In Saturday's Wall Street Journal, Jim DeMint offers a reasonable (to me) starting point for Republicans and like-minded voters to begin the serious effort to rein in the Obamatrons and re-establish the center-right Big Tent:
If the American people want a European-style social democracy, the Democratic Party will give it to them. We can't win a bidding war with Democrats.
Freedom will mean different things to different Republicans, but it can tether a diverse coalition to inalienable principles. Republicans can welcome a vigorous debate about legalized abortion or same-sex marriage; but we should be able to agree that social policies should be set through a democratic process, not by unelected judges. Our party benefits from national-security debates; but Republicans can start from the premise that the U.S. is an exceptional nation and force for good in history. We can argue about how to rein in the federal Leviathan; but we should agree that centralized government infringes on individual liberty and that problems are best solved by the people or the government closest to them.
Moderate and liberal Republicans who think a South Carolina conservative like me has too much influence are right! I don't want to make decisions for them. That's why I'm working to reduce Washington's grip on our lives and devolve power to the states, communities and individuals, so that Northeastern Republicans, Western Republicans, Southern Republicans, and Midwestern Republicans can define their own brands of Republicanism. It's the Democrats who want to impose a rigid, uniform agenda on all Americans. Freedom Republicanism is about choice -- in education, health care, energy and more. It's OK if those choices look different in South Carolina, Maine and California.
Of course, a European-style isn't what we want but well-intentioned dumb-asses are hell bent on forcing it down our throats.
J.B., this is so moving.
You will love this -this is the fruit of the love of your countrymen bears. It is sad warning, Marines sacrificed but left an imprint forever.
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/05/thankyou_ms_mil.html
Posted by: Ree | May 09, 2009 at 04:01 PM
You're right, Ree. I did love it.
Posted by: RattlerGator | May 20, 2009 at 05:10 AM