The Sam’s Club Agenda

NY Times ^ | June 27, 2008 | DAVID BROOKS

[neverdem]

It's not the best title, but I don't believe that is determined by the author. The parties need to complete the re-alignment of the Reagan Revolution, IMHO. Yellow and Blue dog dems should go to the GOP, and the RINO's should go to the donkeys. We should do it sooner rather than later.

[Paladin2]

Delay seemed to be the only one willing to play hardball. He was not part of the problem. Coulter just speaks the hard truth to power.

Brooks is an idiot, like Pelosi.

[LasVegasMac]

Yellow and Blue dog dems should go to the GOP, and the RINO's should go to the donkeys. We should do it sooner rather than later.

No, any sane person, anyone with a conscious, anyone with one 1-iota of concern for the well being of this country - should not vote for Hussain ObamaRama.

Come to think of it, it will take a fair bit of Jim Beam to get me to vote for McStain........

[MovementConservative]

Ann Coulter has added nothing to the cause. I am one of those people who quit the GOP this year. The final straw was when 100 GOP House reps voted for that bloated farm bill. These guys are not fiscal conservatives at all, more interested in power. They tolerate creeps, crooks and perverts in their ranks. The GOP may be done after this election. A more libertarian, limited government, strong defense party is where most of the country is I believe.

[Terpfen]

These writers came of age as official conservatism slipped into decrepitude. Most of them were dismayed by what the Republican Party had become under Tom DeLay and seemed put off by the shock-jock rhetorical style of Ann Coulter. As a result, most have the conviction — which was rare in earlier generations — that something is fundamentally wrong with the right, and it needs to be fixed.

So, the Times believes the right is broken. Am I supposed to be surprised?

[weegee]

They tolerate creeps, crooks and perverts in their ranks.

They tolerate turncoat Democrats (Republicans in name ONLY) in their ranks. And then wonder why a RINO loses to a "conservative" Democrat.

Conservativism isn't being applied. It wasn't the rhetoric of DeLay (3 years passed) or Coulter who have led us to this point. Amnesty, no border fence, etc. have hurt the GOP by turning off the conservative base.

The first Supreme Court nominee didn't win favor with conservatives either.

[TN4Liberty]

A more libertarian, limited government, strong defense party is where most of the country is I believe.

As much as I wish you were right, I think that's wishful thinking. Libertarian idealists, in my mind, want liberty for themselves and recognize that part of the package is that they give up any notion of controlling others. Liberals, and a majority of modern day conservatives seem to believe in freedom for themselves, but still want to control how others live their lives. Environmental policy is probably the most notable example. Politically correct speech is another.

[thecabal]

Douthat and Salam write admiringly about the New Deal. They mention Roosevelt’s economic policies, but they also emphasize the New Deal’s intense social conservatism. Self-conscious maternalists like Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkins ensured that New Deal programs were biased in favor of traditional two-parent families.

Um, how about no. This young conservative doesn't like the tone of this one bit. Sounds like more Third Way BS.

[CutePuppy]

it’s hard-work conservatism, which uses government to increase the odds that self-discipline and effort will pay off.

...this vision of government-enhanced social mobility.

Say what?!

Tom DeLay was way too busy with shaking down K-Street and "buying" the contributors and electorate with government spending to see how far that / he and Hastert / strayed from the vision of Contract with America and small government conservatism, which led directly to disastrous consequences of 2006 (it was not "Iraq").

Ann Coulter is not a government or elected official, she does what she needs to do to sell books, so her "rhetorical style" has no more to do with "official conservatism" than Pat Buchanan's and has absolutely no place or relevance in this piece.

David Brooks of New York Times is ... well, David Brooks of New York Times and has no authority to speak about "official conservatism" about which he has no notion, but is pushing to define now as "Sam's Club conservatives" the same way Democrats invented "soccer moms".

And any "conservative", "Blue Dog" Democrat can be either defeated or forced to "convert" into Republican in this election cycle with simple questions - "Did you vote in 2007 and are you going to vote next year for Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker?" and "What good does it do us if you say you will vote against Nancy Pelosi liberal agenda, if you can't force her not to table ours?"... Use Nancy and Harry and make it just about numbers in House and Senate - game over.

[sergeantdave]

“this vision of government-enhanced social mobility.”

Is this like a soviet five-year plan? Does a dacha come with it?

(Click to play Russian National Anthem. Best played at 3 in the morning with windows open.)

http://www.du.edu/langlit/russian/anthtxt.html

[tgusa]

“And any “conservative”, “Blue Dog” Democrat can be either defeated or forced to “convert” into Republican in this election cycle with simple questions - “Did you vote in 2007 and are you going to vote next year for Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker?” and “What good does it do us if you say you will vote against Nancy Pelosi liberal agenda, if you can’t force her not to table ours?”... Use Nancy and Harry and make it just about numbers in House and Senate - game over.”

There’s one problem with this - the Repubs are in complete disarray; the dems have all the $$; it takes LOTS of $$ to get elected; if the Blue Dogs et al p!ss off Pelosi, Reid and their fellow travellers, the $$ spigot gets shut off. As things stand now, shifting to the National Republican party would be like playing Russian Roulette with 5 rounds chambered. Repubs need to return to common-sense conservatism. There are a few left in the House - Randy Forbes is one of them. Check out H.R. 6260 at Thomas. Don’t know if Randy is interested in the national scene though.

[CutePuppy]

... the Repubs are in complete disarray because of their own feckless and incompetent leadership, or lack thereof.

... if the Blue Dogs et al p!ss off Pelosi, Reid and their fellow travellers, the $$ spigot gets shut off.

All the more and better reasons to get right at them in front of their conservative district electorate - if "conservative" Democrats can't go against their liberal leadership for fear of getting funds cut off to their reelection fund or their district, then they are not serving their district - they are "Pelosi lap dogs" not "Blue Dogs"...

It's a simple and easy case to make. Whether Stupid Party is capable of making it is another matter.

[Sherman Logan]

Liberals have a way to address these inequalities — the creation of a Denmark-style welfare state. Conservatives have offered almost nothing.

I don't know whether I would agree with their prescriptions, but this is an excellent diagnosis.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

First of all, I automatically discount and dimiss 90% that comes from that fish wrap, the NY Slimes.

Secondly if someone from the Slimes is pushing for an agenda which will theoretically help the Republican Party, you can rest assured that the opposite is called for.

Lastly when these writers (purport according to Brooks) to attack Delay and Coulter, that's about all I need to know

Next.

[Impy]

Blue dogs are fairly leftist.

[bkepley]

Delay seemed to be the only one willing to play hardball. He was not part of the problem.

Delay was part of the problem in that he seemed to be mostly interested in getting Republicans elected and getting more money into the party. There was corruption around Delay thst really never attached to Newt (for example) who really was ideologically motivated. I don't think Delay cared about much about anything except winning.

[Amelia]

I wonder if the book will be more acceptable here at FR when it's advertised by Rich Lowry at Townhall.com instead of David Brooks at the New York Times?

[musicman]

"First of all, I automatically discount and dimiss 90% that comes from that fish wrap, the NY Slimes."

[raybbr]

(Click to play Russian National Anthem. Best played at 3 in the morning with windows open.)

That's pretty cool. I wonder if anyone's ever done the Star Spangled Banner as a chorale.

[wo fat]

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