I've never known what to think of Joe Scarborough (I've had him on, then off, then struck-through, and now +/- on my list of RWS™); he's clearly a conservative but unlike teabaggRs he's willing to praise Democrats and criticize Republicans when they deserve it. He'd really really like to see President Obama lose, and yet he has this to say:
If we want to win the battle of ideas in the long term, we should be willing to face the fact that Mitt Romney is likely to lose — and should, given that he’s neither a true conservative nor a courageous moderate. He’s just an ambitious man. Nothing wrong with that, except when you want to be president. Great leaders combine ambition and ideas and conviction.
Instead, we have a nominee who represents the worst of both worlds. Any swing voter attracted by moderate Republicanism can’t vote for a man who ran away from his core convictions. And conservative voters don’t believe Romney has any core convictions. This has all the makings of a Greek tragedy, all playing out on C-SPAN.
[...]
Craven calculation, on the other hand, does not pay off for conservatives. Romney needed to decide long ago who he was: the last of the Rockefeller Republicans (and thus somebody who probably wouldn’t have gotten through Iowa) or a genuine movement conservative with detailed ideas about how to right the country.
Me, I wouldn't necessarily consider it tragedy. But it's theater, all right. And, to "win the battle of ideas," they're gonna have to do more than unhitch from Mitt. They're gonna have to come up with better ideas.
Sid:
ReplyDeleteThink Secretariat at The Belmont Stakes. This one's going to be won going away and the margin will be wider than I originally thought.
I'm a conservative and we deserve it. Not only do we deserve it, but we need it. Nothing like a sharp slap in the face (a boot in the ass might even be better) to get our attention and our attention sorely needs to be "gotten."
There are so many issues that need to be addressed that, no matter who wins, the situation we all face is beyond formidable. Still, to face these issues, there needs to be leadership. For someone to lead, there needs to be strongly held convictions and ideas that can attract and even inspire a following. In short there has to be a belief system that can be understood, that's logical, and that's has enough flexibility to - at least - have those who don't agree totally saying "well, there's at least room for negotiation.
Add to this the fact that you have to be able to trust your leader and, among honest and thoughtful conservatives that I know and respect, I can't find that trust. I'd simply rather not vote at all than have to explain to others - and to my own conscience - why I voted for the candidate "my side" has put forward.
I see none of any of the above in "my" candidate and, to be honest, the only hope I have is that the loss will be so deafeningly one-sided that we conservatives will come back to our senses and realize that stupidity, venality, refutation of science, and wholesale untruths aren't a platform that will move the hearts - forget about the minds - of any electorate.
Damn, I hate to see what I truly believe will happen, but I honestly believe that it needs to happen.
Larry
Thanks for your comment, Larry. I've said here many times that we need a strong conservative party that, unlike the current iteration, is willing to work with the other side to find solutions that combine ideas of both sides to the benefit of all.
ReplyDeleteToday's Republicans have become a bad joke, caring only about their own power and destroying the other side no matter the costs.
I hope you're right. But I think if Obama wins today's flavor of Rs will just harden even further, blaming a loss on the fact that Romney was never a true conservative and claiming they need to toe even harder to their hard line.
Now you've got me thinking of that Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."
ReplyDeleteI think we're there.
Larry
OK, I admit, Romney might lose...
ReplyDeleteIN 2016!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
but as long as We keep the House & Senate, it'll be OK.
In fact, as someone who paid for my Rotator Cuff/SLAP repair with pocket change, I'm sorta looking forward to the full implementation of EICOTUS-care...
The look on Sid's face when he goes for his annual PSA and he's in line behind the entire population of Xiatopia, May-he-co...
Just kidding Sid, you're a rich retired Sturgeon, you don't actually use that vulgar Medi-"Care" system? Thats for the Pee-Ons...
Frank "upper 1% of the upper 1%" Drackman
Jeez Larry, you've brightened my day. Every time I meet or talk to a conservative from now on, I'll be wishing they were you. And as always, I'll give them the opportunity.
ReplyDelete