Conservatives fear increase of dissent in the ranks

[Judi Lynn]

Conservatives fear increase of dissent in the ranks
Some say divisions could weaken party
By Nina J. Easton, Globe Staff | October 24, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Conservative leader Paul M. Weyrich says membership rolls and donations to groups on the right have fallen off. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich worries that the reformist movement he helped godfather has been hurt by corruption allegations surrounding some of its leaders.

The chairman of the American Conservative Union, David Keene, normally a White House loyalist, proclaims that activists are fed up with President Bush. And among conservative books in the works are these sour titles: ''Can This Party Be Saved?" and ''Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy."

The conservative movement that reshaped modern American politics is in its deepest funk since 1992, when the right rejected Bush's father and was blamed for Republican losses. After displaying unprecedented unity last year, a range of leaders -- from antitax activists to the religious right -- now say they distrust the White House and worry that internal divisions could sap the movement's strength.

The conservative movement was ''on an upward path, even after the 2004 elections, but the growth has stopped," said Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation.
(snip/...)

Some analysts say disenchantment on the right could double the number of House seats considered competitive from 40 to 80.
(snip/...)

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/10/24/conservatives_fear_increase_of_dissent_in_the_ranks/

[rodeodance]

1. but the RNC is raking in the dough!

[texpatriot2004]

37. The laundered dough. n.t

[truthisfreedom]

2. newt? can you just shut up and let your party die slowly?

stop speeding it up!

[ClintonTyree]

3. Gingrich's "reformist movement" was built upon lies.........

and he's surprised that the house of cards is now falling apart? :wtf:

Just think, about a year ago the Repiglicans were trying to figure out how they were going to fit george w. bush's likeness on Mount Rushmore along with our "other greatest Presidents". My, how the mighty have fallen.

[PurpleChez]

44. Were they really???

I remember that they wanted to add Nancy Reagan's old ventriloquist dummy to the Rushmore lineup after Ronnie left office. But I didn't know that they wanted to add the Chimperor. Damn.

[Teena]

46. ClintonTyree -

Did you actually hear that they planned to put Bush on Mount Rushmore, or are you handing us a little humor today?

[ClintonTyree]

48. There was actually talk of it a freep republic......

I don't know if they qualify as REAL conservative repiglicans but yes, I remember reading posts there that they should measure up bush's noggin for Mount Rushmore.
Actually it would be quite fitting since he has nothing but rocks in his head anyway. :shrug:

[Peace Patriot]

4. Wrong book title. "Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted...

America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy," should be "How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and FULFILLED the Reagan Legacy."

1. Reagan was one of the biggest spenders on record. 2. Under Reagan, they re-wrote the tax code to favor the rich, and started losing revenue that should rightfully have belonged to the American people. 3. Worst of all, we got the Iran-Contra gangsters back, who created the Iraq war, the biggest federal looting party we have ever seen.

But I'm happy to see a few conservatives finally putting two brain cells together to figure this one out (even if they are still numbskulls on Ronnie Ray-Gun). Jeez.

[grytpype]

5. Hahahahahahahaha!!!! n/t

[colonel odis]

6. they're afraid of dissent because they're afraid of anyone

who thinks for his/herself.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

41. They eat their young. Just like Caligula...

... ewww, sorry, that was more graphic than I intended.

[PurpleChez]

45. Caligula might have been a bad mother, but if the Supreme Court

had made a horse president in 2000 I think we'd be better off now than we are with Captain Coo-Coo Bananas.

[FloridaPat]

7. * did it all by himself. No one helped him. Congress fought him tooth and

nail. The MSM was constantly on his case. Oh wait, that was Clinton.

[peacebird]

9. LOL! FloridaPat *nailed* it!

:toast:

[TexasLawyer]

23. Good one, FloridaPat!

[C_U_L8R]

8. Any Conservative .......

Any conservative should feel just as betrayed,
embarrrassed and ashamed by the Bush regime as
the rest of us and,,,,if they sport any moral backbone,
they'll join the fight to take these criminals out of politics.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. You lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.

Conservatives coupled themselves with neoconservatives when times were good, neocons were the only show in town, and doling out the money. Conservatives could have remained independent and apart, but chose to ally themselves with the "winning team". Now they wake up and discover that they reap the misfortunes along with the neocons.

Can't have it both ways, babe!

[niallmac]

12. You messages rings for the DLC also. IMHO. nt/

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of chumps.

[blindpig]

13. More fodder...

http://thestate.com/mld/thestate/12974907.htm

The nut of it: bu$h support dropping in SC among Republicans.

40% SC repubs consider themselves pro-choice. Sadly, the Upstate where I live is still a christofascist bastion.

Thanks to MADem for the post in SC Forum.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

29. Wow!

That's an unbelievably high amount of pro-choice repubs in a southern state! There is still hope for this country after all.

[sandnsea]

14. "betrayed the Reagan legacy"

Don't worry about that betraying America and the Constitution thingy, just save the "Reagan legacy"!!!!

[KittyWampus]

27. also, bankrupting and destroying the Govt. was PART of Reagan's schtick

government being part of the problem, dontcha know...

[suegeo]

47. Betraying America and the Constitution

Betraying America and the Constitution IS the Reagan legacy.

Congress sayeth: Thou shalt not mess with Nicaragua. So Ronnie and Ollie did their war on the sly. Thanks for all those millions in contributions, Saudi crime family!

The thing is, the constitution says: Only Congress shall declare war.

In Ronbo's case, not only did Congress NOT declare war, they went out of their way to say: Thou shall not mess with Nicaragua.

Maybe these rightwing jack asses mean that little shrub didn't commit as big a crime as Ronbo?

Reagan legacy! ha ha ha ha ha!

[JerseygirlCT]

49. Yes, watch as the Bush worship dissipates

and they revert to their usual attempts to build-up the "Reagan legacy".

Pretty sad.

[gratuitous]

15. I can't imagine why there's dissension in the ranks

After all, the leaders of the GOP have been a bunch of corrupt, me-first bastards for the last quarter century or more. They've always promised to line their own pockets at the expense of the Treasury and the common good. They've promised to demagogue every issue (social security, gay marriage, crime, abortion), regardless of real world consequences. They've promised a culture war that would make the Civil War look like an afternoon cotillion.

And they've delivered, in spades! I guess some of the suckers who've backed the GOP missed the part where the "winners" of all these bruising, divisive, unnecessary battles didn't include them. I hope they're getting the message now, because I'm getting a little tired of pointing it out to them.

[calimary]

25. Hot Diggity-Damn, gratuitous!

"...a culture war that would make the Civil War look like an afternoon cotillion"?!?!?

DAMN you're good.

I have liked a WHOLE LOT of your various wordings on things. No. I take that back. I have LOVED a WHOLE LOT of your various writings on things. I hope you get paid for what you write.

And of course, it's not just HOW you word it that's world class. It's WHAT you word, too. Your points are ALWAYS spot-on.

BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL job! I salute you! That is, when I'm not awe-struck.


:toast:

[Dawgs]

16. We need to be weary of this framing...

At least until 06', we have to make sure that we tie all Republicans to this corrupt adminstration.

[Vyan]

30. No...

I think we need to help them divide their own ranks between the "True Neo-Cons" and the True Consciencious Conservatives. There *are* good, honest and decent Republicans -- many of whom have been excommunicated from the party. People such as Christine Todd Whitman, Scott Ritter, Joseph Wilson, Paul O'Neal who still have convictions. We need to help pit these people against those who are currently controlling and running the party. Generate infighting and hopefully help them realize that the only way to truly save the party is to purge themselves of the Neo-Cons and their agenda.

If we paint all Republicans with the same brush, we run the risk of uniting, rather than dividing them.

I just posted a blog on this subject this morning - <a href="http://vyan.blogspot.com/2005/10/radical-neo-conectomy.html">Radical Neo-Conectomy</a>

vyan

[zann725]

17. Sounds like someone's "Political Capital" is alllll spent up!

How sad.

[mrfocus]

18. Quick, call a Whhhhaaaaaam mmmmmbbbbbuuuu ulllllaaaann nnnncccceeeee

Oh, poor consweativs!

Hmm...I guess you get what you pay for. They put aside all morals, true patriotism and concern for fellow Americans and human beings last November and now they are shocked, SHOCKED, that an ill-tempered, spoiled rotten, incompetent brat is taking our beautiful country deeper down the drain than they ever thought possible.

[swimboy]

20. Welcome to DU, mrfocus!

:hi:

[calimary]

26. Welcome to DU!

Glad you're here!

Now get to work!

Visualize IMPEACHMENT!!!!!
And then go DO something about it.

[newyawker99]

31. Hi mrfocus!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[swimboy]

19. It's not the allegations of corruption, dude, it's the actual corruption

bringing you down. Getting caught is a bitch, idnit?

[Cary]

21. What's the real lesson here?

The real flaw in neo-con thinking, IMHO, is their take it or leave, with us or against us approach.

They discredit any good ideas they may have with this approach and they ensure ultimate alienation of everyone else.

The fact is that we're all in the same boat, and we all need each other.

[porkrind]

22. I thought bankrupting America WAS Reagan's legacy?

Or was that just destroying the middle class?

[smoogatz]

28. Excellent point.

It took Bill Clinton to get America's fiscal house in order after yet another failed Republican experiment in trickle-down economics. The whole Norquist/Reagan concept is to intentionally bankrupt the country--cut taxes so much that you're forced to drastically reduce the size of government. They basically believe the federal government should only perform those functions outlined in the constitution: defense, regulation of interstate commerce, customs, taxes and tariffs. Everything else is Communism.

[PassingFair]

34. I do NOT even rise to the bait on this one...

When an acquaintance told me his favorite president was Reagan, I was shocked. All I could do (and still be polite) was ask him, "Why"?

He mumbled something about communism and changed the subject.

WHERE do they get these ideas? Of all the presidents, they say REAGAN?

:puke:

[goforit]

24. Conservatives have never been able to see past their own noses.

So let them fall and fall again over and over again.

So be it!

What assess!

[Jade Fox]

32. Far-right Conservatives are a minority in this country....

All the money in the world won't change that.

That's why they have to steal elections.

[AnneD]

33. I have been telling my conservative religious friends

that the GOP and esp the Neocons were playing them like a Stradivarius. Of course my warnings were met with hoots of derisions. Think they might feel different now.
At least I was honest-the DEM's belief in practicing your faith (instead of a state religion), you are free to school your kids as you see fit, but a good public education should be available to all. DEM's believe that abortions should be available, safe, and rare. People have the right to self determination in life AND death. Our military should not be committed without a clear plan, the material resources to complete the job at had, and support for the family and soldier during and after should they need it.

[HockeyMom]

38. The GOP will go with WALL STREET

over Church Street. No Contest.

[Nothing Without Hope]

35. Oooh - I like that last sentence in your excerpt about the House seats!

Some analysts say disenchantment on the right could double the number of House seats considered competitive from 40 to 80.

People, we can't take advantage of this unless the Dems have a positive, practical AGENDA, a PLAN. Bashing Bush isn't nearly enough.

[peacetalksforall]

40. We can't take advantage of this if Republicans control voting machines

and programming code and reporting, and republican paid technicians and code adjustors. If right wing tv networks hire and own the exit data they can manipulate it. If right wing tv netowrks can call the election, they can support their manipulations. If the police work with election oficials to set-up detours or if election ofoficials hide machines and assign them disproportionately, then - citizans are ball-less.

[VaYallaDawg]

36. I just had to mop up the floor, I've cried so many crocodile tears!

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[truthisfreedom]

42. i love the smell of napalm in the morning.

smells like victory. (cue "Ride of the Valkyries" at top volume)

thugs don't surf.

[LongTomH]

43. Fear the Wounded Beast!

I think it's time for people to reread Bernard Weiner's Crisis Papers op-ed piece: http://www.crisispapers.org/essays-w/st-wounded.htm">"Shallow Throat": Wounded,
Cornered Animals Are Dangerous>.

"In short, the Bushies are vulnerable -- that's what I'm trying to tell you! Go get 'em! But beware: cornered, wounded animals are extremely dangerous."

This has never been as relevant as it is now - you can expect the neo-cons to react in some very nasty ways. That's their nature!

Professor Weiner also repeats what another respondent on this thread has stated:

"Finally, and then I've got to run: Fair-minded citizens must come to understand that unless the voting system in this country is taken out of the hands of the GOP corporate giants who control the software that counts the votes, we'll be living in a rigid one-party state for a long, long time. The only way to save our democratic republic is to use paper ballots, hand-counted; many modern countries do it, France and Canada among them, and there's no good reason, other than corruption and power-hunger, not to do it here. You could build up all the winning impeachment momentum you want in the run-up to the 2006 midterm election, but unless the votes are counted accurately -- and are transparently accepted as honest -- you might as well stay home.

Weiner states it much better than I ever could! Strike while the iron is hot; but, watch your backs, and do someting abouth those !#@#!*! voting machines!