Demoralized Conservatives
The emergence of the Democrats can be attributed to their successful 8-year campaign to demonize George W. Bush and the utter lack of leadership and courage by the GOP.
The Dems and their media megaphone have managed to convince the majority of citizens through sheer repetition that Bush is the cause of all our country's ills. The drumbeat continues daily, painting the president as a puppet of big oil who went to war in Iraq to profit his corporate bigshots. Everything the president does is assumed to be out of some devious plan to enrich his friends, scoffing at the very idea that he might be actually trying to protect the country from terrorism.
Their mud-throwing rhetoric has so cowed the Republican party that they've nominated the most nominal of Republicans for President, John McCain. The party leadership seems paralyzed, made increasingly obvious by the complete lack of any publicized agenda for America.
The Congressional Republicans recently announced a new slogan, borrowing the tired old "Change" mantra from the Democrats in "Change we Deserve". It's not only an obvious rip-off of the Democrat's mantra and a stupid use of a trademark phrase for a depression medication, it's a meaningless phrase even for Republicans.
The GOP has a huge problem. They took control of two branches of government and had control of all three within their sights. Then they lost their majorities in congress, and seem well on their way to losing the Executive branch, which will result in the loss of the Judiciary within the next few years.
Did they lose that power because their conservative policies didn't work for the people? Not at all. They lost power because they got greedy. Rather than working hard to implement the conservative policies that people enthusiastically support, they instead focused on bringing home the bacon.
The republican majority became known for, well, acting like Democrats. Earmarks and irresponsible spending were their hallmarks, while they allowed Dems to continue bashing the president and demagoguing stupid and harmful anti-war, energy, environmental, healthcare and education policies. They failed to assist the president with even a debate with the Democrats on Social Security Reform. They passed a horribly designed Medicare Prescription Drug program. They passed "No Child Left Behind". All Democrat priorities for which they were of course hammered by Democrats for not being socialist enough and by Republicans for abandoning their principles and being stupid.
The president certainly carries his share of the blame. He should have been talking candidly with the American people every single week about the progress and challenges in Iraq, while directly responding to the constant barrage of unfair and untrue statements about the war from the Dems. He should have pushed his party to pass a sound energy policy instead of the meaningless pork and special interest spending bills the congress pushed through with more Democrat than Republican support. He should have rallied the country around his ideas for social security reform and tax reform and responsible spending.
Instead he partnered with Democrats for "No Child Left Behind", then got vilified by those same Dems for the unpopular and not very successful program. He partnered with Democrats for the Medicare Prescription Drug plan, which cost much more than projected and was also vilified by those same Dems as a sop to the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He tried to appease opponents of the Iraq war, causing it to be unnecessarily extended throughout his presidency.
The only way the Republicans can recover seems to have already passed them by. As the presumptive nominee, John McCain is more Democrat than Republican. So the only leadership we'll get from McCain is the wishy-washy Democrat-lite. His appeal seems to be, "Elect me, because at least I'm not as Marxist as Obama".
The elites in Washington haven't got a clue. If they had, we would see them energizing conservatives with a set of fundamental promises:
Winning in Iraq and bringing soldiers home, but keeping pressure on Iran to give up their Nuke ambitions and warning them to stop meddling with Iraq "or else".
Aggressive pursuit of all energy alternatives to help ease the pain of the failed energy policies of the last two administrations. Drill for oil wherever it exists in our own borders. Bring back synthetic oil production, from coal and shale deposits so abundant. Build nuclear power plants. Build refineries. Encourage continued research on hydrogen, wind, solar, hydro, and whatever sources of energy look promising. Stop the stupidity of ethanol.
Affirm the values on which the nation was built. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to keep and bear arms, and so on - see the Bill of Rights. Broadcast the importance of appointing federal judges that interpret the law rather than make the law.
There's so much more, but most conservatives already know what they stand for and are troubled that their presidential candidate is the prototype of the Washingon insider who doesn't share those values.
My prediction is dire. Obama will be elected in the fall along with a larger congressional majority as Americans vote for "Change". Within the first 2 years, Americans will finally realize what I've known for several months: Obama is the second term of the Jimmy Carter administration. His administration and willing accomplices in the congress and the press will bring a disaster for the economy and foreign policy, just as Jimmy Carter did.
If, and only if, a true leader emerges from the Republican Party for the 2012 election, things could eventually turn around, like they did under Ronald Reagan.
Or maybe that's just my own ideas of "hope" and "change" whistling in the wind.
The Dems and their media megaphone have managed to convince the majority of citizens through sheer repetition that Bush is the cause of all our country's ills. The drumbeat continues daily, painting the president as a puppet of big oil who went to war in Iraq to profit his corporate bigshots. Everything the president does is assumed to be out of some devious plan to enrich his friends, scoffing at the very idea that he might be actually trying to protect the country from terrorism.
Their mud-throwing rhetoric has so cowed the Republican party that they've nominated the most nominal of Republicans for President, John McCain. The party leadership seems paralyzed, made increasingly obvious by the complete lack of any publicized agenda for America.
The Congressional Republicans recently announced a new slogan, borrowing the tired old "Change" mantra from the Democrats in "Change we Deserve". It's not only an obvious rip-off of the Democrat's mantra and a stupid use of a trademark phrase for a depression medication, it's a meaningless phrase even for Republicans.
The GOP has a huge problem. They took control of two branches of government and had control of all three within their sights. Then they lost their majorities in congress, and seem well on their way to losing the Executive branch, which will result in the loss of the Judiciary within the next few years.
Did they lose that power because their conservative policies didn't work for the people? Not at all. They lost power because they got greedy. Rather than working hard to implement the conservative policies that people enthusiastically support, they instead focused on bringing home the bacon.
The republican majority became known for, well, acting like Democrats. Earmarks and irresponsible spending were their hallmarks, while they allowed Dems to continue bashing the president and demagoguing stupid and harmful anti-war, energy, environmental, healthcare and education policies. They failed to assist the president with even a debate with the Democrats on Social Security Reform. They passed a horribly designed Medicare Prescription Drug program. They passed "No Child Left Behind". All Democrat priorities for which they were of course hammered by Democrats for not being socialist enough and by Republicans for abandoning their principles and being stupid.
The president certainly carries his share of the blame. He should have been talking candidly with the American people every single week about the progress and challenges in Iraq, while directly responding to the constant barrage of unfair and untrue statements about the war from the Dems. He should have pushed his party to pass a sound energy policy instead of the meaningless pork and special interest spending bills the congress pushed through with more Democrat than Republican support. He should have rallied the country around his ideas for social security reform and tax reform and responsible spending.
Instead he partnered with Democrats for "No Child Left Behind", then got vilified by those same Dems for the unpopular and not very successful program. He partnered with Democrats for the Medicare Prescription Drug plan, which cost much more than projected and was also vilified by those same Dems as a sop to the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He tried to appease opponents of the Iraq war, causing it to be unnecessarily extended throughout his presidency.
The only way the Republicans can recover seems to have already passed them by. As the presumptive nominee, John McCain is more Democrat than Republican. So the only leadership we'll get from McCain is the wishy-washy Democrat-lite. His appeal seems to be, "Elect me, because at least I'm not as Marxist as Obama".
The elites in Washington haven't got a clue. If they had, we would see them energizing conservatives with a set of fundamental promises:
Winning in Iraq and bringing soldiers home, but keeping pressure on Iran to give up their Nuke ambitions and warning them to stop meddling with Iraq "or else".
Aggressive pursuit of all energy alternatives to help ease the pain of the failed energy policies of the last two administrations. Drill for oil wherever it exists in our own borders. Bring back synthetic oil production, from coal and shale deposits so abundant. Build nuclear power plants. Build refineries. Encourage continued research on hydrogen, wind, solar, hydro, and whatever sources of energy look promising. Stop the stupidity of ethanol.
Affirm the values on which the nation was built. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to keep and bear arms, and so on - see the Bill of Rights. Broadcast the importance of appointing federal judges that interpret the law rather than make the law.
There's so much more, but most conservatives already know what they stand for and are troubled that their presidential candidate is the prototype of the Washingon insider who doesn't share those values.
My prediction is dire. Obama will be elected in the fall along with a larger congressional majority as Americans vote for "Change". Within the first 2 years, Americans will finally realize what I've known for several months: Obama is the second term of the Jimmy Carter administration. His administration and willing accomplices in the congress and the press will bring a disaster for the economy and foreign policy, just as Jimmy Carter did.
If, and only if, a true leader emerges from the Republican Party for the 2012 election, things could eventually turn around, like they did under Ronald Reagan.
Or maybe that's just my own ideas of "hope" and "change" whistling in the wind.
posted by Dan S. at 10:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home