"Pay no attention to the imposter in #154!
Tom McClintock cannot win!
Arnold is the only social conservative in this race."
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.
We can't all be as kind and principled as Arnold Schwarzenegger is.
Redifining the meanings of words and slamming Tom.
I don't have to "slam Tom." He does it to himself when his handlers run out of pizza and salad at a fundraiser where only 200 people showed up. He does it to himself when he can't even fill out a simple check box on a form that he has had 25 years of practice in filling out. He does it to himself when some of his more wacked-out followers call other Republicans in the race "Nazis," "Communists," and "rapists."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Marxist.
Putting words in another person's mouth is the act of a desperate debater who is losing.
At least that is conceivable! Its not like (R)nold is going to metamorphisize into a Social Conservative! LOL.
He might for you guys though if he would just utter that you would believe, as the saying goes, nothing is inconceivable when you don't have principles.
You have to read the fine print. You only get the free Chong when you buy a Cheech at the regular price.
Funny...very funny...LOL...
DD
Then let's have a debate. Answer my question -
How do you intend to stop 'Arnold groupies' from posting here?
Unbelievable... ;-)
The law is morally unjust. Only a police state fascist would want a 65 year-old pothead tossed in the can for nearly a year over a bong.
"But stupidity is not enough. On the contrary, orthodoxy in the full sense demands a control over one's own mental processes as complete as that of a contortionist over his body. ...Society rests ultimately on the belief that [leadership] is omnipotent and that the Party is infallible. But since in reality [leadership] is not omnipotent and the Party is not infallible, there is a need for an unwearying, moment-to-moment flexibility in the treatment of facts. The key word here is blackwhite. ...Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction to the plain facts. Applied to a Party [agent], it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary...."
-- Who knows from where this was excerpted?
This article, and the (R)nold Groupies rationalizing for it on this thread, its sincerely a NEW LOW that I honestly never saw coming. I don't know if its based on Tom's numbers continuing steadly to climb as their only hope stagnates or the closeness of the election, but this is without question the stupidest thing I've ever seen fellow Republicans try to say in the name of Partisanship. Even he says he's a social liberal.
I see that Cruz Bustamante's memo got to you. You're using the new catchphrase.
Hope the check doesn't bounce.
How am I contradicting myself? There are some social conservatives that are supporting Arnold. I am not one of them. When you start floating trial balloons and defending articles on FR that Arnold is a social conservative, you lose a lot of credibility on this forum (you probably can see by the responses you and lipstick are getting). If you go on some Yahoo board you might be able to trick them but not here on FR. Comparing GW Bush and Arnold on social issues is like comparing the night vs. day. You are defending this article (Arnold is a social conservative) and puting Bush in the same light as Arnold on social issues. Comparing GW Bush and Arnold on social issues is like comparing the night vs. day. Nice try but your not convincing anyone on this board.
Which recent poll shows McClintock's numbers "steadily climbing?" Post a link please.
I've seen strawmen arguements in my day, but that is one of the worst ever.
Are you trying to be funny? I WANT (R)nold Groupies posting on this thread, please please please ping all your Groupies.
I adore this thread!
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