"This sense that America is in need of fixing in order to be a great country points to Obama's real patriotism problem. And it's not Obama's alone. Definitions of patriotism proliferate, but in the American context patriotism must involve not only devotion to American texts (something that distinguishes our patriotism from European nationalism) but also an abiding belief in the inherent and enduring goodness of the American nation. We might need to change this or that policy or law, fix this or that problem, but at the end of the day the patriotic American believes that America is fundamentally good as it is. It's the 'good as it is' part that has vexed many on the left since at least the Progressive era. Marxists and other revolutionaries obviously don't believe entrepreneurial and religious America is good as it is. But even more mainstream figures have a problem distinguishing patriotic reform from reformation... Obama... will 'remake' the country. Well, what if you don't want it remade? And Michelle Obama—who believes America is 'downright mean' and is proud of America for the first time because of her husband's success—insists that Barack will make you 'work' for change and that he will 'demand that you, too, be different.' What if you don't want to work for Obama's change? What if you don't want to be 'different'?... The notion that what America needs is a redeemer figure to 'remake' America from scratch isn't necessarily unpatriotic. But for lots of Americans who like America the way it is, it's sometimes hard to tell when it isn't."
-- Jonah Goldberg --
This is a beautiful encapsulation of the primary philosophy of Barack Obama. He believes that America -- through both his statements and his policies -- is fundamentally at fault, that America is responsible for the world's ills, and that America is fundamentally broken. This mentality is the end result of decades of liberal policies of creating dependence on government, redefining words according to ever-shifting political correctness, and socialism creep. Is this truly what Democrats believe? Is this what will attract voters in November? Sadly, yes, it will attract some who also believe these negative things about America. If you believe that America's best days are behind us, vote for Obama. He agrees with you. He and the Left have one goal: to re-make America into a socialist state like Europe, despite the fact that Europe has become a disaster because of those very same policies. If, however, you believe that America is fundamentally good -- sure, there are plenty of problems that need to be corrected, but most Americans are good people trying to do the right thing -- and that the future is bright with the right leadership, then you need to vote anyone BUT Obama. McCain is no Ronald Reagan, but he's certainly the lesser of two evils.
Speaking of Reagan, here's a great quote on one of his core principles (directed at his own party):
"Let us show that we stand for fiscal integrity and sound money and above all for an end to deficit spending, with ultimate retirement of the national debt. Let us also include a permanent limit on the percentage of the people's earnings government can take without their consent. Let our banner proclaim a genuine tax reform... Let us explore ways to ward off socialism, not by increasing government's coercive power, but by increasing participation by the people in the ownership of our industrial machine... And we must make it plain to international adventurers that our love of peace stops short of 'peace at any price.' We will maintain whatever level of strength is necessary to preserve our free way of life. ... I do not believe I have proposed anything that is contrary to what has been considered Republican principle. It is at the same time the very basis of conservatism. It is time to reassert that principle and raise it to full view. And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these principles, then let them go their way."
-- Ronald Reagan --
Let me remind you again that when Reagan was President, he dealt with a huge Democrat majority in both houses of Congress. Despite that political opposition, he was able to drastically reduce tax rates, increase defensive spending, and and spur the American economy to huge new growth. How? Because he stood for fiscal responsibility while keeping his priorities straight. What Reagan began, Gingrich and the GOP continued in the early 1990s, bringing a Republican Congressional majority for the first time in decades. Since Bush has been in office, the GOP has been steadily moving away from these principles, migrating Leftward toward the Democrat party. This is one of the primary reasons the GOP has seen its base evaporate over the past couple of elections. I guarantee you that if a true conservative who unapologetically puts forward this sort of fiscal responsibility and prioritization, Republicans and Democrats alike would carry that person to a huge victory. It's happened before, and there's no reason it can't happen again.
"We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it."
-- Calvin Coolidge --
This is a great quote about keeping things in perspective. By turning our backs on the Constitution and the policies that have made America the most successful nation in the face of the planet, we will voluntarily give up that success. By considering the Constitution a 'living, evolving' document, liberals undercut the power in its precepts. By re-defining words to mean things they were never meant to mean, we have blurred the distinction between right and wrong to the point where anyone with money and a megaphone can move mountains. It is only if we return to those conservative principles -- limited government, lower taxes, strong defense and national security, preserving family values, individual responsibility rather than government dependence, etc. -- we will return to the things that made us successful, and our success will continue.
This is one of the fundamental differences between liberals and conservatives, and one of the reasons the thought of liberals gaining complete control of this great nation concerns me so much. Call me old-fashioned in my conservatism, but I know what made this country great in the first place, and it ain't liberalism.
There's my two cents.
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