Conservative lock rule being broken

The Hill ^ | January 09, 2008 | DAvid Hill

[bilhosty]

The more ominous explanation, at least for conservatism, is that party members have changed.

Republicans, as a whole, are not as conservative as they once were. Research results I am seeing suggest to me that this is key to why the rules are changing. Conservatives no longer benefit from the domination they once enjoyed.

[bilhosty]

I do not necessarily agree that the party is becoming less Conservative than it has been. I am thinking that what passes for Conservatism is changing. Every 36 years we go into a change and that 36 years was up in the last election. Coalitions change issues change, where Presidents are elected changes. Everything changes.

Also after every war there is a major shift. When the people go off to a war they come home and usually find the country different. Those of us who lived from 1967 to 1970 know what I am talking about. Right now you can feel the power centers shifting. More wealthy people becoming Dem's for instance. I think we have been locked into a small town and Southern continum that will no longer see a convincing majority. We are losing strength every place else. This will be a time for retrenchment and recreation of the party its message and we must go back after the suburban and coastal voters we have lost WITHOUT abandoning the other parts of the old coalition that still exist. We will have To be creative and look for new issues. I think the illegal immigration is one that should work for us and I think we need to get back to opposing affirmative action. We will need to deal with the issue of health coverage and make it more affordable (definitely with out socialized medicine)to eliminate a strong Dem advantage and to help everyone including business. One thing that I think has effected us is tax cuts. The issue is largely dead business and the wealthy plainly now have less need for us. We have spent so much political capitol on it we have when we should have been securing our borders. One of the unintended downsides of tax cuts is that people now no longer feel they need to cut government waste all they need to do is cut taxes. They can have there cake and eat it. While this was true in the '80's it is no longer true. We need to try new approaches and new issues.

[longtermmemmory]

no the difference is the effete elites who have been able to keep their jobs like rats in a dark barn are pushing a meme inorder to keep personal power.

[rightwingextremist1776]

This is what happens when you compromise principles in order to attract more people to the “Big Tent”, instead of attracting people by the virtue of your principles....

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Tell us how you really feel :)

[Greg F]

Conservatives have not controlled the Republican party in modern times, except for a brief stint under Reagan’s leadership, and (maybe a short time under Gingrich). Nixon implimented wage and price controls. Bush I and Bush II are not conservative; I don’t think Bob Dole is either. We’ve had 1 conservative Presidential candidate in 50 years. We conservatives have to fight, vigilantly and consistently, to achieve our victories in the Republican party.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

It’s not new approaches and issues but rather old-fashioned values and solutions we need.

Everything else is watering down—or polluting—the soup.

[M-cubed]

The easy way to boil a frog is put him in warm water bath and crank up the heat...Makes him “feel good” for awhile...

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Depends on what the meaning of conservatism is. Do a search on Yahoo on Reagan raised taxes, and many Freepers will shocked at what they find.

[skipper18]

IMO, the issues in play this election are natural Democratic strengths, and we’re hogtied in terms of a response because the only response current application of conservative ideology allows for is ... plugging our fingers in our ears and screaming ‘NANANANANANANA CANT HEAR YOU NANANANANA’.

[dawn53]

Just a personal anecdote...but my parents aren’t as conservative as they once were. Maybe as some people age they become “less conservative.” Whether it’s the influence of the constant drivel from the MSM (sort of the frog in the boiling water analogy) or just a failing to really think things through, I find that in conversations with my folks, they have lost some of their conservative leanings, and will say things or accept candidates that I never would have expected them to “okay.”

[PeterPrinciple]

ok folks, define conservatism for me................

[LibLieSlayer]

BS... SC shown us that Conservatives are still a viable force. North east liberals... the Iowa and NH primaries were dominated by dims and liberal indies voting to place a weak candidate in the Republican slot. They will do it again in Michigan where hildebeast is running unopposed. Rasmussen and luntz both talked about this... so did Barrone and morris.

LLS

[Candor7]

Dominate?

Its S&M politics reductio ad absurdum?

Well look at the Dems. They have never abandoned S&M politics.

Its only when conservatives tried kindness to the Dems that they had their ashes hauled.

Lesson learned.

[LibLieSlayer]

My comments were about the article.

LLS

[bilhosty]

One cause of this is Bush Republicanism. Where they just get bogged down in foreign affairs and don’t have any kind of a real agenda. Jut the same old passive do nothing country clubbers. There are so many thing swe need to do some of them are contradictory. We need to bring principle back into it yet we need to have a message that is right for the time. We need to realize that conservatives have different strands and we need to keep all of them healthy or the rope will break. We need to deal more successfully with the media. We still have people who have money and should have leaned on them a long time ago to put it into media. Our people should of done everything they could do to build some more Rupert Murdoch’s. But, instead they just don’t look beyond the next election. They do not seem to be able to change the terrain like the Dem’s do they just try to deal with it.

[Manic_Episode]

"We conservatives have to fight, vigilantly and consistently, to achieve our victories in the Republican party."

====================

I'm with you. It was a beautiful thing to see the Rudybots slapped around a few months back, but the Mittbots seem much better organized, which tells me it's a religious sponsored deal going on with them. At least they are hopelessly outnumbered.

It's amazes me to see so much liberalism at a conservative website.

[no dems]

I’ll say it again: It’s time to organize THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF AMERICA.

[dinoparty]

The explanation is as simple is this: A perceived conservative has been in the White House for two tulmutuous terms, and people get restless after 8 years. We will be back.

[Just A Nobody]

The ability to raise money is one crucial element of demonstrating legitimacy. For example, in the current field, Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.) is undeniably a solid conservative whose views are mostly in line with conservative orthodoxy. But because he cannot raise sufficient funds to compete, he trails even more oddball candidates like Rep. Ron Paul (Texas).

[Pawtucket Patriot]

to extend the debate here....Ok folks, what is MSM anymore?