Republicans Need Confidence in Our Leaders & Ideas
In the wee hours of the morning, Glenn linked a post penned er, pixeled by Peter Kirsanow which gets at two of the primary problems preventing Republicans and conservatives from making their case to the American people.
Kirsanow, in turns, links Jay Nordlinger’s column on the success of the left-of-center media élites in defining prominent Republicans and conservatives as laughingstocks (Palin), monsters (Cheney) or fools (Bush). The first problem Kirsanow identifies: a media determined to discredit our leaders. Note, for example how differently the MSM treat John McCain when he was a “maverick” Senator challenging his party’s leadership and when he was the party’s presidential nominee vying for the White House.
But, it’s Kirsanow’s second point which Glenn cites and which we can more easily address, that of confidence in our leaders and our ideas:
Think about the scores of times bright, honorable, self-sacrificing conservatives have been defamed by the Left with barely a peep of protest from Republicans in a position to command attention. It’s as if Republicans concede the premise that their friends and colleagues are demons and/or nitwits.
Many Republican politicians seem to begin the day apologizing for being Republicans. And they appear to have a perverse, desperate desire to befriend and seek favor from those who regularly malign conservatives.
You will not find finer men nor better public servants than Justice Thomas, Ken Starr, John Ashcroft — to name a few. Yet I’ve witnessed Republicans act as if they’re embarrassed to even know of them. Whether it’s a momentous slander or a series of invidious slights, too many weak-kneed, hand-wringing Republicans simply tolerate the abuse heaped on these good Americans. No surprise that the caricatures hold sway when those expected to protest remain silent.
Until Republicans start responding to each and every falsehood with vigor and conviction, the slanders will continue. That’s not good for Republicans, conservatives, or the country.
Exactly. We need respond to these falsehoods with vigor and conviction. And when we do, we’ll find, from time to time, that those on the left and in the MSM not consumed with partisan animosity may join us in defending our leaders and ideas. Just as Camille Paglia so regularly defends Sarah Palin.
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Right on. I would add that George W. Bush leads the pack of Republicans who stand mute while conservatives (and worse than that, soldiers) are libeled by liberals and the MSM.
Bush and the rest of the moderates have left one helluva mess. Most voters pay little attention to politics until election day. They think Bush is a conservative (as they thought the Congress was until 2006) and then they see the train wreck left behind. People don’t realize that liberal policies are at the root of the mess.
All they see are a “conservative” president, a teetering economy, and a seemingly endless war (now that we seem to have some progress in Iraq, Afghanistan is headed into the crapper and a nuclear-armed Pakistan is on the brink of collapse).
Liberals sell the usual liberal prescriptions and moderates like McCain sell liberal-lite. There’s just not much difference to most people so why go lite? Just vote for the real thing. Think “climate change”, prescription drug entitlements, education, immigration, taxes, the bail-out orgy, and so on.
At the risk of exhibiting BDS symptoms, W has been a fiasco. I really don’t know anymore if Gore or Kerry would have been better, worse, or the same.
Comment by SoCalRobert — January 15, 2009 @ 1:06 am - January 15, 2009
Well you know that Algore would have buried the economy long ago on his global warmism jihad.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — January 15, 2009 @ 5:59 am - January 15, 2009
I was going to go off on a screed about how hard it is to be proud of a party that supports Ted Stevens and Lindsay Graham, a party of collaborationists and spineless wonders… but SCR did that just fine.
Instead I’ll point out that it will be impossible to cultivate grassroots voices to defend Conservatives and Conservative ideals against MSM slander, as long as the Republican Party shares the ideals of John “The New York Times editorial staff is my constituency” McCain. Maybe if the leaders of the party stopped kneeling and begging for the Leftie media, the rest of the party would get the idea.
Comment by DaveP. — January 15, 2009 @ 8:09 am - January 15, 2009
I’ll continue to beat the drum for the GOP remaking itself as a party of solutions instead of ideology.
Comment by V the K — January 15, 2009 @ 9:39 am - January 15, 2009
#4 – V, I’m joining you in the percussion section of the band.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — January 15, 2009 @ 10:54 am - January 15, 2009
ehh I think they are all crooks and creeps. We need a revolution to kick em all out after 4 years. Come to DC work on problems then go home and work a regular job like a regular person. We are so close to RULING ELITE running this country it is pathetic. It is to the point where people with obvious conflicts of interest are being appointed, and people who would be prosecuted as regular citizens are winked at and appointed Secretary of the Treasury. Every time I see Geithners name on a dollar bill I’m gonna think of crooks and cheats. Why was Bill Richardson sent packing back to NM? Pay to play? They all do it. Is it because he’s hispanic?
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — January 15, 2009 @ 12:49 pm - January 15, 2009
John Ashcroft, the AG who insisted that a partially nude statue be covered because he didn’t want its nudity to appear in photographs of him during press conferences. That, for me, disqualifies him from the category of “Best Public Servants Ever”. Ashcroft must spend his time in Rome under his hotel bed, curled in the fetal position.
Comment by Ignatius — January 15, 2009 @ 1:08 pm - January 15, 2009
Another left-wing urban legend, Ashcroft insisted nothing of the kind. He became annoyed that the MSM liked to frame photographs of him with the uncovered breast in the background, which, one has to admit, is pretty juvenile behavior on the part of the press.
Comment by V the K — January 15, 2009 @ 1:11 pm - January 15, 2009
Wow, it must be easy for you to disqualify someone. How about focusing on Ashcroft’s policies and actions in office (be they good or bad), rather than trivialities like a guy’s preference for being photographed with exposed tits in the background?
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 15, 2009 @ 2:02 pm - January 15, 2009
sorry… “being photographed withOUT…” lol
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 15, 2009 @ 2:02 pm - January 15, 2009
Need to figure out who the hell our leaders are, and indeed if we even have any before we worry about finding confidence in him.
Comment by American Elephant — January 15, 2009 @ 7:12 pm - January 15, 2009
#2: TGC: that may be true but the GOP seems to do better in opposition… Algore’s faith-based socialism may not have gotten all that far (and I think some of Algore’s motivation is little more than wanting to remain a player. If he had a real job, he might possibly be a bit more serious).
Now we have gummint lead by True Believers (with The Nostril fired up to push global
warming climatechange legislation through by summer).Comment by SoCalRobert — January 15, 2009 @ 9:05 pm - January 15, 2009