Am I Pro-Choice?
by Mike on Jun.04, 2009, under Political
So it seems that Colin Powell thinks the Republicans need to dump Rush Limbaugh and move to the center. He made a speech last month in which he stated:
The GOP is “getting smaller and smaller” and “that’s not good for the nation.”
“I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without”.
Regarding Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Powell said she is “a very accomplished person” but became “a very polarizing figure”.
“The Republican Party is in deep trouble,” he said. “The party must realize that the country has changed. Americans do want to pay taxes for services. Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less.”
This is from the same man who supported Barack Obama, by far the most liberal (dare I say “socialist”?) presidential candidate ever. He doubled down on Face the Nation when he said:
“If we don’t reach out more, the party is going to be sitting on a very, very narrow base. You can only do two things with a base. You can sit on it and watch the world go by, or you can build on the base.”
“What we have to do is debate and define who we are and what we are and not just listen to dictates that come down from the right wing of the party.”
I think that General Powell has it all wrong. Americans did not support John McCain because they don’t want Democrat-lite. Without Sarah Palin on the ticket, Barack Obama would have won the election by twice or triple his winning margin. The conservative base is floundering because we feel unrepresented by the Republican party. I consider myself a Conservative and no longer consider myself a Republican. Every single piece of mail the RNC sends me goes straight into the waste basket. And I know I am not alone.
The Republican party needs strong conservative leaders who can stand up to the MSM and clearly define the virtues of conservatism and stand for what is right – not mealy-mouthed politicians who are afraid to take a stand because they might offend some special interest group. Thank God that Rush and Dick Cheney have taken on this mantle. Although I agree with Newt Gingrich that the Republicans need a big tent, that tent must be built on the bedrock foundation of conservative values.
Perhaps Ronald Reagan put it best when he stated in 1975:
“Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but BOLD COLORS which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people…” –
The American people must be given a real choice between Republican Conservatism and Democratic Statism. So on this matter, I guess I am pro-choice.
