Is The Conservative Movement DEAD?

3/2102 | AntiDemoCommie

[antidemocommie]

From:

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Conservatism is Dead

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By Chuck Baldwin

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The Covenant News ~ March 2, 2001

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Bill Clinton did more than destroy America's moral conscience; he destroyed the conservative movement. What passes for conservatism today isn't even closely related to the true meaning of the term.

At one time conservatism stood for limited government and personal freedom. No more. Today, conservatism stands for an ever increasing, ever encroaching federal monstrosity, promoted in the name of bipartisanship and compassion. Nothing illustrates this reality more than President Bush's proposed budget.

Hailed by Republicans everywhere as a model of conservative ideology, the Bush budget actually inflates federal spending to just under $2 trillion. If this trends continues throughout Bush's presidency (and it will), federal spending will more than double what it was when Republicans took control of Congress back in 1995. And we are supposed to believe that these people are conservatives?

Bush began his speech before Congress by giving himself away. He said, "Tonight I challenge and invite Congress to work with me to solve the problems of our people."

Genuine conservatives knew at that very moment that Bush was not one of them. Requisite to conservative understanding is that government is not the solution to our problems. Just the opposite is true: government encroachment only serves to exacerbate a problem. To quote Ronald Reagan, "Government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem."

Today's "conservatives" have forgotten Reagan's sagacious instructions. Just like Democrats, Republicans now believe that our nation's problems can be fixed by throwing more federal tax dollars at them.

Instead of dismantling the federal Department of Education (which Republicans promised to do back in 1994), Bush's budget increases expenditures by more than $5 billion. Welfare and other entitlement programs are increased by over $81 billion. The Bush budget also more than doubles expenditures for the National Institutes of Health.

Have conservatives forgotten that it is through the NIH that pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood receive tax dollars? If Bush were truly pro-life, he would insist that such organizations be eliminated from the federal budget. Instead, the Bush budget insures that these left wing, extremist groups will receive even more funds from the public treasury.

Bush's desire to reduce the tax burden is commendable, but it misses the major component of conservatism, which is reducing the size and scope of the federal government. The Bush budget gives us more IRS, more ATF, more FBI, more NEA, more welfare, more socialized medicine, ad infinitum, ad naseum.

If Republicans want to continue to take our country down the road to bigger and bigger government, that's one thing, but they should at least be honest enough to stop calling themselves conservatives.

Chuck Baldwin

PETER HITCHENS ON FREEDOM AND MORALITY

"God-fearing man enters politics knowing that much of modern political thought is bunkum - that power is the opposite of love, that men are not created equal, even if they are equal before God, and that the earthly pursuit of happiness is likely to end with a kick in the teeth.

"He knows that society is not perfectible and that small and modest improvement is wise. He knows that, in the long run, we are NOT all dead. He knows that an action can have consequences far distant in time and place, and unintended as well.

"Lord Hailsham one said, quite rightly in my view, that it was absurd for any faction or party to claim it was closer to the gospel to any other. The Holy Ghost, as he put it, moves some men to be socialists and others to be Tories, some even to be Trotskyists.

"I would go further. It would be absurd for any of us to imagine that politics, in its current form, is anything other than a threat and a rival to religion. We should go into it, and affect it, only to reduce its influence and return to people the choice between good and evil that they alone can make."

[#3Fan]

If Conservatives were filled with hand-wringers like the author, it would've been dead a long time ago. LOL

The fight against liberalism is a long tedious war. Things don't go 100% right all the time.

[#3Fan]

Conservatives=Conservatism

[Cultural Jihad]

An unattributed, unhyperlinked post? Try to exercise more personal responsibility in the future, O leftist.

[antidemocommie]

"Things don't go 100% right all the time."

Since Ronald Reagan, not nearly enough things have gone Right for Conservatives.

[NittanyLion]

Maybe your browser's broken. I can see that Chuck Baldwin wrote the article, and it's from the Covenant News on March 2, 2001. All that info is right at the top of the article.

[#3Fan]

Since Ronald Reagan, not nearly enough things have gone Right for Conservatives.

Government expanded during the Reagan administration. Abortion didn't end during the Reagan administration. Illegal immigration didn't end during the Reagan administration. Public schools didn't improve during the Reagan administration. Are you willing to say Conservatism died in 1980?

[VRWC_minion]

Ok lets cut the 100 extra billion for defense, sounds reasonable to me. The military doesn't need weapons or paychecks do they ?

[Cultural Jihad]

"Covenant News" doesn't tell me much of anything. For all we know it could have originated at www.ideologue-vanity-websites.com/~baldywin/mindless-rant.html.

[LarryLied]

Remember when?

103rd Congress
In session during 1993-1995 under the Democratic administration of President Clinton

Senate
Republicans: 43
Democrats: 57

House
Republicans: 176
Democrats: 258
Independents: 1

We were all going to see nice government doctors, guns would be banned, kids would return to government schools and we would live happily ever after...

[NittanyLion]

Nope. It originated at www.covenantnews.com.

[Thane_Banquo]

Since Ronald Reagan, not nearly enough things have gone Right for Conservatives.

Even Reagan did things some conservatives didn't like. People critical of Bush's amnesty for illegal immigrants seem to forget the fact that Reagan did the exact same thing during his presidency.

And as for growing the size and scope of government, Bush shrunk government at its most intrusive point: He passed the largest tax cute since Ronald Reagan's.

[RLK]

Conservatism at one time meant an in depth awareness of the quality of life. That is something that also seems to have become lost. I see a sizable proportion of people on this forum who live like the Clintons or Hugh Hefner of 60s hippies whose minute and strained difference with the Clintons and the countercultural economic political left is a matter of proportion of taxation or dedication to social programs. The direction such people are heading seems to be toward a society, rather a swill, that an advanced aware mind or morality could not survive in with any degree of comfort.

[Cultural Jihad]

Thanks. Now we all know what the address is to independently verify the article, rather than just the unknown and suspicious poster.

[jurisdog]

What passes for conservatism today isn't even closely related to the true meaning of the term.

Very true. At one time conservatism stood for limited government and personal freedom. No more. Today, conservatism stands for an ever increasing, ever encroaching federal monstrosity, promoted in the name of bipartisanship and compassion. Nothing illustrates this reality more than President Bush's proposed budget.

Absolutely true. I personally trace this sad state of affairs back to the Gingrich lead Congress wherein he and the Republicans argued "Oh look its not that bad we grow the government at 7percent instead of 11percent." What a joke.

Hailed by Republicans everywhere as a model of conservative ideology, the Bush budget actually inflates federal spending to just under $2 trillion. If this trends continues throughout Bush's presidency (and it will), federal spending will more than double what it was when Republicans took control of Congress back in 1995. And we are supposed to believe that these people are conservatives?

Absolutely true. Radical conservatism today seems to be limited to slowing the growth in government, instead of reversing it. Most conservatives in politics are total cowards.

Bush began his speech before Congress by giving himself away. He said, "Tonight I challenge and invite Congress to work with me to solve the problems of our people." Genuine conservatives knew at that very moment that Bush was not one of them. Requisite to conservative understanding is that government is not the solution to our problems. Just the opposite is true: government encroachment only serves to exacerbate a problem. To quote Ronald Reagan, "Government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem."

That is basically exactly what I thought when I heard that.

Today's "conservatives" have forgotten Reagan's sagacious instructions. Just like Democrats, Republicans now believe that our nation's problems can be fixed by throwing more federal tax dollars at them.

Well to be fair, Republicans are content to throw 7percent growth at the problems instead of 11percent, when in actuality, the entire batch of non-essential programs and federal entitlements should be eliminated.

Instead of dismantling the federal Department of Education (which Republicans promised to do back in 1994), Bush's budget increases expenditures by more than $5 billion. Welfare and other entitlement programs are increased by over $81 billion. The Bush budget also more than doubles expenditures for the National Institutes of Health.

Go Go Compassionate Conservatism. What is Conservatism without the will to cut the federal government in half? Moralism. Today's Republicans are basically Democrats who spend a fraction less of our money.

Have conservatives forgotten that it is through the NIH that pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood receive tax dollars? If Bush were truly pro-life, he would insist that such organizations be eliminated from the federal budget. Instead, the Bush budget insures that these left wing, extremist groups will receive even more funds from the public treasury.

He doesn't have the courage to do it, because Republicans are scared to death of the media assault.

Bush's desire to reduce the tax burden is commendable, but it misses the major component of conservatism, which is reducing the size and scope of the federal government. The Bush budget gives us more IRS, more ATF, more FBI, more NEA, more welfare, more socialized medicine, ad infinitum, ad naseum.

Yep.

If Republicans want to continue to take our country down the road to bigger and bigger government, that's one thing, but they should at least be honest enough to stop calling themselves conservatives.

100% true.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

The Holy Ghost, as he put it, moves some men to be socialists and others to be Tories, some even to be Trotskyists.

Here is a perfect example of why those of us who look to God and not to man for wisdom do so. The Holy Ghost never moves anyone to reject Christ and choose hell. Rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord is a major requirement of the adherents of Socialism and Communism.

God (aka the "Holy Spirit") provides a way of salvation then creates man with the free will to accept it or reject it. The assinine statement quoted above is proof enough that the religon of Socialism should be punishable by death. This is what our kids are being indoctrinated with in the government run schools of America!

[NMC EXP]

If Conservatives were filled with hand-wringers like the author, it would've been dead a long time ago. LOL

Conservatism is not dead. It has been replaced by the republican party and it's minions. The republican definition of happiness is being led further into bigger government, higher taxes and less liberty by someone with an 'r' attached to their name.

Their definition of misery is the same outcome if the leaders have a 'd' attached to their name.

Regards

J.R.

[jurisdog]

Thanks. Now we all know what the address is to independently verify the article, rather than just the unknown and suspicious poster.

Why is it that every time we get a real conservative here, who is criticizing the party for true problems, there are so many people who refer to them in such terms as "suspicious" etc?

LOL, I remember when I broke the news about the manual recount on these forums, and I was attacked and insulted from head to toe by board "regulars" simply because I was newly registered. Meanwhile, 6 hours later when it was all over the headlines and nation, not one of them came back to apologize.

Don't be scared of the truth.

[jimkress]

Bump!