There has been a lot of talk about RINO’s lately. The purpose of this post is to clear a few things up.
A RINO (Republican in Name Only) traditionally has been used to refer to a politician that is very moderate or liberal. Such a person votes and acts more like a Democrat than a Republican.
However, the term of late has been hijacked, by the very same people trying to hijack the Republican Party. They are pushing their own version of the term RINO which more or less defines a RINO as:
A person who does not support the positions AND methods of the Talk Radio Faction of the party. Someone who dares criticize Rush Limbaugh in any way. In other words, the Talk Radio Faction defines RINO as anyone other than themselves.
Before we decide who is or is not a RINO, we should establish who is a Conservative Republican, what they do and what they do not do.
A real conservative makes his point with facts and logical points of debate. He does NOT resort to embellishments, distortions, and misinformation.
A real Conservative does not resort to name-calling and other childish and immature behavior directed at those who disagree with them.
A real conservative loves his country and does not let his opposition or hatred of a person get in the way of that even if that person is the President of the United States of the other party. He would not cheer when the US lost the Olympics, nor would he raise a stink at the President winning the Nobel Prize.
A real conservative wants to get the conservative message out and win converts to the party, not work to see how many people they can keep out or drive away.
So who are the real RINO’s? Perhaps the people using the term these days should take a look in the mirror!
November 25, 2009 at 5:43 pm |
While I am getting things off of the chest:
I despise Obama. What he stands for is everything I do not. He has demonstrated a hatred for America. He has demonstrated a dislike for the military. He has demonstrated a willingness to excuse our enemies and reduce our security. He has demonstrated that he is willing to destroy our economy in order to pass is radical agenda. I can go on and on and on.
I really tried to like Obama. I liked alot of what he said during his campaign. I can see why people were fooled, he almost got me. During the campaign, Obama told us that he was a pragmatist, not an ideologue. He is likely the least pragmatic, and the most idealistic president we have ever had. He told us he was fiscally responsible. He is not! He told us Afghanistan was the good war and we should be decisive and win it. He continues to dither. He is willing to give aid and comfort to our enemies and protect them with the very constitution they are sworn to destroy.
Obama conducted a campaign of lies. He is the true wolf in sheep’s clothing and did so with a complicit media. Talk radio and the Internet were the ONLY venues that dared to speak out against the Chosen One.
November 25, 2009 at 5:11 pm |
I guess your blog is good in that it has caused me to think about talk radio a little differently. Bombast aside, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Boortz are conservatives that hold passionate beliefs. They also have talk shows that must lure people to tune in and listen so that they can sell commericals hence the bombast.
I also think about the wanting Obama to fail rhetoric. The way I see it, Obama is so far to the left and radical, what shared American values does he hold? His values have proven to the the antithesis of what are traditional American values. There is not much there to reason and compromise with so to speak. I don’t think the talk show hosts want America to fail that logic is patently false. They see the Obama presidency as one giant American failure as do I.
How is a principled conservative, with American values going to compromise with someone like Obama. You are asking a person to cast aside core values. This is not a compromise in a true sense where the two people agree on the end result but not on the right road to take. You have two diametrically opposed value systems.
The choice is clear, you either believe that America must mould herself in the image that Obama has for it, i.e. European socialism, or not.
November 25, 2009 at 2:12 pm |
I read your blog…OK. So as a conservative, what is your platform and how does that differ from what Rush, Hannity, Beck, or Boortz are saying?
Are you against fiscal responsibility?
Are you for larger federal government?
Do you believe the federal government should play a role in every aspect of our lives?
Are you for unfettered / illegal immigration?
Do you believe that the federal government should take over health care and we are just arguing about how?
How do you feel about the rights of the individual vs. support of the collective?
What do you think about earmarks in bills passing through congress?
Frankly I am sick of both parties. You can call yourself a republican for all I care, but most likely you are a progressive, the same as a democrat. In my opinion, people want a clear choice. The republican party is not the conservative party, they are some watered down version of the democrat party. Where is the choice?
The way I see it, my choice is A: I can vote for a democrat and ride the shinkonsen bullet train to a progressive, socialistic utopia, or B: Vote republican and take a diesel locomotive there. It really does not matter, their destinations are the same.
Both parties are so far afield from the government that our founders envisioned and established here.
So what if Rush, Hannity, Beck, Boortz, etc are blow hards? Who cares? Tell me where their ideas have veered from what you term as conservatism? If your brand of conservatism is that Nixonian, progressive light stuff, then count me out!
November 4, 2009 at 10:20 pm |
“X I believe you were challenged on Boortz to provide proof of what you were claiming which neither of you could do. THAT is why you were supposedly “attacked”.”
I not only explained that on Boortz, but twice here in the last two days. I was an active member of the republican party. The one day I made an unflattering remark about Rush Limbaugh and how I thought he made conservatism look stupid.
Well that one comment was enough to have me declared a “RINO” and was told my participation in the party was no longer wanted.
“he is good about calling out the Left on their lies and distortions.”
Only problem is that he simply replaces them with the lies and distortion of the extreme right.
What ever happened to old fashioned political conversation. I would much rather have a debate with a liberal who has checked his facts and presents a good arguement, than have a conversation with right wingers who I might agree with on the issue but cannot stand the lies and their regurgitation of what some guy on the radio said. I’m so tired of hearing people talk about the “drive by media” or the “state run media”. It’s obvious where they are picking that up from.
November 4, 2009 at 7:35 pm |
X I believe you were challenged on Boortz to provide proof of what you were claiming which neither of you could do. THAT is why you were supposedly “attacked”.
If we’re going to encourage real conservatives to make his/her point with “facts and logical points of debate” then we should also not “resort to embellishments, distortions, and misinformation”.
It works both ways Ladies/Gents!
Is Rush a blowhard? Of course! I think we can all agree on that. But he does serve a purpose because face it, he has a much bigger platform than we do and he is good about calling out the Left on their lies and distortions.
Here’s the really bad thing. The media or the press, which ever you want to call them, were included in the First Amendment for a reason. They were intended to act as the Fourth Branch of the Government, to protect and inform the public. That is the only reason for their existence, the only reason for their protection. And they have FAILED miserably. Did they investigate ACORN when the allegations of voter registration came out? No. It took a TALK SHOW HOST and a website guy to expose them! That is disgusting! Beck, Breitbart and the video makers have done more to show us exactly how useless our taxes are in that regard.
So don’t blame talk radio, etc., blame the media for not doing their job.
November 4, 2009 at 6:02 pm |
I am a lifelong conservative who’s conservative beliefs and values are beyond reproach. Both my conservative friends and liberal friends will attest to that.
I make one unflattering remark about Rush Limbaugh and I find myself being denounced as a RINO and being shown the door.
So ECC is not off base here. Agree with you about Hoffman or some other candidate should ahve been nominated in the first place.
November 4, 2009 at 5:48 pm |
Again ECC, I have to differ. A RINO is NOT what you claim has been hijacked, it still means the same thing it always has, a non-conservative, usually fiscal.
The party should have back Hoffman from the beginning, he is a true conservative and would have run as a Republican if the party had backed him.
Talk radio and conservative pundits are a tool to be used.
Other than that, you’re off to a good start.