Posted by
Andrews on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 10:30:52 AM
Everyone is asking why we have so many RINOs, or why we can't nominate real conservatives. I have an answer. Phil Gramm.
In the past, I said if James Madison ran, and told people he didn't think this problem or that was the responsibility of the government, he would be run out of office. Well, now we see the flip side, when Phil Gramm says that we need to stop whining (though he later backed away from the truth of what he said), we are ready to crucify him.
Why?
Because much as we claim to want small government and to keep government out of issues, when we see what we think is a "real problem" we still want big government. The problem is, even conservatives aren't really conservative. Too many of us still think in terms of "compassionate government" and in terms of government solutions.
Doubt me? Then explain why so many comments on Townhall are critical of Gramm. Even saying he is "tactless" is wrong. He is telling the truth. We should support that, not criticize it. Why do we want him to pretend that we are big government when we aren't?
Or look at the oil debate. How many are arguing the oil companies should be forced to sell the oil they drill in the US? So, when we are personally hurt by the market, conservatives suddenly become whining communists?
We need to be true to our principles. We can't just be for the market when it is convenient and oppose it when it would be beneficial to our short term interests for the government to intervene. And more than that, we need to tell the voters this as well. We don't do a good job of educating voters by pretending to be for big government while sneaking in free market solutions.
In other words, we need more Gramm comments, not fewer.
POSTSCRIPT
One way I can tell Gramm is worthy of respect is the number of slanders the left (and the anti-business "right") throws at him. Not only did he
somehow "cause" the lending "crisis", he caused Enron too! Probably emits carbon dioxide adding to global warming as well, but no one has mentioned that yet.