[randita]

It wasn’t conservatism that failed. What failed were people who pretended to be conservative, but were nothing of the sort.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Bingo to both of you!

[Chi-townChief]

Don’t believe the hype.

[Huck]

What we need are tea parties regardless of what party is in power. Conservative opposition popped up a few times during GW's tenure--immigration, Harriet Miers, Dubai ports. But on the most important issue, gubmint spending, there was no noticable outrage. There were some complaints, but no outrage.

The TV conservatives on Fox News all justified the deficits (it's war time, there are always deficits, as a % of GDP it's not that bad, etc etc). That's one reason why the DEMs now can complain that the tea parties are about party, not principle.

If conservatives want to win on principle, we need to have tea parties protesting GOP spending just as vigorously as we have them now. But the trouble is, when the GOP gets power, conservatives circle the wagons, and consider any criticism of the GOP as helping the DEMs. That was the prevailing attitude here on FR as well, and we're paying for it now. Literally and figuratively. The day we start protesting both parties is the day we start to have credibility with the broader public.