We've watched all these inevitable events unfold before our very eyes as Virginia turned blue; yet I still sense there's going to be a great deal of hesitation before the Republican party is going to figure out where to go next. This can be attributed to the idea that in prioritizing issues to settle on, the end decision is going to rest on the economy, and such a decision will no doubt act as an isolating factor to social conservatives.
I dare say that instead of building a platform against abortion, gay marriage and assisted suicide we get a handle on this recession (yes, the "r" word has been uttered) and build a platform on the foundation of lowering taxes, pushing a free-market economy in these hard times and developing our infrastructure capabilities domestically.
Is it unreasonable to think these things should be pushed on the Republican agenda? Absolutely not. During the election season all I could hear from campaign commercials is what we were against, how we were going to be run into the ground by a socialist, anti-life charisma machine, but we can't be hurting any more than we are right now under the neo-conservative philosophy of the post Sept. 11 Bush Administration.
I'm not asking my fellow conservatives out there to abandon the fight in Washington, to roll over and let the Democrats do as they please. Instead I'm saying we need to make a return to our core fiscal policy first and foremost and convince the American people that we hear their troubles and have a drafted solution. The good fight was fought in 2008, and we lost. Now is the time to push past that for a new and stronger age of conservatism in America.
In conceding the race to President-elect Obama, Senator McCain said, "Americans never quit. We never surrender," and now is the time to push such an idea onto Capitol Hill -- to fix (not bail out) the economy, to truly reach across the aisle for the good of the American people and our party.
Though the Republicans may have had a bum election year, I pray it will also mark a turning point for conservatism in America. If we can remember what it truly means to be a "conservative" in America, then the next evolution is coming.
Continue Reading: « Previous12
Leave a comment 8 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Speak for yourself. As a Conservative I am proud that Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be Sen. McCain's running mate. For all your claims of being a fiscal conservative, Gov. Palin was the only conservative on either ticket. Look at the donations and poll numbers, Gov. Palin is the only thing that made the election even close.
Reply to this Top
I agree with the writer. The Republican party won't get very far basing their platforms on religious social issues such as gay marriage. Look at most of the polls. Young people aren't backing such ideas in any significant numbers. Young 'conservatives' such as myself look for a candidate who believes in free trade, low taxes, and reduced government welfare(including corporate welfare, which in my view is disastrous). We need to encourage small business and individual fiscal responsibility, rather than dropping interest rates to the floor and encouraging people to live beyond their means. The latest set of Republicans grew the government more than any before; more than even Democrats. In this election, the fiscal conservatives had no candidate. John McCain is a big spender, no matter what he says about pork. George Bush was a big spender. One day, when the religious right relinquishes its stranglehold on the Republican Party, it might be able to return to its fiscally conservative roots rather than spending its time discriminating against gay people and cheerleading for wars. The Republican Party needs more Ron Pauls and fewer Sarah Palins.
Reply to this Top
I abandonded the GOP during the Bush administration for exactly these reasons. It used to be the party of fiscal responsibility, but we ended up with record spending, the largest federal government in history, and a huge deficit. Weren't the Reublicans supposed to be about limitation of government? And yet we got massive expansion of Executive branch power, expanded surveillance of civilians, a push toward national ID cards, etc. The Republicans have sold out their core principles to the wingnuts. Until they can once again prove that they care about financial responsibility, states rights, and respecting individual liberties, the 'pubs won't see another vote from me.
Reply to this Top
I have to agree that the corporate welfare is out of hand. I now own a small business and if I make poor decision and run my business into the ground, then my employees and I suffer the consequences of my decisions. I realize thousands rely on the auto industry, but they've been bailed out before and they continue to make poor decisions.
Reply to this Top
Yeah, if you think change is a comin....the top of President elect Obama's agenda is to bailout GM. I realize the economic reasons (jobs, manufacturing sector, etc) but it will be just delaying the obvious outcome for the US auto industry. You only need to look in your driveway or the repair record of your US made car or the Hummer commercials (last year) to find out the reasons why. If you are a diehard supporter...uh....now's a great time to invest! GM: $3 a share / Ford: $1.86 share
Reply to this Top
If Republicans take a more conservative stance on the economy and national defense the social issues will fall into place. This happened with Reagan. Abortion was not his number one issue, but many positive steps were taken in the pro-life direction. We cannot win elections on social policy alone, nor can we push the social policies without addressing relevant issues such as the economy. We do need more Ron Pauls AND I would argue Mike Huckabees (fair tax, small government, has some charisma without being wacky like Palin) they are both pro-life, but they have made lower taxation and smaller government the priority of their policy. It may take 20 years to get the social change, but it's worth it.
Reply to this Top
If you are a fiscal conservative, why are you a Republican? Regan and BushI doubled the size of the national debt as a percentage of GDP. Bush II drove it up further. I'm an independent and fiscally conservative too, but I am rational. The last three Republican presidents have done a poor job on that front. Another issue rational fiscal conservatives need to address is health care. An analysis of our health care spending compared to other developed countries indicates that our system is far more costly and provides lower quality care than nationalized health care systems. The overall health of our population is also lower even though our cost is sugnificantly higher (20% to 30%). Study up on T. Roosevelt for inspiration for the kind of rational realistic balanced governance we need.
Reply to this Top
Could you send a few cites on the health care numbers, Bob? Especially numbers regarding the quality of the health care. Are these comparisons made in a vacuum, or are they of the sort like "Would you rather be treated in the US or Canada?" Personally, I think the cost of health care is about right - especially since nobody has a right to demand service from someone else. The system we have right now controls demand for a limited service by keeping prices at a level which encourage people to defer nonessential treatment - thus keeping the ERs relatively uncrowded and allowing essential services to be provided more or less as they are needed. We pay more because the quality of our doctors is higher, and because it costs a lot to insure those doctors in our lawsuit-happy society (among many other reasons).
Reply to this Top