Where have we gone?

“The Democrats would revise history to rationalize a return to bigger government, higher taxes, and moral relativism. The Democrat Party has forgotten its origins as a party of work, thrift, and self-reliance. But they have not forgotten their art for dissembling and distortion.

The Democrats are trapped in their compact with the ideology of trickle-down government, but they are clever enough to know that the voters would shun them if their true markings were revealed.

America had its rendezvous with destiny in 1980. Faced with crisis at home and abroad, Americans turned to Republican leadership in the White House.”

This is a quote from Republicans platform back in 1992. From then until now, one must ask “what happened?” We appear now to be a ship without a rudder, stranded in a stormy sea. Where are those tried and true principles that supposedly guide us? Have they been moth-balled in favor of Big-Government Lite rhetoric?

Along came George W who arrogantly claimed to have redefined conservatism and Republicans, (unbeknownst to conservatives) with his compassionate hubris he sailed us into uncharted waters of amnesty plans, appointments, enforcement failures, all while failing on most occasions to make the case for true conservative values. He waffled on this or that and then, after trying to foist crony Harriet Miers on us, gave us a nominees that again deceived. John Roberts turned into John Dud. He had already given a peace offering on the 4th circuit to Dems. (which meant nothing to Dems)

Then came not so popular President W deriding his own base who protested Miers. He steamed full speed ahead despite all conservatives lobbying efforts and letters to the contrary. But the Left didn’t like Bush and never would. Who was he fooling? What made him start down the road to concessions? Only he could know but it didn’t work. Appeasement was not the bomb, it never is with the radical left.

And leaders in Congress did virtually the same until turning over their majority to the libs — who were already quite skilled at minority power. Now along comes Trump to remind the RNC of its long trail of inconsistencies. Some deep irony there.

More from ’92… as painful a reminder as that is:

“While our goals are constant, we are willing to innovate, experiment, and learn. We have learned that bigger is not better, that quantity and quality are different things, that more money does not guarantee better outcomes. We have learned the importance of individual choice—in education, health care, child care—and that bureaucracy is the enemy of initiative and self-reliance. We believe in empowerment, including home ownership for as many as possible. We believe in decentralized authority, and a bottom-line, principled commitment to what works for people.

We believe in the American people: free men and women with faith in God, working for themselves and their families, believing in the value of every human being from the very young to the very old.”

Have we really learned the tough, necessary lessons? Are we now better for it? Are we now defining progressives, socialists and Marxists as they should be? Are we telling the truth about the Left’s agenda and schemes to correct the record? Are we seizing leadership opportunities to provide the kind of example of conservative values our country so desperately needs? Or are we cowering in a corner declaring to be beaten before we even throw the first punch? Shamefully, I say it is more of the latter. Time and time again we have seen deals being cut that display no conservative values, gaining nothing.

For a moment in time I almost lost my head and optimistically thought we returned to foundations and principles. But Jeb Bush came saying it’s his turn — to try the moderate, Rodney King approach to liberals who will never be appeased and always demand more. Compromise to progressives only amounts to doing it their way, and giving them the credit. I regained my sanity seeing the defense of Jeb Bush. Did we ever want to see a dynasty, be it on the Democrat side or the Republican side?

Yet here we are again fighting for our values to be relevant in a system given over to thugs, elites and special interests. We haven’t yet found the way to master real leadership. It must come from within, but our leaders still have not gotten that message. They even resign in a strategic way to hedge the opportunity for the establishment’s benefit.

But the RNC acts as if that is not an issue. We claim to want to move forward while estabos dredge up people who only exhibit the worst of the past. We provide the big hammer to our opponents and then ask them to hit us over the head. Only we don’t even play the victim very well. We blame everything only on ourselves — on stoopid people and “right-wing extremists,” not Estabo leaders. Then we proceed to ask for more of the same treatment. So reactionary disenfranchised voters embraced Trump as an Apprentice.

The shark-infested waters are just begging to be fed. Some in the Republican Party are determined not to disappoint them. It’s hard to stop this abuse of the base that’s been tolerated till it can’t be anymore. Yes, there are a lot of golden quotes in those old platforms and some good lessons, if we could only see them.

Now, true to the form of uncharted course, it threw Jeb Bush at us along with a wide selection of alternatives that were supposed to be chum to bait us so their selection would rise to the top. Ironically, his “Right to Rise” pac is in your face elitism. Jeb’s scolding lectures on the campaign trail aren’t much of an appetizer either.

Newsmax on Right to Rise pac:

There were also at least 20 donors who gave the super PAC $1 million, including healthcare investor Miguel Fernandez, California billionaire William Oberndorf, Iranian-American diplomat Hushang Ansary, along with his wife Shahla, and hedge-fund manager Louis Bacon.

The 236 donors who gave six-figure checks also include former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Citadel Investment Group founder Kenneth Griffin, and Houston businessman Robert McNair, Politico reports.

Jeb was a founding member and head of Michael Bloomberg’s foundation, which supports all kinds of liberal agenda items. Not in ancient history, he only stepped down prior to starting his pac and running for president. Just last year a major part of its effort was to lobby “foreign nations to ease restrictions on abortion.” Not exactly a Mexico City Policy.

Now he distances himself from the agenda that was a central priority of the foundation. I hope the money he got paid was worth it. He didn’t have to sign off or vote on it, as he asserts, but he was part and parcel to the agenda. For him to claim how pro-life he is/was is ludicrous when this is the very last place he was before running. What other GOP was promoting abortion around the globe? As for Jeb, no wonder George W is getting riled up.

Politico said:

“I don’t know if it’s panic or paranoia in Miami, but they are losing [Scott] Walker people to Marco, and if you say what’s true, they get mad,” said one Bush donor, who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity. “I think it’s just reflective of what’s been going on for the past month or so and the way the race, at least in the establishment lane, has shifted. It’s really Jeb or Marco now. Marco’s fundraising has picked up, and Jeb’s has stayed flat.”

Now they will begin shifting the estabo steam from Jeb to Rubio.

Maybe I’ll post more highlights and low expectations from the past.

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