For me it seemed that the end of the world was fast approaching. With mostly godless Liberals ruling a nation that had a blessing and a cursing, the return of a Divinity would be a welcome relief. It was obvious that the rest of the world wasn't repenting. They were either losing faith or becoming murderous fanatics.
A Miracle happened in 1994 and a Conservative Republican revolution had started. There was hope that the years of banal attacks against honest faith, family, and righteousness were about to be halted. Finally, in 2000 the Conservative Republicans took all three U.S. Houses. Slowly more conservative measures were getting enacted. A President and others were standing up against unrighteous laws and evil dictators. For a time it seemed things were changing for the better.
Then, something horrible intervened. The Liberal Democrats once again took over the reigns of government. The only thing standing between them and faith, family, and decency is a veto. The worst of this is that Conservatives helped them achieve this victory.
Self-Delusion
It is hard to say if Conservatives really made this change possible. There are many centrists and Independent voters with influence. What is known is that there were Conservatives who said they would vote Democrat this year. Of course, the two issues they said determined that was so-called corruption and the Iraq War. Perhaps it is simply a sign of licking wounds, but prominent Conservative Republicans are almost glad this happened. Glen Beck, Conservative radio personality and CNN Commentator had this to say:
Now, as we’re all painfully aware, yesterday was Election Day. Thank you that it`s over. Thank you. For the first time in 12 years, the Democrats are about to control the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. But here’s the real story: It’s not so much that the Democrats won, but that the Republicans lost. . .
. . . Well, you know what? Here’s the other real story. I mostly agree with them. See, what happened -- hear me out -- the Democrats didn’t win yesterday with their classically liberal agenda, but the more conservative- minded, Blue Dog Democrats or independent-thinkers, like Joe Lieberman, were appealing to voters . . .
. . . Besides voting for candidates, voters also turned out yesterday to weigh in on the issues in the form of ballot initiatives. The people have spoken and, with very few exceptions, they have come out overwhelmingly in favor of English as the official language, strict immigration reform, and a ban against gay marriage. Now, how on Earth did the Democrats win when the majority of Americans seem in favor of classically Republican points of view? . . .
He isn't the only one talking this way who is fully Conservative and Republican. Others include the likes of Dick Armey, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and even the unabashed Rush Limbaugh getting into the act. This all sounds nice and hopeful, but the truth is not as pleasant.
Facing Reality
All this talk of the American people voting for smaller government, more accountability, and locally still voting conservative on issues should be a sign of good things ahead. The problem for Conservatives is that these are minor developments on the road to major setbacks. Those Democrats in power are not going to be the centrist Democrats they think were put into leadership. The ones that hold the most important positions are actually very Liberal. It becomes possible to see this in the words of the new Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi, one of the most Liberal people in one of the most Liberal districts:
. . . Democrats are charting a New Direction, one that unites our country and addresses the real priorities of all the American people. By raising the minimum wage, increasing access to health care, making higher education more affordable, achieving energy independence, enhancing retirement security, and providing real security at home and overseas, Democrats will provide opportunity, security, and prosperity for all, not just the privileged few.
Democrats will make our economy more fair by giving a raise to the nearly 7 million hard-working Americans earning the minimum wage . . .
. . . Democrats will reverse the $12 billion raid on student aid enacted by the Republican Congress in order to help finance tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans . . .
. . . Calling for real investments in alternative fuels and tapping into America’s vast resources and ingenuity, we will send our dollars to the Midwest, not the Middle East, and achieve energy independence within ten years.
We will guarantee a dignified retirement by continuing to fight the privatization of Social Security and protecting pensions . . .
. . . The war in Iraq is not making our country safer; it is not making our military stronger; and it is not making our world more stable. Democrats want the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country and want the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq to begin in 2006 . . .
She isn't the only one who has a more Liberal, rather than centrist or conservative, idea about government. The House will shift Left in the coming years. It will be the usual big government programs, class warfare, and partisan politics that the Conservatives who voted Democrat thought they were fighting against. When the worst fears of Conservatives are realized, don't think the Liberal Democrats will give up power. It might be another 30 years before another chance for Conservatives to govern comes along.
I had warned my fellow Conservatives that they were throwing away everything for pretending their enemies were friends. Some listened, but too many either voted Democrat or didn't vote at all. The best thing to have done was clean house amongst ourselves rather than invite the clawed cat to clear out the rats. Now everything we had worked for will be torn to shreds.
9 comments:
Well, I just don't see the corruption scandals as anything more than liberal media driven. The Democrats were just as bad and you never heard a peep about them - other than media watchers themselves. The whole lot of them should have been thrown out, and not just the older Republicans.
And it takes 30 more years because people are evil and will listen to snake oil over truth. The United States is becoming more and more wicked, and the righteous faithful had a chance to change that direction. Some forgot how evil the Democrats really are at the core. The conservative Democrats are a joke and have no power.
Actually, at first I thought this post was kind of tounge and cheek with you charictarizing the Dems as Evil and the Repubs as righteous.
But then I realized you meant it. Wow.
Neither side is inherently right or wrong. To charictarize the Dems as big government while the Repubs as small government today is a little weird if you ask me, unless of course you have been living under a rock.
I am sorry, but one side IS right and the other IS wrong. Of course, you can easily see what side I am on. Now, there are good people on both sides if you want to get technical. However, as for the platforms of both, Republicans for me have a much more religiously friendly and morally straight agenda. The Democrats get their cue from Socialism and Secularism. So far I haven't seen any evidence for me to change my mind on that. Big or little government is the least of my worries.
Jettboy,
Invoking good vs evil in politics is totally self-righteous. Are you really prepared to look over the House and Senate rosters and consign some to heaven and some to hell? Your post puts you in the judge's seat.
Then you openly call the majority of Americans evil and gullible: "And it takes 30 more years because people are evil and will listen to snake oil over truth."
Like Ian, I wished you were joking.
Of course, you are also willing to turn a blind eye when your Righteous Republicans are corrupt: "The Democrats were just as bad."
You know, during the Civil War, Pres Lincoln was reluctant to claim God on his side because he knew the South felt God was on theirs. He's actually quite poetic about it, and his words are chiseled into the stone at his memorial.
Self-righteous or not, it is what I believe. That includes my belief that most Americans (or all people for that matter) are evil and gullible. To be honest, I lean toward the Calvinist belief in human depravity more than the LDS assumptions of human innocents. Perhaps I will eventually do a post on how I reconcile the two.
Jettboy:
I just don't see the corruption scandals as anything more than liberal media driven
Republicans for me have a much more religiously friendly and morally straight agenda
Some forgot how evil the Democrats really are at the core. The conservative Democrats are a joke and have no power
You can choose what to see and what to ignore, Jettboy, but you've made it clear that you fight bogeymen in your own little world.
And, guess what - there's a whole world of morality out there that goes far beyond what's going on in someone's bedroom. Morality is about respecting fundamental, God-given human rights. Morality is about figuring out how to do more good in the world than harm. Morality is about treating others with dignity, respect, and fairness even when you don't receive the same treatment back.
I've voted for democrats for the past couple of elections because I feel that they have embodied the more moral choice. Undoubtedly, the pendulum will swing back the to republicans some day. To think that one American political party's platform is automatically and permanently "right" in the eternal sense seems like so much misplaced faith. Doesn't the church give us enough to believe in without attaching ourselves to political parties as objects of religious devotion?
jettboy, I consider it a big mistake to accept or condemn a huge, disparate collection of people, policies, and ideologies in one fell swoop. The two major political party platforms are enormous boxes with a lot of contents in each. There are pieces of both platforms I despise, and pieces of both I embrace whole-heartedly. I expect you to consider that statement a cop out, but in reality it is just the opposite. To take the position that one party is inherently righteous and the other is inherently evil frees you from the responsibility of truthfully examining each issue and each candidate. It's lazy. I apologize for being so bluntly critical in a public forum, but it's something I feel strongly about.
The ramapant demonizing of public officials is a major problem. Political demonization is nothing new. I don't have a good enough perspective to know how today's climate compares to years and decades past, but I've heard several political commentators indicate that it is worse today than it has ever been. You seem to believe that a democrat in office is one step removed from the devil himself holding office. That's about as close to a literal demonization as you can get. Demonization causes very real problems, everything from campaigns which focus on everything BUT the issues, to officials unwilling to fully serve the public's best interest because of how it will be portrayed by the opposition. The whole concept of "the opposition" as a blanket label is messed up. If the public were willing to drop the good-guy bad-buy mentality then politicians would be more willing to find common ground and work together. What we've got instead is a bunch of people who base their positions on whatever will obstruct "the opposition."
Does it surprise you to know that I, your real-world sibling, am a registered Democrat? Here's another tidbit that might surprise you - of the five siblings that went to the family reunion at Yellowstone, three of us are democrats. It's something we happened to discover while sitting around the campfire.
Darryl, it doesn't surprise me at this time because I had already found out the number of Democrats in the family. My wife was just as surprised as I was when we did find out. Now, I did agree that, "there are good people on both sides if you want to get technical."
However, I have not been given any evidence that has made me change my position on Democrats as a political organization. They stand for things that I can't with good conscience as a Conservative stand. Since, at least these days, the organizations act as a block, voting for one is to vote for the whole. Perhaps I can be pleasantly surprised the next two years with more centrist Democrats in office. My point of the post is that current trends don't support that.
I am posting this here out of respect for someone who I consider a friend. In the future this discussion is closed and related comments will be deleted. Thank you.
Noelie said...
One more thing My friend: I scrolled down to read the comments by the folks that accused you several times of "turning a blind eye" and I had to laugh at their serious case of beam in their own.
Are they not turning a blind eye to Pelosi's questionable practices politically including some trip financing? How about the fact the woman is from the worst run city in the worst run state in the Nation.
What about their blind eye to Harry Reid and his corrupt practices, both in government when he will not stand for right on the LEFT side of the aisle demanding they start cleaning up their side of the aisle?
When am I going to hear of those folks asking for The Clintons to face the serious jail time they should be doing for crooked practices, rape, sexual harrasment, Kennedy for having the hand in the death of a young woman, for the gentleman running a brothel out of his home and having ACTUAL sex with an underaged.. yes. folks. gasp.. PAGE! What about Robert Bird? I don't understand such hypocrisy as they displayed on their board
If only THEY were serious about not turning blind eyes in their liberal points of veiw.
Please.. the Republicans at least try to throw out their trash. Our folks are out. Tell me why those ones are in people. If you can. Mostly you hemm and haw and prove what our friend had to post here about your inabilty to choose right and wrong.
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