I want Conservatives. Heck, I even want Republicans...

[garthranzz]

Not this election, not in Congress, because there is no balance of power now.

But ask any great chess player, any great athlete or coach, and they'll tell you - they need strong competition to bring out the best in them. And, much as I hate to lose, we all need to lose occasionally. It's a truism, but we learn more from our mistakes than our victories.

But, and here's the caveat, I want honest conservatives, honest Republicans. I want real policy debate. I don't want even Democrats I respect to have unchecked power. Kerry's botched joke serves as a paradigm: I can think of no one better qualified to be president, more sensitive to the demands and responsibilities. But he has flaws, like all of us. I would want him to have a "loyal opposition," people who will tell him, for instance, "John, if you're going to tell a joke, read it. Or get someone else there to make up for any gaffe - like Robin Williams."

Because of the parallels, I keep thinking of the days of Watergate. If not for honest Republicans, conservatives with a conscience, Nixon would not have resigned. But Barry Goldwater, Lowell Weicker, Howard Baker, etc. put country and principle ahead of party. They risked their careers. (Any one remember JFK's Profiles in Courage, and the story of the Senator who saved Andrew Johnson from impeachment?)

If we want to not only rid ourselves of the evil of vilification, but to restore the dignity of dialogue, we must reassure the honest Republicans and conservatives with conscience that, after the festering wound has been cleansed, after we as a country have purged the poison of Bush and his puppeteers, we will not perform unnecessary surgery. Rather, we will welcome the debate, confident that our principles can prevail, honestly, on the playing field of ideas.

We are in the midst of our own civil war here. The principles of the Democratic Party will win. But in victory we should look to a Republican (who, if alive today would surely be an Illinois (Massachusetts) Democrat) for the process and philosophy. And thus I bring some of the words of Lincoln, when victory, not yet achieved, was all but assured:


"Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. ...
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

It is almost a year since I and my family returned to New Orleans. Katrina's damage became, ironically but justly, Bush's signature. It has been almost a year and Bush's signature, like the scrawl of a juvenile delinquent over a sacred document - the Constitution - which must be removed with care, and slowly, lest the document itself be damaged - Bush's signature, though a trace of the vandalism will always remain, is almost removed.

And now, DU, if you haven't voted yet, if not now, when?

Victory, not for vengeance, but for virtue.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. what you say makes sense. creative tension results in better results.

That is why the GOP has screwed our nation so badly. There was no Dem response for 5 years. This year, that changes.

[LeftishBrit]

2. I agree; our country's experience demonstrates this

One of our own more decent Conservatives, Francis Pym, was sacked from Maggie Thatcher's Cabinet in the 1980s for remarking that "Landslides rarely produce good governments". Alas, this has been proven all too true - not only did an excessive parliamentary majority, with resulting unchecked power for the leader, produce a bad Tory government; it has since also produced a bad 'Labour' government.

Right now, I hope you elect as many Dems as possible, because Bush has had unchecked power for too long, and appears to the world like a king or emperor from the days before democracy. I disagree emphatically with Republican/Thatcherite policies; but I also fear any government whose representative can say, "Our president... deserves to have a Congress that will work with him rather than against him." The idea of any leader DESERVING not to have an opposition is more that of a dictator than a democratic leader.

Give Mad King George the opposition he needs, and the whole world will cheer!

[TygrBright]

3. Yes. Exactly. Respectful, principled opposition...

...and thoughtful discourse on our differences is what results in good government. I DO want ptincipled, thoughtful conservatives in office. In fact, if we win the Presidential election in 2008, it would probably be a good thing if GOPpies took the Senate-- assuming they have made progress in their purge by then.

The moderate conservatives who have taken refuge with us in this election cycle (thanks for trusting us this far, anyway, guys, and welcome!-- for now...) must return to their own Party and clean house. They need to grit their teeth and out-wait the nutjob wing's "Keep talking until the normal people leave, then make all the decisions" tactics. They need to establish intra-party rules that will keep the GOP from being tarred and vilified as sleazy, manipulative cheats. They need to elect Party leadership that will work creatively but firmly with Dem leadership to clean up the horrible mess the nutjobs have left. They need to remind us how many of our fellow-citizens are leery of fast, drastic change, and what is worthy of keeping in the "old stuff" we want to throw out. They need to speak up firmly but politely with a list of the needs and wants the WHOLE Republican Party (not just the wackjobs) prioritizes, and horsetrade to get them met.

If they can accomplish all that, they will be truly formidable opponents, forcing us to be better and more effective Democrats.

I have no problem with that. None at all.

hopefully,
Bright

[FormerDittoHead]

4. Here's why it wouldn't happen: CONSERVATISM IS A LIE.

I REALLY appreciate your reaching out, but you really should be aware of the truth.

"Conservatism" is a LIE.

Their "platform" whatever you want to call it, is a mish-mosh of issues intended to get enough votes to get elected to execute the REAL PLAN.

Conservatism is a CONSPIRACY.

They talk about being pro-life, values, etc. IT'S A LIE.

They talk about tax cuts / not raising taxes. IT'S A LIE. - borrowing an infinite amount of money pretending you'll never have to pay it off is NOT lowering taxes...

They talk about national security. IT'S A LIE.

They talk about "law and order". IT'S A LIE.

They talk about "small government". IT'S A LIE.

They talk about "free markets". IT'S A LIE. They want government to PROTECT AND CONTROL markets for the benefit of the corporations.

They talk about what the founding fathers wanted. IT'S A LIE.

To set the next part up, understand that the *100%* of (major) corporations are *CONTROLLED* by very few RICH people, and that the vast majority of corporate wealth is OWNED by very few RICH people.

The ONLY HONEST conversation you could have with a Republican about what they will *DO* is SIMPLE:

Lower taxes on the rich to the point of eliminating them.
Reduce market risks for corporations by reducing competition and increasing corporate subsidies.
Eliminate government assistance which aids upward mobility of the lower classes. Arrange it so that except for a very, very few, the vast majority will word hard all of their lives and in the end have little / nothing to show for it.
Eliminate unions for the threat it presents to the corporations.
Divert everything the government has dominion over to the corporations eg natural resources.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS A SMOKE SCREEN TO GIVE THEM THE POWER TO DO THE ABOVE.

THEY DON'T "BELIEVE" IN ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T ALSO ACCOMPLISH THEIR REAL AGENDA AS LISTED ABOVE.