Thursday, June 25, 2009

DAN HANNAN, EURO-RIGHT SUPERSTAR, HAS SOME ADVICE

(from Pajamas Media):

Advice for American conservatives? Only this. The Republican Party’s success depended on its becoming a popular party — that is, a party that was for the people against the governing elites. Half a century ago, it was a party of big business and old money, and it kept losing: it was in permanent opposition in both houses, and tended to win the presidency only when it fielded a non-partisan Ike-type candidate. Then it changed: it embraced localism, small government and states’ rights. It went from being a New England, preppy, country club party to being a Sun Belt, anti-Washington mass movement. And you know what? It started winning.

My worry is that, in recent years, the party has gone into reverse. It has become, as in pre-Goldwater days, the party of federal spending, budget deficits, external protectionism (the steel tariffs), overseas garrisons, the denial of states’ rights (the gay marriage amendment) and, latterly, bailouts and nationalizations.

I speak as someone who has a more uncomplicated loyalty to the GOP than to my own party, and I desperately want it to start winning again. But that means getting back to basics: to the basic idea that informed the U.S. Constitution, namely that decisions should be taken as closely as possible to the people they affect.

I whole-heartedly agree. The kind of conservative I feel is the kind you can find in country music. To me, that is the "spiritual" core, if you will, of the brand that I believe in. "Localism, small government and state's rights" is where its at, indeed. This brand is personified by Sarah Palin. The libs hate her and the big government, snobby "republicans" hate her, but oddly....the people love her. There's a reason for that.

And it's interesting that it appears that this brand is precisely what the left fears.

Explains why the Dept. of Homeland Security has labeled those who believe in state's rights "potential terrorists."


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