Frothiness Spells Defeat in 2012...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny





Republicans, specifically the "socons" will result in conservatism continuing its downward spiral into irrelevancy. Rather than sticking to "classical liberal" principals of limited constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, a strong defense yet turning from interventionist foreign policy, and insuring and maintaining maximum individual freedoms the "socons" are bastardizing the conservative principles championed by the father of modern conservatism Barry Goldwater.

I have attempted to point out the political dangers that are inherent in the "socons" ideological and religionist agenda. This morning, coming across perhaps one of the most reasoned articles in regard to this issue, I decided to bring it to the pages of Rational Nation USA. Here's the teaser.

John Avlon - The Daily Beast - A cleansing bout of craziness in 2012 could be just what the GOP needs.

I’m talking about a nominee so far to the right that conservative populists get their fondest wish—and the Republican Party is forced to learn from the result. Namely, that there is such a thing as too extreme.

The dangerous groupthink delusion being pushed in conservative circles over the last few years is that ideological purity and electability are one and the same. It is an idea more rooted in faith than reason.

If Mitt Romney does finally wrestle the nomination to the ground, and then loses to Obama, conservatives will blame the loss on his alleged moderation. The right wing take-away will be to try to nominate a true ideologue in 2016.

But if someone like Rick Santorum gets the nomination in an upset, the party faithful will get to experience the adrenaline rush of going off a cliff together, like Thelma and Louise—elation followed by an electoral thud.


This could be educational. After all, sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you recognize your problems.

Giving a self-identified “full-spectrum conservative” theo-con like Santorum the nomination would mean we’d really have a “choice, not an echo” election in November. Republicans would be forced to confront the fact that talk about Satan attacking America, negative obsessions with homosexuality, contraception and opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest alienates far more people than they attract.

Our politics are looking more and more like a cult because of unprecedented polarization—any issue where there is deviation from accepted orthodoxy leads to an attempted purge. It is absurd that clownish conservative caricatures like Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain were briefly elevated to the top of the polls while more sober-minded presidential candidates with executive experience like Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman Jr. failed to gain any traction. The result is the weakest Republican field in living memory.

That the conservative favorite from 2008 is now derided as a RINO says more about the rightward lurch of the Republican Party than it does about Romney. You reap what you sow.

The Tea Party driven win of 2010 seems to have taught some in the GOP that firing up the base with extreme anti-Obama rhetoric leads to victories, and so candidates like Gingrich happily comply with talk about “Kenyan anti-colonial” mindsets and “secular socialist machines.” The obvious fact that this works better in comparatively low-turnout, high-intensity midterm elections than in the broader, more representative turnout of presidential years has been ignored, willfully or otherwise.

Likewise, it’s been scrubbed from many conservative’s memories that the Tea Party in 2010 used libertarian appeals to attract independents—avoiding more polarizing social issues and instead keeping a tight focus on fiscal ones like reducing the deficit and debt...

Indeed the above are considerations fiscal conservatives, Libertarians, and moderates ought to reflect on. Daily. If they hope to unseat Obama in 2012.

Now, the rest of the article.

Comments

  1. I wish conservatives had not welded themselves to the religious crazies (and NO not all religious people are crazy) instead we have the quintessential DC Insider, the anti-human moral zealot crusader and the so out-of-touch uber rich Vulture Capitalist to choose from...

    So, I'm voting for the most truly conservative candidate... Barack H. Obama.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I made the decision a while back I will vote third party. Likely Johnson.

      It is really too bad Huntsman, Paul, and Johnson weren't the three duking it out for the republican nomination.

      Delete
  2. The fiscal conservatives and libertarians already know that hopefully are finally seeing that the far right is not the answer, especially with big government spending far right candidate. Ricky is the worst kind of far right candidate because he is only socon and no fiscon. He believes in big government and big government spending on stuff he likes, laws to control the people as he sees fit. I would have loved to see Huntsman do better because though he was a socon, he was also talking fiscon.

    I would love to see more fiscon record from any of the candidates at this point, but all we are going to get is how great fiscon is at winning election, but how it can never happen in real life because how would you ever get re-elected. Let's face it that is all any of these muttonheads is really worried about. I weep for this country because regardless of who wins in 2012, we will still launch ourselves off the debt cliff with glee.

    Why isn't Ryan getting more press for his plan to help save us from ourselves? As a nation, we really don't want to make the necessary changes to fix this mess because it could cause some slight discomfort. How about we end all subsides and foreign aid? How about we raise retirement to say 67 or 70? Or we actually get the government out of medical care? Regulation is fine to a point, but it cost and do we really need four or five government agencies all telling us different things and constantly changing the bar.

    You want more America, then grow up and put on your big boy and girl pants. Roll up your sleeves and get to work at fixing the problem, rather than playing American Idol with the leader of the not so free world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "You want more America, then grow up and put on your big boy and girl pants. Roll up your sleeves and get to work at fixing the problem, rather than playing American Idol with the leader of the not so free world."

      --------

      Now that's a quote worth repeating! Brilliantly said, Sandy!

      Delete
  3. Republicans, specifically the "socons" will result in conservatism continuing its downward spiral into irrelevancy. Rather than sticking to "classical liberal" principals of limited constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, a strong defense yet turning from interventionist foreign policy, and insuring and maintaining maximum individual freedoms the "socons" are bastardizing the conservative principles championed by the father of modern conservatism Barry Goldwater.
    --------

    Your opening salvo was worth the price of admission. Nicely stated!

    Again, as I'm sure you have said yourself, the elitist beltway GOP is not, by any stretch of the imagination, Conservative. The travesty is that Conservatism has become a dirty word, mired in gossip and innuendo, when in reality Conservatives do not seek a government that uses morality as a weapon, but instead one that simply sticks to The US Constitution in all things governance.

    Morality can never, ever, be legislated or used as a bully-pulpit issue. Government, while having the faint scent of morality, cannot force it or mandate it. A True Conservative polices their own life, and wants government to be government, keeping the borders secure, leaving our money alone, and remembering always that THEY WORK FOR US.

    Nice post, Les.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks twoguys2012... Your words on what a conservative ought to be said it better than most so called contemporary conservatives ever could have enunciated.

      Delete
  4. I'm wondering if this crazy contraception talk is just pro-wrestling smack talk to hand Romney the victory. Sanctimonius Rick didn't become pro-life until he decided to run for the US House, and thinks that perverted priests were engaged in a "typical homosexual relationship". I'm as Bible thumping as you get and I think this dude is just plain weird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, this is not crazy contraption talk. It is all about principles and what classical liberalism, aka in today's lexicon what true conservatism ought to be about.

      His Frothiness is a misguided and VERY dangerous person. Any THINKING conservative {classical liberal}would already know this. As I'm quite sure you do republincanmother.

      Biblethumping is not my cup of tea either. I prefer reason over faith. As in Ayn Rand.

      Delete
  5. John Avlon is one of the very few pundits these days who doesn't make me vomit. "Reasonableness is not a sin" is what I'd like to tell the rest of 'em; Olbermann, Limbaugh, Hannity, Schultz, Savage, etc..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kooks will always have candidates to pander to them. This is like what we had in Illinois. We had Pat Quinn who was a gadfly, or something, I do like him, but he was beatable being kind of a goof and being Lt. Gov during the Blago administration. The republicans nominated an extremist right wing nut named Bill Brady and lost an election they should have won easily.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just saw Santorum on one of the Sunday newswrap shows, and he just sounded idiotic. I really hope he gets the nomination. Obama will eat him alive.

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the idiocy of His Frothiness we are in full agreement. Same I'm guessing with respect to Newtie.

      It is why I will write in Paul or else cast a vote for Johnson.

      Principles matter to me and Obama lacks the principles that matter to me. I presume much of the nation actually fee;s the same given his erratic poll numbers.

      What change? Vote for the real deal. Or start a new revolution of ideas that actuallynhave merit.

      Delete
    2. Well, Les, about half the country is not big on Obama, but that half is split a few ways. Of that half, about half are Daddy State conservatives, and of the remaining, only about half of them are libertarians or "classical conservatives." Among libertarians, there is a significant minority who are truly independent, and not 100% fall-back GOP, and they will support Obama over a radical right winger.

      JMJ

      Delete
    3. Or as is most likely Mommy state progressives...

      Delete
    4. Or as is most likely Mommy state progressives...

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    5. Or as is most likely Mommy state progressives...

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    6. Or as is most likely Mommy state progressives...

      Delete
  8. JMJ,

    President Obama's tutors would slay Santorum, 'tis too true. But I would say that President Obama isn't exactly a capable speaker without his teleprompter. Just an observation.

    Les,

    I must disagree. Well, I mean, were you implying Newt couldn't handle President Obama in a debate, and would lose like Santorum would? Newt is the smartest guy in the room, Les. Hell, only Newt and Paul could even begin to explain to America what the US Constitution actually says. But I digress. Newt would slay President Obama verbally and intellectually in an open-forum debate. It would be embarrassing. Just an observation from a guy who isn't voting for Newt, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Newt THINKS he is the SMARTEST guy in the room. I agree he is MARGINALLY smarter than Frothy Santorum.

      Obama, who is MARGINALLY smarter than either would eat both alive.

      Paul is actually the ONLY candidate that REALLY understands the Constitution and could explain it to the American populace DRUNK on feel good progressivism.

      Enjoy the ride.

      Delete

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