The real war on the right - and it involves moderates, as well, isn't between Charles Johnson and Glenn Beck. Though more discussion and less name calling in that one might be a good idea.
The real war is between the GOP establishment, including many consultants with a new media presence only too happy to sell out principle to make a few bucks - and the grassroots. The GOP establishment does pay a lot of bills, after all.
Michelle Malkin lays it out in her new column. Now is the time for the average American to step up and demand a voice in our politics. We may not get a whole lot of chances in the future because we are at a turning point driven by economic realities and government over reach. If the Federal Government is permitted to expand in the various ways the current administration wants, it will never be rolled back. And there are plenty of professional politicians, pundits and consultants plying their trade in and around DC who wouldn't have a problem with that at all.
In Sacramento, Tea Party organizer Mark Meckler singled out California GOP chair Ron Nehring for waffling on proposed $16 billion tax hikes. The crowd of 5,000 greeted Nehring – who unsuccessfully tried to hitch his wagon to the Tea Party movement – with a roar of boos and catcalls. Speaker after speaker lambasted Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for abandoning fiscal conservative principles. The loudest chant of the day: “Throw them out.”
In Madison, Wisconsin, GOP Rep. Paul Ryan – hyped as a conservative “rockstar” – was well-received. But I heard from staunch fiscal conservative constituents who refused to be silent about Ryan’s complicity. He gave one of the most hysterical speeches in the rush to pass TARP last fall; voted for the auto bailout; and voted with the Barney Frank/Nancy Pelosi AIG bonus-bashing stampede. Milwaukee blogger Nick Schweitzer wrote: “He ought to be apologizing for his previous votes, not pretending he was being responsible the entire time, but I don’t see one bit of regret for what he did previously. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him get away with it.”
Other Tea Party participants pointed out that Newt Gingrich, who jumped aboard the bandwagon, flip-flopped on TARP in the space of a week last September and made common cause with Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi in ads calling for immediate action on “climate change.”
Before the grass-roots Tea Party movement took them by surprise, Beltway GOP strategists argued fervently that the party’s traditional focus on taxes and spending had become outdated. The re-branders pitched their own expansive ideas to replace the anti-tax-and-spend agenda and inspire new voters. These included Gingrich’s “green conservatism,” David Frum’s proposal to raise carbon taxes, and open-borders Republicans’ plans for alternative forms of amnesty. Newsflash: Eco-zealotry and in-state tuition discounts for illegal aliens didn’t bring out thousands of first-time activists on the streets. Stay-at-home moms weren’t up all night making signs that read “Tax me more, please!”
A good piece.
But we REALLY need to stop accepting the Democrat attempt to substitute “climate change” for "Global Warming."
They've gotten away with this "anti-rhinoceros pill" garbage long enough, and if we accept this sleight-of-hand shift, they win.
It's "Global Warming," and sticking to that proves they were totally wrong over and over again.
Posted by: democratsarefascists | Friday, April 17, 2009 at 11:48 AM
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
confucius.
I've seen some dissembling being done by the media and the speaker of the house about the numbers and the nature of those who participated in gathering in public. They wouldn't be flapping their wings so hard, if they didn't feel like they were falling.
less than 100 days in, and 'fiscal conservatives'-the one defining universal commonality of the crowds, gathered en mass across the country.
time is on our side, and I have a feeling many are following "order 227".
Posted by: mark l. | Friday, April 17, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Obama at least did the conservative movement a favor... by blatantly spending so much money on such worthless projects, it woke up those that are capable of subtracting taxes from their paychecks, or calculating the damage that inflation will do to the middle class. Unfortunately, CNN isn't among those with these capabilities.
As far as the GOP goes, those that stray from the low-tax, low regulation philosophy will indeed be out of a job.
Posted by: MAS1916 | Friday, April 17, 2009 at 01:11 PM