Lonewolf Diaries: You Dumb Republicans!
by Steven CrowderYeah … I said it. Like many of you, I don’t completely subscribe to or submit myself to the doctrine of either political party. It’s proven to have been a great decision, considering how much failure the Republican Party has recently taken part in. Let’s be honest folks, this last election, our clock was cleaned. It made George St Pierre’s legendary dismantling of B.J Penn look like one of Biden’s daily strolls through Home Depot (he’s there “every day” you know). I think the Republican party is broken, and I’m asking you to please… Change my mind.
Even worse, is that so many Republicans refuse to acknowledge their mistakes and address them. For years now Republicans have ignored new media like the plague. “The arts, sitcoms, the inter-what now? Naaah we don’t need those. We’re too noble.” Really… Too noble to stop sucking?
For crying out loud, what will it take for the old GOP to smarten (and loosen) up? We need some good entertainment and quality creative arts coming from the Right. Do you know what single-handedly destroyed Sarah Palin this last election? No, it wasn’t her accent, the fact that she was Alaskan or even the terrible, Katie “God-Awful-Botox” Couric…. It was those cronies at SNL.
People were actually walking around parroting a line hand-fed to them by Tina Fey herself, completely unaware that Mrs Palin said nothing of the sort.
“I can see Russia from my house.” I’ll admit that it’s a funny line… It’s a comedic premise funnier than anything produced from the Republicans these days (Dennis Miller not withstanding), but a highly inaccurate depiction of what Sarah Palin said.
The common misconception among conservatives is that to use humor is to “make light” of something. Listen, you can address something with humor while taking the issue at hand dead seriously (as displayed by the chumps at SNL). “Comedy is a rubber tipped sword, allowing you to make a point without drawing blood…” Truer words were never spoken. Who said them, you ask? I can’t remember… Some broad.
Who else out there would like to see a sketch show with a more balanced approach? I know I would. Heck, who out there would love to see a comedy hour that does nothing but seamlessly move from one liberal-ripping session to the next? I find myself raising my hand as I type this.
Then… we have the Internet. Ah today’s great “Wild West”. The Internet is still new territory just waiting to be tamed. Only this time, it isn’t being pioneered by ruthlessly masculine cowboys with Colt revolvers and spurs, but pimply-faced “Green Day” Liberals with too much time on their hands and an axe to grind. Shame on you Conservatives for relinquishing such fertile ground!
Some conservatives have taken a liking to the “blogosphere.” Great! Nobody, aside from Conservatives themselves (and the obvious trolls) read them. What else have you got?
Conservatives (young and old) need to get out there and make themselves known. Start a Facebook group, post some conservative MySpace bulletins, create some YouTube videos! As long as you don’t perpetuate the negative, crazy conservative mother from “Carrie” stereotype, it’s all good. If we display a market for it, more content will have to be created.
The Liberal online bias has only been made more glaringly apparent throughout this past election. If I have to sign in to Facebook only to have Obama’s smug, little smoker’s face staring back at me ONE more time (with an ad listing his “147 IQ”), I’m going to knock somebody’s teeth out. Hopefully Matt Damon or Sean Penn will be in my general vicinity at said given moment.
The good thing is that we now know what the problems are. What are you going to do to fix them? Feel free to post your ideas/suggestions.
I have a weekly video column syndicated from my YouTube channel. I can’t tell you how eagerly I await the day where I am flooded with video responses from my conservative brethren. The same goes for Facebook, twitter and the rest.
It’s a brave new world… I hope to see you all out there (provided that you stop being so sucky).
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
140 Comments
I keep getting Paris Hilton with a message about her IQ being 120+ and it's really depressing. Not because I believe it (nobody believes that) but because she's not rotting underground after being torn apart by feral hounds.
You've got a point there, Steven. Except it sounds a bit silly to dis blogs on a blog.
But other than that, very good point.
We do have a great comedic show on TV, but it airs at 0300 EST. Red Eye with our own Greg Gutfeld is THE funniest show ever. The left's control of TV gives them the forum to label any right wing humor as hateful.
For crying out loud, what will it take for the old GOP to smarten (and loosen) up? We need some good entertainment and quality creative arts coming from the Right.
"…the liberal cliché that art ennobles." — Ben Shapiro
For crying out loud, what will it take for the old GOP to smarten (and loosen) up? We need some good entertainment and quality creative arts coming from the Right.
"…the liberal cliché that art ennobles." — Ben Shapiro
That's all you need to know.
Here in Arkansas both Barry (D) and Prior (D) last reelection was not challenged by Republicans. Prior did run against some lady from the Green Party, and she took 23% of the vote. I guess there isn't a Republican in the state who can "stand up to the scary Democrats".
It doesn't help though that Youtube is run by fairly liberal people that continue to remove conservative videos. (I have heard and seen this happen several times from people who are not connected to each other. They were also not as offensive as the "Kill George Bush" videos.
Facebook was also a great aid to Obama during the election in running ads for him and reaching the younger generation. There are also a lot of trolls that frequent these Republican groups and I personally don't want to deal with the headache of debating some of the morons who ignore facts.
I think the perception of most people is that the Republican is just filled with old white rich guys who are not "relevant" to things that are happening in the world. All of the "cool people" are Democrats but WE are the punk rockers…non-conformity, questioning authority and all that. Perhaps I should get a mohawk and dye my hair pink and green.
I'm not sure what exactly a solution would be other than Young Republicans standing up en masse…but I don't have a video camera to make awesome videos like you do. However I can support what you (and others) are doing by cheering you guys on and spreading the word.
I agree with most of your points Steven, but a few of my own…
1) After 2000 & 2004 there was panic on the left because the rascally REPUBLICANS were so much better at using the internet. The evil genius Rove was coordinating this conspiracy if I recall. We got virtually clocked in cyberspace this time around, but to some degree that's a motivation thing. Whichever side feels it's the insurgents will be the most motivated. That used to be us, and the signs are good it will be again by 2010.
3) I agree with all your entertainment oriented points. Re-taking the zeitgeist – part of it anyway – is critical. Parody is a VERY powerful weapon, especially with younger voters. With that demo it may be the ONLY way you have to get a message out. So some counterpoint to Hollywood, SNL, Letterman, Leno, etc both in broadcast and cyberspace is critical. Your YouTube bits are a great start and I recommend them to everyone I know.
Here's also what's wrong: a sort of "affirmative action" mentality among some on the right. They complain that there "aren't enough conservatives doing comedy/making movies/writing songs/etc." because of liberal bias.
Perhaps the obvious solution is to stop complaining and make our own, no matter how difficult things get…and whatever we do, we would have to make the product good, without sermonizing our beliefs.
Just my $0.02.
Hi Steven, your post is rather simplistic. Good conservative talent has to pass through the liberal promotion pipeline which is of course impossible. Couple that with the closet conservatives in Hollywood and you're right, we're toast.
Conservatives have 'given up' on the entertainment industry, thinking that it's going to change is Utopian. Obama is the first democrat president to get voted into office by a majority over 50% since Jimmy Carter and he's quickly educating people what those years were like.
While I agree with this post, I think we must also keep in mind that the end game here is putting conservatives in places of political power. The conservative movement is nothing without faces in politics. Remember, Obama's success was largely about the packaging, not the product. People like Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal represent a new generation of conservative politicians, and they are the kind of individuals we need to get behind. They break down the stereotype of the old white male Republican without compromising conservative principles. It's practically a crime that Republicans throw Palin under the bus and allow Jindal to sit in relative obscurity.
Well, for starters, conservatives can support conservative culture. For example, the new Reagan documentary "Rendezvous with Destiny" has just been released, along with a great short film "22 Weeks". There are conservatives doing great work in Hollywood, such as Andrew Klavan, JJ Abrams, David Zucker, and, I think, Peter Jackson. "Fireproof" is a great new release. "The Nefarious" will be released this fall. If conservatives take the initiative to support conservative culture, it will flourish, even during times of liberal oppression. Perhaps especially during times of liberal oppression.
Liberals use this tactic mercilessly. Oprah and the harpies of The View praise noted liberals as "sexy". Rolling Stone magazine endlessly hyped Kanye West after he told the world that George Bush hated black people.
I don't mean that conservatives should blindly hype their own like liberals do. Citizen Kane is one of the greatest movies ever made, and one reason for that is how it portrayed how Kane tried to use his position of influence culture (maybe someone should make a list of the greatest classics). But conservatives should at least try to be more aware of conservative culture, give it a chance, and offer constructive criticism of those conservatives who are trying to make a difference.
Thanks to Andrew Breitbart for volunteering to be on the front lines.
Steven, pretty much everything you are asking for comes in a neat little package called "Ann Coulter". That is why the libs so viciously relentlessly demonize her — because they see the threat to their pwn of the culture.
If any of you think you are genuinely from the Republican Wing of the Republican Party, I implore you to force yourself to read her weekly essays and at least two of her books. I guarantee you will see her in a faaaaar better light than her liberal created reputation suggests.
Whoops — meant to say her essays are at http://www.AnnCoulter.com
Ed H.
I hear ya! We have seriously missed the internet, comedic boat. If we want to compete we need to get with it! The good news is—we are the new opposition party. The libs are too mainstream. Youth is always on the side of the unpopular. There is nothing worse than conforming…lets give them something appealing to strive for.
She will change your mind. http://www.PiaVarma.com
I agree with Ed H. what about Ann Coulter…She provides every element this thread is begging for
as for comedic routines…have you ever listened to Rush. He and Paul Shanklin have a thousand of em. Each one funnier than the last
Ann Coulter and Michael Moore are the same person but coming from different angles. They're equally ineffectual because they're equally demeaning, abrasive and idiotic.
Except that Moore is a liar and Coulter tells the truth.
Anyone who thinks Ann Coulter and Michael Moore are the same person coming from different angles probably thinks Rosie O'Donnell is someone to follow. People who lack the ability to weigh, evaluate and think are demeaning.
As for Steve, please stop. Its like asking mice to play court to the cat kingdom in expectation of being anything but a meal. The GOP eeds to develop their own media sources and demonstrate the bankruptcy and corruption of the MSM.
I have been arguing with many of my conservative contemporaries your points for some time now. All i get is Nahhhhh. Frankly conservatives need to take a couple pages from the Ron Paul and Democrat play book. Okay so what ABC, NBC, CBS is in the tank but with internet groups and youtube vidiots to start, the net is a great place to start and change the culture. Oh and the politicians need to talk with those in the groups and not just talk at. My dos centavos and I am sticking to it.
Quite Right! Ann terrifies the Left.
Hmmm….a LOTR's with Ann as Galadriel and Rush as Tom Bombadil and Sarah as Eowyn….maybe Iowahawk can write it.
I can't see your point. Liberals are consistently long suffering and sour. They cant take back talk. They cant wait to get rid of Limbaugh et al with the so called Fairness Doctrine. Usually conservatives are upbeat and cheerful. You are not going to see that in a TV sitcom. The media wont allow a conservative in a studio or a sound stage. Your dour view of the election is wrong too, We lost —and not by a wide margin with a very weak candidate. We had bad luck when the economy faltered—and damn if we didnt sit there and take the blame for Barney and family screwing up the Mortgage industry. Mc ain is no conservative!. The senate wouldn't have the needed majority without 3 or4 RINO's that need to be in the other party.
The house can turn over easy–if we can get a leader comparable tp Newt. Maybe unlikely but not impossible. We can come back, but not by being them. We need to have good cheer. Play fair. Also fight like hell
The key to winning back culture is to be better than the liberals. Write better movies, be funnier, etc. And it can be done too. I just finished re-watching 3:10 to Yuma, and the entire discussion when Crowe's character offers Bale's character more money than Bale could hope for if he'd just turn aside gets right to the heart of culture. How does a postmodern liberal who doesn't believe there is such a thing as truth, who believes morality is relative, deal with Bale's decision? (I won't ruin it for those who haven't watched it.) This is the kind of thing that we need to do.
Conservatives have the talent, and reality is basically conservative. We need conservatives to write realistically, without being preachy, focusing first on a good story. That's how liberals won the culture. They didn't win it by being preachy–that's what's turning people off.
But I also think we have to have conservative commentators who will point out the conservative nature of reality too. The two go hand in hand. You need to feed the mind as well as the heart.
We need a replacement for Hollywood.
Also, I and I expect a lot of other conservative artists are trying, but its like marginal tax rates. You drop the rates, and all the pent up energy of a thousand enterpreneurs gets unleased and you have the Computer/Reagan Revolution. And this creates a virtuous circle where people spend full time working on the Computer, and thus things get better rapidly, and that feeds back, and things get better even faster. And then something like Silicon Valley happens where there is a ton of really smart, motivated people, and their support network all working to the same end, and then things get really smoking fast.
Maybe you, Zo, and Iowahawk could sit down and have a meeting with Joel Surnow. Make a teleplay of a pilot sketch comedy show that's not necessarily conservative or christian in theme, but takes on all sides. Perhaps you could get it on FX. Just for godsake make it funny. I dont think I could take another American Carol disappointment.
Well, a lot of conservative arts types are stuck in the equivalent situation of those brilliant would-be entrepreneurs before the Reagan Tax Cuts. Its basic economics, you make something cheaper and easier to do, and you get more of it. You give the art guy a bit of money, and he has more time to do art so he gets better faster. Others join him, and everyone learns from each other. Consumers get educated and spend more and are more discerning of quality, and more aware of offerings.
Great points Steven. One of the problems I've seen is that the Republicans who go into politics tend to be a bit strange. LOTS of the staffers on the hill are the type who honestly do like brag about not watching television or movies. It's got to become unacceptable to conservatives to declare yourself proud of living in a bubble. Further, I would suggest:
1. Don't rely on people like Coulter and Rush to promote the party. I love them both, but they're entertainers first, and their primary goals are profit related — not political. Also, keep in mind that they are considered damaged good by the left and middle.
2. Conservatives need to learn to start talking up in public. Too many conservatives will sit silently as their friends and coworkers blabber stupid liberalisms unchallenged. By not speaking up, you abandon other conservatives who might be willing to speak up and you give these liberals cart blanche to spin their cr*p.
(continued)
3. Culturally, conservatives need to do two things. First, make sure that anything you write/direct/produce etc. conforms to conservative values, but without calling it a "conservative" piece. You don't have to say, "I'm a Republican" to demand that there be a positive father role-model in the piece. Moreover, the fact that conservative values are suddenly showing up as acceptable will start to re-balance the culture. At the same time, conservatives should put out openly conservative projects to draw the fire of the left. Not only does this draw clear lines, but it allows the more subtle work to go unnoticed.
Finally, I would talk to someone like Fox News and ask them to become a real news source. Partner with the Washington Times (which does real investigative journalism) and people like John Stossel (who does great debunking of liberalism) and start adding substance. Right now they're nothing more than a wire reading service with right-leaning readers.
. Perhaps there is a Conservative Arts Revolution waiting to happen. The question then is, what can be done to smooth its way?
____One answser is a replacement for Hollywood, but there are other answers.
Can I add, that I'm really frustrated by what I see in the Republican Party on this issue. When you raise these issues you get (1) blank stares, (2) comments about how cr*ppy or Godless the culture is, followed by rosy nostalgia, or (3) comments on how everything is fine, it's better for the Republicans than most people realize.
You're not gonna get anywhere with any of this. You're not going to get proper "conservative" artistic or entertainment inroads until the "conservative" movement in this country ceases to be dominated by that which cannot comfortably exist near either: You want to get something like this going, step ONE: kick the Social Right to the curb. Stop starting fights with the gays. Stop supporting morality-police jerkwads like Brent Bozell. Find a Supreme Court precedent to rail against that isn't Abortion. Let the superstitious gobbledygook go be it's own thing, and take it's adherents with it. Refocus. Become the party/movement of individual liberty, small government and lower taxes. THEN, maybe, you'll produce some art and/or entertainment worth a damn.
CONTINUED:
What "The Right" just doesn't want to accept is that they're half-married to an ideology that has no future prospects. The modern West is every day becoming more and more a post-fundamentalist society. NOT "post-Christian," NOT "post-religion," post-FUNDAMENTALIST. Most of America calls itself "Christian," but most churches struggle outside of Easter and Christmas. How many people do you know who call themselves "Christian" but actually LIVE by it. I mean REALLY. Religion in the modern world has become, and will continue to become, something many people are "into" and a minority takes too seriously, like Star Trek. Morality in the modern world is a pleasant idea, something like a Hallmark quip. Like it or not, that's the world – the logical evolution of societies with fewer and fewer unknowns to explain away with superstitions. You adapt, or you fade. The Religious Right has outlived it's usefulness, such as it is – it's a solar-powered car in a sunless world.
Stephen, grow a pair and take a side. Grow up or go back to Canada, where, I'm sure, you'll enjoy all the love Mark Steyn has felt.
Stop for God's sake using the word Republican. We need to "Move on.org" and call people what they are: conservatives or marxists.
I do agree: Stop going for the "high road." That got McCain real far, now didn't it. Noble got us how far?
Getting into heaven doens't mean we have to roll over and watch our wallets drained like the uterus of a lefty actress in an abortion clinic. Speaking of which, being noble didn't help save any unborn people either. Good job, my cowardly conservative homees. Obama's and the libs next move will be to de-prescribe RU-486 and make it OTC. Nothing like crapping on the 5th and 14th ammendments, or violating one of the more important one of the 10 commandments.
Libs only respect smart-assedness. They reject reality for what it is and substitute it with their own.
Time to slap them back to earth. Get away from the Bill Bennet high-mindedness. It's time to get Alinsky on Liberals.
Conservatives need to grow some balls.
Excellent points. Let me add that conservatives tend to feel bad when being rude, immature, cruel, insulting, or dishonest-liberals DON'T feel bad AT ALL being rude, immature, cruel, insulting, or dishonest. Conservatives tend to be like a deer in the head-lights when confronting illogical, irrational, and venomous ideas, while liberals are like big trucks with their brights on making road kill of conservatives!
We have decided to give what comes out to $13.00 a week to the RNC. Maybe with enough people giving this bit of money from the stimulus…It could add up to a huge amount… We could help build up the funds for the upcoming elections..
As to #1, I agree completely. I am amused by Ann, but see a lot of vitriol substituted for facts and reason. The list of the times she's "fudged" the facts to fit her argument is longer than one of her books. She also has a complete inability to defend her statements without getting defensive (and extremely shrill). If you want to see a devastating example of someone taking on critics, watch Mark Steyn or Newt take on reporters and commentators.
I'm frankly a little baffled by the Rush Admiration Society here. He's a decent talk show host, but his personal life is littered with examples of him not exactly practicing what he preaches. Additionally, I can't remember the last time when something he said or played made me laugh out loud. I think he's good at his job and often makes interesting points, but if he's what people are shooting for in the entertainment world, then we're not going to see change in the status quo any time in the near future.
Dennis Miller had a great idea for an SNL skit last week. He wanted the whiny pothead from the Obama town hall meeting to ask about Obama saving him from McDonalds, then to see Barrack come in wearing a Navy dress uniform, pick up Julio, and carry him out of the meeting ala Office & A Gentleman (complete with the cheering crowd screaming, "Go for it!"). Maybe we'll see another MadTV type show emerge where Conservative and Liberal ideas get used. I believe it would succeed wildly (and there is no shortage of starving actors and comedians who are far more concerned with their career than their politics, so there is plenty of talent available).
News Busters is a good example on how to convey conservative ideas with a comic tone. We have plenty of ammunition to fight the left, they are full of irony and double talk, and the leadership is laughable at best. If we can dominate talk radio, and dominate with Fox news being only 50% conservative and weak, we can get this internet thing easy.
It is a fight, but really how can liberals really be that funny or creative in pop culture, have you seen a happy liberal? They want the planet to freeze, they constantly tell minorities they cannot do it with out them, they protect animals and trees but not human babies, Sean Penn is their ambassador and they have no God, nothing that is greater than themselves, and when they fail themselves they have nothing greater to aspire to. Miserable.
As for your post-fundamentalist idea, liberal ideas are nothing but fundamentalist propaganda. Global warming is a religion that has been proven false, yet you laugh at a hay seed that loves God because there is no proof in religion. Your false religion has hurt this country like your romantic idea of communism and Godlessness has hurt so many millions around the world. And I know you have nothing to say about the Islamic fundamentalist that want to kill you!
It seems the era of fundamentalism is not dead, it is where it has always been, in liberal delusions.
[...] Big Hollywood placed an observative post today on Lonewolf Diaries: You Dumb Republicans!Here’s a quick excerptYeah … I said it. Like many of you, I don’t completely subscribe to or submit myself to the doctrine of either political party. It’s proven to have been a great decision, considering how much failure the Republican Party has recently taken part in. Let’s be honest folks, this last election, our clock was cleaned. It made George St Pierre’s legendary dismantling of B.J Penn look like one of Biden’s daily strolls through Home Depot (he’s there “every day” you know). I think the Republican party i [...]
The biggest complaint I have about the GOP is that the only guy to stick his neck out and attend a NAACP conference is John McCain? With all the true conservatives in the GOP it is John McCain that has the balls to face down that hostile crowd. As a black conservative I greatly appreciate that. As much sh!$ as I have to take for being a conservative it would be nice to see Mark Sanford, Jim DeMint, or somebody show up and express the benefit and neccesity of conservative values. 40+ years of failed urban policy and you can't get a Republican to go into the inner city and do anything? People in the inner city get to vote. The black vote alone tilting just 10 points nationally would make it hard for a Democrat to get elected to dog cacther much less Senator or Governor, yet the GOP has been absolutely feckleess while people like me argue conservative principles at the risk of fistfights…
Look, I agree that we need to grow a pair. But the notion that if we just take to the intertubes and make our voice heard all will be sunshine and pancakes is nonsense! I blogged about this in November of last year (http://tinyurl.com/bd4gwx) when Hewitt began banging the Twitter drum:
You can start all the Facebook groups you want. If the message isn’t there, no one will care. Complain about the inbred nature of the conservative blogoshpere, but we’re seeing the next generation of Right thinkers find their voices. The Bill Buckleys and Milty Friedmans of tomorrow are popping up on conservative blogs, and they’re the ones who are going to inspire conservatives to hang ‘em out there.
It seems unseemly for a party with bootstrapping at its core, but we need a hero. Not a web button.
i can be disturbingly vulgar when responding to liberals. if they start it, i can escalate in stages all the way to nuclear. but at some point when losing, they can always whine "sexist-classist-speciesist" etc. i can't offhand think of a conservative equivalent. they think this means they've won. it really just means they've stopped listening. argument over.
wow. spellcheck allowed "speciesist".
I have to agree especially with AndrewPrice's comment above about being proud of not watching television or movies. All that does is confirm the Left's view of conservatives as cultural philistines. Granted, the older I get, the less tolerant I am of the type of product that comes out of Hollywood. But too many people commenting on this site take too much pride in not having been to the movies in 20 years, or in throwing out their TV set. Again, I am not saying we should immerse ourselves in pop culture, but if we really hope to have any impact, there is no value in our ignorance of the arts and entertainment. And you don't have to limit yourselves to what's playing at the multiplex. Find an independent video store that has a wider selection than the local chain store, or go to the public library and check out films for free, or join Netflix, especially if you live in a rural area where the first two possibilites are not an option.
Some suggestions on films that depict conservative values and/or faith-based themes in a positive light: Babette's Feast, Cinema Paradiso, A Cry in the Dark, Tender Mercies, Hoosiers, Wit, Trip to Bountiful, A Man for All Seasons, Chariots of Fire, Shadowlands, The Lives of Others, Junebug, The Passion of the Christ. Even a film like Fargo is good for showing how the cost for our sin can lead to death.
I'm a life long Democrat and mostly liberal, though not the type of liberal described on many websites and Fox. I don't smoke dope, kill babies, swap my wife or hate God. I think I'm like most Republicans in that I want a good future for my family, hope to stay employed, would like to not die in a nuclear explosion or a crashed plane. You make some valid points that go both ways about trying to find someone to debate from the other side without the discussion falling into vitriolic name calling.
I think the reality is, while on the whole we share similar concerns about our country, we just disagree 180 degrees on the best way to move forward. I'm not sure that will ever go away. The world seems split almost 50/50 on how people view the world. It may be a permanent design in our DNA. This keeps anyone from ever controlling everyone. I live in one of the most conservative counties in America. I have many, many friends here.
But I still can't fathom why anyone would want to be conservative. Seriously. I don't understand conservative thought as a way to live my life. I understand there are moments to behave conservatively but not day in and day out. It strikes me as not living your life at all. Almost every great thing I can think of that man has created came about because of liberal thought, from the arts, medicine and even political systems that actually work.
While Jefferson, Adams and Franklin may be described to be personally different from Conservative to not so much, I would argue they were all liberal in their broad thinking of the possibilities that lay ahead.
For me, that is what seems to be missing in modern day American Conservatism.
I think more than "bad luck" was in play when the economy faltered. Yes we had terrible leadership on our side. But I heard on Limbaugh last week an audio clip from C-Span, from September 18th of 2008 I think it was, in which some House democrat admitted that what caused the sudden tailspin was someone pulled several trillion $$ out of the U.S. markets in the space of 2 hours, which helped lead to the collapse. Hence all the urgent cries of we have to "do this now" or we're doomed. I'm not much for conspiracies, but it would be worth investigating WHO pulled the money out and why. George Soros, anyone? Someone else..? Could it be the whole thing was manipulated to get the result we got? I don't know…
We need to do both. Embrace and support Conservative media and political figures. But a large part of the battle will be in the media. Washington may be the seat of power, but Hollywood is the seat of Influence.
Agreed. Washington may be the seat of power, but Hollywood is the seat of Influence.
Holy Hell. If you think the answer to Hollywood and Liberals is Ann Coulter…. prepare to spend a good deal longer in the desert. She virtually defines 'preaching to the choir' and has absolutely no influence outside of the echo chamber that eats her up like she's a Voice From on High.
But she sure does piss of Liberals! Well that's a plan that's going to take back the Culture and wipe Hollywood off the map. And doesn't it make sense that since she spends so must energy demonizing Liberals, they might just react in kind? And guess what, Ed. Most people are more then capable of reading Coulter for themselves and coming to conclusion she is a bad spokesman for the Conservative Brand.
MovieBob,
With all respect, Conservatism wouldn't BE Conservatism without the religious and moral influences you wish to so casually "kick to the curb". Seems to me you understand neither Conservatism, nor the very Foundations of our country. To assist you in that endeavor, an abbreviated history lesson follows:
“He is no patriot who undermines religion.” – George Washington
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” – George Washington
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams
"A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district – all studied and appreciated- are the principal support of virtue, morality and civil liberty." – Benjamin Franklin
"That Book (the Bible), Sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.” – Andrew Jackson
"The first and almost only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." (July 4, 1821) – John Quincy Adams
"The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty, is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind." – Benjamin Rush
"Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write, and above all, let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education." — Benjamin Rush, "To the citizens of Philadelphia: A Plan for Free Schools," March 28, 1787
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” – John Jay, First Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court
“It is the duty of all wise, free, and virtuous governments to countenance and encourage virtue and religion.” – John Jay, First Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court
“The opinion that human reason left without the constant control of Divine laws and Commands will give duration to a popular government is as chimerical (unlikely) as the most extravagant ideas that enter the head of a maniac.” – Noah Webster
“Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.” – Noah Webster
"Education is useless without the Bible." – Noah Webster
“The Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed. No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." – Noah Webster
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." – Patrick Henry
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." – Thomas Jefferson, 1781
Constitution of the State of Delaware: Art. XXII "Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust… shall…make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: "I, do profess faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
The Northwest Ordinance: "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." — signed into law by President George Washington in 1789, during the same time the First Amendment was written.
"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." – John F. Kennedy
"The frustrating thing is that those who are attacking religion claim they are doing it in the name of tolerance, freedom and open-mindedness. Question: Isn't the real truth that they are intolerant of religion?" – Ronald Reagan
“If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.” – Daniel Webster, 1821
and finally:
"Those people who are not governed by God, will be ruled by tyrants." – William Penn
"How does a postmodern liberal who doesn't believe there is such a thing as truth, who believes morality is relative, deal with Bale's decision?"
And yet here's a movie made in Liberal Hollywood by Liberal actors and producers, watched by countless Liberals all over the place…. and no one seemed to make this objection to the plot point. It's almost as if you're making an exaggerated over-generalization of the reality of how a group of people actually think.
And do you really think there's a lack of conservative commentators, or that nobody knows how to find them?
Anyone interested in…I don't know….trying to reconcile with Liberals and trying to understand they're point of view. Get a bit of compromise, work together so the two sides are hating each other? Anyone?
And the first person to say "Liberals dont care! They're not intersted so why should we be!" gets a pie to the face. You Righties claim that you're the 'better' side, how about show some decency and show Lefties how its done.
Some Lefties – myself included – wish to understand the other sides point of view so that we can co-exist and, you know, get along.
Anyway – I appreciate your thoughts and beliefs – but I would pose a question to you about the tolerent, enlightened Democrat Leadership we've had:__Woodrow Wilson – 2 Term Democrat President – WW I__FDR – 4 Term Democrat President – WW II__Harry Truman – 2 Term Democrat President – Korean Conflict__JFK – 1 Term Democrat President – Vietnam Conflict__And yet the Republicans or Conservatives are the War Mongers. And as for racisim – Dr. King had registered as a Republican and the Klan was a Southern group started to wage an insurgency against the Union soldiers still in the south after the war…..__
The point of these few facts is that when we're called the party that loves to kill and hate – it becomes difficult to remain calm at times when even our news instills these falsehoods. I am al for equality and peace – by the simple nature of Conservativeness it is expected. How hard it is to discuss these values with my children when they hear MTV, and the other outlets that are impossible to hide them from. My beliefs are that the militant aspects of the "right" are just panicking to try and protect their beliefs due to an overwhelming tide of counter information to certain VERY important facts and history.__I commend you for getting on here and being willing to discuss with some us your beliefs and to allow us to share with you also.
wow – i guess you need to keep comments down to 200 words or less? Kinda screwy process…..
"superstitious gobbledygook " – yeah that seems like a "Bob The Bridge Builder" comment. I guess the question would be why can't you let us keep our "superstitious gobbledygook " and try to curb your enthusism for "Do whatever you want with no accountability" cause it's fun mentality.
And pick a better Supreme Court precendent to rail against??? Based on those that choose that one – their beliefs are that babies are being killed – do you not have the depth to at least understand that passion regardless of your belief in it?
Wow!
The issue for the GOP was also the splitting of the votes between McCain and Huckabee in the General against Romney. Not that I'm a huge Romney person, but the General facts were just they were facts. And yes McCain was a pandering RINO no debate. And as far as a winning election – noone has done what Reagan did yet. That was a landslide like no other – done with Conservative Principals
What is missing in our WHOLE SYSTEM are across the board TERM LIMITS – top to bottom
McCain panders – plain and simple. This is a great group of Republicans http://www.nbra.info/
Yeah, you're right. It's the GOP's fault that they don't have show like SNL.
Wake up, Stevie: the GOP lost because the media – from the NYTimes to Tina Fey, were shamelessly shilling 24/7/365 for Obama – who despite his ideological flaws, is a very charismatic and likeable human being – and because the Rockefeller wing of the GOP nominated the most obnoxious RINO turd in the punchbowl they could find to run against him. Handicapping that race was like watching the Steelers play against a team from the Special Olympics.
And even with all that going for them, the other side only managed to eke out a 4% victory.
You wanna throw out hyperbolic phrases about "getting your clock cleaned", you might want to flash back to 1984.
If the appeasing fannykissers who represent the GOP in D.C. would quit running from conservatism, selling out their constituents, and dropping their pants for every left-wing reporter with a news camera, we might have quite a say about who wins next time out.
Getting a snappy sitcom doesn't even rank in the Top 100 Things To Do to make that happen.
McCain panders – plain and simple. This is a great group of Republicans http://www.nbra.info/ I infuriates me the blind following that the black community gives to the DNC. It is the hardest conversatin to have. People just are so blinded by the DNC (and family history) spin that it's virtually impossible. Keep up the good work Twine – you have a better chance and changing minds than McCain could ever have had.
McCain panders – plain and simple. This is a great group of Republicans http://www.nbra.info/
It infuriates me, the blind following that the black community gives to the DNC. It is the hardest conversation to have. People just are so blinded by the DNC (and family history) spin that it's virtually impossible. Keep up the good work Twine – you have a better chance and changing minds more than McCain could ever have had.
Congress is corrupt. But the liberal, socialist Dems are ahead in the no shame, pay no taxes, no laws are for me category.
Very well said. I bridle at the names thrown at the Right (many of them by former friends who I can't stand to be around anymore), even though I'm not a member of the Right. The hate spewed by so many on the Left (usually combined with massive arrogance) has pushed me further and further from the Democratic party I supported for most of my adult life.
Now you know what Reagan meant when he said, "I didn't leave the Democrat Party, the Party left me."
Interesting point. The funny thing is, I don't really care about smoking dope (at least not in moderation for adults), am Moderate on Pro-Choice, am Liberal on what adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms (oh I have stories….), but we can agree on not hating God. I probably share some of your dislike of certain Conservative opinions, but have to admit that I'm baffled anyone can not give Conservatism it's props on the things it does well. Strong military, medicine (sorry, most medical advances happen through Capitalism), lower taxes (which to a point will generate revenue, not lose it), and smaller Government (because I'm still waiting to be notified about a Government program controlled by a bureaucrat that works efficiently and fairly).
There are many things I like about the Left, but they are scattered and unfocused. Their advocates are often the very same people who say the most hate-filled, ignorant things imaginable. You get to a point where you just start shutting it out because of all the white noise. I'm the same person I've always been, but the Democratic party has moved so far to the Left, that now I find myself identified as Center-Right. If they could get away from victim hood as a policy platform, maybe I could listen a little more seriously. For now, most of the time I hear Liberals talk politics, I walk away shaking my head in disbelief that anyone can be so blissfully arrogant, while so completely uninformed.
BTW, you should add race equality to your list of accomplishments by the Right. If you check your history books, the Dems have been on the wrong side until pretty recently (and in my opinion, their policies further the oppression of minorities). You could make the argument I'm wrong, but coming from one of the most monolithic Democratic cities in the country (Chicago), it's hard to look at the crime, poverty, poor education, high taxes, and joblessness these people face here and find a way to blame George Bush for it.
I agree with you there are two fundamentally different world views. And from these views a polarity that affects almost everything ensues. Thomas Sowell wrote extensively on this in his book, A Conflict of Visions. You seem to have a different definition of Conservatism than I do and probably most people here. I am a Classical Liberal which in today's environment makes me "conservative". Your views as expressed here lean conservative.
By the way I am conservative and have done at least one of those things you disavow for yourself, I say this to emphasize that conservatism isn't a behavior, it is a world-view. Most here are conservative leaning libertarians (or vice-versa) So it does seem that you are assigning labels a bit broadly. As to Jefferson, Adams et al, they, by today's standards, would be considered racists, homophobes and bigots, and be considered by Progressives (which is what modern day "liberals" really are) the most vile of all conservatives.
These progressives want to move rapidly forward into their idea of utopia, and have been focusing on government to achieve their ends. Many believe this is fraught with unintended and unmanageable consequences, are lill-advised social experiments for which there is no precedent and no guarantee of success, have in the past proven counterproductive, and worst of all, rely on force to achieve the goals. These people believe they are enlightened and anyone who doesn't agree with them deserve to be treated like the neanderthals they are. This is NOT liberalism in the classic sense, because it does not honor individual freedom.
Ultimately labels have become, as usual, very deceiving. I personally try never to call Progressives or Leftists "liberal" because they are most decidedly NOT liberal in the true meaning of the word. Many conservatives, like myself, want to "conserve" true liberalism, because we are moving rapidly away from freedom of expression (especially political expression which is most important) and individual property rights and toward collectivism and government control all in the name of "helping people". This is very dangerous.
Coulter is no spokeswoman, but you are wrong to think that being nice to leftists will do anything. They and their assumptions need to be exposed for all to see, and when you see these leftwingers go nuts on Coulter they are threatened. She doesn't demonize them, she exposes them, and under the light of day they ARE demons.
They will pretend to discuss rationally any political topic as long as you go along with their world-views or assumptions, because they always win the argument that way. "Madam, we have already proven what you are, now we are negotiating the price" They will go ballistic if you question their fundamentals, which is what Coulter does. BTW so does David Horowitz. Anyone who really understands these people they see as their #1 enemy. What does that tell you?. PS I know because I understand them too, and it is NOT pretty.
I agree we have to speak out; a lot of what these people do is sheer intimidation. I pick my battles but I have learned to argue with them. My best strategy is to ask questions instead of make assertions. One also must understand that many of these self-righteous Democrats are not basing their opinions on rational thought but on belief. They have the whole culture of "cool" telling them they are cool to believe and conversely conservative are patently uncool. Why would they want to also be considered uncool? So you have to pick your battles.
Now that Obama is in it is a lot easier in this regard. Ask them about Afghanistan. Why is it important? If not why is Obama sending more troops there is he getting haliburton points too? Etc.
[...] Lonewolf Diaries – You Dumb Republicans – by Steve Crowder [...]
Yes this is a problem, and I used to agree with you but it is hopeless. The NAACP is a purely political organization even though it pretends otherwise. It is like the UN , a complete farce. McCain wasn't "sticking his neck out" either.
If he wasn't called a racist by these people he wasn't doing what you advocate They know all these concepts. They aren't stupid. They know Democrat plans destroy the black community, they just think they now can still do a better job and that near-term tactics will keep them in power so they can "help" people. They are tribalists feeding at the trough of tribalism and patting themselves on the back for all the sacrifices they are making on behalf of their people. They want to hang onto their power. They also have a psychological and political motivation to keep the strawman of racist Republicans alive. Whenever this view is threatened they change the game, as witnessed by what they did with Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas et al.
I no longer will get into partisan fights with people. I will argue only philosophy as it relates to politics. I keep stepping back to fundamentals and found it much more useful. I will not allow undefined labels and terms. But once you realize, as I have that most of the people in power positions are invested in their own cultish philosophy you take a different approach. They are not the people they pretend to be. Appealing to principals or practicality of proven social science with them is futile.
This is not a schoolyard squabble. These are ideas that are life and death and will lead down a path of freedom and prosperity or toward slavery and totalitarianism. I know what the left-wing point of view is, I hear it every day, I've studied it, and in the past have believed it myself. I have concluded that it leads to totalitarianism. If we keep compromising toward the road to totalitarianism, eventually we will be there.So I do not believe that compromise is a worthy method by itself
So how have you tried to understand the "other" point of view? The fact that you are here says something, but this is a thread about how conservatives can get their message out. What have you read? Have you come to any conclusions so far. And what are your ideas, any different than what we already know?
"But I still can't fathom why anyone would want to be conservative. Seriously. I don't understand conservative thought as a way to live my life. I understand there are moments to behave conservatively but not day in and day out. It strikes me as not living your life at all."
Until 9/11/2001 I used to be a brain-dead liberal in the narcissistic acting business, all that changed after I watched from the rooftop of my building the twin towers crumble to ash.
What attracts me to conservatism is the self-reliance lifestyle, the respect for the rule of law, the natural tendency towards reason rather than emotionalism and most importantly, the strength shown in the defense of our nation.
While a brain-dead liberal(life pre-9/11/2001) I must admit I was growing weary of the faux- lesbian crap the girls in the theater would act out as if they were something extraordinarily new agey, or when NOW embraced and defended a notorious male chauvinist pig who was getting his balls licked by an intern half his age, or tolerating some of the most vicious and hateful things coming out of the mouths of my gay friends and most of all, the constant contradiction of everything my liberal friends would say and do.
I found that life as a liberal was just being surrounded by liars with a smiley face.
I grew sick of the hypocrisy and like David Mamet, I am no longer a brain-dead liberal.
I would be, but after two long posts responding to yours (that both disappeared for no apparent reason), I give up. Welcome to the board, and good luck actually making posts. Evidently Andrew has put the guys in charge of McCain's campaign in charge of the Web site. This is about 10 in the last week that disappeared. Seriously, what's the point?
I would agree that most of the great things in life have come from classical liberal thought. Many conservatives are very supportive of classical liberalism. However, what is termed as liberalism today is about as far removed from classical liberalism as one can get. Today's liberalism is much closer to the progressive/socialism of the early 1900s, which had a lot of connections to social Darwinism and eugenics and such.
Nice of you to reveal your motivations in the closing paragraph, but I suspect that your lack of viewership has a lot to do with being self-absorbed, not to mention oblivious. No one reads Conservative blogs? Tell that to Dan Rather. Seriously, could you be any more oblivious? The only insightful point in this nonsense piece is the opening hook about the lack of conservatives in comedy, although that likely has much to do with the type of brain function associated with that type of creativity, just as in the opposite sense you don't see that many liberals in business. The Republican Party is not broken any more than the Democrat Party was in 2000, and you shouldn't be referring to the GOP as "our"s if you can't even find the courage to identify yourself as a conservative.
rush is not a perfect human.
he is a great spokesman however and to squander his talent , as you suggest, is just stupid.
Good points. I agree.
http://www.qubetv.tv/ Is the conservative version of Youtube. this won't be censored for content.
I referenced "a postmodern liberal who doesn't believe there is such a thing as truth, who believes morality is relative", didn't I? So why are you suddenly making an exaggerated over-generalization of my specific comment to refer to all liberals? Methinks you protest too much, Drew.
In other words, stop being Conservative and then you can get Conservative pictures done.
I agree, you always need to pick your battles — something that some of the most vocal conservatives often are not too good at.
On speaking out, my secretary is an interesting case. She's a Republican and won't even speak out to her friends, most of whom spout crazy liberalisms like they're written in stone. She said she hates it when they spout off. I asked, why she doesn't speak up. She said, "they know I don't agree with them" and "I can't change their minds any way." One day, she finally took my advice. The next day she came to the office, completely stunned, and said (1) her liberal friends honestly did not know she did not know she was a conservative (how could they if he never spoke up before?), and (2) one of her "liberal friends" is actually a conservative who never spoke up before because she thought she was alone. Within two weeks, the two of them had changed one of the liberal's minds on some of her most extreme issues.
I've run into people like my secretary my whole life.
I really enjoy Rush's show and he's a great entertainer, but he's not a great spokesman. First, no one on the left or middle gives him any credibility. The choir will respond to what he says, but the strip club owner won't even listen.
Also, Rush is an entertainer, not a politician. He only dabbles in politics. He mixes philosophy/policy with parody to come up with a few hours of fun — he's a more serious version of Dennis Miller. I love what he does, but he does none of the heavy lifting that politics requires and he faces none of the responsibilities/hard choices that politicians face.
I'm not talking about dumping Rush, but "stupid" would be relying on Rush to drive a political movement.
Thanks Bill.
I think one thing the head-in-the-sand crowd needs to consider is that if you say "it's all garbage," then no one takes you seriously when you start suggesting specific changes. Think about, "Oh, I hate green beans and won't eat them, but you should put more salt in your green bean casserole." And unfortunately, we've been tagged as being anti-culture, so we have an uphill battle to get back into this debate.
Yeah Drew, we all tend to smile just a bit when Liberal Movie Makers need to allow basic Conservative Principals to be unfiltered and played out in a movie – either due to the needed plot line or even by mistake – we relish it! HA!
And if you could do us all a favor and give us a list of ALL OF THESE CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATORS that you seem to be soooo aware of, we'd all like to look up your list! LOL!
Mind you; you can't include Talk Radio, or anyone who is or has been on FOX News…..but that should be easy for you because of your insight to ALL OF THESE COMMENTATORS! LOL!
Oh, and leave Elizabeth Hasslebeck off your list too – a 4 to 1 ratio may be what you consider fair, but anyone with half a brain sees the issue there……but I ramble…..go ahead……
"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains."
–Winston Churchill
The ages may be a bit different these days, what with kids taking SO long to grow up, but Churchill's quote still rings very true.
Unfortunately, that is human nature. It's like feeling your selection of an automobile is just a little better than your neighbor's, or believing your religion or rejection thereof is a superior choice. It is, in the end, arrogance coupled with a bottomless pit of fear. I have had to be self-reliant for as long as I can remember, since, say, about the age of six. While it may be comforting for liberals to believe that if we just act nice enough and make enough laws, we'll be safe and secure for a long lifespan, it only takes a single episode of having one's freedoms wiped out to convert most of them. Hollywood is a particularly secure and comfortable place from which to proclaim liberal notions (not classic liberalism by any means) but if real freedom of speech and expression were threatened, Hollywood would get religion real quick. It's happened before.
I could not agree more with your assessment and your "coming of age" story, and the reasons for it.The notion that a liberal just cannot fathom why someone would want to be a conservative seems to be growing in popularity. Witness the likes of Garafolo, Cher, and others maligning views other than their own. Where does it come from? A certainty that "they" are smarter and better than anyone else. "They" have it all figured out, have staked out the moral high ground, and anyone who doesn't fall into lockstep with "them" is beneath contempt.
Cjenk, why do you think we don't "understand" your point of view? It's thrown at us from Washington, from the main stream media, in movies, on television, in books, by idiots on the street, and from college professors. We hear your point of view ALL the time.
The liberals are the ones who don't understand our point of view because they characterize the few outlets for it as hate speech an they shout down anyone who tries to discuss it. Look at this board (which is by no way just conservatives). Almost every post contains liberals who show up and accuse the posters of being hate mongers, stupid, or racist or whatever else (not to mention the trolls who come on here an post fake racist posts).
I'm more than happy to discuss conservatism with you, if you're reasonable and willing to put all the vitriol aside.
""superstitious gobbledygook " – yeah that seems like a "Bob The Bridge Builder" comment. I guess the question would be why can't you let us keep our "superstitious gobbledygook " and try to curb your enthusism for "Do whatever you want with no accountability" cause it's fun mentality."
Why can't you keep yours and I keep mine, and we BOTH stop trying to force one another to act our way? Why should I curb my enthusiasm for ANYTHING? This is America. I'd never dream of forcing Christians not to be Christian, or tell them they can't live however they want. But they seldom want to extend the same courtesy to myself and others. I wouldn't force YOU to take, for example, TV preachers or whatever the modern equivalent of Davey & Goliath off the air… but Brent Bozell would do that me and MY slice of the popular culture if he could….
CONTINUED:
"You don't want your children exposed to sex and violence on TV," well, maybe I don't want my children exposed to superstition and/or anti-science on TV, maybe someone ELSE doesn't want his kids to see multiracial kids getting along on NickJr – tough cookie for all of us. It's a free country, let the market decide.
CONTINUED:__"You don't want your children exposed to sex and violence on TV," well, maybe I don't want my children exposed to superstition and/or anti-science on TV, maybe someone ELSE doesn't want his kids to see multiracial kids getting along on NickJr – tough cookie for all of us. It's a free country, let the market decide.
Personally, instead of term limits, i think from top to bottom it should work the same way as jury duty. Get that letter in the mail and you may have to spend 6 years in the Senate. If people aren't in politics to make a name or make a buck, we might actually experience some real change.
We need DEEDS now, not just words. Calling talk radio stations doesn't DO anything. Twittering and ranting in chat rooms about what's happening doesn't DO much. The only reason I’m posting this here is in hopes YOU, who are reading this, will consider DOING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL to change your government back to its Constitutional limits. To DO that, we need to strengthen and change the Republican Party back to its Reagan era strength. How do WE do that? The BEST way to strengthen and change the Republican Party into one that again clearly advocates conservative principles is to . . . drum roll . . . HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN ITS RANKS who accept, understand and advocate conservative principles. I'm not talking about just registering as a Republican, I'm talking about YOU, yes, YOU, who's reading this, not "the other guy," but YOU — becoming an A REAL, ACTIVE MEMBER of the Republican Party by becoming a real, live, functioning Precinct Committeeman. That's the bottom rung on the leadership ladder in the Party. By becoming a Precinct Committeeman, you get to ACTUALLY VOTE for the Party leadership. YOU GET TO CAST A VOTE FOR YOUR LOCAL REPUBLICAN LEADERS UP TO THE COUNTY LEVEL, AND THEN GET TO ELECT ELECTORS WHO ELECT THE STATE AND NATIONAL PARTY LEADERS. If those who accept, understand and advocate conservative principles become a majority IN THE PARTY RANKS, guess what? The Party leadership voted in will be those who accept, understand and advocate conservative principles. This just happened here in Arizona.
It's not hard to find out how to become a Precinct Committeeman. Do some googling to find your county Republican Party web site. Find out which Legislative District you live in. Find out when the next meeting of that Legislative District Committee meets. Then go to the meeting and tell the chairman you want to volunteer to be a Precinct Committeeman. You'll have to gather a few signatures to get on the ballot. Once the election comes around, you'll be elected. Meanwhile, volunteer to DO SOMETHING in support of your conservative values and principles WITHIN THE PARTY. You will be leading by example. Many of the moderates are moderates because they don't know how to think and be conservative. You can show them by your DEEDS.
Now get to it!
P.S. “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”
Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776, The Crisis.
I read How to Talk to a Liberal recently, and my eyes were opened. During the Clinton era, long before I was old enough to vote, I parrotted my left-of-center parents' thoughts. After seeing Coulter's facts, and not just the liberal media portrayal of the events as they happened, it reinforced my newfound conservativism.
The problem is Coulter's vitriolic way of expressing her thoughts. Someone above mentioned the liberal tendacy to resort to calling anyone who disagrees with them a fascist Nazi racist. Despite the facts in her books, Coulter does the same thing.
Steven, I think you're a pretty funny and insightful guy, so conservatives have that going. The problem with me seems to be that when a comedy show that's overtly conservative makes it to the airwaves, it seems to stink out loud (Half Hour News Hour, anyone?). I'm aching for something on TV that doesn't constantly belittle my beliefs, but I think the plain fact is conservatives just have to make a better product.
That may be too simplistic a view. AndrewPrice brought up a good point that conservatives don't seem to speak up about their views as readily as leftists.
Yeah, but we're trying to bring liberals to the light. These are people who think Moore is a genius and Coulter is an embittered feminazi.
We need Leave it to Beaver and the Andy Griffith Show and I Love Lucy. We need Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction, and The Cosby Show. We need a Middle Eastern version of Hogan's Heroes. We need shows with family values, shows with good role models, shows where people deal with personal and familial crises and come out on top at the end of the half hour. And we need them on the networks, at prime time.
It should also be said that conservatives need to appreciate the medium of film in and of itself, not merely as a tool to propagandize. Propaganda is what we get with "Rendition" and "Lions for Lambs" on the leftist side, and "Left Behind" on the conservative side. Both only preach to the choir, and neither one gains new converts for their side.
[...] He’s a comedian unafraid to make himself known as a conservative. And though young, he makes a wise observation: Some conservatives have taken a liking to the “blogosphere.” Great! Nobody, aside from [...]
I don't think we need to make "conservative" shows with a viewpoint… I mean that's what got the left dulled…
We need to make shows that are GOOD – regardless of the viewpoint.
Hit the nail on the head!
Before the Rushpublicans focus on the medium, maybe they should come up with a message that matters. McToast and Palin were jokes, especially McToast’s “When I said the economy was strong, I didn’t mean we weren’t in the worst crisis since 1929, I meant the American worker was lifting weights and eating healthily”. If not for the Dobsonistas holding sway over the GOP, McToast could have gone with Romney and at least hold a shred of economic credibility. Instead he went with the Moosiah, then had to spend the entire campaign holding her hand.
After 8 years of spending like drunken sailors at a whorehouse, does anyone believe Rushpublicans are suddenly fiscal conservatives? The GOP is down to the evanjihadists and the klan for their base. They used to be able to at least claim the leadership in areas like finance, morality, military leadership and national security. They, and their devotion to Bush, have lost them those issues for a generation or two.
Will the Rushpublicans become a marginalized party of hate or will they open their eyes and realize their base ain’t gonna get them elected for a long time. Demographics ain’t the GOP’s friend.
So far the Rushpublicans seem content to say hard astarboard and pay no mind to the icebergs. They’re only librul tricks.
I call myself a recovering Libertarian, but the fact is, there is no party that reflects my views. I would bet I’m in good company here on BH.
The Democrats are gone. There are no Kennedys or Trumans in the party anymore (save perhaps for Lieberman). They’ve either been driven out or
haven’t got the guts to stand up to the Socialists who dominate the party now. My suggestion for them is to offer a little truth in advertising. They can retain the word “Democrat” but need to put “Socialist” in front of it. Socialist Democrats.
As for the Libertarians, my former party; they’re batso. When a country is attacked as we were on 9-11, and the party platform as voiced by Ron Paul is DON’T DO NOTHIN’ ABOUT IT! then you’re asking for disaster.
Ask Libertarians what to do about the economy and they go into a riff on why we shouldn’t be in Iraq. Uh, that was almost SIX YEARS AGO. Let’s just accept that we went there and try to come up with a solution. We broke it; it’s ours. We gotta fix it.
The Republicans are just as tunnel-visioned. Ask them what to do about the economy and go off on abortion, affirmative action and gay marriage. Uh, guys. The barbarians are inside the gates. We can’t be worrying about whether Harry wants to marry Tom or the sixteen year old next door has an abortion. The fact is overturning Roe v Wade and Affirmative Action long ago became metaphors for returning women to second class citizenship and keeping blacks downtrodden. The issue(s) are no longer intellectual; they’re emotional. You are NEVER going to convince women and blacks that they should sign on to a party that (in their minds) threatens to disenfranchise them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, those of us who are social liberals and fiscal conservatives are watching our country go to hell in a hand basket while the social/fiscal liberals fight it out with the social conservatives/fiscal liberals.
If you still think you're fighting a culture war, you've already lost. It's an economic theory war, and the Rushpublicans are still polishing their catapults while the Dems are arming the cruise missiles. Try telling somebody who's job just disappeared how important it is that America needs defending from Janet Jackson's nipple ring and you'll figure this out.
even this web site is a good start. But most of us actually work for a living while those left-wing-nerds spend their entire loser lives on their computer.
MovieBob,
WHAT exactly are you being forced to do by the "religious right"? No one is forcing you to go to church. No one is forcing you to worship. No one is forcing you to pray. No one is forcing you to do ANYthing. You're not being threatened with death, stoning or ridicule. None of your rights are being taken away.
re: Abortion- we ARE trying to save lives. The lives of our most defenseless citizens. The ones our Declaration and Constitution say have an "inalienable right to life" which is "endowed by our Creator". If you can't embrace THAT, if you object to the Christian influences in this country….
Maybe we should reintroduce slavery into society seeing as Christians were the primary abolitionists. "I don't personally believe in slavery, but I support the rights of others to choose to own slaves."
Steven, I love your posts. But you could start by not calling us dumb. How about that. To start, we need to stop buying liberals premises. The premise that they rule the culture. Look at the movies that keep Hollywood in business…The Dark Knight, 300, Spiderman, are conservative movies made by conservatives. The majority of the public is conservative according to polling. Another survey showed that conservatives use the internet more than liberals. I love my conservative pals but to those saying "the culture is lost" or "the country is lost" stop it! Countries regularly throw off communist governments. Chavez will go down in coup some day. In this country, while we argue about the future of Republicans, the stimulus bill is rapidly turning people against Obama and Democrats as we speak. Let's just take this time to point that out to the people. Maybe a list of "My Favorite Conservative Media Sites" (or something catchier) would be a better post next time Steven.
How many of these were religious fundamentalists? Post -FUNDAMENTALIST. Get it? Thomas Jefferson was a Deist–Christian, but not fundamentalist. It's an important point.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their (not 'our') Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…"
The question of the status of abortion doesn't seem to be in there.
But, what if it is in my beliefs that my Creator places the soul into the child with it's first breath(a Christian belief, BTW)?
It's all in how you look at it.
But some people see having a baby as destroying the woman's life, and others see abortion as murdering the baby. Everyone knows pro-lifers want no one to have abortions. However, pro-choicers, and an increasing number of liberals who might or might not have an opinion on the issue, look at a pregnant lady who has children with disgust. My wife experienced this repeatedly during her recent pregnancy (our second child). The dirty stares were most often in parking lots, from people with "My other car is a birkenstock" bumper stickers.
Why don't you run for office? The black community (If I, a wasp, can even use that term) needs good role models-the kind of person Bill Cosby got shot down for mentioning. The United States needs more Larry Elders and Bill Cosbys. Heck, it needs more Juan Williamses and Mark Lamont Hills. They may be liberals, but at least they can articulate why the believe what they believe. More than I can say about most liberals I know.
Nothing wrong with that except that Larry Elder is not a liberal.
I'd say sexuality isn't the problem. It's treating people with respect, which is hard to do when we're being compared to the dregs of humanity. Apparently the "do unto others" doesn't extend to attitudes towards gays.
Gays can be jerks. But so can members of any other group and no one would dare take their rights away citing the man-made Bible as justification. Just because that one guy you mentioned insulted a grieving mother does not make him spokesman for a whole group.
No Mormons are being frogmarched to the gas chambers. The gestapo was a government organization. These actions were the reactions of a people who have been scapegoated for too long and are not going to take it anymore.
And for the record, even though the laws and societal attitudes that affect gays affect me, too, I feel no sense of "community" with other gays. Things like pride parades (when we should be out in the street marching, not partying in our underwear) and Folsom Street Fair plays right into the hands of the 700 Club. It is embarrassing. And the day that every gay organization repudiated NAMBLA was a great day.
William F. Buckley made anti-semites persona non grata in the conservative movement, and who will do the same to the homophobes?
But back to the topic at hand, the left's agit-prop movies, TV shows, plays and music are quite simply lousy pieces of work. We don't need lousy agit-prop for the right.
Tuttle
"WHAT exactly are you being forced to do by the "religious right"?"
It's more what I, and others, are being prevented BY FORCE from doing. My homosexual friends, for example… well, read a newspaper on that one.
"re: Abortion- we ARE trying to save lives."
You're trying to save what you BELIEVE to be lives, and as that goes you've got precisely the same level of real-world righteousness as PeTA. Nothing against the belief of either of you, and I've nothing at all against y'all protesting and handing out leaflets and however you wanna spend your time… But when you tell me your going to pass laws so that I CAN'T go to KFC, or that my girlfriend/wife CAN'T have an abortion, then we're gonna have a problem.
Des:
A parent can't protect their child from everything, so there has to be some rules. Granted there is considerable disagreement about where those rules should be drawn, but there have to be rules.
There IS a rule: You can't strap someone (or their kid) down and FORCE them to watch, hear, read, whatever ANYTHING they don't wish to. Beyond that? Hey, nowhere does it say anyone has the right to NOT see or hear something if it's just "out there." I have very little sympathy for people who ask for artists, entertainers, their respective industries etc. to "curb" themselves to make it easier for them to control the flow of info to "the children." Sorry, no. With the MOUNTAINS of protections, pills and procedures available out there… sorry, nobody forced you to have a kid; so the responsibility is yours alone.
could use.
Natural Selection is a beautiful thing, when you let it work.
Des:
A parent can't protect their child from everything, so there has to be some rules. Granted there is considerable disagreement about where those rules should be drawn, but there have to be rules.
There IS a rule: You can't strap someone (or their kid) down and FORCE them to watch, hear, read, whatever ANYTHING they don't wish to. Beyond that? Hey, nowhere does it say anyone has the right to NOT see or hear something if it's just "out there." I have very little sympathy for people who ask for artists, entertainers, their respective industries etc. to "curb" themselves to make it easier for them to control the flow of info to "the children." Sorry, no. With the MOUNTAINS of protections, pills and procedures available out there… sorry, nobody forced you to have a kid; so the responsibility is yours alone.
"Why can't you keep yours and I keep mine, and we BOTH stop trying to force one another to act our way?" Alrighty then – I gues we've solved one issue. Marriage was between a man and a woman FIRST – we win! yippee!!!
It is one Christian belief. The more traditional Christian belief is that "ensoulment" happens at conception. Beyond that, the AMA long ago declared their stand that life begins at conception. Medical science has put that one to rest.
The real issue is not "status" (is it human?), but "location". Is it inside or outside the womb? Ahhh, but what if the child cannot survive outside the womb? Well..the womb is life support. Just as a submarine is life support for sailor or a spacecraft is life support for an astronaut.
"Why can't you keep yours and I keep mine, and we BOTH stop trying to force one another to act our way?" Alrighty then – I gues we've solved one issue. Marriage was between a man and a woman FIRST – we win! yippee!!!
"let the market decide" (regarding TV, but we can't allow Roe V Wade to be put to the states for voting)
"Let the Christians be Christians, the Jews be Jews, the hedonists be hedonists, the bunnies be bunnies, and so on. " There are no Conservatives I know or religious people that have a plan to FORCE gay people from being gay (with the exception of a small amount of freaks with no real voice)…..so again what are you not allowed to do? And more importantly, tell me where else on this Earth you feel is a better place to live regarding individual freedom?
Your points at a time when Obama is moving to capture the Census, restrict/regulate gun ownership, has abolished Welfare Reform (put in place by Clinton), etc.
Your passion for your thoughts is clear – but the blanket examples are very thin and don't add up….
Ummm…also…"among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
The right to life. Doesn't that kinda cover it?!
Thanks for the great comments.
Blessings to you, sir.
What a typical shortminded view of the bigger picture. However your association to Obama and the Democrat Leaderships ramming these spending bills down our throats is very much like a Cruise Missle compared to the catapults that the Republicans have tried to use – your right and we'll see the large Democrat Explosion from those cruise missles – Most of the Republican and/or Conservatives you know today were from Democrat Familes and backgrounds during Carter's Era – they came running to Conservative Principals after that debacle – and Obama is already starting off more crazy than Jimmy ever did! So this will indeed end as an economical/theory war…..and when the glitter weras off of this Obama Ball we'll see where people go…..
Dude – I can tell you why – they're afraid of being labeled racists. But you know what? They're not.
The irony is that LIBERALS created a new kind of slavery – slavery to the state.
Whites feel guilty. I think it comes from the years of being told Whites made Blacks slaves, and that's bad, and since you're white, you must be bad because Whites were slave owners.
This begs the question on why Americans are so bad with their history: how many White people today had ancestors who were slave owners? Not many.
Many of us Whitefolk fled Europe because of the Fuedalism that still existed in some of the places we fled.
No, I've had plenty of agruments with Black people and it's tough. As much as whites have been goaded into believing they're responsible, many of the people I argue with have been goaded into the victim mentality too.
We have to start chipping away at it a piece at a time.
Conservatives: grow some balls.
Jake, I get what you're saying. Conservatives have to engage with the culture. I would say that art should strive to ennoble, but I'd disagree if you're claiming that all art necessarily does.
"There are no Conservatives I know or religious people that have a plan to FORCE gay people from being gay (with the exception of a small amount of freaks with no real voice)…..so again what are you not allowed to do?"
Nice try. Seeking to artificially engineer the evolution of the society to make it more difficult for homosexuals to get by or find acceptance is merely a back door (yes, yes, get it out of your system) way toward forcing them to "act proper."
"And more importantly, tell me where else on this Earth you feel is a better place to live regarding individual freedom?"
That is neither more important or even a worthy argument, frankly. That the United State is the greatest and most-free of nations doesn't mean it has no room for improvement.
As for President Obama, so far I have about the same amount of agreement and disagreement with him that I had with Bush at this point in the "reign." I spent eight years under a "republican" President who believed in massive government expansion and was opposed to me at all turns on social policy. Will a "democrat" who ALSO believes in massive government expansion but agrees with me "socially" be better? Time will tell.
Sturgeon's Law: "90% of EVERYTHING is crap." It includes human beings. If you cut everyone group you find one or even a legion of morons within, you're gonna be one lonely person.
It's funny how you feel that your gay rights have been surpressed from a time when they were common place:
"Seeking to artificially engineer the evolution of the society to make it more difficult for homosexuals to get by or find acceptance "
To make it MORE difficult????…..when has it been easier than today? You are an emotional person that is for sure.
My question about your prefernce of residence is brought up by the constant unhappiness that you seem to share regarding all that is wrong this country through your cracked rearview mirror. Some would say the glass is half full buddy.
And based on your dribble and closed mindedness – it is simply laughable that you would condem my comments as "neither more important or even a worthy argument" is yet one more example of the self emposed eliteism in you and many like you.
And you say Obama has the same Social Policy that you agree with? Do you mean like his opposition to Gay Marriage? Or is it his support for late term abortions? Perhaps his views on flag pins is more to your way of thought – you don't strike me as a flag person – call me silly.
Yeah yeah – the tolerant left and folks like MovieBob "Making excuses and blaming the country for decades"
I have always been open minded to what folks want to do with their lives – but based on the hypocrisy show by the Gay movement in California and Utah after the voters made a choice – I feel more militant against you now. What I saw were people who disregarded what the voters said and marched and boycotted Christian Orgs/Churches. Never did I see any groups outside a Mosque.
At a minimum , Christianity does not approve and they tell you, "Shame Shame!" – but they don't think that beheading or hanging homosexuals is acceptable the way a majority of Muslims do. There are actually Fatwas that are currrent around the world that dictate that Homosexuals should be killed without trial or question. Hell, I've even seen footage of two guys being brought to the gallows in Tehran on Live Link (I think – may have even been Youtube) And what does the group do? They go bash and protest a bunch of Mormons in Utah!! What the Huh?!?!?
Hope and Change for some serious COMMONSENSE!
That vote should be disregarded, as it was nothing more than mob rule (i.e. Democracy), funded by lies and distortions.
Which group raised more money for Prop H8? The Mormons. They got run out of three states for this kind of behavior. I think that most of the gay activists showed great restraint (but a lousy ad campaign). It was only a few people who got out of hand and did something stupid.
I know the problem with Muslims. However, that's being dealt with by the military in something called the War on Terrorism, which is at its core a war against religious fanaticism. Yet we're supposed to sit idly by when another group of religious fanatics threaten us? Just because they are not using bombs or beheadings does not make them any less of a threat.
Lies and distortion are your opinion – Based on your thought process then I want Obama thrown out – he went back on his word to use Public Financing and then resulted in raising the most moeny thatn any other Candidate ever – that being said it was also mod rule funded by lies and distortion. Your accertion that a vote that did not go the way you wanted it to go was mob rule is shallow at best.
Anyway – I'm sure you are also one (or many in your group) who were or are against the War and Bush – yet now you pick and choose to fit your current desire and yet you don't protest Mosques in the US….why is that? I think we all know why – it's because of cowardice, plain and simple.
And again, the War on Terror does not address the Radical Islamic methods that would be or are used here in the United States. i.e. The guy in Michigan who just beheaded his wife. Or those here who are against Homosexuality like Sharia Law.
If you truly feel as strongly about your lifestyle – stop blogging and go protest those that would gladly kill you due to your chosen lifstyle – those in a Mosque. The Majority of Muslims are not Terrorists, but the Majority of Terrorists are Muslims.
Wow Franco, great explanation! I just wrote about Thomas Sowell's book on my blog. I suppose there are two meanings for the word liberal, in the classical sense and in the modern sense. I've been using liberal to mean the left-leaning political viewpoint, without ever thinking it was a problem. I think when people use it others understand it in the modern sense anyway; however, you are right that they have hijacked this word from its original sense and claimed to be so much for freedom and personal liberty while conservatives aren't. Quite the contradiction in some aspects nowadays!
Hi Des,
My brother and I started a blog about conservatism for young people, trying to portray it in a hip and relevant way to our peers. It is in its early stages and we plan on expanding it by doing YouTube videos and adding non-intellectual conservative content (for those who aren't inclined to reading). But you are so right! We are finding that the blogosphere has so much good conservative voices, but who else besides us reads them? Furthermore, political blogs nowadays are so dry in the aesthetics. Just a whole long page of text after text… We hope our blog will help young people to open their minds up to conservative ideas by presenting it an artistic and interesting way. Check it out if you have a chance and let us know if you any suggestions on how we can improve it.
http://www.keentoconvene.com
Richard,
I would be very interested in hearing what conservative ideas you disagree with and what liberal ideas you think have so caused progressed in our society. Because I think the total opposite…
[...] like what Steven Crowder had to say about this on Big Hollywood (emphasis [...]
The biggest barrier to conservatism in this country is the Republican party. In regards to conservatism they are the wolf in sheep's clothing. They have become a party that is no different then the Democrats. Just like blacks who blindly vote democrat, conservatives have wasted years and years supporting the republicans. It's time for an alternative.
Each party gives lip service to the issues that stimulate its base, gay marriage, gun control, abortion. etc. These issues keep the electorate divided. In the meantime the parties take turns at sharing power. Election cycles come and go and nothing ever changes.
For almost 10 years the republicans had their chance at making real changes in Washington. Instead they chose to behave like stereotypical democrats. I don't think that they really want change. They, just like the democrats, want status quo. They'll gladly let the democrats run the show for awhile as long as they maintain the choke hold that they share with the democrats on the American political process.
It's time to throw the Republocrat Party ( http://chauvinistpig.com/?p=84 )out. Republicans and Democrats are driving this train of state off of a cliff. Only by removing both parties will change ever happen in the US.
You must be logged in to post a comment.