My first scenario for the small-government conservative voter involved some sort of new party emergence. A revolution, if you will.
But let’s face it. These are not small government times. There are no Thomas Jeffersons looming on the horizons. And Americans love their government programs.
I have accepted that the freedom-loving homeschool blogging circles I run in are not representative of mainstream America.
I just wanted to float my fantasy of a resurgence of small government federalism before I delved into the other, more likely, scenario.
Republican voters, uninspired by the eventual un-conservative nominee, will stay home in large numbers. The voting blocs that consistently support the GOP – the 2nd amendment crowd, the smaller government folks, the lower taxes bunch, the pro-life gang, and, let’s not forget, the capitalists – will not turn out for a candidate that does not uphold their principles.
The Democratic Party will sweep up this election. Then they will have the freedom and ability to implement their agenda.
Then people will remember why they don’t like Democrats. They will remember why everytime we have had an expansion of government power and government programs, there has been a subsequent rollback.
Eventually, the Republicans will realize that their smaller government ideas are winning ideas, or I should say, their small government ideas will once again be winning ideas, and we will see a return to the Republican Party that we, small government conservatives, all knew and loved.
In the meantime, conservative commentators, pundits and bloggers can rejoice in the fact that it is not our guys screwing things up for a change.
February 5th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Yes, a lot of the pro-gun people are in basically the same mind-set that you are from what I can tell. As for a lot of the rest of it, I think the days of “supply-side” economics being a model that one can seriously float as a real policy are over. That policy has failed under both a Democratic and a GOP Congress. We’ll take over the helm now…
February 6th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Republican voters, uninspired by the eventual un-conservative nominee, will stay home in large numbers.
That will be very unfortunate if correct given that both Justice Ginsburg and Justice Stevens could leave the bench at anytime. Ginsburg is 75 and Stevens is 88 (or will be in April). What are the chances that Stevens will still be on the bench at 92?
Now is not the time for pouting in a corner because they didn’t get their way.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:47 am
It’s not about pouting. As I said in part one, it is not enough to win with the wrong principles.
The only way we have to tell the Party what principles we want to see them uphold is with our votes.
I am not swayed by the court thing. I am not confident that McCain will appoint conservative justices, even if he did win.
I have had to live through 8 years of the term “Republican Party” referring to Bush’s big government policies. I would like to for once see the standard bearer for the Republican Party be someone who I can agree with.
My pure principles might be out of the mainstream, but what I am willing to support in politics is not out there at all. In fact, those principles are what brought the GOP into power in the 90s.
It wasn’t that long ago and Americans have not changed so much that those principles cannot win again.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I am not swayed by the court thing. I am not confident that McCain will appoint conservative justices, even if he did win.
Yeah well, there is no indication that McCain would nominate Justices that are anything but constructionist: he voted for all of the Justices Bush nominated.
I have had to live through 8 years of the term “Republican Party” referring to Bush’s big government policies. I would like to for once see the standard bearer for the Republican Party be someone who I can agree with.
Yeah, well, given the support Huckabee has received, it is pretty clear that a good chunk of the problem lies with Evangelicals and “Born Again” Christians. These folks clearly believe in big government conservatism is “compassionate”. And I don’t see how you are going to remove them when you have people like Rush claiming that one of the fundamental legs of the Conservative movement is Social Conservatives.
Give me two-legged conservatism and I’ll be much happier.
But the over-riding concern I have is the War against Islamists. I simply do not believe that the Democrats being considered for Commander and Chief can prosecute it clearly and decisively. I am very clear that not only would McCain be good for the War, but he would also be good for Veterans, which is another big concern of mine. I am not so clear on that about either Romney or Huckabee. Romney looks like a great manager to me, but not a war-time leader. And Huckabee just has all the wrong elements.
And, I reiterate:
If you want small government, you have to do it through the Congress, not the Chief Executive.
The Republican Congress should have held the line on spending. Bush could have suggested medical drug plans up and down the street all day long, if Congress didn’t deliver him a bill to sign, it would not have happened.
Evaluating McCain as if he were being elected to Congress is the wrong filter.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Charity, your first three lines of this post are the most truthful things you’ve ever written. But your big mistake is in your significance of 1994. That was more the result of GOP mobilization of their frothing at the mouth base than anything else. A movement elected in there on less than one-third of the voting population could hardly be considered representative of America. That time was an unfortunate blip on our nations’ history that is thankfully coming to an end. Savor you memories of nasty Newt and the boys, you’re not going to see that again in your lifetime.
Frank.. ‘the war against the Islamists”? Still crapping your pants from 9-11, I see. That is a war of our own making, bro. Yeah, McCain would be great for veterans, because he’s have no reservations whatsoever about sending even more of them to their deaths to die for a lie. Ya’ think he woulda learned after ‘Nam.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:48 am
‘the war against the Islamists”? Still crapping your pants from 9-11, I see. That is a war of our own making, bro.
Good thing the grown-ups still out number the kids, politically.
With luck, that will remain the case come November
Ya’ think he woulda learned after ‘Nam.
We have. Have you?
In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge began a murderous rule in which hundreds of thousands of Cambodians died by starvation and torture and execution. In Vietnam, former allies of the United States and government workers and intellectuals and businessmen were sent off to prison camps, where tens of thousands perished. Hundreds of thousands more fled the country on rickety boats, many of them going to their graves in the South China Sea.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
“those principles are what brought the GOP into power in the 90s.”
I think we’ve been over this before, and I think that you’re re-writing history the way that you like it IMO.
I just *love* watching the GOP “coalition” break up right in front of me.
What happens if Huckabee ends up on the ticket with McCain?
“I simply do not believe that the Democrats being considered for Commander and Chief can prosecute it clearly and decisively.”
Right, cuz we’ve been doing *so* well with it recently. I agree that McCain hasn’t learned any military lessons from Vietnam (except maybe about torture)…it’s very sad to see.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:57 am
OK, I’m now shouting from the rooftops (if you see it in your paper, it wasn’t me).
I DON”T CARE!!! DON”T STAY HOME!!! That is the worst thing anyone could do.
Leave the presidential slot blank if you must, but staying home is indicative of exactly what the problem is.
We all think the only race that matters is the presidency. Because we all have our eyes fixed on the central government, conservative and liberal alike.
Too many conservatives do not believe their own principles enough to get involved with the local and state governments we say should be making these decisions. We look at the presidency…and the House and Senate every four years…and that is about it.
February 8th, 2008 at 7:45 am
You make a great point, Dana. I say stay home figuratively, but that is what a lot of people will do, literally. Our city elections are next month, but we have a governor’s race and legislative races in November that I will definitely not miss.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Small government in action.
http://acropolisreview.com/200.....nt-in.html
February 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
My response is here.