The GOP Lost Its Conservative Way

I heard an article on NPR's Fresh Air: The Future Of The Conservative Movement. It's an interview with Mickey Edwards, a former Republican Congressman who wrote Reclaiming Conservatism. He made great points about the trajectory of the Republican party over the past decade and a half.

Edwards is a true conservative. He was a GOP congressman from 1977-93. He is also co-founder of the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think tank). He was a policy director for the Reagan campaign in 1980. His conservative chops are indisputable.

Some of Edwards' points:

• The Bush administration has run rough shod over the constitution and it's been supported by the Republicans in Congress. The GOP used to be the party of individual freedoms, but now they have set them aside because it's convenient.
• Some of this started when Newt Gingrich (initially as the party's Whip) said that the Republicans in Congress should fight Democrats at all times. It was all about non-stop political warfare. Standing for their principles and serving the public took a backseat to winning elections.
• Under Gingrich, the GOP members in Congress were told to look to the President (Reagan, then Bush 41) as the leader of the party. This destroyed the separation of powers and the way the branches were supposed to interact.
  
• Edwards supported (and voted for) Obama. He doesn't agree with most of Obama's political positions, but he likes Obama's temperament.

Edwards says:

I like the Republican party, but I care a lot more about my country than I care about my party. Somehow we [the Republican leadership] got that reversed.

Anyway, the people I find most interesting right now are the Republicans who are doing serious introspection. When Democrats rip apart the Republicans, it seems partisan to me. When Republicans rip themselves for their failings, I see hope. A strong, limited-government GOP would be an important voice in our government. I hope they can find their way back to being a party I respect and away from being a "...tool of southern-fried moralism."

Election Aftermath

All I wanted to do all day today was pore over polling data and political analysis. I could have lived on news and political sites all day. Instead, I had a work deliverable and personal stuff to take care of, so there was no time for fun. Here are a few articles I think made some interesting points about the task that Obama is up against.

NY Times: For Obama, No Time for Laurels
Washington Post: Hard Choices And Challenges Follow Triumph
New York Post: Now Govern

For a preview of what Obama's cabinet might look like, give a listen to Chocolate City by Parliament Funkadelic:

WFMU played the song over and over again for at least an hour this morning.

The Onion: Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

Election Haikus

Tomorrow will probably be my day to analyze election results, so today is a day to think about voting, but not about candidates.

Ze Frank's readers wrote Election haikus. Many of them were partisan, but a few were not. Here are a few of my non-partisan favorites.

A classic cultural reference.

A campaign promise:
He likes big butts and can't lie.
Mix-A-Lot: '08.

Though the author might have had one candidate in mind, I think this could apply to either:

He's a terrorist:
Manchurian candidate.
My friends, believe me!

As a former teacher, I really like this one, but the author mixes his imagery ("gym" is a mismatch with "fish sticks")

Local middle school
Your gym holds our tomorrow
Yet smells like fish sticks

My rewrite #1:

Local school poll place
Vote in Cafeteria
I still smell fish sticks

My rewrite #2:

Local middle school
Your gym holds our tomorrow
Yet smells like sweat socks

Election Day Fun, Part 3: Very Mysterious

Here is a report about a magical voting booth.

Very mysterious....

Election Day Fun, Part 2: First Poll

Comedy Central brings us The First Exit Poll Is In.

Election Day Fun, Part 1

All hail DRE-700

Voting Machines Elect One Of Their Own As President

Election Predictions and Random Thoughts

Will White People Riot? is interesting, but I think it misses the point. The thing that would incite a riot is not that one person won or lost. The incitement to riot would be if it looks like the election was not fair and large numbers of people were disenfranchised. If that were to happen, I could imagine riots. If McCain wins after trailing in all the polls, many people will think things smell fishy.

Prediction: There will be big problems on voting day. Guaranteed. The only reasonable hope is that the vote is not close so that a 5% swing is not a big deal and re-counts are unnecessary. If it looks like 1% voter fraud, but the spread is 10%, then everything will be OK. On the other hand, if it looks like 2% voter fraud and a 1% spread, then things will turn ugly. I really hope it doesn't come down to a single state such as Ohio.

The Economist has endorsed Obama. Their article about the endorsement is called It's Time. They make several excellent points in the article. They bring up just about every one of my problems with Obama, but they also bring up all my problems with McCain. Here is one of my favorite quotes:

A spell in opposition seemed apt punishment for the incompetence, cronyism and extremism of the Bush presidency.... Somehow Ronald Reagan's party of western individualism and limited government has ended up not just increasing the size of the state but turning it into a tool of southern-fried moralism.

Anyway, It's an excellent read.