Why the Republicans Must Be Defeated This Year

[SMCengineer]

Why the Republicans Must Be Defeated This Year
Monday, October 20, 2008
By Radley Balko
FOX news

Original article: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,441025,00.html

I grew up in a particularly conservative part of the already conservative state of Indiana. I voted for Bob Dole in 1996 and George Bush in 2000, generally because — though I'm not a conservative (I'm a libertarian) — I'd always thought the GOP was the party of limited government. By 2002, I was less sure of that. And by 2004, I was so fed up with the party that I did what I thought I'd never do — vote for an unabashed leftist for president.

Since then, "fed up" has soured to "given up." The Republican Party has exiled its Goldwater-Reagan wing and given up all pretense of any allegiance to limited government. In the last eight years, the GOP has given us a monstrous new federal bureaucracy in the Department of Homeland Security. In the prescription drug benefit, it's given us the largest new federal entitlement since the Johnson administration. Federal spending — even on items not related to war or national security — has soared. And we now get to watch as the party that's supposed to be "free market" nationalizes huge chunks of the economy's financial sector.

This isn't to say that Barack Obama would be any better. Government would undoubtedly grow under his watch. And from my libertarian perspective, he has been increasingly disappointing even on the issues where he's supposed to be good. We may not go to war with Iran in an Obama administration, but we'd likely become entrenched in a prolonged nation-building adventure in the Sudan. Obama's vote on the FISA bill and telecom immunity also suggests that, for all his criticisms of President Bush's use of executive power and assaults on civil liberties, Obama wouldn't be much better. On the drug war, Obama has promised to end the federal raids on medical marijuana clinics in states that have legalized the drug for treatment, but he wants to resurrect failed federal criminal justice block grant programs that have had some disastrous effects on civil liberties.

While I'm not thrilled at the prospect of an Obama administration (especially with a friendly Congress), the Republicans still need to get their clocks cleaned in two weeks, for a couple of reasons.

First, they had their shot at holding power, and they failed. They've failed in staying true to their principals of limited government and free markets. They've failed in preventing elected leaders of their party from becoming corrupted by the trappings of power, and they've failed to hold those leaders accountable after the fact. Congressional Republicans failed to rein in the Bush administration's naked bid to vastly expand the power of the presidency (a failure they're going to come to regret should Obama take office in January). They failed to apply due scrutiny and skepticism to the administration's claims before undertaking Congress' most solemn task — sending the nation to war. I could go on.

As for the Bush administration, the only consistent principle we've seen from the White House over the last eight years is that of elevating the American president (and, I guess, the vice president) to that of an elected dictator. That isn't hyperbole. This administration believes that on any issue that can remotely be tied to foreign policy or national security (and on quite a few other issues as well), the president has boundless, limitless, unchecked power to do anything he wants. They believe that on these matters, neither Congress nor the courts can restrain him.

That's the second reason the GOP needs to lose. American voters need to send a clear, convincing repudiation of these dangerous ideas.

If they do lose, the GOP would be wise to regroup and rebuild from scratch; scrap the current leadership and, most importantly, purge the party of the "national greatness," neoconservative influence. Big-government conservatism has bloated the federal government, bogged us down in what will ultimately be a trillion-dollar war, and set us down the road to European-style socialism. It's hard to think of how Obama could be worse. He'll just be bad in different ways.

The truth is, unless you vote for a third-party candidate (which really isn't a bad idea), you don't have much of a choice this November. You can either endorse the idea of a massive, invasive, ever-encroaching federal government that's used to promote center-left ideology, or you can endorse the idea of a massive, invasive, ever-encroaching federal government that's used to promote center-right ideology.

Sadly, if the GOP does lose, it's likely to be interpreted not as a repudiation of the GOP's excesses, but as an endorsement of the Democrats'. When the only two parties who have a chance at winning both have a track record of expanding the size and scope of government, every election is likely to be interpreted as a win for big government — only the brand changes.

Voting yourself more freedom simply isn't an option, at least if you want your vote to be taken seriously (and I'm not denigrating any third parties here; I'm just reflecting reality).

Which brings me back to why the Republicans need to get throttled: A humiliated, decimated GOP that rejuvenates and rebuilds around the principles of limited government, free markets, and rugged individualism is really the only chance for voters to possibly get a real choice in federal elections down the road.

Of course, there's no guarantee that's how the party will emerge from defeat. But the Republican Party in its current form has forfeited its right to govern.

[Kratos]

Everybody sucks, I hate it.

[Dinosaur]

cause they lie, and a lie stincks no matter where or how long u hide it will smell.

[DeputyLoneWolf]

Obama needs to be defeated or Socialism will rise in this country = not a good thing.

NOBAMA!!

[Flagg]

Obama needs to be defeated or Socialism will rise in this country = not a good thing.

NOBAMA!!

Nobama? Sorry to burst your bubble but it's going to be Nopalin. She's deserting the Republicans.

[SMCengineer]

Obama needs to be defeated or Socialism will rise in this country = not a good thing.

NOBAMA!!

Right, cause nationalization of the banking system isn't socialism. Republicans are no different than the democrats, which is exactly why they need to be beat.

[j4ever41]

if dems take the white house,senate and house all that will happen is next election cycle people will give back the house or senate or both because they will be unhappy with the dems,majority of people do not like a 1 party rule but they will vote a straight line ticket because it is out of their brain capacity to do other wise.

[Amorphic]

Obama needs to be defeated or Socialism will rise in this country = not a good thing.

NOBAMA!!

it boggles my mind how so many americans think that the slightest form of government intervention is radical socialism. please

[DeputyLoneWolf]

it boggles my mind how so many americans think that the slightest form of government intervention is radical socialism. please

I don't call Obamas ideas on Radical socialism "the slightest bit of goverment intervention"

Wake up dude and stop staring at your avatar so much.

[Prada]

Nobama? Sorry to burst your bubble but it's going to be Nopalin. She's deserting the Republicans.

I dont know why I thought that said Napoleon.

[KZRSOIZE]

Obama needs to be defeated or Socialism will rise in this country = not a good thing.

NOBAMA!!

NOBAMA is right, cuba wanted a change, they got one alright....we are in for a ride, i will waste my vote with the rep party but they are all worth shit....if obama is elected i may as well quit my job and live off the system....it will not be worth working unless your making 6 figures....just my 3 cents i hate all politicians...

[Prada]

I think this is what it comes down to.

First, they had their shot at holding power, and they failed. They've failed in staying true to their principals of limited government and free markets. They've failed in preventing elected leaders of their party from becoming corrupted by the trappings of power, and they've failed to hold those leaders accountable after the fact. Congressional Republicans failed to rein in the Bush administration's naked bid to vastly expand the power of the presidency (a failure they're going to come to regret should Obama take office in January). They failed to apply due scrutiny and skepticism to the administration's claims before undertaking Congress' most solemn task — sending the nation to war. I could go on

They failed.

This is what needs to be done.

If they do lose, the GOP would be wise to regroup and rebuild from scratch; scrap the current leadership and, most importantly, purge the party of the "national greatness," neoconservative influence. Big-government conservatism has bloated the federal government, bogged us down in what will ultimately be a trillion-dollar war, and set us down the road to European-style socialism. It's hard to think of how Obama could be worse. He'll just be bad in different ways.

I mean come on. Palin? Seriously.

[spywizard]

every year it's the same thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUQXI...eature=related

[spywizard]

this one is better..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NY-D...eature=related

[Psychotron]

Can't say i am a fan of my taxes going up. But also don't like sarah palin. It's all a wash for me.

[kaptainkeezy04]

Why are so many people down on Palin. Since when does the Vice President ever do jack sh#t? I understand hating Palin, but not voting McCain just because of Palin is retarded IMO.

[Kärnfysikern]

Why are so many people down on Palin. Since when does the Vice President ever do jack sh#t? I understand hating Palin, but not voting McCain just because of Palin is retarded IMO.

Would you really want this monstrosity one heart attack away from the nuke buttons?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8cVw9nfnsA

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

Would you really want this monstrosity one heart attack away from the nuke buttons?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8cVw9nfnsA

She clearly said "Blah Blah Blah, Im a dirty tramp"


And thats okay with me

[kaptainkeezy04]

Would you really want this monstrosity one heart attack away from the nuke buttons?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8cVw9nfnsA

right now she could take a dump on one of those little "make a wish" cancer kids, and i would still vote for McCain.

[DeputyLoneWolf]

right now she could take a dump on one of those little "make a wish" cancer kids, and i would still vote for McCain.

Lol nice, that made me laugh. Obama is losing his lead too, heh, heh, heh,

[Amorphic]

I don't call Obamas ideas on Radical socialism "the slightest bit of goverment intervention"

Wake up dude and stop staring at your avatar so much.

obviously things like the market and social services need to be regulated, its been proven that capitalism cannot stand on its own due to the nature of corporate greed.

maybe if people would realize corporations dont need massive tax cuts and that using their tax dollars to fund social programs would be a good thing....then again, most people dont care that 30 million americans are homeless.

[DeputyLoneWolf]

obviously things like the market and social services need to be regulated, its been proven that capitalism cannot stand on its own due to the nature of corporate greed.

maybe if people would realize corporations dont need massive tax cuts and that using their tax dollars to fund social programs would be a good thing....then again, most people dont care that 30 million americans are homeless.

You need to realize that those "30 million" homeless are not all victims of circumstance. People should work and not get to live off the system without any guidleines to get a job or have it cut off.

You proved by that post you are a Socialist.

[Amorphic]

You need to realize that those "30 million" homeless are not all victims of circumstance. People should work and not get to live off the system without any guidleines to get a job or have it cut off.

You proved by that post you are a Socialist.

im not saying that everyone deserves social services. what about the 30 million working poor? do they deserve to barely survive while billions of dollars remain in the hands of the elite?

im sure you'd be a little more empathetic to the needs of others if you were actually in need, or had some experience helping people less fortunate than yourself.

we could all benefit from some lessons in humility. there is no such thing as equality, the best thing we can strive for is equity.

[Fat Guy]

DeputyLoneWolf & Kaptainkeezy04 I think you might like this guy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ksUk...eature=channel

[kaptainkeezy04]

DeputyLoneWolf & Kaptainkeezy04 I think you might like this guy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ksUk...eature=channel

it says it has been removed. what is it?

[korsow]

Im a socialist.. People need to do their research on what socialism is before dawgin' it. Socialism works!!. now mind you, im not talking radical Socialism, or Communism.. Im talking Canadian and European Socialism..

[Kratos]

Im a socialist.. People need to do their research on what socialism is before dawgin' it. Socialism works!!. now mind you, im not talking radical Socialism, or Communism.. Im talking Canadian and European Socialism..

bahhahaha
it works my balls
Take a better look at where it works.
Scandinavian countries, take a look at the demographic there. It's near impossible to become a citizen. High natural resource to population ratio. Manditory national service requirement (yeah, that's gonna fly in the US). The school systems "sort" students by the time they're 14-17 to see who gets to go to University and who gets to go to trade school.
France, Britian and Germany are not headed in the best direction due to immigration, and immigration related tensions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...be-capped.html


http://books.google.com/books?id=4FQ...um=1&ct=result


Canada has stable population growth, vast natural resources to the North, and a huge immigration buffer to the South. They surely aren't interested in inviting millions of uninsured non-citizens to get free care in their hospitals.

a Canadian worker on average produces only four-fifths the output of an American worker.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n3228735.shtml

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3503/print

http://www.eng.gees.org/articulo/325/

Taxes choke the economy, and a solid economy is what affords a higher standard of living. The govmt can't give away resources the country isn't producing. For example Ireland cut taxes from 53% in 1986 to its current 35% , has led to a continuous boom of wealth creation at an average rate of 5.6% during the past two decades, while the number of jobs has grown by over 50%. Between 1990 and 2005 the average overall tax burden was 55% in Finland, 58% in Denmark and 61% in Sweden.

You show me where socialism is working, and I'll show you how it isn't.

[Kratos]

Canada has a nice little national debt going as well if you didn't know
Total government debt in Canada is $2.7 trillion

Each Canadian Taxpayer Owes $171,000 vs just under 32k per American

[j4ever41]

obviously things like the market and social services need to be regulated, its been proven that capitalism cannot stand on its own due to the nature of corporate greed.

maybe if people would realize corporations dont need massive tax cuts and that using their tax dollars to fund social programs would be a good thing....then again, most people dont care that 30 million americans are homeless.

what 30 million homeless?

[Kratos]

what 30 million homeless?

it's 3.5 million homeless at some time in their life, 3/4 of a million at any one time. get it right morph, you're a mod for god sake. It's a very small % of the population, and often due to substance abuse or mental illness.

you have them too, and if I were homeless canada is about the last place I'd want to be right next to siberia.

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n17ja06a.htm

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

lol Kratos is on a tear

[j4ever41]

it's 3.5 million homeless at some time in their life, 3/4 of a million at any one time. get it right morph, you're a mod for god sake. It's a very small % of the population, and often due to substance abuse or mental illness.

you have them too, and if I were homeless canada is about the last place I'd want to be right next to siberia.

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n17ja06a.htm

yeah i was just trying to point out how high that number is by asking the question, he has 10% of our population homeless.

[Amorphic]

it's 3.5 million homeless at some time in their life, 3/4 of a million at any one time. get it right morph, you're a mod for god sake. It's a very small % of the population, and often due to substance abuse or mental illness.

you have them too, and if I were homeless canada is about the last place I'd want to be right next to siberia.

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n17ja06a.htm

the number is much higher than that. everyone knows homelessness rates are underestimated in all countries. my 30 million number came from my social policy class last week, as my prof said around the entire population of canada is homeless in the states not counting the millions of working poor.

[Kratos]

the number is much higher than that. everyone knows homelessness rates are underestimated in all countries. my 30 million number came from my social policy class last week, as my prof said around the entire population of canada is homeless in the states not counting the millions of working poor.

I'm just busting your balls buddy. But, we're not as bad off in America as your prof makes it sound. All prof's for the most part swing way to the left.

[Kärnfysikern]

bahhahaha
it works my balls
Take a better look at where it works.
Scandinavian countries, take a look at the demographic there. It's near impossible to become a citizen. High natural resource to population ratio. Manditory national service requirement (yeah, that's gonna fly in the US). The school systems "sort" students by the time they're 14-17 to see who gets to go to University and who gets to go to trade school.

The only thing you wrote that acctually fits with sweden is high natural resources. Im not sure how hard it is to get citizenship, probably not that hard. 17% of the swedish population is of foreign origin. http://www.scb.se/templates/tableOrChart____26041.asp
In sweden the only thing mandatory is a check up to se if your fit for service and then a selection is made for those that have to serve. In reality only those that say they want to serve has to. It was different during the cold war but nowdays its a breze. The rational behind it is of course that a country with a population of only 8 million cant possibly hope to have a credible defense with only a professional army.

The school system doesnt sort students by the age of 14-17, I dont know why you think so? Not all high school educations gives enough qulification to be able to enter university but thats hardly sorting. If anyone decides after high school that they want to go to university but doesnt have the qualifications they can go to complementary educations that are completely free just as every other level of education. A much larger problem is that the goverment has wanted to make as many as possible go to universities, stretching the resources to thin and also neglecting those that want to learn trades right away.

The avarage american is probably more productive than the avarage european or canadian. But the average european chooses to have more vaccation etc rather than to be more productive or have higher salary. In sweden just about everyone has a minimum of 5 weeks vaccation. With my PhD here in the netherlands I have more than 7 weeks of vaccation. Not counting of course the days of for christmas, easter, new years and other national holidays.

Im the first one to say that we need lower taxes in sweden btw. But the social democrats during the 50's-70's did wonders with the swedish economy. After that they started to turn bad.

[3v1lj03]

obviously things like the market and social services need to be regulated, its been proven that capitalism cannot stand on its own due to the nature of corporate greed.

maybe if people would realize corporations dont need massive tax cuts and that using their tax dollars to fund social programs would be a good thing....then again, most people dont care that 30 million americans are homeless.

the US has the second highest corp tax rate in the world.

[SMCengineer]

obviously things like the market and social services need to be regulated, its been proven that capitalism cannot stand on its own due to the nature of corporate greed.

"Corporate greed" can only flourish in the absence of risk. Risk can only be eliminated by some form of government intervention. Government intervention, for the most part, is the opposite of capitalism.

[j4ever41]

the number is much higher than that. everyone knows homelessness rates are underestimated in all countries. my 30 million number came from my social policy class last week, as my prof said around the entire population of canada is homeless in the states not counting the millions of working poor.

so the number is actually higher than 30 million,lol,i would encourage you to do some research for yourself.

[SMCengineer]

I find it funny that one could refer to Barack Obama as a Socialist, yet based on the same standards not refer to John Mccain as one too.

[Kratos]

Karn...Immigration is a common, and undermines the socialist system. We haven't taken control of our borders yet in America.

http://www.migrationinformation.org/...lay.cfm?ID=406

"A number of social indicators show that people of migrant origin have considerably higher rates of unemployment than native Swedes and that they are more heavily dependent on social welfare benefits"

So, you can easily get out of service, and it's a small country...I understand that.

I was a C/D student in middle school (Grades 6-8 in US)
where would the system have left me? Clearly, if more money is flowing into the gvmt, individuals have less savings to decide what course their child should take in life.