Why do we have RINOs? They’ve been making a resurgence as of late, trying to argue that if we were just watered down Democrats we could totally win elections. So let’s give up on our principles because then we can win that center who is primarily defined by not knowing or caring much about politics.
Of course, they don’t put it that way. They instead single out social issues as the problem — even though that’s something we share with the blacks and Hispanics we’re supposed to be adding to our ranks. They argue that fiscal issues are the important ones, and our even mentioning social issues in passing might be scaring away people who would support our visions of limited government.
Now, the main problem with that argument is by experience we know that about every Republican who is a squish on social issues can also be expected to be a squish in the areas of taxation and government expansion. It’s possible for someone to be hugely conservative on fiscal issues and liberal on social issues just as it’s possible for someone to have one eye that’s blue and one eye that’s brown, but it’s not something you’d want to base a political party on.
So how are abortion and low taxes related? Conservatism isn’t made from just picking and choosing different issues; it’s a philosophy inherent to about anyone in America who does a hard day’s work and has a family to take care of and bills to pay. Basically, it comes down to trust. A conservative trusts himself and his fellow man. That’s why he doesn’t feel the need for a giant government because he knows he and his fellow man can take care of himself. He also doesn’t worry about owning a gun or if his neighbor has one because again he trusts himself and those around him.
And that’s where the social issues come in. If you have someone with radically different values — like someone who thinks sucking the brains out of a baby is just peachy — the trust is not there anymore. If you have a politician who doesn’t understand fundamentals issues of morality, can you really trust he gets the other issues even he does say the right things?
And that’s something we have to be wary of: A person can parrot conservative issues without really understanding them. But if someone doesn’t have a coherent political philosophy, you can’t expect him to be stand strong on the issues you care about. That’s why we need to be cautious of anyone calling himself a conservative who has been in politics his whole life. To really be a conservative, you have to live a conservative life; it’s not just about saying the right things. And that’s where experience trumps smartee-soundingness every time.
But the RINOs simply are politicians who can say the right things on a couple issues but don’t have a coherent political philosophy they believe in. They just like being politicians — which isn’t very conservative. If a RINO can get more political power by going against the party, they will every time because there isn’t anything more important to them than that.
So why do we have RINOs? Because we tolerate them. Sometimes they’re useful because they’re the best that can be elected in a few liberal districts. But if we ever can do better, let’s not pretend that squishiness and lack of principles is a virtue. RINOs are an ugly necessity at time, but they should never be who we rally around.
And that is why FranJ is now THE head of the Republican Party!
I have been trying to figure out why there is this sudden move by RINOs to take over the party. I think that it is because they fear that if the GOP goes conservative, they have little chance of winning in their liberal districts. Oh, well. So they lose their seats. To bad. That’s not a good reason to throw the whole country in the toilet, now is it?
We need a conservative Oprah-like star to pull all the squishy-emotional, undecided middle our way. There is a huge percentage of this country that doesn’t know what it believes in — and every day more of them are being told what to think by left-leaning cult figures like Oprah and Ellen D.
Maybe the person doesn’t exist, but the “trust” line of reasoning is a good start. That is actually a warm and fuzzy angle that the right person could turn into a powerful “schtick”.
I’ve got a liberal friend who always asks me about RINO’s, the direction of the GOP, etc. I told him to think about 2 things: 1) Obama tacked decidely to the right (i.e. “tax cuts”), and 2)McCain had zero momentum until he picked Palin. Get the RINO’s outta there. The path to victory was walked by Ronald Reagan, and the same road exists today.
Too late, after the last election.
“A conservative trusts himself and his fellow man.”
In particular, “doing what you say you’re going to do” which is the foundation not only of all relationships but of all business transactions.
On the 2nd Amendment, I’ve argued with liberals many times that not only do I trust my neighbors with their guns, I hope to God they have them. They look at me like I’m from another planet.
Not only was that rant perfectly coherent, it was one of the best rants I’ve seen on the dangers of RINOism. An excellent read, Frank.
I disagree on the issue of trust. I believe that conservatives, being the capitalists that we are, trust that our fellow man will behave like a normal human being. That is, while he may be neighborly, friendly and kind, ultimately he will act in his own self interest. Self interest is what drives capitalism.
That is why we are proponents of gun ownership. That is why we are proponents of actually enforcing the law. We know what will happen. Human nature takes over. If no one is going to enforce the law, a lot of people are going to disobey the law. If people lack a means to defend themselves, they will be taken advantage of.
Of course, that doesn’t apply to everyone. There are large swaths of Americans who will act according to the morals and values upon which they were raised. But 1 out of 100, heck, 1 out of 1,000 is enough to create serious problems for society.
So. I have trust. I trust human nature and I want laws, politicians and our legal system to get their heads out of their fourth points of contact and acknowledge it again also.
“A conservative trusts himself and his fellow man. That’s why he doesn’t feel the need for a giant government because he knows he and his fellow man can take care of himself. He also doesn’t worry about owning a gun or if his neighbor has one because again he trusts himself and those around him.”
And yet those with the most consistent libertarian principles about wanting the government out of their face, are considered RINOs.
Opposition to abortion and gay marriage aren’t necessarily part of a coherent philosophy with spending cuts and constructionist courts.
I mean, they can be, if you basis for everything is ye Old Testament. But Natural Law, for one, might be construed to say that stealing is wrong, abortion is wrong, and punishing abortionettes is also wrong, and gay marriage is great.
I’m less concerned about someone like moi who really doesn’t care about social issues than someone who thinks we should cave on something for “pragmatic” reasons. We’re never going to be 100% unified.
I trust any guy who’ll get his ass beat before he’ll say he was wrong to bomb the shit out of North Vietnam.
You are the giant rhino ahole. We don’t want you Palin weirdos in the GOP anymore. To win back the country our party needs to become the moderate party that focuses on balancing the budget and low taxes. This radical social Palin religious nonsense needs to go as do you. Please go form your own party u ludicrious ahole. We do not want you.
[A comment from Chicago, home of the real conservatives. -Ed.]
Effeminem, abortion has nothing to do with ye Old Testament. It is about the government doing the basic things the government in this country was designed to do – protect life, liberty, and property. Life in the womb is just as valuable as a life outside the womb. To end an innocent life for the sake of convenience is not something a civilized society generally condones.
Ed.,
Sorry Ed but you are a total ahole and a total liar – im not in Chicago. You weird right wing idiots lost us the election. Look how many people cared about Iraq in this last election buddy? Hardly any. Yet you stupid ignorant right wing moron bloggers went on and on about how important it was. All it did was put the U.S. in a huge financial hole and got a lot of our terrific soldiers killed AND lost the GOP the election. So you take Palin and you people support her but you form a new party to do it because we want you losers out of the GOP! And take the 20 or so people who actually read your dumb stupid blog with you in your new party. Call it the luddite party since that’s about how out of touch you are dumbass.
[How old are you? What is your occupation? -Ed.]
In yesterday’s We Lost the Crazy Stupid People:
#19. TomC says: November 18th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
“YOu r all stinky poo faces. No one likes you losers. We want the moderate GOP party back that Reagan created.”
Apparently not! Oh, snap.
TomC kind has a point (his delivery may be a little harsh). If the Republican Party wants to succeed it will become the party of economic freedom again. That issue trumps everything else. If you can’t provide for your family, who the hell cares about abortion? Social issues get overplayed when the country’s economy is good (people actually have the mental space to worry about them). Now that the economy is tanking it’s time to lead with lower taxes and smaller government.
[He’s a completely an utterly retarded troll and you think he has a point. -Ed.]
TomC, I’m pretty sure we made the election about Obama’s amoral social climbing and McCain’s uninformed attempts to appear economically conservative. Also, balancing the budget and low taxes aren’t a moderate position- that would mean spending would have to be cut, which is verging into crazy Ron Paul territory right thar.
Click my name for little Miss Sarah Palin’s response.
Don’t shoot the messenger, please.
Why do we have the leaders we have? We have them because they are us. When we look at leaders who will say whatever they think will do them the most good (for them) we see a people who will allow themselves to be manipulated, lied to and tricked. We don’t want to have to work hard, we don’t want to have to play by the rules, we don’t want to do the right things. We want the easy way, we want something for nothing, we want a deal, we want OUR share (of someone else largess) or even better we want someone to give us stuff hence the rise in casino gambling and lottery mania.
Now before you get offended, think. When was the last time you wanted to pay taxes, or mow the grass or go to work? Really, when? When was the last time you did something for someone else, just to be nice? Do you know what the word integrity really means and do you practice it everyday, not just once in a while? Are you part of the coarsening of American culture or is morality simply a convenient catchphrase to inject into the discussion?
I used to believe the difference between conservatives and liberals was that conservatives knew the difference between right and wrong. Now I think the only difference is that conservatives know the difference…they just don’t choose to act on that which they know. But then again, I’m old, traditional, religious and tired. What do I know.
That has always been the conservatives’ problem–no matter how nice or clever they are, you can’t trust liberal illuminati to make good decisions when they believe in partial birth abortion. Their whole moral code is wacked, and their right from wrong is obviously different from yours.
“This radical social Palin religious nonsense needs to go”
What is it that you people have against religion? Seriously, I know people who support Obama just because Palin is a devout Christian.
Damn, I put [] instead of
:/
Um, yeah…just ignore that last post. And this one, too.
I think the truly conservative social value that often gets overlooked is individual responsibility, from which trust is derived. Responsibility necessarily leads to conservative views on economics (self-reliance rather than government providence), smaller government (self control versus government meddling), and so on. It is when you cease taking responsibility for your own actions that you begin to desire a government that acts like a nanny.
I agree with #19, though I am neither old nor tired. America’s morality is going down to tubes, fast, to the point that, while few people actually practice Christian love anymore, only conservatives even remember what it means. I choose to blame it on liberal media and liberal schooling, as well as tepid conservatives. A somewhat extreme, but very fitting quote is from Edmund Burke, a Brit:
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
I hate to break it to TomC but his wish was partially granted in this election. The social conservatives, that he disdains and would see expunged from the GOP, partially withdrew their support and stayed home. It was a small percentage of voters but it was enough to lose an election.
The social issues are conservative issues because each one has emerged as a result of liberal actions taken outside the bounds of the constitution, or as in the case of illegal aliens, a failure of the federal government to fulfill their constitutional obligations. A RINO is untrustworthy because they are politicians who think that they can pick and choose which portions of the constitution they like or dislike.
The conservative philosophy, more correctly the constitutional philosophy, measures ALL issues against the powers granted, and the rights reserved, by that document, regardless of personal feelings. Tom, forget the individual issues and focus on whether or not they are a function of the federal government. You may have no use for religion personally but do you believe that the bill of rights puts it off limits to the federal government?
If no, then you are a liberal and belong in the democratic party.
Tyson, thank you for that wonderful quote. It was exactly what I was driving for and it was surely not extreme. A great many people have abdicated their responsibilities as parents, as citizens and as members of the Christian community.
I don’t really care whether Conservatives win another election ever. I really care about keeping our integrity intact because I realize there is something after this life and I know where I want to go. That I think, is where this all comes apart. If you believe there is something after this life then hedonism is the death of your next level of existence.
But as I said before I’m old, therefore much more interested in what happens next.
TomC…Fleet Farm called! They are having a giant sale this weekend on new tires for your house! You will need to jump into your neighbors Plymouth Duster and head on down early Saturday to get the best pick! Oh, and you mom also called! She spent the whole welfare check on lottery tickets…she said that you won’t be getting any dinner tonight but watch Power Ball and get ready to start livin’ in “Fat City”! She said the first thing she’s going to do if she wins is buy a new trailer house and she is finally going to have money to get your tooth fixed up all purdy!!!
I think inherently people are selfish. Some of us learn to be productive and strive for holiness in spite of our inherent selfishness. That is to say, we learn to discipline the natural inclination.
Yet, selfishness runs rampant in the world in those who do not learn this discipline.
And it overreaches political party, race, religion and class. What we are seeing are a bunch of men out for what they can get for themselves. And we could be talking about liberals there, or republican politicians, or the democrat congress, or welfare recipients, or CEOs of Enron.
Disciplining our selfishness allows us to concentrate on our individual responsibilities, which is tied directly into individual liberty.
But it is not very vogue to emphasize individual responsibility anymore.
The middle doesn’t “need” to be educated or either social or financial truths. They won’t allow it.
They just need to be inspired.
That is what Reagan did.
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Integrity n. uprightness of character. honesty. the condition, quality, or state of being complete or undivided. syn. fairness, candor, wholeness.
Titus 2:7-8
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”
Num 14:24
“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”
Joshua 14:10-14
“Now then, just as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time He said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!
I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.
Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.
Integrity. Wholeheartedness. If we’ve got a desert to cross we’d best learn to practice both! See you on the other side!
I was beginning to wonder where you were 4 of 7. Those scriptures are wonderful . To me the most power words in the scriptures about everything including integrity are found in Matthew 22;
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt alove the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
If we love our God we will obey his commandments and do His will. If we love our neighbor and ourselves we will do all that we can to be true and faithful to those same commandments. It is on these scriptures that we can (because I have) and should base our lives and decisions.
Heaven forbid we insist on leader who feel the same. I have yet to understand why the left who screech continually about equality, fraternity and liberty can’t see that someone with this mentality is more likely to govern all equally…………wait sorry I was using logic. Strike that. What they really want is someone to make their decisions for them. They have chosen their god, how sad.
Dear Seanmahair,
I don’t comment on every post, but I read every comment.
Sometimes I need to think and study a bit before commenting, and of course sometimes I just don’t have anything useful or pertinent to add to a thread.
Having walked through a valley of the shadow of death or two so far myself I’m glad if my contributions can help encourage you and others to keep fighting.
In that regard Caleb has always been a personal hero of mine.
I’ve imagined him as a sort of Deputy Chester (or Festus, for younger viewers) to Joshua’s Marshall Matt Dillan.
Joshua got the headlines, but Caleb always had his back.
As to why the world would fear leaders who dared proclaim faith in a Holy, Just God …
Isaiah 5:18-24
Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes.
to those who say, “Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it. Let it approach, let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come, so we may know it.”
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
(Salvation is with Jesus Christ, our Lord, (New Testament); but lately I confess I’ve been feeling rather ‘Old Testament’. )
Still, in a subjective sense, the news that Jesus Saves isn’t ‘good news’ until one finally realizes and admits that one Needs saving!
Right?
my God, i thought you were going to chip in with some decisive insght at the end there, not leave it with