Riehl World View: Barone On The GOP
To accomplish that the GOP must also come to appreciate the need to drop some of its tactics and approaches that may have served in the past but won’t do so going forward. You cannot be a party arguing against the failure and expense of a Federal War on Poverty, yet support the just as failed, if somewhat less expensive, Federal War on Drugs.
You cannot be the party of individual freedom while advocating sweeping federal approaches like a national ban on abortion and Constitutional Amendments against any type of so-called marriage without portraying yourself as a party of no real principle at all, but simply one with a willingness to exploit issues even if it means embracing the type of Big Government you claim to oppose.
That doesn’t mean casting off those values or visions, it means respecting the Constitution while informing voters your approach argues for them to be resolved democratically, more often than not through State ballots and elections. As that approach is significantly closer to the people who would be ruled by any legislation, it will always prove to be the most democratic means of resolving complex issues the Federal government should have had no hand in resolving in the first place.
I think this is a good approach. The GOP and/or conservatives in general would do a lot better if they would just stop being so obviously hypocritical about base principles.
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I understand the thought process behind this sentiment (i.e. we need to avoid hypocrisy) as well as the sound advice that we not be hysterical, name-calling wingnuts or we will never regain control of the government.
What isn’t so easy to reconcile is how for eight years (longer actually) the left has been hypocritical about almost all of its policies in one way or another as well as hysterical in their approach to any ideas they don’t agree with. Nothing can produce a barking moonbat quite like the left. They raise absurd name-calling to high art, and are creepily proud of it. Logic has no effect on their policies, outcome is not important. It’s means to an end where the end doesn’t matter.
This is not secret knowledge, everyone knows these things are happening and everyone realizes not all of the kooks on the left are on the fringe (i.e. Reid, Pelosi, etc.).
Knowing this, who got elected? The left sure seems to make pay what our side keeps telling us we should never do because it doesn’t pay. Curious.
The left won this time because the right stayed home, not because the left is a bunch of foul-mouthed maniacs. And the Bush Botch hurt tremendously.
It’s not a difficult concept. Republicans need to mean what they say.
Oh, they do! Right now GOP/DOP bigwigs are saying, “Vote Republican - we are not quite as bad as people think. Or maybe we are - the media seems to think so, and we don’t want to oppose them. They sound so serious, and gosh they look so good on TV that we get a thrill up our legs, so they must be smart. Where were we? Oh, yeah! Anyway, the GOP is a Big Tent and for some unknown reason we have a lot of room. So come and join us, if that’s not too judgmental! You don’t have to endorse a single thing we used to stand for, like freedom strong national defense and personal responsibility. In fact, we encourage you to hate us and be ashamed of us! Truth be told - we can’t stand ourselves! But we do require that you live in mortal terror of being called ‘racist’. Oh, and drop the freedom of speech Bill of Rights Constitution thingy, ok? Don’t want to be seen as being anti-women, children, and old people. And tone down the Islamofascism talk - sounds so reactionary. And can’t you show a little healthy blind unreasoning panic about the environment? At least eat a dirt sandwich or get malaria or something to show how much you love the planet.”
I guess I was a little too subtle in my sarcasm. By the way Bill, I never excoriated you about Bush, just disagreed (in a post years ago). I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong and you were right. It just took me a bit longer to let go.