Once Again, A Republican Gets It Wrong
November 30th, 2006 | by christine |Once again, a Republican tries to paint his party’s lack of discipline as “leftist.”
On the Republican side, there are rumors of several candidates who may or may not be running. The democrats like “Kevins” want us to pick a “moderate”. A “moderate” to them would be someone on the level of extreme leftist John Kerry. We don’t need that type of so-called “moderate” or their/media’s definition of a “moderate” here which usually means Big Government (outside of Bush who they slap on the “extremist” label). Our party has moved too far to the left anyway - look at the government spending and government increase. That’s leftist. We need a less government conservative.
(emphasis mine)
What the Republicans don’t want to admit is that they went off the right wing deep end. Terry Schiavo anyone? “Moderate” to a Democrat means common sense, not this creepy crap that they pulled in that situation. (and if you want to argue that Republican social conservatism is not big spending, then you’re cracked. How much does it cost to call an emergency legislative session and fly the President around so he can show off his signature?)
Republican spending is not “leftist” spending. “Leftist” spending would be to put that money into health care, public works, and education … not into private firms owned by friends. Republican spending was designed to get as much money as possible into private hands. A true conservative would do so without funneling the money through the government first … but if the Republicans did that, they wouldn’t be able to control where the money would go.
Republicans aren’t conservative. Not even their great hero President Reagan could be considered conservative. Nor are the Republicans liberal … they are neo-cons … a completely different beast.
Democrats are more fiscally responsible and better for the middle and lower economic classes … there hasn’t been a Republican President who hasn’t left office with a higher deficit and smaller manufacturing base than when he entered. We get labeled “tax and spend” because we roll back taxes on the uber-wealthy and spend the revenue by paying off deficit incurred by the government on behalf of the uber-wealthy.
But, you gotta hand it to the Republican Party … it is smart politics to say “we went to far to the left” when they mean “we showed our true colors, and they were ugly.”
“Understand me, when I speak of what the Republicans have been doing. I’m not talking about the individual Republican voter. Nobody knows better than I that man for man, individually, most Republicans are fine people. But there’s a big distinction between the individual Republican voter and the policies of the Republican Party. Something happens to Republican leaders when they get control of government…Republicans in Washington have a habit of becoming curiously deaf to the voice of the people. They have a hard time hearing what the ordinary people of the country are saying. But they have no trouble at all hearing what Wall Street is saying. They are able to catch the slightest whisper form big business and the special interest.” –Harry Truman
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[tags]michigan, democratic, democrat, republican, republican party, conservative, liberal, neo-con, neo-conservative, democratic party[/tags]

2 Responses to “Once Again, A Republican Gets It Wrong”
By Republican Michigander on Nov 30, 2006 | Reply
This is influenced by my libertarian streak, but my own definition of leftist is big government. (From a Constitutional Standpoint, Terry Schiavo case should have been a state issue, not federal)
The bridge to nowhere and deficit wasn’t conservative and erased Newt Gingrich’s (Clinton finally followed the leader and attempted to take credit for it) accomplishment of leadership with a surplus. No Child Left behind is not conservative. Some may disagree with me here, but the Patriot Act is not conservative either. (I opposed it from both Bush and Clinton’s version of it from 2000 in the name of the drug war). Bush signed that horrible campaign finance law from Mr. McCain. More big government.
The only fiscal conservatism from the GOP lately has been tax cuts, and it only works with spending cuts. If my party is smart, they’d get behind Mike Pence’s proposals and kick the same old song and dance to the curb.
I’m just shocked that your party isn’t asking W to switch parties. He spends like one of yours, but even that’s not good enough for Mr. Kennedy’s crowd.
By christine on Nov 30, 2006 | Reply
Well I think you & I would agree that the Republican Party isn’t conservative.
What we disagree on is that your party’s recklessness is “leftist”.
The surplus was a product of the Democratic Congress that raised gas taxes (gas was cheap then), raised taxes on the top bracket, and cut waste in government.
W is all yours.