Today's Republicans might not elect Reagan

McClatchy Washington Bureau ^ | November 30, 2007 | Steven Thomma

[SoConPubbie]

Immigration? He signed the law that Republicans now call amnesty for illegals.

The author also distorts and spins on this as well.

Reagan's immigration law had tough enforcement measures that were never enforced.

Also, Reagan did not have a previous failed Amnesty bill to guage against. I sincerely doubt, given his intelligence and fidelity to principle that if he were President today he would be pushing for the same thing. My guess is that he would now be going for an enforcement only bill.

And since the last time we tried this it did not work, tell me why we would try it again?

[AuntB]

"I am not a critic of those who say they once did a bad thing and are not going to do that anymore," Norquist said in an interview. "A successful political movement accepts converts. The Catholic Church doesn't say, 'If you weren't with us 10 years ago, you can't be with us now.' I am very much in favor of accepting converts."

Right, Grover , Muslim radicals, illegal aliens....this guy is one of the biggest reasons we are in the mess we're in today and yes, he wants unlimited illegal and legal immigration and any rotten trade deal to be had.

[goldstategop]

A pity they don't have much traction. People are looking for someone who is a winner. They go with the strong horse - every time.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Rati0nal1st]

And it would seem that from many of the posts that the USA has taken a turn for the worse under the “Republicanism” of the two Bushes. Perhaps Reagan’s original political perceptions would have been better than the “New Republicanism” of the two Bushes.

[SoConPubbie]

It often forgotten Reagan changed his views. If we demand people who never change their views, heck we wouldn't welcome Ronald Reagan today. He's not "pure enough" to be an authentic conservative.

Noone is going to argue that point, however, what you forgot to talk about is this: Why should we trust somebody's conversion if it is done to win political office?

Rudy, Mitt, and the Huckster have changed their positions in a major way in the last two years just prior to announcing their campaigns for the Presidency.

Tell me again why we should trust these conversions?

[arnoldpalmerfan]

Reagan signed the 1986 amnesty legislation in part because those supporting that amnesty in Congress, including Ted Kennedy, promised there would be no more amnesties. Ted Kennedy lied. Twenty years later he was working with John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Mel Martinez and other Republican senators to give amnesty to twenty to thirty million illegal aliens.

[roses of sharon]

Very apparent, especially after 06 when “macaca” brought down a good Conservative Senator because he received no support, no defense, no push back, only derision as an idiot and lofty derision saying "well, he and his campaign certainly were not handling it very well", lol!

Good grief, Webb was heralded here and in Rightwing media consistently.

And when Conservatives had our stunning victory in 94, they were not defended, but were told "you trying to do to much", "you didn't handle it well", and many lost in 96!

[Cold Heat]

Bad math, as a portion of the tax hike was a one time surcharge.

We have a Constitutionally mandated balanced budget in Arkansas. The legislature, run by Dem's, refused to make the cuts needed to balance it, and thus the tax hike occurred. The Governor cut all he could from the Governors office,(chump change small office with even less power) but could not do anything about the pork, the teacher pay raise and the Medicaid programs.

Since politics is a blood sport here, and the Democrats run the show, they blamed the governor for the tax hike.

BTW, we had a surplus after he left office, and it turned out that the projections done by the Dem's were wrong.

[Sudetenland]

You sir, are dead on.

I loved Ronald Reagan for the good things he did, but he was no Conservative the way the folks around here define it.

He pulled out of Lebanon after the Marine barracks were bombed.

He appointed two moderates (Kennedy and O’Connor) and two conservative (Rhenquist and Scalia) to the Supreme Court. That’s a 50% record partially by pandering to the feminists.

He raised taxes as part of a bargain with Democrats (he should have known by then that Democrats never keep their bargains).

He gave amnesty to illegals (once again after bargaining with Democrats).

He was divorced and had one gay son and one extremely Liberal daughter. He supported gay rights at least to some degree.

The balance...He freed the world from the yoke of Communism and won the “unwinable” Cold War.

Isn’t it amazing that he didn’t receive the Nobel Prize for Peace, but Gorby did? -end sarcasm- Nobel Joke prize!!!

[Mr. Mojo]

1980 and 1984 is not 2008.

No doubt. The country is a lot more liberal now. The days of seeing the GOP candidate win 49 states are long gone, sad to say.

[sauropod]

mark

[jveritas]

I have always believed that if Reagan was President today he will be savagely attacked in each passing hour by some of the “Absolutists” and “Purists” on our side, as much as they are attacking President Bush.

[goldstategop]

No one can say if they're doing it out of conviction or opportunism. Politics is that business that doesn't make any one in it coming out looking good. The rare politician who is truly principled comes along once in a generation. That's why people revere Reagan so much. They don't see any one today who resembles him. Besides a giant oak, we have a field of acorns. The state of the present GOP field.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[napscoordinator]

But what does “pro-life candidate” have to mean? What do you expect a president to do?

Support the life amendment at the very least.

[Balding_Eagle]

Why is that a lie?

The article give a great deal of supporting evidence for that statement.

[TWohlford]

Given a choice between Jimmy Carter and Ron Reagan, you think we’d for for Carter?!?!

Or do you think we’d vote for Bush the Elder, whose conservative credentials were worse, and was part of the blue-blood “moderate” Rockerfeller Republicans?

Stories like this are bure pullsh*t. They don’t put things into historical prospective, and in fact, twist history to “prove” a contemporary point.

[napscoordinator]

The days of seeing the GOP candidate win 49 states are long gone, sad to say.

That can happen again if we pick a conservative President. We have not done that since Reagan. Duncan his second term could do that.

[VictoryGal]

> You might not be recalling the primary season, during which the establishment supported George H.W. Bush, not Reagan. Reagan was more conservative than Bush, but many who considered themselves “conservative” supported Bush because he was more in favor of big government.

I do recall the primary season. It could be that my experience is colored by how Reagan electrified my father (a WWII vet, staunchly pro-freedom, capitalist, patriot, conservative, the best Dad ever :-). He also recognized the GOP insiders then just as he sees them today: as weak from the apologizing (e.g. Nixon aftermath) and ready to sell out their principles for a buck, the Rockefeller mushmouths.

So I don’t consider those that spoke against Reagan at that time as conservatives. I know that Reagan spoke to the best of us all, championed America without apology, freedom... especially from Big Government, which had wrapped its tentacles around all our throats. And he spoke plainly — not in lawyer-speak, codicils, qualifications, mushy triangulation. He said what he meant and he meant what he said.

Reagan changed the game. It was a special and turbulent time. I would give anything to feel that soaring hope again as I did in 1980.

[roses of sharon]

Yes, I notice that Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Tom Tancrado, Ron Paul, all our BEST conservatives running have all been in government serving for decades in the majority and minority, while all your listed sins were being committed.

[Balding_Eagle]

Imagine if Reagan had chosen Cheney as VP.