Posted on 05/17/2006 7:47:58 AM PDT by Pukin Dog
Edited on 05/17/2006 8:30:59 AM PDT by Lead Moderator. [history]
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." – Abraham Lincoln, 1858
It is getting somewhat strange around these parts when not only the President, but yesterday the First Lady was personally attacked by someone claiming to be a ‘Conservative’. Can there be any doubt that there are forces among us looking to drive a wedge between us?
A few weeks ago, this forum’s owner attempted to remind all of us of the big picture, that regardless of any personal animosity towards the President or Republican Party over their adherence to Conservative principles, that they are still a clear choice over the alternative Democrat Party rule. At that time, I assumed that FReeper-sanity had been restored, and that some of the negative rhetoric aimed at those in Washington D.C. would be dialed back.
Free Republic is a political forum with a proud history and vision, responsible for dragging Dan Rather from his post, and providing countless radio-talk shows with their daily talking points. FReepers are unique in their determination and energy towards protecting and defending the goals of our Founding Fathers.
We are also quite a powder keg of emotion and anticipation, expecting our Republican majorities to take advantage of this opportunity to make permanent gains in our Conservative agenda. Some might argue that this opportunity has been squandered, but those persons would be ignorant of history, lacking understanding that change cannot occur overnight in Washington, and that this is the way our Founders designed our Republic.
In frustration, impatience, and ignorance, we have allowed this forum to become a haven for those who do not share our Conservative goals. I do not blame our enemies anymore then I would blame a scorpion for stinging me. If anger and stupidity were one’s nature, I would expect the trolls that infect this forum to be angry and stupid consistently, which also makes them somewhat easy to detect.
The trolls are not the problem, though. The problem is that so many of us are allowing ourselves to be taken in by those who seek only to prevent us from going to the polls in November to keep their stinking hands off our government for another term. There can be no doubt, that no matter how disappointing our current government has been in promoting the Conservative agenda, that the alternative, enabled by our staying home will be MUCH worse.
The way to deal with Republicans who have actively worked against our goals is to defeat them in Primary elections. We do not even have to defeat them all, only enough of them to send the message that we will indeed target them if they work against our agenda. It should be the goal of EVERY conservative to see that Lincoln Chaffee is defeated in November. His seat is one we can afford to lose. Were I a Rhode Island resident, I would vote for the Democrat if only to send a message to Snowe, Hagel, Collins, Graham, and especially that bastard Specter that their primaries just got a lot tougher.
We only need to get one of them, and Chaffee is the one to get. It does not really matter if a Democrat takes his seat; he will be junior and mute as long as we maintain our overall majority in the Senate.
The one thing that bothers me here like nothing else, is the simple disrespect of the President. Am I am Bush-Bot? Damn straight I am. If you want to know why, click on my handle to read Southack’s excellent list of Bush’s accomplishments in office. But if Bush had done almost nothing in office, it would be no excuse for some of the slights and disrespect he has received from some of us on this forum.
Some of the things I have read here this past week match in tone what one can find on our favorite Democrat sewer site. Someone calling himself or herself a FReeper was promoting shooting aliens at the border until they stopped coming. Is that what we are about? Obviously not, and that so-called Conservative has been eliminated from this forum.
I think it is important to remember that you and I have just as much responsibility as George Bush does in changing our culture to better reflect Conservative values. Right now, this very moment, Conservatives have the government they deserve. We put them there. They are not our mommies and daddies sent out to bring home our Conservative bread. That responsibility lies with all of us. These Republicans represent us, they don’t serve us. Our job is to pick the best individual and send him/her to Washington in the hope that their CHARACTER will see them through.
This is why it is such a nutty thing to consider punishing the Republican party, when we should be letting them know that we’ve got their back, but if they cant do the job, we will replace them with ANOTHER Republican, instead of handing the reigns of government to the party of anger, hopelessness and despair. We sometimes like to think that those people we send to Washington are different from us, that they are capable of meeting our every need and desire.
I want every one of you to think about what you would consider to be your perfect mate. Maybe some of you think you have found that person. If you are married and totally in love with another person, that is great. Now I want to ask you to think about the last time that person you love, who is PERFECT for you, completely pissed you off. Remember, this is your perfect mate, your one true love. Do they do everything you want them to do? Obey your every desire? If you answer yes, I am going to put you on my troll list.
Those people in Washington do not even cut your lawn, yet you expect perfection. Get over it.
I am issuing a challenge to every person who considers him or her to be a Conservative; why don’t we all commit to a return to HONOR? Do we honor our Conservative agenda when we comport ourselves in disgraceful ways? Is it an honorable thing to suggest that our President is a moron, as I read here a few days ago? Is it honorable to attack Laura Bush or any other person representing true Conservative values?
Some of you might argue that George Bush is not representing Conservative values to your liking. I would remind you that the first thing Bush said upon taking office, is that he was going to be President of ALL the people, not just some. You know that if you followed Bush from the beginning that he campaigned of the very immigration platform he is defending right now. Did you vote for him? Yeah?
If you have ever had a steak at a Ruth’s Chris restaurant, you know that sometimes they bring that wonderful steak to your table with a sprig of parsley on it. I hate parsley. Hate it. If I were to treat my steak the way some of us want to treat our President, I would have to throw out the steak, due to that nasty parsley that comes with it. I can deal with the parsley to get the steak, and that is what I am asking FReepers to do.
Expecting perfection from any person, group or team is a recipe for disaster. George W. Bush is my president. You can disagree with him, you can blame him for your problems if that is your desire. If you disrespect his office, his service, his risking his life to be with our troops in Iraq, his steadfast desire to bring a new tone to Washington, or if you just like the way he keeps Democrats so pissed off they lose their minds on a regular basis, I ask you to treat him and his wife with respect and cut the personal attacks. If you call him ‘Shrub’ or ‘Jorge’ consider yourself my enemy.
Right now, our real enemy are the Main Stream Media, the Democrat Party, and all who follow and support them. If you want to jump-ugly on someone, why not start with those leaky bastards and give our side a break?
Do it for Pukin.
I knew that you could.
I hate to say it but this is another stupid "can't we just all get along" vanity.
It is right up there with all the other stupid vanities on the other side which say "I'm fed up and voting third party" vanities.
It is time for these vanities to go. Anyone wanting vote democrat or third party, you go for it.
Anyone like me who likes the republican party as it is and president bush in particular, we are going for our alledged "rinos" too.
I like the WOT. I like common sense immigration reform. I like tax cuts. I like conservative judges. I like attempts at school reform and tort reform. I like the personal integity of president bush and susan collins and the rest of the "rinos".
I don't like the angry, strident single issue "conservatives" who whine and say "It's my way or else, I'll vote democrat"
Go ahead, vote democrat or whatever.
I like Hannity and Rush too. For some, they are too moderate. Well to hell with you.
For me, the single issue republicans are a cancer that will drag us all down into the irrational, angry mud, the democrats find themselves in.
We have no need for irrational angry people.
My guess is that you consider Parsley one of the four food groups?
Miss Marple,
There are a million ways you could have respectfully replied to and disagreed with my post. Instead, you accused me of being a petty Bush-hater. That kind of treatment (which mimics the Administration's tactis lately) is what will cost the Republicans the election in '06.
Yes, I've defended the President for years. The criticism Bush received for Katrina was disgusting, but that does not mean that ALL criticism against the President is illegitimate.
As for the Miers debacle, if there was any sexism, it was on the part of the Administration for thinking it needed to replace O'Connor with another woman. My opposition to Miers was never because of her gender, it was because of her talent. For the record, I AM over Miers. What I am not willing to forget is how the base was treated with the charge of sexism when any flaw in her credentials was pointed out.
Now we have this amnesty-by-another-name program. Once again, Bush is actively campaigning against the conservative position on the issue, and more than one Republican in Congress has hinted that those who oppose this program are racist pigs.
Ignoring your base is one thing. Treating us like we are sexists, racists, and bigots is another.
Respectfully,
Ninofan
But you managed, so well!
Bush is anti-illegal alien. I am anti-illegal alien. What should be being debated is how to best solve that problem while understanding that those who disagree with you love this country and the Constitution just as much as you.
Now referring to the president as "Jorge", his supporters as "Bushbots", insulting the First Lady, and threatening to sit out the election in the hopes of a Democrat win -- which frankly scares the crap out of me considering what the Clintons did with the INS --is the action one is advocating to address the issue, then one can fairly be called an "anti-Bushie" along with probably a whole lot of other worse things
Rebelbase, if none of those things apply to you, you have my sincere apology.
Our own DeWine RINO had opponents in the primary, and I voted for one of them. DeWine just won big time.
It's not the GOP that is the problem. It's the voters.
Ultimately, if you blame a political party, you are denying your own culpability in it, and your responsibility to make things better.
Superb rant and nice reminder that a return to honorable discourse is essential. Personally, I don't put much stock in the people who are trying to discourage me from voting pubbie this fall on the basis of newly-trumped up complaints about old issues (especially when they ignore President Bush's incredibly impressive record on everything else, as backhoe's fabulous links demonstrate). Yes, immigration is crucial, but fixing this decades-old problem needs logic and rationality, not hysterical emotion, pouting, and mataphorical foot-stamping that we have been seeing lately.
I genuinely expect better of FReepers than some of the stuff I have glimpsed lately. We can have honest and respectful disagreements on many issues, but when it falls to name-calling, you have to wonder how much we're infiltrated by pseudo-conservatives from the Dirty Underpants site. I refuse to be alarmed by professional alarmists on ANY issue.
***And regardless, we will still be the greatest nation.***
Not if we hand the nation over to the liberals/communists. Wake up, pissant! We've been invaded by the commies since WWII, and they're taking BIG steps to take over this country.
There is a way to disagree. However those disagreeing must understand the power of their words to destroy their own side also.
The dems must read FR with glee and find freepers their most effective minions because the complaining ranters are destroying the votes of those who will be electing the next president.
Read the threads yourself - where is the support for the GOP or future conservatives? There is none.
I am simply in awe Vicomte13. I bow down to your superior eloquence. This is exactly how us "BorderBots" feel. I personally cannot just simply go with the flow when I believe that my country is on the road to an unmitigated disaster. You nailed every point succinctly. My hat is off to you.
I think you all take this internet blogging stuff waaaaaaaaaaay too personal. Who cares what other people think, they ARE virtual afterall.
sheesh
Oh no. I've criticized the President myself at various times. What concerns me are those wishing for a Democratic victory.
Those were volitile times . . . hazardous to post anything with any emotional punch at all--especially about some topics.
There is--probably in most humans--especially of the male variety--an urge to enjoy a food fight.
But the mess afterward is really not attractive and plenty dysfunctional.
Well - let me tell you - they better care to elect anything other than a democrat.
If not, they are very poor conservatives to begin with.
It made me VERY glad I had behaved myself that night. ;)
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