California Needs Conservatism (by Rush Limbaugh)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | August 20, 2003 | Rush Limbaugh

[Timesink]

Listening to some Republicans and conservatives on the possibility of winning the California governorship lately has been dismaying. "We don't really want to win this race. California is in such a mess it can't be fixed and we will be tagged as failures if we try. Let the Democrats continue to stew in their mess." Or a variation on this theme: "Whoever wins will not have a mandate so he/she will not be able to govern, especially with the huge Democrat majorities in the California legislature."

[Mo1]

Next out should be spector, collins, snow, mcain, chaffee, and the northeastern reps. in the house. Opps just lost the senate and house, but at least we could say that everyone left is a true conservative right RUSH,

Oh I plan on trying to vote Spector out .. but I'll be doing that fighting in the primaries, not the main election .. If Spector is the only choice at that point, then I will hold my nose and vote for him to keep control of the Senate.

The problem with CA and this recall is there are no primary .. which is why the voters in CA need to figure out what they are going to do now.

[ImpBill]

No flames here. Rush is right on. But of course the new GOP isn't seeing things as President Reagan saw them. The new GOP operates under the same principles as their adversary. Conservatism has taken a huge, barely recognizable, back seat to the principle of "power at any cost", even if it means pandering to the wishy washy middle and co-opting leftist ideology.

But the "party BOTS" will be on you like stink on dew I would imaging before this thread passes on to where ever they pass on when all the same old stuff has been regurgitated a couple hundred times.

Thanks for posting Rush's excellent piece.

[CyberAnt]

Ok - if you think I'm naive - please explain to me why Art Torres statement should give me pause.

[Hildy]

Who does Torres want to win? They want to make Conservatives think that McClintock could win, have more Republicans vote for McClintock, thereby splitting the vote. I mean, you don't really have to be a rocket scientist.

[quidnunc]

Wild Irish Rogue wrote: {" Three scenarios seem most likely to me: (1) He lost enough of his audience during his deaf period and he has decided that he needs a change of direction in order to regain market share, (2) he feels slighted by the Bush administration and doesn't think he is being afforded the deference which is due him or, and to my mind most likely, (3) he really has his heart set on this football commentator gig and he thinks that anything which smacks of boosterism for the Republican Party will hurt his chances. Whatever the case, Rush is getting increasingly repetitous, egocentric and annoying — in short he's becoming a crashing bore."} Re # 3-I have found this analogy helpful to the doubters.The target audience for ESPN/ABC will be half liberal/half conservative-that appears to be the way the country is breaking. Carville gets hired by ESPN to do football commentary. Would I watch it-absolutely not,I avoid anything with Carville. Carville suddenly starts undercutting and trashing the Clintons and Democrats and this gets picked up by the media and his quotes are mentioned in op ed pieces,by commentators and talk show hosts. The word goes forth. I hear that Carville may be coming around to my way of thinking and I might possibly consider tuning in.The flip for Limbaugh is not a complete 180-he cleverly disguises his Republican bashing as doing it for " Ronald Reagan ",which doesn't totally alienate some of his base audience.Imus does the same thing-he blows one way, one day and shifts the next,trying to keep both sides tuned in. The newer generation of Limbaugh listeners cannot appreciate how dramatic a departure his behavior is now,from the Limbaugh of the 80' and 90's. What he has been doing since George Bush was inaugurated(disagreeing in an adult manner on policy is one thing,but, the low down,personal attacks are repulsive- calling GW a socialist,no better than Clinton,calling him George W Clinton on NBC News, ad nauseum,ad infinitum),he would have labeled heresy then.I have actually had the honor of meeting Ronald Reagan on a few occasions and if anyone is no Ronald Reagan,it's Rush Limbaugh.

Well said!

[Roscoe]

Arnold is another Ross Perot.

That should be a billboard.

[CyberAnt]

And .. you don't have to be rude and insulting to people to get your point across.

You want to vote for Arnold - and you don't think it's fair of me to challenge your vote. I don't care who you vote for - I'll vote for who I think can help California - and right now Tom is the only person who appears to have the right approach to get the job done.

I'm not against Arnold - he just has not said anything which would make me vote FOR him.

[sultan88]

"You boys need an address of where you can send my housewarmin' gift(s)?"

Yes, please post it on Black. This thing I'm trying to unload (I mean, this gift I want to give you ) must be delivered in person.

[jla]

Wiseguy

[Erik Latranyi]

PA ping

[freekitty]

Rus is absolutely right.

We need real conservative leaders. Not those wimpy idiots that can fight their way out of a paper bag.

[Fred Mertz]

Folks should know you've been a Rush basher for the past four years at least.

[Zack Nguyen]

What an interesting account. What is it taken from?

[quidnunc]

Fred Mertz wrote: Folks should know you've been a Rush basher for the past four years at least.

No FM you're wrong, you're completely misremembering.

I never uttered a cross word against Rush (except to mildly complain when he went on one of his weeks-long monomanias about economixs) here or anywhere else until he went on rant against Dubya just after he (Rush) received his cochlear implant.

That really pushed my hot button.

It's Taliban Pat Buchanan whose case I've been on for several years.

[Captainpaintball]

Right on!

Thank you!

[Captainpaintball]

Conservative principles, beliefs and policy presented by a passionate, genuine LEADER can not, and will not, lose!!!"

This is an undeniable fact.

Imagine if we had candidates who actually espoused these principles? There's none where I live. All we need is a few on the national level...

[missileboy]

If the republicans start actually abiding by these principles I might start voting for them again.

The reason we have the largest Federal government in our history that runs up budgets somewhere in the trillions......is because we now vote NOT FOR someone......but to keep the other guy OUT. What end result do you expect?

[Kay Soze]

Yeah all we need is another RINO .

One in the White House and add one to the State of Calif.

[Gophack]

I agree. Go, Rush!

[Yaelle]

I thought a day after I posted that about Rush talking to Arnold that I was dead wrong, too. Then I heard his show today and I actually think I was right again. Rush virtually said that CA belongs to Arnold if, if, he can go conservative.

Arnie, he's right; you might as well go all the way conservative; your Hollywood fair weather friends have all deserted you. The stupid losers.