Populism and Conservatism

Gregory Rodriguez writes:

...[Sarah Palin's] take-no-prisoners populism is inherently radical; it's at odds not only with McCain's "I'm safe, he's an unknown" strategy but with the very things that conservatism claims to be about: stability, order and tradition.

That is nonsense. American stability has been destroyed by 70 plus years of corrupting government influences in the economy that resulted in the current financial crisis. The lack of stability may get worse not better. It will almost certainly get worse if Democrats gain unchecked political control and increase rather than decrease the corrupting influences of the government on the economy. Conservatives have never believed in an order and a tradition of government control over the economy.

Hence, Sarah Palin's "populism" is in line with what conservatives have been advocating for 70 plus years. The only difference is that the financial crisis has increased the urgency with which conservatives must act to save the wealth and prosperity of America.

Unsophisticated Angry Morons who happen to be Republicans

Ace of Spades is upset with some Republicans:

Some Republicans are... unsophisticated angry morons who shout things like "Terrorist" about Obama when McCain is speaking, thus putting him on the extreme defensive....

They substantially vindicate every stereotype the left and MSM has about us, and make the rest of us not only look bad, but make us squeamish from even being political associates. And they lose us precious votes.

And yet these screamers and tantrum-throwers really think they're the ones helping the team. These malformed, brain-damaged shut-in angry monsters think they've got the right message to carry to the non-deformed, non-retarded demographics.

...

99% of readers and commenters are great. It's the 1% of brain-damaged, ignorant mutants that always causes all the embarrassment.... And at campaign rallies.

I agree with Ace of Spades for the most part. However, this story was largely a myth of hyperbole concocted by the Obama campaign. The propagandist in the Media then willingly spread the hyperbole for the benefit of the Obama campaign. And, they did so without ethically showing the lunacy of the left. To me, the story should be how unreliable the media is. The mainstream media is willingly lying to the American people on a scale never before seen. Are the American people aware of how deceitful the press is?

The fringe 1% is regrettable. However, conservatives and Republicans should not destroy themselves over the regrettable actions of a few. Instead, conservatives and Republicans should rally together, expose the lies of the media, and inform the American people, yes we are human and imperfect, and we can be passionate about our beliefs. However, in our passion, conservatives and Republicans are fighting to make America better and not bring it down.

I understand that Ace's rage against the 1% has more to do with a bad experience with one of his own commenter's. But, times are dire, and it is gonna take a miracle. Ace's intentions are good, but now is not the time for conservatives to give off the appearance that we are eating our own.

For the greater good of Republicanism

Steve Kornacki writes:

After eight years of George W. Bush, Republicans need to decide who they are and what they stand for. Nothing would jump-start that discussion more effectively than a drubbing next month.

That may be the case, but the biggest loser in such a scenario would be the American people as the Democratic party would have unchecked ability to radically alter America's capitalist system. I prefer preserving America's wealth and capitalist system to sacrificing it for the greater good of the Republican party.

The End of Prosperity

In an article at The American Spectator, Peter Ferrara quotes the authors of the book The End of Prosperity as saying:

[W]e are now witnessing nearly all of the economic policy dials that were once turned toward growth being twisted back towards recession. [O]ur politicians in both parties, but especially the liberal Democrats, are getting everything wrong -- tax policy, regulatory policy, monetary policy, spending policy, trade policy. We call this the assault on growth. The political class seems to be almost intentionally steering the United States economy into the abyss -- and, to borrow a phrase from P.J. O'Rourke, the American electorate, alas, seems ready and willing to hand them the keys and the bottle of whiskey to do it.

I hope every Republican politician reads at least this article and even maybe the book, and is able to adopt the arguments. If not, I fear Peter Ferrera's closing thoughts may prove to be prophetic:

We know how to create an economic boom, and we know what policies will lead to economic disaster. The Left denies these obvious truths only because it craves more government power. If America does not wake up to what is happening, there will be much suffering through a long dark night.

McCain and Economics

McCain did an awful job last night making his economic case. Republicans are offering people wealth. Democrats are threatening to take away people's wealth. How hard is it to make that argument. All Republicans and free market advocates need to find some one who can make that argument and can make it in a hurry. Shout it from every mountain top. The wealth of our nation is at risk like it has never been before. Why aren't Republicans and free market advocates engaged in self interested fight for economic survival?

Post Bailout Politics

Paul Mirengoff at Power Line provides John Boehner statement on the bailout:

The passage of this flawed but necessary bill is not cause for celebration.

The financial crisis is not a failure of the free-market system. It is a failure of a broken Washington, and a government culture that allowed executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other firms to run amok, ultimately imperiling our nation’s economy. For years Republicans warned of this danger and advocated reform of these government-sponsored enterprises. And for years such reforms were thwarted by legislators with deep political ties to the worst offenders, putting the companies’ interests ahead of the interests of our country.

House Republicans stood on principle throughout this process. We secured numerous reforms on behalf of American taxpayers, such as raising the FDIC insurance cap, the SEC’s change to mark-to-market rules for certain assets that have worsened the credit crisis, and an insurance program that forces Wall Street to bear a financial burden in the rescue package. Republicans also were successful in stripping from the original Paulson-Democrat bailout plan of its special-interest earmarks for trial lawyers, labor bosses, and thinly-veiled political organizations like ACORN. This significantly improved legislation is much stronger than the initial Paulson plan and protects the interests of families, seniors, small businesses, and all taxpayers.

John Boehner is right. Hopefully, Republicans and conservatives will be able to unite behind this truth and get the American people to understand that the Republicans are working to create wealth, prosperity and security from terrorists while Democrats are working to create poverty, stagnation and uncertainty over America's ability to forcefully counter threats from terrorists.

Mike Huckabee was right

Many mainstream Republicans hated Mike Huckabee because they felt he was an anti-capitalist populist. However, there was a truthfulness to Mike Huckabee's populist rhetoric. Unfortunately, Mike Huckabee did not know how to make his rhetoric acceptable to the main stream free market advocates who dominate the Republican party.

Mike Huckabee's populism should be embraced, because it has a truthfulness to it, and it is also the most politically popular way to defend capitalism available.

A Conservative Civil War

Paul Waldman is salivating over the impending conservative Civil War:

...all the pillars that have held up conservatism for so long are crumbling. When the dust settles, it will be difficult to know just what it means to be a conservative.

Unfortunately, if conservatives do not come together, Paul's words may be prophetic.

Is a conservative who doesn't proclaim the perfection of the free market and the evil of government still a conservative?

America has not had a truly free market economy since the late 1920's. Conservatives first must rally to save capitalism. Once the future of capitalism is safe and secure, conservatives must work to purge the perverse incentives that have precipitated this crisis and that continually confiscate wealth from the American people.

What about a conservative who thinks his comrades ought to quit yapping about gay marriage and get into the 21st century?

Libertarians are being used by the gay community to advocate non libertarian policies. It is the libertarians who need to wake up to this, and they need to stop letting the gay community use them. Libertarians should support gays but only where that support leads to an advancement of libertarian principles. Libertarians should be in alliance with paleocons on most policy issues that the gay community is trying to advance.

What about a conservative who wants to accede to the public's desire for a less bellicose foreign policy?

Due to the state that America's finances will be in for the foreseeable future, all conservatives should essentially advocate more or less an isolationist foreign policy.

Life is not fair

Complaining about how unfair life is does nothing to make life fair. Here are 2 examples of how life is unfair to Republicans/Conservatives.

• Debate Moderator writing Pro Obama propaganda book
• Obama campaign brazenly breaking campaign finance laws?

Are Republican/Conservatives going to do anything about it? Or are they just going to accept? If history is any guide, they are not going to do anything but complain, and then accept it.

Grass root Republicans/Conservatives want something done, but they need effective leadership to do something productive. Influential Republicans/Conservatives provide no leadership on how to productively counter these brazen unethical Democratic party advantages. Republican/Conservatives need a community organizer.

Update: I am guessing most people who read my blog have read instapundit long before they get to my blog, but in case you haven't, Glenn Reynolds provides some pretty good answers to what Republicans/Conservatives should do. Just a snippet of that advice:

If you want to have a media environment that isn't dominated by the Gwen Ifills and Keith Olbermanns of the world, you need to ensure that other kinds of voices flourish.

Financial crisis resolved?

Hugh Hewitt writes:

If, as appears likely, the two parties which are on opposite sides of a deep ideological divide can work together to resolve a crisis and then immediately return to throwing hammers at each other for five weeks, this will be as great an example of the wonders of our system that can be imagined.

Now that the crisis has been resolved (hopefully), libertarians, conservatives and all those who embrace free markets need to work to save and restore capitalism in America. The stakes are now to high to allow the paternalistic socialist state to continue acquiring more control over the economy and the lives of American people.

Those who embrace free markets need to sell the concept to the American people that the cost of this bailout need not be equally borne by all members of society. Instead, it could more productively be borne by the least productive members of society (i.e., the do nothing civil servant bureaucrats, parasitic accountants and lawyers, upper middle class welfare king and queen college professors, wealthy foreign allies who do not adequately pay for their own defense, dead beat home owners that caused this crisis, monopolistic corporations who gain government induced economy of scale advantages through laws and regulations, etc).

These are tough arguments to make, and undoubtedly, free market advocates will be accused of having no compassion. However, free market advocates need to frame the debate around the concept of having compassion for the hard working Americans who are being asked to borne the cost of solving a problem that they did not create. Free market advocates can win these arguments and save and restore capitalism in America, but they need to get to work ASAP.

Milton Friedman on the Great Depression

http://reason.com/news/show/129017.html

...it is striking how free-market economics have no place in the current debate. They are not seen as a credible response to a Wall Street crisis, even by the presidential nominee of the Republican Party, who is angrily attacking the "greed of Wall Street." Contra Naomi Klein, an economic shock has sent Republicans skittering away from free-market theories; the last thing the party of small government seems interested in letting markets work.

Unfortunately, some libertarians and conservatives need to brush up on the teachings of Milton Friedman.




In case anyone misunderstands my point, Milton Friedman endorses the view that it is necessary for Federal Reserve to prevent contractions in the money supply. That is what financial crisis and negotiations over the bailout are all about.