Sunday, November 19, 2006

Conservatives betrayed (or is there room under the GOP Big Tent for Conservative Principles? or just our votes, money and support)

Over at Captain Ed's place they are discussing the effectiveness of nutroot versus the dextrosphere (hat tip to the Cap'n) and the potential upcoming discussions with the GOP about upcoming tactics and ideas. I added this to the comments but thought it might be expanded on here to her is the comment and I will cogitate for a bit and expand. Late additions, expansions and clarifications will be in brown text I think.
Well, I would agree (with the desireability for discussion ed.) with one caveat. One of the things we need to discuss (put it on the table right up front) is if we stay in the Stupid Party.
What we got after 2002 was a rethinking on the part of the GOP leadership (read Pres. Bush, although Delay, Hastert and Lott merrily went right along for the ride ) of how little could we be promised and not have us stay home and keep our collective wallets closed. To use a later example, we were Promised strict constructionist judges.
We got Roberts and Alito instead. (yes, it is the President's perogative to select his choices, and both Roberts and Alito, unlike Meirs, were qualified; that doesn't make them "justices in the mold of Scalia and Thomas" and that should have been seen as a President's perogative but most definately a betrayal of one of the few campaign promises the Conservatives got)
For the 2004 election it was a bit of "We may rough you up a bit, and all your limbs may not come out of it intact, but the other guys will beat you up bad, and break a lot of your bones so you can't fail to support us." We held our noses and supported the GOP.
Emboldened by the successful mugging of the Conservatives in the GOP, they next tried to determine just how little of the 2004 campaign promises they could get away with actually delivering upon.
Hamstring OIF by christening Al-Sadr as a partner for peace.
Change the military ROE to forbid searching any mosques ever, let alone (not even) extremist mosques known for the vehemence of the "Death to America" chants".
Club everyone denying Islam is THE "Religion of Peace.
Inflict Islamic sensitivity training (suprisingly using the same textbooks as new muslims get to learn to be muslims) on everyone in any branch of the government "not sensitive enough" to Muslim concerns.
Steamroll everyone in the GOP not supporting Amnesty First, schedule meetings to discuss the possibility of talks regarding border security later.
Look at how much President Bush supported Spectre, and now little Santorum (even got Santorum to fritter away credability supporting Spectre)
Opose the border fence first option
Julie Meyers in charge of ICE (this one is bad enough I am going to repeat it again)
Julie Meyers in charge of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Reductions in procecutions of illegal's employers, and drastic reductions in case load for deportations (advisory letters don't count since the recipients just change their name and move away instead of showing up to be deported)
Half of the Gang of 14 guarantying judicial appointment gridlock without repercussions for the Democrats.
Keep going back to the UN, keep pouring out our treasure and credability into that evil emdemically corrupt institution instead of filling in that roadblock and replacing the UN with something that might work.
P.S. when have you ever heard the White House (as oposed to Mr. Bolton) cut loose at the sheer corrupt nature and the absolute refusal to change or even just pretend to not be for sale to every two bit thug with a bribe-in-hand (the US doesn't succeed here because it is all carrot all the time and there are no negative consequences ever under any circumstances)

It starts at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and one of the questions is to ask if there is any room under the GOP big tent for any of our concerns and priorities, or just our vote and money.
(leave those "principles" whatever they are, outside our nice big tent because there certainly isn't room for them in here)
I will go on tomorrow night Hmm, gonna try trackback with Cap'n Ed's and see what happens