Well, it's hard to argue with libertarian Radley Balko's contention that the GOP has forfeited its right to govern. Excerpt:
While I'm not thrilled at the prospect of an Obama administration (especially with a friendly Congress), the Republicans still need to get their clocks cleaned in two weeks, for a couple of reasons.First, they had their shot at holding power, and they failed. They've failed in staying true to their principles of limited government and free markets. They've failed in preventing elected leaders of their party from becoming corrupted by the trappings of power, and they've failed to hold those leaders accountable after the fact. Congressional Republicans failed to rein in the Bush administration's naked bid to vastly expand the power of the presidency (a failure they're going to come to regret should Obama take office in January). They failed to apply due scrutiny and skepticism to the administration's claims before undertaking Congress' most solemn task--sending the nation to war. I could go on.
As for the Bush administration, the only consistent principle we've seen from the White House over the last eight years is that of elevating the American president (and, I guess, the vice president) to that of an elected dictator. That isn't hyperbole. This administration believes that on any issue that can remotely be tied to foreign policy or national security (and on quite a few other issues as well), the president has boundless, limitless, unchecked power to do anything he wants. They believe that on these matters, neither Congress nor the courts can restrain him.
That's the second reason the GOP needs to lose. American voters need to send a clear, convincing repudiation of these dangerous ideas.
Amen. Really, really, really: read the whole thing.
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"I have absolutely NO use for anyone who claims to be a conservative..."
Which is exactly how we have gotten into this mess - sheepish support of the GOP.
Problem is, folks are not buying it anymore. In other words, they are beginning to suspect that honest liberalism (honest anything) is better than supporting the Rockefeller led GOP. Ask yourself, what has the GOP really done for the libertarian since 94? What concerns of a traditional conservative (such as myself) been addressed? I don't pretend to be able to accurately define a "crunchy con", but has the "conservative revolution" brought any of your principals to the government?
Nightstalker, the lesser of two evil argument is suspect in principle. Applied though as a threat to support the GOP no matter how obvious and deep their failure to govern in a conservative manner?!? How are conservatives supposed to respond to that? Allow me to answer that last one: staying home in 06 and now 08…
"honest liberal"???? What the bloody hell are you talking about? Obama's honest? What kind of idiocy is that? There's not a shred of honesty, integrity, wisdom, or sobriety to be found in the rabid leftist arrogance and vengeance of the Democrat party.
I can tell you what it is... The same kind of dishonest tripe you're arguing. I didn't say that EITHER party "deserves" to rule. Neither should, EVER. The GOP is not "conservatism", nor will it ever be. It is simply a political party. It is, at least, semi-friendly to conservatives, while the Democrats are flagrantly hostile to conservatives.
Given those options, the course of action is OBVIOUS. Conservatives need to take over the party. duhh. Control it. Get conservatives elected. Get into party leadership. Political parties are chameleons, they simply resemble who pulls the strings.
To simply turn your back on your friends, in a juvenile fit of anger... Like the kid who says "if you don't let me do whatever I want, I'm talking my ball and going home" the rest just say "ok, whatever" and take someone else's ball and play away.
"The lesser of two evils" is suspect? Perhaps. But there is going to be ONE OR THE OTHER in the driver's seat.
And since it is MY life, MY future, MY business, MY family who has to suffer the results of a liberal government. And you wanting to play a personal game against a political party, ignoring the consequences to millions of Americans, is just infuriating to me. Not to mention, just plain arrogant. To think that vengeance against party leadership is more important, or even slightly important, in comparison to at least trying to affect a better than 'default' outcome is inexcuseable, in my opinion.
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with "blind support" or even "grudging support", or anything else, for the GOP as a party. It is simply recognition that there's two choices for who's going to govern, and one's better than the other, by a LONG ways.
Playing petty vengeance games is absurd, in my view. If you want to "teach the party a lesson", then get yourself in charge. Displace the faithfless or spineless, or WHATEVER the people are that are in charge and do something.
But to pretend that you, and everyone else, deserves the wrongness and evil to be perpetrated on the country by an unrestrained bunch of Democrats, for the purpose of personal revenge against party leadership, is as I stated... traitorous. Put the country first, not your emotions.
Boy Nightstalker, I do know how to push your buttons - and I don't even know you! I would gently suggest you take a look under your saddle - there's a bur under thar
The crux of your argument appears to be:
"This has absolutely NOTHING to do with "blind support" or even "grudging support", or anything else, for the GOP as a party. It is simply recognition that there's two choices for who's going to govern, and one's better than the other, by a LONG ways."
Which I obviously disagree with. I run my families medical practice, so yes we are in the top earners and own our business, employ others, etc.
Yet, as I have argued for years now it will be the GOP and not the Dem's who complete the socialization of medicine (it is partly socialized now through Medicare). The Dem's don't have the fiscal clout. More importantly the GOP is in the pocket of big business interests (who are alternatively libertarian or socialist - when ever it suits them). What better way to get the cost of health care off your books than by passing it on to the tax payer?
Tell me NightStalker, which party created and passed the biggest expansion of the entitlement state since LBJ? Answer: GOP with the Prescription Drug Giveaway (unless of course you count the recent bail out).
You see, I just don't buy the argument that one party is "traitorously" liberal, while the other is not. Fact is they are both liberal - it's just that one is honest about it. The other? Well, it talks the conservative talk but rarely walks the walk. Just look at the record of GOP governance from 94 till 06.
I'm a traditional conservative in the Kirkean sense. On the social/cultural side, the GOP has delivered nothing but crumbs. They can't even hold the judiciary. On the economic side, they have been more successful at expanding the scope and size of government than the Dem's have since the sixties.
When it comes down to it, I give the Dem's more credit as far as being "predictable" than the GOP. This is as important as anything, because it allows me to better plan the future of my business and the investment of my wealth. Not too far distant, the unfunded entitlements (SS and Medicare) will put this country in a ruin similar to Britain in the post war years. 70-80% taxes, with significant inflation. Republicans like talk tough about this, but look how easily they folded in the recent bailout (it being "necessary", etc.). Unless the GOP gets some direction other than a Rockefeller one, the Dem's will be the honest ones here also.
I say all this Nightstalker simply to show there is a rational behind the rejection of the GOP in 06, 08. I also think they will be smacked in 2012 also, to hear "conservative" GOPers like Tom Coburn talk (http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/10/21/senate-bailout-vote-oped-cx_tc_1022coburn.html)
In any case, if I were you I would check under that saddle of yours...;)
And you do it yet again.
It seems no matter what I say, you're going to invent a straw man and argue against it. Even if it completely contradicts what I say, you just keep on repeating the same nonsense.
You keep arguing about the GOP, as if I'm advocating the "party" as some kind of solution.
Absolutely NOWHERE do I say anything even faintly like that notion.
I argued that your argument that the GOP needs to be defeated is absurd. That means you want Democrats. Which you deny. Talk about cognitive dissonance!
You WILL have one or the other. The time has come to choose one or the other. Voting Democrat or not voting, WILL NEVER CHANGE THE GOP. It will help Democrats. That's all that will happen. Oh, and the leadership will "understand" that you are preferring Democrat policies and the party will move left some more.
I happen to wholeheartedly agree with the faults of the GOP leadership. But that's the problem. It's the leadership. Parties are chameleons, they simply resemble those who lead it.
You will NOT change the GOP by trying to banish them to the wilderness of minority status. You WILL by getting involved and taking leadership away from the quasi-conservatives that run it.
Of course, if you're small minded, can't envision anything productive, and consider the indulgence of voting to punish people you don't know and don't know you... Then you're my enemy.
The choices DO matter. It matters to my life, it matters to yours. Socialization of all medicine is a fait acompli if Obama wins. And you WILL BE JOBLESS. His intention is to basically kill all private insurance and force all into a single government pay program. And he very well will have the votes to do it. I need not explain to you how you will become irrelevant when you find that all prices, procedures, compensation, etc, are controlled by Congress.
He is intending to do to medicine, what Fannie and Freddie did to mortgage lending. The plan is to force all employers to provide medical benefits, or face a fine - a fine much smaller than the cost of insurance. This will result in near immediate loss of private insurance coverage that is not contractually secured. It's quite simple. The cost of the fine will be approximately 1/4 - 1/5 of the cost of insurance, and those whose employers pay it will be covered by federal "insurance". Employers who choose to pay private insurance over goverment will be so rare that the health care insurance industry as we know it will be gone. Period.
And when the insurance companies leave the health care market (or go bankrupt) then voluntary non-employee insurance will vanish as well. When Congress finds that it has taken on a 1-1.5 trillion dollar annual liability and has only 20% of the revenue to pay it, you will find that compensation will be so reduced that private health care firms will simply have to close the doors - or become subsidized by the state or federal goverment.
Within 2 years, Obama could entirely socialize medicine without EVER having Congress declare it, and he would be claiming to be 'saving' the industry. And you will be jobless.
When that happens, if Obama is elected, please post here how it was so important to spite your anger at GOP party leadership that you really did need to do this to yourself and your country. Please. And then, please describe how attacking the GOP saved you and me.
Or, you could use your God given brain and forget about vengeance and anger, and instead, TAKE OVER the party, and turn it conservative, rather than whatever the heck it is now.
Oh, and please, don't insult my intelligence with "we'll make a new party" gibberish. You'll simply do to it what you're doing to the GOP, determined to punish it into conformity with whatever your view is, and have absolutely NO success at all.
Let's try that here...
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTllNTk2MDNmNDk1YmQ0OWEzOTZmMTVmODUwZTQwY2E=
Freddoso compares Obama with Obama, and we all get to see exactly what kind of ethics and integrity he has.
Obama sought and got agreement from other candidates to live by the limitations of public campaign financing. And then at the last moment, bailed. Knowing full well that no GOP opponent would break their pledge, he bailed.
Obama and his campaign - and his defenders - officially mock and deride the questioners about whether he is technically allowed to run for office, proffering the notion that such technicalities are just cover for racism, bigotry, hate.
Obama owes his life in public office due to his ability to remove opponents from the ballot due to "technicalities" over sloppy paperwork.
There's no mystery here. We all have known people who are like this. Who do anything, no mattter how hypocritical, to benefit themselves. Who will mislead, break every trust placed in them to benefit themselves.
Show of hands, who believe Obama's sincere about ANYTHING he's saying as far as what he intends to do?
Ok, those of you with hands raised, please send over your credit cards, signed blank checks, and cash for me to invest for you. I've got this great hot tip... And you deserve to be ripped off for being deliberately incomprehensibly stupid.
You can put your hands down now. The robbery is over.
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