You’re Just Noticing This Now?
So this morning we already tripped down memory lane with Crazy Eileen and Delaware Liberal ‘s concern trolling from last year. Well, some conservatives are starting to see the light (why did it take this long?). From Balloon Juice, it’s another conservative self-reflection “It’s getting to be embarrassing to be a conservative.”
These days, however, the most prominent so-called conservatives are increasingly fit only to be cast for the next Dumb and Dumber sequel. They’re dumb and crazy.
Heehee. Can’t disagree with that one.
Let’s tick off ten things that make this conservative embarrassed by the modern conservative movement:
1. A poorly educated ex-sportwriter who served half of one term of an minor state governorship is prominently featured as a — if not the — leading prospect for the GOP’s 2012 Presidential nomination.
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4. As Doug also observed, “The GOP controlled Congress from 1994 to 2006: Combine neocon warfare spending with entitlements, farm subsidies, education, water projects and you end up with a GOP welfare/warfare state driving the federal spending machine.” Indeed, “when the GOP took control of Congress in 1994, and the White House in 2000, the desire to use the levers of power to create “compassionate conservatism” won our over any semblance of fiscal conservatism. Instead of tax cuts and spending cuts, we got tax cuts along with a trillion dollar entitlement program, a massive expansion of the Federal Government’s role in education, and two wars. That’s not fiscal conservatism it is, as others have said, fiscal insanity.” Yet, today’s GOP still has not articulated a message of real fiscal conservatism.
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6. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism that pervade the movement.
7. Trying to pretend Afghanistan is Obama’s war.
8. Birthers.
9. Nativists.
10. The substitution of mouth-foaming, spittle-blasting, rabble-rousing talk radio for reasoned debate. Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and Hugh Hewitt are not exactly putting on Firing Line.
I’d like to see more than obscure bloggers, former Reagan officials and retiring/defeated Republicans call out Republicans on this. It’s a start though. Who will be the first credible voice in Republican circles to voice these sentiments? Who has the necessary trust from the movement to do it?
Tags: Conservatives, Republican Crazy
Afghanistan is now Obomba’s war. He is the one who is escalating it.
Most people I know are liberals, I like my echo-chamber chilled, not shaken.
However, I have some friends that are ‘reasonable’ Republicans but those folks had to become apathetic rather than go with this flow since 1994 when Newt put the contract out on America.
That’s why real conservatives look to people like John Dean who wrote _Conservatives Without Conscience_. I’d recommend this book to liberals and old style Republicans, alike.
So, hear here, UI!! Great post!
I believe that many and maybe even most Republicans are quite reasonable. It’s just that the echo chamber of the crazy is so deafening right now. I wish we could talk about differences in policy instead of differences in reality.
I believe that many and maybe even most Republicans are quite reasonable.
In my experience I don’t know of any reasonable Republicans. Their opinions only make sense to them because they are based on a completely different and erroneous set of facts, and they are immune to actual economic facts and statistics.
Look what I see on the twitters >> go to the youtubes and see it.
RT lessig
Of/By/4 now on #youtube: http://bit.ly/cF6850
If you’ve never seen a TED from Larry Lessig, you can start here!
“Afghanistan is now Obomba’s war. He is the one who is escalating it.”
Please tell that to Lindsey Graham.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/01/graham-fears-left-right-in-unholy-alliance-on-afghanistan/?fbid=SBz0iGiF9zH
If Obomba wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan, he could. If it takes an “unholy alliance” to close the purse strings and shut down this monstrosity, so be it.
No argument there. My point is that an “unholy alliance of Democrats and Republicans” is keeping us there. If all Republicans wanted us out, Obama wouldn’t be afraid of getting us out. Or is it your contention that he’s there because he wants to be, rather than out of politcal fear of repercussions?
Bush is gone … so Afghanistan (and Pakistan and Yemen and Somalia… and soon Iran) are Obomba’s wars.
Yes, he is there because he wants to be there, with political repercussions always being part of, but not all of, the equation. If you include Obama in the “unholy alliance of Democrats and Republicans” keeping us there, you’re right. But if Obama wanted to start the pullout tomorrow, he could get the political support for that, no problem.
If the Shirley Sherrod case taught us anything, it should be that this administration quivers in fear of conservative criticism. If they were afraid of Shirley Sherrod’s comments taken out of context, how afraid do you think they would be of accusations of being soft on Muslims, terrorists and the enemies of America?
Sadly, Geezer, your point is correct. If only he was as sensitive to criticism from the left, and if only the left wasn’t afraid to criticize.
Anonone,
Obomba can get political support for staying there as well.
Boeing alone will bankroll election to the tune of $1.6 million in 2010.
As long as the permanent war economy continues to buy elections and presidents ( with what is ultimately taxpayer money), the wars are self-perpetuating.
When General Bacevich says Obomba ““lacks the guts to get out”. That’s true, … as far as it goes.
It’s not so easy to say to your friends, relatives and neighbors they need to find the guts to seek employment in places other than Boeing, Lockheed or Raytheon.