The Republican Plan to Return to Reagan "Conservatism"...

[kentuck]

After the "thumping" they took in the recent election, most Republicans are preaching a return to "conservatism". But not just any conservatism, they plan on returning to Reagan "conservatism". Just what does that mean?

Since the Republican idea of "compassionate conservatism" was soundly rejected in this past election, they now see the light. But even a chicken with a brain the size of a marble has the sense to get out of the rain. Finally, the Republicans understand that they need to put a new suit on their disgraced and rejected ideas. They need a new product to sell to the American people.

Just what would a return to Reagan "conservatism" mean to the average American voter? There are some of us that remember the Reagan years differently from those that rode to power on his "ideas". After all, he was the "Great Communicator" to his admirers. He was something else to those that suffered under his "ideas".

Ronald Reagan was probably the first "conservative" to use social issues, such as abortion, to divide the American people. It was not the Barry Goldwater-type of conservatism, where the government, more or less, kept its nose out of its citizens' private lives. Reagan's conservatism looked for political advantage thru "wedge" issues.

But, it was not just the social issues that defined the Reagan "conservatism". It was their deep-founded belief that they could cut taxes as much as they possible could, with no consequences involved. It was Reagan that created many homeless people by simply raising the IQ level for definition of mentally retarded people, whereby many were put out of institutions and out on the street. It was Reagan that put a tax on unemployment benefits.

It was the Reagan "conservatism" that created the first monstrous budget deficits. In fact, the majority of the national debt can be laid at the feet of this conservatism from Ronald Reagan thru George W Bush. However, none can top the big spending and tax giveaways of the "compassionate conservatives".

So now, the Republicans wish to return to the good old days of Reagan "conservatism". They were good politically for the Republicans but they were terrible days for America. Even though they brag about the return of pride in their nation, they forget such incidents as the explosion in the Beirut Marine barracks that killed more than 240 Marines. They forget the criminality of the Iran-Contra affair and giving weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein and making deals with the Ayatollahs in Iran. And their support of the "Contras" in Nicaraqua and Central America, that killed many innocent people.

So, they want us to return to that Golden Age of "conservatism". The sad truth is that the Reagan conservatism was the father of the compassionate conservatism of George W Bush. They have given away our treasure to the wealthy and put us in debt up to our eyeballs...and they want us to return to those glory days?

[Fovea]

1. Much of the 'evil' that the evil doers do

Is pure blowback from Reagan's policy.
The Reagan days are already here again.

What they want is the opaque veneer of patriotism back.
Perhaps they could ask Putin to restore the USSR.

[bemildred]

2. So much for "looking forward".

Looking forward, they intend to go back. Look out Grenada.

[primative1]

5. I was Thinking Nicaragua

Didnt I read that Ortega just got elected.
Its like deja Vu, isnt it?

[kentuck]

7. ...and Bob Gates returns to counter him?

maybe?

[bemildred]

9. So many little messes to choose from, so little time.

:thumbsup:

[asjr]

3. It is a sad day in America when we see

a former Republican president seeing the need to enter his son's realm to bail him out, and now they want to resurrect a dead one.

[pnwmom]

4. The Reagan conservatives are first cousins to the neo-cons.

That's what our message should be.

[kentuck]

12. I agree..

Do you agree this is the direction the Republicans are headed?

[kentuck]

20. And Haley Barbour was just on C-SPAN preaching this return...

to the "principles"... :shrug:

[Union Thug]

6. Sounds like more of the same, with a healthy dose of Astrology and Voodoo

thrown in to keep people engaged.

[Double T]

8. It appears the 'conservative movement' may have run out of NEW ideas......

since THEY appear ready to recycle the OLD. The last thing THIS COUNTRY needs is Ronald Reagan's 'jelly bean' conservatism that was full of sugar and hell bent on empowering the wealthy while diminishing EVERYONE ELSE. The rethug marketing department is broken and a 'repackaging' of their plans for the dismantling and destruction of the middle class will have a difficult time regaining traction any time soon. The masses are finally STARTING to get IT!!!!

[unpossibles]

14. I'm not sure by definition, that they would embrace any new ideas

I think this bunch of NeoCons and TheoCons IS Reagan Conservatism. Sadly, a lot of conservatives and moderates loved Reagan, so while I hope they would not be fooled by a new name, well.... not sure.

[underpants]

16. The base could too. This is a dicey situation for the right

Not that I mind them being in it but they have to completely change the ad campaign. The product they are selling and how close it actually is to the ad campaign is a whole other topic.

They have to not just "appeal" to the middle the indies but they have to actually show them they have some sort of a plan unless of course their plan is just to hope the Dems fall on their faces as often as they did. Some sort of results too at least a voting record. That is going to be tough.

AS we all know their whole apparatus has been run out of the White House. There has been no Congress for the last 4 years, 6 really. Now they have to either create ideas and spin on their own or Rove will have to write Sorkin-esque multi-angled scripts. Neither one can be counted as a strength.

All this is said about what they need to do to pull some of the middle in to them. At the same time they have to keep the hard base happy and not show any weakness or change of policy (such as their policy is). Their base appears to be set at the most at the level of votes they got last week they pulled and stretched and yoked every single vote they could possibly find just to get up to that level.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

10. Regan laid the ground work

for the "contract with America" congress. After 12 years of a republican congress that has destroyed this nation economically & socially we may have a chance of a return to sanity. Lets hope it not ot late.

[Turbineguy]

11. I guess then it's important

to show that the current Bush regime is the outcome of the Reagan years.

It seems it's pretty well accepted that Hitler was the result of the outcome of the First World War.

Every aspect of the Reagan years has to be connected to the current situation. Now that the players of the Iran Contra scandal seem to have returned to bail Junior out on his Iraq Adventure, this is even more important. I really suspect their motives. They certainly don't seem to be in it because they are appalled at US Soldier casualties or the plight of Iraqis. I think they are there to preserve Republican hegemony in the US Government.

The PNAC people made 2 mistakes. The world was not ready (it hopefully will never be ready) for their ideas and they picked a buffoon to carry them out. But in the process of recovery, a return to Reagan Conservatism begins to look like an improvement and a possible compromise. A bad notion.

[Virginia Dare]

13. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

How has "conservatism" changed? They're still using the same old divide and conquer tactics that were perfected during the Reagan years.

1) Be afraid of commies and black people. CHECK (Now we're supposed to be afraid of muslims and brown people.)

2) Scoop up all the money from social programs and dump it all into defense. CHECK.

3) Give massive tax cuts to the rich, at the expense of the poor. CHECK

3) Conduct shady deals with foreign countries behind the backs of the American people, then lie about it and shred all the evidence. CHECK.

[Joe Chi Minh]

15. "It was Reagan that put a tax on unemployment benefits." Wow!

Worthy of the Gingrich! Kind of surreal. Farcical, were it not for the deadly suffering caused to the victims.

[OzarkDem]

17. Rolling out a new marketing plan

but its the same old product.

[Doctor_J]

18. We already are

Enormous budget deficits, stupid PR "wars", rollback of all social services, busting of unions, and environmental holocaust.

[wholetruth00]

19. Trickle down didn't work, he armed and supported Saddam, and

taxes, government spending, and government growth went through the ceiling. He broke all kinds of lwas and thwarted the Constitution with Iran-contra and had more people in his administration tried, convicted, sentenced, and pardoned than Nixon. Is that what they mean?