Now what?
"...I recognized that I held those two views of America (politics, government, corporations, the military). One was of a state where everything was magically wrong and must be immediately corrected at any cost; and the other—the world in which I actually functioned day to day—was made up of people, most of whom were reasonably trying to maximize their comfort by getting along with each other (in the workplace, the marketplace, the jury room, on the freeway, even at the school-board meeting).
And I realized that the time had come for me to avow my participation in that America in which I chose to live, and that that country was not a schoolroom teaching values, but a marketplace.
"Aha," you will say, and you are right. I began reading not only the economics of Thomas Sowell (our greatest contemporary philosopher) but Milton Friedman, Paul Johnson, and Shelby Steele, and a host of conservative writers, and found that I agreed with them: a free-market understanding of the world meshes more perfectly with my experience than that idealistic vision I called liberalism." - David Mamet, writing in the 11/03/08 Village Voice.
~
"History looms large in the conservative mind. Conservatives learn from history, which is a repository of both good and evil. Liberals, seeing only the evil, view the past with scorn -- as a record of mistakes, failures, and injustices. Liberals wish to replace the ugly, shameful past with a new regime of justice and love. (Think of the well-meaning but clueless hippies.) This is of course hubris, and it is dangerous. Please don't misunderstand: I'm glad that there are liberals. Young people should be liberal. Youth is a time of idealism, exploration, hope, and searching. These traits need to be cultivated if the emerging adult is to be an integrated whole rather than a personal fragment.
Fortunately, most young people survive the turbulence and naiveté of adolescence and gain the experience and judgment necessary to become proper conservatives. They begin to use their brains after relying for so long on their hearts. Because the natural movement is from liberalism to conservatism, I hold out hope for the salvation of my middle-aged but childish liberal friends. Long live conservatism!" - Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.
The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.—Hannah Arendt
“Everybody knows - but no one wants to say - that the Democratic Party has become the party of special interest bigots and racial dividers. It runs the one-party state that controls public services in every major inner city, including the corrupt and failing school systems in which half the students - mainly African American and Hispanic - are denied a shot at the American dream.” - David Horowitz
So is it Romney or Jindal in 2012?
I really think Jindal is the guy, if he wants to go for it. He has been spectacularly successful. Even those of you with all-blue blood must concede that the Democratic governor that preceded him screwed up the Katrina situation and made all sorts of slow and non-decisions. Jindal came in and has been getting things accomplished. The completely different response to a threat to New Orleans this year was largely Jindal's doing. He is a man of color, he is young, and he is building a nice resume. At the very least he would make a nice VP candidate alongside Romney.
A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested. A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged.- unknown
I am afraid Obama will actually do a lot of the things with the economy and energy that he suggested he would do, which would badly hurt average Americans, which would wind up with him getting tossed out in 2012. Good for Republicans but bad for America. But if he changes his plans dramatically and begins doing what needs to be done, it will be good for America and also lead to his re-election. He has always been radically left in his voting record but was he simply being pragmatic to get the support of the richest side of his base? We really don't know. But I can point to some things to watch for:
The Fairness Doctrine is a threat to free speech, requiring radio stations to play as many liberal talk shows as they do conservative talk shows. Who decides what is liberal and what is conservative? How does the government have the right to stifle free speech? Air America went bankrupt because people don't want to listen to the vast majority of liberal talk radio. If Obama pushes for this, he is after our Constitutional right to free speech and I hope you all fight it with me. If not, it shows that he actually learned something in law school and isn't a puppet for the radical left.
Cap and Trade bills. All legislation that fines plants for greenhouse gas emissions are ludicrous and kill the economy. You know who emits the most greenhouse gases? 1) the ocean. 2) trees 3) animals like cows. It makes as much sense to bankrupt the coal industry for their CO2 emissions as it does to outlaw trees and cows and the ocean. Right now we need more nuclear plants and more drilling for natural gas and oil in our own country. Most of our resources off-shore can be accessed by side-sipping technologies, so if we don't get going the Chinese are going to start taking them from us anyway.
The military. Will Obama listen to the most successful military commander since George Patton and finish the job in Iraq and use surge tactics in Afghanistan? Or will he kowtow to the loonies who want us to withdraw our military from foreign soil? Isolationism either militarily or commercially is a proven loser. What will Obama do?
“Terrorists and totalitarian radicals are lionized as fighters for social justice. Israelis and Americans are condemned as Nazis."” - David Horowitz
President Obama can do great good or great harm. Once he is in office, he is my President, too. I hope that he feels the same way and acts upon it. We can only wait and see for now.
PS - Most of the negative ads against Obama and countless other candidates on both sides of the aisle were based in truth. Sometimes the truth hurts. But two very nasty ones stand out, both in Senatorial races.
1) Republican Elizabeth Dole, of all people, ran an ad accusing her opponent of being Godless! Her opponent is or at least was a Sunday School teacher. Doleful! She deserved to get hammered and she did! I think this was the worst dirty trick ad I have seen in this entire campaign and it made me ashamed of Liddy Dole, who I once thought was one of the good guys. No excuse for this. Sickening!
2) Democrat Al Franken attacked Norm Coleman's wife and harmed her job status with no proof of his allegations. Too bad Al, looks like you lost. Of course, you are demanding a recount at taxpayer expense because it was a close race. But it appears, Al, that the joke is on you! Alas, the people of Minnesota will get another big bill to pay just because you won't accept the defeat. I think that is what is known as adding insult to injury?
“It is important for conservatives to make distinctions between those on the Left who were (and are) traitors or self-conceived enemies of the United States, and those who were (and are) the fellow-travelers of enemies of the United States, and those who are neither traitors, nor enemies, nor friends and protectors of enemies, but are American patriots who disagree with conservatives over tactical and policy issues.” - David Horowitz
May all those who disagree with me fall into the second category. May all those who fall into the first category be exposed. God Bless America!
And I realized that the time had come for me to avow my participation in that America in which I chose to live, and that that country was not a schoolroom teaching values, but a marketplace.
"Aha," you will say, and you are right. I began reading not only the economics of Thomas Sowell (our greatest contemporary philosopher) but Milton Friedman, Paul Johnson, and Shelby Steele, and a host of conservative writers, and found that I agreed with them: a free-market understanding of the world meshes more perfectly with my experience than that idealistic vision I called liberalism." - David Mamet, writing in the 11/03/08 Village Voice.
~
"History looms large in the conservative mind. Conservatives learn from history, which is a repository of both good and evil. Liberals, seeing only the evil, view the past with scorn -- as a record of mistakes, failures, and injustices. Liberals wish to replace the ugly, shameful past with a new regime of justice and love. (Think of the well-meaning but clueless hippies.) This is of course hubris, and it is dangerous. Please don't misunderstand: I'm glad that there are liberals. Young people should be liberal. Youth is a time of idealism, exploration, hope, and searching. These traits need to be cultivated if the emerging adult is to be an integrated whole rather than a personal fragment.
Fortunately, most young people survive the turbulence and naiveté of adolescence and gain the experience and judgment necessary to become proper conservatives. They begin to use their brains after relying for so long on their hearts. Because the natural movement is from liberalism to conservatism, I hold out hope for the salvation of my middle-aged but childish liberal friends. Long live conservatism!" - Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.
The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.—Hannah Arendt
“Everybody knows - but no one wants to say - that the Democratic Party has become the party of special interest bigots and racial dividers. It runs the one-party state that controls public services in every major inner city, including the corrupt and failing school systems in which half the students - mainly African American and Hispanic - are denied a shot at the American dream.” - David Horowitz
So is it Romney or Jindal in 2012?
I really think Jindal is the guy, if he wants to go for it. He has been spectacularly successful. Even those of you with all-blue blood must concede that the Democratic governor that preceded him screwed up the Katrina situation and made all sorts of slow and non-decisions. Jindal came in and has been getting things accomplished. The completely different response to a threat to New Orleans this year was largely Jindal's doing. He is a man of color, he is young, and he is building a nice resume. At the very least he would make a nice VP candidate alongside Romney.
A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested. A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged.- unknown
I am afraid Obama will actually do a lot of the things with the economy and energy that he suggested he would do, which would badly hurt average Americans, which would wind up with him getting tossed out in 2012. Good for Republicans but bad for America. But if he changes his plans dramatically and begins doing what needs to be done, it will be good for America and also lead to his re-election. He has always been radically left in his voting record but was he simply being pragmatic to get the support of the richest side of his base? We really don't know. But I can point to some things to watch for:
The Fairness Doctrine is a threat to free speech, requiring radio stations to play as many liberal talk shows as they do conservative talk shows. Who decides what is liberal and what is conservative? How does the government have the right to stifle free speech? Air America went bankrupt because people don't want to listen to the vast majority of liberal talk radio. If Obama pushes for this, he is after our Constitutional right to free speech and I hope you all fight it with me. If not, it shows that he actually learned something in law school and isn't a puppet for the radical left.
"Not to be a socialist at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head." - Georges Clemenceau
Cap and Trade bills. All legislation that fines plants for greenhouse gas emissions are ludicrous and kill the economy. You know who emits the most greenhouse gases? 1) the ocean. 2) trees 3) animals like cows. It makes as much sense to bankrupt the coal industry for their CO2 emissions as it does to outlaw trees and cows and the ocean. Right now we need more nuclear plants and more drilling for natural gas and oil in our own country. Most of our resources off-shore can be accessed by side-sipping technologies, so if we don't get going the Chinese are going to start taking them from us anyway.
The military. Will Obama listen to the most successful military commander since George Patton and finish the job in Iraq and use surge tactics in Afghanistan? Or will he kowtow to the loonies who want us to withdraw our military from foreign soil? Isolationism either militarily or commercially is a proven loser. What will Obama do?
“Terrorists and totalitarian radicals are lionized as fighters for social justice. Israelis and Americans are condemned as Nazis."” - David Horowitz
President Obama can do great good or great harm. Once he is in office, he is my President, too. I hope that he feels the same way and acts upon it. We can only wait and see for now.
PS - Most of the negative ads against Obama and countless other candidates on both sides of the aisle were based in truth. Sometimes the truth hurts. But two very nasty ones stand out, both in Senatorial races.
1) Republican Elizabeth Dole, of all people, ran an ad accusing her opponent of being Godless! Her opponent is or at least was a Sunday School teacher. Doleful! She deserved to get hammered and she did! I think this was the worst dirty trick ad I have seen in this entire campaign and it made me ashamed of Liddy Dole, who I once thought was one of the good guys. No excuse for this. Sickening!
2) Democrat Al Franken attacked Norm Coleman's wife and harmed her job status with no proof of his allegations. Too bad Al, looks like you lost. Of course, you are demanding a recount at taxpayer expense because it was a close race. But it appears, Al, that the joke is on you! Alas, the people of Minnesota will get another big bill to pay just because you won't accept the defeat. I think that is what is known as adding insult to injury?
“It is important for conservatives to make distinctions between those on the Left who were (and are) traitors or self-conceived enemies of the United States, and those who were (and are) the fellow-travelers of enemies of the United States, and those who are neither traitors, nor enemies, nor friends and protectors of enemies, but are American patriots who disagree with conservatives over tactical and policy issues.” - David Horowitz
May all those who disagree with me fall into the second category. May all those who fall into the first category be exposed. God Bless America!