Monday, November 10, 2008
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Reaganism Lives
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
12:54 PM
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Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Scott Rassmussen makes a convincing case that Barack Obama's election represented the vindication of Reaganite principles, rather than the repudiation of them.
After all, President-elect Obama promised tax cuts to most everyone, while the Bush Administration (by necessity, but also rotten luck) was saddled with engineering a $700 billion bailout deal.
Here's a key point Rassmussen (the most accurate pollster this year) makes:
A Rasmussen survey conducted Oct. 2 found that 59% agreed with the sentiment expressed by Reagan in his first inaugural address: "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Just 28% disagreed with this sentiment. That survey also found that 44% of Obama voters agreed with Reagan's assessment (40% did not).
What this means is that Republicans are going to have to be diligent in watching for and publicizing the instances in which Democrats say one thing (lower taxes, more efficient government) and then do another (pay off the unions, spend money like drunken sailors).
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It all boils down to one question Americans must ask themselves.
Do I do it myself or should I abdicate my reponsibilities and let "the gubmint" take care of me?
Well, America, wither goest thou?
I'd rather the "gubmint" stay as far out of my life as possible and only do what the Constitution allows. There's talk of reducing defense spending. Why? That's the number one priority OF ht e feds.
There is NO justification for federal handouts to businesses in our constitution.
There. I've said it.
Support the Fair Tax |
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How Obama was able to steal the Republican tax cutter label is beyond me. I was screaming about this during their debates, while Obama gave numbers (95%) that was easy for people to understand, McCain just said he would cut them with no specifics.
How his staff couldn't sense this was being stolen from them is beyond me. But when you voted against the Bush tax cuts, you might look pretty stupid when you start championing them.
It's the same reason we couldn't use Obama's 11th hour words about bankrupting the coal industry. Why? John McCain had his own little cap and trade policy with best friend Lieberman.
When there are no contrasts, the democrats will always win. |
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But as Bennett pointed out, what Reagan and later Obama put forward was nothing new, just repackaged with their own particular brand.
Despite this, the central contrast between the two is stark. Reagan's central argument was that government was always the problem. Obama argues that government must be part of the solution. |
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It's all phraseology. Reaganism isn't new, it's just an offshoot of the principles we've cherished for 225 years. The only thing that makes it "Reaganism" was the man who delivered the message with clairvoyance.
We have to get past this notion that we need to manipulate people in order to earn their support. |
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Perhaps it is time for Newt to take over the 'ideas' part of the GOP. The conservative views that came about in the '94 Contract were brilliant. It is time for a new Contract. It is time for Newt to put ideas together for a unified conserv-Libertar. agenda. Then get a younger Bench together to use CSPAN, use Talk Radio, go on every pundit's show to talk about the principles of Reaganism updated. There are people who can do this like Ryan, Cantor, Jindal, Pence, Palin, Coburn, DeMint, Thune and then the GOP needs to have younger people to chair their House and Senate recruitment offices. |
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Drunken sailors spend their own money. |
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This was an aberrational election. The confluence of seven years of the terror war, the October surprise financial crisis and the organs of media promoting Mr. Obama over Sen. Clinton and concealing his flaws and dark holes of origin allowed an unqualified man to become President.
We do not need to be overly concerned as to the popularity of our conservative philosophy. Americans have never liked government over liberty. Just think of how you feel when on the local level, public works crews shut down your drive to work during rush hours and tell you there is nothing you can do about it because they run the roads. There is a fundamental dislike in America for the public sector and the public sector writ large ever more so.
Ronald Reagan knew that the collective was herd lead and hence he recoiled from it. Like Americans, he wanted clean food and good medicine but didn’t see geometric expansion of government as the assurance that either would follow.
This new administration is going to freak out the public within months. That some Obama voters tell Rasmussen they agree with tenants of conservative Reaganism is just the basic inner polity coming out despite the passions of the hour that got this aberration elected.
Wait till the Gitmo detainees are here in American courts and oil exploration and drill leases are stopped cold. Mr. Obama’s elbows won’t be able to flap like the flippers in a pinball machine before the voters scream out tilt and the game ends.
Have faith in the real America.
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This was an aberrational election. The confluence of seven years of the terror war, the October surprise financial crisis and the organs of media promoting Mr. Obama over Sen. Clinton and concealing his flaws and dark holes of origin allowed an unqualified man to become President.
We do not need to be overly concerned as to the popularity of our conservative philosophy. Americans have never liked government over liberty. Just think of how you feel when on the local level, public works crews shut down your drive to work during rush hours and tell you there is nothing you can do about it because they run the roads. There is a fundamental dislike in America for the public sector and the public sector writ large ever more so.
Ronald Reagan knew that the collective was herd lead and hence he recoiled from it. Like Americans, he wanted clean food and good medicine but didn’t see geometric expansion of government as the assurance that either would follow.
This new administration is going to freak out the public within months. That some Obama voters tell Rasmussen they agree with tenants of conservative Reaganism is just the basic inner polity coming out despite the passions of the hour that got this aberration elected.
Wait till the Gitmo detainees are here in American courts and oil exploration and drill leases are stopped cold. Mr. Obama’s elbows won’t be able to flap like the flippers in a pinball machine before the voters scream out tilt and the game ends.
Have faith in the real America.
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After all this time, why is conservatism
relegated to the radio world?
We need another Rush Limbaugh brave enough for
tv, and not just Fox.
We need a voice in Hollywood, funding their
own films and documentaries. The internet, and
You Tube and Facebook...yeah, those things
count too these days.
We need our own authors like Coulter who can
move the message out to the mainstream.
We need more eloquent Larry Elders and Hannitys
and Laura...more than just a few. WE need our
own media army to get the word out.
Not just let ourselves get rolled over......
Recall, the same voices often led to the downturn of Bush......hating him on amnesty,
to the exclusion of anything he did right earlier. It all got lost on amnesty hatred.
To what end....we now have a pro-amnesty, pro-license for illegals, and anti-fence president.
WE sure showed us didn't we. |
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We voted for Arnold, not Tom McClintock - in
our eagerness to just win. Now, he's the Dems
favorite Republican, about to put in a 10% or
more sales tax here.
Who advises Arnie? Warren Buffett. Great......
We voted for Hagel and Chafee, and Graham, and
Smith in Oregon. We put that GOP Congress in
place, which was always happier to stick it to
Bush on tax cuts, Gitmo, Kyoto, world court,
stem cell, and Katrina. Ready to join the haters
and detractors, until the guy just had nothing
left. We need to find better candidates ourselves. We need to demand better of the
leadership at the RNC & Congress.
Bush has to take his share of blame, but, not
all of it. Sorry, Mrs. Palin, love ya', but,
let's not blame Bushy for all of your loss...
He has plenty to take blame for...but, let's not
forget who pushed for social security reform,
permanent tax cuts, Freddie/Fannie reform,
and a continued effort in Iraq & Afghanistan,
& with national security at home....often
against his own party.
McCain fought him w/glee......and he's ready to
sign on w/Obama this week. |
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Then why are Matt Lewis, and Micheal Medved telling conservatives that we conservatives need to come to the center? The WSJ piece says that the candidate percieved to cut taxes most has won every election in the last 40 years. Wake up! Conservatism is not dead. We just haven't had a mainstream candidate in 20 years. |
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When it comes to spending money like drunken sailors, it takes one to know one and the Republicans should be very adept.
But really, to say Republicans and Democrats alike spend money like drunken sailors is a terrible knock on drunken sailors, most of whom show considerably more fiscal restraint than the US Congress. |
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