If the Iraq Information Minister says it...That clears it up for me!!!
Did he join Buffett as part of Arnold's staff???
Just wondering...
DD
Posted on 09/12/2003 12:19:04 PM PDT by EllaMinnow
Social conservatism means a serious fidelity to those beliefs and traditions which keep us civilized and decent.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a social conservative, despite much rhetoric to the contrary. Social conservatism means a serious fidelity to those beliefs and traditions which keep us civilized and decent without resort to laws, regulations and bureaucrats.
Social conservatism is a respect for tradition and for values which have withstood the test of time. Chinese family members who respect and support one another, even at the cost of personal wishes, are social conservatives whatever their metaphysical beliefs.
This definition of social conservatism as a matter of example rather than profession does not mean we agree on every detail of moral behavior. It means instead that we root ourselves in something permanent, dignified and civic. Even eccentricity can be socially conservative. British and American peoples are famous for producing men who, for want of a better term, are cranks. That is very much a part of the culture of these two nations.
At the heart of social conservatism is fidelity. Often men who are social conservatives are ideologically left of center. Jimmy Carter is a good example. By all appearances, Carter took his marital vows seriously and his religious faith seriously. He stopped serving hard liquor at White House dinners.
That did not prevent Carter from being a petty, spiteful and almost insufferable boor. And it certainly did not prevent Carter from being wrong on almost every issue. But it does mean that Jimmy Carter was a social conservative.
Joe Lieberman is also a social conservative, even if he supports terrible policies. Every indication is that Lieberman is a religiously serious Orthodox Jew. It is impossible to imagine Joe munching a bacon cheeseburger on Kol Nidre. Bill Bradley is another social conservative who loves his wife, gained his wealth and fame through guts and hard work, and sincerely believes in all the bad ideas he proposes.
The beauty of America, of course, is that social conservatism does not require being correct as much as being sincere. It does not require conformity to a particular catechism so much as it means conformity to some catechism. The bewildering variety of religions, sects, and societies in American life is a testament to Americans respecting in social life the same freedom to be wrong that we respect in our economic life. Indeed, social conservatism is another form of market choice which helps, through competition, to elevate cultures and traditions within America.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is made of the "right stuff.” There is no odor of phoniness about him. He loves his wife and family. He worked his way to the top with sweat and diligence. He resembles a number of other social conservative Republicans around President Bush who are not generally recognized as social conservatives.
Who? How about Colin Powell? He turned down the Presidency itself in 1996 out of respect for his wife and family. Does anyone question that what Powell believes, he believes sincerely? How about Tom Ridge, who was too liberal to be the running mate in 2000, but who putters around his home for recreation and grew up in the Marine Corps.
Tony Blair and Rudy Giuliani are social conservatives who we seldom see as social conservatives. Both these heroic figures do what they do publicly and because they believe it is right. Thank goodness both are on our side now--social conservatives dig their heels in very deeply!--but even when Giuliani supports abortion or Powell supports affirmative action, they can do so looking you straight in the eye with a polygraph examiner unable to detect a hint of spin in their answers.
This type of social conservative--guys doing what they think is right because they think it is right--is precisely the sort of man that President Bush has shown incredible skill in using to make America better. Our Texan President, our proudly Cowboy President, does not demand that anyone agree with him on every issue. In fact, such silly boys can be skimmed off the corporate boards of a hundred big companies.
He wants people who are true to themselves. He wants, and we should want, real social conservatives. Rabbis who read Torah as if it were holy writ. Priests who take their vows seriously. Men who honor their parents and are faithful to their wives. Men like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronald Reagan or John Wayne, who will fight for what they think is right.
When Governor Schwarzenegger takes office, President Bush will find honor more valuable than agreement and grit more important than obedience. It will be a winning team, perhaps a team that can transform America.
If the Iraq Information Minister says it...That clears it up for me!!!
Did he join Buffett as part of Arnold's staff???
Just wondering...
DD
No. I want Tommy Chong to be freed from prison. I don't want him to become the governor of California.
Al Gore invented the Internet.
Thank you for that frank admission. It speaks volumes.
The funniest thing about this article is the title. Arnold is everything but a social conservative. Liberals are very good at trying to redefine a words so you cannot try to pull this one off (as you can see by the responses you are getting).
I reject your assertion that I am a "liberal." The only "liberal" behavior I see in this thread is coming from those who are desperately trying to attack the best candidate on the Republican side for this recall election, while their own candidate sinks in the polls faster than an ice cream manufacturer that sells liver and onion-flavored product.
I would stop now before the ridicule gets unbeareable.
Hearing footsteps, eh?
You are not doing any favors for Arnold's camp. In fact, you might be driving a lot of social conservatives away who might have thought about voting for Arnold later in the race.
You contradict yourself in the same sentence. If Arnold is such a liberal, then how could any "social conservative" have EVER thought about voting for him? Or, for President Bush who certainly holds some of the same "liberal" views that Schwarzenegger does.
Politics is the art of the possible, and there is no such thing as a candidate who believes in each and every thing that you do. The sooner that you marginalized "social conservatives" and one-issue holdouts come to realize this, the faster that California will have a Republican governor and can start recovering from Gray Davis.
I had to double-check that it was not from The Onion.
Get a grip. No need to blow a gasket.
The fact of the matter is Schwarzenegger has always been a Republican. In addition, he has campaigned for Republicans. This "he's really not a Republican" line is nonsense.
Absence of a reply to my question noted.
George Orwell (1903-1950)
Tom Mclintock can win!
Are you kidding? The Arnold supporters are going against his OWN discriptions of himself! Redifining the meanings of words and slamming Tom.
These Groupies must be stopped.
I just want to gag when I hear that phrase these days.
What you really mean is 'I don't really care what happens to the country or to the principles the GOP is supposed to represent--I am only interested in winning at any cost'.
At least that's what I hear when you say that.
Basically all you can ever do is note what I say, at least try to, in some comical way of avoiding debate...because you can't. I really don't mind the (R)nold Groupies that much, but any one of you posting on this thread defending this utter tripe have lost any credability they might have had. I actually am starting to feel sorry for you people, this is so Orwellianly pathetic. Its time for this Triangulation Cause to go to bed...
BUMP!!!
Now, after reading this...tell me again just WHY Arnold defenders needs to pretend he's a social "conservative", when he himself says OTHERWISE?!?!
New phase of the Arn-holes shows up...outright DECEIT!
Ever been to a Renaissance Fair...the crowd on one side of the field is urged to support the "Black Knight" by shouting
"CHEAT TO WIN!!! CHEAT TO WIN!!!"
I guess they are out of the closet for SchwarzenKennedy now...
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.