California Conservative

Rush Limbaugh took Newt Gingrich to task for what Gingrich said during his appearance on ABC’s This Week. Listening to Rush’s uber-spirited ‘defense’ of conservatism was inspiring. First, here’s what Newt said:

GINGRICH: I think the brokered convention would pick one of the people who had filed for president, but I think the process, after all, it was…You know, Abraham Lincoln was running third and won the convention. He didn’t come in first on the first ballot, and so, I think there’s nothing unhealthy about the Republican Party having a serious discussion. We are at the end of the George W. Bush era. We are at the end of the Reagan era. We’re at a point in time when we’re about to start redefining, as a number of people started talking about, starting to redefine, the nature of the Republican Party, in response to what the country needs.

Here’s part of Rush’s reply:

I mean, is there a Gingrich coalition that has replaced the Reagan coalition? For that matter, what is the McCain coalition? If we’re going to have a new era, what is the McCain era? What is the Huckabee era? What is their winning coalition? They don’t have one. You know, all this sounds like Third Way kind of talk, the triangulation of the Clinton years in the nineties. But I don’t know what the McCain era would be, and I don’t know what the Huckabee coalition is. They don’t have a coalition. They’re out trying to get votes of independents and Democrats. They’re pandering to moderates and independents. Folks, I just want you to think about this: What happens if either of these two guys happen to win, attracting the votes of independents, moderates, the Jell-Os, and Democrats? Does that not equal the demise of the Republican Party? Do you think McCain’s out there actually trying to get Republican votes? Is Huckabee trying to get Republican votes? Romney is. Giuliani is. Fred Thompson certainly is. But if we have a nominee that is a nominee on the basis of moderate and independent and Democrat voters, then what happens to the Republican Party?

As you’d expect, Rush wasn’t finished:

Well, conservatism isn’t dead because it cannot be dead. Conservatism is not manmade. Conservatism is a philosophy. It’s not a scheme. It’s not a plan to figure out what the American people need and want, and then give it to them. That’s populism! Conservatism is a philosophy based on God-given natural rights. The Declaration of Independence, is that dead? Of course not! What’s dead is leadership on the Republican side, and because there is a lack of leadership of someone who the substantive understanding of liberty and the political skills to advance it, we get all this cockamamie nonsense about the death of our principles. Our principles are not dead! Our principles cannot die. I’ll tell you, in a lot of ways this reminds me of Jimmy Carter and his malaise speech. He blamed the American people for his miserable failures as president. Now we have conservatives and conservative wannabes, many of whom have held high office or hold high office or speak and write from formerly conservative outposts, who blame conservatives for their own miserable failures. What is lacking is not ideas and principles. What’s lacking is the right people to speak those ideas and principles, folks.

Frankly, We The People need to start cleaning house. I’ve railed before about the nitwits who call themselves GOP strategists. Some worry about whether 2008 will be as bad for Republicans as 2006. People get paid to think that way? People here in the heartland are pining for a revolution and these strategists are worried about another blowout.

MESSAGE TO POPULISTS AND STRATEGISTS: If you aren’t going to get back to conservatism’s first principles, then get out of our way. We The People won’t tolerate that type of defeatism. We The People are inspired by the underpinnings of the conservative movement. We The People demand a return to a federalist mentality. We The People demand that limited government return as THE governing philosophy of the GOP.

We The People demand these things because they’re the principles needed to sustain our freedom. Without these principles, our freedoms will slowly be eliminated. We The People are here to tell you that that ain’t gonna happen.

Awhile back, I wrote something titled “Without a Vision, The People Perish” in which I talk about what’s needed to start this revival. During that post, I made this salient point:

It’s important to remember that it wasn’t that people got fed up with low taxes, sensible spending priorities and a government that protected them from terrorists.

They got fed up with a spineless GOP that piled up earmarks at a rate that would’ve almost made Robert Byrd and John Murtha blush. They got fed up with a spineless GOP that teamed up with Ted Kennedy on a sham wrongfully titled ‘immigration reform’. Voters knew that it wasn’t a reform.

Simply put, voluntarily walking away from Reaganite conservatism is what’s at the center of the GOP’s ailments. Awhile back Rush said that the fastest way for campaign contributions to start flowing into the various GOP coffers is to return to conservatism.

I offer Fred’s campaign as proof. After he started throwing haymakers at the liberals and populists last Thursday, the campaign cash has flowed in at a faster rate. Right before the debate, Fred had received $525,000 in online contributions for South Carolina. Since then, Fred’s supporters have contributed at a quicker pace. That $525K is now $1,050,000.

Rush notes the Fred effect here:

Look what happens, by the way, when one of them happens to pipe up. Look what happens. I have a headline: “A Combative Thompson Sways Voters — ‘But then last
night, we hadn’t even been thinking about him, all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,’ said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. ‘The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.’” He’s talking about Thompson in the last South Carolina debate. So candidate aside…put Thompson aside for a moment…when conservative truths are heard, it’s an affecting and effective message. People have revelations when they hear it. They just haven’t been hearing it from people who want to lead the party and who want to lead the country. So what’s lacking here is not ideas and not principles, but the right people to speak them and the right people to develop strategies to win elections based on those ideas and principles.

Sorry Rush but I won’t “put Thompson aside” not even for a moment. Rush’s point is spot on, though. When conservatism is espoused properly, it’s an inspirational experience. It’s a transformative experience. McCain won’t rally the GOP faithful. Huckabee’s shown a desire to abandon conservatism because he doesn’t advocate the GOP’s principles.

As I said here, Gov. Huckabee isn’t a federalist. He isn’t interested in federalism. There’s alot of that going around in the GOP.

Yesterday, Mitt Romney and John McCain tried to ‘outcare’ the other in Michigan. Particularly troublesome was Mitt’s essentially saying that the federal government would get Michigan’s economy rolling again. The federal government isn’t the problem. The problem rests at the feet of Jennifer Granholm, who’s piled billions of dollars of new taxes onto Michigan’s citizens. That’s why businesses and families are fleeing the state.

Yet, here’s Mitt Romney essentially absolving Ms. Granholm of her executive responsibilities. She’s singlehandledly run Michigan’s economy into the ground. But our boy Mitt says that the federal government will fix everything. NO WE WON’T. That’s one of the principles of federalism. Federalism means that we don’t help governments that make poor decisions.

Yesterday, Peter Robinson asked Palmetto State residents to confirm whether there was Fredmentum. Here’s what Peter’s reporting today:

Dispatches from the Palmetto State
Moncks Corner:

I attended a rally for Fred in Moncks Corner on Friday the 11th. I can attest that the atmosphere was incredibly exciting. This rally was the day after the debate (ignition for the liftoff you are describing) and Fred was great. There was multiple times he
had to pause becasue of the clapping and cheering. I took with me a friend who was contemplating voting for Mike Huckabee. After the rally my friend simple said WOW! I confirmed he is now voting for Fred.

Aiken:

I returned an hour ago from Fred’s Aiken, SC campaign stop. An awesome turnout,
I’d say 300. There had to have been 100+ in the restaurant and another 200 listening in over the speaker outside.

Simpsonville:

Fredmentum is real. I was at a Fred event at the Courtyard Restaurant in Simpsonville, SC this evening (Upstate SC). I got there half an hour beforehand
and the line was already snaking out the front door of the restaurant and eventually around the back of the building. I finally made it in, but people behind me in line stood outside for 45 minutes in the cold waiting for Fred to come out and shake hands. The crowd was excited and Fred didn’t disappoint. His stump speech is positive and touches on the “first principles” that drive him: fiscal responsibility, strong national defense, rule of law (immigration). He especially impressed in the Q/A, refusing to pander on a NAFTA question and outlining his approach to healthcare. My favorite moment came as he was working the crowd on the way out. A guy in his 20’s asked Fred, “What will you do about energy independence?” Fred: “Probably not much. Two terms isn’t long enough.” The surprised look on the guy’s face was priceless. Nothing like a little home truth.

I am a lawyer in Greenville SC and just returned from Fred at Carriage House in Simpsonville. People were lined up around the restaurant trying to get in, and were very enthusiastic when he arrived. The crowd was standing room only and overflowing, very supportive, and surrounded him like — well, a movie star — trying to get his autograph on the way out. This is in the biggest GOP area of the state where supposedly the evangelicals are so strong. All I saw tonight was lots of enthusiasm, and a charged-up presentation by Fred, who looks tanned and strong. Also, I don’t know that the local conservative radio talk-show hosts have endorsed anyone directly, but they are clearly pro-Fred and not pro-McCain….Also, see
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage for report on Fred’s
night. 300 people many lined up in the cold to get in.

This is the transformation that Rush was talking about. This is what happens when everyday people hear conservatism articulated properly. That’s why I’m getting more confident that Fred will win in South Carolina this Saturday.

That’s also why I’m bullish on Reaganesque conservatism. Because it’s rooted in eternal truths, Reagan’s conservatism will never die. That’s why Rush is right in defending the movement. That’s why Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee are on the wrong side of the conservative movement.

Maha Rushie delivered the defense of Reagan’s conservatism, then Fred Thompson repeatedly delivered ‘lessons’ in why Reagan’s conservatism is alive and well wherever it’s articulated properly.

Technorati Tags: El Rushbo, Newt Gingrich, Conservatism, Ronald Reagan, Fred Thompson, Peter Robinson, Federalism, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 at 11:04 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Election 2008, Washington, DC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.