THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IX, Issue # 194, October 17, 2007
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
A GOP FORMULAR FOR VICTORY IN 2008
By Christopher G. Adamo
CONSERVATIVES, "MODERATES," LIBERALS, & THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S BEST HOPE
FOR VICTORY IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2008: A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO IS
UNAFRAID & UNEMBARRASSED TO TRUMPET HIS CONSERVATISM, NOT AS A PRIMARY SEASON FACADE, BUT AS A
SINCERE EXPRESSION OF HIS HEARTFELT WORLDVIEW, & WHO SELECTS AS HIS VICE-PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE
A PERSON OF THE SAME HIGH MORAL CHARACTER & TRULY CONSERVATIVE WORLDVIEW
FULL STORY:
Despite the gloomy prognostications of Hillary Clinton's inevitability as the next heir to the White House, she is no more
“invincible” as a presidential candidate than was her husband. And here a reality check is in order. Although the press
would have us all believe that Bill Clinton was and is universally adored, attaining a status somewhere between that of a
rock star and the savior of humanity, history tells a much different story.
Bill Clinton’s approval ratings, we were incessantly told, hovered somewhere up in the stratosphere during most of his
term as President. Yet, the truth is that he won in 1992 with barely forty three percent of one of the smallest voter
turnouts in almost a century. As the incumbent in 1996, and against an appallingly weak Robert Dole campaign, Bill
Clinton was still unable to garner fifty percent of the vote. And, again, voter turnout was abysmally light.
The Clinton Presidency never was the result of a popular swing to the Left. Rather, as uninspired as the public was with
his self-absorption and perpetual adolescence, it was even less enthused with the possibility of a continuation of the
waffling and fence-sitting it had received from the GOP. And, unfortunately, the current political landscape is no different.
Going into the 2008 election cycle, the biggest political “enemy” Republican candidates face is neither the novice from
Chicago, the “debutante” from New York, nor that guy who probably uses more shampoo in one week than most
Americans could justify using in a year. Rather, it is the public perception of “business as usual.”
After being let down by their weak-kneed and morally rudderless “leaders” on a regular basis ever since Ronald Reagan
left office, cynicism is running high, and trust in the political establishment is in short supply. The moment the
Conservative base perceives that the GOP candidate is once again offering banalities and platitudes, and is attempting
to appeal to the “middle,” the race is essentially over, and our side loses.
The “Beltway Insider” crowd is already making its presence known in this very manner, predictably seeking to shift the
debate to the Left, in hopes of appealing to “Moderates.” “Conventional wisdom” says to move to the Center and avoid
“controversial” issues. But following such a path would be politically fatal.
Those Republican candidates who attempt to find “common ground” with the present power structure will be quickly
abandoned by the grassroots.
Conversely, recent history and experience have unequivocally shown that the public will rally to the support of a
candidate who unabashedly embraces bold and decisive stances, and who is unafraid to body-slam the insidious
apparition of creeping Liberalism that threatens to unravel the fabric of our society.
Although virtually every aspiring Republican candidate speaks reverently of Ronald Reagan, and even claims to be his
rightful heir, the Trojan Horses among them follow up by immediately and incorrectly invoking the “Big Tent,” one of
Reagan’s shining hallmarks of leadership, as reason to cave and back-peddle on crucial, defining issues.
In truth, two very disparate concepts of “Big Tent” exist, which can be characterized as the Reagan version and Bob
Dole’s imitation. Reagan basically told America, “Here are the core ideas in which I believe. Leave your petty differences
aside and join me as I institute my vision for America.” Dole, on the other hand, essentially said to everyone, “Tell me
whatever you believe in and I will join you.”
Reagan’s version is based on leadership and principle. It rallies, inspires, and motivates. The latter, which results from
following and pandering, generates disillusionment and cynicism. Conservative Americans need not be reminded of
which one worked, and which one was a loser. If Republicans fall for the counterfeit version again, the results this time
around will be no better than they have ever been.
For the “Big Tent” to properly operate, it must be understood that “Reagan Democrats” can be convinced to cross party
lines only if they are offered something higher and nobler, not merely cheaper, than that which they can get from their
own party. Those Democrats who will not vote for a Conservative are certainly not going to go for “light beer” Liberalism
from a “Moderate” Republican when they can get the full strength version of Liberalism from their own side.
In the same vein, it must be understood that the constitutional purpose of a Vice-Presidency is neither to “broaden the
base” nor to seek electoral votes from blue states. Rather, it is to ensure that, if a chief executive is unable to complete his
term of office, the successor is someone who will stay the course.
Any candidate who truly believes in those principles that moved him to run for President in the first place should pick a
running mate who will continue in his footsteps. And, if he says so in unequivocal terms that display a commitment
to Conservative values and the U.S. Constitution, he will only gain in credibility and stature as a result.
The single component that most consistently yielded victory in past elections, and the absence of which invariably
portends defeat for our side, is “contrast.” Come Election Day, Democratic Party candidates are always anxious to blur
the lines. Everyone can recall John Kerry with his purchase of a “Huntin’ license,” Michael Dukakis riding around in an
M-1 tank, and the predictable election eve Democratic embrace of “family values.” The list goes on.
However, when, in the presence of Republican candidates of unwavering Conservatism, these ploys were unmitigated
disasters. Efforts of that nature can only succeed when GOP attempts at “moderation” make it easy for Democrats to
posture to the right of them.
In short, a Republican who is unafraid and unembarrassed to trumpet his Conservatism, not as a primary season façade,
but as a sincere expression of his heart, still holds the best hope for the GOP. Nor should he ever attempt to bridge the
gap between himself and his Democratic Party opponent. On some issues, no “common ground” exists. Attempts to mix
pure water with sewage will not result in purer sewage. And the country knows it.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics & Political Competition:
Elections, PACs, & Political Parties
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
The American Political & Cultural Left:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, & Other Leftists
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
-------------------------
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
COMPETING SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Conservatism
Traditional Conservatism: Questions & Answers
Conservatism: Attitudes, Types, & Present Status
Constitutional Conservatism: American & British
Liberalism
Classical Liberalism: Intellectual Foundations
Classical Liberalism: Conservative Liberalism
Manchester Liberalism & Social Darwinism
Modern Social "Liberalism": Statist "Liberalism"
Radical & Totalitarian Ideologies
Radicalism, Utopianism, & Totalitarianism
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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