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Gloves Off, Let's Dance
Rush Limbaugh makes one impassioned gloves-off speech and the entire media circus seems to have suddenly swirled around him. What the main stream media has forgotten is what we all, me included, have forgotten... conservatism in general and Republicans in particular surged back to power precisely because pundits like Limbaugh said what we wanted to say, to people we wanted to say it to, in a way we've always wanted to say it. The frothing, rabid response just made it that much more entertaining.
Why did we forget it? Because for the past fourteen years, and especially for the past eight, our conservative op-ed writers have held themselves back. They knew that no matter how rotten the Republicans got, it was nothing compared to what the Democrats could pull. If they were quiet enough, circumspect enough, played ball just enough, maybe people like Limbaugh could slowly guide the party back to core principles without letting the teenagers and their college professors a shot at the wheel.
Well, that didn't work, but in failure were sowed the seeds of success. Because now there's nothing holding them back. It took a few months to get started, but an engine has come roaring back to life. Unfettered by the worry that noting the emperor had no clothes might lead the masses to put beggar in rags in charge, the entire arsenal is now being unleashed. It's now easy for Limbaugh and those like him to be both funny, right, and consistent, and they seem to be setting to it with gusto.
A certain admiral once quipped if given the opportunity he could run rampant for six months, but after that defeat was inevitable. It would appear this time around a different admiral only had three.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
The Republican's core principles are what lost them the election this time. But don't worry. I'm sure that soon the Democrats core principles will kick in and they will start losing elections again. Moderation never lasts for long.
By the way, your comments filter still does not like my URL.
Lynn
Violins and Starships
I'm not so sure that's the case. I'd honestly say it was them straying from their core that did so.
Fiscal responsibility
Business first
Small government
Equality of opportunity
These are all good. The ties with the conservative Christians need to be broken and they need to move over to a "consenting adults/closed doors" viewpoint. But aside from that, the Republican party strayed from the above and that's what cost them. It certainly wasn't Obama being a moderate.
Posted by: ronaprhys on March 5, 2009 12:14 PMLike I said earlier. The Republicans are going to take from McCains defeat the exact wrong lessons.
I said then that the Reps would blame McCains defeat and Obamas victory on McCain not being socially conservative enough instead of them placing the blame on W and their own straying fiscal conservatisim.
Saying that they were quiet over the excess's of thier own party because the Democrats would be worse isn't true either (IMHO) and certianly not the mark of a true conservative.
More they were quiet because their party was in power and regardless of what was happening to the country they were going to remain quiet as long as it ensured them remaining in power (They were/are far more scared of what the Democrats would do on Social issues Vs what they would do on Economic issues.
Hell it's going to be hard for the Democrats to do WORSE than W did over the past 8 years you can only fall so low.
I don't agree with most of what Obama is doing with the economy (Running up huge deficits, the so called "Mortage" fix that rewards people for buying more home than they could afford etc.)
That said spending money on the infastructure of the country isn't THAT bad of an idea really (All the rest of the pork though could go bye bye) I much prefer spending 700 Billion dollars on infastructure as opposed to spending it on the Iraq war (Cost to date of ~650 billion)
Posted by: Jeff on March 5, 2009 02:44 PM