Posted on 05/29/2009 5:00:49 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
When Republican Sen. Arlen Specter defected to the Democratic Party recently, politicians and pundits everywhere heralded the move as another sign that the GOP was "too conservative." Said liberal Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, "If the Republican Party fully intends to become a majority party in the future, it must move from the far right back toward the middle."
Presumably "the middle," a pasture that so many Democrats, liberal Republicans, and others believe the GOP should now graze, is a place free of "reckless" government-slashing rhetoric. These critics believe Obama is president, the Democrats are in power, and Republicans who refuse to "change" with the rest of the country will face inevitable defeat for the foreseeable future. The Republican Party is simply "too conservative," they say. Nothing could be more untrue.
What exactly did voters reject in 2008 that makes for such a dark future for conservatives? A government-slashing Congress? A president that cracked down on illegal immigration? A Christian right, gun zealot? No, they rejected George W. Bush, a big government, amnesty-proposing president, who was occasionally socially conservative in his rhetoric, but rarely in practice. Between the war and spending, America soured on Bush for reasons that had nothing to do with conservatism.
Does anyone really believe voters are now enamored with Barack Obama because they despise conservatism and love liberalism? Americans aren't that ideological. After 100 days in office, Obama's popularity remains high, with a significant majority in a recent Gallup poll saying he is doing a good job. But when the same poll asks "what is the worst thing Barack Obama has done since he became president?," the number one answer is "stimulus spending," the president's most ambitious and most defining piece of legislation to date.
If the GOP must move to the middle to win elections, exactly what do Republicans gain by backing massive spending increases which even those who support Obama are uncomfortable with? Why is becoming more like the Democrats considered the path to GOP success? What's the point of even having a Republican Party?
The GOP would do well to flee from the consensus middle and take a hard right on the top issues that continue to concern Americans across the political spectrum -- out-of-control spending, outrageous debt, and our ever-expanding federal government. In other words, the Republican Party should actually become the party of small government it has always pretended to be.
But not everyone agrees, most notably Sen. Lindsey Graham. According to The New York Times, "Graham scoffed at the notion that the party was suffering because it was not conservative enough. 'Do you really believe that we lost 18-to-34-year-olds by 19 percent, or we lost Hispanic voters, because we are not conservative enough? This is a ridiculous line of thought. The truth is we lost young people because our Republican brand is tainted."
Graham is right. The Republican brand is tainted -- by Bush Republicans like Graham.
While the 18-to-34-year-olds came out in force for Obama, the most conservative Republican presidential candidate in the last election ran a campaign defined in large part by its youth support. As usual, the old, white, Christian Republican base dutifully gravitated to conventional, Bush Republicans like McCain, but the government-slashing radical Ron Paul drew support from young and old; Republicans, Democrats, and independents; whites, blacks and Hispanics; Christians and non-believers. The much discussed, increasingly shrinking GOP is the party of lukewarm, establishment men like Graham, McCain, and Bush -- not fiery conservatives like Ron Paul.
But those who believe the GOP must move to the middle are right about one thing: Thundering on and on about abortion, gay marriage, and family values at the national level is political suicide, precisely because too many Americans who might be attracted to a limited government message would be repulsed by any politician they perceive as wanting to dictate their personal lives.
Once again, Paul's example is the best solution. This pro-life, conservative Christian believes states should decide social issues free of federal interference. Gay newlyweds in Vermont would have nothing to fear from a staunchly libertarian GOP. And neither would conservative Christians in South Carolina, who would gain more from a smaller, less intrusive government than the type of pro-Christian, big government the religious right typically supports. In any move to the middle, Republicans are more likely to find a graveyard instead of salvation. The GOP will never out-Obama, Obama.
However, it is not clear that voters are prepared to accept big government as the long-term American way. If a majority ever decides to reject it, they will require a GOP far removed from the current, middle-of-the-road consensus of both parties. And only a Republican Party that eventually opposes big government -- and is not a part of it -- will stand fit to put it out of its misery.
ping!
Hell, why move to the right now.../s
We already have a left wing party. The people of that party would love for us to be more like them. They can go pound sand.
The GOP has already signed up to join the one-party system.
Empty rhetoric as long as the GOP is complicit in all of the above.
We are surrounded by Communists why be one of them? The moderates or whatever term they go by need to leave also they stink.
No, the GOP needs to clear the sand (Powell, Ridge, McCain, et al)out of its vagina and move on.
Well if those “politicians & pundits” would pull their head out of the orifice in their body that it is shoved into, they would see that Specter doesn’t give a rats a$$ for the party. He’s merely trying to keep a seat in the Senate so he’s not unemployed!
Too late.
LOL! True dat.
Even an idiot Bittercon who shilled for Obama is right, now. Of course in a year and a half he will shill for the Blue b——h Democrats.
The OP ran past the middle a long time ago to reach the socialist left.
It doesn't matter where republicans stand - center right or left.
The problem is with the democrats and their enablers in the major media.
The democrats as a whole have no morals or ethics when it comes to politics and no behavior is too low or despicable for them. They will lie, cheat, steal and trash anyone and anything to obtain, and to keep, power. They have no respect for the constitution, our heritage, our country, for other Americans or even themselves.
The media has given up their role of being an honest and free press in exchange for being supporters and enablers of the leftists and their agenda.
The disgusting way democrats lied about and undermined George Bush and his administration was supported by the media who jumped on board and helped destroy him. Yet Bush himself governed from the center with his "Compassionate Conservatism".
Democrats now make a big fuss about Obama nominating a hispanic for the Suprenme Court, but when Bush nonminated Miguel Estrada they trashed him unmercifully. Democrats didn't care about his racial background other than the fact they weren't about to let a republican president appoint the first hispanic to the court.
The conduct of both the democrats and the media over the last eight years should be enough proof to anyone that moving to the center will not lead to sucess for republicans. Liberals will never vote for republicans - even if they promise to be more socialist than Obama.
America will need a clear choice when Americans finally come to their senses and get over their blind love for Obama and his brand of socialism. Conservatives offer that choice - left leaning republicans do not.
Republicans need to remember that conservatism lead to their past successes and moving to the center has lead to utter failure.
To get there, they’re gonna’ have to run to the right.
What do they mean “should they”? Many in that party already have.
Which is why so many of us here in NJ are behind Mayor Steve Lonegan in the upcoming June 2nd primary. The level of grassroots activism here is overwhelming in favor of a true fiscal and social conservative.
Not the NJGOP, not Chris Christie, not the backing of Rudy Guliani. No, we are on life support here in NJ, and the time is right for an outside the beltway guy who knows how to govern conservatively.
The Cure For The Rino Virus: Mayor Steve Lonegan
www.lonegan.com
What about Colin Powell? Can we live without the POWELL Republicans?
Yeah we can, because they are the moderates. And they will stay moderate as long as we keep putting forth moderate candidates.
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