On being ‘conservative’ in 2013 by Erick Erickson of RedState.com

On being ‘conservative’ in 2013 by Erick Erickson of RedState.com

Bill Golden, aka Bill4DogCatcher says: I often get called a ‘fake conservative’, a liberal claiming to be a conservative, or worse … Reality is that I believe that math has numbers which matter. Ideas should be open to criticism. And I believe that American conservatives themselves are largely responsible for President Obama being president for two terms … and I believe that conservative economics make no more sense than liberal economics. The numbers just don’t tally up and balance out.

Because I refuse to follow the talking points for being conservative it must be that I am not one. It can be lonely being a conservative that believes ‘maybe there are no best answers’ and ‘let’s experiment’.

My loneliness has at least one new voice added to it. One of the most popular conservative blogs, RedState.com, is also now taking fellow conservatives to task.

Erick Erickson of RedState.com:

What I am finding is that among conservatives there is too much outrage, piss, and vinegar. It makes our ideas less effective. We have become humorless, angry opponents of the President instead of happy warriors selling better ideas. We are not even selling ideas.

Conservatives, frankly, have become purveyors of outrage instead of preachers for a cause. Instead of showing how increasing government harms people, how free markets help people, and how conservative policies benefit all Americans, we scream “Benghazi” and “Fast & Furious.”

We’re off key and off message. We’ve become professional victims dialed up to 10 on the outrage meter.

You can read all of Erick’s comments at http://www.redstate.com/2013/01/20/the-loyal-opposition/

Conservative Activists Trash New Republican ‘Pledge to America’

Am glad to see that I am not the only conservative that thinks ill of the new Republican ‘Pledge’ of what they’ll do if we send votes their way.It is pandering pure and simple. Meaningless pander too.

If the Republicans had promised to adopt certain rules and provided details then maybe it wouldn’t be pandering — but just another white lie or so.

RedState.com founder and tea party activist Erick Erickson trashed it in a blog post entitled, “Perhaps the most ridiculous thing to come out of Washington since George McClellan” when he said: “Overall, this grand illusion of an agenda that will never happen is best spoken of today and then never again, as if it did not happen. It is best forgotten.”

Social conservatives were also critical as it did not embrace a ‘values’ agenda. That’s fine with me as social issues are interesting but not of interest to me. To me government is all about providing core services and not about being values police. Values are a personal choice.

However, what I strongly dislike is the presence of any sense of an economic plan. Nowhere in the photo opportunity of promoting the pledge did you see any Republican that has actually given serious thought to economics and to economic challenges.

If the Republicans were serious about a reform agenda then they should have cajolel Paul Ryan to appear in announcing the pledge.

I too want to know: “Republicans unveil Pledge to America, but where was Paul Ryan?” as asked by the Christian Science Monitor.

The reality is that the Republican Party has been stuck in limbo … and most Republicans think that it is still 2008, which is where they plan to pick up if they win. They were a bankrupt party for ideas then and they are now (not that I am fond of Democrats either).

READ MORE: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42613.html and http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/327873 and http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/09/22/the-republicans-pledge-is-perhaps-the-most-ridiculous-thing-to-come-out-of-washington-since-george-mcclellan/