Comments Posted By OWASM
Displaying 1 To 5 Of 5 Comments
SMALL GOVERNMENT, BIG GOVERNMENT, OR CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT?
Looks like you have turned into a Frumian "conservative". It comes from excessive navel-gazing and agrophobia. Small government vs. Big government can be defined. Just throwing up your hands doesn't make it not so. As you said in your article, you don't start out with defining government's size... what you do is start out by defining what basic rights and non-intrusions citizens deserve. You also have to define limits to political correctness, because that our current state of political correctness has severely affected the collective polity's perception of human rights. We need to re-install the old adage of 'sticks and stones will break my bones and names will never hurt me' in defining our basic interactions. Too much concern about others has lead to a significant curtailment of our rights. It looks like you are a victim of the Left's Chinese water torture method of softening up conservative minds.
Comment Posted By OWASM On 7.02.2009 @ 20:23
GINGRICH SEES THE PROBLEMS BUT WHERE ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
Thank you for your comments on Newt Gingrich. I must agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. Newt is a great conceptualist. I have found that his solutions are significantly less brilliant. Unfortunately, the balance just isn't there... and often the judgement isn't either. That said, Newt is an asset to the conservative movement.
Obama on the other hand is not a great conceptualist. He is a great presenter of old leftist bromides. His skills are in communication.
If I was to compare Newt to someone else, it would be Rush Limbaugh. Both men are entertainers, in very different ways. They have inciteful minds and do have a great grasp of the Big Picture of politics.
Obama has a great grasp of leftist politics and is groping to find a way to co-opt as many in the center and on the right to find a way to make his presidency work.
Comment Posted By Owasm On 2.02.2009 @ 22:57
ARE THE RIGHTROOTS MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN REPUBLICAN?
The idea that 70% of the nation don't identify as conservatives is a ludicrous reason for not having a firm ideology. Did you know that 78% of the nation do not identify as liberals?
The problem with the election wasn't ideology, it was a rejection of feckless "leadership" on the part of establishment Republicans, not conservative ideals. What is needed is a palatable restatement of conservative principles that the common guy on the street can identify with. Joe the Plumber being one of them. Easy ideas that don't involve getting into the arcane issues of health care or social security. The term "tax cuts" aren't enough... Obama used that as a club over McCain, because McCain never fought back and explained simply enough to the American people that Obama wasn't really talking about tax cuts.
I did sign up for Rebuild the Party.com. What conservatives need to do is organize and not continue to be a bunch of cats that can't be herded.
Comment Posted By Owasm On 25.11.2008 @ 20:54
ON BEING NOBLE AND OTHER NONSENSICAL IDEAS IN THE AGE OF OBAMA
I agree with you about the left mangling definitions. I would say that we don't really know of Obama is a bad man or a good man with horrible taste in friends and actions. I do know that his major redefinition occurred in endlessly using the term "middle class" for the term he really meant: proletariat.
Comment Posted By Owasm On 9.11.2008 @ 00:01
The Republican party is split into two parts, the Establishment and the rest of us. The Establishment is the wing in power. They are the ones who have basically run the right into the ground. These folks are the ones who got Dole into the 1996 race and the ones who rallied around McCain on Super Tuesday (especially in Florida) that drove the 2008 primary season. These are the guys who have "ruined the GOP 'brand'".
Remember, the national race is still close, within the margin of error in some polls. That means conservatives and the right don't have to go through all of this navel-gazing about the future of conservatism. Conservatism is strongly embedded in a vast number of Americans. That is why Joe the Plumber caused such a stir because the note he struck resonated with "the base"... which is mostly conservative.
What is needed as a commenter said previously is leadership. There is no single conservative grass roots organization for conservatives that gets candidates chosen and that conservatives can join. Conservative talk radio is a great glue that binds, but they can't lead and maintain their position. The Newt Gingrich's in government are tainted by the need to be accepted by the Establishment. The blogosphere, including the Corner, PJM and others including this blog, don't lead but comment.
Without a defined conservative movement, not a special interest group or a think tank, that people can join and promote national candidates, we will never make the headway needed to get things done, like term limits, smaller government, etc. etc.
Comment Posted By OWASM On 30.10.2008 @ 22:17
