perfidy

Over at the Spoons Experience, Spoons discusses some interesting news about GOP priorities. The Manchester Union Leader had a talk with Ed Gillespie, RNC Chairman, and described the result:

No longer does the Republican Party stand for shrinking the federal government, for scaling back its encroachment into the lives of Americans, or for carrying the banner of federalism into the political battles of the day.

No, today the Republican Party stands for giving the American people whatever the latest polls say they want.

The party's unofficial but clear message to conservatives is: Where else are you going to go? To the Democrats? To the Libertarians? They don’t think so.

This relates to another thing I read over at the National Review, by Jay Nordlinger, one of the few remaining good things at that online magazine:

I was saying to a friend the other day, "Look, I'm a partisan Republican — a terrible partisan. More partisan than I would like to be, really, or feel comfortable being. But I don't like it when an entire party, in our two-party system, goes wacko. It can't be good for the country... The Democratic party is in the grip of something sick."

And my wise friend responded, "Yes, and another problem is that, when the other party goes nuts, you have no leverage over your own party, or your own president. You certainly have no place else to go. You're stuck."

True.

That is true, indeed. With the Mudville Nine generally either off in lalaland, or unelectable, or both; the Republicans at the moment are on bedrock because they are doing something about the war on terror. No Democrat except Lieberman has any credibility on this issue, and he'll never make it through the primaries. Given this situation, conservatives have no leverage on the party.

We have seen spending skyrocket, and most of it is not for defense, where we most need it. The size and scope of government is increasing under Bush - from unfunded mandates in education, to prescription drug handouts for the old, to the Patriot and Victo acts, to damn near anything except more troops - the only government expansion I could conscience. The deficits are rising, which is not as bad as some claim, but not good either.

If the administration and the lickspittle Republicans in Congress think this will win them votes, well, okay it probably will. But, Jeebus, what do you think Republicans are here for, to be Democrats with the urge to kill foriegners? Conservatism, as I have tried to demonstrate here on this webthingy, is more than polldriven political tacking before the wind, and is more than rhetorical posturing on conservative issues.

Small government is good because it preserves liberty. If the government is not involved, then it is not infringing on your rights, or your freedom. It is not restricting your choices through hidden regulatory obstacles, tax incentives, or coercion. Small government does not consist of a balanced budget and ten percent less government employees. It is a state of mind, a principle that leads toward eliminating unnecessary government interference in our lives, while attending instead to the duties that are proper to a government - national defense, etc.

The Republicans don't have to listen to the conservatives, because the Democrats aren't even in the game.