Shelby Steele: No, Obama’s victory is not a triumph for conservatism
Glad I’m not the only minority conservative who rejects the increasingly popular notion on the Right that Barack Obama’s ascension should be embraced as a moral victory for our side. The promise of post-racialism is a bogus one.
Shelby Steele, one of the most articulate voices on race matters, weighs in in the WSJ:
Barack Obama’s victory was an ideological defeat for modern conservatism and a devastating blow to the Republican Party. It wasn’t just a case of one centrist candidate slipping past another centrist candidate at the finish line. This defeat — helped along by a sinking economy — was on the level of ideas. It points to nothing less than a new and still unfolding Obama “progressivism” in which Keynes replaces Friedman and “trickle-down” gives way to “bottom-up.”
This progressivism sees economic inequality as America’s gravest problem, and blames it on the conservatism of free markets, lower taxes, fewer regulations and smaller government. It wants to engineer equality through redistributive tax policies, the restructuring of markets through increased regulation, an expansion of entitlements, and more governmental activism.
Of course the bad economy has checked some of Mr. Obama’s progressive ambitions. He will live with the Bush tax cuts for the time being, and he may include some business tax cuts in his stimulus package. But he clearly wants a more redistributive and socially activist government. And he will be helped in this by two unique sources of authority: the urgency of our economic troubles and his moral authority as the first black president. Again, I am not hopeful for him here, and I despair at seeing the moral capital of my race put to these ends.
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Well said, Shelby Steele!
Obama “progressivism” is also known as “Obamaism“.
Michelle, be careful. You might be labeled a “RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAACIST”!
I’m afraid Mr. Steele may have a point.
Still, I hold out hope that President Obama will have to contend with a Republican majority in Congress after Midterms.
And it’s true, the economy being what it is, only a President who wanted another REAL Great Depression would raise taxes on anyone right now. We’ll just have to see what happens.
Aack!
So, raise taxes, enact more onerous regulation and balloon the size of government and we’ll have economic equality: universal misery!
[Sound effects: boatswain's whistle]
Announcer: Captain Obvious to the bridge please, Captain Obvious, you’re needed on the bridge!
Damn. How true, but it DOES need to be said. However, I’m confident we’ll raise our level of play and rise to the challenge. After all, we (and even some on the left) set Washington’s switchboards on fire with the anti-amnesty phone calls, and we can do it again. Everybody has to pay attention, though, and show both the White House and Congress that Joe the Plumber ERRRRR Average (and Josephine too) still has a voice.
War the audacity of the right wing blogosphere!
*out*
A McCain victory would not have been better, we were screwed either way.
If the GOP will only represent the employers of the illegal aliens, and not the citizens, then we have no choice but start a new party.
GOP-RIP
Michael,
WHAT moral capital? Did you see the same inauguration that the rest of us did? I didn’t see a crowd of “post racial” thinkers there. Hard to credit a crowd like that with a lot of moral capital.
What’s funny here is that when I read the line “I’m not the only minority conservative,” I had to check to see who the author was. I never, ever view Michelle as anything but a conservative. Ditto Michael.
I’ve got LOTS of prejudices, don’t get me wrong. My tolerance for liberals, in general, gets shorter every day and I find myself attributing them en masse with pretty bad characteristics. I’m no boy scout, for sure.
But I do tend to be color/racial blind. Or at least I was. Having it rammed down my throat like this, time and again, is getting a bit old…
We are all minority conservatives now.
Let me add James T. Harris (yes, THAT James T. Harris) to the list.
Voices such as Shelby and Michelle are too few and too far between …
Until a much larger portion of the “minority population” of this country rids itself of the “victim” mentality that pervades and controls their lives and realizes that the liberal mantra they have accepted as a way of life is an integral part of what is preventing them from bettering thenselves and their families lives things will not change appreciably …
What’s ironic is Obama’s speech emphasizing the new “era of responsibility”
How on earth are you going to achieve personal responsibility (if that’s what he meant), if he is going to have the government in charge of every aspect of your life? How do you achieve personal responsibility with that?
I do see a silver lining here.
If McCain had won the election it would have cemented in the GOP’s mind, irrevocably, that they could win elections by saying “me too” to everything the Democrats say. Although they still seem not to realize how wrong that idea is at least McCain’s loss gives us hope to dispel it in the future.
I would have loved to see an actual conservative win this election, but there were none running. A liberal was going to win this one either way. As long at that had to happen it’s probably better that it be the one with D next to his name.
More Republicans are defending Senate seats in 2010 than Democrats are by a 19 to 15 margin (it changes in 2012), and the GOP would have to nearly run the table, including solidly Pinko states, like Schumer’s New York and Boxer’s California, to get back to 51/49. 50/50 would be a Demonrat Senate with Biden as tie-breaker.
The House could swing back the other way, but with less than 2 years to the mid-terms, Obama’s screw-ups would have to become obvious by then, and the press is on his side. They pushed him so hard he may be “Too Big to Fail”.
Not to mention the Dems will probably make voter fraud a priority, and pass national same day registration and voting, which would allow fraud on so massive a scale it could not be corrected.
Ed,
Good analysis, but let’s not lose hope. Obama is as empty a suit as they come. If anyone can screw up so big that even the press can’t save him, it’s him.
The first mistake Mr Steele makes is assuming that Bush and many of the Republican Party representatives of the last several years were actually conservative.
As I look back for actual conservatives over the last several decades I do not see either of the Bush Presidents as being one of them. In fact, it seems to me that they were both of the ‘Country Club Republican’ variety. Giving ‘lip service’ to conservative principals to win elections, and then reverting to the country club mentality once in office.
As for this closing thought by Steele,
“… moral authority as the first black president …”
All I can think is what a foolish racist this fellow really is.
A McCain victory wouldn’t have been a lot better, but it would have been better.
Obama has already signed an executive order cancelling the Bush order that tax dollars can’t go to family family groups that promote elective abortion. I doubt McCain would have done that, or signed an executive order (coming soon) allowing openly flaming homosexuals to announce their orientation to all the people they serve with.
I doubt McCain would end the maximum income limit social security taxes are collected on, and McCain would not have pushed for the ACORN dream bill, same day registration/voting and possibly ID-less voting that guarantees massive election fraud.
I’d rather be on the slow boat towards socialism, and hope McCain would choose not to serve a second term, than the express train to Marxism with Obama as the conductor.
BTW, there are a lot of craptastic things among the Republicans, but a third party would take many years before it could be viable at the ballot box, and would mean many more elections with Democrat winners.
Bush is gone, with any luck McCain won’t run in 2010, hopefully the RINOs get voted out in the primaries.
One HUGE warning. If Obama isn’t a complete and obvious failure by late 2011, he will not face a serious primary challenge. Kucinich and Gravel and the loons may run, but Obama won’t have a real challenger.
If the Presidential primary system remains front-loaded with open primaries, than Markos Zuniga (perhaps following orders indirectly from Obama himself) can direct his Kos Kiddies Klub what “Republican” candidate to vote for to monkey-wrench the system. Independents, not Dems, gave us McCain, because there was a real race between Obama and Clinton, if there isn’t a race, than the Dems will help choose the Republican candidate, especially if only one or two libs run against 3 or more conservatives who will be splitting the conservative vote.
Welcome to the Barakalypse.
I think this is well said. The position “First Black President” brings with it a certain gravitas which Obama himself lacks. Thus the waste – an empty suit trying to carry the weight of opportunity.
I agree with Ed. It is not likely to happen in 2010. Also, the demographics are completely against conservatives. I keep thinking “tipping point” in regards to those that suck at the government teat vs. those that produce.
But what better way to gain virtually dictatorial power to remake America as a socialist state than to “have no choice if we want the nation to survive.”
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. If we start now…
I think you misread that. Steele doesn’t believe that gives Obama authority of any kind, but the press and his sycophant followers, and Obama himself certainly do.
I am up for all the Hollywood fat cats, Soros, Buffet and all other wealthy liberals to get out their check books and begin spreading their wealth. I have been taxed enough.
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:10 pm, Dexter Alarius said:
…a third party would take many years before it could be viable at the ballot box…
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. If we start now…
————————————–
Amen. My view of our future isn’t quite so bleak, especially if people get a taste of a completely Democrat controlled government and decide they don’t much like it.
There are still Republicans who embrace the lefts former vision of a world where everybody pretends that there is no such thing as race. I see that Steele is not one of them.
This is the biggest problem of them all. However, as things get worse, the pendulum will swing the opposite way and fraud will be commmitted on both sides. The Dems will want to retain power and will slam the door shut on voter fraud. They only allow it because it works in their favor now. That’s why Soros funded all of those Secretary of State candidates.
If we let the Dems run the country with huge margins for 8 or 16 years, there probably won’t be real elections anymore, we’ll probably be in the electoral equivalent of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
As a whole, with few exceptions, Democrats are the party of the godless. They worship creation, not a Creator, and their highest principle is pursuit of power.
Ever wonder why all the real obvious stolen elections are Dems stealing from Republicans? If Nancy Pelosi can make the Democrats the permanent ruling party by encouraging vote fraud, or by legalizing millions of illegals who will promptly become eligible for government welfare programs, do you think she’ll hesitate?
And we’ll probably have all the economic and military power of Zimbabwe, as well.
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:18 pm, Ed Mahmoud abu al-Kahoul said:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. If we start now…
If we let the Dems run the country with huge margins for 8 or 16 years, there probably won’t be real elections anymore, we’ll probably be in the electoral equivalent of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
————————————–
I think Dexter’s point was: We can start now to work on NOT letting the Dems run the country for that much longer. I’m not as worried about them turning us into a one-party-, one-leader dictatorship as you seem to be; I’m not crazy about their ideas, but I don’t think they have outright evil intentions.
So when I say it I’m a jerk but when this guy says it it’s OK.
On January 21st, 2009 at 2:41 pm, Virginia Patriot said:
Obamas first order of business was to rescind Bush’s executive orders on abortion. His second order of business was to stop the military trials of the scum in Guantanamo Bay. Obama now has a record to go on. Like it so far?
Virginia “Patriot”, your guy won the election, why don’t you stop screwing with peoples heads here and go back to Kos.
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:18 pm, Ed Mahmoud abu al-Kahoul said:
Well, if forming a new Conservative party is not viable, then the Republican Party needs its own ‘Night of the Long Knives’ in 2010 to defeat the RINOs and elect real Conservatives in their place. Is that do-able?
My concern is that the voters will not place blame on the libs, but will demand even more government. Think about it. The 52% are not exactly the intellectual elite of this country.
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jjmurphy said:
The media will see to it.
And damn the whores who to so to the deepest depths of Hell.
With Holder coming on board at Justice remember this: The FIRST gun control laws were set up to disarm blacks. The Klan, Jim Crow, lynch mobs in the north soon discovered it was difficult to horse whip or hang an armed man.
Barack Hussein Obama and Eric Holder are the true traitors to their race, not to mention MY country. Post-racialism? They are going to treat every body like a nigger?
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:26 pm, jjmurphy said:
especially if people get a taste of a completely Democrat controlled government and decide they don’t much like it.
My concern is that the voters will not place blame on the libs, but will demand even more government. Think about it. The 52% are not exactly the intellectual elite of this country.
————————————–
True, if the majority of people were able to think things through and place blame where it really belongs, we wouldn’t have a Democrat majority in our gvt right now. We can only hope for some serious eye-opening on the part of “the many”.
I am indeed worried about a one party totalitarian state.
They own the White House, the House of Representatives (by a great enough margin they don’t need the Dems from moderate districts, aka “The Blue Dog Democrats”), the Senate by a margin that single RINO defector kills the filibuster, and are one death among five men in the next four years of having a solid majority on the Supreme Court.
They may not see themselves as evil, but they see Republicans as evil (”Repukes, Rethuglicans”) and people that often vote Republican as rubes who cling to Bibles and guns and don’t know enough to vote the correct way. And since it is for the rubes own good (in the Dem mind) to have wise, paternalistic elites protecting them for the scary world, stealing elections is a means to an end.
Do you think Al Franken and his close advisors think he fairly won in Minnesota? They know they stole it, and they are losing no sleep. Christine Gregoire didn’t refuse when they kept finding ballots in Seattle until she won the governors race. Do you think John Kennedy didn’t know he won Illinois because his father was in tight with the Mafia and the corrupt Daley machine?
Part of the accusations of Bush stealing Florida in 2000 and Diebold stealing the Ohio vote in 2004 is that it allows them to justify voter fraud.
I forget who it was, but it is true. The Republicans are the stupid party, the Democrats are the evil party.
I hear ya. But I’m not real optimistic on that one.
A Night of the Long Knives?
Well, I don’t want anybody killed, and a reference to an internal Nazi purge may not be the best way to put it.
People need to choose the conservatives when they vote in primary elections.
There will also be RINOs, as no real Republican can be honest about his positions and win in states like Maine or Massachusetts. (Note how hard Mitt Romney had to tack when he decided to run. Was he lying to the people of Massachusetts about being a conservative, us, or did he really have a Road to Damascus moment?) Real conservatives can win House races in the parts of California where real people work for a living, like near the military bases and agriculture and oil field towns, but it is unlikely a real Republican could get elected governor of California or replace Boxer or Feinstein.
With the changing demographics, Wilson was the last even close to real Republican governor of California. Ah-nuld is about as close to being Republican any candidate can be and win statewide office.
Not outright evil intentions but I think their actions lead to outright evil consequences (abortion on demand, welfare dependency, destruction of the family, accepted drug use, false idols, etc.). In my opinion, liberalism (and now elected socialism) is shallow on substance but incredibly damaging on effect.
Anything to the left of Reagen-conservatism is just another shade of liberalism.
As someone else noted, Bush was not a conservative, he was a MODERATE. The conservative label was something the liberals/MSM slapped on him to attack him as an extremist. Compassionate conservatism was compromise for “good” government, not conservatism as most define it. It’s almost surreal to see people refer to him as a conservative…let alone an extremist, totally ignore his compromises, and then declare conservatism dead because of Bush’s lack of popularity. Doing so plays right into the liberal playbook.
The liberal playbook against Bush was to ATTACK his big government and spending. They used the right’s disdain for it to undermine Bush from within. That’s how they won.
Now….it’ll be more of the same and IMO will be much worse. Obama will govern as a moderate in much the same way Bush did, but without the caution. Some things will be more liberal, but in general, it’ll be larger big “good” government. That’s exactly what Obama outlined in his speech.
But people don’t want more government. They want lower taxes and smaller government. Rasmussen had a poll last year where that view won nearly 2:1. Those are conservative views. Tap them.
That’s what most conservative pundits miss. People are not going to be happy with the Obama agenda. They’ve been told to hate the light version of it for the past 8 years. All the right has to do is link Obama with Bush and re-define them both as the big government moderates they are.
The racial aspect of Obama’s victory is undoubtedly important for all those caught up in racial politics. But that does not mean those people will agree with his policies. The black demographic WILL split because for many, not all, race will no longer be the lens they use to judge politicians. Prop 8 is one example of the divergence between the Obama’s and his constituents.
unfortunately that only works when we have real conservatives like reagan running…and there is no one out there even close…
then its not worth winning…let them rot like they do in Detroit, and still elect the democrats that get them into that mess..
we need a clear delineation…
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:44 pm, swmntman said:
frostrt said: …but I don’t think they have outright evil intentions.
Not outright evil intentions but I think their actions lead to outright evil consequences (abortion on demand, welfare dependency, destruction of the family, accepted drug use, false idols, etc.). In my opinion, liberalism (and now elected socialism) is shallow on substance but incredibly damaging on effect.
Anything to the left of Reagen-conservatism is just another shade of liberalism.
————————————-
Agreed: Most (if not all) of their ideals/policies come to no good; that’s why I don’t vote that way.
And, yes, Reagan conservatism is the kind of conservatism I’m talkin’ about – we need another “Gipper!”
*P-BO is destined to fail, and it has nothing to do with his race; He believes in and will attempt to implement a failed ideology(socialism) across the board, and that will be his undoing; He will always be able to count on Nazi Pelosi, Harry Reid, and John McCain with his herd of RINOS, but the people will have the final say in 2010 and 2012.
We can talk all day long about “empty suit” President Obama and whine about the “evil” deeds of Democrats, but they have been progressively beating the crap out of us. They are prevalent in all three branches of our government and all the bureaucracy attached. They will hire in their own image and protect themselves with a continuously growing power. We need to ACT, not whine.
The people who voted President Mensa in wanted all of the things he’s signing or about to sign. No getting away from that. Gays in the military, abortion on demand, lousy voting laws designed to rig the system, etc.
None of these things will shock the populace – particularly a populace that doesn’t understand them.
Taken as a whole, however, a skillful conservative will be able to use each of these like a bullet in a gun during a debate – particularly if the country is obviously in economic or international crisis.
Example: Openly gay in the military = fewer people enlisting = a weaker military. Add in Leon Panetta’s CIA and we could be looking at something that Dubya never allowed – another attack.
There’s a lot of meat on that bone if someone has enough skill to show the American people that President Parmenter might not be the best choice for CINC.
There are lots of scenarios like that. Who really believes that the soaring illegitimacy rate will improve and/or make things better, with Ignoramus Rex I adding fuel to the fire? Who truly believes that his closing of Gitmo won’t embolden our foes and weaken our justice system?
Give’em enough rope… just make sure you have a good hangman. And that’s the rub, isn’t it?
We need a MAJOR shakeup at RNC, including all sorts of changes around primaries. We can’t have the demoncrats voting in republican primaries – and we should have the brass to do this tactically. (don’t want to give ideas away in public).
Without that, we’ll be looking at another Blue on Blue slaughter. They’ll pick someone like Huckabee or Graham, completely unable to use any of his mistakes against him, and giving Obama a punching bag that takes everyone’s eyes off of his continuing mistakes.
Considering the result of the actual election (vs. a poll) I don’t think I believe that statistic anymore. I would love to, but I’m not seeing it play out in real life.
To all our usual suspects (our raging liberals and gallivanting trolls) on this site: let’s see you top the above statement. Even with your brashest hubris about how “great” Obama is, and how foolish and futile it is for us conservatives to dare doubt The One, you can’t. Because deep down, you know it is true.
let the libs defend THEIR country…if al-qaeda hits a blue area….who cares?
let the libs go into the military, let them die for their country..
*shakes head*
The only way for Republicans to gain a majority in the senate is to (deep breath) espouse Republican ideals.
Like abstinence or sobriety It Works Every Time It’s Tried.
On January 21st, 2009 at 3:49 pm, right4life said:
The committees, the procedures, the rules, and most importantly the agenda of what gets voted on and what dies are all determined by the “R”s and “D”s at the ends of names. In that regard a supposed “RINO” is a lot better than a democrat. Sorry, you are going to have to accept a shade of gray or 2 in between the black and white.
I am very impressed. Mr Steele seems to be a mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.
I should listen more to what he has to say. (NO RS!!!! LOOK AWAY FROM THE LIGHT!!!)
AHHHHHHHH!!
I on a blog controlled by a minority?
What is to become of me?
On January 21st, 2009 at 4:12 pm, FamilyMan said:
I’m not the only minority
AHHHHHHHH!!
I on a blog controlled by a minority?
What is to become of me?
————————————-
Do not attempt to adjust your computer screen . . .
I’ve been giving that some thought also. Obama used that expression as a bone to throw to conservatives but that is all it was. Individual will not be asked or pressured into accepting the consequences of poor personal decisions. Nor will there will be mention of personal responsibility with regard to individuals taking care of their children, education, health, or retirement.
The whole notion is to be turned upside down and will mean collective responsibility. Responsibility will mean corpporations taking care of their employees, citizens taking care their neighbors, schools taking care of kids, everybody taking care of the environment etc… You get the idea and have already seen this idea tossed around by liberals the past few years.
One exception is corporate exectives will be held responsible for any suffering, direct or indirect, caused by their company. Conversely govt. officials will not be held responsible for the harm caused by decisions and will be protected by the notion of collective responsibility.
Bill Grant:
“My man” didn’t get the nomination, your man did. John McCain proved that Dem-lite doesn’t work. Let’s try something else next time. How about an actual conservative, not someone who disdains them.
I am so sick of the racial issue.
Did we bring it up? NO
Who created the issue. OBAMA and the MSM
I’ve been hearing it my entire life.
I’M FEED UP WITH IT!
I’M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT!
I’M UP TO MY GILLS WITH IT!
I’D RATHER SLEEP IN A PILE OF MANURE THAN LISTEN TO IT ANY MORE.
GEEEEEEEESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RabbidSquirrel said: CLEAN
On January 21st, 2009 at 4:27 pm, FamilyMan said:
I am so sick of the racial issue.
Did we bring it up? NO
Who created the issue. OBAMA and the MSM
I’ve been hearing it my entire life.
I’M FEED UP WITH IT!
I’M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT!
I’M UP TO MY GILLS WITH IT!
I’D RATHER SLEEP IN A PILE OF MANURE THAN LISTEN TO IT ANY MORE.
GEEEEEEEESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
————————————–
So, let me get this straight; you’re tired of hearing about racism/racial issues.
Seriously, me too.
YA. To make it worse, I think I broke the exclamation mark on my keyboard.
On January 21st, 2009 at 4:17 pm, Virginia Patriot said:
You were a world class creep throughout the primaries and the election Virginia. McCain lost and the GOP lost and you have indicate that is just dandy with you before, during and now after this fiasco. (”GOP-RIP”) So live with the consequences of what you have advocated and worked toward: Your guy won the election. Congratulations.
By the way, On Obama’s first day as president his 3RD order of business was to blow off the “Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball”, this newly sworn-in President for the first time in 56 years. (that’s 14 Inaugurations).
Some background on the ball; The American Legion sponsors the ball, which recognizes recipients of Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award…. Event co-sponsors include 13 other veterans service organizations, among them the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Paralyzed Veterans of America….
So “A McCain victory would not have been better” than abortion, Gitmo, contempt for the vets… All on day 1.
Sure. How about someone who is electable too?
Unfortunately, when the Republicans nominated a non-conservative candidate, the guaranteed this election would be a defeat for conservatism either way. It might have been only a matter of degree as to how much of a defeat it was, as I’m sure McCain would have done plenty of things to go against conservatives … it’s just in his DNA. No matter the result of this election, we were going to get nothing but scraps of conservatism, while the main course would be liberalism.
All that being said, before anyone is too quick to ascribe a larger meaning to this election, they should read this great piece by The Other McCain (R.S., that is).
On January 21st, 2009 at 4:38 pm, FamilyMan said:
frostrt said:
So, let me get this straight; you’re tired of hearing about racism/racial issues
YA. To make it worse, I think I broke the exclamation mark on my keyboard.
————————————
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The media pounded away with the “First African-American” President theme since last Sunday night on every news show, newspaper article, etc. If liberals were truly color blind, this expression would never have seen the light of day. What hypocrites! My husband absolutely abhors any “hyphenated” American tagged onto himself or to anyone. I hear you, Family Man, I’M FED UP AND SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT.
Bill,
McCain is in the unelectable column.
The biggest problem was the RNC sold it’s soul to the cheap labor express. They were determined to nominate an amnesty candidate, even if it meant losing the election.
Stupid Party, indeed.
If they insist on not representing the citizens and only representing the employers of illegal aliens, then absolutely GOP-RIP.
Thank you
I can always copy and paste.
As a conservatives I’m self reliant and innovative.
On January 21st, 2009 at 5:08 pm, FamilyMan said:
frostrt said:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you
I can always copy and paste.
As a conservatives I’m self reliant and innovative.
————————————
We aim to please.
Oh yeah! that’s the way it’s always worked in American history. Republicans committed massive voter fraud …..EXACTLY WHEN AND WHERE, AND TO WHAT EFFECT?
Do tell us, will you John D’oh?
People didn’t vote for Obama out of ideology, they voted for Obama because they wanted change.
For conservatives it was obvious…Bush was acting like a big government liberal. The rest of the country did not see that AT ALL. They saw a CONSERVATIVE doing bad things. With no ability to defend himself Bush became all that is evil and bad. With no moderate or liberal constituency to defend him, it was easy for the MSM to equate him with conservatism, just like Steele. A PR nightmere that apparently is going to continue as long as pundits play into that game.
So when the conservatives threw Bush under the bus, it just reinforced to liberals and moderates that Bush was bad. What conservatives underestimated was that by throwing Bush under the bus, they threw THEMSELVES under the bus.
But deep down the people KNEW something needed to be changed. They bought into the “big government is bad” concept and equated it with conservatism because of Bush. Obama convinced them he was neither. Unfortunately, he’s more of the same. That’s what is going to come back and bite him in the rear.
How can Steele look anyone in the eye and say Obama’s victory was on the level of ideas when Steele’s own candidate was pushing the same socialist crapola ideas that Obama was?
Give me a break.
THIS is why the Republicans have failed.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Big deal.
The Republicans aren’t likely going to do any better than Obama.
What we need isn’t a Republican Congress; it’s a CONSERVATIVE Congress that we need.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Only real conservatives in GOP primary were Hunter and Tancerado. But we GOP primary voters ignored them completely. So GOP, suck it and enjoy Obama for next however many years.
On January 21st, 2009 at 5:58 pm, rightwingrocker said:
Still, I hold out hope that President Obama will have to contend with a Republican majority in Congress after Midterms.
Big deal.
The Republicans aren’t likely going to do any better than Obama.
What we need isn’t a Republican Congress; it’s a CONSERVATIVE Congress that we need.
————————————–
That’s the kind of Republican Congress I was thinking of; no RINO’s need apply.
I can dream, can’t I?
This is what I’ve been saying all along. I even put together a platform and a blog for the new party. Still seems a lot of people are holding out for the Republicans, which I think is suicide for America.
Better late than never. I’ve been shouting from the mountainside for quite a while, though.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Michael Steele is about as conservative as John McCain. Probably even less so.
He’s definitely not the kind of person I want leading conservatives.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
HAHA make that SHELBY Steele.
He still ain’t no conservative.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
You’re going to be hearing this kind of foolishness either for the next four to eight years, or until this egomaniac is impeached and convicted. His whole campaign and political career has been based on this stuff.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Tancredo was an awesome candidate. Hunter didn’t impress me at all. Even Fred Thompson came of as more wothy of the job.
I would also call Ron Paul conservative, despite his disqualifying foolishness with regard to 9/11, the war, and his cult following that made Obama’s look tame.
In the end, I did vote for the most conservative and deserving candidate available – Alan Keyes. He has vowed to stand up to this liberal stupidity, so in four years we’ll have the second black president – and the first to do the job according to the rules.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Bush threw HIMSELF under the bus. The only way he got elected in 2000 and 2004 was by simply being less of a fool than his opponent.
America doesn’t need these clowns. America needs conservatives.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Mr. Steele will come around to the new order after being sent to re-education work farms.
On January 21st, 2009 at 5:07 pm, Virginia Patriot said:
He was who came out of the primaries, My 3rd choice by the way. He also got 48% of the vote, so no, not “unelectable”.
The RNC raises money and books a convention hall. Individual members may have sold out, if so and if there is a better replacement vote them out. If not, fight them. Replacing them with Al Frankins is just going to make the situation worse.
Primaries nominate candidates, not the RNC. This is another wild misconception here. It indicates a lack of understanding of the process.
Meanwhile, YOUR GUY, in his 4th action of the day MADE HIS FIRST PHONE CALL TO MAHMOUD ABBAS, chairman of the PLO. Not to the PM of the UK or Canada, the usual recipients of the honor. The Chairman of the PLO. Thanks.
Good thing we didn’t elect the RINO.
FamilyMan – I’ve always been a color-blind person and someone who will not allow bigoted comments to go without rebuke in my presence.
b. Hussein and his relentless cries of RAAAAAAAAAAAAACIST are causing a great deal of resentment on my part. I’ve noticed a difference in my thinking these days and I’m noticing color now for the first time. I’m going to continue to fight the new urge to disparage blacks as a group because it’s not who I want to be. But he’s not making it easy. He’s creating racists where none before existed, and I’m sure ramping it up for those who are already racist.
How he thinks he’s going to unite people with his rhetoric is beyond me.
Good post and right on.
(Michael, Shelby, whichever) Steele is not as doctrinaire Conservative as I would have him be but I am convinced he IS more Conservative and more importantly more honest than John McCain. Cain seems to be just Conservative enough to get elected here in Arizona with those people who’s opinion is formed by the Arizona Republic and the local news stations.
And while John McCain is a rude jerk who enjoys insulting people and making enemies Shelby Steel is a class guy who does try to build consensus. Personally I believe John McCain would have lost by a bigger margin against anyone else but Obama. We do know an awful lot of normally Republican voters did not vote for President that day. Barack Hussein Obama scared some others who other may have stayed home too.
And Shelby Steel is a pretty good guy too rightwingrocker
Now with the Obaminites in power expect four years of crop failures due to poor weather. But there will be no shortage of size 9 shoes-ugly shoes.
In evaluating whether the rest of the country agrees with conservatism, let us not forget that Obama ran as a conservative. His commercials where I live were mainly about how pro-gun he was. (I knew he was lying, but how much of the audience did?)
Bill,
He lost the election, unelectable.
Unless you’re suggesting the GOP run him again?
I refuse to take my ideas of who’s electable from polls done by the liberal media. Conservatives are much more electable than those people will ever give them credit for.
I also believe the Republican primaries should be closed so we can have a chance to choose conservative candidates without interference from any crossover votes. Let the liberals field their candidates, the conservatives theirs, and the fence sitters can decide between the two in the general election.
The RNC did not pick McCain. Cross-over independents in states that are not solidly Republican or Democrat, like New Hampshire, gave McCain momentum as the one viable Republican-Lite candidate, once Rudy Giuliani decided on a failed all his eggs in the Florida basket strategy, while several real conservatives and pretend to be conservatives split the vote.
One of the pretend to be conservatives, the Huckster, stayed in the race despite having no chance in Florida for the sake of his friend McCain, to siphon off votes from the also maybe not super-conservative Romney, who had some flaws, and some flip-flops, but was generally far more conservative than McCain.
Me, I supported Duncan Hunter as the best candidate, the race was over by Texas, I voted and caucused with the Dems for Hillary Clinton, part Operation Chaos, part actual belief that even as a solid lefty, she was less dangerous than Obama.
I was miserably disappointed with the nomination of McCain, but sent a little money his way after he chose Palin.
He would have been Bush-ish as a President. But McCain would not have been the disaster I suspect Obama will be.
Not even Bill Clinton, no fan of the military, chose to ignore the Medal of Honor ball.
Unless Obama screws up beyond belief, he will be unchallenged by a primary opponent, and instead of just Independents (ie, moderates, middle of the road or just not well informed) folks voting in our primaries in 2012, it will be Dems, probably following orders from Markos Zuniga on which candidate best ensures a Republican defeat.
The open primary system produced one disaster, McCain, and it could well produce another.
Again, McCain would not have been very good, but he wouldn’t be as bad as Obama, acolyte of communist terror bombers. And if he had won, Palin would have been in good shape to run, perhaps as soon as 2012 if McCain started feeling his age.
Change we can believe in: from big government to bigger government.
On January 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm, Virginia Patriot said:
I see where you are going with this and no, he was not unelectable. He lost, there is a difference.
I didn’t suggest it the first time. Primaries, remember?
On January 21st, 2009 at 8:07 pm, backwoods conservative said:
I refuse to believe in gravity…
(Why am I not floating?)
On January 21st, 2009 at 10:24 pm, Ed Mahmoud abu al-Kahoul said:
I am for getting rids of open primaries but I don’t hold them responsible for this. I think the country is left of where we want it and I think it is because of a misguided reaction against the previous administration. Misguided because while Bush was conservative in some aspects he clearly wasn’t in others. Regardless, he was thoroughly vilified because he botched several large challenges and that was capitalized on by the opposition with the aid of a shameless press who gave up any small shred of objectivity.
There were actual conservatives running all over the place. I happen to have voted for one of them. The problem is that the two big parties worked like crazy to silence the conservatives, and guaranteeing, as you pointed out, that a liberal would win either way.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Steele’s conservative rating (by me) is 59%. He is NOT a champion of conservative positions, and is considerably less conservative than John McCain, whose conservative rating came out around 87%, despite downright illegal positions on things like campaign finance.
Anyone who actually looks at the issues and these two men’s positions would be nuts to think Steele is more conservative than McCain.
More Americans need to do this research and stop playing games with perceptions. Steele may be more friendly than McCain, but so is Barack Obama, and that’s not saying much. Bill Clinton was also a likable guy, but I don’t want him in charge of anything.
This is a critical time in our history, and people need to start taking things seriously. I’d elect the biggest a-hole available if he’d just act according to his constitutional restraints. Steele is worse than McCain on this front.
Sorry Charlie. It ain’t happening today. Tomorrow’s not looking good either.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
The GOP will be lulcky if they even exist in four years to nominate another candidate. No one seems to want any part of their foolishness anymore. What kind of party claims to have a monopoly on conservative issues and then turns around and delivers the same liberal crap the Democrats feed us every day.
It’s time for change. REAL change.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Every one of these goals, positions, whatever you’d like to call them, are poison to our nation. Poison.
What Obama will cost this nation is staggering. I’m not talking about dollars. If it were just dollars, we’d be able to fix it in short order. He seeks to change the fabric of our nation and is trying to do so by deception.
America is a place where anyone willing to put forth the effort will almost certainly do well, if not succeed beyond their wildest dreams.
What Obama wants is this. Anyone not willing to bother to do anything more than stick their hand out, will not have to worry about a thing.
That’s one sickening vision.