Neoconservatives

The Tragedy Of The Republican Party: A Split Personality Outside The Mainstream!

Ronald Leave a comment

Chris Matthews on MSNBC this evening summarized the tragedy of the Republican Party: that it has been “hijacked” by disparate groups that cause the party grief!

First, we have what Matthews calls the “Dixiecrats”, the Southern segregationists, who left the Democratic Party after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Then, due to the school prayer decision (Engle V Vitale) and abortion rights decision (Roe V Wade) of the Supreme Court, the “Moral Majority” or “Christian Coalition” or “Evangelical Right” went over to the Republican Party in the 1970s.

Finally, conservative “hawkish” Democrats, dissatisfied with the nomination of George McGovern in 1972 and President Jimmy Carter in 1976 also went over to the Republicans as the “neoconservatives”.

The result has been a “split personality” party which has marginalized itself more and more over the years, and moved away from the mainstream of America, as the Republican Party was until the mid 1970s.

Unless Jon Huntsman can, somehow, gain a surge and make a major fight for the GOP nomination, the Republican Party is going to remain outside the mainstream of America!

Republican Call For Infrastructure Investment In Libya, But Not In America!

Ronald 2 Comments

As a result of the death of Moammar Gaddafi in Libya, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, among others, are calling for infrastructure spending to rebuild Libya.

While it is certainly honorable to wish to help other nations recover from revolution and civil war, how can these and other neoconservatives say this with a straight face while America’s own infrastructure is crumbling, and Republicans and conservatives refuse to support spending on our roads, schools, bridges, airports, etc, if it means one penny more of taxes on the wealthy?

How short sighted can Republicans be about the future of our own nation, and yet see the significance of involvement overseas? This is beyond all common sense!

A Conservative Schism Developing Over Afghanistan: An Opening For Obama To Change Policy!

Ronald 1 Comment

Amazingly, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele’s comment last week, that Afghanistan was an unwinnable war, and that history tells us it is a place that was the graveyard for many military forces in the past, has led to an open conservative schism over support of President Obama’s Afghan War strategy!

This offers the President the option to reconsider policy, and change it over the next year, as now we have people on the Right, as well as the Left, who are openly opposed to escalation of the war in Afghanistan!

Among those who criticized Steele were Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney; and Bill Kristol, publisher of The Weekly Standard, and Fox News contributor and commentator; and even Independent Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut!

But at the same time, Ann Coulter, the conservative ideologue, has condemned the war and agreed with Steele! Also, George Will (commentator on ABC News This Week and syndicated columnist); Joe Scarborough (former Florida Congressman and host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe); Pat Buchanan (MSNBC commentator and two time candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination); Tony Blankley (former spokesman for House Speaker Newt Gingrich and commentator); Ron Paul (Texas Congressman, libertarian, and candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2008); and his son, Rand Paul (GOP and Tea Party Movement nominee for Kentucky Senator this fall) all have denounced the war as “Obama’s War” as Michael Steele has done!

This split may seem to be unbelievable, and the author does not wish to try to connect himself to any of these people directly! 🙂 LOL BUT it clearly offers the President the opportunity to say that he tried the “Neoconservative” strategy, and now has come to the conclusion that the conservative opponents of the “neocons” are correct, along with many liberals, and that he has decided to cut our losses, save billions upon billions of dollars in the process, and spend money on the restoration of the American economy and the reinforcement of American security internally against terrorism!

Were he to announce this, with the reality that a majority of Americans are opposed to the Afghanistan war effort as it is, he would restore faith in his administration and improve his odds of being reelected in 2012!

And as far as the “neocons” are concerned, they have had too much dominance under George W. Bush, and it is time to “send them packing”, something that should have been done before they ever had the detrimental impact and influence that they have had over the past decade!

This would be a final repudiation of Dick Cheney as well, and none too soon! 🙁