Lessons From the British Right

American conservatives take heed, pleads Andrew Ian Dodge:

The reason the various ilks of the right lost their foothold in
the Conservative Party is that they didn’t stick around enough to fight their
corner and keep their ideas in the mix. They allowed their frustration and angst
to get the better of them. They flirted with the various minor fringe parties of
the right like the Referendum Party and UKIP; in some case losing the
Conservatives seats that were held by similar minded Members of
Parliament...
Before they make the same mistake, the social and fiscal
conservatives in the Republican Party should ask themselves if they really want
to relinquish their party apparatus to RINOS/centrists for the foreseeable
future? Do they really think it would be a good idea to have Clinton or worse,
the socialist Obama in power for four or maybe even eight years?

I keep hearing Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives discuss why we need a "movement", but aren't we, the Children of Reagan, already a movement? McCain is just another part of the Revolution who we should monitor closely as we did with Bush (recalling Harriet Miers and border security) to ensure our views are still heard.

William Frank Buckley Jr. 1925-2008

A sad day, but a glorious legacy for conservatism in America. From Fox News:

Buckley founded the biweekly magazine National Review in 1955,
declaring that he proposed to stand "athwart history, yelling `Stop' at a time
when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who urge
it." Not only did he help revive conservative ideology, especially unbending
anti-Communism and free market economics, his persona was a dynamic break from
such dour right-wing predecessors as Sen. Robert Taft...

Born Nov. 24, 1925, in New York City, William Frank Buckley
Jr. was the sixth of 10 children of a a multimillionaire with oil holdings in
seven countries. The son spent his early childhood in France and England, in
exclusive Roman Catholic schools.
His prominent family also included his
brother James, who became a one-term senator from New York in the 1970s; his
socialite wife, Pat, who died in April 2007; and their son, Christopher, a noted
author and satirist ("Thank You for Smoking").
A precocious controversialist,
William was but 8 years old when he wrote to the king of England, demanding
payment of the British war debt.

He will be greatly missed. Lately Mr. Buckley's came out against the Iraq War, which made me think the conservative icon had passed his prime, but doubtless his influence continues into the 21st Century, and hopefully beyond. More:

Powerline-Present at the creation.

Pajamas Media-William F. Buckley Jr., RIP.

Of course, National Review Online.

John McCain on Buckley-"Bill was a great American who helped change the course of history."

The True Liberals

Now that the Dems have abandoned the term “Liberal” for the more politically acceptable “Progressive”, maybe its time for Conservatives and Libertarians to reclaim ownership. Liberalism has become a dirty word in US politics, mainly because for many it has come to signify: Big Government, weakness on defense matters, and condoning immorality. However, according to Wikipedia "Classical liberalism emphasizes free private enterprise, individual property rights, laissez-faire economic policy, ... freedom of contract, and opposes the welfare state."

Economist Milton Friedman hated the modern vulgarism of the term, maintaining that “the consistent Liberal is not an anarchist”. Modern Liberals more closely associate themselves with Marxists ( as revealed by Sean Penn’s recent trip to Venezuela) than their pre-20th Century forbearers. An example of the original definition is revealed by our Founding Fathers, who were considered extremely liberal for their times. Imagine any current Democrat Candidate defying a mother government over high taxes, promoting States Rights, or advocating the importance of religion in government.

As odd as this may sound, True Liberals can mainly be found in the modern day Republican Party ( a rare exception being Sen. Joe Lieberman). These Social Conservatives can be likened to Harry Truman or Scoop Jackson Democrats, who were hawks on defense, but eager to spend the taxpayers’ money on a whim. Many on the Right, including President Bush, have sided with Democrats on education and immigration issues. It has been said that the Left “tax and spend” but Conservatives “borrow and spend”. In reality there is little difference.

Libertarians are the true Conservatives in an historical sense, who, like the old Taft Republicans believed in small government and a smaller overseas role for America. Candidates such as Ron Paul can also be compared to the America’s Firsters, who before Pearl Harbor were adamant in keeping the US out of World War 2. Republicans also quickly turned against President Truman when the Korean War turned for the worse after the Chinese invasion. Notice any similarity to our own times?