Sep
7
William Buckley editorialising about the John Birch Society:
It was precisely my desire to strengthen the ranks of conservatism that led me to publish the editoria. Our movement has got to govern. It has got to expand by bringing into our ranks those people who are, at the moment, on our immediate Left – the moderate, wishy-washy conservatives; the Nixonites… I am talking… about 20 to 30 million people… If they are being asked to join a movement whose leadership believes the drivel of [the Birch Society leadership], they will pass by crackpot alley, and will not pause until they feel the warm embrace of those way over on the other side, the Liberals.”
I have a real problem with conservatives dismissing RINO’s and moderates. What is the point in being a conservative if you are not able to enact a conservative agenda? And to do that requires political power, and political power requires more votes than the fundamentalist conservatives can put together.
Will this mean watering down a conservative agenda? Possibly, but not restrictively so. What it means is finding a consensual conservatism that appeals to conservatives of different hues (and yes, RINO’s can be conservative too). Conservatism is not the didactic and doctrinal philosophy of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, it is in it’s original form, a moderate and respectful political philosophy. One that acknowledges peoples differences, but puts its emphasis on the things that unite us, like church, nation and community). It’s a philosophy that understands the need for change, but one within the framework of our past experiences. At it’s very core, is the knowledge that we are all fallible, so how can we be absolutely certain of a single truth?
If Ronald Reagan were to witness some of the antics of some on the right today, he would be turning in his grave.
And to that end, I thoroughly support Jon Henke’s campaign at The Next Right to get conservatives and the Republican Party to distance themselves from the ‘birthers’ at World Net Daily.
And to their credit, that’s exactly what CPAC, the largest conservative PAC in America have done:
Let’s start with good news: WorldNetDaily will not be at CPAC next year. I exchanged emails with the CPAC organizer earlier today and she told me this:
[WorldNetDaily founder Joseph] Farah asked if he could speak on the issue (birther movement), but that isn’t something we’re interested in.
Let’s hope more important conservatives do the same. Over to you Rush.
And before anyone calls me “moderate cabbie” again, they had better have done some reading on the grandfather of conservatism, Edmund Burke 
Update:
You really should read this brilliant essay by Patrick Ruffini, also at The New Majority. He’s talking a lot of sense, although I disagree with his conclusion about conservative elites. Having said that, there is certainly a need for the rediscovery of conservative intellectualism. conservatives seem to have lost sight of their first principles. The best quote from the piece:
The automatic problem that arises when someone who is not a William F. Buckley (and none of us here pretend to be) is that you’re instantly tagged a RINO for calling out something that is objectively and demonstrably false. The space between fact and fiction is confused as a litmus test between right and left. But what if the WNDers are not the true conservatives in this argument? What if the actual test of conservatism was not how fervently you oppose Obama, or where you went to school, or where you pray, but how firmly your conservatism is rooted in First Principles and not personalities or conspiracy?
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20 Responses to “A Warning From Conservative History”
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Hear hear!
Cabbie
Great post- for you
Bob Dylan- Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnZoHzFDaI8
A sane outpost of the Conservative Blogosphere
I just want to clarify a couple of things.
Firstly, I have no problem with Rush’s, or further right conservative, views as they pertain to policy. I may not agree with absolutely everything, but in the large, they are right. What I do have a problem with, is their intolerance of people who don’t share their views. Reagan believed in big church conservatism. why has that been lost by the so-called disciples of Reagan?
Secondly, I do not believe it possible for a conservative to be supportive of Obama. Perhaps initially if they were swayed by his personality which allowed them to ignore the radicalism of his views. However, the evidence is now in. Obama’s policies are antithetical to any type of conservatism. Health care is a perfect example. Even the most moderate of conservative would not want to completely change the health care system in America. firstly, they would want to reform it in smaller increments to test what works first efore imposing it in it’s entirety. And secondly, they would look to reform the current system within it’s current constituent boundaries. A complete untried and untested overhaul as Obama is proposing has no basis in reality, just abstract conjecture, no matter how intellectually arrived at.
C. Cabbie,
Does it reassure you that the most liberal here liked this post?
I think the far-right may have a postive role in politics…it helps undermine the far left and forces it more to the center…and that’s where we (I) want to be…center-right.
We will see if it helps with the healthcare bill or if Obama ignores it and goes with the 51 Senate vote…if he does, he will be a one-term president and it would be political chaos for the Democratic party.
I wonder how we can help Mrs Angry move to the left to be in the center-right?
I think true conservatives, whether they be republican or democrat, must honour and obey the constitution. That to me is the only first principle worth mentioning.
Another, may be patriotism and pride in the USA.
Anything outside of that is extremism in one form or another.
C. Cabbie,
I noticed an interesting article in your Telegraph that quotes Economists and authors Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathaniel Smith of Locke Institute recent book that says among other ominous things… that Obama since taking office could send the US and the world spiraling into the worse economic collapse in recorded history.
They also compare what they see happening in the US to Argentina’s fall from a first world to third world country.
One of Nobel Laureat James Buchanan’s quotes in the book was noteworthy.
“We have learned some thing from comparable experiences of the 1930’s Great Depression, perhaps enough to reduce the severity of the current contraction. But we have made no progress toward putting limits on political leaders, who act out their natural proclivities without any basic understanding of what makes capitalism work”.
But, what this brillian Nobel Laureat doesn’t seem to understand is that is exactly what Obama is trying to do…destroy Capitalism…No matter what the cost to the American people or the world economy.
An Am, you are slowly coming around to my way of thinking…that socialism is the desired end of the USA at the hands of the true power brokers behind the scenes.
Politicians DO NOT run a country. I will keep saying this until people actually believe me.
OT, I’m scared to ask but who are these socialist power brokers?
Ronnie…The Bilderbergs, Rothchilds and many many others.
Notice the bankers blow deals and then get tarp money to refloat them and then refuse to pass on the money in new credit?
Who is telling who what to do with that money. Tarp was supposed to be used to refloat the economy and all it’s done is refloat banks.
Start investigating why, in our own country, the bank of england can refuse govt directives to change exchange rates?
Who has the power and who is the head of that power?
So, the Bank of England refuse to change exchange rates at the behest of a Labour government because they are run by a bunch of socialists?
The bankers (these sound like Jewish names OT) refuse to make credit available easily because they are socialists?
Goldman Sachs recently made a huge profit and paid back their bailout money because they are socialists?
Have I got that right OT?
Goldman Sachs used Peter to pay Paul…another fraud perpetuated on the American people…they paid back the gov. loan with the gov. loan money…and were congratulated for it!
When I first started blogging last year, I believe it was either C. Cabbie or Ronnie that pointed out that Brits actually hated the US and Americans…I was shocked and didn’t know if I really believe it…but he/they were right…
So come on everyone, just say it, get it off your chests.
The US is the evil empire that’s done nothing good in it’s entire disgraceful history….it’s only used and abused this world’s countries…and deserves to be punished and destroyed.
The US even attacked itself in 9-11, killed 3,000 citizens just for the hell of it and for an excuse to go to war with Iraq.
The US is a rotten-to-the-core, greedy, ignorant, war mongering country that deserves everything that is coming its way.
But, never fear…Hope and Change and the Messiah is trying to come through for you. My…how happy you’ll all be be when you can tut-tut about the poor USA…its true the Brits like nothing better than seeing someone else or another country fail.
When you start implying that 9-11 was brought about by Bush…that’s it for me.
Adios!
Ronnie…yes, they are Jewish names and in case you get me wrong, I strongly support the Jews.
And yes, various hiccups or anomalies that occur in day to day banking are corrected from higher up socialists. Yes, I feel that is the case. The banking is not done in real time with all those big boys, they will tweak things as they see fit a day or two later.
From Wiki:
In 1977, the Bank set up a wholly owned subsidiary called BANK OF ENGLAND NOMINEES LIMITED, (BOEN), a private limited company, no. 1307478, with 2 of its 100 £1 shares issued. According to its Memorandum & Articles of Association, its objectives are:- “To act as Nominee or agent or attorney either solely or jointly with others, for any person or persons, partnership, company, corporation, government, state, organisation, sovereign, province, authority, or public body, or any group or association of them….” Bank of England Nominees Limited was granted an exemption by Edmund Dell, Secretary of State for Trade, from the disclosure requirements under Section 27(9) of the Companies Act 1976 , because, “it was considered undesirable that the disclosure requirements should apply to certain categories of shareholders.” The Bank of England is also protected by its Royal Charter status, and the Official Secrets Act.”
Despite the bank of England being nationalised, the above-mentioned subsidiary is private and is where the power and money actually rests.
Not all are socialists but their aim is world socialism.
An Am…I dont know what Brits dont like the USA…every single one of my friends love America and its people. Far lefters may hate it for some reason, but the average person I know here truly admires and loves the USA. Why would THX want to move there and he is the most liberal among us? Even Israel avidly studies the country’s political events.
Just because some people feel that there is some cover-up (small or large) that allowed the US to be attacked does not mean people who believe in the cover-up are evil or anti-american. I am probably the most avid supporter of the USA on this blog and yet there is a nagging in my mind that not all was ‘kosher’ over 9/11….but it’s just a theory. It does not mean Bush did it or that I hate the USA
Well, it wasnae me!
I’m starting to feel like McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. You know, that scene where he attends his first group session,
Why, if they are not all socialists, would their aim be world socialism?
How unsocialist are the non-socialists in this conspiracy?
Truly, how does any reasonable person respond to a comment like this??:
“When I first started blogging last year, I believe it was either C. Cabbie or Ronnie that pointed out that Brits actually hated the US and Americans…I was shocked and didn’t know if I really believe it…but he/they were right…
So come on everyone, just say it, get it off your chests.”
No nuance, no historical reference, nothing but a bag of victimhood.
Two cummunities here in Cumbria had 4th of July celebrations for the new expats from the States..a wonderful gesture.
At no time have I heard of the local population being anything but gracious, though cautious at first, regarding our participation in the communities in Copeland. Quite the opposite…they have reached out to us in ways that still amaze me in their thoughtfulness.
Do we discuss politics and do they follow our decisions with interest. Absolutely. Was the U.K., in the majority, apppalled by the Bush administration and its “cowboy diplomacy”. Of course.
But do they “hate” America. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They are concerned, interested..but wish us, as a strong ally, only the best.
Thank you Morgan.
Well said.
It was never about “hating” America, it was always about watching in dismay as a group of cowardly warmongers did their best to circumvent their country’s laws and demonize opponents while invading the wrong country on false evidence.
These are just some of the reasons why old friends walked away from the US.