The Conservative Revolt

Peggy Noonan in Wall Street Journal:

Bush the younger came forward, presented himself as a conservative, garnered all the frustrated hopes of his party, turned them into victory, and not nine months later was handed a historical trauma that left his country rallied around him, lifting him, and his party bonded to him. He was disciplined and often daring, but in time he sundered the party that rallied to him, and broke his coalition into pieces. He threw away his inheritance. I do not understand such squandering.

So long as the anti-Conservatives in the administration continue to circle the wagons, the perception will remain that Conservatism is dead. The payoff will be shown at the ballot boxes. To those Democrats who now apologize for voting in favor of invading Iraq, we owe gratitude for showing the Republicans how to manifest weakness, but not how foolish they look.

I asked for your vote with a promise to reduce government, lower taxes and eliminate waste. I told you that Reagan was my mentor, and national security was my top priority.

Instead we got elected and proved that government spending, earmarks and social programs gained us, not you, more power and authority. We forgot the meaning of fair market and imposed terminology that made Republicans indistinguishable from Democrats and other socialists.

Globalization is a rhetorical term used to pander to those industries whose corporate coffers support Congressional career longevity. What is obvious to "free market" advocates is that government intervention is always lopsided and designed to limit capitalism. Capitalism is all about competition and profits - not the so-called level field promised by socialism.

Opening the borders, exporting only raw materials, equalizing US culture and traditions serve no purposes that Americans value. Manufacturing is no longer seen as important to our economy. Rather service industries are touted as creating more jobs than America has lost. To the extent that cheaper labor is found in PAC-RIM, Asian or Latin countries, the United States is now driven to global economic standards. Strength is shown to be our weakness.

America may, but probably will not elect a true socialist to the presidency. But imagine Hillary's socialized medicine plan. Think about innovation and progress made here as opposed to Canada or France or Mexico. Policy driven toward lowest common denominators will produce a failure not only of medicine but every market segment in the US economy.

Universalism, the concept that the US is rich and somehow owes equality (not opportunity) other nations, is fatal.

Conservatives see a nation of hard work, excellence, achievement and opportunity. Socialists see the US economy as an endless and bottomless money pit to be redistributed. Wealth redistribution is pure communism, but even the Chinese and Russian models require an elite ruling class and survive in the backs of a peasantry conditioned to thankfulness for crumbs falling from the "ruler's" table.

Equivocating and universalizing destroys America's uniqueness. That is the fear and concern shared by conservatives. Argue any single point or raise points of individual social and economic benefits. At the end of the day, a borderless and socialist country will exist and not the nation built upon America's core principles.

Being a Conservative is far more than following rhetorical missives. It is more than religious mantras. It is certainly not about following blindly when leaders declare something is "good for the country." Patriotism is supporting the country always, and supporting the government only when it is deserved.

Being a Conservative means we do not want so-called leaders. We are too smart and determined for that. We want something not offered by either the Democrats or Republicans. We want representation.