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Everything Must Go: The American Conservative Movement, 1980-2008
Human Events ^ | 5/17/08 | D. R. Tucker

Posted on 05/17/2008 2:03:48 AM PDT by MartinaMisc

It was fun while it lasted.

The guaranteed election of a non-conservative President on November 4th represents the end of the conservative movement in America. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain stands for Reagan principles in any way, shape, manner or form—and after twenty years of non-conservative Presidents, it’s obvious that the Reagan era will never, ever return.

The conservative movement has been in the hospital for nearly two decades. Once George H. W. Bush—a good, moral man, but not a true conservative—entered the White House, conservative principles slowly but surely began to leave. Yes, he gave us a victory in the Gulf War and Clarence Thomas, but he also gave us a broken no-new-taxes promise and David Souter. Bush was more Rockefeller than Goldwater, during a time when America and the world needed more of the latter and less of the former.

Bill Clinton replaced Bush in 1993 and, during his eight years in office, stole certain conservative concepts (NAFTA, welfare reform) and destroyed others (judicial restraint, the rule of law). Clinton moved the country in a secular direction, helping to make the 1990s as culturally loose as the 1980s were culturally traditional. Clinton also seemed obsessed with, among other things, promoting the notion that the Reagan era was a fluke, and that (despite his famous 1996 claim) big government was a permanent reality.

(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush; clinton; conservatives; mccain; obama
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To: thegreatestgeneration

Your comment is true—if we can accept the premise that conservatism is ruined when one openly advocates its principles.

But this premise is only true of liberalism. For example, leftists wanting to take down Rush Limbaugh (this is as important to leftists as winning the presidency, if not more so) can do no more than hidden attempts to grossly distort Rush’s comments or to connect him to circumstances with which he has no connection.

The vast majority of conservatives want Rush to keep doing what he’s doing. Those who don’t are simply neutral; no normal conservative will be motivated to call for censoring Rush Limbaugh.

Again, liberals must always conceal their true beliefs within a conservative packaging. They must somehow turn anti-American feelings into patriotism and anti-military sentiment into hawkishness. They must make agnosticism seem like “faith and values,” abortion sound like “choice,” and use words like accountability and liberty when they’re really talking about taking power from individuals and giving it to the government

Leftists will never stand up like men and admit their true beliefs. Just look at the latest Democrat wimp, Barack Obama.


141 posted on 05/18/2008 7:48:41 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: reasonisfaith
I don't accept the premise that conservatism is ruined when one openly advocates its principles, I accept the premise when that person is someone like Rush.

I don't like Rush, or Coulter. And I'm a conservative. And yes, there are plenty of us around. This has nothing to do with hating liberals, this has to do with disliking people who take our conservative principles and then proceed to ruin them. This includes W. as well.

When the democraps win in November, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. Honestly. As I have said before, conservatism is dying, and people like Rush, Bush, and Coulter killed it. For this party to have a future in America we need less conservatives like them, and more like Reagan.

142 posted on 05/18/2008 8:14:35 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: MartinaMisc

Actually, there is still one way to salvage this election and elect a true Reagan conservative. It’s a narrow window that is fast closing, but it does still exist.

The course I’m talking about requires, though, that large numbers of people shed their preconceived notions, take their blinders off, and that they get off their butts and actually work and sacrifice to save the country.

Questionable whether they will, because they like their pet notions so much, actually prefer being blinkered, and are lazy. So lazy that they’d rather see the republic fall than to bestir themselves.


143 posted on 05/18/2008 8:18:21 AM PDT by EternalVigilance ("I have a clear record of working with Dems. I will appoint Dems to my administration." -Sen McCain)
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To: thegreatestgeneration

To pin the blame on Rush for something that hasn’t happened is quite a stretch, especially when you can’t even come close to articulating exactly how Rush is responsible for the imagined event (an event nervously hoped for by hysterical liberals).

If you are a liberal in disguise, which I don’t know because there isn’t enough evidence either way yet, you need to be very careful not to reveal your agenda.


144 posted on 05/18/2008 8:26:03 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: reasonisfaith
Liberal in disguise?

No, and frankly I would expect more from someone with a user name like reason is faith.

If you want my personal REASON why I dislike Rush specifically, it was his Michael J Fox comments. My father died of Parkinsons disease, and without getting too personal here, his comments just... I could barely bring myself to listen to him anymore after that. And that's my point - there are thousands more like myself, who dislike him for a plethora of other reasons.

And yes, I am blaming people like Rush for something that hasn't happened yet. And please, don't start with the "is this guy a liberal" witch hunt nonsense. It's attitudes like that which alienate fiscal conservatives such as myself from this party even more.

Bush, Rush and Coulter drive people apart. Reagan did the opposite. If we can't band together, and stop the infighting, then in 20 years, there's not going to be anything left to this party.

145 posted on 05/18/2008 8:41:19 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: thegreatestgeneration; reasonisfaith

You sir, win the inaugural Fuzzy Dunlop Post of the Day.

I tried to say the same thing to reasonisfaith yesterday, but he suggested more of the same essentially, only louder. Oh yeah, and our biggest problem is a media conspiracy to favour Liberals.

Conservatism is in a hole right now - and I see the principles I hold dear (like liberty and accountability - even if RiF thinks they’re code-words for liberalism !!!???) in significant danger because people like Rush, Coulter, Bush, Malkin et al are driving the people we need away.


146 posted on 05/18/2008 9:00:24 AM PDT by fuzzy dunlop
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To: thegreatestgeneration

What about the fact that liberals must always conceal their true beliefs within a conservative packaging?

That smarts, doesn’t it?


147 posted on 05/18/2008 9:14:50 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: fuzzy dunlop
people like Rush, Coulter, Bush, Malkin et al are driving the people we need away.

Exactly, they keep alienating group after group, people after people. Even as far as the immigration issue goes.. Now there is a difference between the huge immigration problem in this country, and racism. We have millions of hispanics in this country who (believe it or not) actually have VERY conservative feelings, ties, morals, judgement, etc... We have managed to completely alienate this humungous group with huge voting potential through people like Rush and his, well, let's be frank, racism.

Now how in the world do we expect to stay in power when we keep alienating group after group? I mean we are in real trouble unless we can win these people back. Our numbers are dying, this is no joke people. Anyone who agrees with me and wants to send me a private message for fear of Reason Is Faith style witch hunt retribution, please do so, and we can have a real, intelligent chat.

148 posted on 05/18/2008 9:15:45 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: fuzzy dunlop; thegreatestgeneration

Conservatism suffers when conservatives don’t act conservative, and it prevails when they do act conservative.

Liberalism wins when liberals act conservative.

Although we have problems now, the above fact foretells ultimate the downfall of liberalism in a society based on open and honest discourse.


149 posted on 05/18/2008 9:16:39 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: reasonisfaith
The problem with your brand of conservatism is that it has to be a fine line with you. Either you are a conservative or not. Well things aren't that simple in the world. All that style of thinking does is alienate people.

I'm guessing you are a small-town conservative. And that is fine by me. But apparently the fact that I am a big-city conservative isn't fine by you. Well that's too bad, because if you could actually humble yourself for a moment you and I might be able to have a pleasant, intelligent discussion about politics.

But apparently, you aren't interested in that.

150 posted on 05/18/2008 9:20:27 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: thegreatestgeneration
As I have said before, conservatism is dying, and people like Rush, Bush, and Coulter killed it. For this party to have a future in America we need less conservatives like them, and more like Reagan.

Reagan said that Rush Limbaugh was the person who had taken the Reagan mantle and would lead the Conservative movement into the future. I heard his say it.

151 posted on 05/18/2008 9:25:04 AM PDT by gitmo (From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.)
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To: thegreatestgeneration

The meaning of conservatism doesn’t change. Conservative leaders need only to act conservative and to do so openly, sincerely and with the guts to withstand the cowardly liberal backlash.


152 posted on 05/18/2008 9:25:53 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: fuzzy dunlop

“like liberty and accountability - even if RiF thinks they’re code-words for liberalism !!!???”

I’m happy to clarify my comments for you.

Liberal politicians use words like liberty and accountability because they know most Americans support conservative values, meanwhile these politicians are scheming to take away individual liberty while growing the illegitimate power of government.


153 posted on 05/18/2008 9:27:51 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: gitmo

“Reagan said that Rush Limbaugh was the person who had taken the Reagan mantle and would lead the Conservative movement into the future. I heard his say it.”

To the Rush critics, chew on this for a while.


154 posted on 05/18/2008 9:31:09 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: angkor

Newt has joined the Global Warming Algore crowd. That is troublesome. But I still like the guy.


155 posted on 05/18/2008 9:32:48 AM PDT by gitmo (From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.)
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To: reasonisfaith
I agree, which is why Bush's ridiculous spending habits have driven fiscal conservatives like us insane.

What good is being a conservative if you aren't going to act like one?

156 posted on 05/18/2008 9:33:27 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: AndyJackson
The other one I don't get is the venal hatred of Ron Paul, who got a lot of money and has gotten a lot of votes and has a best-selling book. Now I realise that many conservatives look upon libertarians as whacko's and worse enemies than Marxists, but this is part of the hillbilly mentality. For the most part libertarians merely want to get the government back into the constitutional box where it belongs.

Being ignorant about Ron Paul, I went to a few RP websites and to a rally. The place and the websites were crawling with neo-Nazis and skinheads and white supremists. I don't know why these types swarm around Ron Paul but I decided I didn't want to associate with that crowd.

157 posted on 05/18/2008 9:36:38 AM PDT by gitmo (From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.)
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To: gitmo

Sure, I believe that. However if Reagan was alive today, I’m sure he would have a few things to discuss with Mr. Limbaugh. The first of course being stem cells. Reagan was a uniter. A leader. Human beings like Rush will never be true leaders when they keep alienating people one by one.


158 posted on 05/18/2008 9:37:52 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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To: thegreatestgeneration

No true conservative ever thought Bush was a conservative.


159 posted on 05/18/2008 9:38:07 AM PDT by reasonisfaith (Of foolishness and evil intent only one can take the lead, and socialists have no other choices.)
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To: reasonisfaith
I certainly hope not, because he isn't.

But this man has been President for eight years. He is officially the face of conservatism to the liberals, and to the rest of the world. What do you think that does to our party? It tarnishes our reputation, and Rush/Coulter do the same thing.

160 posted on 05/18/2008 9:41:07 AM PDT by thegreatestgeneration (Hillary discussing guns is like Britney Spears discussing quantum physics.)
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