Let’s run through the checklist:
Federalism- nope, don’t need it.
Limited Government- nah- useless.
Fiscal Responsibility- forget it- outdated.
Tradition?- Whatever, loserboy.
Fair play?- For credit card companies, not for you.
State’s rights- a quaint idea.
Separation of Church and State- Fuhgeddaboutit!
Limiting entitlement programs- nonsense!
Compassionate conservatism- meaningless buzzwords.
I guess we should have seen the notion of free trade being thrown over the side of the sinking ship, what with the steel tariffs and and the shrimp fiasco:
China on Thursday criticized new U.S. quotas imposed to control surging imports of Chinese textiles and said it might respond by taking action through the World Trade Organization.
China faces pressure from the United States, the European Union and other producers to restrain its textile exports, which have soared since a global quota system ended on Jan. 1.
The Commerce Ministry expressed “firm opposition and strong displeasure” to two sets of U.S. quotas, imposed in the past week following complaints that Chinese imports were hurting American companies.
“The Chinese government reserves the right to take further actions within the framework of the World Trade Organization,” said ministry spokesman Chong Quan, quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency. The report didn’t say what steps Beijing might take.
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry appealed to Washington to settle the dispute through dialogue instead of unilateral action.
I expect that pretty soon the shills for the administration will be reading Dick Gephardt’s old ‘fair trade’ speeches for justification for this. Exactly what does this party of mine believe in, really? I guess it can be summed up as this:
Money talks, and our bullshit walks.
KC
Gawd, this is where I was two years ago. When you realize just how much BS you’ve been sold and just how much you’re yet to be sold, it’s just not worth defending anymore. That’s what I found at least.
Kimmitt
Exactly what does this party of mine believe in, really?
Power.
Mr Furious
Your steadily growing disillusion with the Republican Party has made this blog a must-read for me. Puts a smile on my face every day.
Yeah, a somewhat smug smile, but more of “there’s hope for the country if people wake up to this” than an “I told you so” kind of smile…
jcricket
Great post John.
Don’t forget about what the Republicans _do_ believe in:
1) Threatening judges (see Frist, Delay, etc).
2) Faith-based medicine (see Dr. Hager & Plan B, or the FRC’s ignoring their own findings on gay marriage)
3) Pseudo/Non-Science (see creationism, ID)
4) Hating gays and limiting their freedoms/civil rights (don’t forget about the removal of any gay-themed/written books)
5) Torture (see: Alberto Gonzolez’ justifications of this)
Anything else I missed?
Mr Furious
6) Corporate welfare.
7) Um, and a little thing called Pre-emptive War.
Kimmitt
Everybody believes in true pre-emption. What the Republicans believe in is “Preventive” war, whatever that means.
TJIT
Mr. Furious,
I can’t defend the worthless republicans. The idea the democrats would be any better is laughable given one of their main complaints with Bush is that he is not spending enough.
It’s a fine mess and I have no idea what it would take to fix.
Oberon
The Republican party still stands for the right to own guns. No sell-out there.
Mr. Cole — I’m not nearly as conservative as you, but I sure as hell respect your honesty.
Or maybe I am as conservative as you. If any political party stood for federalism, limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the other virtues you listed, I’d be on board in a heartbeat.
bogeyman
The idea the democrats would be any better is laughable given one of their main complaints with Bush is that he is not spending enough.
Nonsense. The democrats would have balanced the budget with, yes, taxes, like responsible adults. They would also have a credible energy plan to get us weaned off of foreign oil and do some real conservation in the mean time. And no one believes for one minute we’d have any extremist faux-religious radicals with key dem congresscritters in their pockets.
Kimmitt
The idea the democrats would be any better is laughable given one of their main complaints with Bush is that he is not spending enough.
Either we’re at war or we aren’t. If we are, it’s time to spend some money to get the job done. If we aren’t, well, there’s a lot that we need to change.
Steven
I’ve been wondering for some time how far the corporate side of the GOP would allow the religious side to go. My guess is that the filibuster issue is the end. The corporatists like and want Bush’s nominees, not because they care about their social views, but because the nominees are also likely to be willing to cut back regulatory and legislative initiatives (i.e. more likely to restrict use of Commerce clause). Once this fight is over, the corporatists will start to undercut the religious faction in preparation for the ’06 elections.
One can always hope.
TJ Jackson
I have little use for the current mode of the Republicans under Bush’s leadership. Lest we forget this is what traditionally was called Rockefeller Republicanism. Having said that exactly what is the alternative? The party of principle headed by Hildabeast?
How would any of the observations you have attacked the Republicans for been in the slightest way reduced by the dhimmiecrats. Its a fair bet we’d be following Canada’s lead had Gore won or the “war Hero” Kerry.
Fortunately as long as the donks cannot offer a reality based alternative they will remain the minority party. Too bad there aren’t real conservative leaders in the Republican Party.
Christie S.
I’m sorry, John. Disillusionment is undoubtedly one of the worst feelings in the world.
I don’t have any glib words to try and cover up the fact that both of our major parties have thrown their traditional babies out with the bathwater.
I imagine one of two things happening in 2006/2008: the Democrats manage to keep their noses clean enough to ride the wave of anger against the Republican party back into the majority in at least one house OR (in my wildest dreams) the American populace finally wakes up out of their apathy and purges our halls of government and installs new blood on both sides of the aisle.
I know which one I’d like to see.
Kimmitt
Once this fight is over, the corporatists will start to undercut the religious faction in preparation for the ’06 elections.
I actually don’t agree; this is a situation where the corporate folks need the religious faction more than the other way around.
Steven
Kimmitt~
This is pretty much what happened here in WA. The religious folks completely hijacked the Rs, leading to the Ds completely controlling state government. The corporate Rs are only now getting control of the party and starting to breathe life back into it.
On a national level, the Rs need the religious faction to vote with them, but they know if they let them control the agenda it will be a disaster. The corporate Rs will begin to assert themselves on the agenda so that the ’06 elections don’t turn into a D victory.
TJIT
Bogeyman,
I would like to hear your ideas of what a credible energy plan should contain and how it would wean us from foreign oil.
My opinion. Any energy bill is likely to be a pork ridden waste of money. It will be driven by rewarding favored industries and have little to do with actually improving energy supplies. Maybe i’m too cynical, what is your opinion?
Thanks,
Tony
TJIT
Bogeyman,
You said “The democrats would have balanced the budget with, yes, taxes, like responsible adults. ”
Perhaps you have not heard the news that Ted Stevens (R) hypocrite has obtained 1.5 million dollars for a bus stop in anchorage alaska Expensive bus stop
The fact that they are willing to spend 1.5 million on a bus stop should clearly indicate that no amount of tax increases is going to restore fiscal sanity to that bunch of spending lunatics. The more they have the more they will spend.
Kimmitt
The religious folks completely hijacked the Rs, leading to the Ds completely controlling state government.
Yes, but you have Seattle. The country has a slightly different overall makeup.
And TJIT — you’re right. Republicans really can’t be trusted with money.
TJIT
Kimmit,
I’ve seen no evidence that the democrats can be trusted with the money either. What with their constant refrain of spend more and raise taxes.
I think the iron law of concentrated interests and diffuse costs has put the budget on an unstoppable downward spiral.
Clyde
Republicans bad.
Democrats worse.
Whatcha gonna do?
harmon
There’s the war, and there’s everything else.
On the war, the Republicans are right and the Democrats are dangerously wrong.
As for everything else, I think that the idea of Bush as a Rockefeller Republican has some merit, but it seems to me that he’s more of a Nixon Republican – accepting & stablizing the Democrats’ social and economic policies. About the best I can say is that the Democrats would be worse.
I plan to vote on the war issue. Beyond that, I don’t see much hope in either party.
Randomizer
I can’t imagine how Democrats could spend (or even lose — see Bremer’s missing $9 billion) more money than the Republicans.
However, I am certain they would at least try to match government revenues to expenditures.
How may Democratic administrations will it take to reverse the Republican deficit … I hope we find out in time.
John Thacker
The Democrats have promised only higher spending, not lower. Perhaps they’d lower the deficit, but I’d doubt it. And they’re still worse on free trade– sadly, protectionism is popular.
When you talk about free trade, you’re ignoring CAFTA, which the President is trying to get passed, and all the Democrats are against.
I still don’t understand why you hate people who are responsible with money so much, and why you want the responsible poor to face higher interest rates in order to subsidize those who aren’t.
Mick Wright
Whatever shall we do, now that there is no separation of church and state?!! I mean, just yesterday I wasn’t praying to St. Frist and paying taxes to James Dobson… but now I’m ever so confused.
John Thacker
How exactly is making me have to subsidize irresponsible people who borrow too much money and go into bankruptcy through my own higher interest rates (since I’m a student with a low income) fair play? How is that fair?
John Thacker
Limiting entitlement programs– of course, the President is proposing exactly that with Social Security.
I’d be more persuaded if the Democrats weren’t even worse on just about every issue you mention. (Even, to my mind, separation of church and state. I consider all the official environmentalism taught in school to violate separation of church and state just as much.)
DarkMech
A few thoughts…
Congress has NEVER been trustworthy with the nation’s pocketbook
We are at war, it is vastly different, but it is real.
The free market presents a BETTER solution to most of the social and economic problems than any artificially controlled system
Adopting truly robust policies that embrace the above requires the party in power to “relinquish” a good deal of its grip
I have yet to see either side live up to its obligations
Thomas
How…odd.
Didn’t Republicans abandon federalism years ago, when they supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Certainly by the time of Liddy Dole federalism had been thrown over. You didn’t notice or complain, did you? I’d hope that Republicans stand for the CRA, and not with you and Bob Byrd.
Limited government? From the party that supported the ADA? Where were you John, when we needed you?
Fiscal responsibility? Where’ve you been for the last 40 years? Did you sleep through the two Reagan administrations? Bush pere? Were you more enthusiastic in voting for Bush pere in ’92, or less, after the massive tax increase?
And so on it goes, with the only nice twists are when you straightforwardly adopt Democratic views, such as the odd notion that the Republican response to the unprecedented Democratic filibusters is a break with tradition, or the bizarre assertion that “fair play” has something to do with shirking one’s responsibility.
You’re making an ass out of yourself. Not for being a Democrat, but for being a Democrat and calling yourself a Republican.
Tilde
However, I am certain they would at least try to match government revenues to expenditures.
Why not just say that they’ll raise your taxes?
Then, when things are more or less matched up, they’ll increase the expenditure part, and guess what’ll follow next?
GSR
The Republican compass has been losing it’s direction, a bit at a time, for many years – reminds me of the old analogy about putting a frog in water and setting it to boil–the temp just creeps up on it until it cooks him. Seems the same thing has and continues to happen with the GOP – a little bit here and there and voila, cooked!
Don Meaker
Spending doesent bother me so much as what it is spent on. On a war to put a ruthless killer out of business before he could hurt us: do it right.
Spending for corporate welfare: wrong. Let the market kill corporations without mercy.
Spending for religions such as supporting perversion (homosexuality) and diversity: wrong. Lets put funding schools and control of curriculum back to where the benefits flow: parents and employers.
Spending for crime control: At least give us a chance to shoot back at the criminals. Till that happens, I am opposed to more spending on jails and police. As for prison guards: the bars should be welded shut, and when a lifer dies, his body should be emmured by filling the cell with concrete.
As for the death penalty: Don’t need it. see above. The guy ain’t getting out.
Who supports crime? The criminal? No, he takes great risks, and usually makes less than minimum wage. The police? they make more than minimum wage, but their risk is still significant. The lawyers? they make much more than minimum wage, and have little risk. I submit it is lawyers that support crime. Make crime not pay for lawyers, and you will reduce crime.
Spending
Ted Shepherd
In the distant past, the Republicans posed as the party of law and order. Now, President Bush tells us that enforcing laws against illegal immigration is so difficult that we should grant another amnesty. All earlier amnesties have only made the problem worse as Mexico dumps its economic and social problems on the U. S. Sure, our ancestors were immigrants too, but they didn’t arrive to find a welfare state waiting to cover their costs of living.
The Democrats would pander even more obsequiously to those who want to throw the borders open and legalize millions. The labor union powers in the Democratic party see all those potential members and dues payers, never mind the damage that cheap foreign labor in the U. S. does to the union membership and eroding its earning power. The Libertarian Party has a party plank calling for amnesty. For whom can we vote? Who recognizes the political, economic, and social problems caused by illegal immigration require strong, effective action? We don’t have to deport all of the ten million illegal immigrant aliens here. Deporting just the first million will show many others that we are serious and motivate them to deport themselves. We do not even have a working national program now that identifies deportable criminals when they are released from prison.
Maybe I can avoid the predictable charge of bigotry by assuring you that I am an equal opportunity deporter, favoring the deportation of illegal immigrant aliens without regard to race, religion, national origin, or dietary tastes.
richard
Can you spell l-i-b-e-r-t-a-r-i-a-n?
Lane
Seems you’ve made a gigantic omission.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Dianna
I’m really mad at Republicans right now. I’ll get over it. I just would like the insanity to stop.
izzy
Moby, is that you?
M. Simon
Limiting entitlement programs?
Free Drugs!
Oh? Not that kind? Nevermind.
Laurence Simon
I think someone needs a hug.
Mad John
Richard is right. Principled conservatives should take a good look at the Libertarian Party.
Doctor Disgruntled
Well, at least they still believe in defending this country against Islamofascism. And don’t kid yourselves, when the (D) get back in there, the spending and taxing is only going to get worse.
DD
Herman Richard Matern
OK, We are being offered the chance to escape SS and Medicare, the
biggest squanderers of our govt today. You put your own money in your own retirement account and you buy your own healthcare in your own plan with your own health IRA (if you go in the red, gov’t to come after you till it’s paid – they can garnish your wages). Resposibility for your health and retirement, independence, and smaller govt. That’s why I at least would like to promote the GOP. Stop talking about Christians and/or evolutionists persecuting you, you little bunnyrabbits, and talk about the real issues that are killing our govt. I’m not rich; I have spent my life doing surgery where it otherwise would not be done in Nepal and Viet Nam, dependent on the goodwill of others for a living and stints back in US to replenish what I need. But I WLL BE independent. And Republicans will let the voices of all be heard (there is no party line to be hewed), so speak out you clams about the big stuff. That’s your right in the GOP and that’s why this site is so good. Dick Matern
Terry
I agree with you 100 percent.
I can’t believe G. W. Bush. I really thought he would be the conservative to pick up where the Gringrich congress failed.
I voted for him twice, no regrets, the alternatives were far worse, but he is such an extreme disappointement, that I cannot find the words before my rage boils to the top.
George W. Bush is simply the worst thing to happen to the Republican party since Nixon.
And the “Republican congress” is right behind him.
They make me sick.
I still can’t believe it in someways.
I am now a registered Libertarian.
The Republican party of Reagan and Goldwater is dead.
Tongueboy
Federalism- nope, don’t need it.
Federal court review of state procedures – never heard of it!
Limited Government- nah- useless.
Protecting innocent human life – nah – useless.
Fiscal Responsibility- forget it- outdated.
Couldn’t agree with you more.
Tradition?- Whatever, loserboy.
Yeah, the 2 year old tradition of ignoring the Advice and Consent Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Bad Republicans!
Fair play?- For credit card companies, not for you.
Heaven forfend that the party of individual responsibility actually help pass, and I say help because a lots of D’s voted for it also, legislation intended to put more responsibility for debts back on the individual who incurred them.
State’s rights- a quaint idea.
Please cite source that confirms that a Controlled Substance Registration Certificate issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice is a state license.
Separation of Church and State- Fuhgeddaboutit!
Are you inferring that people who see certain public policy arguments in part or in whole through the prism of their religious faith and formulate policy prescriptions based on that faith have no right to redress grievances with the government?
Limiting entitlement programs- nonsense!
I’m in your corner on this one.
Compassionate conservatism- meaningless buzzwords.
Not interested in braving the ad gauntlet to see the linked article.
You’ve made some good points about the fiscal hypocrisy of Bush and the Republicans but I just don’t get your hysteria that people of faith, whose traditions and way of life have been receiving unreturned fire for over 40 years, should suddenly decide to abandon their traditional complacency about the political process and participate along with the rest of us. Gee, my civics teacher in high school taught us that participation in a participatory democracy was, I don’t know, a good thing. Now I find out that that’s true for some but not for others. Some animals are more equal than others, I suppose.
jody dewlane
Such self-righteous nonsense! And I suppose YOU are in favor of limited government?? What piece of legislation have you advocated for the repeal of? Until you take a stand for major repeal, you have no business using your seminar caller, disguised-democrat personna to criticize the GOP. It’s about as meaningful as Rush Limbaugh’s criticims of the Nes York Times.
I also beleive the Republican’s have lost some of their bearings, but not for the closet-democrat reasons you propose. Their problem is that they are to scared to call for the repeal of laws agasint the country’s interest. Do you know how much Davis-Bacon costs thsi country? But you probably don’t know anything about it. Same fr Title VII, Title 9, and all the “anti discrimination” laws.
Kimmitt
whose traditions and way of life have been receiving unreturned fire for over 40 years,
My understanding is that it’s abortion doctors who have been receiving unreturned fire.
toughnoogs
That’s enough Kimmitt; no authentic religous has ever called for, approved of or applauded targeting abortion doctors.
Lee
I was with you John, right up to the quotas on Chinese textiles. This is really in response to China’s refusal to float their currency. By pegging the yuan to the dollar, they keep their currency artificially devalued, making their goods cheaper on foreign markets. That, in and of itself, is the antithesis of free trade.
The Apologist
That’s right Kimmit. People who oppose abortion deserve the death penalty just like people who shoot doctors.
Is it the fact that they were shot at that demands justice or is it the reason they were shot at that demands justice?
You’re a moron.
joeindc44
I don’t read this blog, so I don’t know about this guy, but it seems he
is a sucker or one of those “lifelong GOP voters” who call into talk shows
every week having a road to Damascus conversion because Bush cut taxes.
* No respect for tradition because we cons are trying to enforce *majority rule*
in the Senate. This is because we recognize that the judiciary is the final battleground
against the excesses of the activist judges. Aside from killing terrorists, this
is the most important political measure out there. And, Abe Fortas be damned, this
has never happened before.
I will acknowledge that free trade principals have been halfassedly followed. And
this medicare thing sucks. But is that all? There’s a war on people! As for deficiets, its about the percentage of GNP, plus, there was an economic downturn people!
you spend money to prime the pump.
Check the links: Citing a Salon.corn article to prove that “compassionate conservatism”
is dead? People for the Amerikan Way(?) to establish that state’s rights are dead?
Glenn Reynold’s half-assed screed (j.k.)….
Seriously, what is this crap? why would the puppy killer link to this?
Kagehi
Heh, here is an idea. Why don’t we next time elect someone competent at doing the job, who doesn’t have a mess of radical idiots from either side pushing them to toe the so called party line?
Wait.. Nevermind, for a moment I thought this was a democracy (or even a republic), not the same sort of two party, but no choice BS that also exists in china. The difference? In the US we use innuendos, political pressure and nerf bats, in china they dispense with the first two, remove the nerf material from the bat and keep a tank nearby, just in case the bat doesn’t work…
Kagehi
> * No respect for tradition because we cons are trying to enforce *majority rule*
Bull.. The majority where never supposed to be able to stampede over the minority and there is some real serious questions about how something like the Janet Jackson incident constitutes a ‘majority’ opinion that needed the FCC to adress it, as well as other similar ‘majority’ decisions about so called moral issues. There are what? 2-3 billion people in the US, want to bet that less than 10% of them ‘complained’? Sounds more like a minority complaining about something that the current president ‘happened’ to believe the same thing about. I certain didn’t get to a) vote for the person ‘appointed’ to run the FCC or vote to introduce the paranoid fear now gripping the broadcasters.
It used to be tradition to burn witches too, we are ‘supposed’ to have outgrown that kind of BS. However, every time certain groups of radicals get elected its. “the twelves words you can’t say on TV”, “Ozzy and Harriet is the ‘true’ family” and some new form of McCarthism all over again. Basically, the only thing some people have learned is how to be *nicer* about being bigoted, self important, close minded idiots who think the rest of the country needs the government to hold their hand like a two year old, so we don’t do ‘bad things’. Never mind that the Catholics, who have been the single most obsessed bunch of lunitics on the planet disagree with the Bush and FCC’s current interpretation of ‘immoral’ content… Its really depressing to think that while a 2,000 year old organization that dedicated itself to screwing up people’s lives is saying nudity=not that bad and evolution=probably true, but we have people like Bush saying nudity=pure evil and morons in Kansas saying evolution=contraversial lie.
What happened to the US being the most ‘progressive’ country in the world? And what is next, we abandon modern chemistry and rewrite the periodic table of elements to show only earth, air, fire and water? Why is the retrograde devaluation of critical thought being replaced with theology and more time spent teaching kids how to pass Bush’s tests than spent in physical education and ‘actual education’ a “good thing”?
Brett
That’s it. It’s time for real campaign reform. No parties. All candidates must run as individuals, and raise their own funds. Any leftover money must be returned to the donors the day after the election.
No one who has been elected as a Republican or Democrat is eligible to run again.
This must be decided by referendum. Congress has an obvious conflict of interest.
joeindc44
Yes, of the 2 billion Americans, only 200 million of them complained about Janet Jackson. Therefore, having at least 50 senators willing to confirm a Judge to federal court is wrong. Thats not what the most progressive nation on earth would want.
I have no idea what the rest of your post is babbling about, Kagehi, but I am sure your other statements are equally valid.
Kagehi
Sorry, I didn’t think if the scale of the numbers.. Maybe 0.1%? But really, I head more people after saying, “I recorded it to rewatch it”, than I heard saying, “I was horrified!” But being one of ‘enlightened’, I have no doubt you didn’t even bother reading the rest of my post…
Kagehi
Hmm. Make that 0.01%. or even 0.001%. But it it was in the thousands, not millions and probably not even in the hundred of thousands.
Kimmitt
People who oppose abortion deserve the death penalty just like people who shoot doctors.
That almost made sense. My point was that the idea that the Religious Right has been, as a class, patiently enduring endless abuse is absurd. The most extreme possible response — murder on behalf of ideology — has been a part of the extreme Christian Right’s toolkit.
Further, the metaphor was in particularly poor taste, given the history in the area.
Cato
You guys ahould give the Libertarian Party a thorough review. We are the only party supporting these principles.
Brett
I voted Libertarian for years. They dropped the ball on national security.
joeindc44
Well, Kahegi, I am glad that you are enlightened. Enlightened enough that your very status tells you that I did not bother to read the rest of your post.
I mean come on, I guess it is common knowledge that America, the most progressive nation on earth, is going to abandon the periodical table in favor of the four base elements. Won’t Plato be proud that another Greek ideal is adopted in America.
Again, great point. It fits in well with the original argument that by ensuring that the Constitutional framework whereby the President nominates judges for the Senate to confirm is followed, that traditions are being abandoned. Ballondude’s original point was that the GOP was abandoning tradition. Since the tradition in the Senate has been to never filibuster judges, I do not accept his premise. The Dems are the ones breaking the tradition.
Your enlightened status is your divine right. Please instruct the teeming masses as to the proper role of such nominations. I suppose I should, nay must, accept your position that majority rule is bull where the majority “where” never meant to stampede over the minority, since we used to burn witches. After all, in this case, the minority are the enlightened ones such as yourself. Also, you buttress your argument by pointing out that Catholics (lunitics ?) disagree with Bush. Again, brilliant point. If the minority were catholics (or I suppose I should have type “where catholics”), then it would be a different point altogether.
Also, brilliant analysis with respect to McCarthyism all over again. I never really understood the “twelves words” logic until now. McCarthyism was a brutal and sad time in America. Families were apparently forced to live with some guy named “Ozzy. At the time, the Soviet Union was bravely putting on show trials where radicals were forced to confess to crimes against the state. These reactionaries were then executed. In America, McCarthy was trying to ensure that communists were not handling sensitive data. Scary times indeed.
There, I think I incorporated enough of your points to illustrate that I read through your muddled train of random words and various mispellings.
Again, Ballonjuice is putting forward half baked arguments that conservatives, or the GOP, are abandoning their (note, its “their”, not “there” or “they’re”) principles. He cites articles written by various left wing groups who twist current situations to argue that we have gone astray. People for the American Way, Salon.com, and the American Constitution Society are cited. These groups are lefty to radical leftwing groups who are sniping at the GOP.
sniggles
The repos here who can’t see beyond blind partisanship are rather amazing. Kudos to Ballon Juice for telling it like it is.
Other
I agree with the poster who said that the Dems would _try_ to balance the budget.
The Dems also would increase their social programs spending and targetted-benefits (minorities, elderly, etc).
The Dems consider WW4/GWOT to be a police-action, not a war. The great liklihood is that they would say that we cannot afford X military program or BLAH-level of engagement overseas because of the defecit (mostly from social programs)
Note also that the Dems do not consider China to be a strategic adversary (BC gave permission to aid their ‘civilian’ rocket program guidance and multi-‘satellite’ capabilities (MIRV)). The Dems would curtail DDx or the F22 or F35 to pay for minority job-programs, raising the cost-per-unit, then say that the cost-per-unit is too high and cancel the program for insufficient benefits for the cost, meanwhile raising taxes to pay for the deficits (induced by Hillarycare for example).
I’m a ‘l’ibertarian who reluctantly votes for the theocratic party over the socialist party because the theos support individualism, personal rights and responsibility and the right to profit and self-protection as compared to the socialists who support group rights and entitlements, social/group -dependance, income redistribution and gun-control (ask Condi about that).
Also, the Theocratic Party can see evil for what it is and fight it, while the socialists just say ‘can we all just get along’, especially while the jihadis (not referencing Muslims but specifically jihadis) invade by asylum-application and take over nuclear-armed Europe. The socialists do not understand religion nor its excess while the conservative, small government and commerce wings of the Theocrat Party have had to deal with and moderate religion excess for a while now.
Also, remember: elections take place on election day, and polls do not matter, only election day. The Theocrat Party can cater to its religious nuts (T.Schiavo) at 18+ months before an election and suffer nationwide anger _now_ and suffer no damage on election day because voters have short-term or no memory at all. Plus the Socialist party media and news wings are weakened by the internet, Fox, radio, etc while the DNC itself is weakened by ‘Mad How’ leading the screaming … er … fundraising.
One other thing … The excess of each party is matched by the other: in the morality-war over the latest age where a fetus can be terminated, or teaching/validating (homo-)sexuality to elementary, middle and high-school kids, both sides have a religious-viewpoint argument and both sides wrongly wish to impose their beliefs on others.
Now that Dems have largely won the battle for racial equality, they seem to oddly want targetted benefit inequality and both hispanic support and immigration control. Dems want more spending, high taxes, and a return to the Clinton-era internet-bubble and the cold-war peace-dividend.
While Republicans have the one nutty group: the Religious and Moral Right, the Dems have the rest of the nutty groups: the Watermelon Enviros (Green on the outside, Red on the inside), the regulation=control
Socialists, anti-male Feminists (marriage=rape), the gays (school outreach), the Media (Hollywood, CBS, et al), Peaceniks (and other pro-jihadis), and the various minorities who rarely like each other and fight over various group benefits (without enumeration, the various minorities do not get along terribly well with each other).
So … Condi/Rudy or Condi/Jeb in 2008? (Da … Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet!)
Kagehi
But of course.. Its perfectly OK for the GOP to make up lies about what the founding fathers said about all these things, including the real fear of a majority rule, isn’t it joeindc44? Yeah, there are nut on both sides. I am so sorry my spelling doesn’t meet your approval, how elitist of you to notice.
As for the things I stated, these are ‘general’ examples of the stupid BS that is going on. Historically the nuclear family is BS. 1950s TV was right wing propoganda, or do you ‘really’ think that everyone in the US had exactly two kids and slept in seperate beds, but apparently never had or discussed sex? It was fiction, meant to express right wing ideology, just as banning certain words is. That you can’t recognize that is truely sad. You want insane people on the right, go read ‘anything’ being posted by the current administrataion, which is convinced their is some vast conspiracy, of anyone that doesn’t go to church 8 hours on Sunday and keep a Bible in their pocket, to ‘destroy’ values that they persistantly lie about this country being founded on. You want the insane people on the left, just go look at some place like http://www.democraticunderground.com/ I pop in there once in a while to take a look and I haven’t seen anything sine I started doing so that wasn’t at least half insane. Most of us don’t belong to ‘either’ group, but the only two political parties that have ever gotten elected to higher offices, especially the presidency, have been taken over by people that have one foot in the twilight zone and the other on a bannana peel.