Whither Republicans?

[OldTrader]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I hope Bush has too much backbone and grit to go along with that strategy. It would be totally demoralizing for Republicans and would pretty much doom their hopes in '08. Instead, he should be Commander Adama and rally what is left of his world, get them organized and in fighting shape and ready to battle for the principles that unite the party.

Principles? With all due respect AAA, and I mean that sincerely, I'm not sure tonight just exactly what principles the Republican party stands for. The last Republicans I think had "principles" were Goldwater and Reagan.

I've voted in every election since Goldwater. Virtually always Republican, except the year that Dole ran. I couldn't bring myself to do it even though I like the guy.

Yesterday I did as Jem suggested. I voted Republican because I couldn't stand to vote for the Democrats in the elections in my area. I voted "non-Democrat", not Republican.

I believe in low taxes, low spending, low government, personal responsibility. I believe in the individual rather than the state. I believe in the right to choose, stem cell research, safe borders, strong national defense, and amnesty.

I think Iraq was a mistake. I am a Vietnam Vet. I could have told you that this country does not have the balls to fight a war, not a real war. And because of that, better not to start. We cannot win a "guerilla war" because this country is not tough enough.

Now, which Republican represents me?

The jackals are now taking over. We are about to be "governed" by the likes of Teddy Kennedy, Henry Waxman, Charlie Rangal, Dingell, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry etc etc etc.

I think the bedrock Republicans of this world are disenfranchised. And to tell you the truth, I don't see a solution, because I don't see a politician anywhere with any real principles, Republican or Democrat alike.

OldTrader

 

[jem]

Quote from OldTrader:

Principles? With all due respect AAA, and I mean that sincerely, I'm not sure tonight just exactly what principles the Republican party stands for. The last Republicans I think had "principles" were Goldwater and Reagan.

I've voted in every election since Goldwater. Virtually always Republican, except the year that Dole ran. I couldn't bring myself to do it even though I like the guy.

Yesterday I did as Jem suggested. I voted Republican because I couldn't stand to vote for the Democrats in the elections in my area. I voted "non-Democrat", not Republican.

I believe in low taxes, low spending, low government, personal responsibility. I believe in the individual rather than the state. I believe in the right to choose, stem cell research, safe borders, strong national defense, and amnesty.

I think Iraq was a mistake. I am a Vietnam Vet. I could have told you that this country does not have the balls to fight a war, not a real war. And because of that, better not to start. We cannot win a "guerilla war" because this country is not tough enough.

Now, which Republican represents me?

The jackals are now taking over. We are about to be "governed" by the likes of Teddy Kennedy, Henry Waxman, Charlie Rangal, Dingell, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry etc etc etc.

I think the bedrock Republicans of this world are disenfranchised. And to tell you the truth, I don't see a solution, because I don't see a politician anywhere with any real principles, Republican or Democrat alike.

OldTrader

amen. unfortunately - although I am not a vet (which I respect and don't want people thinking I am representing I am) and I am not presently for stem cell research

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

Quote from OldTrader:

Principles? With all due respect AAA, and I mean that sincerely, I'm not sure tonight just exactly what principles the Republican party stands for. The last Republicans I think had "principles" were Goldwater and Reagan.

I've voted in every election since Goldwater. Virtually always Republican, except the year that Dole ran. I couldn't bring myself to do it even though I like the guy.

Yesterday I did as Jem suggested. I voted Republican because I couldn't stand to vote for the Democrats in the elections in my area. I voted "non-Democrat", not Republican.

I believe in low taxes, low spending, low government, personal responsibility. I believe in the individual rather than the state. I believe in the right to choose, stem cell research, safe borders, strong national defense, and amnesty.

I think Iraq was a mistake. I am a Vietnam Vet. I could have told you that this country does not have the balls to fight a war, not a real war. And because of that, better not to start. We cannot win a "guerilla war" because this country is not tough enough.

Now, which Republican represents me?

The jackals are now taking over. We are about to be "governed" by the likes of Teddy Kennedy, Henry Waxman, Charlie Rangal, Dingell, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry etc etc etc.

I think the bedrock Republicans of this world are disenfranchised. And to tell you the truth, I don't see a solution, because I don't see a politician anywhere with any real principles, Republican or Democrat alike.

OldTrader

You represent a lot of us. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am sure the current Democrat party does not provide it.

 

[Bernoulli]

Quote from jem:

Myself my family and most of the people I play tennis with at the tennis club would be the core support republicans could have.

They mismanaged their time in office and were so bad at governing I did not here one person say vote for republicans. they did say you cant vote for democrats.

The republicans absolutely sucked when they had a time to lead.

Where is the tax code reform, the secure borders, the lower spending or at least cuts to match the spending.

they sucked and now the dems will suck.

The Republican Party isn't about leading, and it isn't about a conservative agenda or any agenda for that matter. Inside the party the entire focus has been on winning elections. What we see and read about is just for public consumption. I don't know anyone inside the Democratic Party but it undoubtedly is the same, as they certainly don't seem to have any political agenda.

In my lifetime, the Republican Party has always stood for, and never delivered, fiscal conservativism and laissez-faire governance -- and industry deregulation got started by Carter(!) and the books were balanced by Clinton. The Republicans have given us reckless spending and Sarbanes-Oxley.

 

[Bernoulli]

Quote from ZZZzzzzzzz:

Dems want to make health care affordable for all...

Er, right, JFK made speeches about fixing health care in the early Sixties and the Dems have really done a lot about it since then . . . .

 

[Bernoulli]

Quote from Rearden Metal:

Putin is a walking disaster- an Orwellian nightmare of a leader.
<b>Nobody</b> gets along with Putin.

Apparently Bush does. Here is a quote from an early Bush press conference referring to Putin:

". . . I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue."

Unfortunately, I don't think Bush was being disingenuous. Scary.

 

[Banjo]

Putin is a snake, I remember an interviewer asking him what it was like in an ex KGB environment, he answered " there is no such thing as ex KGB"

 

[dddooo]

Quote from Bernoulli:

Er, right, JFK made speeches about fixing health care in the early Sixties and the Dems have really done a lot about it since then . . . .

What exactly is your point, are you saying that if it has not been done it will never be done? What am I missing?

PS Hillary had a plan too 10 years ago. Maybe it was not a perfect plan but it could certainly be used as a starting point in the healthcare debate. Too bad the republican congress killed it.

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

Quote from Bernoulli:

Apparently Bush does. Here is a quote from an early Bush press conference referring to Putin:

". . . I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue."

Unfortunately, I don't think Bush was being disingenuous. Scary.

If we are reduced to having good relations only with countries which have decent, honorable leaders, we really will be forced to act unilaterally because very few fit that description.

For some reason Bush and his crew decided to rub the Russians' noses in their circumstances rather than act graciously. We eat shit from countries like Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Kuwait, Mexico, really allof Latin America, but we had to do an end zone dance with the Russians, a country we never fought a war against.

With a little adroit diplomacy and respect, we could have made the Russians our most valuable ally. Instead, now they go out of their way to undermine us.

 

[ZZZzzzzzzz]

A republican congress flush with money from Insurance company lobby groups...

Quote from dddooo:

What exactly is your point, are you saying that if it has not been done it will never be done? What am I missing?

PS Hillary had a plan too 10 years ago. Maybe it was not a perfect plan but it could certainly be used as a starting point in the healthcare debate. Too bad the republican congress killed it.