The crazies are running the asylum.
Ron Paul has ended Mitt Romney’s three-year run as conservatives’ favorite for president, taking 31 percent of the vote in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s annual straw poll.
Paul, a Republican congressman from Texas known for his libertarian views, ran for president in 2008 but was never a serious contender for the GOP nomination.
As always, the greatest threat to a Republican comeback continues to be Republicans. Oy.
Oh, and by the way. Glenn Beck gave the keynote. Double OY. I agree with Jim Hoft when he says…
Beck: It’s a disease. It’s not just taxing. It’s not just spending. It’s progressivism.
I appreciate several of the things Beck says but personally I hate it when he constantly beats up on the GOP.
I do wish he would recognize that not one single House Republican voted for the gigantic Stimulus Bill, the record Omnibus Bill, and the Son of Stimulus Bill in 2009. And, only 5 voted for the democrat’s business-busting cap-and-tax bill and only one voted for Obamacare.
There is hope. There is change. Then there is the GOP.
February 21, 2010 at 5:38 am
Wait, most of the people at CPAC did not vote in the straw poll.
February 21, 2010 at 6:34 am
Two points:
1) Why exactly is it that Paul winning is a bad thing? It seems like, if anything, the Republicans are gaining political capital from the folks who think with Paul. And it's not exactly as if Paul is talking about principles that are alien to the core of the party…lestways the core that I always assumed it had.
2) I would hesitate to put any real faith in the Republican establishment learning anything. They had since 1994, and they had both elected branches of the Federal government for a good number of years, and really didn't have a lot to show for it. Fool me once, shame on you. I don't think I feel like being fooled twice.
In the end, the hope of the United States is in neither party, but I think the dissolution of both parties, among other things.
February 21, 2010 at 1:11 pm
What on earth on you talking about? Ron Paul is far and away the very best candidate the Republicans could possibly nominate. Ron Paul is also the most Catholic candidate they could nominate.
February 21, 2010 at 1:20 pm
The crazies have been running the asylum for quite a long time. Crazy is spelled n-e-o-c-o-n.
February 21, 2010 at 3:12 pm
I miss Ronald Reagan.
— Mack
February 21, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Wolf, you are absolutely correct.
February 21, 2010 at 6:37 pm
And by the way, most Republicans voted for the original Bush stimulus bill. Now that Bush Lite (or should I say Bush Dark) continues the exact same policies, they are suddenly against them! The two parties have been playing the stupid American electorate for years now. Don't fall for the so-called "two party" racket. There is one party with two different names.
February 21, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Patrick,
I think a case could be made that the Republican comeback is largely because of Ron Paul and his supporters. If the Republicans run another establishment candidate, we're in trouble. The "Tea Party" movement is basically Ron Paul's supporters moving within the Republican fold. I never heard Romney or Palin or Bush complaining about deficits, or our debt or our currency and printing money. But everyone heard Ron Paul talking about it. How many Republicans voted for the 800B bailout? Most of them. How quickly you forget. Is spending only bad when Obama does it? Republicans did a pretty terrible job of reigning in spending when they were in office and that's why the establishment republicans have lost all credibility and will face some tough primary fights. The Republican party is moving back to principles and whatever you think about Ron Paul he is consistent on his principles and his votes don't get bought. That doesn't make him crazy. When it comes to "GOP" or "The Party" versus conservative principles, people are moving towards principles, which is a great thing in my opinion.
February 21, 2010 at 7:07 pm
It's principals, not party, Patrick. I'm actually surprised to see you standing by the old guard Republicans spinning Beck's speech. He has gone a long way to give many Americans the hope that there's a new sheriff in town, and his name is "Heroic Virtue."
February 21, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Thanks, Geronimo. 🙂
I do think that the two-party system is legit, though. It's just not founded on principles anymore; it's founded on the desire to take and hold power, which is why it has to go.
I could go on about this, but I don't want to rant and detract from all the other good stuff that you and Anon are saying. I think the power principle speaks for itself.
February 21, 2010 at 9:11 pm
*waits for the "Evil Rockwell!" posts to show up.
"The armada ships are full of libertarians and Francis Drake won't stop bowling!" 🙂
February 21, 2010 at 9:17 pm
"The crazies have been running the asylum for quite a long time. Crazy is spelled n-e-o-c-o-n."
You are sooooooo right Anony. Ron Paul supporters, in addition, are the people that started the tea party protests in the first place, aren't they? Well, good for them. And they aren't "crazies." Crazy in comparison to the abortion-loving, homosexual marriage, confiscatory tax, global warming lunatics that are in power now? What?
February 21, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Any person truly interested in the preservation of religious freedom and preventing the demise of our morally-weakened country through economic catastrophe would do well to listen to the message of Ron Paul.
Click here to see Ron Paul's CPAC address.
February 21, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Any person truly interested in the preservation of religious freedom and preventing the demise of our morally-weakened country through economic catastrophe would do well to listen to the message of Ron Paul.
Anon, while I do retain some measure of sympathy for Ron Paul, the above is grandiose and frankly not much different from the rhetoric I would expect from Teh ONE!!!11!!11
February 21, 2010 at 10:32 pm
I think its time to oppose CPAC and the Republican party to force a true conservatism that respects the natural law, family and the role of the church.
Romney is not pro-life, he's a flip flopper, and passed health care reform in MA – is he even a true fiscal conservative? The libertarianism that supports Ron Paul, despite his personal stance on gay marriage, is a catalyst for the gay agenda which gained ground and imposed itself on CPAC.
The common ground at CPAC was not the natural family… it was fiscal conservatism. What were the fiscal conservatives and folks like Buckley thinking after Roe v Wade? They had no objections!
February 22, 2010 at 12:08 am
Gentlemen, Please. One of the strengths of our political system is 2 parties where they each pull towards the center. When one goes too far, they loose power and have to go back and regroup. That's what's happening now. The main reason I am a conservative is because the vision of personal responsibility, accountability and charity to neighbors are most properly embodied in the GOP. Not Libertarians or anybody on the Left. I believe those are the secular values embodied in Christianity that should be lived out. Conspiracy theories are usually overreaching and not workable. Those are Beck's specialty. BTW don't shoot those who agree with you partially (neocons), convert them. Doesn't help to call names. For the Ron Paul supporters, please look into the company he keeps.
February 22, 2010 at 12:19 am
It isn't about following someone in particular. That two-party system has served us well in the past, but it's not really helping us now. All you have at the moment is two sets of populists. Which, historically, is a bad thing for republican systems of government.
February 22, 2010 at 2:29 pm
"I do wish he would recognize that not one single House Republican voted for the gigantic Stimulus Bill, the record Omnibus Bill, and the Son of Stimulus Bill in 2009. And, only 5 voted for the democrat’s business-busting cap-and-tax bill and only one voted for Obamacare."
Those Republicans have nothing to fear from independent conservatives. Not at this time, anyway. My understanding is that the Tea Party/conservative movement is not about doing away with the Republican Party, it's about steering the Republicans in the right direction. It's about voting for principles and individuals, not allowing automatic R to be taken for granted.
The left has figured this out, that's why there is suddenly such a thing as a "pro-life Democrat".
February 22, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Daddio, I'm pretty sure there were pro-life Democrats before the Teabaggers showed up. What amazed me was that there were still pro-life Republicans in the House and Senate. I thought they'd all disappeared, until the healthcare bill showed up. 🙂
February 22, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Folks, if the Tea Party runs candidates against Republicans, then they are not moving in the Republican fold, but are orchestrating a Democrat victory.
Unless a Tea Party candidate draws all of what would have been Republican voters, the result is a split between Republicans and Tea Party votes, and a Democrat victory. We saw that in 1992 with Perot. No matter how bad the Republicans have been or how inept they are in fielding candidates in future, a third part always pulls from their votes.
Of course, if you could mobilize one or more extreme liberal parties to fragment the Democrat vote….