I’m sure conservatism will one day recover – because it is right about the main issues: government needs to be kept in its place, taxes should be low and budgets balanced, individuals should be able to pursue their dreams as free of government control as possible, families do matter and need to be free from government interference, free markets and enterprise are the only guarantees of prosperity, moral choices – and their consequences – should be faced by the individual responsibly, and we have to be strong in our defense and prudent in foreign policy. This is the conservatism I still believe in. Deep down, I’m sure McCain does too. But it will only come from the ashes of this fundamentalist, mean-spirited, parochial, arrogant, big-spending, irresponsible shambles of a party.
Now that’s a definition to conjure with: Smaller government, individual freedom, free markets, and strong defense. I’ll buy into that.
Tragically, here’s how the two current political parties stack up in this regard:
Smaller government:
- Democrats: F
- Republicans: D+ (Bush II threw away his party’s hard-won rep for fiscal responsibility)
Individual freedom:
- Democrats: D (Too enamored of the nanny state)
- Republicans: D (Too socially conservative)
Free markets:
- Democrats: D (instinctive socialists)
- Republicans: C (too swayed by special interests)
Strong defense:
- Democrats: D
- Republicans: B
What’s a true conservative to do?
“What’s a True Conservative to do?”
Hope and Pray for a Palin.
I don’t support McCain. I never have. I’m not sure I ever will. His ‘maverick’ status goes against him with me, because I’m unsure what we’re going to get when he gets there. But as a conservative, and from what we’ve learned so far about Palin, I would support her 110%.
Back in 2000 we learned Bush would be running – and the conservatives went nuts (me too) thinking he was going to govern in a way that we wanted. Alas, it didn’t turn out that way – but even given the out of control spending, he’s still been a heck of a lot better than Gore. And 4 years later when we had to choose between him and John F’n Kerry, again it was an easy choice.
I would give him a B overall. But we need a Palin at the top of the ticket – not Mccain. Our only hope is that she is more influential in his administration than any other previous VP.
I would take a much closer look at Obama. My sense is that the real change that we are looking at is about Obama vs Clinton.
Clinton was the best of the old school liberal. Obama, Inc is a very different game.
My bet is that the Republicans are self destroying. McCain and Palin…c’mon.
The next act of this drama is going to be Obama, Inc vs the Democratic establishment. That’s going to be a long haul, played out over the next couple of the years…
You’ve got to be kidding about your grades for Individual Freedom. Who is the party that wants to let you make your own reproductive choices with the government staying out of it? Who is the party that wants to let adult couples marry, without government interference, if they happen to be in love with each other even if they happen to be the same sex? Who is the party that supports freedom of speech (can you say book banning Ms. Pallin?) Who is the party that doesn’t want the federal government wire tapping our phones? Who is the party that wants your religion to be your own business and not part of our government and laws.
And you give both parties the SAME grade here? I think you may be showing just a tiny bit of bias here.
Syd,
I graded the Republicans poorly on freedom, but the Democrats don’t do any better. Which is the party that wants to tell me what I can and cannot eat? Which is the party that wants to tell me what I can and cannot say on college campuses? Which is the party that that takes my money and gives it to other people? Which is the party that allows the teachers unions to block the voucher that poor minorities want to help their kids get into better schools?
If only Fred Thompson was the nominee. Conservatives might actually get a B+ in something.
PS Nice blog
Well, Well, A REPORT CARD NOW! Wrong, but fun! Here we go!
Smaller Gov.
Democrats D REPUBLiCANS F—
Where's your knowledge of history Chris? The 3 biggest deficit spenders in HISTORY??REAGAN &
GEORGIES I & II
FREE MARKETS? GUFFAW! COME ON CHRIS!!
REPUBLICANS F—
ENRON/all the bailouts, Haliburton no bid contract. Oil depletion allowanaces,BIG FARM SUBSIDIES, BIG PHARMA, on & on. The POWERFUL & RICH of the Republican party are subsidized by the middle class & are socialists at best, ChristoFacists at worst!
Democrats C- ( Periodically they make the REAL AXIS of evil: Big government, Big Religion and Big Corporations ) follow the rules. We live now under a REGIME that is a MONEYATOCRACY. The best government money can buy….but only to those who can afford K STREET lobbyists!
DEFENSE:
REPUBLICANS F—
Democrats C-
The " WAR FROM LIES," in IRAQ as over stretched out troops and our resource in going after Al Queda in the 160 countries in which they operate. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.
BUT…..A GREAT HOSTILE TAKEOVER for the Oil companies, Haliburton , the military industrial complex and the poppy growers of Afghanistan!( heroin production up 160% plus since US victory )
NEOCONS, CONSERVATIVES, whatever they call themselves, talk the talk, but since REAGAN, have NEVER walked the walk!
Conservative? Conserve the environment! Our troops! Our spending! CONSERVE & PROSECUTE OUR FREEDOMS, CONSTITUTION & LAWS! Don't read our emails, listen to our phone calls and take film of us everywhere we go! Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, ALL the founding fathers…are turning in their graves and would be starting another revolution against this KING GEORGE, like the one several hundred years ago in ENGLAND!