Posted on 01/31/2006 11:05:56 AM PST by robowombat
1. To those for whom less than perfect is not enough. I'm sorry. You have chosen a difficult, often lonely, way to live your life. I can give a laundry list of things I wish the President would or could work on. It would be different than yours, but it would still be a "I haven't gotten mine" list. But I refuse to let that color my perceptions to the point that progress, movement in the right direction can not be appreciate, celebrated and enjoyed. All that does is set a person up to be perpetually living for something that will most likely never happen, and certainly not in your lifetime.
2. To those who think carping today will change hearts and minds. Give it up. It's bad strategy to try to diminish a win. It only hardens positions and gets you no where fast. It's stupid. If you don't like the President's policies, you need to win on facts. You need to win by convincing others based on principle. Kicking people when they are up just makes them mad, and causes them to distrust you. Kicking them when they are down makes them fight harder. In fact, kicking is usually a stupid idea. Keep to the policy and it's importance and why...and you just might make progress. Or don't. Depends on how badly you want it to happen.
3. To those who think it makes them look smart to dislike the "stupid" President.Smarter people than you have been severely burned by that attitude. It does not make you look smart, or principled, or brilliant. It makes you look doltish. You can choose.
4. To those who wish the third party or libertarian conservatives would just "go away." We actually need them. They keep us honest. They hold our feet to the fire, remind us of our principles, help keep us from becoming more interested in the team winning than the ideas. They shouldn't run off common sense, but they are a good measure of our principles. I appreciate that.
5. To those who think the border control is the only issue and we just need to build a fence. It is a very old, complicated issue that has spanned over 100 years. Building a fence is not the answer. I have been doing a lot of research on the topic, and despite claims there is NOT an easy answer. Not then, less now. We are not going to go back to the fifties. The world is changing. It is smaller. We need to deal with this with a market based solution. If this is your only issue, and all is lost without the President locking the doors and unceremoniously kicking everyone out int he middle of the night, I respectfully suggest that you pull back a bit and look at the bigger picture. It just isn't EVER going to happen period. If you can not grasp that, you will be frustrated and disappointed for the rest of your lives EVEN IF TOM TANCREDO became President. Good luck with that.
6. To those who think the President can do no wrong. He can. He is human. Support him 100%, but be honest enough to disagree with him where you do. It will help him, it will help you. It will help America. It's hard sometimes when we are backed into a corner, but honesty is best for all of us.
7. To those who think Pollyanna's have unrealistic expectations and are sugary sweet people who don't see the world as it actually is.You're wrong. Pollyanna was not perfect, nor did she expect perfection. She saw the world as it was, hard, cold and ugly. Her strength was that she wanted people to use what they had, to find the advantages for themselves DESPITE their situations; to always look for ways to further a goal, no matter what hindrances one faces; to be grateful for the blessing you do have, rather than concentrate on the things you do not. Some find that grating and unrealistic. I call it learning to win.
.....And, if you don't like itTough. Ignore us. You are the kind of people that will never accomplish much, or really change the world for the better. Oh, you might make a big splash for awhile. People will start to grouse, and you will feel pretty good about yourself. But then, a Ronald Reagan, or a GW Bush (Pollyannas both) will come along and offer your minions a more positive, happier, hopeful world view. And suddenly, you will find yourself loosing over and over again. And your name will be Democrat. I prefer the quintessential American quality of optimism. Of pollyannism. I chose this world view. It made my life better. Deal with it.
/rant
OK, now who is looking forward to a really positive, tough SOTU tonight attended (I hope) with the newly sworn in Judge Alito?
When it comes to immigration you are not going to like "Alito". The anchor baby issue is coming up soon. I suspect the ruling will not be to your liking.
Great minds.......
And........
Where?
If everyone here turns around and looks at this place in his memory he will see the true image of a Republican. Damn sure hard to go to your photo album and find the perfect Republican. I do think that if you average this place you will come close. Beats the living hell out of DU
Frankly, it doesn't matter if she wrote it two weeks ago. I thought that Schlafly was a pro-life champion, so I find this article being written on the eve of the nomination of Samuel Alito by President George W. Bush to be disastrous.
Again I say, I think that Phyllis is pushing more people away, than those she accuses. I, for one, won't pay her a bit of attention anymore.
And try not to deflate yours. 1% is ridiculous. That 30% number for conservatives has been around for awhile--if you have a more accurate number, please pass it along.
"...donations and money on hand are WAY over the top."
Not according to what I am hearing. But then I lack your Big Tent access to the RNC Big Tent database.
That's so easy that it's almost embarrassing. I vastly prefer the muscle- building arguments we have within our party. They make us better...not stupider.
Sometimes, if you can't say anything nice...you might as well be honest. ; )
That would be Holliday Greeting Card.
But you cannot speak for ALL that 30 percent, can you? In fact, most of US consider ourselves conservatives, too, although you look down your nose at us.
And you need to face the fact that you need US more than we need you.
great post.
But whatever. You'll believe whatever fits your philosophy, facts be damned.
I was out driving mental health patients today. I'm retired from my first career and it's my job. They have a lobby, SSI benefits, paid for apartments, on and on...
The guy I was driving was boasting about the backpay one of his "disability" buddies had recently gotten from the treasury, 65,000 dollars. My response was "That's two to three years salary for WORKING people."
Ended the discussion.
Sometimes justice gets very old
Well, well. Another genius insinuating that the horrible border vigilantes want to shoot Mexicans. At least 5 of my close coworkers were born in Mexico, and they will admit that their arrival in el Norte is a bit questionable. You might advocate shooting them, since you brought up the idea- or perhaps it's just the usual racebaiting and slander so dear to the heart of the open borders lobby in their attempt to make themselves look good.
Whichever it is, I'll venture that in your perch in Arksansas you know precious few Mexicans, and certainly have none as friends. I know this isn't the case with many of the infamous border vigilantes, some of who are indeed Mexican themselves.
But you'll step on all the sidewalk cracks and break her back...won't you!?
Howlin...Phyllis Schlafly, thank God in Heaven, is the polar opposite of you. :^)
Numerous threads have been filled with people telling me they don't need mine or any other Conservative's vote. We'll see how that holds up over the next few elections - they seem to forget how close the last two Presidential elections were.
I have said what you just said about a thousand times here. The West and the Southwest have just about had it. The South is on our heels. This immigration thing will be the doom of the GOP if they don't get a grip. A year ago in here you had people openly saying that these people had a right to take a stroll across our border. Now people are talking about shooting them home. As I am. There is indeed a fetching up in the process. Trouble is all Mr. Bush has to do is say "guest worker" and our border patrol people are overwhelmed. Guess they still remember Reagans amnesty. I love Reagan for most of his actions and hate him for one. AMNESTY.
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