Early this morning, on
Bill Bennett’s Morning In America radio show, he featured
Wall Street Journal columnist/guest
Peggy Noonan, who has a hardbook book out now entitled “
Patriotic Grace.” Her point for writing the book, and the reason for the interview, was her belief that we need more “political grace” in our dealings across the various aisles. We need more hand-in-hand work, more grace, more understanding, less stridency, less force, less hate and discontent. One pull quote from the
HarperCollins book promotion:
In this long season of searing political attacks and angry partisan passions, Peggy Noonan’s Wall Street Journal column has been must reading for thoughtful liberals and conservatives alike.
Now she issues an urgent, heartfelt call for all Americans to see each other anew, realize what time it is, and come together to support the next President—whoever he is. Because it is not the threats and challenges we face, but how we face them that defines us as a nation.
I couldn’t disagree more and, following her appearance on Mr. Bennett’s show, neither could the bulk of the callers.
I almost hate to appear too jaded, but there are two ways in which to view Noonan’s book (she is promoted as having a WSJ column that is “must reading for thoughtful liberals and conservatives alike.”): as her expression of her actual thoughts and feelings; as an attempt by Left-embracing factions to get the Right to back down on its own stridency.
Perhaps she does mean well; perhaps I shouldn’t be thinking this about her. But my beliefs and philosophies are and have been crafted in the harsh twin lights of Reality and History — how things really are, and what has actually happened in the past.
Again, I couldn’t disagree more with her view, particularly at this time in our national history. This is precisely what the Leftists/Socialists want.
Because here’s what the reality is:
When moderates or the Left suggest “commonalities” or “change” or “understanding,” they precisely mean things must run their way. The “commonality” is what they think, what they want. The “change” is change over to their way of thinking. The “understanding” is to understand that the only way to think, act or vote is their way.
Period.
And I’m simply tired of it. I suggest the diametric opposite: this is the time for Conservatives to be louder, more strident, more insistent, to not “reach across the aisle”
BECAUSE WE CAN ALL SEE WHAT “REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE” HAS YIELDED TO THIS POINT IN OUR NATIONAL HISTORY.
And here is the history of where and how Conservatives came to be where we are today,
as I wrote in 2006:
I’ve written this once but shall emphasize it again: the so-called culture and political “wars” in America only started when the Right decided to voice its stance. The Left had their voice carried for them in the Mainstream Media for years and, as the Left leaned farther left, the Right became increasingly frustrated. The true breakthrough did in fact come via AM radio when a little fuzzball was given a chair at KFBK in 1984 Sacramento. Oooh, 1984 — chilling!
Rush Limbaugh provided the voice and the venue for those of a conservative bent and a movement was started. There are those who would credit the political process itself for the Right finding its voice — and certainly the Ronald Reagan years should not be discounted as it was during the temper of these times that RL worked his way to syndication in 1988.
From there the wars began. After literally decades of ruling all forms of media and, moreover, its content, liberals were most chagrined to discover AM radio shortly became the bastion of conservatives. It took literally years for the Left to even attempt inroads to AM radio via Air America — and we all know how solvent and powerful AA is currently.
From there, the internet blossomed. Conservatives took to the net like fish to water. This in turn led to various conservative magazines with links to the internet, Fox News and, most recently, to my venue — the blog. Conservatives are big in the Blogosphere.
As grew the voice of Conservatives, so the Left and liberals felt (because, let’s face it, they were) more challenged. Not everything they said and espoused was accepted by rote. Persons actually had, egads, the temerity to speak up and attempt to refute what the MSM said and wrote. And, egads, it was proven time and again that the MSM occasionally seemed to omit some very salient things from their stories — some people call them facts.
The Leftists and Socialists can’t take the heat and can’t take the opposition, now that Conservatives found their/our voices and, worse yet, raise them loudly to the skies of this nation.
We, Conservatives, have to be crushed, our necks stepped on. And the Leftists/Socialists/DEM/Demorats will accomplish this by stepping on our collective national freedoms.
Do we need political grace now? NO. I posit we need the opposite: to keep our Conservative voices and express them loudly and continuously.
BZ
Conservatives have been quiet for too long. The libs have been loud and messy and look where it got them. Its time we “The Silent Majority” (remember them?) became VOCAL.
WMD: that’s it precisely.
BZ
A HUGE AMEN!
“And I’m simply tired of it. I suggest the diametric opposite: this is the time for Conservatives to be louder, more strident, more insistent, to not “reach across the aisle”
BECAUSE WE CAN ALL SEE WHAT “REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE” HAS YIELDED TO THIS POINT IN OUR NATIONAL HISTORY.”
You NAILED IT! EXCELLENT!!
I, along with Dee, have become disenchanted with Noonan through this past year or so.
You have a big problem than BZ. As far as I can see there aren’t that many Conservatives left to be reaching across any asle anyway.
Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
These are the only ones I can think of and McCain is NOT one of them.
What a sorry situation our country is in thanks to everyone that voted for that bailout, left and right.
I will not support anyone that voted for that bill, I will be doing a write-in.
Probably biggest political mistake was reaching across the aisle in friendship to a party interested only in hating him. He met them half-way and they steamrolled him to the detriment of himself and the country.
Oops
Didn’t proofread.
I was talking about Bush in his first term.
Shop: s’okay, we know what you meant.
BZ
A rant follows, read at your own risk.
Say, Peggy, when are you going to tell the Liberals to get behind more conservative Presidents? And if you have asked, why don’t they do it?
Welcome to the land of ‘bipartisanship’ where *your* side gets to give in each and every time to be ‘nice’ to the authoritarians. Good luck on that, I tellya…. I’ve had it with WFB conservatives standing athwart history yelling ‘stop!’ and then saying: ‘well, if you won’t I’ll just follow along…’ Gots a few of those left in the RINO party? We have a lot of those RINOs in VA, where they are always ‘reaching across the aisle’ to get kicked in the teeth and then in the ass. They NEVER learn. They are not for a party, not for principles and wholly out for themselves.
Stop worshipping at the shrine of WFB and RR. They didn’t do what was necessary to say ‘NO’ and mean it by their actions. And TR was the one who STARTED all the intrusions of the State into your lives, so you might want to think a bit about the man and read his autobiography, and then realize that the powers he sought for the office went with the office and not the man… which he hated when he was on the receiving end of it.
So instead of being athwart history, how about: ‘No further and its time to roll back the State as we have given it too damned much power over our lives.’? Because that is what good Presidents *do*… they see the need for limitations on power, veto legislation that goes beyond that, and then call for the repeal of those things infringing upon the rights of the States and the people. Yeah, I like TR, but I see the problems in what he did, how he did it and that he was honest enough to put those both forward to let history decide on him *without* rose colored glasses. That means I like and admire him as a man, see his shortcomings as a politicians and the problems he caused thinking that only good and worthy people will get to high office all the time. He ignored the founders to *our* peril, and lived to see power used wrongly in the hands of a successor.
It is very simple to tell the difference between those who hold themselves accountable and those who weasel out of their past. Which is why I see the decision to be made this cycle between the horrific and the detestable. Between a ‘post-partisan’ Fascist and a ‘bi-partisan’ Social Democrat… and I detest, utterly detest, Socialism. Both these guys want to put *more* power in the hands of the government which means Congress.
Can’t the Kumbaya Konservatives see where this has gone over the past 90 years?
Sen. McCain has had nearly a *month* to storm Appalachia with Palin and he hasn’t even *started*. He wants to ‘reach across the aisle’ to the metroweenies in the D party and ignores social and fiscal conservatism that strikes to the root of the D party holdings in Appalachia. Can you imagine how he is going to ‘reform’ the R party if he WINS? I can and am absolutely horrified at the prospect of either of these candidates ‘winning’. Just how many more Specters and Grahams do you *want* in the R party, anyways? Because those are the types McCain will *support*. If McCain really backed conservative principles then Palin would have been running hard and non-stop through Appalachia and the Rust Belt and say ‘screw the debates’.
He would have said ‘screw this bailout, it is Congress’ fault and I’m willing to take my share of the blame, but everyone in Congress gets a slice of humble pie, too.’ And then call for the repeal of the CRA, Fannie and Freddie all in one bill. He could explain that we do not reward fiscal irresponsibility at the highest levels of government and the Nation will now take its licks for doing something insane through its elected representatives who caused this problem in the first place.
You know? A conservative? Small government? Accountable government? Lean government? Pointy end of the stick?
I would *vote* for that.
Bi-partisanship? Its Socialism with a smiley face to it.
The only good thing is even though McCain sucks like an Electrolux, Obama sucks like a Hoover… and they both suck in great gusts of wind and hot air. Which sucks more? Doesn’t matter… they both suck.
I’m fed up with the rah-rah Republicans. And I detest, with a great loathing, the Democratic party.
I love my Nation. Our politicians are not worthy of holding any office. And that says much about us as a people.