Douglas MacKinnon
Creeping Socialism Awakens Conservative Beliefs

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With each passing day, various Democrats, members of the media, and even certain Republicans, declare the conservative movement or the heyday of the Reagan era a relic of the past. Really? Well, in the age of Obama, a recent Gallup poll shows exactly the opposite. The survey says that 40 percent of Americans now describe their political views as “conservative,” with 35 percent saying “moderate” and 21 percent saying “liberal.”

As an independent conservative and a former low-level writer for President Ronald Reagan, I maintain that conservative principles are more relevant than ever and that Ronald Reagan’s core beliefs speak anew to a nation desperately in search of answers, national and economic security, and a return to commonsense teachings and morals.

As our debt rises to unimagined numbers, unemployment grows beyond the most pessimistic predictions, companies are nationalized, CEOs are fired by the White House, and wages are dictated by administration officials, there is a palpable fear spreading across the United States. As that fear spreads, it is in the best interests of the Democrats, various left-leaning members of the media, and even pathetically ungrounded Republicans, to declare the conservative movement “dead.”

For Democrats, they need to do this lest conservative principles start to take hold with the minority voters they have taken for granted for decades and consider a birthright of liberalism. For a left-leaning media, they want to squash conservative principles in service to a President who more readily embraces the teachings of Venezuelan Strongman Hugo Chavez than John F. Kennedy. For certain Republicans, how much better to declare the heyday of Reagan over than to admit that they have long-since sold out to the hedonistic trappings of power and have put self before nation.

For those Republicans, Democrats, and members of the media who have forgotten, are petrified of, or are trying to censor core conservative principles from the voters, allow me to remind you of some of the basics of those principles. Basics that are resonating with a growing number of Americans.

First, as the Gallup poll clearly shows, by the tens of millions, conservatives exist in our country and have unbending faith in their core values.

Douglas MacKinnon's Biography
Douglas MacKinnon is former White House and Pentagon official who spent three years working in a Joint Command.

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42 Comments So Far
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StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jul 01, 2009 3:59 PM
Not only weren't you very clear, you are hopelessly misguided.

Sure, there are many out there decrying Obama for his Kenyan roots and many others are claiming he's not a citizen and all of that. While people have a right to their thoughts on these things, these issues in and of themselves are not the true problems most of us are screaming about.

It's his PROGRAMS, Jerry! Just wake up and look at what's going on out there. Obama and his socialist Congress are smothering us, little bit by little bit...and all you guys can say is "we won, you lost". That's the extent of your argument. Meanwhile, news flash - They don't CARE about you, or me, or anyone else.

Now you and your "friends" who come here to play internet "nyahh nyahhh" may not care, but if a total disregard for the Constitution and the tradition and values that make this country great is your idea of "we won", then I truly feel sorry for you.

You were angry at Bush, so you wasted your vote and all you did at the end of the day was punish yourselves and your fellow Americans.

Don't pat yourself on the back for this...you have nothing to feel proud about. One day you will wake up when your freedoms are cut to shreds and your ever-shrinking take-home pay is cut even more...and it's gonna hit you like a ton of lead.
Jerry Wrote: Jul 01, 2009 1:06 PM
Guess I wasn't clear. Point is there's lots of misinformation out there. I travel all over the US for business and meet all kinds of people and have found they all pretty much want the same general things. Black, white, gay, straight, Repubs, Dems, Others -- the differences aren't that great when it comes to what people generally want for themselves and their loved ones. Some of these rightwing nutters talk about "freedom, freedom, freedom" EXCEPT when it comes to your body, what adult you choose to marry, etc... then "no freedom for you!" The narrow-minded nastiness about Obama because he's not a priveleged white person is disgraceful and it disgraces our country which is supposed to be the place where "anyone can grow up to be president." Right-wingers don't believe that. They talk in terms of "us" (being white Repubs) and "them," (the terrible awful people who didn't vote for McCain and Madame Dunderhead) and really only believe that a white person from an 'unbroken' home has the right to be president. It enrages people that Obama's father is a black man from Kenya - not because of that 'natural-born citizen' crap, but because he's NOT a white man. "The Usurper." They speak the same way about Clinton, who also came from a non-priveleged background. They are hypocrites in the truest sense of the word, who play the "Patriotic American" card when it suits them, but when it comes to values -- only white is right.
StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jul 01, 2009 8:38 AM
First I read your demand for an apology from me...

Then I read reply #38, telling me to hang in there...

You DO know we're fighting on the same side right?
StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jul 01, 2009 8:35 AM
It was me and you get no apology. I didn't make that up - it was a report after the fact. According to the report he was targeting neo-Cons.

You want an apology, go contact Fox News.
DTMack Wrote: Jul 01, 2009 6:07 AM
I admire your consistency.
Donald Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 10:28 PM
Hand in there. Together, if we can rally the troops, we can completely change the make-up of thee Senate and the House. In the year 2010, we can send some of the Democrats and moderate to liberal so-called Republicans packing.
Donald Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 10:19 PM
I'm glad to know that there's someone else who's old enough to remember the Carter years. For those of you who do, look up the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Jimmy_Carter#Ec onomy:_stagflation_and_the_appointment_of_Volcker

Read this and the current situation will seem all too familiar.
Donald Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 9:53 PM
I demand an apology from the individual who wrote following:

"attack on the Holocaust museum by a racist,"

Who was a liberal, targeting NEO-CONS (Jews)..."

I am, and always have been a dyed-in-the-wool bona fide Jewish Reagan conservative (Republican)

Where's my apology? I'm waiting . . .
Donald Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 9:35 PM
If today's news seems like a nightmare, find the following and you'll find what MY generation went through in the 70's!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Jimmy_Carter#Eco nomy:_stagflation_and_the_appointment_of_Volcker

The similarities will scare you!
johnsnare Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 7:26 PM
Good news folks, Rasmussen poll has Obama down to 31% approval rate. The Obama mania, and those who voted for him are slowly realizing what a strange person is sitting the big seat. The rise to the top can be meteoric, but the descent can be faster. Thank God.
Don't Tread On Me Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 7:19 PM
What these statist Republicans, Democrats, pop media pundits, academics, & apparachiks call "moderate" is actually acquiescence to leftist statist totalitarianism.

Wasn't it just precious when in 1994 Republicans in Congress maneuvered Clinton into accepting welfare reform, talked about reforming Socialist Insecurity before it eats us, lowering taxes so entrepreneurs & professionals would have an incentive to produce, eliminate NPR, maybe even the Education Dept, only to have the Dems, pundits, self-appointed 'activists', & treacherous GOPers holler "Extreme!" "Partisan!" "Mean-spirited!" from which the majority Repubs started cringing like whipped dogs.

I haven't heard the word "Extreme" once since this campaign to establish outright fascism got underway. What could be more extreme than the agenda underway now?

What is "moderate" about going along with extreme totalitarian statism? The "moderate" Republicans don't really believe the electorate is in love with their kind of "moderateness;" they just want to squelch & marginalize conservatism & get it off the table. They want the Republican Party not to be a vehicle for conservatism, but a holding pen to confine conservatives. The "coalition" scheme has failed; "moderates" aren't having conservatism.

Reagan, not McCain, was the real 'maverick,' RR bucked his own party's bosses; but Mack has actually been the Establishment's stooge.

Conservatism is in fact the moderate, reasonable position. Persuade others of the rightness of conservatism instead of watering it down to pander to their supposed set beliefs. Lose the cutesy clever strategies & proclaim principles. If the GOP won't do it, go indie & force their hand. It's our only chance.
Don't Tread On Me Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 6:26 PM
Agreed with all; socialism was "creeping" for the preceding 40 yrs (w/ a brief respite under Reagan, & a briefer one in 1994-95) & is now galloping.

Imagine: a bill to ration all our energy & micromanage our lives on the basis of a discredited myth, passed the House without even time to read it. Ever notice the worse the bill, the more rush to slam it thru?

Notice too that once again a collection of treacherous snakes, slimy weasels, & spineless jellyfish from the Republican Party, just enough to tip the balance, betrayed us.

Doug McKinnon nails the real situation, except I'd say this cult of "moderateness," "bipartisanship," and "new tone," actually got started after Reagan left office & GHW Bush took over. He was IMO less conservative than his son in some ways. He felt obliged to posit something called "compassionate conservatism," which is really redundant, but the term sneakily & falsely implies real conservatism lacks compassion. He also yapped about "kinder gentler" policies, o puh leaze.

Note that GHWB was elected in 1988 after pledging "read my lips," a stridently conservative promise, & lost to Willie-boy in 1992 after breaking that pledge. Clinton, BTW, remember promised a "middle class tax cut" he never even tried to deliver.

Nonetheless, as Doug says, the conservatism-is-dead mantra was spread by Dems & allies including statist Republicans who basically want the base to shut up & accept evergrowing intrusive expensive government that sometimes does superficially "conservative" things. Karl Rove did his part by advising the GOP to take its conservative base for granted because they have nowhere else to go.

Should we perhaps be looking for somewhere else to go?
arlanjio Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 6:10 PM
Most Americans are now pro-life, first time in a while:

http://www.lifenews.com/nat5053.html

Also, gay marriages proposals have been defeated everywhere they have been put up for a direct vote.

Only lefties and stupid RINOs, like McCain's campaign manager Steve Schmidt, advocate conservatives to embrace these ideas in order to attract more people in the "middle".
StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 4:02 PM
"What, was that The Cato Inst. Report or another right-wing funded organization? 40% conservative?? Baloney. Truth be told: Most people in this country hold moderate views."

Just because you don't believe it, doesn't make it true. Where do you get YOUR statistics, enabling you to make a statement saying "Most people in this country hold moderate views"? Let me guess - the LEFT-leaning NY Slimes or some other useless MSM communicae? Or are you actually out there polling folks yourself?

Sounds like nothing more than your opinion. Just admit it Jerry.

"-Most people are pro-choice.
-Most people are pro equal rights and don't believe in discriminating against gender and sexual orientation.
(etc.)"

Again, says you...actual reality says:

- Most people want limited government.
- Most people want leaders and judges who govern and rule according to the law and our Constitution AS WRITTEN, not their interpretation.
- Most people would like less taxation and less government spending.
- Most people are sick and tired of working hard to support the losers who don't.
- Most people want folks to acquire jobs and benefits on merit, not according to race or sexual orientation.
- Most people are sick and tired of the leftist, pro-gay or pro-minority agenda shoved down their throats
- Most people believe in and follow God and his ways.
- Most people want their children EDUCATED, not INDOCTRINATED.

Hate to break it to ya Jerr but these are all CONSERVATIVE values.

"There are small groups of people who are Far-Left and Far-Right, but frankly not a single person in the congress/senate is far-anything."

No, not until they are elected or have to vote on a piece of legislation...then the truth comes out.

"There's so much misinformation and misunderstanding out there."

Mostly thanks to the Leftist MSM and folks like yourself who just don't get it.
Jo Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 3:41 PM
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.j.res.00005:

From Thomas.
Jo Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 3:39 PM
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hj111-5

It's filed as H.J. Res. 5.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.
Jo Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 3:32 PM
You need to get out of NJ more often.
Jerry Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 2:44 PM
What, was that The Cato Inst. Report or another right-wing funded organization? 40% conservative?? Baloney. Truth be told: Most people in this country hold moderate views. Most people are pro-family and even those who call themselves "liberal" lead what a true Liberal Leftist would think is a pretty boring, traditional life.

-Most people are pro-choice.
-Most people are pro equal rights and don't believe in discriminating against gender and sexual orientation.
-Most people are non-violent and believe there need to be stricter laws around gun ownership.
-Most people believe captialism is the best system but agree it hasn't worked with health care.

There are small groups of people who are Far-Left and Far-Right, but frankly not a single person in the congress/senate is far-anything. There's so much misinformation and misunderstanding out there.

LD35 writes "Obama has 80,000 brownshirts in training" but neglects to mention where these 80K people are housed, who's training them, and what they're being trained for. There's not a shred of truth to that statement. Fortunately, people who believe statements like that are few and far between compared with the general population.
Saint-Denis Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 2:35 PM

About repealing the 22nd Amendment so that Obama could be Dictator* For Life?

Earlier today, Andrea Mitchell and others at MSNBC were discussing the virtues of Dictators-for-Life and centralized planning.**

Even Akagi wrote yesterday that Obama would be in office, at least, through 2016.

* Notice that Obama sides with dictators. Ahmadinejad & the Mullahs in the Iranian conflict and Chavez and Castro relative to Honduras' ouster of its president, who wanted to be President-for-Life.

** Too bad that neither Stalin nor the millions of Ukrainians, who are all dead, because they could tell you that centralized planning means death.
StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 1:58 PM
Excellent wisdom.

Unfortunately for all of us, this will unfold before our eyes very shortly, should oBOMBa's not-so-hidden agenda continue.

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!
Recovered Lib Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 1:27 PM
Doug, you said EXACTLY what I was thinking and could not have said any better.

BrianR, the "silver lining" about this headlong rush into socialism is that Americans are FINALLY starting to WAKE THE HELL UP and are prepared to take back this country.

GOD SAVE AMERCA
Rowly Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 1:21 PM
None of this TARP,bailouts and other money transfers were necessary. It is all a power grab by the left. A plan set long ago.It just needed a salesman and Obama is it.

It began on GW's watch so it would not be a solely Democrat or Republican coup. They are all in cahoots and we are watching the socialization of America. Helplessly.

The salesman (Obama) is cramming everything down or throats so fast our heads are spinning. He skirts around the Constitution and even congress. That would take too much time.

He is in a hurry to do all the damage in record time. Before we catch on to what our lives will be like under socialism/Marxism.





John C Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 1:15 PM
Gentle Readers:

Mr. McKinnon wrote " ...believe that large segments of the entertainment industry are purposefully and systematically exposing our children to the vilest forms of smut in search of profit, ....."

Actually, they're not in search of profits. If
you look at the top 10, top 20 and top 100
grossing motion pictures of all time, you'll
find nary an R rated feature. Virtually all
of them are G - PG Rated. G rated movies cost less to produce and earn more revenues.

The same is true with music and television.

In terms of return on investment, " E.T. " is
the most profitable movie in history while
" Gone with the Wind " has earned the most
revenue.

Bottom Line: Family Friendly entertainment is
the most profitable.

They make smut because they like smut, not because their audience demands it. If they
were serving their audience and investors well,
they would make more family friendly fare.

Thank you for reading,

Kindest Regards to all,

I am,

John Lepant
Brighton
Colorado
StuckInABlueState Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 1:09 PM
Great ideas...on paper anyway.

Problem is they want YOU and ME to pay for health care and all of their other incredibly stifling programs, not them. Limosine Liberals like Oprah/Whoopie/etc. (and oBOMBa) pay for their socialism with OPM (other peoples' money). God forbid they themselves actually dig into their own increasingly deep pockets to help the so-called "little guy".
Kevin Wrote: Jun 30, 2009 12:42 PM
and you will have the roadmap to Republicans winning elections for years to come! http://www.theblacksphere.net
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