PowerLine Quotes a Liberal Who Gets It

 

I am amazed at people on the right who want Trump to lose. He has been the most conservative president since Reagan. He is also the best GOP president at manipulating the message since we elected the former actor.

Read the whole thing, but the closing is great:

Viewers were left to wonder: Why wouldn’t Pelosi applaud money for historically black colleges and universities? What’s her beef with a serviceman who returns from deployment to hug his kids? Where’s her feeling for the brother of a man killed by an undocumented criminal? All of these visuals could be explained in policy terms, but as Ronald Reagan once confided to his diary, “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”

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  1. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    TBA (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):

    He has been the most conservative President since Reagan. Maybe even more than Reagan.

    In some areas – quite a few, really! But if you’re a limited government, fiscally responsible conservative, you’re not represented by the GOP anymore.

    Was there a time when you were?

    Point taken. But at least it was often stated as a goal, which meant at least it was considered a value. Now it’s not even mentioned.

    I would suggest that when a plank that was honored in the breach is no longer even given lip service the fault is not in the lying speaker but in his audience for whom the idea has no appeal.

    I don’t disagree with you at all. It still leaves me without a party that values limited government and fiscal responsibility.

    I suspect I would very much admire your personal finances. Americans have quit saving for quite some time – there’s no profit in it as banks offer ludicrously low returns for your money. Invest and sometimes there is more. Meanwhile we go into debt for houses, cars, and education by wide preference. It’s not smart, but it is popular; there is no way a government by the people is going to be more responsible than the average voter. 

    • #31
  2. Painter Jean Moderator
    Painter Jean
    @PainterJean

    TBA (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    TBA (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):

    He has been the most conservative President since Reagan. Maybe even more than Reagan.

    In some areas – quite a few, really! But if you’re a limited government, fiscally responsible conservative, you’re not represented by the GOP anymore.

    Was there a time when you were?

    Point taken. But at least it was often stated as a goal, which meant at least it was considered a value. Now it’s not even mentioned.

    I would suggest that when a plank that was honored in the breach is no longer even given lip service the fault is not in the lying speaker but in his audience for whom the idea has no appeal.

    I don’t disagree with you at all. It still leaves me without a party that values limited government and fiscal responsibility.

    I suspect I would very much admire your personal finances. Americans have quit saving for quite some time – there’s no profit in it as banks offer ludicrously low returns for your money. Invest and sometimes there is more. Meanwhile we go into debt for houses, cars, and education by wide preference. It’s not smart, but it is popular; there is no way a government by the people is going to be more responsible than the average voter.

    I think you’ve identified the problem – well put! The average American is very comfortable with lots of personal debt, so why should they be inclined to demand frugality from their government? It’s a depressing observation, though, and one that doesn’t bode well for the future. 

    • #32
  3. Ed G. Member
    Ed G.
    @EdG

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    The reason the GOP is not limited government is because the GOP voters are not.

    There is a small government party. They don’t win elections. I’d love it if Americans were for small government, but they ain’t.

    I’m afraid you’re right. It’s easy to blame politicians, but the truth is that some of them have touted fiscal responsibility, and they didn’t get anywhere. Voters of both parties like big government and lots of government goodies. They merely differ on the specifics.

    On the other side of that, people like me have been supporting fiscal responsibility in addition to social conservatism and essentially neocon foreign policy interventionism and only ever actually getting the neocon foreign policy. Even when we had the chance to do more in all areas. 

    I’ve been lied to in some cases; I’ve been poorly represented in most cases. Timid, incompetent, duplicitous – this to me accurately describes the Republican party for decades if not longer. Reagan was a bright spot, but no fiscal conservative and not really a socon either; Gingrich was a fiscal con but seemingly indifferent to foreign policy and not really a socon either; Bushes were seemingly only neocons. What did we do with our sweep in the early aughts? What did we do with our sweep in 2016-2018 (and both houses since 2014)? Start wars, run up the debt even more, and continuing to lose the culture.

    • #33
  4. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Ed G. (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    The reason the GOP is not limited government is because the GOP voters are not.

    There is a small government party. They don’t win elections. I’d love it if Americans were for small government, but they ain’t.

    I’m afraid you’re right. It’s easy to blame politicians, but the truth is that some of them have touted fiscal responsibility, and they didn’t get anywhere. Voters of both parties like big government and lots of government goodies. They merely differ on the specifics.

    On the other side of that, people like me have been supporting fiscal responsibility in addition to social conservatism and essentially neocon foreign policy interventionism and only ever actually getting the neocon foreign policy. Even when we had the chance to do more in all areas.

    I’ve been lied to in some cases; I’ve been poorly represented in most cases. Timid, incompetent, duplicitous – this to me accurately describes the Republican party for decades if not longer. Reagan was a bright spot, but no fiscal conservative and not really a socon either; Gingrich was a fiscal con but seemingly indifferent to foreign policy and not really a socon either; Bushes were seemingly only neocons. What did we do with our sweep in the early aughts? What did we do with our sweep in 2016-2018 (and both houses since 2014)? Start wars, run up the debt even more, and continuing to lose the culture.

    Yep

    • #34
  5. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Ed G. (View Comment):

    Painter Jean (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    The reason the GOP is not limited government is because the GOP voters are not.

    There is a small government party. They don’t win elections. I’d love it if Americans were for small government, but they ain’t.

    I’m afraid you’re right. It’s easy to blame politicians, but the truth is that some of them have touted fiscal responsibility, and they didn’t get anywhere. Voters of both parties like big government and lots of government goodies. They merely differ on the specifics.

    On the other side of that, people like me have been supporting fiscal responsibility in addition to social conservatism and essentially neocon foreign policy interventionism and only ever actually getting the neocon foreign policy. Even when we had the chance to do more in all areas.

    I’ve been lied to in some cases; I’ve been poorly represented in most cases. Timid, incompetent, duplicitous – this to me accurately describes the Republican party for decades if not longer. Reagan was a bright spot, but no fiscal conservative and not really a socon either; Gingrich was a fiscal con but seemingly indifferent to foreign policy and not really a socon either; Bushes were seemingly only neocons. What did we do with our sweep in the early aughts? What did we do with our sweep in 2016-2018 (and both houses since 2014)? Start wars, run up the debt even more, and continuing to lose the culture.

    Sure, but we looked so noble and patrician while we were doing it and that is all that is important. 

    • #35
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