Comments on Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it

Bryan Feagin commented on 'Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it'

Bryan Feagin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:18:50 -0700

Ok, I'm a moderate democrat so take these comments for what they are worth. But if you want to resurrect the party brand, you need to do the following:

Get Rid Of The "Moderates" - completely wrong. By moving to the far right and getting in league with the Christy extremists with their love for McCarthism and lax regulatory oversight, Republicans alienated the majority in America.

"Crystallize What Conservatism Means" - yes, I agree. But do realize that Republicans don't corner the market on wanting things like low taxes, lowering the national debt, or smaller govt. Dems want that too, but unfortunately the Bush years have run up such a tab, that we have to do the exact opposite for a little while to dig ourselves out of the mess we're in. If Bush had just raised taxes on everyone when the economy was strong and people had money so that he could fund his wars, we wouldn't be as far in the hole we are now with debt.

Misplaced faith in "running on principle." - hit the nail on the head. Ideologies are completely useless if they don't produce results. Bush proved that out.

I'm really hoping that the Republican brand will do the right thing, and re-establish itself amongst Americans as being trust-worthy. If not and Republicans keep moving towards the right, you'll alienate virtually everyone.

Annoyed commented on 'Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it'

Annoyed — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:47:53 -0700

I agree with both approaches. The core aspect of the party need to be prominent and not, in my opinion, seen as something "shameful".

i also agree that focus should be used, like Newt did. Part of this should also be fighting against the posers and those that go against those principals. Ted Stevens comes to mind, but I'm sure there are many others.

Nancy commented on 'Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it'

Nancy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:16:36 -0700

Hey Scott, thanks for the link Buddy. I'm glad you liked what I wrote, though given the liberal onslaught that has decided to make camp at my site, I'm almost ready to get rid of the blog. Thats how irritating they have become,like a fungus they spread and grow. 2010 is going to be a good year for us if we do the right thing, and I think we will. You know watching McCain's people throw Sarah under the bus, lets just say it makes me less sad that guy lost.

Scott Martin commented on 'Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it'

Scott Martin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:37:29 -0700

I agree, Ken. And Jindal definitely has that ability. I believe Palin does, we'll have to see where she ends up after all the smearing going on right now.

Jindal is in fact immune to nearly every typical complaint conservatives generally run up against.

Ken Wiebe commented on 'Where Conservatives went Wrong, and How do we Fix it'

Ken Wiebe — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:18:34 -0700

One major quality being left out is ability to communicate. I hate to say it, but Obama - especially in the home stretch - was a great communicator. I had my doubts during the primaries, but his debate performances removed those doubts. He really was articulate. I sincerely think that, starting with his debate performances, he started "closing the sale." The expectations were very low and he did very well. McCain, on the other hand, was mostly incoherent. His best performance was the Saddleback appearance, which made few waves. The very first checkbox on the next prospective GOP candidates qualifications sheet must be COMMUNICATIONS. That box is already checked for Mr. Jindal, by the way - and I'm not so sure about Gov. Palin on that score (even though I really like her). Maybe if she's untethered she can get that box checked off. (Side note: GWB should have beat both Gore and Kerry by much wider margins. I attribute the narrower margins to *his* inarticulate-ness. He's just lucky he faced the opponents that he did. Not so for the GOP in 08. The Dems knew exactly what they were doing)