John McCain is Winston Churchill? We think not. Nonetheless the comparison is rather in vogue, some less asinine than others. Everyone agrees he is no Ronald Reagan. But then, of course, neither was Ronald Reagan. Rush, Anne, Sean, and Laura are betraying the Party. The Party is betraying Conservativism. What’s a Republican to do?
The identity crises inflicting the American Right at present is providing quite the circus: McCain contorting himself to appear Conservative; pundits pushing a big red nose and smiley face makeover to “redefine” Conservativism; others advocating martyrdom and votes for the Trojan Nag of Stalinism Herself; and GOP loyalists turning on the very individuals who made “Conservativism” a household word.
Painful though it may be, however, this is all quite healthy for the Shining City Upon a Hill, so long as the true source of this pain is accurately identified and addressed. It is not John McCain, GOP loyalists, out-moded Conservativism, Rush, or even Bushie. The source of this pain is your bloody two party system!
We have long pondered what it would take for you Americans to evolve beyond the simplistic understanding of yourselves as merely Republican or Democrat. Could it be the one-two punch of the 2006 and now 2008 elections is just the thing? We can only hope, for the fate of the world is resting upon it.
What is called for is a more scrupulous reconnoitering of your political landscape. Doing so would reveal – we believe – yours is not a two party but a three party electorate falling rather cleanly between the lines of Left, Center, and Right.
Owing to the tectonic shift to the left over the course of the 20th century, what was once known as the Democratic Party no longer exists. In fact, as we have indicated previously, it died decades ago. What you have now, particularly in candidates Clinton and Obama advocating their collectivists policies and government control over virtually everything, are Socialists. In order to remove confusion and sentimentality clouding the minds of an already befuddled and easily hoodwinked public, they ought be formally dubbed so.
This would then allow the beleaguered Republican Party to relax into its actual role as a Centrist party without having to justify itself to its increasingly hostile members of a more Conservative bent.
And as for those Conservatives, what are you waiting for? You have the movement. You have the think tanks. You have the spokespersons. What you don’t have is a formal party nor candidates to represent it. The time is now. Granted it is too late for the present presidential contest; but 2010, 2012, 2014 will be here before you can say Barry Goldwater. It is high time you stop berating the poor Republicans who clearly just want to be everyone’s buddy and take matters into your own hands!
Applying this model then to the current race reveals how ill-served the American electorate is by the two-party rut it has too long been in. Socialism or Centrism, these are your choices. For a population that screams bloody murder if it has fewer than 200 varieties of cereal, toothpaste, bicycles, or lingerie from which to choose you seem oddly complacent in this regard. Clarification and rearrangement of the sort we recommend here – Socialist Party, Republican Party, Conservative Party - just might have the effect of enhancing America’s understanding of her political self and reigniting substantive debate about foundational philosophies of government. Or not.
As one distinctly interested in national defense of the United States and her interests (for we know well that U.S. national security is synonymous with global security) we see no choice but to cast our wildly sought after endorsement to Mr. McCain. We do so under duress, mind you, and with the caveat that going forward, American Conservatives spend a little less time in think tanks and studios, and a little more time on the campaign trail representing themselves and the millions of Americans who believe that limited government, strong national defense, free enterprise, individual liberty, and traditional values are not only the Foundation of, but the future for the Great Republic.
Cheers,
Charlie
The identity crises inflicting the American Right at present is providing quite the circus: McCain contorting himself to appear Conservative; pundits pushing a big red nose and smiley face makeover to “redefine” Conservativism; others advocating martyrdom and votes for the Trojan Nag of Stalinism Herself; and GOP loyalists turning on the very individuals who made “Conservativism” a household word.
Painful though it may be, however, this is all quite healthy for the Shining City Upon a Hill, so long as the true source of this pain is accurately identified and addressed. It is not John McCain, GOP loyalists, out-moded Conservativism, Rush, or even Bushie. The source of this pain is your bloody two party system!
We have long pondered what it would take for you Americans to evolve beyond the simplistic understanding of yourselves as merely Republican or Democrat. Could it be the one-two punch of the 2006 and now 2008 elections is just the thing? We can only hope, for the fate of the world is resting upon it.
What is called for is a more scrupulous reconnoitering of your political landscape. Doing so would reveal – we believe – yours is not a two party but a three party electorate falling rather cleanly between the lines of Left, Center, and Right.
Owing to the tectonic shift to the left over the course of the 20th century, what was once known as the Democratic Party no longer exists. In fact, as we have indicated previously, it died decades ago. What you have now, particularly in candidates Clinton and Obama advocating their collectivists policies and government control over virtually everything, are Socialists. In order to remove confusion and sentimentality clouding the minds of an already befuddled and easily hoodwinked public, they ought be formally dubbed so.
This would then allow the beleaguered Republican Party to relax into its actual role as a Centrist party without having to justify itself to its increasingly hostile members of a more Conservative bent.
And as for those Conservatives, what are you waiting for? You have the movement. You have the think tanks. You have the spokespersons. What you don’t have is a formal party nor candidates to represent it. The time is now. Granted it is too late for the present presidential contest; but 2010, 2012, 2014 will be here before you can say Barry Goldwater. It is high time you stop berating the poor Republicans who clearly just want to be everyone’s buddy and take matters into your own hands!
Applying this model then to the current race reveals how ill-served the American electorate is by the two-party rut it has too long been in. Socialism or Centrism, these are your choices. For a population that screams bloody murder if it has fewer than 200 varieties of cereal, toothpaste, bicycles, or lingerie from which to choose you seem oddly complacent in this regard. Clarification and rearrangement of the sort we recommend here – Socialist Party, Republican Party, Conservative Party - just might have the effect of enhancing America’s understanding of her political self and reigniting substantive debate about foundational philosophies of government. Or not.
As one distinctly interested in national defense of the United States and her interests (for we know well that U.S. national security is synonymous with global security) we see no choice but to cast our wildly sought after endorsement to Mr. McCain. We do so under duress, mind you, and with the caveat that going forward, American Conservatives spend a little less time in think tanks and studios, and a little more time on the campaign trail representing themselves and the millions of Americans who believe that limited government, strong national defense, free enterprise, individual liberty, and traditional values are not only the Foundation of, but the future for the Great Republic.
Cheers,
Charlie
5 comments:
Great piece CP. And some fascinating ideas. You make a strong case for a three party system. Whether it will ever becaome a reality is another question, But we can hardly argue with your logic.
Quite right, Charlie. Could this be the party we need?
http://www.constitutionparty.com/
My Dear Roger,
As always, we thank you for your gracious support. We realize the anecdotal impracticality of some of which we speak. Nonetheless, the idea is worth serious discussion as you have indicated.
To that end - Mr. Anonymous - fascinating link! Thank you. We have been made aware of a similar effort: The American Conservative Party
http://www.americanconservativeparty.org/
Again, no way to tell to what degree any of these will connect with the general electorate. It would seem,however, as we have said, the time is ripe.
Cheers,
Charlie
Never before have so many...done so much...to so few...for so little, but...that's just WifeyWu and moi's experience in the wretched human CULTure.
Stay on groovin' safari,
Tor
Great article, and once again syndicated over at NeoConstant. Thanks for your insightful eloquence as usual. I take heart that there are Conservative voices outside of America willing to speak out against defeatism in the West!
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