Sunday, January 2, 2011

Political Ideology - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

In a recent exchange among Conservatives, this blogger has come to realize that there are shades of Conservatism just as there a shades of left wing Liberalism. The Republican Party is composed of Libertarians, that want to completely dismantle most government functions, Ronald Reagan Republicans, who support limited government; but recognize that if you can achieve 80% in a deal moving the left further right, that is as good as it gets and RINO's, primarily from the Northeast, who are Republicans In Name Only and not Conservatives at all.

During his first inaugural address, Ronald Reagan said that "Government is the problem not the solution", however, Reagan certainly recognized that government had a role to play in national defense and other functions for the common good of the people. This blogger is a Ronald Reagan Conservative who believes we should never compromise our Conservative principles; but who also recognizes that to get anything constructive done, since we live in a pluralistic society, we have to work with the left and various interest groups to achieve our objectives. This is particularly true in purple states that may still have Socialist Governors, or Legislatures.

In keeping with those Conservative principles, had I been a member of Congress I would not have voted for the recent compromise deal in the Lame Duck session of Congress negotiated by Republican Senator Mitch McConnell and Socialist President Obama to extend the Bush Tax Cuts and raise the limits for Estate Taxes for two years, while adding a trillion dollars in new deficit spending in 2011 that will just be added to the $14 Trillion national debt. That deal was a bridge too far as Republicans got snookered by the President. McConnell should have waited for the 112th Congress to be seated on January 3 to get a better deal.

On the left, about a year into the Obama Presidency, it became clear to me that Obama and the Democrat leaders of Congress were Progressives, which is just a code word for Socialists. Hence the reason I started referring to them as Socialists rather than Democrats. And, while there were purportedly Blue Dog Democrats in the 111th Congress, that lost reelection in 2010, who were supposedly Conservative Democrats, since they voted for Obama's Socialist agenda, this Blogger concluded about a year ago that all Democrats were actually Socialists. This is truer today than ever since most so called Conservative Democrats are now gone from Congress.

So what we have today are die hard Socialists and various shades of Republicans in Congress, which now includes members of the Tea Party Movement. That is also true at the state level except perhaps in some Red states, where Democrats that survived the last election may be a bit more Conservative. The challenge in all of this is not on the Socialist side because they are rather unanimous in their left wing ideology; though President Obama will be challenged from the left if he "compromises" too much with the Republicans. Instead, it is the Republican Party that must figure out how to mesh the various shades of Conservatism within the Party to wield new found power.

Based on the recent experience of this blogger, this will be tougher than one might have thought because there are those in the Republican Party that are so tied to farthest right Libertarian Conservative ideology, that even getting 80% in a deal (the Reagan formula) is not enough for them. This blogger recently learned that arguing strategy and pragmatism in the face of political reality does not necessarily make the case with these Libertarians, who instead argue Dogma even it means getting nothing done. This is not about half a loaf, which could be defined as real compromise, a dirty word to many Conservatives, including me, that are committed to rolling back 98 years of Socialism, but rather about getting 80% of the loaf, or no deal at all. Many of these Libertarian Conservatives would prefer no deal at all unless they get 100% of the loaf, which is not feasible in most cases.

As we look to sweep Socialists out of office in 2012 and 2014 by electing Conservatives, it is critical that we all understand that in a democracy there are checks and balances and limitations on power. If we can move the left to the right as Reagan often did to get 80% of the loaf, that is probably as good as it gets. This does not mean advancing more Socialist Schemes through an 80/20 deal, which should be dead on arrival; but rather advancing free market concepts and the shrinking of government at all levels.

We do need to take back our country in 2012 and 2014 by electing common sense Conservatives that support free market capitalism, limited government, lower taxes and less regulation, a balanced budget, term limits, real education, energy and health care reform, a strong national defense, including securing our border and fighting Terrorism, the right to bear arms, the sanctity of life and family values that are the foundation of our nation. This is the platform supported by the majority of the American people, regardless of political shade and the only way to restore economic growth and jobs in our country.

Most important, all Conservatives can agree that we need to elect Conservatives, who will adhere to the Constitution, as written by our Founding Fathers, not as contrived by the left wing media, Socialists in the last 98 years, our current, or former Presidents, Congresses, or the Courts. While 2010 was a good start, we must take back our country by unifying all Conservatives in 2012 and 2014. To do so, we must not lose sight of the big picture and our overall goals and objectives. We can do it. We must do it to preserve our freedom, our nation and way of life for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

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