Posted on 01/08/2014 4:52:09 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
There are moments in American political history when dissatisfaction with the old order and suspicion—even fear—of its ways presents the opportunity for monumental change.
It happened in 1932 as the nation sank into Depression and voted out the “business of America is business” crowd, installing a leftist plutocrat in the White House instead.
It happened in 1980 when high taxes and inept leadership demanded a steady hand committed to unfettering American entrepreneurship.
And in 2016, it can happen again—as long as Republicans nominate an ideological conservative, ideally with a good dose of charisma—someone who can vividly explain conservative principles to a public that is ready to hear all about it. Ready, because with Obamacare, the left has finally gone too far, and exposed the unworkability and injustice of its program.
Liberals believe their ideology has been vindicated after having finally realized the dream of universal health care under President Barack Obama. But they are like Napoleon in Moscow, sitting atop imaginary spoils while enjoying the mirage of victory. If Republicans do the right thing, they can send their adversaries limping back to Paris, picking off remnants of the defeated battalions along the way.
Obamacare is not just going to be a failure. It will be a grotesque carcass fit for exhibition in a political museum of morbid curiosities, elucidating every single fault that lies with liberalism. It contains every hallmark of failed liberal programs.
Obamacare is an unaffordable government expenditure whose costs will run amok as time progresses; it’s a grand scheme concocted by our intellectual superiors who know what’s best for us but unfortunately can’t quite make the pieces of their intricate creation fit together; it’s a wealth redistribution scheme that reaches even into the pockets of the middle class; it replaces the efficiency of the market with the plodding redundancies of government; it puts determinations about our fates in the merciless hands of government bureaucrats; it coerces individuals to act against their interests and desires; it inflicts collateral damage on businesses large and small and reduces hiring; its regulations, fees and new taxes raise costs for most consumers; it ultimately will harm even those it was designed to help by increasing dependency and destroying the practice of medicine in this country.
As Americans recoil in horror over the next few years, they will simultaneously behold the untenable expansion of the nation’s debt, the looming peril of bankruptcy for Medicare and Social Security and the failure of the economy to expand robustly.
It will be, for Republicans, a most perfect storm.
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Keith Koffler, who covered the White House as a reporter for CongressDaily and Roll Call, is editor of the website White House Dossier.
What we have here, is a reasonable disagreement.
:D
Fair enough.
Cruz is the man of the moment for me. Hope he stays strong.
I have to agree, sadly
I meant for all positions, not just the Presidential one. We MIGHT get 3-4 nationally
Lots of moderate Republicans win the Whitehouse; Eisenhower, Nixon, both George Bushes... Am I forgetting anyone?
Ted or Rand either one okay with me.
Politico again — that’s what I think about it; more about the author:
Koffler gives readers a taste of his alternative writing: “Now that Obama has a record as president, chroniclers of the White House, including me, will soon be offering up the usual dumb analysis about how the president compares to this or that sublime or scumbag predecessor,” he writes. In this launch piece, he compares First Lady Michelle Obama to Nancy Reagan: “Nancy had her ‘Just Say No’ campaign, and of course she got all sorts of crap for it. …And now there’s Michelle Obama with her Just Say No to Sitting Your Fat Asses on the Couch campaign, also known as the Let’s Move initiative. The effort also promotes health eating.”
One of the site’s categories honors VP Biden...
Hopefully, RINO Christie will get fatally skewered by his latest games.
LOL!Bush 2 ran as a CONSERVATIVE!He sure enough promoted that for years here in Texas but as soon as he got elected what happened?The jerk became a moderate and lost tons of respect via bending over.
With leftovers for dinner ! Anybody who thinks the Pubs are going to make much of a change is delusional . Beyond redemption . R vs D = the old WWF lol !
With leftovers for dinner ! Anybody who thinks the Pubs are going to make much of a change is delusional . Beyond redemption . R vs D = the old WWF lol !
Dream on if you think Cruz or Palin will get into the mix because the press will chew them up along with the democrats.Be lucky if Americans end up with a Rand Paul in 2016 and not some idiot like christie from New Jersey just like Mitt the twitt from Boston that tanked like the Titanic.Moderate republicans will never win.
No, he didn't. He ran as a sober, principled adult --in stark contrast to 8 years of BJ Clinton and his shenanigans, and still managed to lose the popular votes.
Don’t try to BS a Texan,he ran as a CONSERVATIVE and always represented himself as that in Texas and America.
Oh, yeah, "compassionate conservatism," campaigns in Spanish. Whatever you say. There were plenty of real conservatives less than thrilled when W. got the nomination. Turned out their concerns were well-founded as he certainly didn't govern as a conservative.
My point is that people who say moderates always lose and conservatives always win only need to look at history to see that this is hardly the case. In my 45 years, the only conservative we've had in the White House has been Reagan (as long as one conveniently disregards some of the less-than-conservative laws he signed as President).
Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see a conservative win the Presidency. I'm just not delusional enough to believe that the same electorate that sent Obama to the White House twice are going to do a 180 and put someone like Ted Cruz there.
That’s what my post was all about to begin with.
1. Cruz will run and will win the nomination.
2. Palin will help immensely, but will neither run, nor be a part of the ticket.
3. Cruz will select a RINO for his running mate (like Reagan did) in order to unify the GOP.
4. He wins in a landslide repudiation of Bammyism, GOP has house and senate; Palin gets back into the political game as a top member of his cabinet.
5. He is immensely successful right from the beginning, particularly with her help as she positions her way into the hearts of Americans when the talent and gifts she possesses shine once again.
A man can dream, yes? Good night.
No, you said a moderate Republican could never win the White House and I said that plenty of moderate Republicans have won the White House. As far as I can tell, the only conservative Republican who has ever won the White House was Reagan.
Of course, plenty of moderate Republicans have lost the White House. No argument there. I don't know how many conservative Republicans have lost because it seems we rarely ever nominate one. Maybe Goldwater (but by today's standards he'd be a solid Libertarian).
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