power paradigm that favored the South and
Sun Belt states — and presumably gave the
GOP a lock on Washington for a generation?
Competing
What had gone so terribly wrong for the
GOP during the past few years, giving the
Democrats the sizeable majorities they were
R
ONALD REAGAN BUILT A WINNING COALITION BY STRIKING A
delicate balance among national security, social, and fi scal conservatives.
accustomed to during the last century — and
As president, Reagan was a master at recognizing the different — occasionally
even helping to catapult a relative neophyte and
confl icting — power centers within his party and giving them equal time.
very liberal aspirant into the White House? During the 28 years since Reagan took offi ce, the conservative movement
Beltway pundits were quick to point the
has become even more granular, making such a balance far more diffi cult. If
fi nger at the GOP’s conservatism.
conservatives are to return to prominence, it will require the cooperation of
dozens of disparate groups, each with its own agenda and priorities.
“First Step to GOP Recovery: Fire Rush
Vying for control within today’s Republican Party will be:
Limbaugh,” Morton Kondracke’s election
post-mortem screamed
NEOCONSERVATIVES
Closely aligned with Bush’s big-
in Roll Call. Kondracke
What they’re about: Neocons
government conservatism, which
clearly doesn’t represent
encourage a more proactive (some
troubles many
Republicans, and he isn’t say pre-emptive) foreign policy
small-government
one, but he has been aligned
for the United States, and they
Republicans.
with neoconservatives and
generally distrust international
Faces: Sen.
institutions such as the United
considered one of the rea-
John McCain,
Irving Kristol’s
sonable voices among the
“
We get in
Nations. Neocon approval ratings
rise and fall with the fortunes
son and Weekly
Fourth Estate.
trouble and
of war, so the group fi nds its
Standard editor
But Kondracke and
lose support
popularity low now.
Bill Kristol,
other critics posited a dis-
Faces: Outgoing Vice President
New York Times columnist David
connect. Rush Limbaugh
whenever Dick Cheney,
Brooks.
hadn’t run for president.
we’ve moved
former Defense
Current game plan: Find a
Secretary Paul
standard bearer who can capture
He hadn’t advised the
away from Wolfowitz,
public attention with a call to
Bush White House. He
Ronald
presidential
higher, more visionary goals than
was not setting the agenda
speechwriter
merely restricting government.
when the Republicans con-
Reagan’s David Frum,
They thought they had that in
trolled Congress. Why fi re
agenda. We
intellectual
McCain. What they really need is
Irving Kristol,
another Teddy Roosevelt.
Limbaugh?
need to return columnist-pundit Charles
What’s next: Make allies of
“We all knew the fi rst
to limited,
Krauthammer.
social conservatives by attacking
thing that would happen Current game plan: With troops
fi scal and especially libertarian
if McCain lost,” Grover
competent
expected to be withdrawn from
conservatives who oppose
Norquist, president of
government,
Iraq in large numbers this year, the
big government and overseas
neocons can envision keeping their
Americans for Tax Reform,
and to listen
interventions.
ALEX
strong voice in Republican foreign
tells Newsmax.
and learn from
T
OL/
policymaking. Any signifi cant
TRADITIONAL VALUES
“The establishment resurgence in terrorism could raise
CONSERVATIVES OR TURNER
media immediately declares
our grass-roots
their profi le signifi cantly.
What they’re about: Concerned
GES / KRIS
GES F
that conservatism is fi nished
leaders.
”
What’s next: Work in
primarily with what they perceive
TY IMA
and that the Republican
tandem with national greatness
as declining social morals and the
GET
TY IMA
conservatives, and advance the
breakdown of families. Top issue
Party to survive needs to move to the left. This,
A
Y
/
GET
argument that problems in Iraq
tends to be education.
W
O
of course, is the same thing the media said in
and Afghanistan have come not
Faces: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin,
1960, 1964, 1974, 1976, and 1992, and yet con- from neocon policies, but from
former Reagan Education Secretary
servatism is still here.
poor management by President
William F.
A
VID S. HOLL
UM/FRAZER HARRISON/
“The second thing we knew was coming
Bush and former Defense Secretary
Bennett,
/FR
Donald Rumsfeld.
were pseudo-intellectuals on the right pro-
columnist
GE 52
Peggy Noonan.
A
claiming that, to save itself from extinction, the
NATIONAL GREATNESS
Current
GES / NOONAN/D
OM / P
party must reorganize around some abstract CONSERVATIVES
game plan:
theory such as green conservatism or national
What they’re about:
TY IMA
They go
Get the party
/NEWSC
greatness or the like,” Norquist says.
beyond neoconservatives by
/
GET
back on board
T
OS
asserting that our country needs
“So what should Republican leaders do
with traditional
an “appeal to America’s greatness”
bedrock values that concern most
UMAPHO
now?” he says. “From my experience and
/
Z
as in the Cold War and today’s
American families. Push a renewed
observation of the real political world, we get global war against terrorism.
GE 50
GOP emphasis on cultural as
ONG/NEWSMAKERS
P
A
W
in trouble and lose support whenever we’ve
++ AS REAGAN SAID: Presidents come and go. History comes and goes, but principles endure. 1/13/1993 ++ The
52
NEWSMAX / JANUARY 2009
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84