Posts in "Conservative"

andrew.keast's picture
By Andrew Canfield at 8:06AM
Jan 25, 2011

Muddling the Middle

It appears for the time being that the president’s uptick in approval is continuing, as this morning’s Rasmussen Reports number have him at the highest level in well over a year (52% approval). This is unfortunate, as he appeared to be on the ropes after the November mid-terms, a circumstance combated since then, by, as our media talking heads love to say, “tacking to the middle.” As is always the case in politics, words really do mean something, and “the middle” might have a different meaning had Republicans stood more firm on what constituted the limited government side of the aisle.

But having not yet mustered the courage to battle entitlements in any meaningful way (and who can blame them, as an uproar would ensure from most of the population if benefits started being curtailed) "the political middle" is almost devoid of meaning. Apparently, cutting taxes without offsetting spending cuts is somehow the "middle" in our modern day political dialect; Republicans did those sort of things in the early to mid 2000's while in power, so most of the public just assumes Obama doing the same must mean he is now adopting some of the other side's ideas.


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Wes Messamore's picture
By Wesley Messamore at 10:38AM
Nov 9, 2010

Horowitz Fan Refuses to Debate Wes Messamore

As many of you know, I recently penned a piece to correct the eight egregious errors of an inaccurate hit piece on Ron Paul which went so far as to refer to the gentle, even grandfatherly Congressman from Texas as "an abomination who should be cast out of decent society."

The author of that piece -- Calvin Freiburger -- ended up responding with another piece of his own (There's the link, Calvin -- no accusing me of keeping your rebuttals under wraps. It's right there for everyone to visit, read, and draw their own conclusions.)

Now I'm not a fan of wasting hours responding back and forth five times, playing blog tag, and having to chase down every last evasion, obfuscation, equivocation, dropped context, (etc.) that people with flimsy arguments and bankrupt ideologies are usually guilty of committing to appear like they are engaging ideas, when they are actually evading them.


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Jared Fuller's picture
By Jared Fuller at 9:06AM
Jun 1, 2010

Calling out Conservatives at the Tea Party

This past wave of tea-parties I was honored to give the keynote speech to over 2,500 people at a tea-party in Winston Salem, NC. 

My speech, however, was distinctly different than others given that day; in fact, I made it a point to call out the injustices of the GOP in recent years. The best part, though, is that the speech was delightfully eaten up by the crowd and I spent hours after the speech talking to people about the message I aimed to convey... and they all overwhelmingly agreed with me.

It's one thing to be right, it's another thing to convince someone you're right; it's not only about what you say, but how you say it. 

Watch the speech below; in my humble opinion, this is the way we can win over the right.

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Dustin Reid's picture
By Dustin Reid at 3:41PM
Mar 1, 2010

Liberty Organizations Overtake CPAC 2010

I had intended on writing a recap of my experience at this years Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), however, I believe this video sums up my thoughts and emotions quite well.

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Jihan Huq's picture
By Jihan Huq at 5:25PM
Dec 21, 2009

Dick Cheney -- Conservative of The Year?

Dick

At least according to Human Events.  Of course, Cheney deserves this commemoration because he is conservative in his values. His policy of preemptive war, torture, extraordinary rendition,  the Patriot Act, diminishing civil liberties, expanding the American empire are all many authentic, traditional conservative values.

It gets even better too. The article was written by none other than neocon chicken hawk John Bolton.  Yet what is so amazing about this article is Bolton's  overt admiration for the former vice president. 

Shame on Human Events for calling itself "Headquarters for the Conservative Underground." Better yet, shame on Human Events for even identifying itself as conservative!

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Don Rasmussen's picture
By Don Rasmussen at 3:39PM
Oct 27, 2009

Reality Check: It's Time for Republican Leaders to Question Their Premise

There has been a prevailing narrative for years now that the Republican Party can only be successful by quote “building a big tent” that welcomes in progressive and liberal ideas in order to appeal to independent voters.  The corollary argument is that there just aren’t enough so-called conservatives to build an electoral block that can win elections.  This premise has been repeated and reinforced by the media endlessly and seems to have been swallowed unquestioningly by many Republicans including national party leaders and strategists. 

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The genesis of this notion is often attributed to the failed presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater, who was drubbed by Lyndon Johnson in 1964.  The contemporary lesson of that race is that if Republicans run ideologically rightwing or libertarian-leaning candidates, they lose.  Of course that assumption ignores other important factors such as the lousy, gaffe-filled campaign of Goldwater, the lingering sense (effectively propagated by the Democrats) that Johnson was the heir to the Kennedy legacy just a year after his murder shocked the country, and the devastating Daisy ad.


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Kelse Moen's picture
By Kelse Moen at 4:21AM
May 21, 2009

Why I Am a Conservative

In The American Conservative, Bill Kauffman has a typically engaging piece, along the lines of Hayek's "Why I Am Not a Conservative." Unfortunately, you have to be a subscriber to read it, but here is the heart of his argument:
[F]or half a century, “conservative” has been a synonym of — a slave to — militarism, profligacy, the invasion of other nations, contempt for personal liberties, and an ignorance of and hostility toward provincial Am

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