Mark Levin was on fire Monday morning, releasing a scathing refudiation of Republican "intellectuals" and their complete inability to recognize and understand Conservatism and it's principles. Levin rightly points out that George Will, an elitist if there ever was one, never got what Reagan was about. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact Reagan often wore blue jeans, a no-no in Georgie's world.
Krauthammer has long been a disappointment. He's intelligent, for sure, but often quite wrong when it comes to basic issues. Oh, Charles can be brilliant at times, especially on complicated issues. But when it comes to the every day meat and potatoes issues, Charles just doesn't get it. Of course, what does one expect from someone who not only worked for President Jimmy Carter but Walter Mondale, as well, when he ran against Ronald Reagan!
Calling Charles Krauthammer a "Conservative" is like calling David Frum, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, and Peggy Noonan "Conservatives."
The American people are well past allowing our "betters" to continually tell us how we should think, and who we should vote for.
The hate for Sarah Palin
The corporate hate for Sarah Palin at Politico is obvious. The latest is here
But if you google Politico and Palin, the evidence of a Politico agenda is overwhelming. And the manner in which Politico's editors pursue their hate-Palin agenda is to cherry-pick the individuals they quote to make the point they want made.
A couple of quick things:
1. As I demonstrated last week, remarkably George Will missed the Reagan Revolution not only in 1976 but as late as 1980. In the 1979 Republican Presidential Primary, his first choice was Howard Baker, his second choice was George H. W. Bush, and his third choice was Reagan. Not until days before the 1980 general election did he write on November 3, 1980 that Reagan deserved election. For all his wonderful columns, the Republican electorate better understood the needs of the nation and the excellence of a potential Reagan presidency than Will.
It is hard to believe he was so wrong about a matter of such great import, despite Reagan's presence on the national scene for many years.
2. Charles Krauthammer was not only wrong about Reagan, as late as 1980 he was a speech-writer for Vice President Walter Mondale. Krauthammer, like Will, not only missed the significance of the Reagan candidacy, but was putting words in the mouth of a terribly flawed politician from a philosophical perspective. I certainly do not begrudge, but in fact encourage, liberals becoming conservatives or Democrats becoming Republicans.
Reagan was a Democrat who famously changed parties. But I do not believe that individuals touted by a left-wing "news" site as two of the leading conservative intellectuals, who stunningly opposed Reagan's candidacy while both were of mature age and mind, are necessarily reliable barometers in this regard. The "non-intellectual" voters knew better.
3. It is apparent that several of President George W. Bush's former senior staffers are hostile to Sarah Palin, including Karl Rove, David Frum, and Pete Wehner, to name only three. Pete is a good friend and a very smart guy. That said, Bush's record, at best, is marginally conservative, and depending on the issue, worse. In fact, the Tea Party movement is, in part, a negative reaction to Bush's profligate spending (including his expansion of a bankrupt Medicare program to include prescription drugs). And while Bush's spending comes nowhere near Barack Obama's, that is not the standard.
Moreover, Bush was not exactly among our most articulate presidents, let alone conservative voices. I raise this not to compare Bush to Palin, but to point out only a few of the situational aspects of the criticism from the Bush community corner. (If necessary, and if challenged, I will take the time to lay out the case in all its particulars, as well as other non-conservative Bush policies and statements. No Republican president is perfect, of course, but certainly some are more perfect that others, if you will.)
This is not to say the folks cherry-picked by Politico are without accomplishment and merit. They clearly are accomplished. But that's not the point. Most were not involved in either the Reagan Revolution or the Tea Party movement, and were not, to the best of my knowledge, early outspoken supporters of either.
What is necessary is a fulsome debate on each candidate's substance and policy positions. Most of these Politico stories are little more than excuses to attack Palin, intended to damage her early on in case she should decide to run. This has been going on for some time now. If she is as weak as some think, why the obsession? Why the contempt? Moreover, Palin has used social media and other outlets to comment substantively on a wide range of issues and policies. In fact, she has spoken on a wider array of issues than Youtube governor Chris Christie, popular among most of these folks, and her positions have, for the most part, been solidly conservative.
(Christie's positions on numerous issues important to conservatives are all but ignored by some of those complaining about Palin; indeed, the same could be said of potential presidential contenders Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitch Daniels, among others.)
My purpose in mentioning Christie here is to juxtapose the demands by "the intellectuals" on one politician versus another. Their inquisitiveness seems influenced by their political bias. That's not unusual, but it requires underscoring lest their opinions be viewed or promoted as objective.
As a Reaganite pre-dating Reagan's 1976 candidacy, the contempt for Palin does, in fact, remind me of the contempt some had for Reagan, especially from the media and Republican establishment, although no comparison is exact. I've not settled on a favorite would-be presidential candidate, but I also know media hit-jobs when I see them. I am hopeful more conservatives will begin to speak out about this or, before we know it, we will wonder why we are holding our noses and voting for another Republican endorsed by "the intellectuals" but opposed by a majority of the people.
Ronald Reagan was vilified by the Republican elites. It was very much like the attacks and petty sniping we are witnessing now against Sarah Palin. As is always the case, the Republicans fought harder against the Conservative, Reagan, than they did Carter!
What they are doing to Palin is nothing new. The fact is, the GOP country club set has always held true Conservatives in great contempt. Those who reflect the feelings and aspirations of the Republican Party base of voters, those true Conservatives are always attacked, ridiculed, and otherwise slandered by the cucumber and mayo sandwich crowd.
The problem with the Republican Party, the elites, is they would rather lose elections than lose power. The Republican Party, pre-President Reagan, was totally content to sit back and be the minority party, allowing the democrat party to run roughshod over the entire nation. They were happy to just sit at the table and have some power. Settling for what ever table scraps they were allowed by the democrats was fine with them.
It wasn't until 1994 that Conservative Republicans prevailed, and ended 40 years of Democrat control of Congress. This was a natural extension of the Reagan Revolution. Sadly, once in office, many of those Republicans became just as entrenched and out of touch as the democrats they replaced. More worried about staying in office than running an efficient government.
Now the elites have carved out their little zones of power, and are not about to give them up. Not about to change the way they do business.
The Tea Party as a whole, and Sarah Palin in particular, is a direct threat to these entrenched little elites. That's why these elites fight so hard. Things must change. Government is broken. It's a disaster. The nation itself is staring into the abyss. We have a debt we may never be able to pay. We have an energy crisis, an economic crisis, and a national security crisis. "More of the same" is not going to cut it. Things must be shaken up, and a new path chosen.
The problem with choosing new paths though, is many of those on the old path are left behind. And these little elites don't want to go along with the new path, especially if they lose their influence and power.
Sarah Palin represents a real threat to the Ruling Class, in both parties. She is not a "business as usual" type of leader. She's well known as someone who "shakes things up." Her lengthy record of leadership as a Mayor, energy regulator, and Governor shows that she doesn't waste time doing things as they've always been done, just "because" and she doesn't suffer fools well. This is bad news for the elites, because they are a foolish bunch.
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