We Blew It

Weekly Standard ^ | 11/9/2008 | P.J. O'Rourke

[walsh]

But the Supreme Court justices (young & liberal) he will appoint will be doing damage long after Obama is gone.

[Anima Mundi]

Maybe the route is to separate “Government” and its functions and “Society/Culture” and its functions. Government really should not be in private lives-sex, toilets, light bulbs, rewards and punishments via taxes for buying houses, having kids, or whatever. Societal norms, on the other hand, are what the culture gets to decide. Things like marriage are really a function of current social norms.
If we can thread this needle we will be able to get a lot of the younger people back because they are really libertarian at heart.

[nosofar]

Many, many very good points.

[Aquamarine]

Ronald Reagan brought us George H.W. Bush.

Even the best of things don't work out well in a fallen world.

[nosofar]

Gone with the Republican leadership hypocrisy revealed during the Clinton impeachment proceedings.

It wasn't the leadership. They used the tactics they did because it played with that vocal faction of conservatives that place personal destruction of one's opponent above any kind of principles. There is a certain kind of 'conservative' that does not seem to know what he really believes. He only knows what he hates.

[nosofar]

If we want the Republican Party back on track, then WE have to toss out those that do not adhere to the principals, no more RINOs.

Even within what is loosely termed 'conservatism', there are differing agenda. Should everyone adhere to their particular 'principles', there would never be enough agreement to maintain any party.

[fso301]

It wasn't the leadership. They used the tactics they did because it played with that vocal faction of conservatives that place personal destruction of one's opponent above any kind of principles. There is a certain kind of 'conservative' that does not seem to know what he really believes. He only knows what he hates.

Good point but I still think the Republican Revolution ended with Clinton's impeachment

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Not so long ago, 2006 to be exact, on this site many people were telling others to stay home and not vote to teach us a lesson.

The "moderates" have been spinning this lie in an effort to blame conservatives for the RINO-led disasters of the last two years.

It didn't happen. We lost the middle in 2006 because they got tired of hearing about an unwinnable war (which became completely winnable three months later), Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley's text messages, and preachers smoking speed with gay escorts. Not because a handful of pissed off Freepers sat on their hands.