Hard To Swallow

Human Events ^ | 8/1/08 | D. R. Tucker

[MartinaMisc]

August 17, 1998 was the day conservatism began to die in America.

On that day, President Clinton admitted in a nationally televised address that he engaged in an improper relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky—several months after declaring that such a relationship was fictional. “Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate,” Clinton confessed. “In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible.”

It was a shameful moment for Clinton—yet the country didn’t seem to care. Only a third of the American people strongly supported the impeachment and removal of Clinton from office, despite clear evidence that he had committed perjury and obstructed justice. A majority of Americans bought the “progressive” argument that Clinton was the victim of a political witch-hunt by prudish right-wing Republicans: Clinton was ultimately impeached by the House of Representatives in December 1998, but the Senate acquitted him in February 1999.

Several days after Clinton’s acquittal, veteran conservative activist Paul Weyrich wrote a controversial open letter to fellow members of the right in which he declared that the conservative movement had effectively collapsed. Weyrich said that conservative activists made two critical mistakes: “First of all, we have assumed that a majority of Americans basically agrees with our point of view. That has been the premise upon which we have tried to build any number of institutions, and indeed our whole strategy…The second premise has been that if we could just elect enough conservatives, we could get our people in as Congressional leaders and they would fight to implement our agenda.”

[raygun]

You're good to go. That actually IS the title of the article you cite. As you were. LOL.

I was going to call you on that one; unspoken rule not to change the title of cited articles.

[Maurice Tift]

Obama’s speeches may be content-free, but they are always well-delivered and he always looks good delivering them—which may be all he needs in a country that values image above ideology.

Obama is hoping that we value image over ideology, because he is lost without a teleprompter.

His speeches are so empty and repetitive that some have discovered that a believable speech can be generated with a Madlibs program!

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"I think it's time we had a national conversation about moral decay. We need to get past all the rotten eggs and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming killer bees. We need apple pies, not 44 pound cats. Apple pies are our global happiness. And we need to have change in moral decay."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"These people haven't had global happiness for fifty years. So you can't be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their rotten eggs and their 44 pound cats and their killer bees. That's what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have apple pies."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

[The Duke]

In 1992 the American people elected Bill Clinton to his first term while repeating the mantra ... "Character doesn't count!". Is it any wonder that we're now staring down the barrel of an economic disaster that is fundamentally attributable to a national lack of character?

[Pontiac]

The culture we are living in becomes an ever-wider sewer. In truth, I think we are caught up in a cultural collapse of historic proportions…it is impossible to ignore the fact that the United States is becoming an ideological state. The ideology of Political Correctness, which openly calls for the destruction of our traditional culture

The basic premis of this article I do not agree with, that the Right has failed, but this I do agree with.

The problem is that the MSM covers up (does not report on) the activities of the Far Left that is contributing to the collapse of our culture.

The MSM also promotes the philosophy of Political Correctness. The overwhelming success of FOX NEWS over the organ of the Left CNN demonstrates that the majority of the people watching news are with the right.

The trouble is that majority of the people do not watch news and therefore are not aware of the really egregious attacks on our culture.

[MaxMax]

Thee American Swallow

[Misterioso]

I agree completely. No analysis of the state of American morals is correct without the examination of the impact of the left-wing media.

[endthematrix]

Election 2008: Superficial over Substance

[Mobile Vulgus]

As I replied on the Human Events webpage...

Why act surprised by this? As conservatives, we have made the single biggest mistake it is possible to make to continue our societal mores: the education of our youth. As Buckley noted so many decades ago, we conservatives have willingly retreated from the field of education allowing enemies to our way of life to take over. If not willingly, then by blind neglect. Our schools are almost universally the bastion of the socialist, anti-American left and we’ve done nothing about it.

We have allowed these enemies of America to take over the education of our children from the lowest to the highest levels. Hence, our schools constantly kick out kids wholly unfamiliar with our history, our culture, our civics, and our philosophies and imbued with replacements wholly situated against our nation.

Then we cry that we are being voted out of existence by an electorate hostile to our views? Gee, I wonder why?

Until we reinvest ourselves in teaching our youth what America really is and should be, all the think-tanks and elections in the world won’t return this country t its traditional values.

[Impy]

“The second premise has been that if we could just elect enough conservatives, we could get our people in as Congressional leaders and they would fight to implement our agenda.””

This is correct but “enough” means 2/3+ of both chambers.

[Heartland Mom]

Why act surprised by this? As conservatives, we have made the single biggest mistake it is possible to make to continue our societal mores: the education of our youth. As Buckley noted so many decades ago, we conservatives have willingly retreated from the field of education allowing enemies to our way of life to take over. If not willingly, then by blind neglect. Our schools are almost universally the bastion of the socialist, anti-American left and we’ve done nothing about it.

That is spot on. Public schools are factories designed to produce the values decreed by the NEA. History books are rewritten to get the desired view. Violence and obscenity are rampant. Christianity is belittled. And they are doing this with OUR money.

My husband and I sacrificed to send our children to Catholic schools and I will never regret that choice. But if people do have to have their children in public school and are not able to home school them, review your child's textbooks and work for factual or world view concerns. Talk to your children at the dinner table about age-appropriate current events. Take your children to national historic sites. You are still their primary teacher and the one who shapes their values for the first all-important five years of their live. Don't abdicate on that responsibility.

As far as reforming the moral abyss that public schools have become (and let's not forget they cannot even produce literate, functioning graduates to a frightennig degree), we should adopt some of the tactics of the pc-crowd and demand a little here and a little there (not necessarily phrasing our demands to match our goal) until we chip away at their stronghold. This tactic has worked remarkably well for liberals. We should adopt their MO and alter it for our needs.

[mek1959]

Agreed. The liberal indoctrination camps (public schools) are an abject failure. We've homeschooled all 4 of our children (two now at competitive universities and 2 still at home). Unless you have an exceptional child and a unbelievably close and deep relationship with your child, I wouldn't send them there. You have no control over 7 hours of their day, 180 days a year. Is it any wonder they lose their morality. Many of the very teachers you claim to “know” and “trust” vehemently oppose the very traditional values held most conservative parents. Do you know where your child's teacher stands on:

1. Life?
2. Role of Government
3. Taxes
4. Political party affiliation?
5. etc?

Geez, we “trust” way to much! These little one's God gives us are our most prized possessions. Please remember that when you send them off to 7 hours of inculcation from Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones.

[Kirkwood]

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"I think it's time we had a national conversation about stomach cramping. We need to get past all the whiners and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming diaper-overflows. We need all-day suckers, not race-baiters. All-day suckers are our blue-skies. And we need to have change in stomach cramping."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

[grey_whiskers]

I prefer this one:

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

My favorite expression of disbelief:

"Even Monica wouldn't swallow *THAT* !"

(You can update by substituting Paris Hilton if you like.)

Cheers!