Memo to Lamar Alexander
Written by Jack Burden on November 21st, 2008If you’re gonna say stuff like this to the press, at least have the guts to go on the record about it.
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21
PM
We need leaders to stand on their own. Not on the shoulders of Reagan. They need to articulate their own policies without running back to the Reagan card every time the road gets rough.
Furthermore, Reagan’s ideological greatness cannot be disputed, but his record has been so disjointed after his departure from public life. The completely factional nature of the supposed Reagan coalition shows how far we have come over the last 20 years.
We need someone who can make conservative ideas relevant in our times like he did in his time. The world changes so the messenger needs to change with it.
Also, we need to quit judging our leaders based on Reagan. We do not know how Reagan would handle every single issue. Nobody can say Reagan’s record was perfect and we do not know what ideological oddities would have popped up today.
21
PM
Ryan, I think I do not totally disagree with your point. But, when a Republican uses liberal and or Democrat talking points, it is madening. The point I always try to make every time The Great Man’s name comes up in this way is this. It is the fact that The Great Man always articulated the conservative point of view. He framed the debate. That is what I mean about some one, any one, who says that they are a conservative pol and or intellectual and or an activist that WE have to frame the debate on conservative terms. Otherwise it is just as Newt Gingrich once said about Bob Dole. Republicans are but tax collectors for the welfare state.
21
PM
Part of the problem with people invoking Reagan is that there are too many interpretations of Reagan floating around for it even to be meaningful anymore. The fact that someone like Mike Huckabee can claim to be a logical heir to Ronald Reagan and people believe him proves my point.
Beyond screaming Ronald Reagan to answer policy questions, Republicans need to have their own conservative policies and be able to articulate them in some sensible fashion.
21
PM
Ryan, the Rev. Mike is no where near an heir to The Great Man at all! The Rev. Mike is a charlatan at best. But, I see your frustration about people INVOKING the Reagan name. Again, I totally agree. Today’s Republicans must with the same fervor attack the problems with common sense conservative solutions. And have no fear of the mainstream media. They will do what they do.
23
AM
What an idiotic debate. I don’t recall McCain running on Reagan, do you? He had to make periodic appeals to the base because he pissed off so many of us over the years. A true conservative wouldn’t have to do that.
Reagan’s ideas (conservative ideas) are who we are. What RINO Alexander is trying to say is we need to be more like the Democrats. Hogwash. We could get more Latino voters if they were targeted with the family values issues. They are socially conservative people, and the next nominee should run Spanish language ads on the social issues.
Health care may be an issue, but we need conservative solutions, not more government.
23
AM
Mark…excellent post….I agree our party needs to stop going back to Reagan and instead stary acting like Reagan. The problem with that for so many, in my opinion, is they have bought into this madness that we are so divided that they have to be a bit of both.
We will have another CONSERVATIVE that can stand up and have a debate without a bunch of talking points because they know what conservatism is and they dont need a scrip to talk about it or explain it.
The liberals like to call it “far right” because they want conservatism to be a bad word. Hell they can be silent as of now….Our guys have made it a bad word and fixing that will take a huge amount of energy and effort.
Even more the reason to clean house, toss all the RHINOS and start over. I think once we get rid of this bunch of pretenders we will find the job of rebuilding the CONSERVATIVE PARTY to be easy work.