Hypocrisy To The Rescue?
We have both been watching events unfold for the last couple of weeks regarding Congress, and we are not exactly heartened by some of the moves made by the GOP lately. Trent Lott as the minority whip in the Senate? Please. This man was driven from the leader's position after his comments regarding Strom Thurmond, and his failed presidential bid; a statement that praised the then-Dixiecrat's position at the time. Sen. Lott is one of the biggest supporters of pork-spending in Congress, and we were supposed to be moving away fro that. I guess the Republicans failed to note that point of disgust from the base.
In the House, we see John Boehner up for the minority leader position, and while we recognize that he did not exactly have time to initiate change for the party--a switch from spending like drunk sailors in a whore house--he is still connected to the past, ineffectual leadership that cost us the election. So honestly speaking, we would rather not see him in the leader position again.
But today, Captain Ed brings up a valid point that the base should be examining:
Where have all the conservatives gone in the Republican party?
So few are even noted anymore that unless you are actually looking for them, you will not find them. Moderates are pushed out by the party to do interviews, and engage the talking heads. Solid conservatism--the sort endorsed by past leaders like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan--is what needs to return to the party. The problem is that the ones who need to espouse the philosophy are not getting the airtime or print space from the dead tree industry. Or, as Captain Ed notes, the moderates are lying to the base:
"We departed rather tragically from our conservative principles," McCain lamented recently, offering his take on why the GOP fell from power in Congress. He urged a return to what he called the foundation of the Republican Party — restrained spending, smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense and family values.
Fifteen months before the first 2008 presidential nominating contests, McCain is positioning himself as the Republican standard-bearer while President Bush takes on lame-duck status and dispirited party faithful search for a road to recovery. The election cycle was sobering, with GOP candidates losing at all levels of government.
The four-term Arizona senator will deliver back-to-back speeches Thursday to organizations considered conservative cornerstones of the Republican Party — the Federalist Society and GOPAC. He will discuss the current and future state of the GOP.
I do hope that Sen. McCain realizes that he is lumped in with those who have lost their conservative way in Congress. He, with Russ Feingold, wrote and got passed Campaign Finance Reform, which severely curtailed our freedom of speech. As a reminder for people that do not understand WHY so many activists and political strategists are unhappy with McCain's CFR, let me cite something for those confused:<
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
That would be the First Amendment. "Congress shall make no law" is pretty self-explanatory, and even though McCain and his supporters believe that CFR was right, and the Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional, that is a gross misrepresentation of what that amendment states.
In addition to CFR, we would be remiss if we forgot that it was John McCain who put together the Gang of 14 in the Senate to challenge the president's power to appoint judges to the federal bench. Thomas and I hammered this point day after day when the Gang decided to act. The president nominates, the Judiciary Committee judges them acceptable or unacceptable; those that are accepted go to the floor for their constitutionally-mandated vote. Nowhere in Article I powers does it say that the Senate has a say in who is sent up. That is an Article II power--inherent to the president alone.
If John McCain thinks that he is a conservative, he is in for a seriously rude awakening. He has no hope of taking the nomination, and he has even less chance of convincing the public that he is a conservative. You just cannot do that when your actions of the past and present continue to countermand your own statements.
Marcie
We have both been watching events unfold for the last couple of weeks regarding Congress, and we are not exactly heartened by some of the moves made by the GOP lately. Trent Lott as the minority whip in the Senate? Please. This man was driven from the leader's position after his comments regarding Strom Thurmond, and his failed presidential bid; a statement that praised the then-Dixiecrat's position at the time. Sen. Lott is one of the biggest supporters of pork-spending in Congress, and we were supposed to be moving away fro that. I guess the Republicans failed to note that point of disgust from the base.
In the House, we see John Boehner up for the minority leader position, and while we recognize that he did not exactly have time to initiate change for the party--a switch from spending like drunk sailors in a whore house--he is still connected to the past, ineffectual leadership that cost us the election. So honestly speaking, we would rather not see him in the leader position again.
But today, Captain Ed brings up a valid point that the base should be examining:
Where have all the conservatives gone in the Republican party?
So few are even noted anymore that unless you are actually looking for them, you will not find them. Moderates are pushed out by the party to do interviews, and engage the talking heads. Solid conservatism--the sort endorsed by past leaders like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan--is what needs to return to the party. The problem is that the ones who need to espouse the philosophy are not getting the airtime or print space from the dead tree industry. Or, as Captain Ed notes, the moderates are lying to the base:
"We departed rather tragically from our conservative principles," McCain lamented recently, offering his take on why the GOP fell from power in Congress. He urged a return to what he called the foundation of the Republican Party — restrained spending, smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense and family values.
Fifteen months before the first 2008 presidential nominating contests, McCain is positioning himself as the Republican standard-bearer while President Bush takes on lame-duck status and dispirited party faithful search for a road to recovery. The election cycle was sobering, with GOP candidates losing at all levels of government.
The four-term Arizona senator will deliver back-to-back speeches Thursday to organizations considered conservative cornerstones of the Republican Party — the Federalist Society and GOPAC. He will discuss the current and future state of the GOP.
I do hope that Sen. McCain realizes that he is lumped in with those who have lost their conservative way in Congress. He, with Russ Feingold, wrote and got passed Campaign Finance Reform, which severely curtailed our freedom of speech. As a reminder for people that do not understand WHY so many activists and political strategists are unhappy with McCain's CFR, let me cite something for those confused:<
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
That would be the First Amendment. "Congress shall make no law" is pretty self-explanatory, and even though McCain and his supporters believe that CFR was right, and the Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional, that is a gross misrepresentation of what that amendment states.
In addition to CFR, we would be remiss if we forgot that it was John McCain who put together the Gang of 14 in the Senate to challenge the president's power to appoint judges to the federal bench. Thomas and I hammered this point day after day when the Gang decided to act. The president nominates, the Judiciary Committee judges them acceptable or unacceptable; those that are accepted go to the floor for their constitutionally-mandated vote. Nowhere in Article I powers does it say that the Senate has a say in who is sent up. That is an Article II power--inherent to the president alone.
If John McCain thinks that he is a conservative, he is in for a seriously rude awakening. He has no hope of taking the nomination, and he has even less chance of convincing the public that he is a conservative. You just cannot do that when your actions of the past and present continue to countermand your own statements.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 2:06 PM
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