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Political Hay
When Will the Republican Panic End?
A conservative gathering attempts to dispel omens of doom.
No fistfights broke out during the National Review Institute’s “Future of Conservatism” Summit in D.C., disappointing my hopes for the weekend. Some sort of bloodletting — at the very least, a venting of grievances — might do everybody good after the Republican defeat in November. Alas, decorum prevailed and none of the panelists even raised their voices in anger.
The most depressing moment of the conference came, perhaps not coincidentally, during a panel on immigration when radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt, representing the pro-amnesty side of the argument, announced that he really didn’t want to be debating immigration because it was bad for Republicans to talk about the issue — especially when those talking about it were middle-aged white guys like himself and his antagonist, Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Undeterred by Hewitt’s disavowal, Krikorian recounted facts that ought to give pause to conservatives who, since November, have begun jabbering desperately about winning over Hispanic voters by adopting a pro-amnesty line. Krikorian noted a Pew Research poll from 2011 that found Hispanics have the lowest opinion of capitalism of any group surveyed. Only 32 percent of Hispanics hold a favorable view of capitalism, while 55 percent have a negative view. Even supporters of the left-wing Occupy Wall Street movement expressed a more favorable view of capitalism than did Hispanics. Insofar as the Republican Party promotes policies favorable to capitalism, then, it is at odds with the sentiments of the one group whom the pro-amnesty Republicans insist their policy ideas will win over to the GOP.
Facts are stubborn things, John Adams once observed, but perhaps even more stubborn is the sense of panic that has gripped Republicans since Obama’s re-election. No sooner had the votes been counted than shell-shocked Republicans began making a lot of earnest noise about “demographics” and “culture.” These seem to be code words of a kind. When a Republican says “demographics,” he means, “Brown people don’t like us very much,” and “culture” is Republican code-speak for, “Young people really hate us, don’t they?”
This nervous code-talk was evidently inspired by exit polls showing that Mitt Romney got just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote (by comparison, George W. Bush got 44 percent in 2004), and 37 percent of under-30 voters (compared to Bush’s 45 percent in 2004). The GOP panic reaction to those numbers has been wildly disproportionate. Hispanic voters comprised just 10 percent of the electorate, according to the exit polls, and 81 percent of voters were over 30, but the Republican demoralization since November has been so complete that they can’t seem to stop obsessing over “demographics” and “culture.”
Have we seen this kind of reaction before? Yes and, not long ago, it was Democrats who were in panic mode. Most Republicans seem to have forgotten the doom reaction that briefly gripped Democrats after Bush’s 2004 re-election, when exit polls showed “values voters” to be the decisive factor in Ohio and other key swing states. “Values voters,” it seemed, associated Democrats with left-wing attitudes including radical anti-military sentiments, support for abortion and gay-rights activism. Even while the few remaining moderate Democrats were wringing their hands over these exit-poll numbers, however, the left-wingers determined to double down on these very issues. Enraged progressives made opposition to Bush’s war policies a litmus test and, in the 2006 primaries, drove Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman — who had been the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate in 2000 — out of the party altogether. In 2008, the left-wing Democrats insisted on nominating the anti-war Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton (who had voted for “Bush’s war” in Iraq), and Obama has loyally promoted every single one of the radical issues that the “value voters” of 2004 rejected. If there are Democrats today who don’t enthusiastically endorse same-sex marriage and abortion on demand, they’re awfully quiet about it, and the fanatical extremism of the Left has apparently intimidated even conservative Republicans, who are now increasingly fearful of being identified with “social issues.” (Thank you, Todd Akin!)
This phenomenal fear of “social issues” is remarkable, given the fact that (a) polls indicate that opposition to abortion is at or near its highest levels since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, and (b) Gallup’s survey last fall found that homosexuals are a mere 3.4 percent of the U.S. population. Exactly why this 3.4 percent tail should wag the 96.6 percent dog — so that “marriage equality” has suddenly become a winning political issue in Maryland and other states — is a question that Republicans show no willingness to answer. If approval of sodomy is not yet legally mandatory, opposition to homosexuality is rapidly becoming an idea “that it is unacceptable to articulate,” as Maggie Gallagher said during a Sunday morning panel devoted to the issue of marriage. Traditional Judeo-Christian morality is currently in an “existential fight,” Gallagher told the summit audience, because such values are “being re-defined as the moral equivalent of racism.” No one on the panel made note of the remarkable political ju-jitsu performed by the radical Left, which seems to have turned a Republican asset — the very issues that motivated the “values voters” who inspired the Democrat panic of 2004 — into an embarrassing liability for the GOP in the short span of eight years.
Much of the discussion at the weekend summit was hopeful, if not exactly encouraging. Some of the more promising fresh faces of the Republican Party, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, offered strong arguments on behalf of the GOP’s continued relevance. The party’s 2012 vice-presidential candidate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, warned the conservative audience Saturday that Republicans can’t afford to “get rattled” in their political battles with Obama during the next four years: “We have to be smart. We have to show prudence.”
As if on cue, the least prudent Republican in America made news Sunday by declaring his unabashed support for Obama’s proposal to provide amnesty to an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. There is a “new appreciation… that we have to enact comprehensive immigration reform,” Arizona Sen. John McCain said on ABC, insisting that this “comprehensive” reform must include a “pathway to citizenship” for these law-breaking foreigners.
Is this “prudence” or panic? Are Republicans prepared to surrender and call it a victory? And is it the job of conservative spokesmen — including the intellectual heirs of Bill Buckley at National Review — to persuade us that the best way to beat liberals is to start agreeing with them? For the past two months I’ve been trying to shake the gloomy thought that we are, as I said after the election, doomed beyond all hope of redemption. But we are most certainly doomed to defeat if our leaders refuse to fight.
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (248) | Leave a comment
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Gary B| 1.28.13 @ 7:05AM
Jim Demint, the new president of the Heritage Foundation, claimed a one-dollar contribution to the group will do far more good than a ten-thousand-dollar contribution to the RNC. Copy that...
TNRebelRouser| 1.28.13 @ 9:23AM
I have ceased all donations to the Republican Party. Every time I receive a mailing from the RNC begging me for money I return the request, sans a check, in their pre-paid postage envelope with a short letter stating my dissatisfaction with the Party. Before the Republican Party can move forward it must first decide who and what it wants to represent. For over 30 years I have been told by those asking for my money that the Republican Party is the party of "smaller" government. I was told that if I would just keep supporting their candidates this "small" government would come to pass. I kept writing checks and I continued to vote for those individuals with the "R" beside their name. And what is the result and where is my reward, i.e. the "smaller" government I was promised? Alas, it was all a lie. I no longer have to prove anything to the Republican Party and it has everything to prove to me! Ever hear of the Tea Party, the Constitution Party, the Libertarian Party? I can just sit out an election cycle, save a little money and be no worse off for it. Weak, ineffective, unprincipled, too compromising....these are the words that come to mind when I think of the Republican Party. The Republican Party needs get some serious conservative counseling, spend six months in a half way house performing conservative community services. Then and only then will I be willing to sit down with it and have some heart to heart chats. Anybody out there in the RNC listening?
Bob K| 1.28.13 @ 10:17AM
When will it stop ignoring the White Middle Class male and start concentrating on their employment issues? Currently the Republican leadership acts like they think that the only thing they are good for is cannon fodder in the near east. They comprise the majority of the Reserves and National Guard personnel.
Meanwhile the "leadership" keeps talking about crap like "Solving the Immigration Puzzle" like Jeb Bush and Clint Bolick did in an article in the WSJ this past friday. QUOTE: "THE ONLY ALTERNATIVES TO INCREASED IMMIGRATION ARE MOUNTING DEBTS AND REDUCED SOCIAL SERVICES." (My emphasis)
They are needed to "help us meet our work force needs, prevent exportation of jobs to foreign countries and protect against the exploitation of workers."
Keeping people like these 2 genius's in leadership positions is reason enough to panic!
Dai Alanye | 1.28.13 @ 11:58AM
How about we simultaneously extend unemployment benefits and import low-wage immigrants to "do the work Americans won't do."
That should solve our problems, both short-term and long.
Bob K| 1.28.13 @ 1:53PM
I know you are being factious but also consider this: Many of these immigrants come here with their extended families and put them on the SSI Federal Welfare program and then get Food Stamps for them too. This is particularly common with peoples from the Indian Subcontinent who run small variety store/lottery outlets in low income areas.
Jeb Bush and Clint Bolick did not mention this and neither do the other Republicans who favor expanding immigration for "work force needs."
Bob K| 1.28.13 @ 5:11PM
They are still panicking.
A bi-partisan group of Senators including, McCain, Graham, Rubio and Flake reached an agreement for "Comprehensive" Immigration reform including a fast track to citizenship for 11,000,00 Illegal Immigrants.
Does this sound like it will improve the economy--help control inflation, get out Republican voters in 2016 and help strengthen the Republican party?
Rhoetus| 1.28.13 @ 8:22PM
The Bush family did more to defeat conservatism in the Republican Party than Nelson Rockefeller.
MelvinNC| 1.28.13 @ 7:07AM
The Republican Party has ceased to be a an effective political organization, because of a lack of conviction to educate the masses to Conservatism.
Furthermore, the Republican Party is led by aging dinosaurs, who refuse to pass the baton to younger, energetic Conservatives who are full of new ideas and energy for the 21st Century.
Conservatives don't need Senators and Congressmen trolling the halls of D.C. on scooters from the scooter store with oxygen bottles in tow.
Conservatives need men and women who are full of piss and vinegar to take the fight to the Marxists Democrats.
Jack in Wi| 1.28.13 @ 7:51AM
National Review is part of the problem, not the solution. We need real leaders willing to articulate a conservative position. The country is headed over the cliff and our so called leaders have nothing intelligent to say. 25 years of the Rockefeller Bush gang leading the party has been disastrous. That is because they are not conservatives.
Gary B| 1.28.13 @ 11:15AM
Right... They're part of the ruling class. Bush gave us the knee-jerk Patriot Act and the Rockefellers, well... their forte is keeping nations in debt.
whosiwhatizt| 1.28.13 @ 2:39PM
I tend to agree. Remember that GOP stands for Grand OLD Party.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 7:08AM
First of all, I have to say that it is an HONOUR to know that Mr. I need a tan McCain is obviously a Big Fan of The Contest.
"The Scream"?
I'm thinking that he's using a Nom De Plume. Hardcard, perhaps? Or, the Eskimo up in Alaska? (that'll get an email) Maybe even Albert? I've often wondered how a supposedly overweight, incontinent, bald headed Chicken Foot delivery boy, could, without a doubt, be the Next Jeopardy Champion if only he got the chance.
That being said.......what were we talking about?
"John McCain is talking about Ammesty." (A rose by any other name) His "Pathway to Citizenship" is just one more example (as if we needed one more example) of the perfidy of this man. McCain Feingold. Waterboarding is bad. I don't care how many lives are saved. "Must kill Rickey Spanish".
Pop Quiz: Other than being a POW in the Vietnam War, does anyone know what he's done in his Million Years if the Senate? I mean.......besides siding with Democrats on just about everything?
Jonnie Boner Boy says that "I wish I hadn't Flucked Up the Fiscal Cliff". Senator Turtle has drawn a Line in the Sand: "NO MORE TAXES" again. The House Committee that took turns being Hillary's Bidet, are now asking for a Mulligan. RNC Chairman: Rinsecycle Peinus says "We're not gonna take it anymore".
I'm thinking we're way past The Scream. Unless you're gonna put a rope around his neck, and Hang him from a Bridge.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 7:45AM
"Incontinent"
Not yet, anyway.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 9:17AM
What about now?
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 11:42AM
Well, the day isn't over, yet.
R Martin| 1.28.13 @ 11:48AM
AC, Bastiat thursday at ISI 6 pm. Expect much better speaker this time. Let's talk about you-know-who.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 11:50AM
I think I'm scheduled, but I might be able to rearrange some things. You-know-who needs to be talked about frequently.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:38PM
Me?
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 12:57PM
You spelled - Basket - wrong.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 11:48AM
...and speaking of contests, I was watching the last 20 minutes of "The Longest Day" (again), and the credits reflect that one of the actors (presumably portaying a German) was Edward Munch (with an umlaut over the u).
As the painter died before the end of WW II, I am pretty sure it wasn't him, but I imagine it was one of those things that made the painter want to Scream.
MelvinNC| 1.28.13 @ 8:00AM
"Jonnie Boner Boy says that "I wish I hadn't Flucked Up the Fiscal Cliff". Senator Turtle has drawn a Line in the Sand: "NO MORE TAXES" again. "
This one sentence speaks volumes of our discontent.
I know we have said this till we are blue in the face, but they treat this Country like it is some sort of board game. But for us it is real world consequences.
Johnnie messes up costing us lower take home pay, and he goes home at night to his tanning booth and silk sheets and sleeps a full night sleep with not a worry to care about.
I think it is about time we gave them something to worry about.
Von Mises Jr| 1.28.13 @ 9:56AM
Marbles Boehner who frets over the "Fiscal Cliff" ceding 40 to 1 in increasing our taxes versus DC imaginary cuts from a baseline that has doubled in 12 years (that is a 6% growth rate) just punted on the "Debt Ceiling" without a whimper.
I am so sick of this "B" rated movie that is rerun every couple months. Rush summed it up when he talked about the shell game crisis’s from CR's to debt ceiling to taxmeggedon to re-election plans.
It is amazing that most people could be so stupid. And they will be surprised when SGO implodes destroying their home values and retirement savings further while inflation and unemployment worsen.
But that is why they are Democrats and GOP RINO's. They are either stupid as hell or selling out the country for their personal gain.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:04PM
They're selling out the Country for their personal gain.
Derek Leaberry| 1.28.13 @ 8:07AM
A party that betrays its base deserves destruction. So be it the Republicans.
Al Adab| 1.28.13 @ 8:34AM
The GOP base and The Conservative base are not the same. The GOP has betrayed Conservatives more times than not. Yes there is a question of what the Conservative Movement takes into the future, but never confuse the Movement with the republican party.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:27AM
What the Republican Party does in the near future will determine whether I stay a Republican or go Independent. I think we really are going to need a new party.
GobBluthe| 1.28.13 @ 9:39AM
What makes you think that new party won't end up as corrupted at the GOP has?
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 11:43AM
Perhaps, but it may take a few years.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:04PM
Then what?
Al Adab| 1.28.13 @ 1:29PM
Why TLP, you know the answer. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Think Groundhog Day.
Occam's Tool| 1.29.13 @ 12:48AM
I got through my panic. I'm just tired as hell, now. If I need to move to Australia, I will, but let's see, first.
Santiago| 1.29.13 @ 12:37PM
Move to Chile instead. Even the leftist bloque here, the "Concertación," keeps the budget balanced and doesn't tax the #*!¿% out of people or nationalize companies. They're just content to dole out "bonos" (Chilean for $$$) to the lower income groups.
R Martin| 1.28.13 @ 8:11AM
Last week Mr. Hillyer suggested Republicans need to communicate better. Mr. McCain’s piece today provides an example. He cites statistics identifying 10 percent of the electorate as Hispanic, 3.4 percent as homosexual. Yet those minorities have a loud voice and are clearly driving government policy and public opinion in support of their special interests. Somebody is running that campaign, and they’re doing it effectively. They’re on offense; we’re on defense. We need a new coach.
And this whole Hispanic thing has bothered me for ages. Unchecked illegal immigration is causing fundamental changes in our body politic. Negative changes. Yet Republicans seem to be embracing policies that reward the illegals who are here and create incentives for more to come. Somehow they think they can appeal politically to these people when all they’re doing is strengthening the Democrat base. Stupid party indeed.
How about focusing some of that political strategizing on how to attract unmarried women to our side. That’s a big group, and they went 2 to 1 for Obama. What's up with that group?
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 9:13AM
Unchecked Illegal Immigration has been the Precursor of the End of every Great Empire, since the Dawn of Civilization.
Hence: Jorge Nicolas Ruiz de Santayana y Rickey Riccardo, and his unforgettable contributions to Mankind, in the form of a Warning to those who would Ignore the Lessons of the Past, as well as the Hypnotic Refrains inside his Big Hit: Babalou, which he loved to sing at his "Coconut Club".
As far as the Single Women thing?
I know they were lined up around the block, in NYC, when Trojan was handing out Free Vibrators.
Whatta we got ta lose?
We might even get Purp, vtwin, RCV, and self professed sock cucker - SC - to Vote Republican.
Let's do it.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 11:09AM
I wouldn't count on it.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:54AM
Me, either.
This country is utterly, inexplicably divided.
Leftism is a religion to it's adherents. They will NEVER accept reason, facts, experience, or historical precedent as the truth that it represents. That's because the Left does not "think;" they "feel." And feelings are hard things to overcome. They often lack logic, and are deeply ingrained.
And the Right - especially the GOP - often has trouble understanding the enemy - the left - and preparing to fight them accordingly. Too many on the Right think the Left can be reasoned with, or won over. That's NOT gonna' happen.
The problem is irreconcilable; we need an amicable divorce.
Warrior| 1.28.13 @ 12:22PM
Hamilton and Burr understood how to divorce their irreconcilable differences.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 1:33PM
Yup.
And it may come to that, too.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 1:05PM
Sorry, Dr. Right, but the overwhelming majority of Americans, despite their political differences, love this country - the United States of America. It will stay united, mark my words. If a minority of you have grown so alienated from our people, our culture, our government, then emigrate somewhere and start a newer city on the hill if you think you can create one. I seriously doubt it.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 1:35PM
I love my country, too. But like hundreds of millions of Americans, I hate what's happening to it.
In addition, I don't equate "country" with "government."
Sorry, but we who still cling to our Bibles, our guns, and our Constitution aren't going anywhere. And if you losers on the left REALLY want a fight, then be careful what you wish for.
And we're not going anywhere. Don't like it? Then try and make us go.
But you'd better be successful, because if you're not, you're on the first train to...wherever.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 2:23PM
Not trying to make you go, at all. But there is no chance that the country will disassemble. None. We've already fought a bloody war over the principle that this is one nation, indivisible.
Butch| 1.28.13 @ 2:56PM
There you go again. Bloody war.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 4:34PM
The Civil War wasn't bloody?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:16PM
"Not trying to make you go, at all. But there is no chance that the COLONIES will REBEL AGAINST THE KING. None."
"Not trying to make you go, at all. But there is no chance that the SOUTHERN STATES will REBEL AGAINST THE UNION. None."
"Not trying to make you go, at all. But there is no chance that the SOVIET UNION will DISSOLVE. None."
And here's your other pearl of wisdom:
"We've already fought a bloody war over the principle that this is one nation, indivisible."
Rubbish. If the Confederacy had won the war, then this principle would not be the same. In fact, it would be moot.
History is written by the victors.
Butch| 1.28.13 @ 4:35PM
And barring a 180-degree change of direction, the USA WILL disassemble: it is a sure thing. When the dollar is no longer accepted worldwide, when the food supply chain fails, when the electrical power supply becomes intermittent to nonexistent, when the Federal government becomes unable to pay the military (now including Homeland Security, with its 7000 new FULL AUTO M-16s), when the proletariat prowls the streets foraging for anything they can get, when the Feds can't borrow from foreign countries or buy on credit, it will disassemble. Better be in Texas when it happens.
aware| 1.28.13 @ 6:10PM
Damn right, Butch.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:15PM
After being Purposefully Divided by the First Halfrican President in our History, I would hardly term our "Divided Country" as: Inexplicably.
RCV needs to learn how to Count, and you need to look up the Definition of: Inexplicably.
You sound like Two Peas in a Pod.
Maybe you can help each other out?
Perhaps a Double Date at one of the Halfrican's favourite Chicago Bathhouses, is in order?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 1:59PM
...yawn...
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 2:17PM
I'll take that as a Yes.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:17PM
Take it however you want. Who cares?
It doesn't change the fact that you're a bore.
It also doesn't change the fact that you don't impress me.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 2:27PM
First, TLP, I know how to count, both the popular and the electoral votes. The President won by a comfortable margin, both times.
And though I have my disagreements with Dr. R, he is so very much smarter than you, and a much more decent person.
Lastly, you are so hung up on this bathhouse fantasy of yours, it's not difficult to figure out what's going on psychologically with you. I think it's the President you're probably thinking about when you're with your so-called "smokin' hot Asain wife."
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:41PM
Like I said: Two Peas in a Pod.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:42PM
And, it's not a Fantasy.
It was in the Chicago Papers.
The Gay Community in Chicago OUTED HIM.
Not me, sweetheart.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 7:19PM
Well, if it was in some paper somewhere, then it must be true.
If it had an iota of truth to it, you could be sure that Karl Rove would have trotted out every single witness. It's the kind of garbage you guys love to imagine is true, because it's all you fantasize about.
Joellen| 1.28.13 @ 8:25AM
Until it was STOLEN off off my car bumper, I had a sticker that said "DONT BLAME ME I VOTED FOR SARAH PALIN".
John "my friend Hillary Clinton", is no Conservative and I stopped listening to him years ago.
When Boener's video came up at the March for Life, this past Friday, he barely got a response.
When the Republican party finally concedes that they will never win, unless they adhere to the CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATIVES, well, action speaks louder than words. Just look at the last two presidential elections.
"DONT BLAME ME I VOTE FOR THE CONSTITUTION!
Whig| 1.28.13 @ 8:27AM
Unfortunately, many Republicans in office rely on the MSM for their information. Thus, the countless media stories reinforce the idea that mean Republicans must allow same sex marriage, abortion on demand, unlimited immigration, no cuts on spending, increased taxes, etc. etc. etc. To do otherwise is to court electoral disaster in the future so the Republicans must join the Borg collective.
I would suggest talking about jobs and economic growth exclusively. Everyone wants this outcome, it makes the negative sum game of budgetary politics go down better, and exposes the Dem's and Obama's recent focus on gun control, on women in combat jobs, etc. as a desperate attempt to keep people from recognizing what a mess the economy is and will be if these economic illiterates are left in charge.
Focus, focus, focus, it is the economy stupid Republican leaders. They should not be talking about anything else. They should suggest that these things can wait until the economy is fixed.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:31AM
I disagree. Talking only about the economy is just a version of country club Republicanism. We need to be Reaganites in our politics, meaning we talk about everything from a conservative point of view.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 10:19AM
Let's put matters into perspective: We are as far away from Reagan's inauguration as Reagan was from Eisenhower's.
Different times call for different tactics and priorities. We're in the 4th quarter of a culture war and the one thing Republicans are losing are ground troops. Pandering to La Raza will not gain numbers since for every ultra religious Hispanic that switches parties due to amnesty and opposition to gay marriage, there are at least double that number of white guys that decide to stay home.
Democrats did get a few things right: protect your electorate (at least until you throw them under the bus as the Dems like to do at anytime.) Grow your electorate via things only you best provide. Don't be an amateur at what your opposition is an expert at.
canuckistani| 1.28.13 @ 10:50AM
Baloney. The GOP has slowly frittered away the backbone of the country: the middle class, in favor of philosophical arguments about women's rights and whether illegals should be permitted to emerge from our back gardens and be considered citizens.
It's the same old redneck approach to nation-building: We have a competitive advantage based on rigged laws and perverse social constructs. When the subservient becomes "uppity", suddently become constitutionalists and claim the abstract as terra firma for the continued imbalance between each "class" of citizen.
It only worked for a time, but successive generations have been imbued with true Americanism through the embracing of dissent and a healthy skepticism that anything emanating from the gapes of middle-aged white men can be construed as constructive. As evidenced by the governors in swing states, they have learned nothing and are tempting political extinction with their machinations.
We are healthier now than ever before, but must be ever vigilant against backsliding to old norms.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:13AM
You give yourself away every time you post.
Your ignorance is simply stunning. You know and understand very little about the Constitution or Conservatism or the negative impacts that over-regulation has on an economy.
BTW, the Left does not own "dissent;" that's absurd.
In fact, the Left despises dissent
And to say that we are "healthier now than ever before" is makes you either oblivious to reality or just plain dumb.
Your choice.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 11:54AM
"makes you either oblivious to reality or just plain dumb."
...or he could be a liar...
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:16PM
Which one?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 1:38PM
Not you.
In order to be a liar, you have to actually say something.
That leaves out tiny, useless, uninsightful tid-bits ("He's a muslim!" "He's a socialist!") said with womanly hysteria.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 2:18PM
I think he's talking to you, Albert.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:19PM
That's OK; everyone else knows I'm talking to you, TLP.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:44PM
I think he's talking to you, Albert.
Al Adab| 1.28.13 @ 1:31PM
Doctor, perhaps Cannuk forgot, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" remember?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 2:00PM
Only because he's not dissenting, anymore.
Liberalism is the new establishment, and they will not tolerate dissent.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 2:18PM
...yawn...
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 11:32AM
It is utterly useless morons like you, who believe we are "healthier now than ever before" in the face of insurmountable debt, cultural collapse, social nihilism and a suicidal pandemic of mass false consciousness that is ensconced in an artificial, puerile socialist fantasy of which there is not a single example of real-world efficacy, who are the authors of our fate.
It is your urge to scratch your morally corrupt, intellectually bankrupt, narcissistic itch to reject reality that has destroyed this country; you are so occupied with gazing into the mirror of your own perceived superiority that you don't care about anything or anybody but burnishing your own reflection with onanistic self congratuation.
And so you look at the shackles of tyranny tightening and see this as a good thing; and why not? It fulfills your pathological desire to force people to live the way you, in your self-flattering foolish wisdom, think they should live; other people are merely pawns on the game board of your ego without any intrinsic worth aside from what you want to assign them.
Which leaves you free to be as greedy, selfish, corrupt and ugly as you cretinous heart desires - and yet, the reflection you see in your magic fantasy mirror only becomes handsomer.
The truth is that you are a fool, a crook, a thief, a vandal and a liar. In short, you are an execrable piece of shit.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 1:08PM
Yes Grzmlyk, moral and intellectual bankruptcy is the bedrock of leftism.
At some point in time, the conflict will become inevitable.
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 1:44PM
Yes. I am convinced this will end in armed conflict.
Of course Canuckocrap is a Canadian taker, so he doesn't even have real skin in the game, though doubtless he is benefitting from the American gravy train in some way without putting in his fair share of the "from each according to his ability" part of his own equation.
Funny how liberals all think just being on the planet is doing their "fair share."
Frankly, I am looking forward to the coming civil war - if we make it that far, that is, which, of course, is questionable. They can't wait to place us in re-education centers until our minds are "right," but I'm looking forward to wiping those self-satisfied smirks of their faces once they're on the receiving end of poetic justice.
These people give no quarter and they should get no quarter.
The truth is that America is no more. And it ain't coming back as currently constituted. It is just another European-style corrupt kleptocracy greasing the palms of the pawns and lining the pockets of crooks like Canuckocrap who can commit their vandalism and theft in broad daylight as long as they say the right things, mouth the right bromides.
These toxic criminals have created a boil that has to be lanced. And one way or another, they will pay for their malevolent deeds.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 2:01PM
LIKE!
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 2:12PM
Grzmlyk, if they were trying to make people live the way they wanted and were celebrating their tyranny, that at least would be an accomplishment.
But they haven't even achieved that. They aren't getting "Sweden on a hill" but rather Detroit. And they don't care. They care about their party "winning" and making their opposition lose. Consider "superfans" cheering for their beloved team and crying when they lose. I'm sure I'm going to get some here angry to say this, but people who cry when their team loses are LOSERS and they're still LOSERS if they think they achieved something when their sports team wins. Get A Life.
Nihilism for them isn't an aspiration but rather a result of a philosophy where they are cheerleaders for political douchebags.
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 3:02PM
The credo of the left is egalitarianism - and that NEVER means rasing the downtrodden up to the level of the successful. It always means bringing down the successful to the level of the downtrodden (EXCEPT, of course, for the ruling class and its apparatchiks, who steal money from the producers for their own dachas, private planes, hookers, fine liquor and grand living).
The never-ending regulations, the punishment of energy companies, the taxes, obamacare, cafe standards on cars, outlawing certain foods and drink sizes, all of these things are examples of them forcing others to live the way they think they should live. It is the sine qua non of being a liberal.
I don't disagree that the result is always Detroit and never Sweden (and Sweden can't be compared with America for several reasons), and that they don't care. It is specifically because socialism is, in practice, nothing BUT nihilism. But they don't care about the results of their policies - all they care about is their supposedly good intentions - that's the velvet glove. The iron fist underneath is simply the crass desire to rule.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 3:10PM
I've had discussions with leftists trying to understand what makes them tick and also expressing my own viewpoint simply to communicate rather than judge.
One of them gave me an epiphany when I said that I can respect people having their own interests and needs and this is the source of conflict and then he looked at me and said: "I get it. YOUR the cause of the problem. YOUR selfishness and interests".
In other words, in his worldview, the fact I didn't jump in front of the bus for him rather than him trying to push me is the problem with the world. That the world is full of "selfish" people like me in his way.
The ideological leftists are sociopaths who really don't have good intentions. They like being cool and important and shoving others down. They are not "nice" people when their religion kicks in even if they are outside of it. They project their ruthlessness upon others which is how I often catch their "slips".
But "rule?" Hahaha! Naw. They're just loser cheerleaders. They're like rock groupies who aspire for their idol to piss on them in concert.
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 3:56PM
I couldn't disagree more.
Most liberals get a real thrill out of forcing other people to do things according to the liberals' credo. You misunderstand liberalism if you don't grasp this essential tenet of the liberal mind.
I once threw a spent paper towel roll into the garbage in my company kitchen - instead of the recycling bin - while our company's resident Green Zealot was in there. He became angrey; he BERATED me for destroying the earth. He told me in no uncertain terms that I was part of the problem in this country. That is CLASSIC behavior among liberals. He wanted to FORCE me to behave the way HE THOUGHT I should behave. Their lives have no meaning unless they're forcing people to "change."
This is not cheerleading - this is the desire to force others to bend to their will.
As I say, that is why so many support all of the things that liberalism has brought about. It is based to no small degree on envy.
Remember what Mencken said: The urge to save humanity is usually a false face for the urge to rule it.
Do not underestimate the thrill of coercion. Power, even if it's vicarious, is a very intoxicating elixer.
If you don't know any liberals who have a streak in them that is champing at the bit to force otherse to live as THEY prescribe, I'd say you need to get to know the enemy better.
And, by the way, it's ok to judge.
PolishKnight| 1.29.13 @ 10:21AM
I agree with you that they are in love with power (and simultaneously afraid of it which is why they project their impulses upon the "religious right" which has been largely defunct in the state states for at least 30 years.) But keep in mind that most of them don't have power. That greenie watchdog was basically a yapper. He didn't have the power to stop you from throwing that paper core in the trash. He was engaging in his cheerleading. He was yapping at you. Yap yap.
Leftist men are kind of like unhealthy women (which is why unhealthy women are ideal democrats) in that they love to nag and berate their opposition with little effect. They LIKE it when things are going wrong because they LIKE complaining. When things are going well, they try to mess it up so they have something to b**** about.
But the ones with real power: The senators, etc. view it properly as a means to an end. To get them mansions and private jets.
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 3:03PM
If they cared about results, they'd commit collective suicide over LBJ's war on poverty alone, and the trillions that have gone down that rat hole with no discernable change in the poverty rate and the utter destruction of the black family.
The POINT of liberalism isn't results, it's lying to yourself and to the people under your boot heel that you're building a paradise on earth.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:52PM
Mr G
I agree. The left is all about power and control by the govenrment over the people. They say it is for your own good because they know better.
The libs do it by laws and regulations and the hard left, or commies, did it by brute force as in North Korea, Cuba, Cambodia, USSR, etc. They killed over 100 million people and justified it that they were improving the lives of the people. It is a continum where they use the tools at hand. That is why all these totalitarian regimes ban and confiscate guns. They know unarmed people cannot fight back.
They believe they know what is best and they intend to force you to act as they order. It is all about power and control, and disregard for the indiviudal rights of the person. They are totalitarians at heart because they do not believe in dissent.
PolishKnight| 1.29.13 @ 10:28AM
When my childhood friend said I was part of the problem because I had concerns and needs beyond just pleasing him, I saw evil in his eyes. But this evil isn't due to him seeking personal power (He's a loser actually who lived in his mother's attic until recently at the age of 40). He is a groupie. He likes being cool. This is what motivates him.
I know it's a cheesy reference, but did you ever see the show "Happy Days" which featured the "cool" Fonz who wore a leather jacket and rode a motorcycle and had godlike powers. That's how liberals think. They care about being cool and accepted and popular. This is why they get hooked in high school and college at an age when popularity is EVERYTHING.
To continue with the cultural comparison, Richie Cunningham was "cool" in his own way. He had interests, he was professionally successful, and he moved on with life. Today, the Fonz is now pitching overpriced reverse mortgages to senior citizens.
Most voters in the Dem party are simply there for the racist and special interest entitlements and could care less about the environment or saving the earth. They're just a bunch of loser cheerleaders for amoral politicians elected by thirld worlder racists. Make Sweden out of THAT!!!
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 11:58AM
"...successive generations have been imbued with true Americanism through the embracing of dissent and a healthy skepticism that anything emanating from the gapes of middle-aged white men can be construed as constructive..."
..."Anything", like that Constitution we keep referring to...
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 1:37PM
While the USA has a lot of natural resources to explain it's success, the same can be said of Russia and South America which remain impovershed despite an abundance of them.
Obama has made things so bad that Mexicans are actually returning there.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 1:33PM
What a load of BS but it's so convoluted that it warrants untangling. The right did fritter away the middle class to a certain degree with policies that welcomed illegals and H1B's but the far greater damage was done by the left via feminism which lowered wages across the board, the welfare state and sucked away resources via taxation, and also supporting illegal immigrant to expand the costly welfare state and their voter base.
It's funny to bash middle aged white men when the left themselves idolizes Western Europe which is full of such men. In the meantime, they drive their priuses back and forth from their government jobs in the cities to the suburbs.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 8:34AM
These bastards need to grow a pair and stop worrying about their "Washington careers".
I know this is impossible on both fronts, as getting and staying in Washington is their ultimate dream, but if they put their timidity aside, they might make some progress.
Either way, if continue down this road, they are finished as a political party.
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 12:49PM
The Republican party serves exactly the same function vis a vis the Democrat party that the Washington Generals serve vis a vis the Harlem Globetrotters.
Their job is to be manhandled by the Dominant Party in America. That is what they are paid to do.
They WANT more government. They want more spending. They want more people dependent on Washington. They are part of the ruling elite.
It's just that they have a different "brand" than Democrats. They want to capture that ever-shrinking percentage of mindshare of the electorate that wants to reign government in. And, like far too many companies, once we, as voters, sign the contract (or vote them into office), hey, they have our money - they proceed to screw us over and then cover their duplicitous tracks with rhetoric they know will shut us, the dwindling herd of conservatives, up.
And we see that now, with the herd dwindling to insignificant numbers, they're beginning not even to pretend to care about conservative principles.
But, like the docile cud chewers we are, we still nod and are placated by the hoary rhetoric, satisfied with a hearty, "we'll get 'em next time! We promise!" Please.
The game is rigged. It's not that Republicans are timid, it's that they're dishonest as a body (a few are principled individuals). They are part of the same corporatation, the same money-making machine, that the Democrats are part of.
Butch| 1.28.13 @ 8:09PM
Welcome back, Mr. G. I read these threads for two years before I ever posted. You were always the best: a modern-day Jeremiah. Always love to hear what you have to say.
Al Adab| 1.28.13 @ 8:38AM
What The Conservative Movement may do vis a vis the GOP as their chosen vehicle remains a question as does the fracture within the Movement itself. Unless a fusion of principles within the movement appears, any attempt to influence GOP activities will continue to fall short. Conservatives need to put their own house in order before they can ever rebuild the GOP.
Meanwhile, can the Movement force the GOP to "bork" John Kerry and the other obscene appointments this president brings forward? What about the extra-constitutional Czars? I see little backbone within the mutual admiration society which is the U S Senate.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 11:37AM
Al Adab
They need to "bork" the Supreme Court nominees that Obama will make. They need to stopt acting as gentlemen to respect the president's supreme court nominees and just rubber stamp them as the did with the incopetent Sotomayor and the far lefty Ruth Ginsburg.
The Dems play hardball attacking the Rep supreme court nominees, we must do the same.
Obama will probably pick a black woman or man which will scare the Reps, unless it is someone truly stupid like Sheila Jackson Lee or corrupt as Eric Holder. The Court has real independent power.
Jean Francois Kerry as sec of state and Chuck Hagel are just clerks carrying out the marching orders of Obama. Smart move by Obama nominating two members of the Senate Club who are also veterans, with Hagel being a legitimate decorated war hero.
Al Adab| 1.28.13 @ 1:34PM
Exactly so. The failing of the GOP is their insistence on being civil and gentlemanly, even while being accused of intolerance and vitriol. Since they get the blame anyway, why not make the fight for real? It is after all the future of representative government at stake.
potkas7| 1.28.13 @ 8:44AM
Whenever I hear or read the comment "I am a conservative" I am reminded of the people who say "I am a Christian" in that there are between 20,000 and 35,000 Protestant Christian Denominations in America - depending on how you define the term. I would suspect that there are equally as many "Conservative Confessions" as well. So is it any wonder that the Republican Party doesn't satisfy anyone from a doctrinal standpoint?
The restoration of the Republican Party will probably require the equivalent of a Council of Nicaea to establish a creed that all self-professed Conservatives can subscribe to.
Nancy in NC| 1.28.13 @ 8:50AM
I still occasionally get a call from the RNC asking for money (which they don't get). I tell them in no uncertain terms what I think about the GOP and ask if this is news to them. The other day the caller admitted that she heard it often. I suppose they are tone deaf.
Maxwell| 1.28.13 @ 9:08AM
Nancy, with all due respect lady, I too know I will not be getting a call from Chris Christie asking for a donation. I guess the last time the RNC called me I must have been to forceful with my opinion about gun control, abortion, & small government. When I asked Lori if I was to blunt she just rolled her eyes.
Miles Glorious| 1.28.13 @ 9:10AM
I have replied the same way,tone deaf indeed
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:00AM
I'm just curious. Do you any of you blame Democrats for "not attempting" to work with Republicans?
(Even though that notion is lie.)
If so, immigration is fine example where it appears Democrats are working with Repulicans.
But then it appears working with Democrats is some type of treason for some you.
So what do you guys really want?
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 9:07AM
Once again, Arnie proves leftism is indeed a mental disorder, and operates in an alternative universe, as evidenced by the moronic paradigm of his comment.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:10AM
Anthony, you support Sarah Palin. Enough said.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 9:33AM
Yes Arnie, and you support the Muslim (you didn't build that) Marxist, Joe (low brain cell count) Biteme, Jean-Francois (I served in Viet Nam, seared in my brain Cambodia) Kerry, Diane (I'll blow him away first) Feinstein, Nancy (pass the bill to see what's in it) Pelosi, and Hillary (what difference does it make, right-wing conspiracy) Clinton.
Yeah, I'll take Sarah Palin over these losers and reprobates any day, Arnie. At least Palin doesn' t have blood on her hands, you ass.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:39AM
Oh poor Anthony, I won't say anymore other than enjoy what you enjoy doing and support Palin with all your passion. Get her the Republican nomination in 2016, and even I'll be happy with that.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 9:45AM
Oh contraire Arnie, you were happy with McLame and Romney, as were the rest of you brain dead, low information trolls.
I suspect you won't be so happy when Sarah starts kicking some lefty ass, and we join in for the fun of it.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:52AM
Like I said Anthony, do it. Please, get her the nomination. Nothing is stopping you buddy. You got Jesus, Palin and all the unborn babies of the world behind you. Run with it you darn'd believer!!
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 12:44PM
Just curious Arnie, given the quality of your posts here at TAS, are you an intern for CBS news and Steve Croft in particular?
When will you extract your head from Obozo ass?
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:19PM
When his tongue gets tired.
Job| 1.28.13 @ 4:12PM
Well if we were pro choice to get his head out we could abort it, ie suck his brains out first, then deliver it natural otherwise its seems to be stuck pretty good. it won't hurt Arnie.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:49AM
Straw-man argument.
You're the only person talking about Sarah Palin.
That's because you lack the brains to actually make a point.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:32AM
How about enforcing the law?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:47AM
The notion is only a "lie" in your ill-informed brain.
Did Obama "negotiate" on healthcare? No.
Did Obama "negotiate" on spending? No. In fact, he thinks we don't have a spending problem.
Did Obama negotiate on the budget? No. In fact, Harry Reid and the Democrats REFUSE to present a budget even though they are Constitutionally required to do so.
What do we really want?
We want the people of this country to have enough basic intelligence to understand basic economics, history - math! - so that they can discuss an issue without sounding like complete morons who hero-worship a false "messiah."
Unfortunately, half the country falls into that description...your half.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 1:09PM
Dr. R - what provision in the Constitution are you referring to?
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:27PM
Hence the olde adage that recommends keeping your Mouth Shut when everyone around you is thinking that you're an Idiot, lest you confirm their belief.
Where in the Constitution?
Google it.
Then go to Google, again, and explain where the Right to an Abortion, and the Separation of Church and State are.
Hey, Albert?
Are ya hearin your "Favourite Lefty", here?
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 2:31PM
I've read and studied the Constitution, TLP, which is why I ask. And if you knew how to read case law, you'd have a clue as to the sources of both First Amendment law, and the privacy principles that underlie Roe. But then, it's way above your pay grade.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:22PM
OK. Explain the "privacy principle" that underlies Roe v. Wade...
I want to hear this one.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 4:08PM
First, the fact that a "right to privacy" is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The Ninth Amendment to the Constituion expressly recognizes the existence of unenumerated rights: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." Obviously, this language leaves open just what "rights" the Framers were referencing. The line of privacy cases correctly conclude that certain individual decisions and relationships are beyond the power of government to interfere with.
Second, I happen to believe that Roe was incorrectly decided. But the notion that a decision by a pregnant woman and her doctor as to what is best for her health should not be interfered with without a legitimate state interest -- which is the reasoning behind Roe -- is not on its face unreasonable. Which is why the Court in Roe examined the government's interest at various stages of gestation. I don't agree with the ultimate conclusion they reached, but I respect the process they engaged in. No one believes that the Right to Privacy is absolute, any more than most other constitutional rights are.
Third, I was responding to your statement that the Senate is "Constitutionally required" to present a budget, by asking what provision you are referring to. You never answered that question.
Drunken Sailor| 1.28.13 @ 4:56PM
"First, the fact that a "right to privacy" is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The Ninth Amendment to the Constituion expressly recognizes the existence of unenumerated rights: "
Interesting. Couldn't the same argument be made for owning a specific type of firearm? It's not expressly mentioned either but that doesn't mean it does not exist.
And don't give me any of that "Why do you need a assault rifle crap either. You don't need a swimming pool either and many children die in those but I don't see anyone trying to eliminate them.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:47PM
Touché, D.S.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:51PM
The FACT that you can't point to either of the two "RIGHTS" that I've enumerated, shows that this is not above My Paygrade.
It's above YOURS.
Idiot.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:17PM
" I happen to believe that Roe was incorrectly decided. But the notion that a decision by a pregnant woman and her doctor as to what is best for her health should not be interfered with without a legitimate state interest -- which is the reasoning behind Roe -- is not on its face unreasonable.''
But the question of a woman's health is not really the basis for Roe/Casey, it is this right of privacy. If it were simply a question of a woman's health then states pass procedures to verify that a woman's health was truly at risk, and not some mental health psychobable.
You know the reality is we have abortion on demand, and there is no requirement that a woman proves to someone that her health is at risk.
The discussion between a woman and her doctor ignores the health of the unborn child. I am sure you do believe that we are deciding the contiued life of the unborn child, and I am sure you know that you cannot kill, except by abortion, and unborn child. So who speaks for the health of the unborn child?
Why do you believe Roe was incorrectly decided?
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 7:28PM
Because I think Justice Blackmun's opinion arbitrarily minimizes the state's interest in regulating abortion, and sets up an arbitrary triparte analysis that has no constitutional grounding.
But the notion that have Constitutional guarantees, grounded in the Ninth Amendment, against unreasonable interference with our private affairs and relationships where the government has no compelling interest, is a correct priniciple. I just believe the Court minimized the state's interests in this case.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 9:56PM
I agree with the principle to keep the government out of our private affairs unless there is a compelling state interest, but I do not agree this analysis should be applied to abortion because there is the life of the unborn child. The state has a duty to protect life which is the first duy of the state.
What restrictions on abortion would you favor?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:26PM
f you look in the Constitution, however, you will find no general “right to privacy” any more than you will find a right to abortion — and for good reason: It’s not there. The framers assumed no general right to privacy because, to state the obvious, criminal and evil acts can be committed in privacy. Criminal codes are full of such examples — from murder to incest to rape and other crimes.
George S| 1.28.13 @ 3:26PM
What privacy principles underlie Roe?
Do you have a right to privacy in public buildings, public spaces, public vehicles or venues? If you do, then the definition of public is not what we think.
Does your right to privacy in public areas begin with your modesty, your personal space (i.e, the bathroom)? If so then how do you square naked body scanners at airports with the right to privacy?
Does the "public good" trump privacy?
Privacy can only exist on private property. Is your income public or private property? Why doesn't Roe stop the IRS from peering into your private labor or private choice whether to buy health insurance?
I always was confused with the Great Roe's reasoning (many pages of medical history; two paragraphs of law).
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:49PM
He's full of S**t.
But you already know that, don't you?
Drunken Sailor| 1.28.13 @ 12:40PM
Arnie, is it really working with Republicans if the Democrats get everything they want and give no ground in return?
Grzmlyk| 1.28.13 @ 2:02PM
Just out of curiosity, what planet are you from? And are all of its inhabitants as stupid as you are? Does it ever bother you that you think at a first-grade level? I guess that's about right; you people still believe in Santa Claus, after all.
Yeah, your messiah is really interested in working with republicans. It's very obvious by his "my way or the highway" highhandedness and his demonization of the GOP at every opportunity, no matter how inappropriate.
Are you really this stupid or just an inveterate liar? Or, like the media, maybe you've had your lips attached to your messiah's backside for so long everying looks like ass to you.
You are a nothing but a speck on the side of the toilet bowl that is liberalism; you think Sarah Palin's stupid because that's what you were told to think. I'm sure you think she and Tina Fey are the same person.
Meanwhile, you are, at best, an insensate, unthinking cog sucking off the teat of the state before you wander off to lie on the couch and demand stuff.
Palin has actually has shown courage, among many other things.
Look it up on a dictionary some time. It's the opposite of what you are, which is a lying coward.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 9:03AM
Well here's a comment sure to set the trolls and the weak kneed Rs off; Sarah Palin left FOX news to become more vocal and take on a larger national role.
The hate machine on both sides will crank up in full gear, but Sarah can handle it.
It's time to kick some ass, on both sides of the aisle.
Maxwell| 1.28.13 @ 9:11AM
Anthony, and to further set off the trolls, she uses an AR-15! Darn, I love that picture of her doing that too!
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:12AM
I bet you guys got swindled by her and even sent her money.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 9:40AM
No Arnie, we contributed to Clinton's Global women seeking Initiative, Algore's Save the Polar Bear fund, Michael Mann's Hockey Stick Hoax
Anthology, Paul Krugman's Trillion Dollar Coin Club and Monica Lewinsky's Cigar Store and Emporium.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:48AM
So you did send money to her. Too bad for you.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 11:41AM
Purpie/arnie the Village Idiot
Why are you using the name arnie when we all know it is purpie the village idiot?
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 12:13PM
It was a quiet couple of days while Arnie underwent his re-training. To mark his return, I feel some poetry is in order:
I’d rather find a severed limb
In the bowl with my con carne
Than to wake up and discover
I was a loser just like Arnie
Another hired lame leftist
So quick to throw an insult
At those who mock his talking points
And Kool-Aid drinking cult
With links to leftist magazines
And other useless cut and paste
He tries and fails to make his point
And every comment is a waste
With every word that he does type
He shows that he’s beguiled
And then should others make response
He snaps back like a child
With the manner of a punk
And a temper that’s quite manic
should Soros ever pull the plug
he’s bound to run and panic
his rhetoric does not persuade
He’s useless and annoys
And only finds his comfort
With Purp and all his boys
So if you have a jackass
That you keep out in the barn He
Likely will be worthless
If you choose to call him Arnie
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:29PM
Contest, Friday.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:54PM
Albert
You have gift for poetry. Excellent.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 12:50PM
Oh Arnie, you're just jealous that Bill Clinton did have you for an intern, so you could have enjoyed the benefits of a good cigar.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:34AM
Good news; I was disappointed that Sarah did not run in the last election. Newt's pandering to gays has turned me off completely with respect to Newt even though I supported him during the primaries.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 11:12AM
Palin "left FOX news to become more vocal and take on a larger national role". Hah!
She got fired. She's done. Her ill-deserved 15 minutes of national spotlight are over. She can return to her dysfunctional famility in drug-infested Wasila and leave the rest of us to get back to serious matters.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 11:47AM
You are usually restrained RCV, but apparently you have Palin-derangement syndrome, like all leftists. Personally, I never liked Sarah on Fox because she's above that sort of thing, mere political commentary. She should return to her role as national leader, and watching leftists squirm over it is part of what makes it so rich.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 1:11PM
"National leader"? Seriously, Mr. Crisler, of what? And mere political commentary is all she has ever done. She abandoned the one real job she had as Governor of Alaska so that she could pontificate full time instead of actually work.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:42PM
I guess Hillary's ABANDONING her job at State. Right?
Tax Cheat Geithner is ABANDONING his job at Treasury. Right?
That Stupid Broad at the Energy Department ABANDONED HER job. Right?
The Iranian Broad - Valerie Jarrett - ABANDONED her job in the White House. Right?
Why don't you do everybody a favour and ABANDON THIS SITE?
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 2:35PM
No. Here's the difference, brainless boy. Listen carefully. Sarah Palin was elected by the people of Alaska to be governor for a specific term. When the job got too difficult for her limited abilities, she just quit. It's not that the People had elected her to a different job in the interim; it's just doing the job she promised to do got too difficult for her.
Cabinet officers have no set terms. They serve at the pleasure of the President. It is quite expected that many of them will only serve for one Presidential term.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 3:33PM
Hey moron, when a lefty leave the senate to become Sec. of State, like Hillary and Kerry, have they not quit a job they were elected to by the people of NY and MA for a specific term?
Leftism is indeed a mental disorder, and Palin Derangement Syndrome is a pan epidemic among the American left.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 4:11PM
Not if they were seeking a different office, which the People agreed to elect them to. Paul Ryan didn't "abandon" his Congressional seat - he asked the voters to select him for a different job, which they in that case declined to do.
Drunken Sailor| 1.28.13 @ 5:06PM
Last I checked no one elected Hillary to Sec of State. She left her Senate role to take on an appointed role.
Then again Sarah left as the govenor of Alaska because she could not serve her office as she was constatnly being bombarded by leftist lawsuits.
Of course, you already knew that but it did not fit your model.
Really RCV, usually you are more civil. You really seem to have a thing against Sarah.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:58PM
They all have a thing against Strong Women who aren't married to Rapists, and serial Misogynists.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 7:31PM
That was her excuse. They have a legal office in the Alaska state government that handles lawsuits that all states are constantly bombarded with. And the issues raised in the many ethics complaints against Ms. Palin seemed quite well grounded to me.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 8:14PM
Oh really jerk, and what "people" elected Hillary and Kerry for Sec. of State? Running for another office, as reprehensible as I find it, is not the same as leaving office for a cabinet position.
Your analogy is as vacant as your head.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:57PM
How is that different than Bubba running for Pres after he promised the Arkansas voters he would serve the full term, or any other poltician that runs for another office while serving? Each leaves for a different reason. Why is Bubba's reason more deserving other than he is a Dem?
Simon Templar| 1.29.13 @ 11:10AM
When the job got too difficult for her limited abilities...
No, when the frivolous law suits became so numerous and the harassment so expensive, she resigned as she was going bankrupt and the state was paying enormous sums. You are just a cheap little liar and useful idiot.
Occam's Tool| 1.29.13 @ 1:06AM
You know, Willow Palin apparently played Girls' Hockey in Wasilla with a family member of a co-worker of mine, and is a very nice young lady, by report.
I think Sarah has been demonized. If she runs for Presidente, I will read her books and proposed ideas on her website, and vote from there.
POTUS has very limited duties in the modern US of significance that are useful: 1)keep regulation and taxes down. 2) Cut Government spending where unneeded. 3) Protect Defense and bash foreign scum. 4) Appoint judges who aren't intellectual lightweight idiots, like Kagan and Soto (Kagan was Dean of HLS, but her scholarly work was minimal and Judicial work was practically non-existent.) Soto is, by her own admission, an Affirmative Action case. Cardoza she is not.
We need more Scalias. That is why the failure to elect Romney was such a disaster domestically. For the next 25-30 years we will have a Liberal majority court.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 2:23PM
And yet she's had more experience as a leader than Mr. Obama.
Seek| 1.28.13 @ 3:07PM
One need not be a "Leftist" to dislike Sarah Palin. Take me, for example. I'm an avowed conservative elitist -- a right-wing snob, if you will -- and I dislike Palin. I dislike her because she is the personnification of a high school mean girl trapped in the body of a nutty church lady. I dislike her because she not only lacks intellectual curiosity, but she has a great deal of contempt toward those who have it. She's nasty, shallow and lacks any real grasp of complex issues. The ONLY reason why she was plucked from semi-obscurity in 2008 to run as veep is because a group of deranged Weekly Standard neocons managed to convince their man, John McCain, that the future of the GOP resides with people like her. Well, as we found out, the future of Alaska doesn't even reside with her.
One longs for the return of H.L. Mencken, a real conservative, to tell it like it is.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:28PM
If you're a Conservative, then I'm embarrassed...
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:28PM
How do you know that Sarah Palin "lacks intellectual curiosity"??
GobBluthe| 1.28.13 @ 4:06PM
I agree with you about Palin. She celebrates ignorance. She represents a big problem with modern day conservatism: The replacement of competence with ideology.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 5:56PM
This, from the King of Ignorance.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:59PM
Seek,
If you are a conservative then I am a lefty liberal admirer of Bubba, Obama, Algore, and Carter.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 12:02PM
The most disfunctional political family is the Clinton gang followed closely by the Kennedys. Or maybe it is a tie.
Sara Palin has not killed anyone by driving her car into a pond, then swimming away, followed by 6 hours of rest to dissipate the alcohol from her system while planning with advisors.
And she has not molested, harassed, abused cigars, sold pardons to felons like Marc Rich, incinirated women and children at Waco, got impeached, got disbarred, paid a $200,000 fine for perjury in a deposition, .... the list could go on and on.
You guys are obsessed with Sara.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 1:57PM
She never bought a house from Convicted Felon, Tony Rezko.
Never attended a Black Racist's Hate Church for 20 Years.
Never Organized for Louis Farrakhan.
Isn't friends with the Farrakhan's.
Hasn't been friends with Weather Unerground Domestic Terrorists - Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.
Isn't a friend of Terrorist Recruiter - Khalid Rashidi.
Never gave a Get Outta Jail Free Card to the Black Panthers.
Never put forth an Illegal Drilling Moratorium, and isn't in Contempt of a Federal Court's Order.
Never Ran Guns to the Mexican Drug Cartels, without the knowledge of the Mexican Government.
Never Divided this Country by Race, Economic Circumstances, or Legal vs. Illegal.
Never pissed away $900 Billion in Stimulus Money, which was, supposedly, earmarked for Shovel Ready Jobs, Bailing Out the Public Employee Unions,
Never tried Forcing Churches to go against their CONSTITUTIONALY PROTECTED Religious Freedoms.
Shall I go on?
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 3:27PM
"Drug- infested Waswila", ah yes, the fevered mind of the moron and low information voter RCV.
Will Obozo return to drug-infested and murder capitol of America, Chicago?
Do Obozo's daughters avoid the crime pit and drug cesspool of Washington schools while attending the tony Sidwell Friends School?
Are they not allowed to associate with the riff raff of Washington?
And moron, a studio was built to accomodate Palin in Alaska, but unfortunately for you, you're in the terminal stages of Palin Derangement Sydrome. Under Obozo care, I believe you are to be shot, like a rabid dog.
Ah what a loss, not.
RCV| 1.28.13 @ 4:13PM
Your rantings make even less sense than usual, Anthony. I do like the term "Palin Derangement Syndrome" though.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 6:00PM
You should.
It fits.
Like: Idiot.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 9:17AM
In answer to the question posed in the article's title:
Never.
That's because panic is a defining characteristic of the GOP.
When they're out of power, they panic about getting back into power, and their panic always leads them to the idiotic conclusion that they must jettison Conservatism and move back to "the center."
When they're in power - due to the instincts and strategies of Conservatives - they panic about staying in power, so they jettison Conservatism to appeal to moderates in "the center."
November's election was the icing on the cake - a monument to their monumental stupidity and lack of guts.
Hoping for the GOP to change is like alchemy - it's a dream long held by many that's just NOT going to happen.
Quit the GOP. Now. And start rebuilding from a more honest base that is not entrenched in DC or beholden to the armies of lobbyists with their hands out begging for your tax dollars.
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world..."
- Thomas Jefferson
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:37AM
Well said....
canuckistani| 1.28.13 @ 11:05AM
Well said, yes, but the GOP is almost totally dependent on dark money now. Explain to us on here what the Koch brothers want to do that actually benefits the country or somehow represents conservative values?
Explain to us how Mr Macau Adelson's contribution to conservatism has been illustrated? Suggesting his warped view of Israel is somehow allied to American conservative thinking does not count.
Explain to us how thrice bankrupt and divorced Trump can be instrumental in advancing a strict reading of the constitution?
DeMint's aura included he actually not being a millionaire and being unbeholden to monied interests. He jumped at the Heritage posting when it became clear that his influence within the party had crested. Let's hope he purges the halls and begins anew - with his million dollar salary.
Remember: Heritage gave us the HC mandate, and the amateurish post-cold war foreign policy, and is now under the thrall of those same Koch's mentioned above, so be careful what you wish for.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:22AM
First of all, anytime someone wants to attack the GOP by bringing up "the Koch brothers," you should immediately dismiss them as irrelevant poseurs who buy into lefty cliches.
The "Koch Brothers" are contributors to the GOP. And they're wealthy. SO what???
Do you have any complaints about George Soros? Warren Buffet? Jeffrey Immelt?
I'm guessing you don't like Israel. Not surprising, most lefties don't. When they're not pretending to support freedom and liberty, the left prefers the statist, fanatical, tyrannical Muslims.
I'm not sure what Donald Trump's personal marriage history has to do with his understanding of the Constitution; can you actually explain that?
Jim DeMint joined the Heritage Foundation because he was sick of working with weak-kneed Republicans who are afraid of their own shadows. At Heritage he will be able to do great things.
"Amateurish post cold-war foreign policy"? Really? How so? Any examples? Would you like to compare that to Clinton? Obama?
You're a silly fool.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:23AM
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world..."
I agree with this statement Doctor Right.
Would you agree to a new constitutional convention?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 9:28AM
No.
Only for the reason that we have NO IDEA who would attend, and be voting.
To that end, we have no idea what kind of wacky ideas they'd enter into the debate.
I'd prefer a Party that simply said: "We affirm, in no uncertain terms, the Constitution of the United States of America."
But...if possible (and I have no idea), I would support amending the Declaration of Independence to read "Life, liberty, PROPERTY, and the pursuit of happiness."
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:35AM
So how do we make sure everyone gets property? ;-)
Well, to that end, Democrats and Republicans all think they know the Constitution, and think they are upholding it.
But just like you, I would like it to read, "Life, liberty, shelter, education, health, and the pursuit of happiness."
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 10:14AM
"Well, to that end, Democrats and Republicans all think they know the Constitution, and think they are upholding it."
Really??? Do you have any examples??
I do.
Let's see...
FHA: Unconstitutional; the Federal Government has no authority to tell private banks who they can lend money to, or who they should lend money to.
Roe v. Wade: Completely unconstitutional; the Constitution does NOT contain the phrase "Right to privacy."
ObamaCare: Completely unconstitutional; the federal government has no Constitutional authority to compel anyone to buy anything.
"But just like you, I would like it to read, "Life, liberty, shelter, education, health, and the pursuit of happiness."
Of course you would. You're a liberal. You see "rights" that don't exist in the Constitution and you claim that the ones that ARE there (like the 2nd Amendment) don't actually exist.
You view government the same way you view an all-you-can-eat smorgasboard at Denny's designed to fulfill your every earthly desire, and if other people have to pay for it, you could care less.
In short, your political philosophy is a joke built on a house of cards. As Margaret Thatcher once said: "Socialism is fine until you run out of other people's money."
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 10:35AM
Hmm, funny, I don't see AR-15s and other assorted guns in the constitution. It only talks about militias and arms.
Hell, a shovel can mean an arm, i.e. weapon.
It don't see anything about free markets, or capitalism, you know, all that Randian stuff you guys like.
It doesn't say anything about the "rights" of the UNBORN. It doesn't say Jesus. It doesn't say you should teach creationism.
It also doesn't say that money == free speech i.e. Citizens United case.
Wow, there's in fact hardly anything you guys like in it. Interesting.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 10:45AM
But one thing it is clear on, the power to tax,
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence[note 1] and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:30AM
Can you read your own posts?
WHAT does it say the "Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises" is for, genius???
1. provide for the common Defence[note 1] and...
2. general Welfare of the United States
Of course, leftwing dip-sticks interpret "general welfare" as being anything and everything they want to do, which is absurd. Let's see what James Madison had to say:
"It has been urged and echoed, that the power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States,” amounts to an unlimited commission to exercise every power which may be alleged to be necessary for the common defense or general welfare. No stronger proof could be given of the distress under which these writers labor for objections, than their stooping to such a misconstruction."
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:31AM
More from James Madison on "general welfare":
"Had no other enumeration or definition of the powers of the Congress been found in the Constitution, than the general expressions just cited, the authors of the objection might have had some color for it; though it would have been difficult to find a reason for so awkward a form of describing an authority to legislate in all possible cases. A power to destroy the freedom of the press, the trial by jury, or even to regulate the course of descents, or the forms of conveyances, must be very singularly expressed by the terms “to raise money for the general welfare.” But what color can the objection have, when a specification of the objects alluded to by these general terms immediately follows, and is not even separated by a longer pause than a semicolon? If the different parts of the same instrument ought to be so expounded, as to give meaning to every part which will bear it, shall one part of the same sentence be excluded altogether from a share in the meaning; and shall the more doubtful and indefinite terms be retained in their full extent, and the clear and precise expressions be denied any signification whatsoever? For what purpose could the enumeration of particular powers be inserted, if these and all others were meant to be included in the preceding general power? Nothing is more natural nor common than first to use a general phrase, and then to explain and qualify it by a recital of particulars."
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:32AM
More Madison: Part 3
"But the idea of an enumeration of particulars which neither explain nor qualify the general meaning, and can have no other effect than to confound and mislead, is an absurdity, which, as we are reduced to the dilemma of charging either on the authors of the objection or on the authors of the Constitution, we must take the liberty of supposing, had not its origin with the latter."
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 10:48AM
You don't see "AR-15's" because you're not to smart.
Please explain the following sentence (emphasis MINE):
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed."
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." - 10th amendment
So, genius...since the constitution says nothing about the government's ability to redistribute wealth, it's unconstitutional for the government to do so. That enshrines free markets.
The Constitution says A LOT about individual rights. Those rights belong to humans. Since an unborn child is obviously a human, your assertion is stupid, as is Roe V. Wade.
The 1st Amendment was designed to protect religion from the state, not the other way around. I guess you're not familiar with WHY the Pilgrims left England, are you?
And, of course, you hate any free speech that doesn't support your world view. But just for the sake of argument...Do unions deserve "free speech"? And if you say "Yes," then please explain why corporations don't.
Go ahead, Einstein...we're waiting!
Maxwell| 1.28.13 @ 11:13AM
Ain't going to happen. But I DO see the AR-15 there!
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:33AM
Arnie has just been punk'd by James Madison. He won't show his ignorance anymore today.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:00PM
Let's see, here goes.
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed."
One, this talks about MILITIAS. All the people that have guns obviously aren't in one. So if you parse the statement to just this, which you do, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed" than we are talking about the individual. But if the government ALLOWS you to own rifles and pistols, then your rights are not infringed. Get it? Obviously, if you mean to say that arms means any weapons, and that "shall not be infringed" means no regulation, that means, for you (not me), that any person could own any weapon known to man, that includes nuclear missiles. So are you arguing that? If not, then you are arguing for my side. And guess what, even that slimeball Scalia agrees with me. The 2nd Amendement DOES not say you can own ANY weapon. But it does say you have the right to arm yourself (and form militias for the state), which is something much different.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:00PM
Your argument about free markets is so stupid and baseless. Please try to provide some reasoning. Simply put, Congress can tax, for national defense and the general welfare. Period, that's it. So the states have their power. But what's stopping them from doing whatever they want. Nothing, except not violating individual rights. Again, there is NOTHING enshrining free markets.
As for Roe vs. Wade, many people, including doctors do not consider a fetus to be a fully functional human, especially during the first tri- mester. Two, none of you have explained how a fetus,or zygote, in practical law, would have any rights. And three, if a fetus, or zygote, is "murdered" as you guys so eloquently put it, what would happen to the mother? Should she be thrown in jail for murder?
The DoI, and the Constitution say nothing about this.
I'm totally for free speech, but money does not equal free speech. As for the unions, they ARE definitely supported by the right of people to freely associate and organize. I am for limiting their ability (or outlawing) to spend money on political campaign donations, just like I would support limiting (or outlawing) donations from corporations. In fact, we ought to get ALL money out of politics. There should be a set, and equal amount of money going to campaigns, and guess what, only the good ideas win, not the team with the most money.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:04PM
But I'm sorry Doctor Right. I'm sure you are a genius at constitutional law, and that's why you have been judged to be one the greatest minds on this subject. Right?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:35PM
You have no real reply, do you, Arnie?
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:13PM
If my last point isn't clear, I'm talking about regulated and publicy financed campaigns, instead of the current system which amounts to bribery.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:35PM
So?
Regardless of your clarification, you're still wrong.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 12:18PM
Purpie/arnie the Village Idiot
Pa, like most other states, provides that if you kill an unborn child, you will be charged with murder, unless the killing was an abortion. If a fetus is injured in delivery, there will be a med mal lawsuit, which produce the larges awards due to the lifetime care.
We have gone over this in detail in the past.
Your opinion, or doctors' opinon, as to whether a fetus is a person is irrelevant. The state legislatures have determined that a fetus is entitled to protection from killing, except for an abortion.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:28PM
So you have it here, abortion is not murder.
CJW, you should be arguing with some of your buddies here.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 2:03PM
Why don't you go out and Kill a Pregnant Woman, Arnie?
See how many Murder Charges they bring against you.
The answer is: 2.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 5:49PM
Purpie/arnie the Village Idiot
Murder is a legal conclusion. Killing is the act.
Now the states, because of Roe/Casey, cannot legislate that abortion is murder, but it is clearly the killing of human life. Even you should understand that. Most people use the term murder to mean homicide or killing. But it is not murder as recognized by the law unless the killing or homicide is judged by a court to be murder.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:18PM
You obviously didn't read what Madison - the guy who WROTE the Constitution - said about "general welfare," did you???
You're NOT for free speech; you're a liar. If you were, you'd understand that although money BY ITSELF is not "free speech," it is often the means by which people make their political views known by donating to a campaign/candidate/issue of their choice. And you'd also understand that by restricting the ability of people to donate to political campaigns, you are restricting their 1st Amendment Rights.
Corporations are made of people who have rights. Corporations are also subject to the laws - including taxation - which can have a deleterious impact on their ability to do business. So unless you are willing to exempt corporations from paying taxes, then it makes perfect sense for them to have a voice in politics.
Based on your desire to remove ALL money from politics - a pipe-dream if ever there was one - and to have a system whereby a "set, and equal amount of money going to campaigns, and guess what, only the good ideas win, not the team with the most money" is so stunningly naive that I can only conclude that you're probably 18-24 years old, and an OWS-type, meaning you have done very little with your life and know even less.
And it shows.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:38PM
Well, you guys go on about the corruption of politics and then, when offered a solution, you scoff at it, and then say it's not possible, and hence support the perpetual corrupt system.
Well, guess what, other countries do have severe limits on political campaigns and they are freedom loving democracies.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:59PM
I haven't said a word about "the corruption" of politics today.
Additionally, your "solution" is not a solution - it's a bad idea that severely restricts the 1st Amendment and ensures that the professional political class will always likely win elections.
I guess you're not too aware of the law of unintended consequences??
And frankly, who gives a damn what other countries do in their elections? This is the USA; we have our own system, and since it's actually the longest governmental system in existence today (236 years and still running), why would we take advice from anyone else who is less free, less prosperous, and less important??
Guess what? Other countries practice female genital mutilation; should we jump on-board that train, too?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:10PM
OK, genius...
So...if you have a militia...consisting of actual people...then they have to have guns.
That's a Right. And its not meant to be altered. Period.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:18PM
Which militia, and which guns, that's the point...is the gerbil in your head running now?
But let me put this another way for you? Should the Muslims in America be able to own legally bombs and nuclear weapons? I mean, according to you, they are protected under the 2nd Amendment.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:21PM
What do you mean "which militia?"?
And equating the 2nd Amendment with the ability of religious fanatics to legally own nuclear weapons is a pathetic straw-man.
You clearly can't debate your way out of this discussion, so you're resorting to diversionary tactics.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:32PM
Doctor Right, I gave you a very poignant question, and you can't answer it.
And for one, many Americans consider crazy christians, religious fanatics. And some of them have guns, do they not? What is a weapon, and what is a gun, under the second amendment? Please answer. Is artillery ok?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:38PM
No, you didn't; you asked a nonsensical question.
Be more clear about what you want, and I'll answer it.
Gloves are off; man-up, little boy.
TLP| 1.28.13 @ 2:01PM
Why don't you go out and Kill a Pregnant Woman, Arnie?
See how many Murder Charges they bring against you.
The answer is: 2.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:32PM
You already asked him that question; he doesn't care.
Go pollute your own thread; or better yet, start advertising for your "contest"...
whosiwhatizt| 1.28.13 @ 3:40PM
It does not say you can own any weapon. It also does not say that the federal government reserves the right to dictate which weapons a citizen may own and which citizens may own which weapons. I think your kneejerk dismissal of what constitutes a militia warrants review. Read a bit about what the founders considered "the militia" before you regurgitate such idiotic, left wing, hyperbole as the "so, you think you should be able to have a nuclear weapon?" nonsense.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 12:38PM
Purpie/arnie the foul mouth Village Idiot
You are very perceptive in noting that the Second Amendment does not mention AR-155. In the words of Hillary, so what/who cares?
I bet if you read the First Amendment about free speech, it does not mention books, magazines, videos, radio, TV, movies, email, and the internet that Algore invented.
So what is your point, purpie?
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 1:24PM
Arnie, look harder. Unlike the 2nd Amendment, that a 3rd grader 25 years ago would have easily explained to you, unlike the subsequent generation of low information trolls such as yourself, AR15s are "arms", whereas, the right to an abortion is found only in penumbras that only leftist jurists can see.
With this pity analysis of the Constitution, Arnie has convinced me that he must be a Constitutional law professor at an Ivy League law school. I bet he was also president of the Harvard Law Review.
As the saying goes, the thoughts expressed by Arnie are so stupid only a leftist would appreciate them.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 2:06PM
Funny, but I deduced that Arnie is a know-nothing OWS dip-stick in his 20's...
...and you think he's a Harvard Law Professor!
Hmmmmm...
Know-nothing OWS dip-stick...Harvard Law professor...
Is there a difference?
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.28.13 @ 5:56PM
I think the difference is between whatever salary Elizabeth Warren was able to convince the Harvard Administration to pay her and the sum of the unemployed ex-barista standing outside the tent in the square (probably around $140,000 per year, neither earned).
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 5:52PM
Anthony
Do you mean an "elected" president of Law Review, and not one who is number one in class, and one who never submitted an article publication to the law review of which he was president?
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 11:46AM
Purpie/arnie the Village Idiot
Newsflash: You get property by working and saving.
I know this is a difficult concept for you since you believe in the government sending you a check, giving you a Section 8 house, food stamps, and free health insurance.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:06PM
No shit Sherlock, by working and saving. I'm sure I've got more property, and by my own hard working effort than you do...dickweed.
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 12:21PM
Purpie/arnie the foul mouth Village Idiot,
Then why ask the question, idiot?
I forgot, you work for a Fortune 10 company, or you are self employed, and in the top 1% right purpie?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:39PM
LOL!
Isn't it funny how ALL the resident leftwingers on this page claim to be such rich, successful guys?!?!?
Arnie - you're a 20-something punk.
Anthony| 1.28.13 @ 1:51PM
True Doctor, Arnie, Purp and vtwin all claim to be highly successful, financially well off, and even own their own businesses.
Amazing isn't it? These trolls all lay claim to the very concepts of our Republic that make this all possible, yet their existence at TAS is to trash these concepts.
As has often been said, leftism is indeed a mental disorder.
Once again you are spot on, Arnie and Purp are 2o something punks, vtwin, I suspect, is a much older towel boy at the S.F. Bath House.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 2:08PM
More likely a "Fluff-boy."
CJW| 1.28.13 @ 6:03PM
Doc, Anthony
Not to pile on with your demolition of Professor Purparnie, but look at Federalist no. 46. It is clear that the purpose of the Second Am is for the people to protect themselves agaisnt an encroaching powerful federal government. As Madison said:
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrior against the enterprizes of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of."
There is no mention of deer hunting or shooting clay pidgeons, as Gov Cuomo believes, in the Federalists as reasons for the second amendment."
The purpose of the Second Amendment is for the people to protect and keep their liberty.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 9:37AM
I would support a convention that would determine the issue of whether we should continue as a federal country, or whethe we should all split up in independent confederations or independent states. (The problem with the South in the Civil War is that they tried to do it unilaterally.)
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 9:44AM
Very interesting Crisler. It may actually be practically the only way to resolve deep seeded political differences.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 10:50AM
Yes, we seem to be too divided morally, culturally, and politically. We are no longer one nation under God.
Arnie| 1.28.13 @ 12:09PM
Funny, you mention, "one nation under God".
That was actually added during the fifties. The original line is, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
No God there!!
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 12:41PM
Hey, dummy...
"We hold these truths to be SELF-EVIDENT. That all men are CREATED equal, and endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable rights..."
That's from 1776, dim-wit.
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 2:25PM
They were also the words of Lincoln.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 3:33PM
Lincoln?
MSNBC said Obama wrote that...
C. Vernon Crisler | 1.28.13 @ 10:52PM
"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom...."
I don't watch MSloonBC, but I wouldn't doubt it.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 9:25AM
In answer to the question posed in the article's title:
Never.
That's because panic is a defining characteristic of the GOP.
When they're out of power, they panic about getting back into power, and their panic always leads them to the idiotic conclusion that they must jettison Conservatism and move back to "the center."
When they're in power - due to the instincts and strategies of Conservatives - they panic about staying in power, so they jettison Conservatism to appeal to moderates in "the center."
November's election was the icing on the cake - a monument to their monumental stupidity and lack of guts.
Hoping for the GOP to change is like alchemy - it's a dream long held by many that's just NOT going to happen.
Quit the GOP. Now. And start rebuilding from a more honest base that is not entrenched in DC or beholden to the armies of lobbyists with their hands out begging for your tax dollars.
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world..."
- Thomas Jefferson
canuckistani| 1.28.13 @ 11:18AM
Jefferson also shared his bed with slaves whilst "struggling" as to whether he should own them, played footsie with the Dauphine and had a clear desire to place an iron wall between church and state. His hackery during the embargo period sent the economy into the bin and set up the US for it's path through the war of 1812 and the antebellum period.
Conservatism is all well and good in the laboratory, but Jefferson illustrates that nuance wins the day, and his greatest advancements occurred when he abandoned orthodoxy in favor of pragmatism.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:36AM
So?
You lefties LOVE Bill Clinton; he had affairs, and is also a rapist.
"Nuance" only "wins the day" when you're unable to clearly articulate what you're trying to say, or when you want to hide what you're trying to do.
And if you think the Brits had no designs on reclaiming their lost colonies until Jefferson's embargo, think again, genius.
Seriously...how do you manage to know so much that isn't so?
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:41AM
In addition, you have NO proof that Jefferson wanted to place "an iron wall between Church and state." All you have is a personal letter written to a friend.
If Jefferson, who so painstakingly wrote the Declaration that he edited and re-edited every word and every sentence to prevent fools like you - who see "nuance" when something contradicts their desires - from misinterpreting what it said, he would have made sure to put it in there.
And if Madison, whom Jefferson advised, had wanted it in the Constitution, it would have been in there.
But it's not.
Instead, we have the opposite: a 1st Amendment designed to protect religion from the diktats of the state.
I could "school" you all day...
Simon Templar| 1.28.13 @ 11:52AM
But it would be a waste of time.
He is a liberal useful idiot.
There is no evidence that he had sex with his slaves.
Further that should be something liberal boy would probably like and admire, if so. If he lived then, he would be advocating that the government fund it and provide free contraceptives.
Simon Templar| 1.28.13 @ 11:48AM
Well, the first paragraph is typical unsubstantiated historical progressive revisionism filled with such distortions, outright lies, and subjective interpretation that it not worth addressing point by point. Oh, by the way Mr. Revisionist, Jefferson is considered to be that father of the democratic party, idiot.
The second paragraph is what they call projection.
It is liberalism that is considered experimental and theoretical, it presents itself as idealistic philosophy. It is conservatism or classical liberalism of our founding fathers that is pragmatic, realistic, and nuanced and non idealistic as it basic tenet that man is essentially corrupt and the best you can do is temper, restrain, and redirect them. It does not seek to remake men like liberal progressives want to do.
But of course, you are a liberal troll, not out here to actually learn something but spew untruths and propaganda.
Hardcard| 1.28.13 @ 9:34AM
It ain't me babe !!! Sonny to cher 1967
Mike W| 1.28.13 @ 9:37AM
Contact your reps and senators about the amnesty catastrophe. Amnesty will end the USA even as we currently know it. As the article states, importing millions of illegals will make it impossible to ever elect a Republican.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 9:42AM
Not impossible. Address the reverse Jim Crow policies as the civil rights violations that they are and that will de-tooth most of the leftist voting machine. The various leftist demographic special interest groups are held together with that glue most of all and denied it, many will consider jumping ship either for the Republicans or, almost as good, a third party.
Consider the cadre of the various leftist groups: Radical Islamicists, Feminists, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, gays and now the minority of the party: old time liberal/marxists hoping to make the USA into Sweden.
That's like a quilt just waiting for someone to find the right thread, pull it, and it all falls apart.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 9:38AM
Panic is a hysterical form of soul searching. Soul searching requires making radical changes and this is always unpleasant. The ability to do this and move on with one's life is one of the greatest challenges to character. It's like tearing down a beloved home and then rebuilding it.
The fundamental problem with Republicans is that they refuse to look at issues in terms of securing their political future because they regard it as "mere" politics. The "conservatives" worship the Holy Constitution and pro-life which doesn't get them enough votes and the elites pander to the leftist base to try to poach a few votes, short term, or get kickbacks.
A majority of the leftist electorate cares only about race, gender, and now gay preferences. They don't understand, or care, about economic complexities or constitutional arguments. To them, riding in the front of the bus (or limo) is real. The electorate of the right stays there largely because they don't have anywhere else to go (white males) but that isn't always enough of a reason to get up in the morning and vote.
It's obvious folks. Let's see how long it takes them to figure this out.
Hardcard| 1.28.13 @ 9:40AM
Their ain't a dimes worth of difference between the d's and the r's. They are all on the take one way or the other and the ones that aren't are compromised see John Roberts and General Patraeus to name a few. Todays politicians are Organized Crime without the vowels (mostly).
Harry the Horrible| 1.28.13 @ 10:30AM
The panic won't end. The 'Pubbies are headed the way of the Whigs.
Bad news is, there is nothing to replace them.
Doctor Right| 1.28.13 @ 11:37AM
Yes, there is.
It doesn't yet have a name, but it's forming. And it will make the Left think fondly of the "good old days" of Bush and Reagan...
Russel| 1.28.13 @ 10:39AM
I quit reading this author when he threw in the towel even before McCain had begun to campaign . But I did read his last line . Ha , from a surrender Monkey comes " fight for your lives ! ". Whatever his tripe , ain't worth your time .
Simon Templar| 1.28.13 @ 11:31AM
When they remove the progressives like Powell and the RINO's like Chris Christie.
When they stop thinking about their careers and start putting the nation first and their values
When they start developing specific solutions and objective oriented agendas.
When they stop being motivated by fear.
When they start using marketing and communication skills.
When they stop kissing the ass of the MSM and stop seeking their approval.
When they can learn how to develop and control a narrative.
When their able to argue a position like Shapiro did with ass, Piers.
Michele San Pietro| 1.28.13 @ 11:53AM
Quite unfortunately, the Republican Party is dommed to disappear if it doesn't get rid of his inferiority complex once and for all.
Who Knows?| 1.28.13 @ 12:05PM
Here’s the thing.
What and who are relevant?
I posit a simple litmus test. Next time you’re in the checkout line at the grocery, ask a random person who the faces are on the front page of those ubiquitous “National Enquirer”-like magazines? Also ask them who John Boehner is.
It’s not that the GOP is “doomed”, but that the American people have gone from being mere sheep---read “A Nation of Sheep”, which was a biggie when I was young, back in the 60’s---to high self esteem zombies.
There really is a dam, not physical, but psychological---I just got Le Bon’s classic book, from 1895, “The Crowd”, and studying it to better grasp the details of what’s coming. And, there is an ongoing “war” between those who are trying to build it higher, and their pals like the Republicans, who are looking for ways to stick their finger in the myriad holes that pop up, and those of the Obama ilk who are busy making the “water” rise, and even making it hit the “dam” with harder and harder waves.
There must be a break---as in, “Give me a break, REALITY!”
To everything, there is a season.
All bubbles MUST pop, and pace “The Crowd” and many other books, the “Weasel” that is America in today’s bubble, is going to be shocked, and washed away.
The GOP---who are they, anyway? Faces in a “crowd”.
BackToBasics| 1.28.13 @ 12:14PM
It is too late to save the Republican Party from itself. Immigration "reform" will complete the path to permanent Republican minority status.
Terrible Ted| 1.28.13 @ 12:23PM
Does any see John McCain's talk of comprhensive immigration reform as inconsistent with his last campaign?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD3U2nYqR-0
Murl| 1.28.13 @ 12:46PM
I am no longer a registered Republican. I am registered with the Constitution party. The Republicans prove that they have not a clue, by continuing to run the likes of John McCain and Mitt Romney for POTUS. These men don't represent my beliefs, values or my God. They give lip service to the issues that matter to me the most, and while trying to appease everyone, have made everyone angry in the process.
So go away GOP - I have no need for a party of losers any longer. When you decide to grow a spine and stand for your core principles then maybe I'll vote for you again. But as it is right now, I have no incentive or motivation to support you in any capacity whatsoever.
And as for the stupid people that continue to bankroll the GOP - in the dictionary next to sheep, it says, "See them."
WaffenSS| 1.29.13 @ 11:48AM
The term is sheeple
Who Knows?| 1.28.13 @ 1:22PM
“Be careful what you wish for” has married “things can always get worse”, in America, over my lifetime.
It used to be that illiteracy was a problem, but supposedly almost everybody can now read. So, putatively, there’s no urgency about further educating people.
However, what about the almost total ignorance of most people about economics? Just think, Keynesian economics is STILL believed and applied!
As a math major, it’s long been my experience to regularly “enjoy” the in-your-face people who don’t know squat about such a “hard” subject. Check out this quote---
“Mathematics is a language, the language of nature. If you can’t speak a language you can’t understand the beauty of its poetry. There are always skeptics who say, ‘What is this mysterious mathematical beauty you speak of? I don’t see anything beautiful about a mess of symbols. You physicists are just deluding yourselves.’ I like to reply by comparing mathematics with music. For someone who had heard only single notes, the beauty of a symphony would be impossible to explain. Yet who would deny that there is real beauty in a symphony, albeit of an abstract and indefinable nature? Likewise, for a person whose experience of mathematics is limited to counting numbers, how can one communicate the sense of delight, the deep and meaningful appeal, of Maxwell’s equations? Nevertheless, the aesthetic quality is there sure enough.
Who Knows?| 1.28.13 @ 1:23PM
And physicists of good mathematical taste produce altogether better theories than Philistines, just as do their counterparts in musical composition.
It is one of the great tragedies of our society that from fear, poor teaching, or lack of motivation the vast majority of people have shut themselves off from the mathematical poetry and music of nature. The sweeping vista that mathematics reveals is denied to them. They may delight over the scent of a rose or the color of a sunset, but a whole dimension of aesthetic experience is foreclosed to them.”
Page 69, “Superforce—The Search for a Grand Unified Theory of Nature”, by Paul Davies, 1984
The “crowd” of mental pygmies is stomping out mathematical poetry!
Just think if everybody really understood what e = mc(squared) meant.
Energy and mass---including the mass that IS “your” body---are Absolutely one, and equivalent to light.
ALL physical “stuff” is simply light, in stepped down frequencies of energy.
That’s heavy, man!
Bob K| 1.28.13 @ 7:45PM
The discovery of the "uncertainty" principle changed everything. All great poets knew and know that instinctively. Even autodidacts like Blake.
"The Atom's of Democritus
And Newton's Particles of light
Are sands upon the Red sea shore
Where Israel's tents do shine so bright."
And educated ones like T.S. Eliot:
"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable."
Lance DeBoyle| 1.28.13 @ 1:43PM
Robert Stacy McCain wonders when the panic will end...it's been almost three months. Just reading the comments here, it seems the tenor of comments hasn't really changed. These complaints are well founded...the Party didn't listen to it's base, nominated a candidate inimical to it's values...and just reelected Priebus to head the RNC. And now we ask, "When will it end?"
Wrong question. The correct question is when will the GOP establishment merge left and marginalize the rest of us. Folks, they have been drinking deeply at that water hole and share it with the Dems. They will not just walk away, they must be forced. The panic will end when we reach the point where we realize they must be 'forced' out. This is a generation that has never had to face some harsh realities. Now they are just ahead.
As long as you can take it, they will dish it out.
PolishKnight| 1.28.13 @ 3:13PM
John McCain and GHB (and even GWB) and Bob Dole were all good-ol-boys who played ball. The left vilified them. Or at least the media. But who knows? Maybe they're still getting their back scratched.
It will be interesting moving forward if we see some internal "gangster" style politics as the various special interest groups in the Democrat party move up in the ranks and demand their seat at the mafia (country club) table. In general, most leftists I know are huge blueblood snobs. It's conservatives that look at "a person's character" and are willing to dine with normal folk.
Job| 1.28.13 @ 4:30PM
we are on the ground about to be choked out and its time to be prudent....odd that i had to push a button that says "submit" to post this...
Mnestheus| 1.29.13 @ 12:43AM
A dollar invested in insanity is likely to do less harm than ten thousand spent on stupidity. Thoughtful Republicans should encourage De Mint to defalcate to Cuba with the Heritage endowment.
WaffenSS| 1.29.13 @ 11:43AM
The Republican Party is as corrupt as the Democraps. Richard Nixon described the Republicans as thus; when ever the Republicans get in to trouble they start acting like cannibals.
obadiah| 1.30.13 @ 12:18PM
It's disgusting how Goldman-Sachs and the War Machine have abandoned their old friends in the Republican Party and found new lackeys among the Democrats. Those Democrats are shameless in the give-aways. The DOJ is practically a house shop for MPAA and Hollywood. Republicans better find some newer and bigger goodies and favors to give to the "capitalists" if they want to get back in the game.
SilkyWiley| 2.4.13 @ 11:20AM
I have come to the conclusion that I already live in a foreign country. I won't be leaving the old USA, but some family members have and I'm thinking it's not a bad idea for my granddaughters. The brain drain in this country is stunning, even our best physicists are in Switzerland. It is going to take a long time for the leftists to cannibalize the wealthiest country in history. I don't know if I can stand to watch, I may have to disconnect from the internet, I've always avoided television and it braying. You can have your faith, your values and your traditions and live in a foreign country.