What brought this on? I just got told by ANOTHER Republican that I can’t be a fiscal conservative if I’m not a social conservative. Fine. I will no longer be a fiscal conservative. You don’t want my vote? You won’t get it. And no surprise – I got told direct that my vote is unwanted. By more than one socon. Funny way to win elections.
How I Feel About The Republicans These Days
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30 responses to “How I Feel About The Republicans These Days”
I do not see eye-to-eye with the Democratic Party on all economic issues, but I am willing to live in a society where the policies over taxation and spending can vary from left to right.
I cannot, however, tolerate violations of social and civil freedoms. The way I see it, restrictions on what I do with my body and life are even more sacred than restrictions on what I do with my property (and by extension, my money).
For that reason alone, I find myself voting Democrat. I simply cannot bring myself to vote for a party which has many major positions which effectively limit the rights of people.
Do I agree with everything the party stands for? Of course not. However, I feel that my vote does the least to restrict how people can choose to live their lives.
Another idiot socon. They’re the dying breed; and I doubt they are going to do the honorable thing and quietly exit when it’s time.
As for which brand of Big Government to vote for, I’ll stick with the slightly slower growers of government. After all, the state is the biggest threat to individual liberty.
I’ll bet the guy that told you he didn’t want your vote was right-handed so you should also boycott any party with right-handers in the majority.
Seriously, one guy, probably on some fringe web site you were monitoring for weird comments defined conservatism and you departed? Really? Why was that guy’s opinion more important than the many other opinions that you have permission to pick and choose how much of any ideology you subscribe to? Are you suggesting that libertarianism has 100% agreement on its ideas by 100% of its supporters?
Make sure you never turn on any sports radio or TV. If you do, you will hear an opinion and after hearing an opinion you are hereby ordered to adopt that opinion or the world will end.
Scott M,
It happens so frequently is so many different venues that I believe people with that attitude are a very significant fraction of the Republican base.
The reason you probably don’t run into it much is that your world view corresponds to theirs and so the friction rarely comes up.
So how do you reconcile the different world views? You make very large areas of life untouchable by government. That was the genius of the Constitution. It circumscribed government.
What is different now is that those limits are not recognized by either party. Or shall we say that the limits are applied to different areas instead of all areas. So we have one party in favor of drug prohibition and the other party in favor of gun prohibition and the positions are mirrors of each other. Instead of recognizing that prohibition can’t work the parties say: “it can work here and not there”. Nonsense on stilts. What we have is one Progressive belief system with two factions.
Progressive thought has infected both major parties. But in different areas.
Stan,
My attitude is a tactic I learned when I was a Communist: Multiply the contradictions. Also worse is better. Alinskyism if you will.
“Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” – Yeah. I’m a Gita fan.
A slow boil is hard to notice. So I prefer to turn the heat up.
A fast boil affecting many is why alcohol prohibition only lasted 13 years and why drug Prohibition is now going on 100 years.
BTW the Republicans of 100 years ago were of the opinion that the Federal Government didn’t have the power of prohibition when it came to Drugs. Thus we had an amendment for alcohol prohibition to bring those folks on board. Why didn’t we get one for drug prohibition on the same score? It affected too few people to matter politically.
Now it matters and the Progressives (“government should…”) on the right are stuck.
What neither side gets is that there are limits to Government power. The Founders had Kings and Cromwellism still fresh in their memories. That understanding – fresh in 1776 – has atrophied over time. And so here we are today.
We study the history but we have no feel for it. It is dry words in a book instead of experience imprinted on the gut.
“The error seems not sufficiently eradicated that the operations of the mind as well as the acts of the body are subject to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” – Thomas Jefferson Notes on Virginia Query 17, 1782.
I look around and see nothing but idiots and hypocrites in the news. The Socons have effectively destroyed the Republican party.
Then I see idiots like “Telling it like it is ” in the first comment who actually think the Democrats believe in any kind of liberty. You can’t have socialized medicine and freedom to do as you please with your body.
I prefer the term “free markets” to “fiscal conservatism.” The latter can easily imply restrictions on the marketplace. (Things that might be damaging to “society” should — according to conservative doctrine — be restricted regardless of demand.)
[…] Classical Values » How I Feel About The Republicans These Days What brought this on? I just got told by ANOTHER Republican that I can’t be a fiscal conservative if I’m not a social conservative. Fine. I will no longer be a fiscal conservative. You don’t want my vote? You won’t get it. And no surprise – I got told direct that my vote is unwanted. By more than one socon. Funny way to win elections. […]
Eric has a point there….but, well, using different terms didn’t ever help much with crippled/handicapped/differently abled, did it? Same song, different title.
I’m fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and in war (or defense, if you want to be a wimp), a hawk. In short, I’m a “small l libertarian”. We MAY need a new term for that. Neo-libertarian was going around for a while, but I don’t think it ever really caught on.
Something I just found on Insty, Simon, that I think might interest you. Why police officers lie under oath.
Oh, and please tell that clueless Republican that there are lots of us out here, and (despite my nose holding in the last election) the rest of those like me, but who refuse to hold their noses, probably cost the GOP the election.
Oh, and yeah, even knowing what I know now…if I’d been there, I’d have voted Obama over Keyes. Better Mao Tse Tung then Nehemiah Scudder.
Telling it like it is
… I find myself voting Democrat.I simply cannot bring myself to vote for a party which has many major positions which effectively limit the rights of people.
So are you going to tell us that Republicans have a “War Against Women?”
Gringo,
The Republicans have wars on so many people that it is not too difficult to imagine that they have a “War On Women”.
The way to win is to do what Jesus did. Ally with the outcasts. That is the formula the left used to gain power. Reverse it on hem.
A good first step would be to end “The War On Drugs”.
I have more to say on that here:
http://classicalvalues.com/2013/02/weakness-on-the-left/
Kathy,
Follow this link:
http://classicalvalues.com/2013/02/grandma-should-smoke-pot/
And you will find this piece (whose author was noted in your link)
Judge Gustin L. Reichbach – A Judge’s Plea for Pot – This is not a law-and-order issue; it is a medical and a human rights issue.
Seems I made some people upset by, well, telling it like it is.
Listen, if a more libertarian candidate had a chance in my district, odds are he would be getting my vote. However, that isn’t the case, and it’s usually close races between the Dems and GOPs.
Bottom line, is right now I feel that the Dems are the “least-bad” candidates, because I am willing to give up on fiscal issues, but I won’t compromise on social issues.
But for those who want to ridicule me for making the best of an imperfect situation, let me remind you that you get more flies with honey and vinegar. You’re never going to get an ideologically pure candidate, so you will always have to compromise somewhere.
I’ll go back to permanent lurking. Thank you all.
I’m with Simon.
Please give me a call when the Republicans become a political party instead of a religious movement.
Thanks.
[…] Which lead me to make this comment: […]
Simon
The Republicans have wars on so many people that it is not too difficult to imagine that they have a “War On Women”.
I am rather surprised that my tongue in cheek comment was apparently taken seriously. The Democrats pushed the “Republicans are waging a war on Women” theme during the campaign, a meme that many low-information voters apparently took seriously.
Consider the “War on Women” with regard to abortion. Since 1980, we have had 20 years of right wing Republican Presidents who had expressed discomfort with abortion. What happened to abortion laws under these anti-abortion right wing Republican Presidents? Zilch. Nada. Cero. Zero.?
Ciao.
Randy
Please give me a call when the Republicans become a political party instead of a religious movement.
It sounds to me as if you are following hook, line and sinker the Democrat Party line on the Pubs.
I have never been a churchgoer. Nor were my parents churchgoers when I was growing up.
Politics is a game of aligning with those with whom you agree more versus not aligning with those with whom you agree less. It is not a game of Methodists versus Church of God. shall we say.
My distaste of the Democrats, a party which I used to vote for is such that I prefer to align myself with the Republican Party, as they are the only currently viable alternative to the Republicans. If there are Republicans who do not agree with my views on religion, there are also Democrats who disagree with my views on religion.
Correction:
My distaste of the Democrats, a party which I used to vote for is such that I prefer to align myself with the Republican Party, as they are the only currently viable alternative to the Democrats.
The Democrats pushed the “Republicans are waging a war on Women” theme during the campaign, a meme that many low-information voters apparently took seriously.
Are the Republicans so stupid that they are unable to design a campaign, party philosophy, and general messaging to reach the low information voter?
Apparently.
The Democrats appear to be able to do it.
Now no one asked my opinion but I can tell you how to do it. You start with ending the war on Med Pot which gets 70% to 80% support.
Stop at least one “War On…”
Now I know that the Republicans are unable to do that. For one it would drive a significant part of the base away. For another it would mean giving up a belief. And their politics is so intertwined with their faith that they are unable to adjust their politics enough to win Presidential elections.
The Democrats have no such handicaps.
Take your response to Randy. That going to win him over?
And your response to me. If the Republicans are not going to do anything about abortion shouldn’t they shut up about it in order to win some of the votes that their rattling on about it drives away?
Well – the socons are a dying force in politics. Maybe some day we will get a Republican Party that wants to win votes.
Gringo,
Randy is not following the Democrat line. He is following what he sees. And I can tell you I can see it too. And if you would pay attention there are a lot of other people who see it as well. And a lot of people who see it are not low information voters. Here is another:
http://www.dailypundit.com/religion/the-united-states-a-christian-nation-but-not-a-christian-government
You might want to read A book by Cal Thomas – “Blinded By The Might” which touches on some of the issues I have mentioned.
Blinded by Might
Here is what I see:
We have two totalitarian parties. The Communists and The Theocrats.
Given the choice people would prefer in this order:
1. Fiscal Conservatives – ONLY
2. Communists
3. Theocrats
Since there is currently no politically viable “Fiscal Conservatives – ONLY” party guess which party is next on the list?
Hint: it is not the Republican Party.
Gringo,
Watch what is coming. Prohibition is coming to an end. The Republicans will be suffering another 1932.
It is not difficult to see. And yet the Republicans refuse to see it.
Perhaps you could explain it to me from your point of view. I’d like that.
Gringo,
You might like this:
http://classicalvalues.com/2013/02/reverse-gramscianism/
With all due respect to Kathy Kinsley, I’d have voted for Keyes. Here’s why: I vote guns, taxes, and property rights. If the gun grabbers are on the run, taxes are low, and my property rights respected, Leviathan is probably (probably, that is) small enough I can kick the bluenoses out of my privacy any time I feel like it.
Simon:
Are the Republicans so stupid that they are unable to design a campaign, party philosophy, and general messaging to reach the low information voter?Apparently.
Apparently.
[…] How I Feel About The Republicans These Days The true patriot scrutinizes the actions of his own government with unceasing vigilance. And when his government violates the morality and rightness associated with principles of individual freedom and private property, he immediately rises in opposition to his government. — Jacob G. Hornberger […]
Gringo, if you want to support a party that has as one of its main constituentcies people who want to:
a) continue the disasterous, immoral and hypocrytical war on drugs
b) believe rape victms shouldn’t be allowed a safe harbor arbortion if impregnated by the rapist
c) ditto for the doctors who would perform the abortion at the request of the rape victim
d) want to undermine science education by including creationism in science classes
Well, be my guest.
I prefer not to support a party who has a significant membership block that wants to take our culture back to the bronze age.
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