Breaking Up Is Hard to Do ("Bush Destroyed the Republican Party" -- Drudge Headline)

WSJ.com ^ | Jan 25, 2008 | Peggy Noonan

[fightinJAG]

[snip]

On the pundit civil wars, Rush Limbaugh declared on the radio this week, "I'm here to tell you, if either of these two guys [Mr. McCain or Mike Huckabee] get the nomination, it's going to destroy the Republican Party. It's going to change it forever, be the end of it!"

This is absurd. George W. Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other. He did this on spending, the size of government, war, the ability to prosecute war, immigration and other issues.

[YouGoTexasGirl]

I think we have also forgotten that Reps like Tom DeLay who we thought was a strong leader and bowed down to a liberal district judge...kind of like his old business of killing cockroaches. He was one elected with the Reagan agenda but turned out to cower when he really needed to lead. Took his heafty campaign pot of gold and retired and his seat was lost to a liberal.

My thoughts are, the party might regain its roots when we have to suffer 4 years of liberal leadership and have to bring the ship back to the port!

[mimaw]

Exactly right. I wish the has been would just go away.. She wrote a few good speeches for Reagan and that’s about it.

[puroresu]

It’s true that the country club Republicans have been around longer than the social conservatives. But that’s because no one until the 1960s was trying to use federal power to force abortion, the homosexual agenda, militant secularism, leftist public school indoctrination, and other such things on the populace. The rise in the religious right was in response to that threat. When that threat arose, the Democrats endorsed it, seeing it as a way to amass federal power and push America left by creating a culturally Marxist society. The country club Republicans yawned and looked the other way because all they cared about was taxes and spending. If it hadn’t been for the religious right, we’d be much further to the left than we are today.

[Leisler]

Failed my Army physical, lied and went on to be a Green Beret. But then I come from sap patriotic people.

[org.whodat]

Brain Capital, is a cesspool that the demorats will tap shortly.

Romney, who’s the wealthiest candidate running for president, still retains an investment in the private equity fund set up on Grand Cayman Island.

[Earthdweller]

I beleive Bush is letting in Christians because both sides of our corrupt government are going to push in anyway because they don't like sovereignty and both like the money illegals bring in money.

Agreeing with a believer on something must cause a massive headache for the religion hating liberal government. They are so conflicted that psychics on other planets are probably predicting massive human brain aneurysm.

[Leisler]

Plenty of Country Club Republicans, like Mitt’s parents, were for Planned Parenthood, gay rights, forced busing( Only working class white neighborhoods). High taxes and regulations supported existing business and provide entries to barriers from competition. Many Republican businessmen have no problem with using taxes and regulations to line their pockets. Lawyers and farmers come to mind. Real estate types like to use tax money to build stadiums to boost their city, a la, GW Bush, although I think they got the citizens to vote for it( not sure ).

[org.whodat]

Much worse than that. It believes it IS right. The leadership believes it can cast off it's base and pick up the difference in the middle. All it has to do is get rid of those awful gun nuts and nasty Christians.

BTTT

[Mogollon]

This is absurd. George W. Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other. He did this on spending, the size of government, war, the ability to prosecute war, immigration and other issues.

In the first place El Rushbo is never absurd unless he is being absurd to illustrate the truth, so Peggy is wrong on that point. Also Rush is right that if McCain or Huckabee are nominated the GOP may well be ended because a move to a 3rd party may be the result.

Agree that Bush was terrible on immigration and spending, but was better than any democRAT would have been on the war.

[org.whodat]

occasional perceived

LOL, what spin!!

[puroresu]

You’re right. I understated things when I said that the country club Republicans yawned and looked away when the left tried to use government power to move society to the left. Many of them, such as Rockefeller, Scranton, Javits, and the elder Romney joined right in. You’re also correct that many of these guys like taxes and regulation because it keeps out the competition.

[McGruff]

I read the whole article and found Drudge’s headline to be misleading until I got to the end of her commentary. I’ll agree that Bush hasn’t shown himself to be much of a conservative in areas but Peggy can be some what of a drama queen in her commentary.

[org.whodat]

It was "conservatives" voting "the bums out" that got us a Democrat controlled House and Senate, where NOTHING we want will be accomplished.

Wrong, it has been proved and is a matter of record that the Democrats went out and recruited candidates that were sort of conservative and they run to the right of the republicans. But you already know that, however it would not fit in your spin.

[Toskrin]

“The chief problem of American political life...has been how to make the two Congressional parties more national and international. The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”

I have spoken with several Europeans who live in the USA about this topic. They think that the two American political parties are very similar, to the point that they have trouble distinguishing their policies in many areas that are still contentious in Europe.

[narses]

Clearly your success is more valuable to our country and I salute you for that. To denigrate the success Rush has had is small of you thougth.

[mimaw]

Perfectly said. I agree with you 100%. The dems have been successful in the past by using small incremental pieces of legislation to achieve their means, we on the other hand are ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater because we didn’t get 100%. Look at this presidents accomplishments and you can not in good conscience call him a failure. The conservative movement is not monolithic each of us have our concerns some vote on life issue only, some on economics, some on 2nd. amendment rights and some on immigration and trade policies and isolationism. How does any candidate appeal to all these issues, when we don’t agree on many of them.

[kjam22]

Bush didn’t destroy the party. Rush Limbaugh did.

[pugmama]

I watched her arrogance on BOR w/ Laura sitting in....

Looked like Peggy had a rough night. I am sick of her “blame Bush” columns. Laura had her on her radio show and said she agreed with Peggy.
The DemoRats have to be laughing because so called republicans like Peggy are doing their work for them.
Yes indeed-one man singlehandedly destroyed a party, the country, and the world.
How long are we going to blame Bush?

[org.whodat]

BS... Bush played his part in it alright... but the rinos spending like drunk sailors and Amnesty being pushed by graham, mcinsane and others... calling Conservatives racists and bigots... being elected as Conservatives and voting like dims... and certain Republicans causing National scandals by their (either corrupt, immoral or both) actions... painting ALL Republicans as hypocrites... is why we find ourselves where we are today.

True

[LibLieSlayer]

Thank you FRiend!

LLS