That’s the rallying cry barked by some in the Republican Party — and by many Demorats or Media Hounds who enjoy criticizing the GOP. Things like: “The GOP is attempting to kill itself by refusing to place more people of moderate values under the Republican Tent.”
Critics of the GOP invariably point to Barry Goldwater, for Christ’s sake, waaay back in 1964 as THE prime example of “too far.” Oh, please.
It would seem to me that the current problem with the GOP is that it has lost its way, had its rudder ripped away by persons laboring under the GOP label who are pretty much nothing of the sort — that is to say, truly Conservative.
Yes — some naysayers may be indicating — you must realize that every Republican voted down ObamaKare. But that, in my mind, is because even a dead clock carries the proper time twice a day.
Let’s examine, for a moment, some of that Big Tenting advocated by — uh, let’s see: the RNC and Michael Steele. How about:
– Pennsylvanian Arlen Specter;
– The lovely and dashing Olympia Snowe;
– Lindsay Graham;
– Tim Pawlenty;
– Even Mr John (Gang of 13) McCain.
And in my neck of the woods, how about Mr Green Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger?
True Conservatives all, yes?
Uh, no.
Now, even the Demorats are having their issues with “moderates.” They think they need more. William Daley wrote in The Washington Post:
The announcement by Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith that he is switching to the Republican Party is just the latest warning sign that the Democratic Party — my lifelong political home — has a critical decision to make: Either we plot a more moderate, centrist course or risk electoral disaster not just in the upcoming midterms but in many elections to come.
All that is required for the Democratic Party to recover its political footing is to acknowledge that the agenda of the party’s most liberal supporters has not won the support of a majority of Americans — and, based on that recognition, to steer a more moderate course on the key issues of the day, from health care to the economy to the environment to Afghanistan.
The party’s moment of choosing is drawing close. While it may be too late to avoid some losses in 2010, it is not too late to avoid the kind of rout that redraws the political map. The leaders of the Democratic Party need to move back toward the center — and in doing so, set the stage for the many years’ worth of leadership necessary to produce the sort of pragmatic change the American people actually want.
While I would wholeheartedly agree that as the Demorats lean further Left, they are virtually assuring greater losses — I wholeheartedly disagree with its opposite contention: that the GOP needs to lean further Left as well.
In my opinion the Demorats want the GOP tent to be sufficiently large so as to eventually “become” the Demorats themselves. You could start with the above-mentioned individuals.
And a final question: do you see Demorats and “Progressives” (whatever in the hell does that mean anyway?) opening their tent flaps wide for Conservatives?
I might leave you with one quote from Mr Barry Goldwater:
Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
BZ
The truth is that they are afraid of the Conservatives. They need a box of depends every time they think of Sarah Palin.
There are no moderates in politics, only politicians…
Being somewhat to the right of Attila the Hun, I find little space in my heart for wiggly-washee so-called Republicans.
Yeah, shoprat, that’s it. We’re afraid of Sarah Palin. Lol!
I’m becoming more and more Libertarian everyday… or Tea Party if you desire… I have been a lifelong Republican and yes they are going too far left… sigh…
There is conservative….then there is rabid mouth foaming right wing nut jobs. And unfortunately more and more of those are taking over the conservative name. They are no less crazy than batshit crazy Moonbats.
Like Becktards. Ugggg.
If only Barry G were alive.
Shoprat, if they’re not afraid of Palin, why the HUGE outcry every time she speaks?
Someone loaned me her book so I could find the ‘whining’ the left complained about; ZERO. She’s very matter of fact, tells it like she saw it and even the Couric ambushes (prepared by a woman McCain’s people hired for Palin who’d worked very closely with and was a good friend of Couric’s) weren’t whined about..just the facts. Believe it or not, even I found it odd the leftwingers had exaggerated so much. Scared to DEATH they are.
Imagine if the Republicans started to hunker down and really tell it like it is? MORE JOBS, HARDER ON TERROR, LESS GOV’T, etc? WIN WIN WIN
let’s hope.
Z: but the problem is: do Republicans have the COURAGE to SHOUT it out 24/7??
THAT’S the issue that I see; sure, they voted against ObamaKare. But there’s SELF-INTEREST involved in that as well. The Demorats are so squirreled up they can’t even recognize self-interest.
I simply do not see very many COURAGEOUS Republicans any more.
They have, historically, time and time AGAIN, managed to shoot themselves in the foot when opportunity not only smiled down upon them, but grabbed them by the ankles and shook them upside down!
There is a HUGE opportunity NOW, Republicans!
It is HERE!
BZ
Progressives=Communists
Keep that in mind when you see the word used and the paragraphs it is used in will make more sense.
ASM826: yes sir, thanks. I see that. Nice and easy definition.
BZ
BZ –
My definition of a conservative? Ronald Reagan. I’m reading his Diaries right now and it reminds me of just how much we need his principles right now.
And well said, Z. If they’re not afraid of Governor Palin, why the uproar over everything she says and does? I don’t seek out every word Al Franken says so why do they hang on every action Governor Palin takes?
cjh
A conservative understands the following:
‘On two subjects only does the Constitution recognize in Congress the power to grant exclusive privileges or monopolies. It declares that “Congress shall have power to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” Out of this express delegation of power have grown our laws of patents and copyrights. As the Constitution expressly delegates to Congress the power to grant exclusive privileges in these cases as the means of executing the substantive power ” to promote the progress of science and useful arts,” it is consistent with the fair rules of construction to conclude that such a power was not intended to be granted as a means of accomplishing any other end. On every other subject which comes within the scope of Congressional power there is an ever-living discretion in the use of proper means, which can not be restricted or abolished without an amendment of the Constitution. Every act of Congress, therefore, which attempts by grants of monopolies or sale of exclusive privileges for a limited time, or a time without limit, to restrict or extinguish its own discretion in the choice of means to execute its delegated powers is equivalent to a legislative amendment of the Constitution, and palpably unconstitutional.’
A progressive or leftist does not and wishes to use any power granted to the government via the Constitution for any end whatsoever with no limit on such expansions on power. Thus the limited clauses of the Constitution are rendered by progressives to be the power, itself, without bounds so that such things as the ‘commerce clause’ are expanded outside of all bounds of restriction by the language of the Constitution itself.
Then they resort to the Preamble and cannot read who is invoking it and what is being said. ‘We the People’ is not ‘We the Government’. Thus the Preamble is a statement of the people for themselves, not of the government for the government. Government cannot be invoked until the People invoke it, and the powers given to government are extremely and exactly limited sub-sets of the goals of the People as a whole.
To a progressive unlimited government power is a kind of neat idea.
To a conservative unlimited government power is tyranny.