THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IV, Issue # 27, March 20, 2002
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
A RETURN TO CONSERVATISM?
By Darrel Mulloy
The recent California primary demonstrated, again, that if Conservatives are given a choice, they will vote for a Conservative. Richard Riordan, former Los Angeles mayor and choice of both the Bush Administration and the Republican National Committee, lost the primary to Bill Simon, Conservative. Simon is not the consumate politician, and is pro-life, pro-gun, and, in many other ways, in line with the thinking of mainstream Conservatives. The fact that the party leadership was behind Riordan shows how far the Republican Party mainstream has wandered from their Conservative roots. The congressional elections of 1994 brought the election of more real Conservatives than in recent memory, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the largest recipient of those elections. The reason for that large number of Conservatives elected was the "Contract with America" that was initiated by Newt Gingrich and believed in by Conservatives across America, including those Conservatives who had announced their support while in their campaigns for election for that year. Along with their support for the contract, they, for the most part, promised to serve for no longer than three two-year terms. Some of those elected in 1994 honored that promise, and one or two delayed their retirement until 2002. Most notable of those leaving in 2000 was Helen Chenoweth Hage. In retrospect, it would have been better for the country if she had not made the promise and had stayed longer, but that was her decision, and she honored her promise.
The time frame surrounding 1994 also saw several Democrats switch parties and join the Republican Party. Senators Richard Shelby from Alabama and Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado stand out, along with Congressman Billy Tauzan from Louisiana and one or two others scattered around the country.
Conservatives applauded the defection of those Democrats, but seemingly failed to question why those Democrats switched parties. I believe it was because the Democratic Party had turned so far Left as to become the Socialist Party, and at the same time, the Republican Party had moved Leftward to make itself look like what it was that those defectors admired about the old Democratic Party. The defectors could not abide the Socialistic move of their party, and so found a home that felt comfortable in the Republican Party. Such is the direction that the party of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater has turned.
In the California gubernatorial election 1966, Pat Brown, then incumbent Governor of California, found himself with an opponent who had little experience in politics, with his only elected title being the President of the Screen Actors Guild, a "B" actor named Ronald Reagan. I was, prior to that election, a Democrat, brought up in a labor union family background by parents who thought that Franklin Delano Roosevelt walked on water. During the election campaign, I heard the Conservative message of Ronald Reagan, and I became a Republican, acknowledging to myself my Conservative beliefs. Reagan delivered a message to Californians that most of them agreed with, and he upset Pat Brown and turned California around. When given a choice, Californians elected a true Conservative. 2002, if my suspicions are correct, will be a repeat of history. If the Republican National Committee and the Bush Administration do not heed the message that is delivered by California voters, we are in for just more of the same old business of Left-leaning Republicans opposing even more Left-leaning Democrats.
It is unfortunate that the Republican Party elite, its top echelon, has failed to give us the candidates we can feel comfortable voting for. The "third party
movement" of recent elections is just part of the problem. The biggest portion of the failure of the Republican Party to capture clear-cut majorities in Congress and reelection to the Presidency is that we have not had a Conservative choice to vote for, and on election day, we are inclined to stay home, instead of going to the polls and voting. America's low voter turnout in elections is shameful, but is lowest and most shameful among Conservatives. Liberal Democrats can declare their Liberalism and find favor with those who follow them, and they usually do what they say they are going to do, take from the rich and give to the poor, ala Robin Hood. Not until the Republican Party elite wakes up, ignores what the Democrats are saying about them, and listens instead to what their Conservative base is saying, will we see renewed return to the polls and election of those who are truly Conservatives by the majority of Americans, who are truly Conservative. If this doesn't happen in the near future, and Congress continues to allow open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens, we will find ourselves no longer in the majority.
More on American Politics & Political Competition
Copyright 2002 SierraTimes.com
Reprinted with Permission from SierraTimes.com
March 14, 2002
SierraTimes.com
URL:
http://www.SierraTimes.com
Return to Top of Page
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE,
Volume IV, 2002
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Subject Matter Highlights
Return to POLITICAL EDUCATION Homepage
CONTACT & ACCESS INFORMATION
This is not a commercial website. The sole purpose of the website is to share with interested persons information regarding civics,
civic and social education, political science, government, politics, law, constitutional law and history, public policy, and political
philosophy and history, as well as current and recent political developments, public issues, and political controversies.
POLITICAL EDUCATION, CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS
POLITICS, SOCIETY, & THE SOVEREIGN STATE
Website of Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.
Government, Politics, Public Policy, Legal Issues, Constitutional Law, Government & the Economy, Cultural Values, Foreign Affairs,
International Relations, Military Defense & National Security, Geopolitics, Terrorism & Homeland Security, American National Interests,
Political Systems & Processes, Political Institutions, Political Ideologies, & Political Philosophy
INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE WEBSITE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity