Comments Posted By Tom Snow
Displaying 1 To 1 Of 1 Comments
DEBUNKING MYTHS ABOUT MODERATES: 1) MODERATES HAVE NO PRINCIPLES
I understand your argument, but disagree with it. If I understand you correctly, your view is that you need to be pragmatic to get your conservative initiatives through by compromising with the liberals. It's a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" approach to governing that the American people find repulsive. But beyond that, you argue that some good conservative initiatives would flounder unless you got support from would-be opponents. The problem there is that now, instead of one bill, voted up and down, with attendant costs, you now have two (albeit in one bill). The founders viewed a limited government was best. The idea was that congress would spend so much time telling each other no, that nothing would get done. That was the goal. The government shouldn't do anything outside of the scope of the constitution, national defense, judiciary, etc. If you can't get some conservative initiative passed because of opposition, it shouldn't be done.
But to point to an example of your approach, let's look at GW. I think all can agree, liberal and conservative alike, that he did keep the country safe after 9/11. He did this by engaging the enemy on its home turf in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as homeland security initiatives and other such security issues (FISA, etc.). The liberals hated all this, but they were willing to look the other way if they got their initiatives through. So whenever an appropriations bill for the wars was put before him, it was filled with pork from the opposition in order to buy their vote and he signed. He did this when the Republicans owned both houses. It got worse when the Dems took over. I ask you: how did that strategy work out? Bush's overriding goal of his administration was to thwart enemies of our country that would do us harm. He did so at the expense of domestic conservative principles. The Republicans were soundly punished in 2006 for this and 2008 was a rout.
What the Republican Party needs to realize is that there are two types of conservatives. There are those of us who vote for our core principles and those who don't vote because of apathy. Reagan secured the first and brought out the second.
You don't need to be pragmatic to do the right thing. The right thing is obvious to most. If it isn't obvious, then it probably isn't something that should be taken up by the federal government. Slavery wasn't ended as a result of the Missouri Comprimise. It was ended when Lincoln and the Republicans proclaimed the practice was not right and needed to end. We faught a civil war on this principle. We are a Republic, not a Democracy. A Republic is a nation of laws and this is why slavery had to be abolished. A Democracy is rule by majority and since a majority of the populace endorsed slavery, Democracy would have perpetuated slavery.
The lesson learned is to stand on your principles. If they do not prevail and nothing gets done, so be it. At least we aren't wasting money. That is much better than the current option in which every whim of Obama is being thrust upon us.
Comment Posted By Tom Snow On 6.05.2009 @ 10:26
