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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: metesky

“1941”... Belushi?

LLS


21 posted on 05/17/2008 3:37:23 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Could I ever vote for mcstain? NOT if jerk-face keeps running his liberal mouth!!!)
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To: AlexW

What country is that? I can’ think of one on this planet that isn’t PC except maybe Australia.


22 posted on 05/17/2008 3:40:17 AM PDT by Radl
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To: RedWhitetAndBlue

Exactly, Conservatism is nowhere near finished because our ideas are Mainstream America’s Ideas, what does happen is Clarity is lost and others shoe horn themselves into the picture.

Pablum such as “Big Government Conservatism” a DC creation by any metric, has suctioned itself to our movement, a few years of the coming Dhimmi Nirvana, coupled with our ideas being sharpened due to that, and we will re-emerge.


23 posted on 05/17/2008 3:47:22 AM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ Isaiah 3.3/Cry havoc and let slip the RINOS)
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To: bilhosty

“We” have no credibility? No, the current crop of political whores and liberals running the GOP have no credibility.

Personally, I’m done with those leftits. I’m looking for a new political organization to join, one who will represent the conservative movement. The GOP ain’t it.


24 posted on 05/17/2008 3:47:31 AM PDT by ovrtaxt (This election is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if McCain wins, were still retarded.)
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To: ovrtaxt

“liberals running the GOP”

I don’t think they are liberal I view them as back stabber republican’s. they certainly would not fit in at the Daly Kos.


25 posted on 05/17/2008 3:53:46 AM PDT by bilhosty
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To: MartinaMisc

Tucker’s substantially right about conservatism’s current sickly condition; wrong about the complete and utter hopelessness of it all forever and ever, in perpetuity.

The self-indulgent, let’s-all-go-eat-worms tone of this defeatist piece is nothing new. The world is full of such people whose primary talent is pointing out futility. Half the battle is getting them to move out of the way.


26 posted on 05/17/2008 3:54:00 AM PDT by Eroteme
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To: spatso

“...If this is our icon we will be in the wilderness for a long time.”

Having a need for icons is something people should learn to grow out of. “Mama, don’t let your baby’s grow up to be icons...”


27 posted on 05/17/2008 3:54:30 AM PDT by equaviator ("There's a plane on the horizon coming in...see it?")
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To: padre35
The current conservative movement is suffering because it lacks a true leader in the mold of Goldwater or Reagan. Someday another will emerge.

Conservatism will never die. It's philosophy is grounded in history going all the way back to the Old Testament. It's roots crawl thoughout history and a bunch of American hating nihilists are not going to destroy it.

28 posted on 05/17/2008 3:57:55 AM PDT by Russ
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To: MartinaMisc

When will the libertarian movement start?


29 posted on 05/17/2008 4:04:12 AM PDT by Impy (Obama, you are stupid and I don't like you.)
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To: LibLieSlayer

Belushi - Animal House


30 posted on 05/17/2008 4:04:41 AM PDT by metesky ("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
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To: bilhosty

If you compare them to the raging nutcases at Daily Kos, of course they’re going to look less liberal.

We’ve had the line of scrimmage moved ever leftward for decades now. We’re reduced to defending the Bush tax cuts, (a pittance!) when we should be talking about eliminating the IRS. We sit around and defend NCLB, when the government shouldn’t even be a participant in education!

See my point? The GOP is the Dem party of the 70s. In 20 years, will Republicans sound like the Daily Kos bolsheviks of today?

No thanks, include me out. I WANT SMALL GOVERNMENT.


31 posted on 05/17/2008 4:06:17 AM PDT by ovrtaxt (This election is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if McCain wins, were still retarded.)
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To: MartinaMisc

You know, I wonder where we’d be if people like Bill Buckley and Barry Goldwater and the others, after the ‘64 election, said, “Nice run, but I guess it’s over.” Or if Ronald Reagan, after that near-miss in ‘76 (setting up a presidential succession of Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter) said, “Well, we haven’t had a conservative president in over twelve years. We’re never going to see one again. Guess I’d better hang it up.” Thank God they didn’t. Thank God that attitude apparently was apparently never even in Reagan’s vocabulary. Frankly, the biggest problem in the conservative movement right now is that we need far less of Mr. Tucker’s attitude and far more of Mr. Reagan’s.


32 posted on 05/17/2008 4:08:33 AM PDT by RichInOC ("You ain't seen NOTHING yet.")
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To: MartinaMisc

I don’t care how you spin it... GWB ain’t no conservative, no way, no how.


33 posted on 05/17/2008 4:15:24 AM PDT by DoingTheFrenchMistake
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To: ovrtaxt

The GOP is the Dem party of the 70s. In 20 years, will Republicans sound like the Daily Kos bolsheviks of today?

Meanwhile, the Dems are running conservative candidates where they have to. If we forced the GOP to run conservatives by not accepting less we could still make incremental gains.


34 posted on 05/17/2008 4:24:21 AM PDT by freedomfiter2 (It's too bad I've already promised myself to never vote for McCain.)
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To: SUSSA
"Mr. Tucker’s column is spot on except he is much too kind to the Bush’s. He doesn’t give them near enough of the credit they deserve for killing the conservative movement."


I agree, ideologically they are every bit as bad as McCain, maybe worse. A lot of conservatives give them a pass because of their likability.
35 posted on 05/17/2008 4:35:37 AM PDT by rob777 (Personal Responsibility is the Price of Freedom)
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To: Radl
“What country is that? I can’ think of one on this planet that isn’t PC except maybe Australia.”

I am in Slovakia...No PC crap here... On top of that, I see more beautiful girls in one hour then I see in one year back in the US :P Great living here.

36 posted on 05/17/2008 4:38:30 AM PDT by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia. Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
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To: MartinaMisc
"If McCain wins, the Republican Party will officially return to its pre-1980 status as a home of “moderate Republicanism”, and conservatives will be frozen out."


Will??? Too late, it already has. This happened with the election of Bush Sr. and was temporsaryily interrupted by the 1994 elections, only to return with a vengeance after the election of GW.
37 posted on 05/17/2008 4:39:59 AM PDT by rob777 (Personal Responsibility is the Price of Freedom)
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To: AlexW

I was in Israel a few years back and could not believe how many beautiful women were walking around in uniform. There were ten’s everywhere. No wonder the Jewish guys want to go back to Israel.


38 posted on 05/17/2008 4:43:24 AM PDT by Radl
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To: bilhosty
“W. did to the Republican revolution of ‘94 what his father did to the Reagan revolution.”

There is plenty of blame to go around within the Republican party for sure. Once the Newt led take-over of Congress was accomplished in 94, the Republicans began almost immediately to squander their opportunity to install private sector solutions to this countries problems such an affordable form of health care. Personally,I think this is going to be the issue that puts Obama over the top in the upcoming election. We can preach all we want to the Great Unwashed about “look at Canada, Britain, etc” but it won't sell to these folks. They are going to have to live the Saturday Night Emergency Room experience on a routine basis before they really understand what they've been sold. Btw, while watching their legislators continue to utilize the private sector for their medical needs (you don't really believe these people (rich and powerful) are going to stand in line with we “regular folks” while waiting for their medical needs do you? ha, ha, ha, now there's a joke)...

39 posted on 05/17/2008 4:47:47 AM PDT by snoringbear ('Just so to get the terminology correct; it goes like this; the federal government is the Pimp, the)
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To: Russ

Amen Russ! I believe that Conservatism is the natural law of humanity and that once (again) Americans see the perverted sense of governance unveiled by the next Democrat president, they will return to first principles of self determination. I mourn for our country right now, like I mourn for a misguided child. Our culture is acting very immature and we need the adults to act like adults. We must ween our civilization from the corrupt ideals of the 60’s. When that occurs, we stand a better chance of returning to the ideals of greatness and leadership.


40 posted on 05/17/2008 4:51:34 AM PDT by Lowcountry (RIP: Peterdanbrokaw)
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