Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

If GOP establishment picks Jeb Bush for 2016, conservatives should bolt for another party
Absolute Rights ^ | 12/26/2014 | Jon E Dougherty

Posted on 12/26/2014 7:20:12 AM PST by SleeperCatcher

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 161-180181-200201-220221-223 next last
To: certrtwngnut

True. I think most here would vote for Col. West in a heartbeat, but he has drifted out of the limelight.


201 posted on 12/27/2014 11:48:05 AM PST by SgtHooper (Anyone who remembers the 60's, wasn't there!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 170 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

You are only then speaking of the lesser of three evils. Because you will never find an evil-free zone on this earth, never ever ever.


202 posted on 12/27/2014 12:03:11 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

But I believe you and many others mischaracterize by saying “lesser of N evils” where N is whatever is handy at the point.

The only non-evil to be had in this world is God. All else is mixed. Perhaps the only virtuous thing is to abandon the political sphere, if we have scruples to that extent. Because the alternative will be to find that our hero, yes even a second coming of Ronald Reagan, has authentically clay feet.


203 posted on 12/27/2014 12:05:38 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

What I truly mean to say, is that we need to grow our virtue in place. Which means if we have difficult, rocky ground that has to be heavily worked in order to grow it, that is still better than trying to grow it in sizzling hot cast iron. The alternative is to let the possible venues both be.


204 posted on 12/27/2014 12:08:37 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

It’s that pestilential Constitution (I say with tongue in cheek) that has engineered out the viability of third parties on the national level with its electoral college system. If America had a political system that looked like Israel with its coalition governments, there would be more to work with. But as it is, the GOP is the better of the two practical grounds to plow. Maybe a constitutional convention could try to adjust this situation.


205 posted on 12/27/2014 12:13:03 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck
The only non-evil to be had in this world is God. All else is mixed.

This is true.

Perhaps the only virtuous thing is to abandon the political sphere, if we have scruples to that extent. Because the alternative will be to find that our hero, yes even a second coming of Ronald Reagan, has authentically clay feet.

This is false — it smacks of the I'll never be perfectly righteous, so I just won't try and if I don't try, I can't fail ideas.*
Or, to put it back into the political sphere, it would be like saying that because there's always going to be some corruption in government there should be no punishment for corruption and we should all just accept it.

But I believe you and many others mischaracterize by saying “lesser of N evils” where N is whatever is handy at the point.

The lesser of two evils is essentially a rephrasing Morton's Fork which says:
a man living modestly must be saving money and could therefore afford taxes, whereas if he was living extravagantly then he was obviously rich and could still afford them.

Similarly, the lesser of two evils is clearly shown when Obama and Romney were presented as the only choices in 2012 — both are socialists, statists, and would do nothing to advance liberty. People pushed Romney because "he's not as bad as Obama", but they conveniently left out that standing alone there was nothing to vote for.

Does that mean that there's nobody that I'd vote for? Or that I encourage people to wait for the perfect candidate? No!
Rather, I believe that there are people who can, and will, lead rightly (not perfectly, but that's ok) and it is those we should vote for rather than the mere not as bad as… that predicates the lesser of two evils-argument.


* — I find it interesting that in the Parable of the Talents there's no servant who, trying to the best of his ability, loses the money — say, something like purchases a lot of goods, sending them on a caravan to be sold in a distant which is then taken by marauders [ala Job]. The wicked servant is the one who buries the money and doesn't use it.
206 posted on 12/27/2014 12:38:05 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 203 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

You do not provide any basis for a threshold... that is the problem here.

It sounds like an astounding ingratitude for what is left of God’s grace. What if the Democrats became like Pol Pot and the Republicans like Stalin? Because you all sat it out?


207 posted on 12/27/2014 12:41:35 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 206 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

Conservatives vote to make a point.

Liberals vote to win.


208 posted on 12/27/2014 12:43:35 PM PST by Ted Grant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 207 | View Replies]

To: SleeperCatcher
Bush or Clinton....


209 posted on 12/27/2014 12:47:48 PM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck
You do not provide any basis for a threshold... that is the problem here.

Why?
Is it wrong to assume that man is an intelligent moral creature capable of making (and ultimately responsible for) his own choices?

It sounds like an astounding ingratitude for what is left of God’s grace. What if the Democrats became like Pol Pot and the Republicans like Stalin? Because you all sat it out?

Who is advocating sitting out? Where are you getting that?
I'm certainly not saying anything of the sort! In fact I'm arguing that people shouldn't sit it out.

210 posted on 12/27/2014 1:01:32 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 207 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck
What I truly mean to say, is that we need to grow our virtue in place. Which means if we have difficult, rocky ground that has to be heavily worked in order to grow it, that is still better than trying to grow it in sizzling hot cast iron. The alternative is to let the possible venues both be.

Well, except for the fact that it's not a field, but a collection of men sent to represent citizens (or states).
You can't easily switch out your ground (it involves buying, selling and moving applicable equipment [as well as losing what work and emotional investment the land had]) — but you can, and do, with stewards: those commissioned to do your will are ultimately accountable to you.

I agree that virtue needs to be grown; I disagree that the party deserves the sort of loyalty you're implicitly relying upon to argue that the soil needs heavily worked.

211 posted on 12/27/2014 1:06:24 PM PST by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 204 | View Replies]

To: EternalVigilance

I’m glad that you got that ballot line. Will you run for any office in 2016?

According to www.politics1.com, these people are at least considering running for president for the Constitution Party:

Darryl Castle (Tennessee)
Betsy Elgar (Washington)
Former Congressman Virgil Goode (Virginia)
Jim Hayden (Tennessee)


212 posted on 12/27/2014 2:27:55 PM PST by PhilCollins
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 193 | View Replies]

To: OneWingedShark

It needs dedication and any loyalty is a secondary side effect of loyalty to God.

You are quibbling about metaphors having every reason to know very well what is intended AND that it is valid!


213 posted on 12/27/2014 2:28:39 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 211 | View Replies]

To: PhilCollins

I don’t know yet.


214 posted on 12/27/2014 7:14:55 PM PST by EternalVigilance
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 212 | View Replies]

To: PhilCollins; All

Interesting tidbit of information/strategy. When Virgil Goode was having petitions signed with the Constitution Party, they worked cooperatively with the Independent Green Party by collecting signatures at the same time for both parties by circulators of either party.


215 posted on 12/28/2014 1:30:59 AM PST by gleeaikin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 212 | View Replies]

To: FR_addict

I think you are right about GOP. Helping to cost his seat. Still, you must overcome. I met a conservativecongressman from IL, Aaron Shock, who as a state rep won his district with 60% even though it was a majority Dem and 40% black district. It can be done.


216 posted on 12/28/2014 4:47:35 AM PST by LS ('Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually.' Hendrix)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 197 | View Replies]

To: itsahoot

“We want to be the party of yes!”

Join the Curmudgeon Party, the party of “This is Bullshit.”


217 posted on 12/29/2014 10:17:44 AM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 151 | View Replies]

To: matthew fuller

“However, if you start with the Libertarian Party, and merge all of the various Tea Party organizations in to it”

Sorry, the libertarians want to force the legitimization of things I oppose to the death.


218 posted on 12/29/2014 10:19:22 AM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: dsc
Join the Curmudgeon Party, the party of “This is Bullshit.”

Where do I sign?

219 posted on 12/29/2014 10:22:48 AM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 217 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

“Where do I sign?”

I do get a good response to that whenever I bring it up.

Maybe I should print some bumper stickers and hold a meeting.


220 posted on 12/29/2014 10:28:51 AM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 219 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 161-180181-200201-220221-223 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson