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Jewish World Review April 2, 2010/ 18 Nissan 5770 Two For the Road By Arnold Ahlert
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
At some point, the Republican party is going to need a national standard-bearer — one who both talks and walks the conservative agenda. Anything less, or anything resembling the kind of Republican willing to "compromise" with Democrats on such issues as cap and trade, or illegal immigration "reform," is an utter waste of time, money and energy. And though it may be too early to cross some people off the list, here's a couple of folks who have made the kind of blunders that make it impossible for me to take them seriously: Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin.
A lot of people wonder why Mitt Romney can't seem to get over the hump and connect with the electorate at a level where it's obvious that he could pose a serious to challenge Barack Obama — or Hillary Clinton — in 2012. That one's easy: Mitt reminds too many people of someone they know who wants to be "one of the guys," but doesn't have the slightest idea how to do it. He's a little too tan, a bit too coiffured, and gives one the impression that he irons his underwear in secret. In other words, he's a stiff who can't connect with a public which instinctively knows when charisma is genuine — and when it's manufactured for public consumption.
That being said, a stiff with genuine conservative credentials is not a deal-breaker. Here's the deal-breaker: he's another faux-conservative. How do I know that? Because Mitt is out there defending RomneyCare, which is the Massachusetts version of ObamaCare. As I have detailed in previous columns, that program, which forced people to buy insurance, raised premiums, and continues to drain state coffers at an unacceptable rate can't be explained away by the man responsible for its creation. That's a political resume' tailor made for defeat.
Sorry, Mitt. No sale.
Sarah Palin? Certainly a step up from Romney, but only a baby step. And before anyone gets started, I have devoted a ton of time and energy defending Ms. Palin in both print and in conversations with dullards who can't fathom how much of the animosity they feel for her is based on one of the most vicious smear campaigns ever perpetrated against any politician in recent memory. In short, a lot of folks have been manipulated by the media and they don't even realize it. In this case, the "lie(s) repeated often enough" has been very effective, and while such overt lying makes me angry, revenge isn't a primary motivating factor for me or a lot of other voters when it comes to selecting a presidential candidate.
Once again, if that were all there was to it, I wouldn't be crossing Ms. Palin off my list. What's gets her off my list is simple: she's out in Arizona stumping for John McCain's re-election. A lot of people would counter that argument with the idea that she's only doing it out of loyalty to McCain for making her a national political figure. That's precisely what's wrong: if Palin were a genuine conservative, her loyalty to the conservative movement and the country would supersede her loyalty to the primary symbol of everything that's wrong with today's Republican party. All she's doing is making it harder for Republicans to purge RINOs — and all the attendant devastation the have wreaked — from their party.
In other words, Palin, whether she realizes it or not, is buying into the "old boys club" mentality in which principle is trumped by comity: we are members of the elitist political class first, and our ideological differences will always be secondary to that membership.
Haven't conservatives had enough of that kind of thinking yet?
There is no such thing as a perfect standard-bearer for a political party, movement, or ideology. But unless I'm completely obtuse, Americans are yearning for principled people to rescue them from the hacks and charlatans currently in charge. They're tired of seeing their country held hostage by progressive extremists whose disdain for American values is palpable, and whose utter contempt for individual freedom and prosperity is beyond dispute. I can't remember a time when the political ruling class and their media sycophants have had less respect for the public — and no problem showing it — than they do right now.
No doubt many people will see this as one of those "conservative eating their own" kind of columns, but it's not. It's about integrity, which is often the only thing that keeps one going when life turns hard. Far too many Americans are already willing to trade integrity for "free" health care, a "government modified" mortgage, or a host of other carrots held in front of them by a federal government whose resemblance to a pimp grows sharper every day. Much of human nature is about taking the path of least resistance — -which is why it is so important to resist such instincts, especially when they're portrayed as virtues.
Winston Churchill once remarked, "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities." This is one American who believes most of the country is absolutely exhausted — with unprincipled politicians. Conservatives have more than two years to sift through candidates, to do the "right thing" as it were. And sure, some compromises will have to be made — eventually. But conservatives should start with principles first and move to compromise second, not vice versa. We know where the alternative leads, which is why John McCain is in Arizona trolling for votes instead of occupying the Oval Office.
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© 2010, Arnold Ahlert |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||||
