Posted on 11/20/2008 5:24:05 PM PST by lancer256
A good friend of mine (let's call him Bob) is convinced that unless the GOP puts abortion "aside as its focal point, it simply cannot win and regain power." That's especially interesting in light of Kathleen Parker's latest column, which disses the evangelical wing of the GOP.
Bob's point is that "we've lost a majority of women over this issue as they have become one-issue voters." It's not only liberal women but also others who believe it's simply not the government's business.
Kathleen Parker broadens the point considerably beyond abortion: "The evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh." Since the 1980s or so, says Parker, the GOP "has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners. ... The GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated its non-base constituents."
I'll resist the temptation to respond specifically to Kathleen's uncharitable indictment of us knuckle draggers because I like Kathleen personally and because I want to respond to her and Bob's overlapping contention that certain social conservatives are dragging the party down.
(Excerpt) Read more at davidlimbaugh.com ...
“Yet, they would be elect, by default, a candidate who embodies those things they abhor. funny, huh?”
What is worse, voting FOR a candidate such as you describe, simply because it has an “R” following it’s name or NOT taking a pro-active step to further the career of such an animal?
I don’t mean worse politically, I mean worse morally.
I agree.
Has anyone noted that the Dem party never insults any one of its many groups—some so bizarre and extremist they can be described as mentally ill. The Dems won’t even criticize criminal organizations or gangs. They all vote together come election day. I may be (very) conservative but I accept that a lot of varied groups can vote with my party to win an election. Having a big tent wins because numbers of votes are what wins.
However, you don’t build a big tent by insulting as unintelligent a group of otherwise similar voters. I personally think pro-life is the intellectual high brow position. Regardless, a large set of perspectives is needed to win elections. Why does this writer have to insult so harshly those with a different view. This doesn’t happen in the Dem party. KP’s recommendation is the path away, not toward, victory.
I am glad evangelicals, agnostics, gays, and others are voting with me—even though we may have different opinions on one or more issues. Together we win and when conservatives win, the intellectual high road wins. When conservatives win, the future is brighter for everyone because the govt is less oppressive. Of course we disagree some—that is the nature of humans—but throwing intolerant insults is no way to move forward to victory.
> I agree with your entire post except for the above.
I hope your opposition is based on cruelty or physical abuse.
For these, I can understand a secular government that would make an exception.
Biblically, separation, not divorce, would be required in such a situation.
The issue is quite complex, and involves the vetting process that should occur by parents during the courtship.
One thing I tell my daughters is that, if any boy is interested in them, I will look at how he treats his mother and his sisters, if he has any, or how he regards women who are not subjects of his romantic (or sexual) interests.
I will also look at his relationship to his father and to his boss at work. If I hear, “My boss is a jerk,” the young man will have disqualified himself.
“I hope your opposition is based on cruelty or physical abuse”
My three acceptable reasons for divorce; Adultery, abuse or addiction.
I realize that my views are at odds with the Holy Bible and I would remind you that they used to stone prostitutes to death in the Bible as well....until Jesus stood up with one of the most powerful phrases ever uttered by anyone, ever.
Okay, the R candidate is Pro-life, the D candidate is pro-abortion. By not voting for the R candidate, you have knowingly become an accomplice to the act of abortion. Acts or non-acts have consequences.
Somewhere on FR has been posted, a few times, the breakdown of voting patterns which indicated that socons actually turned out for McCain, it was fiscal conservatives who stayed home. That makes sense, as he has a pro-life record but voted for the bailout.
> until Jesus stood up with one of the most powerful
> phrases ever uttered by anyone, ever.
Yes, but adultery is still sin.
In the very incident you mention, Jesus said to the young woman, “Go and sin no more.”
Most people probably don’t know that.
While the penalty for adultery certainly should NOT be death, at least in this life, it is still a sin.
“Okay, the R candidate is Pro-life.....”
I am not a one issue voter. Look at my home page. Feel free to copy and paste. Where does you rhetorical Republican stand on ALL of those issues?
will read and provide follow up -— thanks
If that’s the case, I will retract my statement as re: McCain. I was going by information I had seen where McCain lost about 10% from what President Bush had carried in 2004.
I’ll do some follow-up.
We’ve been through this before, when a moderate Republican lost the Presidential election. The liberal Republicans are embarrassed when their friends roll their eyes about religious and social conservatives, so they don’t want to have to explain about them anymore. They just want them gone.
Go breed replacements in the bath houses of San Francisco!!
Why does is seem everybody is trying to move the GOP left? Are they that stupid? Just send them and their advice over to the Dirtocrats.
These idiots are utterly and completely wrong. Lets trying running a real conservative at the top of the ticket. Pro-life, pro-God, anti-big-gov, anti-tax. Um, like Palin? The only GOP candidateto draw crowds comparable to Obama?
But the RINOs who run the GOP are scared of that because they would lose power. Hence open primaries and idiocies such as this article...
I’m a big tent republican. Evangelicals go in the tent first.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1821435/posts?page=6245#6245
Here’s an analogy to work with. Take a small box and fill it with some rocks. Then add some rice, filling it to the top. Now take all the same stuff, but in a different order. Put in the rice first, then add the rocks. What you’ll find is that if you put in the big stuff first, the small stuff will fit around it. But if you put in the small stuff first, the big stuff won’t have room. The republican tent is the box. The Big issues are the socon issues, to be put in first. The little issues are things that can be accommodated around the bigger stuff. A candidate who tries to focus on the smaller issues first and leave out the bigger issues has no way of getting all of us into the tent. He splits the party. The candidate who gets the big stuff right and as much of the little stuff that will fit, he can fit more into the tent. We’re often amazed at how much rice can keep fitting in. Rudy Giuliani flunks some of the big issues, and on some of the little issues it looks to me like anyone else’s rice would do just as well. All that remains for us to agree on is which are the bedrock principles and which are not. Why would there be so much invective aimed at rudy from the right? Because there are some bedrock principles that he is leaving out. Bad move. I see rudybot postings all the time saying that they would vote for Hunter, and I see socon postings that say they would not vote for rudy. That’s a BIG indicator of a few bedrock principles that are being left outside the tent in order to let in some rice.
Money quote.
We absolutely have to have every Republican vote we can get to keep the RATS out of power.
When our side is in the majority, we get to appoint the committee chairs, etc.
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