where did the "right" lose its way?

[ben ji]

This is the "fiscally conservative" end of the ticket. What a joke.

He's a Neo-Liberal just like Bush was. 

Probably the smartest guy out there was Newt, the thing is, Newt can't get past his past, and he doesn't know when to shut up . . . but he's pretty much a Neo-Liberal/RINO/Fake Conservative/Child of the Beltway as well.

Newt had no chance. You cant claim to be a social conservative and have 3 wives....well i mean you can but you just look like POS...

[p1k3]

He's a Neo-Liberal just like Bush was. 

Probably the smartest guy out there was Newt, the thing is, Newt can't get past his past, and he doesn't know when to shut up . . . but he's pretty much a Neo-Liberal/RINO/Fake Conservative/Child of the Beltway as well.

Smartest guy out there was Ron. And it wasn't close.

[sonofdaxjones]

This is the "fiscally conservative" end of the ticket. What a joke.

He's a Neo-Liberal just like Bush was. 

Probably the smartest guy out there was Newt, the thing is, Newt can't get past his past, and he doesn't know when to shut up . . . but he's pretty much a Neo-Liberal/RINO/Fake Conservative/Child of the Beltway as well.

Newt had no chance. You cant claim to be a social conservative and have 3 wives....well i mean you can but you just look like POS...

Yeah, um, I think I covered that whole social conservative thing in that highlighted part. 

[sonofdaxjones]

He's a Neo-Liberal just like Bush was. 

Probably the smartest guy out there was Newt, the thing is, Newt can't get past his past, and he doesn't know when to shut up . . . but he's pretty much a Neo-Liberal/RINO/Fake Conservative/Child of the Beltway as well.

Smartest guy out there was Ron. And it wasn't close.

I liked a lot of Paul's foreign policy ideas, but he was too much of an austerity ghoul for me. 

[Brock Landers]

Well, start taking care of all the nonsense listed above, along with some of the inflicting Christianity on everyone and I may take the right seriously.

This is another thing. If the "Right" could drop the Christianity and social issues crap they would win a lot more elections. They should take more of a libertarian view on things, not forcing their morals on others.

During the 1992 election cycle the Republicans definitely screwed up by allowing the Christian Coalition to influence them and start campaigning on that "Family Values" plank.  Clinton was smart and just kept talking about the economy.

[p1k3]

He's a Neo-Liberal just like Bush was. 

Probably the smartest guy out there was Newt, the thing is, Newt can't get past his past, and he doesn't know when to shut up . . . but he's pretty much a Neo-Liberal/RINO/Fake Conservative/Child of the Beltway as well.

Smartest guy out there was Ron. And it wasn't close.

I liked a lot of Paul's foreign policy ideas, but he was too much of an austerity ghoul for me.

Understandable. FWIW Gary Johnson is even more ghoul than Ron is.

[Dugout DickStone]

When they started truly believing that the wealthiest country in history shouldn't feed it's citizens who cannot affford food.

[steve dave]

I just wish the right would start to ignore the radical religious/tea party types and start dealing exclusively with the intellectual middle-right. you are going to take your lumps in hick states for doing so but long term I think it's the only way to pull out of the tail spin. a pro-science, pro-economy, socially-moderate right would do very well today if it could get wheels underneath it.

['taterblast]

I just wish the right would start to ignore the radical religious/tea party types and start dealing exclusively with the intellectual middle-right. you are going to take your lumps in hick states for doing so but long term I think it's the only way to pull out of the tail spin. a pro-science, pro-economy, socially-moderate right would do very well today if it could get wheels underneath it.

yeah this

[Cire]

Gore should have won in 2000 and mccain should have won in 04/08.

[wetwillie]

I just wish the right would start to ignore the radical religious/tea party types and start dealing exclusively with the intellectual middle-right. you are going to take your lumps in hick states for doing so but long term I think it's the only way to pull out of the tail spin. a pro-science, pro-economy, socially-moderate right would do very well today if it could get wheels underneath it.

What does pro-economy mean? What you are describing as an ideal party platform is essentially what moderate democrats could bring to the table very easily.

['taterblast]

pro-economics may be more accurate. i'm not an expert but it seems that every econ class i took seemed to encourage lower taxes as the way to promote economic growth, and that government spending was generally thought of as a <1.0 return on investment.

[8manpick]

pro-economics may be more accurate. i'm not an expert but it seems that every econ class i took seemed to encourage lower taxes as the way to promote economic growth, and that government spending was generally thought of as a <1.0 return on investment.

I'm guessing that would be different at a more liberal institution than K-State.

[steve dave]

If the right would abandon their anti-science, anti-social-liberalization and pro-militarization stances they would basically have a showdown with the left over fiscal policy. they wouldn't even have to fully abandon their military stances, just soften them. it's not like Obama is really taking the wheel on that. isn't this what every intelligent conservative wants? why doesn't it happen?

['taterblast]

pro-economics may be more accurate. i'm not an expert but it seems that every econ class i took seemed to encourage lower taxes as the way to promote economic growth, and that government spending was generally thought of as a <1.0 return on investment.

I'm guessing that would be different at a more liberal institution than K-State.

i don't totally disagree with you, but what i'm referring to are very widely accepted economic principles. formulas, graphs that you have to draw on tests over and over, that kind of thing.

[felix rex]

If the right would abandon their anti-science, anti-social-liberalization and pro-militarization stances they would basically have a showdown with the left over fiscal policy. they wouldn't even have to fully abandon their military stances, just soften them. it's not like Obama is really taking the wheel on that. isn't this what every intelligent conservative wants? why doesn't it happen?

Outnumbered

[Dugout DickStone]

If the right would abandon their anti-science, anti-social-liberalization and pro-militarization stances they would basically have a showdown with the left over fiscal policy. they wouldn't even have to fully abandon their military stances, just soften them. it's not like Obama is really taking the wheel on that. isn't this what every intelligent conservative wants? why doesn't it happen?

Joe Montgomery

['taterblast]

yes to everything above. i think there's a ton of people that would go for a moderate republic platform as steve dave illustrated. what has happened, imho, is that Joe Montgomery and the batshits have scared all of those people to the left. So much so, that these people now claim themselves as officially Liberal because of how far they want to disassociate themselves with the embarrassing Right.

['taterblast]

then again, i don't generally follow politics THAT closely so i could be off base.

[steve dave]

If the right would abandon their anti-science, anti-social-liberalization and pro-militarization stances they would basically have a showdown with the left over fiscal policy. they wouldn't even have to fully abandon their military stances, just soften them. it's not like Obama is really taking the wheel on that. isn't this what every intelligent conservative wants? why doesn't it happen?

Outnumbered

Sure, but just by morons. And you are going to pick up a lot of moderates from the left as you go.  Like I said, you're going to take your lumps in hick states but eventually it's the only way. You keep pandering to the morons and that's what you become.

[Panjandrum]

I think the big problem, aside from the social issues and embrace of a specific religion (especially when I'm personally against all of them), is the fact that the right takes some very strange positions on debt management and inflexible positions on taxation.  Well, at least publicly they do.

Also, the strange Fox News/Talk Radio/Tea Party dynamic is a turn off for me.  I just can't fathom associating myself with propaganda that is so blatantly illogical and dishonest.  Not to say the left isn't bad, but man, the right really swings for the fences.

Agreed on Huntsman comments from earlier.  I didn't get to know much about him, but he seemed like someone I'd be more interested in learning about.  I can't say whether or not I would have voted for him, but I was intrigued.

[steve dave]

then again, i don't generally follow politics THAT closely so i could be off base.

No, I think you're right.

[8manpick]

If the right would abandon their anti-science, anti-social-liberalization and pro-militarization stances they would basically have a showdown with the left over fiscal policy. they wouldn't even have to fully abandon their military stances, just soften them. it's not like Obama is really taking the wheel on that. isn't this what every intelligent conservative wants? why doesn't it happen?

Sounds wonderful!

[Panjandrum]

I just wish the right would start to ignore the radical religious/tea party types and start dealing exclusively with the intellectual middle-right. you are going to take your lumps in hick states for doing so but long term I think it's the only way to pull out of the tail spin. a pro-science, pro-economy, socially-moderate right would do very well today if it could get wheels underneath it.

I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat.

Throw in an anti-military industrial complex platform, and I'd attend rallies.

[Panjandrum]

yes to everything above. i think there's a ton of people that would go for a moderate republic platform as steve dave illustrated. what has happened, imho, is that Joe Montgomery and the batshits have scared all of those people to the left. So much so, that these people now claim themselves as officially Liberal because of how far they want to disassociate themselves with the embarrassing Right.

I donated to Obama specifically to keep Sarah Palin as far away from the Oval Office as humanly possible.