Posted on 11/08/2002 1:17:16 AM PST by Timesink
Edited on 04/23/2004 12:05:01 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Can the Democrats find a purpose?
Friday, November 8, 2002 12:01 a.m.
Every party has a reason for being. The Republican Party was formed in the mid-19th century to achieve a specific historical goal: the end of slavery. From there it became the party of Lincoln, the party that saved the Republic and, ultimately, the party that gave a natural home to those who felt enslaved by big government, high taxes, big regulation.
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The last time she showed up there she was smiling and laughing and clapping at Paul Wellstone's memorial pep rally, and hobknobbing happily with other corrupt Democrat dinosaurs.
The Clintons deserted Arkansas and the little guy for big city lights and power, and the little guys will eventually figure this out.
Every party has a reason for being. The Republican Party was formed in the mid-19th century to achieve a specific historical goal: the end of slavery. From there it became the party of Lincoln, the party that saved the Republic and, ultimately, the party that gave a natural home to those who felt enslaved by big government, high taxes, big regulation.
Though the abolition of slavery was indeed one of its primary goals, the early Republican Party was not the anti-statist jewel Miss Noonan makes it out to be. In fact, that's a rather recent development -- about the time of Warren Harding.
Up to the 1896 Presidential election, the Republican Party was the more statist of the two major parties. Its platform included high tariffs, Prohibition, massive "internal improvements" (i.e., public works projects), and deliberate inflation through a monopoly central bank. Its overall orientation was toward regimentation of the citizenry and a pro-regulation, proto-fascist attitude toward domestic business, which essentially incorporated the largest industrialists and rail barons in the ruling fold. (Regulation was seen as a tool by which to assist the largest companies in warding off competition, then as now.)
The 1896 capture of the Democratic Party away from the libertarian Grover Cleveland faction by the Jennings Bryan Progressive wing caused a mass migration of liberty-oriented Cleveland Democrats to the GOP. To accommodate them, the GOP dropped its inflationism and embraced the gold standard (a Cleveland priority), muted its emphasis on public works projects, and dropped Prohibition from its agenda as well. This made it into the embryo of the modern Republican Party, in which emphasis on personal liberty and low taxes are married somewhat uneasily to a degree of indulgence toward large domestic corporations. (The Democratic Party simply became more and more statist, as the Progressives were displaced by American Socialists under the influence of John Dewey.)
All of this is summarized in a brief but incisive history of the late 19th Century that Ron Paul included in his book The Case For Gold. Paul Johnson also covers some of it, and the developments that proceeded from it, in his 20th Century history Modern Times.
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com
Until then, I hope they continue losing--so America can be blessed.
I thought Bill Clinton was the Anti-Christ! Heh heh :-)
The whole party is going to become Lesbians!
How will anyone be able to see Hillary! as the new face of the Democrat party - if her face is shoved in some woman's ......., oh- never mind.
Semper Fi
Tell me, why does this CONTINUE to be LOST on black people today? The Repub. party is and has been looked at by them as their worst enemy, rather than the over century-long "helper" toward their equality? They keep voting RAT, who do nothing but USE THEM. And those blacks who do "see the light" and leave the Rats are persecuted and openly humiliated by the Rats (i.e., Powell, Condi....there are others).
Even their self-appointed "black leader," Klintoon, had appointed no blacks in his cabinet; instead, he surrounds himself by people of color only when a camera is present.
This reminds me of his always holding a Bible in front of cameras on Sunday, but a lying, raping, deceiving, coke-head 24/7. But Christians didn't fall for this display. We could plainly SEE he exhibits no admirable qualities whatsoever much less those which Christ requires of His people.
Not that Ann Coulter figures into this equation.
The thing that Peggy Noonan did not mention was that the Dems HAVE to move left because, contrary to what she wrote, the extremists DO have someplace they can go. They can go Independent or Green. Just as the Libertarian vote could have saved Thune, Nader halted Gore in Florida. Clinton knew that the Democrat party is like a European coalition of environmentalists (incl. anti-gun, anti-smoking), gays, teachers, NAACP, and NOW, funded by unions and trial lawyers. [The native Americans tried to get into this minority mix when they attempted to "buy" their lands back from Clinton while he was Prez.] These aren't "little guys" but organized movements with big budgets. Without this odd marriage of special interest groups, they have no real base. Every platform has to have something for everyone of them and that spells more spending, regulation, litigation, and big government. So...
The Dems DO have a message and over-taxed citizens are tired of losing their jobs to lesser-qualified "minorities" (even if you are in a minority, there is always another minority more fashionable); finding out their kids can't add; following "Simon Says" rules regarding where they can't hike, smoke, or fish; and, watching judges let criminals off, award rug-burn victims millions of dollars, and re-write the Pledge.
Mondale revealed the Democrat mission in 1984---"We're going to tax their a**es off!" That has been their mantra and raison d'etre since 1932. Unless there is a large economic base producing enough taxes to please the special interest "beggers" (or if the special interests members increase their voting populations faster than the economy grows, which could happen), they will be the minority party for awhile.
LOL! Loved this line...
My alltime favorite paragraph!!!
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