Posted on 02/28/2007 7:54:19 AM PST by Al Simmons
Wedge Issues Posted by: “Common Tator” in FreeRepublic.com April 16, 2002
The one thing that amazes me on this site is the belief by some that the conservative position is the majority position.
Mostly people tend to believe it could be the majority position if the right candidate ran, or if it weren't for the media or RINOs or etc, etc. They really don't have a clue.
Roughly 2/3 of the public has firm views. They have made up their minds and do not change them. This group is nearly equally split between the left and the right.
There are about a 1/3 of the population that is never sure. Sometimes it will go left and sometimes it will go right.
When a party restricts itself to its base it will be in a minority party. The "base only" party will be reduced to crying as the other side works its will. In some nations both the left and right restrict themselves to just their base. That nation then develops five or six parties. And all governments in that nation are coalitions of a major party and some of the minor parties. In that situation the minor party always has more influence than its numbers represent. For the Rino and Dino haters that is the worst of all worlds.
Many of Rino and Dino haters try to make ours a 3 or 4 party system. They never figure out that their splinter right or left party would never get much power in a government based on coalitions. They are too small. It is the centrist parties that have a 1/3 of the public as potential members that get the clout in the Multi Party system. As you can see in a 2 party or a 5 or 6 party system the center tends to prevail.
But in our two party system the center is an instrument the major parties use to enact their goals. In the multiparty system it is the center parties that use the right and left to enact their centrist goals. Such a system like those in Italy and France are RINO and DINO paradise.
This nation now and for all of the last 140 years has been roughly 1/3 left, 1/3 right and 1/3 in the middle. Those in the middle who run for office are what we call RINOs and DINOs.
When Republicans drive RINOs out they leave the party to become DINOs and take their political power with them. The Democrat party gets them by default.
Then the Democrats thanks to its Dino buddies have a veto proof house and senate. It was Barry Goldwater's greatest accomplishment. In my BRAIN I knew Barry would elect a lot of DINOs ... and he did.
If a party with most of the center wins the presidency too, they have a filibuster proof senate. That party then can do anything it wants to do. When the party leadership takes control they implement the parties’ core beliefs. It was what LBJ did after Goldwater drove all the RINOs into LBJ's camp. It let LBJ do the "Great Society." LBJ had to have Barry's help to do it. And Barry did what it took to give LBJ the support he needed... LBJ had all the left. Barry gave him all the center.
To win control a party must keep its base and get over half the middle. If the Republicans have more RINOs than the Democrats have DINOs the Republican agenda prevails. If the Democrats have more DINOs than the Republicans have RINOs the Democrat agenda prevails.
Those that demand the defeat of RINOs are doing all they can to enact the leftist agenda. They are the most valuable asset the left has. One of the most effective tactics in politics in the negative campaign.
Negative campaigns are not about getting votes for your candidate. They are about getting the other side's base to not vote for their candidate. Thus if you can get the right to vote against a Rino or not vote at all, you can elect a very liberal candidate.
If you can force the Republicans to nominate a right wing candidate so right wing he can't get the center voters, you elect the left candidate.
My opinion is that an Army Ranger is better prepared to fight a war than someone who did not serve in the military. I can't think of a logical reason otherwise.
The Party of Lincoln is slowly becoming the "Party of Social Liberal and Fiscal Liberal Republicans, aka RINOs." The party still maintains a platform that includes free speech, RTBA, smaller and limited government, pro family and pro-life but will abandon that platform in a heartbeat to "win one for the team."
The Republican Party is now the party of "Party over Principles". Tis a shame...the Republican Party was formerly a decent party.
"Nothing to see here...just keep moving (to the left).
Not it. I, like The Great One, Mark Levin, am a conservative, not a Republican.
I appreciate your thoughtful posts; and apologize for my strident tone.
I would be interested to know what "the great one" Levin has to say on the matter and if either you can point me to a link or expound further on his positions for the upcoming Republican primary I would be happy to read/hear it.
Is his broadcast podcasted? (I can't listen to him live)
What sort of masochistic desire would drive you to voluntarily look at that crappy site?
In all fairness, Al Simmons has been polite and respectful not only to Jim but to most of the posters on this thread.
I agree that government, especially our government established to protect LIFE, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, has the main job to protect and should be minimized on other imperatives.
Thank you for your extensive response ... I am beginning to see Rudy as the preferred candidate of libertarians who remain in the republican party. With what you espouse for conservatism, that appears to be an explanation of why some Rudy supporters are so willing to compromise/drop treaditional conservative values as defining character in order to endorse Rudy. It might also explain the all or nothing approach at this too early point in the nomination campaign ... the 'teach them a lesson' mentality was pervasive from libertarians in the '06 election cycle. I do not think libertarians will be successful in taking control of the republican party for '08, but I could be wrong and republicans may end up being dumb enough or scared enough to accept the libertarian definition of conservatism.
Why, pray tell, would you choose to join such a miserable site?
Trust me on this, it is extremely difficult to hack a private Yahoo group.
Welcome back. Why will you not consider Duncan Hunter?
Most gracious of you youngjim. I did not take your tone as strident at all.
Anyhow, Levin has not yet made a specific endorsement, nor do I expect him to. He did make the statement that he was Conservative, not Republican. To this point, I have not heard a lot on the matter, but he's not ignoring it either. McCain gets knocked around pretty good. What I have heard concerning Rudy is less direct, but still casting doubt on him as standard bearer.
You can listen on-line and the links are posted on the daily Lounge thread. It cranks up between 5:30 and 6:00 and there are links to get the internet stream. At marklevin.com there are also archived shows.
You could asl Fudd Fan to add you to the ping list as a reminder to join us.
That alone makes him a dope. I know approximately ten different teachers, some conservative, some liberal, most apolitical, and I've made a point to ask them all about NCLB. Every single one of them thinks that it is the most horrendous thing to happen to education.
Because it sucks?
Why does it suck? Would you rather your tax dollars fund schools that failed or succeeded?
Naturally. If I was an educator, working in a failing school, I'd be against it too, because my job would be on the line.
Because the federal government shouldn't be sticking their noses in a local/state issue. Can you please cite the section of the Constitution which authorizes NCLB?
All but one of my teacher friends are, for better or for worse, tenured and have no chance at all of losing their jobs. They also work in Yuppieville Bergen County, NJ which already had high performing schools until the feds came along and f#$ked everything up with NCLB.
And also, the name, "No Child Left Behind" is gay as hell.
It's not a Constitutional Amendment.
NCLB is one of the most NON-conservative things Bush has done.
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