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What's A Conservative To Do?

At 10:49 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, Bruce Kesler of Democracy Project fired the rhetorical shot heard 'round the conservative blogosphere. Under the header "Conservative Battle Fatigue," he diagnosed a trio of his favorite online writers as having the political equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Their open criticisms of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress, Kesler said, are symptoms of the ailment. They have been "worn down by defending difficult positions at the forefront of the battle against irredentist Democrats in Congress and their fifth column in the media."

Kesler concluded with this hopeful yet pointed thought: "I wish them a speedy recovery, before more adversaries are allowed to breach the walls because of their petulance."

All three bloggers -- Stephen Bainbridge, Ed Morrissey and Mark Tapscott -- rejected the diagnosis. And thus began a debate about what a true conservative is supposed to do when the "compassionate conservative" in the White House and the Republican revolutionaries in Congress lose their way on the path of rightward-ness.

Tapscott took the lead, noting that one of his goals "is to encourage a discussion in the blogosphere about whether the GOP deserves the continued support" of its base. An editorial he wrote for The Washington Examiner helped accomplish that goal by inciting Kesler to speak, and Tapscott then seized on the opportunity to continue the debate at his blog.

Over six days at Tapscott's Copy Desk, he posted seven entries on conservative battle fatigue. Tapscott outlined a series of conservative-minded votes on immigration, federal spending and other issues that Congress could take to "nationalize" this year's election and regain favor with its electoral base.

If they fail, he said, "conservatives then have an obligation to find or create a new party." And they can do that by seizing the tools of the Internet. "What the Internet has done to the mainstream media ... can and most likely will be done to all of the 'Bigs' of our society, including Big Government and the political parties that live by it," Tapscott wrote.

Each new post fostered more of the discussion he sought, both on his site and in other Republican pockets of the blogosphere. One of the more amusing contributions -- a flow chart that sarcastically mapped "a fiendishly simple path to Republican victory in '08" -- was posted at Point Five.

The debate really gained momentum when Jim Geraghty of National Review Online took exception to the thinking of some conservatives that maybe it would be better in the long run if Republicans lost control of Congress this fall.

"If I want a more conservative government, I get it by electing the more conservative of the two choices, even if he isn't as conservative as I would like," Geraghty said. "I do not get it by sitting on the sidelines and pouting, and letting the less conservative guy take the reigns of power."

That's when Hugh Hewitt joined the fun. He cast the debate as one between Geraghtyites and Tapscottians, and put himself in Geraghty's camp. He also needled Tapscott and reminded him of the judicial cost if Democrats regain control of Congress and thus keep conservatives off the federal bench.

"Do you really care about the abuse of eminent domain?" Hewitt wrote. "The absurd decisions stripping 'under God' from the pledge or the tiny cross from the city seal of Los Angeles because of a threat from the ACLU? How about the executive's ability to conduct the war and keep unlawful combatants from clogging the courts with their demands for due process for terrorists?... The list goes on and on, and the left's judges don't give up and go home."

The intraparty debate briefly cooled from boil to simmer late last week. Geraghty offered his closing thoughts Thursday, and Tapscott posted his "final note" the next day, after the topic made it into the mainstream media courtesy of columnist Peggy Noonan.

But The Washington Post turned up the heat again Sunday with a column titled "Bush's Base Betrayal." Key players in the blogosphere discussion -- Bainbridge, Kesler, Morrissey and Tapscott seized on that piece as an opportunity to cross swords again.

Kesler thinks the debate is worth having. "My objective was to draw out constructive alternatives and programs," Kesler said via e-mail. "I think that succeeded. I'm constantly impressed by the respect for each other and the ability of bloggers to be positive and constructive, far more forward-looking than most MSM columnists."

He identified a two-pronged consensus from the debate: building a stronger Republican majority, and renewing activism at the state and local levels to send a message to the Washington GOP establishment. He said the Geraghtyite view will prevail -- but "only because the strong stand by Tapscott will have spurred more than inside-Beltway Republicanism."

Tapscott agreed that the Geraghtyite philosophy appears to be the stronger one. "Judging by the bruises all over my head, I'd say it already has" prevailed, Tapscott joked.

Even so, he said the Tapscottians will exercise their voice at the polls. "How these folks vote will be determined entirely by whether the GOP leadership achieves significant progress in enacting the conservative reforms they've been promising for years," Tapscott said.

Posted by Danny | 07:18 AM

Comments

Whole lotta heat's been tossed around lately and a lot of lamentation and future-moaning.

The answer is really quite simple.

Stop ignoring the doggone Primaries and support the proper candidate. Don't like Arlen or Lincoln? Replace them in the primaries or shut the cake hole, quite frankly.

Frustrating and sad how few get it.

Steve Schippert | 05.23.06 05:28 PM

The growing internal debates among conservatives that Bruce Kesler, an old friend of mine, has sparked, is important in that there is a need to define the soul and beliefs of those who call themselves Conservatives (and even some Moderates) as opposed to what some Republicans in power have coopted for political expediency.

Even if PTSD has hit some conservative bloggers, they are among the best and brightest of the conservative thinkers around, and after catching their breathe, they should join the fray in helping to create this core of conservative beliefs regardless of political party affiliations.

Issues such as winning in Iraq and Afghanistan, confronting and destroying Islamofascism, strengthening our allies who are losing their backbones, strengthening our military, defending our borders, stopping the onslaught of judicial eminent domain, confronting the Mainstream Media for their bias, inaccuracy and hate for the President, conservatives, and patriotism, and the debacle of the marxist/Islamofascist/nutcakes who run amok on our high school and college campuses, mean that WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR OWN UNITED FRONT of conservatives, moderates and even liberals who are appalled at the lack of national leadership in the White House and in the Congress, especially in the Senate.

We have to stand up for what is good about America, what is good about its history, culture, language, music, its intellectual and philosophical bases of morality and decency, its unparalleled charity to the world in terms of American blood and money and good deeds, and the fact that we are all that stands between freedom and slavery (ideological and/or religious).

The British can't do it; the French won't do it; the Germans don't want to admit to reality; Spain is only good for sangria; and Israel is surrounded by genocidal enemies led by the psychopaths in Iran.

We are it, folks, and now is the time for all good conservatives and like-minded moderates and liberals, to put our collective heads together and come up with realistic ideas on how to deal with our problems. Time is running short, though Steve Schippert's comments above about bringing about political change at the primary election levels is one potentially effective way of dealing with gutless Republicans and so-called conservatives, weak moderates, and closet-liberals.

My own suggestions include telling the Republican National Committee - No dough till you clean up your act and get decent candidates with guts and programs to address our problems. Tell local RNC chapters to get some brains, because the few that I've had any contact with aren't worth a damn. Join with like-minded moderates and liberals on issues of mutual interest and don't play politics - PLAY ISSUES.

Take on the Mainstream Media through letters to the editor, call in to radio talk shows, hit the blog sites and speak your minds, write columns for local publications, and attend town meetings where you think you can make your voice heard as an alternative to the garbage that is normally there.

Conservative Bloggers Unite! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by mounting a multi-pronged attack on our enemies. Bruce Kesler is well aware that the barbarians are at our gates, and in some cases, inside them (remember, he lives in California), and he is still fighting them since his time on the frontlines in Vietnam.

In fact, you will find that the Vietnam Veterans (from Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace - i.e. Bruce, myself (as a journalist), John O'Neill and the Swift Boat veterans, POWS, esp. Mike Benge and Bud Day/Jeremiah Denton, Special Forces members, etc) have, for the most part, never left the fight against our countries enemies. We, too, took an ocassional respite, but since the enemy never rested, there was always some of us on the frontlines.

Everyone should get a good nights sleep and then rejoin forces in working for our country's survival. If we don't do it, who will?

Max "MadMax" Friedman, on-line columnist for www.augustafreepress.com, former Vietnam/Cambodia journalist (on our side), and father of an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran.

Max Friedman | 05.23.06 07:32 PM

I predict that if the House Republicans sign on to amnesty + cash + unlimited intentured foreign servants/slaves, then a majority altering segment of the conservative base will vote to Burn Down the House by sitting on its hands or voting Anything But Republican.

The talk I've read is that it's time to purge and start over.

I began calling for a Vote No on the Republican government about two months ago.

PrestoPundit | 05.24.06 11:06 AM

It is indeed frustrating and discouraging after all the promises from the Republicans, that we don't have at least one proudly pro-American political party to vote for.

Jim,MtnViewCA,USA | 05.24.06 11:46 AM

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