Is Free Republic too "Republican?"

Is Free Republic too "Republican?" I've been receiving a lot of complaints lately that FR is not really conservative, it's Republican. Is that a bad thing?

When I started FR (see the wayback machine) I don't think I even used the labels conservative or Republican. But, even though I was a registered Democrat at the time (I registered when I was very young), I was definitely anti-Democrat. And definitely anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-government abuse, anti-liberalism, etc. And I still am.

As FR became more and more popular, people started referring to it as a "conservative" web site and so eventually I posted the label to the front page. If it no longer applies, big deal. What's in a label? I'll change it to "Republican" if demand warrants.

I'm still anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-Democrat and anti-liberalism. I just happen to believe that in the current political environment we stand a better chance of defeating the left (liberalism/socialism/marxism, etc) by using the Republican Party to defeat the Democrats. The organization is there. The platform is there. The winning candidates are there. The dollars to run winning campaigns are there. The momentum is there. And the vast majority of the conservative voters are there.

Makes perfect sense to me. I want to defeat the left, and I want to do it as quickly as possible. I'll go with the organization that can get the job done.

My current goal is to defeat liberalism by defeating the Democrat Party. If that labels me a Republican, then so be it. If the vast majority of the FReepers want it so, then Free Republic will officially become the newest "Republican wing" of the Republican Party.

Well there are a few good politicians left but I can’t say I disagree with your general point. The disease of big government socialism has spread from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party (not that the GOP was ever all that conservative to begin with); the only difference being that the democrats push a stronger form of it.

This I believe underlies one the biggest obstacles to change. As long as the democrats represent nothing more than the horrors of socialism/communism there is apparently little political incentive for the republicans to be a much better party.

Will the democrats suddenly wake up, drop their loopy liberalism and move to right? I seriously doubt this will happen. With the rising tide of 3rd world immigrants in America the democrats are building and securing a new base of power as we speak. They don’t have to change.

I don’t know what it is going to take to alter the disastrous course our government has chartered for this republic. Both parties like you say operate more like one party than as true competitors.

IMO, we are down to two options for a renaissance of conservatism to take hold in America.

Either it’s the way JimRob sees it. We stay with the party but vote out the RINOs which is probably the best and most realistic course of action. Or it comes down to the emergence of a new party that poses real competition for both parties, especially the Republican Party. As many have already stated, the latter is a most difficult task--but not impossible.

Oh and nice work Buckeroo. Glad to see you back.

Opps. I forgot to include the passage from your post I was referencing:

All American politicians, both republicans and democrats alike, are nothing more than charlatans ... inventors of a perpetual motion machine called government; as an electrical engineer, I know better..... all the republocrats are fighting for is political power, power to continue a perpetual motion machine.

"Your continuous yapping about Clinton "

Truth hurts?

It's a FACT that Perot syphoned off a lot of conservative votes, the votes that Bush would have needed to win. Result: Bill Clinton. You can't spin the truth.

And what's past is past, except that some people refuse to learn and are bound and determined to continue the pattern of aiding the Democrats, because they can't bring themselves to get aligned with the Republicans when it's voting time.

"And you sit at your computer defending the republican party as though they are "freedom fighters" ..."

Well, I would say President Bush is doing pretty well on that score, wouldn't you say? Or would you have preferred Al Gore? What I keep trying to point out and some refuse to recognize, that our alternatives are NOT between a pretty good Republican and some ideal perfect conservative, our choices are between a pretty good Republican and some awful Democrat. And in reality, when you don't support the Republican, you are supporting the Democrat. And yes, the Clinton election was a perfect example of this.

"My 'solution' is to work to take over the GOP from within. "

I am all for that, as long as that doesn't result in putting forward Republican candidates who can win in a Republican primary, but can't beat their Democrat opponent, and results in more and more Democrats getting elected.

Just how did it help us to get conservative Bill Simon as a Republican candidate, just to watch Gray Davis walk away with the election. The election was ours, but we had to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, which we managed to do.

My point is exactly to work within the Republican party and slowly shift it to the right, which is already occurring, but not to a degree to reduce it to a permanent minority party, because Republican candidates are too conservative for the general population to vote for them.

"You [Buckeroo] can't spin the truth." -- FairOpinion

And the republican party does. Thank you for the inspiring tale about political parties sucking the well being about our great nation into oblivion. You make me proud to know that unlike you I care about my nation; the foundational roots that created our nation not some cheap used car salesman attempting to make a contract against your individual rights.

"As long as the democrats represent nothing more than the horrors of socialism/communism there is apparently little political incentive for the republicans to be a much better party." -- WRhine

Powerful post there, WRhine. Thanks for the welcome back. I asked Jim to reinstate my account and he was gracious to do so; I am cautioned about my passion, however.

Best Regards! Buckeroo

Check out the RLC Position Paper.. It is conservative to its core, and anyone here that can find serious fault with it is not a serious conservative, in my book..

Thanks for posting this. First time I've seen it.

If we would all focus on the RLC position and support candidates that do the same, I think we would have an impact.

This could evolve into a take over of the GOP, which would be more effective than any third party could ever be.

The majority of elligible voters do no vote. They see no difference between the parties and feel that they have no say in government.

A rebellion in the Republican Party could very well inspire them to join in the fun!

tpaine:
Check out the RLC Position Paper.. It is conservative to its core, and anyone here that can find serious fault with it is not a serious conservative, in my book..

Thanks for posting this. First time I've seen it.

If we would all focus on the RLC position and support candidates that do the same, I think we would have an impact.
This could evolve into a take over of the GOP, which would be more effective than any third party could ever be.
The majority of elligible voters do no vote. They see no difference between the parties and feel that they have no say in government.
A rebellion in the Republican Party could very well inspire them to join in the fun!

788 -JR bump-

"And as I said, some may have the purest, most noble motives and the best intentions, but we all know where the road with good intentions lead.
Idealism is fine for philosophizing over a brandy after dinner, but in politics few things are deadlier, than refusing to take reality into consideration. " -- FairOpinion

I guess there was no reason for the creation of the greatest nation upon this Earth; no reason for the millions of deaths that fought for our freedoms and individual liberties. Again, you don't understand the social dynamics for my persistence about the issues upon this thread.

Who are you? A cheerleader for the Republican Party appearing upon a Rush_Limbaugh_Flower_of_Tie_power_hour?

What a joke, you are.

Or it comes down to the emergence of a new party that poses real competition for both parties, especially the Republican Party.

A third party would need wide public appeal and very charismatic leadership to be successful today. Throwing our weight behind an existing fringe party just wouldn't work.

A fight between RINOs and the RLC could actually evolve into a real third party. That's not something you can plan on, it just happens. All that would be needed is leadership on the level of a Jefferson or Washington.

There just may be one of those political giants reading this forum right now.

Stranger things have happened!

I made a point and very carefully stayed away from making it personal, and I am very careful not to insult people, for the very reasons I stated, that most people do have a noble motive, are sincere and who am I to criticise them? Discussing the ideas, methods, facts, logic, that is what a debate is about.

Now you jump and insult me, which reflects more upon you than on me.

My point was that I think most of us pretty much agree on the ultimat goal, and we have a lot in common, but disagree on how to get there. Some of us, myself included favors a "slow, steady and more likely to succeed" versus the boisterous "crash and burn" go nowhere approach.

If the methods of the "purist conservatives" had been the right ones, we wouldn't have all the problems, we would never have had Clinton, or the social programs, etc. The problem with the "I don't tolerate even the slightest variation from the full conservative approach" is that it sounds great, but gets you nowhere, least of all where you are trying to go. It makes for great debate on the message boards, but that's about it.

"There just may be one of those political giants reading this forum right now." -- LittleJoe

The Republicans are a spin-off of the Whigs and other politcal subversive enemies towards our nation. If you go back in history, the "NO-NOTHINGS" were a spin off of the Whigs. And then the nation trembled about civil war; a war that dusted our great nation and it's foundations; all because of the republicans.

"If the methods of the "purist conservatives" had been the right ones, we wouldn't have all the problems, we would never have had Clinton, or the social programs, etc. The problem with the "I don't tolerate even the slightest variation from the full conservative approach" is that it sounds great, but gets you nowhere, least of all where you are trying to go." -- article

You folks have been lead to believe in government authority; you don't care about conservative vs. liberal concepts at all. All you want is government to pacify you while you do nothing other beg for more government control upon all those that despise your perspective.

Well, I don't know about "desirables" and "undesirables", but I mean I am not comfortable with the R party because I really am not sure just what they are all about; it is unclear to me, and that makes me nervous.

mho on the parties:
1.D =detest it.
2.R=not sure what they are really all about/not sure it really reflects my political view
3.favorite 3rd party= no chance/no voice/no money etc.

Personally, I'm a little annoyed with the Republican party right now. Unless you have been under a rock, you know that we (Republicans) currently have the Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives. What has it accomplished? How have Republicans or conservatives benefited? All we have got is a tax cut that is fast turning into a welfare payment to anyone that has children, the wonderful Patriot Act, statements in support of the assualt rifle ban, bigger government, federalized airport security, and the majority has been neutered by a filibustering minority.

But what options do we have? Can we vote for a third party candidate or not vote at all? Yes, but then we run the risk of getting true democrats rather than watered down Republicans.

I am so tired of moderate republicans, and pandering to the center. (End of rant)

"Although I am a Republican and appreciate all the help we can get, I would caution against an official affiliation with the party. The site would become a large target for the DNC and its minions, the Republicans would be tarred with every nutball that manages to register and post something inflammatory"

I agree. I think we can help Republicans and conservative ideas and causes just as well and perhaps even better, by staying non-affiliated with a political party.

At the same time, just because we don't have a "Republican stamp" doesn't meant that we reject Republican ideas either.

Apparently, from what Jim said, people complained about FR being "too Republican", and not conservative enough. From my experience, that type of complain is mostly seen from people, who seem to think that "Republicans are just as evil as Democrats", but I think if all ideas but those would be banned from FR, it would lead to the marginalization of this great forum, and the Democrats would be the winners.

"I'd like to see the whining stop. If they don't want to be part of the team that knocks out the Democrats, then they should either leave, or at least knock off the crying about it. "

AMEN.

I think it's fine and great to have people express various opinions on the threads. BUT I think the "whiners" are complaining, because they want to hijack FR to be a proponent of only their narrow agenda, which I think would be detrimental to FR and our cause in general, FR would become a fringe group, that nobody except the small group would read.

I think FR is a terrific forum as is, powerful, influential and leaving it just the way it is, is the best thing, in my opinion. Then let "the winers" know that if they can't accept reality, they can go form their own forum, from where they can exclude Republicans, if they want to. Then see if their forum ever gets anywhere.

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