Brad Turner
From the shadow of Goldwater
By Brad Turner
As we slowly fade away from the drama of the 2006 midterm elections, we see candidates already lining up for the next big event on the political landscape, which is the 2008 Presidential election. We learned today that Hillary Clinton has hired a national fundraiser to slowly begin to move the Clinton political machine into the destructive machine we know it will become.
Democrats sense a destiny with 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They see a country disheartened by war, a Republican party wounded by a true lack of identity, and a skyrocketing illegal alien population ripe for fraudulent votes. The time is now for Mrs. Clinton to make her move.
The issue at hand with the Republican Party is not where do we go from here, but why did we leave where we were? Why did we forsake conservative values for the sake of power and votes? As stated many times in this column before, the current GOP does not resemble the movement that swept to power in 1980 on the coattails of Ronald Reagan. It does not resemble the voices I hear at Young Republican meetings in the state of Tennessee.
For the first time in 12 years, the Republicans are having to look in the mirror and ask some tough questions about our direction and our identity. Our current leadership is in disarray and nobody seems to want to fix the problem. This is the issue. We have no one currently in a leadership position who is worth fighting for when it comes to being conservative. Our foundation has been changed when it needed to be strengthened.
Why have we not clearly separated ourselves from the Left? Time and time again throughout the course of the last 30 years, when conservative and liberal ideals have been put forward to the American people they have fallen on the side of conservatives. What made us change? Were we afraid we would be seen as coldhearted? Are we worried we would be labeled racist? Did we think the wool would continue to be pulled over the eyes of the American people?
Guess what? We saw through the lies and see the similarities. We don't believe you anymore when you say you are conservative, yet are planning a bi-partisan bill to grant amnesty to 20 million illegals currently in this country. That isn't being a compassionate conservative................it's being a threat to national security. You are no better than those who march for amnesty in the streets. Only difference is you sit behind a desk and wear suit. How can you champion a flag-burning amendment while at the same time allowing our borders to remain unsecured? If you want to protect our flag, protect our borders.
Unfortunately, the current administration in Washington has done harm to the term conservative. We have been frightened away from proclaiming what was once a proud label in our party. I have news for you. George W. Bush and many others in his administration are NOT conservatives. The word has been hijacked and twisted into something that it never meant to represent. It doesn't mean you increase spending 27% since 2001. It doesn't mean you push amnesty for lawbreakers in our country. It doesn't mean you withhold use of your veto until your 6th year in the office.
So where does that leave our party, but more importantly our movement? In 2000, our very own Dr. Alan Keyes was merely dismissed as an irrelevant 3rd man in the McCain/Bush debates. In reality, Dr. Keyes embodies conservatism, but because the definition has been hijacked it isn't recognized anymore as legitimate. Rather, it is viewed as "fringe" and "out of touch" with post-modern America. We need more Alan Keyes running on the Republican ticket.
It's time to rediscover our roots, rather than keep them hidden from the light. The time for being a nametag only conservative is up. Be about something. Grow the backbone that was a staple of the Reagan Revolution. The country needs to see a clear and precise difference between the party of Lincoln and the party of Clinton. Think about that for a minute...........based on recent polls more people trust the party of Bill Clinton and Alcee Hastings on moral issues then they do the party of Alan Keyes. What is wrong with this picture?
I encourage you over the course of the next year to really study the candidates who announce their intentions for the Republican Party. Let's encourage those who are in the mold of Goldwater to step forward and lead our proud party once again. I would be interested to know who you feel should step forward and run, regardless of name recognition. I'm convinced we can rally around a candidate who can deliver on real conservative promise and principle.
It's our job to find and encourage that leader.
© Brad Turner
As we slowly fade away from the drama of the 2006 midterm elections, we see candidates already lining up for the next big event on the political landscape, which is the 2008 Presidential election. We learned today that Hillary Clinton has hired a national fundraiser to slowly begin to move the Clinton political machine into the destructive machine we know it will become.
Democrats sense a destiny with 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They see a country disheartened by war, a Republican party wounded by a true lack of identity, and a skyrocketing illegal alien population ripe for fraudulent votes. The time is now for Mrs. Clinton to make her move.
The issue at hand with the Republican Party is not where do we go from here, but why did we leave where we were? Why did we forsake conservative values for the sake of power and votes? As stated many times in this column before, the current GOP does not resemble the movement that swept to power in 1980 on the coattails of Ronald Reagan. It does not resemble the voices I hear at Young Republican meetings in the state of Tennessee.
For the first time in 12 years, the Republicans are having to look in the mirror and ask some tough questions about our direction and our identity. Our current leadership is in disarray and nobody seems to want to fix the problem. This is the issue. We have no one currently in a leadership position who is worth fighting for when it comes to being conservative. Our foundation has been changed when it needed to be strengthened.
Why have we not clearly separated ourselves from the Left? Time and time again throughout the course of the last 30 years, when conservative and liberal ideals have been put forward to the American people they have fallen on the side of conservatives. What made us change? Were we afraid we would be seen as coldhearted? Are we worried we would be labeled racist? Did we think the wool would continue to be pulled over the eyes of the American people?
Guess what? We saw through the lies and see the similarities. We don't believe you anymore when you say you are conservative, yet are planning a bi-partisan bill to grant amnesty to 20 million illegals currently in this country. That isn't being a compassionate conservative................it's being a threat to national security. You are no better than those who march for amnesty in the streets. Only difference is you sit behind a desk and wear suit. How can you champion a flag-burning amendment while at the same time allowing our borders to remain unsecured? If you want to protect our flag, protect our borders.
Unfortunately, the current administration in Washington has done harm to the term conservative. We have been frightened away from proclaiming what was once a proud label in our party. I have news for you. George W. Bush and many others in his administration are NOT conservatives. The word has been hijacked and twisted into something that it never meant to represent. It doesn't mean you increase spending 27% since 2001. It doesn't mean you push amnesty for lawbreakers in our country. It doesn't mean you withhold use of your veto until your 6th year in the office.
So where does that leave our party, but more importantly our movement? In 2000, our very own Dr. Alan Keyes was merely dismissed as an irrelevant 3rd man in the McCain/Bush debates. In reality, Dr. Keyes embodies conservatism, but because the definition has been hijacked it isn't recognized anymore as legitimate. Rather, it is viewed as "fringe" and "out of touch" with post-modern America. We need more Alan Keyes running on the Republican ticket.
It's time to rediscover our roots, rather than keep them hidden from the light. The time for being a nametag only conservative is up. Be about something. Grow the backbone that was a staple of the Reagan Revolution. The country needs to see a clear and precise difference between the party of Lincoln and the party of Clinton. Think about that for a minute...........based on recent polls more people trust the party of Bill Clinton and Alcee Hastings on moral issues then they do the party of Alan Keyes. What is wrong with this picture?
I encourage you over the course of the next year to really study the candidates who announce their intentions for the Republican Party. Let's encourage those who are in the mold of Goldwater to step forward and lead our proud party once again. I would be interested to know who you feel should step forward and run, regardless of name recognition. I'm convinced we can rally around a candidate who can deliver on real conservative promise and principle.
It's our job to find and encourage that leader.
© Brad Turner
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