Politics
Posted on 03/12/2009 11:22:07 AM PDT by AreaMan
Rush is not the right leader for the Reagan Revolution Phase Two
03.04.2009
Rush has enviable radio talent. He reaches out to a big group of people every week and edutains them.
He has his reward and needs no further praise. I am not going to let leftists force me to throw Rush under the bus, but they cannot force me to make him the driver either.
Suppose you want to see some of his ideas, such as pro-life and small government, win.
Suppose you want to see the Reagan Revolution continue or expand to new groups.
Rush is the wrong guy to feature. Featuring him as “leader” or “public intellectual” is a misuse of his talent. He can help create the conditions for change, but he cannot lead it.
Let me make my point using an analogy from the Revolutionary War.
Sam Adam was a great guy and genuine patriot who now has a decent beer named after him. He was a leader in the early stages of the Revolution who sacrificed his all for the Cause. He was personally brave and an effective rabble rouser. Revolutions need a Sam Adams like they need air.
If, however, he had become the face for the Revolution in those days, we might very well have lost. He could not appeal (and turned off) many people we needed on our team. Instead, Washington became the face of the revolution and our leader and the Revolution was saved.
This irritated many purists who wanted the more “in your face” approach of the Sam Adams set. Sadly for Adams, but perhaps fortunately for the Revolution, he was physically unable to challenge the more moderate leadership of the Patriot Cause.
A Sam Adams can create a revolution, but he cannot lead a successful one.
Notice that by “moderate” voice, I do NOT mean compromised or wimpy. Washington was a patriot willing to sacrifice everything for the cause. He was also the patriot the British feared, because he was impossible to dismiss.
America found a champion that even our foes had to admit was sterling.
It matters to get the right Face Man. Ideally (see Washington, George) your Face Man is also your Fighting Leader, but you simply cannot have the Sam Adams types being your public persona or a good many of the Virginians and nice Pennsylvanians you need to win will turn away from you.
Rush as party leader or Voice of Conservatism is in the wrong role. He is Sam Adams cast as Washington.
Bad move for Rush and for us.
*Editors Note: Listen to John Mark Reynolds discuss Rush at Scriptorium’s podcast Middlebrow.
Another dim-bulb RINO falls for the left’s lies. God, these people are dumb. Rush isn’t the “leader” of anything. He’s an influential conservative spokesman, OK?
We need to get beyond President Reagan, not because he wasn’t successful but precisely because he WAS successful. It’s time for someone to pick up where he left off. The “Lower Personal and Corporate Income Taxes Songbook” is ineffective because not enough people are paying personal income taxes. Starting with 40% of an audience not understanding a damn thing about what your talking about doesn’t equal a fast way to build a majority. Every worker, from the ditch digger, waitress or dishwasher sees and feels the pinch of the payroll tax deductions. That is a starting point to build personal economic determinism.
There are 2 Americas, at least, 1 of which doesn’t know where to stick or go blind without the government to tell them when and where. They are now being directed when and where to vote though.
Do you believe President Reagan would prefer we sit and mourn him or that someone would pick up his mantle and take America again into greatness? He brought optimism and determination to the presidency, not self-pity. Liberals can do that well enough on their own.
We really need to stop getting advice from liberals and “moderates” about what Conservatives need to do.
Republicans will NEVER win a national election trying to convince liberals that we are just as liberal as the Democrats.
We will win national elections when we convince people of all stripes that smaller government, less taxes, strong defense and a REAL domestic energy plan will help ALL Americans regardless of political views.
Geez, McCain was the most liberal Presidential nominee I can remember on our side and he did not stand a chance until Palin was added to the ticket. A moderate Republican will never beat a strong Democrat challenger - BTW Kerry & Gore were lousy candidates that is why Bush 2 squeaked by.
Rush for president. Seriously.
Rush has a more firm grasp on the history, philosophy and traditions of America than any republican i can think of.
It sounds kind of disparaging to call him a “talk show host and nothing more”.You put him in the category of Dr Phil, Oprah, or O’Reilly.
Its strange how many people suggest there is nothing sincere about him, that he would switch to a discussion of knitting for just a little more ratings and cash. This despite not a shred of proof.
“Could you be more specific? Or are you simply mouthing off, too?
“
What, you can’t read?
The “ego” is just comedy. Designed to tweak the libs, which it does well. It’s extra funny because it also tweaks repubs who are always apologizing for every imagined offense.
It supposed to show that conservative positions are something to be PROUD of. Some people cant tell stage from reality. When proper, he demonstrates high humility, respect and reverence.
To review the bidding, you started out saying, "The author assumed facts not in evidence. The idiot should really learn the facts before mouthing off about them."
Given that you apparently offered yourself as knowing the facts, I asked if you could be somewhat more specific about which facts the author does not know.
So ... are you just going to mouth off, or are you going to back up your insult of the author with ... facts?
Amen to that.
I'm not going to say that Rush has NO ego, but as a listener since he came to NY from Sacramento, I *will* say that the people who enjoy him, see a major part of his style as being satire.
If you don't like it, fine. I'm glad to see that you're so discerning, i.e., you won't let your preferences get in the way of Rush's conservative message. I applaud you.
Dittos.
All these A-holes should write Rush and thank him for elevating them from obscurity to near obscurity.
Ya, I don’t recall Rush winning, or even running, for any kind of leadership position. It’s the liberals who want to put him in charge of something. I guess being subservient to a popular figure is just in their nature. It’s not in mine.
The more important point is that there isn't going to be a Reagan Revolution Phase Two.
Not for a very long time at least.
All that would be true if he were doing what you accuse him of, but he isn't.
I know who Rush is, now who is John Mark Reynolds?
Reynold’s opinion means nothing to me.
Since you asked:
From the Scriptorium Daily website:
John Mark Reynolds is the founder and director of the Torrey Honors Institute, and Associate Professor of Philosophy, at Biola University. In 1996 he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester.
“So ... are you just going to mouth off, or are you going to back up your insult of the author with ... facts? “
Insult? He insults us with his statements and you do with yours. Piss off.
I don't mean to insult Rush . . . and I know that he does not want to be leader of the party. I do think we have to reach out to more people in order to win . . . which seems obvious. Rush's reach was weak enough that he could not even put his favorite candidates over the top in the Republican primary.
So even as a communicator El Rushbo is awesome, but limited. I disagree with Rush on some things, but not on most things. He has great talent and is of course Somebody and I am pretty much nobody.
Of course, that has nothing to do with my argument that he is a bad “face” for the Party and we should not let our irritation with liberals stampede us into either abandoning him or praising him too highly.
I think the Sam Adams types are great . . .and wish we had more of them. But I pray daily for a new Washington-type who can appeal to the “middle” while upholding our cause.
Moderation in tone does not have to equal wimpiness.
I have been arguing against socialism in recent posts, so I am sorry if this one opinion would give anyone the idea that I am some kind of crypto-liberal.
As for Torrey, I am the founder and director, but the opinions I express are my own. The word “liberal” in “liberal arts” has nothing to do with politics . . . any more than the social mixers at our school are stalking horses for socialism!
I should add that I was on FreeRepublic before last year, but my screen name somehow disappeared (I was some version of NikRomanov then) . . .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.