Reagan, CPAC, GoProud And Perhaps Conservatism’s “Greatest Triumph”
I was pretty harsh on a GoProud co-founder when withdrawing my support. This below is Ronald Reagan at CPAC in 1985. I've already said I'm not a social conservative, nor of the Christian Right. But it occurs to me that what Barron was doing – and what some libertarians do today – is precisely what Reagan was criticizing and stressing as so important here. If that's to be called "progress," how is it not "progressivism?" I suspect the bused in Paul-bots would boo Reagan were he to give this speech today. I'm not always in agreement with social cons. But I've no desire to put them on the "moral defensive," either.
But along with that, perhaps the greatest triumph of modern conservatism has been to stop allowing the left to put the average American on the moral defensive. By average American I mean the good, decent, rambunctious, and creative people who raise the families, go to church, and help out when the local library holds a fundraiser; people who have a stake in the community because they are the community.
These people had held true to certain beliefs and principles that for 20 years the intelligentsia were telling us were hopelessly out of date, utterly trite, and reactionary. You want prayer in the schools? How primitive, they said. You oppose abortion? How oppressive, how antimodern. The normal was portrayed as eccentric, and only the abnormal was worthy of emulation. The irreverent was celebrated, but only irreverence about certain things: irreverence toward, say, organized religion, yes; irreverence toward establishment liberalism, not too much of that. They celebrated their courage in taking on safe targets and patted each other on the back for slinging stones at a confused Goliath, who was too demoralized and really too good to fight back.
But now one simply senses it. The American people are no longer on the defensive. I believe the conservative movement deserves some credit for this. You spoke for the permanent against the merely prevalent, and ultimately you prevailed.
But Dan, once you let progressives into the GOP they are untouchable under Reagan’s 11th Commandment: “Never criticize another Republicans.”
That’s the problem with blind application of rules.
Here’ the rule I live by, the Pasadena Phil Rule: “I don’t vote for liberals or Democrats, especially if they run as Republicans.”
I like that rule Phil.
I have decided, after Voting Bush in 2004 that I was never again going to support or vote for another progressive republican, no matter how tiny the progressive infringement may be. Bush has some of the tiniest of progressive leanings and look how far off the path he took us with a republican senate and republican house. No more, the leader of this country will either have a (D) after his name or be a true conservative. I can vote for almost perfect in the local, and federal elections, but for President of the United States of America, no John syphilis McCain will ever earn my vote, and in fact, if the person is even remotely as progressive as McCain is, I will cast a protest vote for the (D). I am done with slow train to destruction and fast train to destruction as my only two options. It is going to be Fast train to hell or Turn the Train Around, If I have to live through our government imploding, it sure as hell is not going to be when I am 70 years old and hardly able to man a gun to fight for the conservative side in a civil war.