Posted by
flagwaver on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:27:11 PM
In the past few years we conservatives have tagged any member of the GOP that did not hold traditional Republican positions as RINOs...Republican In Name Only. We have called John MCain a RINO for his co-authoring the McCain-Feingold Incumbent Protection Act, we have called Lindsey Graham a RINO for his rabid support of the Bush immigration sell-out, and we have called Olympia Snowe a RINO because of her liberal leanings on nearly every major issue. And at the time, I thought we were right, but now I realize that we were wrong.
They're not the RINOs here, we are. The conservatives are the New RINOs, as strange as that sounds; but just roll with me a few moments and you'll see where I am going.
The thing that I hear most conservatives at Townhall complaining about when it comes to the GOP is that the Party is moving away from the conservative principles that have sustained it for most of recent history. There has always been a strain of moderate to liberal influence in the GOP, but generally the Party has always know that it's strength lay in the conservative base of the Party. So when push came to shove you could always count on the Party taking a stand with the base and promoting conservative principles and policy ideas.
The apogee of conservative principle in the GOP in recent years was in the Reagan years, when Ronald Reagan embodied the ideals that conservatives most identify with. He was strong on defense, he was a fiscal conservative, he believed in "American exceptionalism", he was a proud patriot, believed in limited government, and he was able to reach across the aisle and bring in the so-called "Reagan Democrats" to the GOP. In so doing he was able to put together a sweeping victory over Jimmy Carter in 1980, and absolutely crushed Fritz Mondale in 1984. The Party was riding high and conservatives were eagerly pointing out the fact that as much as Reagan's personal appeal had to do with his victories, it was also a validation that conservatism can win---and win big---when honestly presented to the American people.
But it seems that after Reagan left office in 1988 his conservative principles were left behind by the GOP. It seems that what they learned during the Reagan years was not that conservatism wins, but that reaching across the ideological aisle was what accounted for Reagan's victories. Now, it was natural that George H.W. Bush would be the GOP nominee in 1988, since he was the sitting Vice President of one of the most popular Presidents in the history of the Unites States. But what was telling about H.W. Bush was that while he talked a good conservative game he was the walking definition of a "moderate". Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm made him look like a conservative on national security, but a closer examination of what he set out to accomplish...the very limited objective of expelling the Iraqis from Kuwait...and his reliance on UN resolutions for justification should have sounded the alarm. And if that did not do it, then his quick flip flop on his "no new taxes" pledge should have had the hackles standing on the backs of conservative necks. But, hey we were winning elections so we let it slide.
But the real show of how far the GOP had shifted from the conservative principles of the Reagan heyday could be seen in the people that the Party pushed for, and secured the nomination of, in presidential races. We have seen such moderates as H.W. Bush in 1992, Bob Dole in '96, and now the two terms of the "compassionate conservative" from Crawford, Texas. And now the powers that be are pushing Rudolph Giuliani as the "front runner" in the primary process, because he is "electible"...even though he is as liberal as any Democrat candidate running on the other side. But his is who the Party establishment longs for to run in the '08 elections against the presumptive Democrat nominee, Hillary Clinton. There is not a real bit of difference in their attitudes towards homosexual marriage, gun rights, or abortion on demand nor is there much difference in their rhetoric as it relates to national security matters. Yet the GOP power brokers continue to push Rudy on us as if he is a savior.
And sadly, the rank and file of the GOP has bought into all of the Rudy talk, and the Hillary scare tactics. Anyone that dares voice their concerns about Rudy's lack of conservative credentials is summarily shouted down. Anyone who says that their conservative principles will not allow them to vote for Rudy Giuliani is accused of supporting Hillary,and is being told that they have no place in the GOP.
And those voices are right, to a great degree. We conservatives have watched, almost helplessly as our beloved Party has drifted ever leftward in a vain attempt to get the center. We have watch as our Party leaders have started to act like drug addicts chasing the high of electoral victories and political power no matter the cost. We have seen the Party prostitute itself to push a "comprehensive immigration reform" package that would have essentially erased the idea of our national borders...just to court the Latino vote. We have watched as the Party spent our money recklessly, in an attempt to buy votes from senior citizens with a Medicare prescription plan that even the AARP didn't want. And we have seen our views trivialized, marginalized, and demonized by the very Party that we have so staunchly supported over the years.
You see, in this new GOP we conservatives are the true RINOs. We do not subscribe to pure Republicanism, but instead we hold true to out conservative principles...no matter what. We may not always agree on every issue, but what we can agree on is that our principles must come before Party loyalty. And as the Party has moved ever leftward in seeking the middle, all the while knowing that to get to the center they will have to move away from their roots, we have remained steadfast in our conservatism. And that has moved us put of the mainstream of the GOP and has made us the very thing that we always accused them of being...RINOs.
So you see conservatives, we are the new RINOs and it is nothing to be ashamed of. We have stood firm in what we believe and have not compromised simply for a chance to win an election; we know that winning with Rudy is the exact same thing as losing with Hillary.
So if anyone calls you a RINO, be proud of it because it means that you are willing to take a stand on what you believe. And if being this kind of RINO s wrong, then I don't want to be right!