Nov 20 2008
Who are Republicans anyway?
Well, it depends on who you ask, but I refer to the “right wing” that the media always labels Conservative Republicans. Has anyone ever noticed that the media rarely uses the term “left wing” when referring to Democrats? There are Republicans who clearly are only in the party to fool certain voters with the (R) in front of their name, so I don’t count them in my definition.
A real Republican believes in Conservative values, starting with the Constitution. Often described as “strict constructionists,” we believe, oddly, that the Constitution means what it actually says it does. Liberals like to call it a “living document,” which is liberal-speak for “we can make it say whatever we want it to say.” And they don’t only do it with the Constitution. They also like to pretend they’re Catholic while supporting gay marriage and abortion. Apparently Catholic teachings are “living” also. It allows a liberal to practice moral ambiguity while claiming to adhere to the rules. A conservative believes that rules are rules.
Liberals like to claim that the Founding Fathers never anticipated (insert liberal cause here), and therefore the Constitution has to be “interpreted” in a more modern light. This is patently false. If the Constitution were meant to be redefined any time it was considered inconvenient, there would be no amendment process. The fact that it can be amended through a very long and complicated process means two things. One, it means that the document is supposed to be changed literally, not interpretively. Two, it means that the process is supposed to be hard, to prevent the whim of a majority from altering the founding document of this country. In other words, it’s not supposed to be changed by a couple of unelected judges. Can you say Roe v. Wade? Imagine if every defendant could go into criminal court and argue that a law is outdated or otherwise unfair to him and have a chance the judge would simply change it? Or what if we could argue that anti-lynching laws were living documents? Would liberals tolerate such loose definitions when the laws involve causes they support?
A Republican believes in the rule as written. Liberals believe the rules mean whatever they want them to mean whenever the situation calls for a different interpretation. Does that mean a Republican is perfect? Of course not. Republicans break laws, cheat on their spouses, etc. just like anyone else. We’re human beings. The difference is that a Republican knows a rule is being broken and most of the time will resign, take responsibility and pay the price. Other Republicans will denounce the offender and demand accountability. A Democrat will deny, claim the rule is unfair, and refuse to accept responsibility. And other Democrats will rally around and help.
Basically, a Conservative Republican believes that there is right and wrong, that rules are rules, and that the country is not better off chasing “change” and “progress” for the sake of themselves. We don’t want to fix what isn’t broken. Liberal Democrats believe there is no right or wrong (”don’t be judgmental”), rules are NOT rules (living documents) and the country should always be making progress (they like to call themselves “progressives”) regardless of the direction. And they are willing to break anything and everything so they can be the ones to “fix” things.
Starting on January 21, 2009, you will see exactly what I mean.
