Posted on 06/13/2003 1:55:59 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
Is Free Republic too "Republican?" I've been receiving a lot of complaints lately that FR is not really conservative, it's Republican. Is that a bad thing?
When I started FR (see the wayback machine) I don't think I even used the labels conservative or Republican. But, even though I was a registered Democrat at the time (I registered when I was very young), I was definitely anti-Democrat. And definitely anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-government abuse, anti-liberalism, etc. And I still am.
As FR became more and more popular, people started referring to it as a "conservative" web site and so eventually I posted the label to the front page. If it no longer applies, big deal. What's in a label? I'll change it to "Republican" if demand warrants.
I'm still anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-Democrat and anti-liberalism. I just happen to believe that in the current political environment we stand a better chance of defeating the left (liberalism/socialism/marxism, etc) by using the Republican Party to defeat the Democrats. The organization is there. The platform is there. The winning candidates are there. The dollars to run winning campaigns are there. The momentum is there. And the vast majority of the conservative voters are there.
Makes perfect sense to me. I want to defeat the left, and I want to do it as quickly as possible. I'll go with the organization that can get the job done.
My current goal is to defeat liberalism by defeating the Democrat Party. If that labels me a Republican, then so be it. If the vast majority of the FReepers want it so, then Free Republic will officially become the newest "Republican wing" of the Republican Party.
Long live Republicanism. Long live the Republic!'
What say you, FReepers?
Nay on that.
On a practical level, FR would most likely lose a good percentage of its following on the net. I mean how interesting would this forum be if much of the discussion is centered around republicans agreeing with other republicans about republican issues and events? Even a lot of the party loyalists would lose interest. And what if someone disagrees with the "party line" on some issue--do they automatically get banned for that?
On a ideological level, this forum has great value via its large readership in providing grassroots feedback to the Republican Party. This is especially important when party members stray from the very conservative goals you yourself profess. Moreover, if there is government corruption in the republican ranks, shouldn't this be discussed as well?
Information is Power. The better the Republican Party understands its natural constituency (those inclined to vote republican) the better its policies will be.
IMO--For what it's worth.
At the local level, I'll always choose the most conservative Republican candidate. I will not vote for any Democrat, no matter how conservative, which could help make them the majority party once again
Couldn't agree more and with the RAT Party of today, I don't see me voting for any even we had a huge majority! The party of Clinton will NEVER get my vote.
Looks like the same people are out in force -- the half glass full of people that didn't vote for President Bush and Republicans in 2000 and as a longtime Activist I am not counting on their support today. In fact, I would hazard to guess that a lot of them have NEVER voted Republican but want to tell the rest of us what we should do and say!
But they are good at complaining what they don't like about the President or Republicans and forget all about like you said -- Jeffords. Do they become active in their local party politics (all politics starts at the local level)? I would say they prefer to come on here and complain and whine about Republicans and the President. I have two of the most conservative Senators and the only ones to vote against the welfare handout guised as a tax cut -- Senators Nickles and Inhofe of Oklahoma. Oklahomans know good people when they see them and return our Republican Conservative Oklahoma Senators to Washington with over 60% of the vote! It has taken Republicans in the State of Oklahoma a long time and a lot of work to make sure our Congressional delegation stays Republican except for one RAT in NE OK. My own county for the first time in history as more Republicans than Democrats. You have to work to change and not sit back and whine when you don't like something like I see on here!
You can disagree without being disagreeable and some of what I have read falls in the latter category. Same rhetoric over and over and it says nothing! Probably same people that gave us Clinton that bought into the Perot spin!
I am just glad that we have a site like Free Republic that we can spread the word so that people know what is going on because the lamestream media isn't going after truth.
Off my soapbox for the morning!
I think you have take your public forum to the place where it will do the most good. The rest of us can take it to the chat room, if that is the policy.
You are doing a fine job JimRob. (and I think you know it).
I'll say a big AMEN to that.
Allowing extremists, fanatics, conspirators, disrupters, and assorted kooks and wackos into the forum results in major massacres, making it very difficult to maintain control. However, great progress has been made since the moderators were ensconced.
I'm still against gang-flagging and keeping daily running threads on the "News/Activism" forum. But if the practice is worthwhile, then....
To All: Please edit and double check your thread titles before posting. The numerous punctuation, spacing, grammatical, and spelling errors cause me to cringe and leave a bad impression with visitors.
Baloney. A sinking economy and Ross Perot lost the election on '92. I admit Bush didn't help with his flat feet on jump starting the economy, but believing only the certain facts that support your political position is dangerous and unproductive.
For politicians to be accountable, we have to hold them accountable. If we don't, they won't.
Accountable to whom, you? The party? Those that voted for them? Or, once elected, are politicians accountable to the entire constituency they represent?
I am a conservate by nature, a Republican by necessity. Aren't we the vanguard of the VRWC? Well, the "R" stands for Right, not Republican.
I think weegee has a great point in #35 so let us not get wrapped up in McLaim/notsoFinegold.
See #32 TN4Liberty, #28 GodBlessRonaldReagan, #38 Jaxter, #64 harpseal, #81 kidd, #99 conspiratoristo, #124 ought-six, #149 sphinx for some persuasive arguments to keep us independent.
That said, we must be careful not to shoot ourselves in the foot by trashing Republican candidates with whom we take exception from time to time. Guide them, press them, challenge them, absolutely. But don't trash them. Remember what Jeffords did to the cause. That vote for Ross gave us Bubba. Never again let the RATs gain power. At the moment, the Republican party is the only way we have to do so. Let's give the pubbies all the support we can, but from the outside.
But if you must link us, for reasons only you know best, please change the statement to "If the vast majority of the FReepers want it so, then Free Republic will officially become the newest "Republican Conservative wing" of the Republican Party."
You just did...according to your philosophy.
Did that make sense to anyone but me?
kelly
Same here :-)
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