Why Republican Infighting Matters

Thomas Sowell: Hae You Noticed That Savvy Conservatives Win While Fumbling Moderates Get Clobbered

(National Review Online)  Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

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A Gallup poll last week showed that far more Americans describe themselves as conservatives than as liberals. Yet Republicans have been clobbered by the Democrats in both the 2006 elections and the 2008 elections.

In a country with more conservatives than liberals, it is puzzling - in fact, amazing - that we have the furthest left president of the United States in history, as well as the furthest left speaker of the House of Representatives.

Republicans, especially, need to think about what this means. If you lose when the other guy has all the high cards, there is not much you can do about it. But when you have the high cards and still keep taking a beating, then you need to rethink how you are playing the game.

The current intramural fighting among Republicans does not necessarily mean any fundamental rethinking of their policies or tactics. These tussles among different segments of the Republican party may be nothing more than a longstanding jockeying for position between the liberal and conservative wings of the party.

The stakes in all this are far higher than which element becomes dominant in which party or which party wins more elections. Both the domestic- and foreign-policy direction of the current administration in Washington are leading this country into dangerous waters, from which we may or may not be able to return.

A quadrupling of the national debt in just one year and accepting a nuclear-armed sponsor of international terrorism such as Iran are not things from which any country is guaranteed to recover.

Just two nuclear bombs were enough to get Japan to surrender in World War II. It is hard to believe that it would take much more than that for the United States of America to surrender - especially with people in control of both the White House and the Congress who were for turning tail and running in Iraq just a couple of years ago.

Perhaps people who are busy gushing over the Obama cult today might do well to stop and think about what it would mean for their granddaughters to live under sharia law.

The glib pieties in Barack Obama's televised sermonettes will not stop Iran from becoming a nuclear terrorist nation. Time is running out fast and we will be lucky if it doesn't happen during the first term of this president. If he gets elected to a second term - which is quite possible, despite whatever economic disasters he leads us into - our fate as a nation may be sealed.

Unfortunately, the only political party with any chance of displacing the current leadership in Washington is the Republican party. That is why their internal squabbles are important for the rest of us who are not Republicans.

The "smart money" says that the way for the Republicans to win elections is to appeal to a wider range of voters - including minorities - by abandoning the kinds of positions Ronald Reagan held and supporting more of the kinds of positions that Democrats use to get elected. This sounds good on the surface, which is as far as many people go when it comes to politics.

A corollary to this is that Republicans have to come up with alternatives to the Democrats' many "solutions," rather than simply be naysayers.

However plausible all this may seem, it goes directly counter to what has actually happened in politics in this generation. For example, Democrats studiously avoided presenting alternatives to what the Republican-controlled Congress and the Bush administration were doing, and just lambasted them at every turn. That is how the Democrats replaced Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ronald Reagan won two elections in a landslide by being Ronald Reagan - and, most important of all - by explaining to a broad electorate how what he advocated would be best for them and for the country. Newt Gingrich likewise led a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives by explaining how the Republican agenda would benefit a wide range of people.

Neither of them won by pretending to be Democrats. It was precisely the Republican "moderates," Bob Dole and John McCain, who lost disastrously to Democrats who had been scarcely known at first but who knew how to talk.

[iam4honesty]

Dear Thomas Sowell,

Please take a little time away from your overpaid position at that rag you call a publication and enroll yourself into a couple of classes. First I would suggest 'Political Science 101'. There you will learn the difference between 'conservative' and 'reactionary'.

Yes, Americans are, for the most part, conservative. What you fail to understand is that the republican party is no more 'conservative' than the democratic party is 'radical'. While the democratic party has managed to move to and remain 'center-left', the republican party has shifted to the far right.

Sir, although most Americans are fiscally conservative, you and yours frighten us. Your party has adopted a reactionary agenda that is so unpopular you must lie to the country to sell your snake oil.

If you want to resurrect the rotting corpse of the republican party, I suggest you start preaching moderation. Your attitude is the very mindset that has brought the GOP to it's deathbed.

[nursemark-2009]

The idea that two atomic bombs would make this country surrended is an insult to all Americans. We didn't surreneded after Pearl Harbor, and the was a democrat in the White House then. So also today any nations which tried to do that would find the they are a smoking hole in the ground. I'm sure our President would make sure of that.

Sowell: "especially with people in control of both the White House and the Congress who were for turning tail and running in Iraq just a couple of years ago."

Eh? Who in any position of higher authority in the last administration ever served in an armed conflict? Bush, safely tucked away in the Texas Air National Guard? Cheney, who had "other priorities?"

Maybe there is a 12-step program for drinkers of the Repugnican Kool-Aid dispensed from the last occupant of the White House.

(SIGH) So much BS to reply to, so little time...

[Texascommanman]

All they know you to do is use scre tatics. Same old stuff. This is a battle of ideas and solutions, not fear. Is it any wonder they got their butts kicked in tyhe last two elections? And if they don't change course in 2010 also
Texasman

[pdchapin]

Poll after poll shows that people call themselves "conservatives" but their policy preferences are solidly moderate/liberal. Republicans win when they get away from policy and focus on personality and labels.

And the comment, "Just two nuclear bombs were enough to get Japan to surrender in World War II. It is hard to believe that it would take much more than that for the United States of America to surrender" is just absurd. Two nukes on this country and we would probably vaporize most of the Arab/Islamic world.

[afmcalax]

Every time I read anything by Thomas Sowell I am amazed at the delusionary world that he lives in. People may be conservative from a fiscal standpoint; but most Americans lean progressive or liberal on personal matters. His Republicans mimic the Islamic leadership in Iran when it comes to wanting to police the personal lives of Americans. That is where Sowell?s commentary always goes off track. He again pushes fear and wedge issues to confuse instead of educate. He wants to continue the policies of Bush/Cheney in foreign policy which did not stop to nuclear proliferation in either Iran or North Korea; but left us with no moral standing throughout the world. Iraq was becoming a never ending battle and Afghanistan was becoming a lost cause. Sowell needs a fact check. As to domestic policies, Obama was elected to CHANGE the dynamic. The Republican mantra of private industry and capitalistic markets was a failure. Greed and self-interest was all we got from these policies. Obama is tackling the issues of a dying industrial base, a bankrupt health system, the need for true immigration reform, forward thinking environmental policies, and a foreign policy agenda that is cooperative and collaborative instead of just trying to be the bully of the world.

[aakalan]

You sick, degenerate SOB.

More than 4500 servicemembers dead, almost a hundred thousand seriously injured, hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis murdered, $1 trillion wasted on a totally unnecessary war that you b*astards knew was entered into on false pretenses - because you are the ones who worked hardest to lie us into it.

Our daughters under Sharia law? "Turned tail"?

My only question is why you and your cohorts are not in prison - and for that, you should kiss Obama's b*tt every day, because that is where you belong.

I can't believe that an article this sick and evil is printed under the CBS imprimatur. Perhaps it's time to boycott them.

There is a special circle in hell reserved for you and your kind.

[skyk-2009]

Have there ever been people on planet earth MORE out of touch than these clowns. They try to put labels on us, brand us with at name and think they can continue to do what has failed so badly in the past. I look at the demographics and the polling of same and wonder what these people are thinking as they rapidly fade into HISTORY!

[TJphoto]

The Contract with America - Quick, name how many came true, ZERO! As for the Republican Platform, Less Government, Lower Taxes, More Freedom, they added 2 million people to the government payroll from 2000 - 2008, they borrowed money expecting our children & grand children to pay it, stood by idle while the Constitution was shredded. Now they complain about what's being done to fix all this. They controlled the White House & Congress for six years for the benefit of Corporate America. Hey Guys, imagine where you would be RIGHT NOW if you were the party who gave the American People Health Care Reform and regulated the Financial Centers. I can believe in the Republican Party, I just can't believe in what they say.

[ralpherus]

starleo at 1:49- you mean, the democrats going to visit with syria when pres bush asked them not to was wrong? Oh... you scum dems break laws all the time- and only squeal with delight when the occasional RINO gets caught at it. (the other expression for RINO is Democrat disguised as republican)

[ralpherus]

if you and your family are watching tv and the door bursts open, and a thug with a gun comes in and demands money, and the wife starts telling where the cash stashes are all around the house, and points out which items are the most valuable, you say, when the ordeal is over *****! YOU TRAITOR! And that is why Americans are sick of the RINO's (republican in name only, for the uninformed). The criminals- the democrats- we know are criminal anti-american murder pig vermin. But the wife (elected republicans) are NOT SUPPOSED TO HELP THEM!!!

[skyk-2009]

Have you considered counseling? Some how you have listened to the talking heads who serve as your brain so long, you have divided us into two neat little groups. Those who agree with you and those who do not. If you had the brains of a 6 year old, you'd KNOW that is absolutely foolish. You can put TWO Americans in the same room for two hours and I promise they will find something they don't agree on... then they will change their minds twice before you let them out. If you are going to try to put American's in a box and brand it, good luck. That will get you NO WHERE!

[imnho]

It appears that Thomas Sowell is living the alice in wonderland story. The savvy hardline republicans got there trail kicked from one side of the country to the other. They impose far right wing solutions on the rest of the country and wound up doing great damage to the economy and foregin policy.

If they republicans go futher right wing then they already are they will go off a politcal cliff and be irrelavent for a extende period of time. They got us into one uncessary land war and getiing us into a ground war in Iran is not a good move.

GWB made his axsis of evil speach and then invaded Iraq without ever considering the effect on some of the more mentally unstable leaders. This helped motavate Iran and North Korea to build WMD. They are under the illusion that they are next on the list of countries that we will invade. GWB accerated the day when a set of unstable leaders will get a nuclear weapon. The opotions we have are now very limited unless we plan to use nuclear weapons. He has made the world a much more dangerious place. I guess its not dangerious enought for Sowell.

[wogerwabbit]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[merlgrey]

Thomas Sowell: "might do well to stop and think about what it would mean for their granddaughters to live under sharia law."

thomas sowell- you are an idiot.

another far right wing liberal neocon self labeling themselves as conservative, a joke.

[dartplayer501]

What this piece of garbage from the NRO fails to say is that the Gallop Poll shows cons outdid libs 40% to 21%, but there were 35% moderates. That's where the GOP loses it - no moderate is ever going to vote for the party of the far right, so that adds up to GOP 40%, others 56% - GOP loses again!!

[starleo146]

Do you know how much harm John Mc Pain has done to put our president down to a foreign country. We know the republicans like to rule the world with there fists.This is a internal affair between their leaders and their people nothing that affects us and why we have to go in and shake our fists,we can express sorrow for the killings etc, brutality but mc Pain needs to remember all correspondence to foreign countries comes from the White House not the Senate. We elected this President not John MC Pain and he has to know he undermined his President and should be reprimanded for it when all this is over. He is not the President as bad as he wants to be. Another bully republican

[starleo146]

Yes the conservatives have lost with Ensign 2012 candidate found committing adultery and (LOST?) Gov. Sanford hiking in the Appalachian trail and not letting anyone know where he is, maybe because Friday was Hiking naked day in the Appalachian Trail. Isn't that interesting. Why don't they just stand in a line and tell us what your failures are instead of letting them come out peace meal. Dirty Republicans will never be trusted again. This Gov. was also a candidate for 2012 keep them coming BOYS?IF YOU WERE A WIFE WOULD YOU NOT KNOW WHERE YOUR HUSBAND WENT?She said he is writing somewhere,where in the Appalachian trail do you write when a naked day is going on LOL

[ubrew12]

Possibly the problem is that you keep identifying 'Republican' with 'conservative'. Most Americans ARE conservative, which is why they aren't voting Republican.

[ralpherus]

Ubrew makes a very accurate point! Many of the dems that bumped out RINO's were better on the second amendment than the milquetoast puffter RINO's! So dem is not exactly Dem in every case... It is the party machine of the power pig party that is a danger to freedom, but out in the provences, there are stil a few Americans who for some inexplicable reason say "I am a democrat"

[skyk-2009]

The author of this article is as lost as the Confederate Party! LOL

[byrdh5n1]

HEY!!! That's an insult to intelligent, thinking, historically aware Suth'ners!!!

[randomlybanned]

as usual a liberal moonbat too lazy to check on facts.
http://www.tsowell.com/

[imnho]

The intolerant "savvy conservatives" lost big time. There habit of picking a fight with unstable dictators backfired on them.We did not need anyone to futher alienate the paranoid regimes in North Korea and Iran. That just make a bad situation worse.

I think if the use of a nuclear weapon on USA gets traced back to eithe country they will be turned into a glass parking lot. The major concrn is do they care if they get distroyed or are they to wacked out too care?

[ralpherus]

"Their" habit you meant to say, is a bogus line.... Iran has been the biggest exporter of terrorism for forty years. Iraq was tied with moamar q'daffy until Pres Reagan "talked" moamar out of it. Saddam was a terrorist paying families to send their kids to explode in Israel. He needed taking down- and besides, Gulf One was never over. So- what precisely in your dream backfired on us? You crazy narcissistic liberal liar twerplets of the cushy velvet variety say flowery things that sound oh so cool- but it is garbage. Get some facts going.