless we recapture the culture, any political victories we have are going to be fleeting. Our work begins not at the voting booth but at the foundations of society. If we don't rebuild those, nothing else will matter. If any one has a better idea of how to proceed, I'd like to hear it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Darkwolf377]

These likely voters say they trust Republicans more than Democrats on only four issues out of 13 - taxes, terrorism, moral values and illegal immigration. In each of these cases, the Republican edge isn't very substantial. And on nine other issues - ranging from health care to Iraq - Democrats outdistance Republicans by huge margins.

I don't see how there's much wiggle room for the party to change its message when those four issues are THE issues for so many IN the party.

It's not that the ideas have to change; the way of delivering them, and the way our supposedly conservative representatives BEHAVE (i.e. voting conservatively) must.

But the truly troubling (and I think accurate) part is here:

What if, in fact, we're seeing a restoration of a secular national trend toward liberalism - a preference among voters and the American populace more generally toward liberal solutions to national problems and to the Democratic Party as the repository for those solutions?

I believe this is accurate. People want the government to GIVE them stuff.

It's as simple--and as simplistic--as that. Forget self-reliance, the individual pursuit of happiness, liberty. People see the government as a way of confiscating money, and they see themselves as either trying to get money from it or KEEP money from it.

And no conservatives have been able to show people why they should BE conservative. And the illegals, and those who want what they haven't earned, are bringing this country to its knees.

HRC and those liberals who follow her into the WH will bring Soviet-style totalitarianism "for the good of The People" (and The Children), because people will see government's job as taking care of us all--which means willingly giving over their liberty to mommy government.

Forget 1984--people should be reading Brave New World. Government isn't going to take our freedoms away--we're going to give them away to government, willingly.

[live+let_live]

I don’t believe it’s due to W’s fear of alienating any one. The amnesty fiasco proved that wrong.

Our politicians, (both parties) believe they are smarter than the rest of us. They won’t do what we want them to.

Is it any wonder we don’t want them to stay?

I believe the next couple of elections will be blood-baths for the Republicans. But that is what is needed to rid the party of pretenders and posers.

[goldstategop]

Agreed. People want the government to take care of them unless their taxes are too high. So that mindset leaves little room for conservatives to get a hearing, except when liberals mess up things badly.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

The RINOs have been practically eliminated in New England. There's no longer a GOP to speak of on the East Coast. Same on the West Coast. The Democrats have an electoral lock on two of the nation's populous states: California and New York. All they have to do is win Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Stock, match and game. I don't see how the GOP can win a presidential race if its perceived as a Southern only party.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ran20]

Thats what I’ve been arguing too. I know the things conservatives really push for here appeal very much to southern conservatives. But where I live some of the positions are guarunteed to mean candidates get slaughtered. I’ve warned too there is danger that the party could become a regional southern fringe party.

[samtheman]

It's not that the ideas have to change; the way of delivering them, and the way our supposedly conservative representatives BEHAVE (i.e. voting conservatively) must.

I agree with you on this but don't forget that part of the problem with our delivery is the way we are completely locked out of the MSM, which still controls most information to most people. Sorry to push a particular candidate here in this conversation of general principles, but one of the reasons I like Fred is that I think he's capable of breaking out of the quarantine area that the MSM puts all conservative messengers in. Reagan did it. He spoke over the heads of the media directly to the people. I think Fred can do it too.

[ontap]

Republicans are losing elections because they have lost their base. Their ineptness during the Bill Frist years was criminal. Four years of Democratic ranting and raving and these clowns did nothing but sit on their hands.And to top it off they crawled into bed with the swimmer with that stupid amnesty bill. What we have to do is rid ourselves of these sheep and elect conservatives that have a spine. We need people in the mold of Newt Gingrich before he blew it and Tom Delay. Some lazy ass senators need to have their heads handed to them. John McCain and Lindsey Graham would be a good start.

[Darkwolf377]

Sorry to push a particular candidate here in this conversation of general principles, but one of the reasons I like Fred is that I think he's capable of breaking out of the quarantine area that the MSM puts all conservative messengers in.

This is why I was for Fred before I'd even re-aquainted myself with his political record.

Those who dismiss him in favor of Hunter or Ron Paul or Tancredo simply don't GET IT. Those three and others will be ground up and spit out before they can even open their mouths. It doesn't matter how much one might LIKE one of those guys, they're D.O.A.

This is the thing: Republicans seem to have a horrible ability to grip REALITY these days. We cannot afford to lose in Iraq, but the RNC seems more concerned with getting along with this imaginary Middle American by paying them off with drug prescriptions and pretending we're just like the MSM portrait of liberals.

No one in D.C. on EITHER side understands what it is to LEAD--they only know how to follow, and they are breaking their necks attempting to be the first one to pander the most.

Fred is far from perfect, but he's a lot better than I thought we'd be getting. People need to wake up--NONE of the Republicans other than Fred has a chance--not one of them. The hardcore conservatives will be made scary, while the moderate/liberal ones will be made useless (why vote for a Republicrat when you can vote for a real Democrat?)

I feel an earthquake coming in '08 that could kill one of the parties. Fred may not be Reagan, but if one party has to collapse, I'd rather it be theirs.

[fieldmarshaldj]

*BUMP*

[Savage Beast]

"After the 2004 vote...America had moved from being a 50-50 country to being a 51-49 country in the GOP's favor."

After President Bush's deplorable refusal to enforce U.S. immigration laws, secure the Mexican Border, and halt further illegal immigration, Republicans lost the support of Middle America, and this allowed the psychotic Left--and its Political Machine, the Democrat Party--to augment their power and increase their influence.

[EBH]

Try reading this and thinking about your position again:

Why We Banned Legos
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1871687/posts

It has more to do with the brainwashing starting at an early age. Brainwashing that removes the age old idea of being happy with someone else's success; thou shalt not covet. It removes ideas of ‘giving’ and ‘sharing.’ Indeed they make it into sin instead of a virtue. Replaces that whole process with their, “Right to fairness” ideology which removes and crumbles the whole power structure, which history demonstrates time and again kills people. Kills people by lack of medical care, lack of food, lack of water, lack of...keep filling the blanks.

Change our message. As a conservative, I can’t change my message of a person getting things in life because of their own hard-work. I won’t change a country that is founded with the idea ‘making money.’ I won’t support an idea that takes away my personal property for the good of those who won’t work.

I don’t see how what they want to do to our government and economy meets the idea of being in America and living in a free country. Their idea(s) of fairness...are not fair to those of us willing to work and/or make money.

Thou shalt not covet,
Charity begins at home, not with the federal government.

They have goaded millions into believing we’re guilty of oppressing people around the world to support our own lifestyle. Funny, look to the middle east and it is islam that is the oppressor, it is their rich sheiks that oppress their people, it is the government of N.K that oppresses the people, it is Chavez as he creates his socialist dream that oppresses. The Sudan, Nairobi, Darfur... Our own policies of not wanting to deal with these people are not what causes their oppression. We get involved...we’re bad. We don’t get involved, we’re bad...

Change our message! Only if we’re going to have the guts to stand-up and TELL THEM THE TRUE MESSAGE! America doesn’t run the world. Responsibility lies with those nations, not America.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

How long will the “liberal edge” last after a couple of more 9/11s on their watch?

[Reo]

"Liberalism may be in the ascendancy and for two obvious reasons: the ability to hand out favors and guilt."

The fact that we Republicans haven't had a clear, concise, and consistant conservative message for the past 6 years hasn't helped much, either. Our elected reps & leaders have also been way too concerned with handing out favors in the form of perks and earmarks, and seem to have lost their sense of direction. If only Newt didn't have the habit of shooting himself in the foot with such regularity. His comments today remind me much of Churchill when he was the outsider during the mid-Thirties run-up to WWII.

[EBH]

It will last, because America is deserves all the ill will the rest of the world holds towards us. With Dems. in office we will not be able to fight back. Instead we will negotiate to our deaths, and even then it won’t be on our terms.

[Vision]

Happy Saturday morning to you sunshine.

Are you aware of the state of the Democrat party? I’ve seen a few RADICAL liberals who say they won’t vote for Hillary. It's a shame that the American people don't want to fight the muslims who attacked us, but by and large they're just waiting for something good to come on tv.

[Vision]

There's no longer a GOP to speak of on the East Coast.

Huh?

[Vision]

One major problem lies in how we elect party leaders...it’s too slow a process with indirect representation. Martinez should be replaced with Gingrich as of yesterday.

[Vision]

Another thing. How about the gains Conservatives have made in media? Liberals don’t control information like they used to.