I do agree that W isn’t very conservative, and proposed/supported measures that would make Reagan spin in his grave.

That being said, he has kept us from another attack on our own soil for the last 7 years. Hardly a failure, since Bubba couldn’t decide what to do about terrorism, other than ignore it.

The GWOT/preemptive strike strategy is actually very sound; the problem was in the execution, and communication realms. There, I have to grudgingly admit, he did drop the ball rather seriously. But a failed policy, not so much.

As to the economy, he shares some blame, but the basics were, once again, sound. Malfeasance by the opposition and just horrible ethics from lending giants (as well as criminally bad bookkeeping from the GSE’s)caused the financial mess, and W’s response was to throw more money down the hole. That strategy never works, and he should have fired his advisors, on that score.

If he was actually a failure, I could agree with you. But so much of the problem is with the BDS crowd, and that he didn’t respond properly(or at all) to his many detractors. NY Times should have been slapped around a bit on several occasions for leaking classified material during a time of war, and I personally wish that more of the weeds in Congress had been pulled in ‘06 (not just from our side, either).

Not piling on, guy; I agree that the big problem with the GOP is that not enough are conservative, or that they lump themselves into sub-groupings (SoCons, FisCons and NatSecCons), while ignoring the totality of Conservatism. My take is, it’s hard to be a SoCon or FisCon, if the NatSecCon wing gets thrown out, but I’m ex Navy; hard-wired to think of those things.

The point is, if one wants to be a FisCon, and support abortion on demand while ignoring threats from abroad (Arlen), then one should jump to the other party, or join the Libertarians. Same with the other combinations of the three stool legs. But if you’re going to be conservative in the GOP about anything, start thinking about party unity for a change, and at least don’t work against members who form one or two of the other legs.

For example, Roe v Wade ain’t gonna be overturned; get used to it, that’s just the way it is. What SoCons need to focus on, and communicate as such, is that abortion should never be used as an everyday form of birth control, and anti-parental notification laws are simply wrong. FisCons need to get serious about smaller government, lower taxes and massively reduced spending, and NEVER COMPROMISE. NatSecCons MUST ALWAYS stand for what they espouse, even if it means losing on a vote. But above all, stick together.

As an aside, I notice that the GOP likes to throw members under the bus over ethical lapses that the Dems moan about publically (we all know that an inappropriate email doesn’t hold a candle to some of the serious violations on the left). Morally, I agree that our side shouldn’t keep members who think wrongly and act badly, but the opposition never just resigns in disgrace, and it’s a bad thing that the media and the Dems keep pushing us into taking ‘the high road’ because everyone expects us to.

I say this as a registered Independent who generally votes a GOP ticket. I’d probably join the party, if there weren’t so many RINO’s in it.

In all, cheer up. Obama will probably (hopefully) get spanked by reality within his first three months and, barring that, there’s always the possibility of a GOP sweep in ‘10. Hopefully, if that happens, the new members will have the stones to fight the good fight.

Respectfully yours,
CWD

It was often very difficult for Republicans to hold their leader’s feet to the fire because we have to spend every waking moment defending them against the liberal media/political machine. I remember having that conversation with my brother. We knew something wasn’t right with many of President Bush’s programs but it’s almost like your on “auto-protect”. Denouncement of your leaders is extremely difficult when you have to slog through every event, situation and policy through a hail of media arrows inch by inch. Any Republican plan for the future has to have some kind of plan for the media. Grassroots should consider/enact boycotts. I have.

We have lost double digits in the house and Senate over the last two elections. This just cannot be over looked.

America has grown tired of the corporate greed. Regan economics never included CEO’s making hundreds of millions of dollars running their companies into the ground and firing American workers. Regan economics never included tax incentives to firing American workers while opening new plants in Mexico. Regan economics never included the top 1% owning 42% of the wealth in this country. Regan economics never included bailing out the banks, insurance companies, and auto industry on the backs of the tax payers.

The new democrat playbook is perfectly designed for the new America. The new America finds the new minority is the working and taxpaying white man. The democrats lock up the black and Hispanic votes, and then skim off as much non taxpaying whites (college, high school, poor, old, single mom) as they can and this now equals the majority in this country. The fact this in now the majority is a tale tale sign that trickledown economics has officially been killed.

but I think Olsmithie nailed it. When you get that many people on the government teet, it is a Democrat’s dream. Keep them dumb, fat, and happy. Tell them it isn’t their fault it is those mean repubs giving tax breaks to those mean big corporations.

“…Put my faith in the people but the people let me down..so I turned the other way and I carry on anyhow..”- Rare Earth

After years of finding excuses not to read the lengthy classic, “Atlas Shrugged”, I sat down this summer and read this incredible, life-changing novel. I was amazed that Ayn Rand predicted more than 50 years ago, exactly what is happening today.

I agree that as the non-tax paying citizens of this country increase in record numbers, it is going to be very difficult to convince them to share the burden. One can only hope that as these people grow older and wiser, and try to make their owm way in this world, that they quickly realize the shrinking base of taxpayers can’t possibly carry the burden by themselves.

I have worked hard my entire life to improve my modest upbringing, and quite frankly I’m getting tired of carrying the burden for those who expect others to take care of them.

Before long, I will have to shrug and hope that someone out there is willing to pick up the slack.

Although I agree with your points, I guess you’re just looking at our side of the fence. Be holistic!

Let us also look at the “dirty tricks” of the other side. You will know that their Win today is not just a sheer of luck.

It’s been a grand design all along since 1996. Somehow, FrontPageMagazine is correct in assessing the enemy. I’m talking of the socialists and anti-Americans lurking at the Democratic Party, not fellow Americans believing in that Party as a whole. Our enemies from abroad are also doing share to destroy us, because of our brand… the brand of our incumbent President. CODEPINK and MOVEON didn’t come from the Dems. ACORN’s style is not inherently Democrats’ strategy.

Sometime in July, I was scolded by someone here at RS that communists and socialists are already “taboos” and use “far left” instead. It was the courageous Joe the Plumber who unabashed used the word socialist. That’s our problem. Conservatives are afraid to call a spade a spade eventhough at the back of our minds, we know it.

We have been blindsided since 2005 for being too proud to call other than “exceptional” and “Americans”. We can’t accept that some of us are no longer “exceptiona” and sadly some of us are already “Anti-Americans”.

Look at the term “bailout”. What a word! It’s actually “government control”. Once you guarantee or your lend money to a corporation, you become an automatic shareholder to that corporation. But no! We join the Democrats and the Democrat-controlled Bush to call it call it “bailout”, trying to evade that fact that we are already one-step close to socialism.

We should have seen it coming after Bush won the presidency in 2004. Sadly, Bush didn’t do anything to save the party that put him into the WH twice in a row.

There are “unseen” forces that the conservatives and the McCain campaign have virtually ignored. Ironically, it’s the “inexperienced” Lady from Alaska who has been more vocal, candid and knowledgeable to these things than our main Candidate.