Jun 13 2007
Poor Newt, He’s So Bold!
Newt is out there touting some interesting political snake oil. Don’t get me wrong, I admire the man immensely. If not for the the 1994 congressional sweep America would be a far darker place – thanks to failed liberal policies he helped sunset. But he has also missed the boat. It happens to all of us, history passes us by. I find his recent call for conservative purity more than a laugh at the moment:
It is time for some strong medicine for American conservatives and it does not get any stronger than this: if Republicans are going to have any chance of victory in 2008, they need to learn a thing or two from the French.
That’s right. The French.
For Republicans in Washington, the election of Nicolas Sarkozy is significant not because he is a conservative but because he was a part of a deeply unpopular incumbent government. For those who are willing to learn, Mr. Sarkozy’s win shows that it is possible to produce a decisive national decision in favour of more conservative reform when voters are faced with a choice between ideological failure on the left and bold solutions and bold leadership from a newly redefined right.
Bold leadership and solutions from the right? LOL! Bush is the boldest of the right (he takes on issues whether he will benefit or not) and he got called a traitor by his own party for being bold on immigration! The GOP is fighting to salvage the status quo on immigration tooth and nail. OK, that can be a bold move. But it is not a bold solution. I guess mass deportation would be a bold solution – but the GOP is of course not for that. Here is the funny thing about Newt’s lame claim. What happens when voters are faced with ideological failure on the left and right?
The GOP stalwarts have been bold all right. Bashing Bush, trying to throw Gonzales under the bus, taking bribes for earmaks, and doing a lot of nothing. They rail against coalitions of the willing like the Gang of 14. They rail against moderates and outsiders. The GOP is devoid of anything but derision for those they disagree with.
Where will the hot ideas come from? Why is it we are stuck with just the hot heads? Nice try Newt – but the credibility of the GOP is pretty shot right now. “Bold” is not the kind of word I think of when I look at the GOP tear down Bush at every chance. “Bumbling” seems to come to my mind when I think of all the cheap shots the GOP sent towards the head of their party.
I really wish Newt would put a fork in it and jsut stay out of the current political hot isues, like immigration. When Newt was speaker of the house from 94 to 98 he had a solidly conservative majority and could have passed a sweeping immigration reform bill easily. He did not. It was not important to Newt during his four years, as more illeglas crossed our borders. Newt kicked the can down the road for someone else to deal with. Newt had some great ideas but failed on others like immigration. Like Clinton with terrorism, Newt has zero credibility with immigration.
I have to agree with Roonenti on this. Newt had his chance and if he had been half as interested in securing the borders as he was in going after Clinton…we might be better off today.
I think Sarkozy is an improvement, but he would hardly be considered a conservative by American standards. And we are not France, never have been, never will be.
I have to say I agree with some of the above regarding Newt. He needs to just shut up. He was playing coy hoping the conservatives would go looking for him to run for president when the other candidates did not satisfy them but along came Fred Thompson and cut him off at the pass.
The country is so polarized right now the middle is getting rather thin as people align right and left. There is no great middle ground like there used to be – unfortunately.
RASMUSSEN: ONLY 20 % WANT SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL REVIVED…
“It happens to all of us, history passes us by.” you got that right!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Just 20% of American voters want Congress to try and pass the immigration reform bill that failed in the Senate last week. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 51% would like their legislators to “take smaller steps towards reform†while 16% believe they should wait until next year. The survey was conducted on Monday and Tuesday night as the President was publicly attempting to rally support for the legislation.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters would favor an approach that focuses “exclusively on securing the border and reducing illegal immigration.†Support for the enforcement only approach comes from 84% of Republicans, 55% of Democrats, and 69% of those not affiliated with either major party.
Overall, just 21% are opposed to the enforcement-only approach.
Just 30% would favor legislation that focused “exclusively on legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States.†Fifty-seven percent (57%) oppose that strategy, including 63% of Republicans, 52% of Democrats, and 55% of unaffiliated voters.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) favor a proposal giving “all illegal aliens up to three years to leave the United States. After leaving, the illegal aliens would have to get in line and wait their turn for legal entry into the United States.†Support for that concept comes from 67% of Republicans, 49% of Democrats, and 56% of unaffiliated voters.
The Senate immigration reform bill that failed last week was far more popular in Congress than among the American people. It was strongly opposed by a cross-section of the nation’s voters. At the end, just 23% of voters favored the legislation.
It could be devious, but Sarkozy is initiaing a dialogue with
Hezbollah, instead of lying about its “terrorist” nature.
It could be devious, but Sarkozy is initiating a dialogue with
Hezbollah, instead of lying about its “terrorist” nature.
Repeat this three times:
Bush is the boldest of the right (he takes on issues whether he will benefit or not) and he got called a traitor by his own party for being bold on immigration!
I know Newt personally–used to live 2 miles from him and worked my butt off in two of his campaigns. It was exciting and Newt is truly a genius. So it’s hard for me to rap his knuckles. But yeah, Newt is flailing like a wild man these days and apparently courting the faction that threatens to destroy his beloved party. I don’t get it. It has crossed my mind that he is toying with the idea of a third party run. I hope he never finds out what the purists now calling him a messiah have had to say about him in the past. Well, Newt will be on to rant #4,362 in the blink of an eye. Count on that.
AJ,
Did you know Your Scread from earlier on The Far Right, is posted at Free Republic? I was looking at Alien News, and there it was!
I clicked on their link, and presto, I was here.
I looked thru the other posts of your and I just don’t get you at all anymore. To somehow say Michelle proved your point was mind blowing. And the one before that post is the one at F/R.
I see no point in posting on this topic anymore. I’ll check back at a later date and see if I see anything we can have a conversation on.
Who knows, maybe the Libby case will heat up again or something.
Have a nice evening.
Declaring anybody who can crawl, drive, come here on visa..etc…”legal” for a fee….is not a “bold” proposal. It’s admitting failure.—that we cannot control our borders. That our policies on immigration have failed, and that we have no way to enforce our own immigration policies..OR…control our borders. All we can do is hit the zero out button and start over. And despite the rhetoric otherwise…it was only through “compromise” after intense opposition from YOUR side..that allowed certain provisions to be added to the bill. PRovisions I might add that get touted as evidence by some people that the bill is comprehensive, and not just an amensty bill….when the same people complained about the addition of such admendments to start with!!. Bah.
Sorry. No more. Feel free to misread all you want. You can make shoes, boxes, whatever. But, it’s not going to change anything.