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The Republican Party's Civil War: Will Freedom Win?

Posted by khalling 10 years, 1 month ago to Politics
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I noticed the author and editor of this book, Dr. Ed Hudgins from the Atlas Society, has recently landed in the Gulch. Since two of the authors of this book are fellow gulchers I thought you may want to check this out. Please consider reviewing. Other authors in this collection of essays are: David Mayor, David Kelley, Walter Donway and William Thomas. from wdonway (in a post from a year ago): "The Republican Party's Civil War" asks: What were the underpinnings of the party in political philosophy, what are they today, and what must they become if the party is to stand for the rights to live, liberty, and happiness? They are important questions for those who realize that in America, at every election, there are only two parties. "Is the success of "The Republican's Party's Civil War"--which puts in no uncertain terms the choices that America faces--and exposes the futility of the businessmen who pour money into the party and suppose they have done all the can--and refutes the all-too-justified perception that the Republican Party is the pal of Wall Street's crony capitalists--worth the time it takes to compose a few intelligent sentences for an Amazon review? " I guess they'd like some reviews :) This subject always spurs a lively discussion in the Gulch so bring it!

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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Herb is that true constituency the Rinos, the neocons, those who went independent of didn't regiser when they went left. The few, very few that are in the party in order to get elected If they don't know i'm sue we don't know but I'm equally sure Trump knows. They are a party looking for a leader and an owner.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    You're probably correct. Bill's associations are starting to drag Hillary down - see "orgy island", etc.
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  • Posted by autumnleaves 10 years ago
    One small bright light, hopefully, is happening in my little corner of the left coast. There are less democrats registered to vote now, and, more of those who refuse to state! Does that mean they are beginning to see the light?
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  • Posted by plusaf 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Sure, Allo, but if you don't see that BOTH 'major parties' are ALL about power and control, well... what could I say... ?
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  • Posted by plusaf 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    And I maintain that 'anyone' who consistently blames ONE SIDE in this 'debate' or alleged 'discussion' is wasting half of their ammunition. Both 'major parties' have contributed to the crappy situations we're facing today. To even suggest that ONE side is "more guilty than the other" is a view through a reality-distortion field.
    imnsho...
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  • Posted by plusaf 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    The divorce... which I predict will happen immediately if she loses the nomination or the election to the WH...
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    The establishment Republicans want to open the tent to those who favor the welfare state while telling libertarians and limited government conservatives to fall in line because Obama and Hillary are worse. Not very inspiring nor a formula for victory.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    True -- but let's hope they are not so blinded by their desire to open the tent wide that they leave out their true constituency.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Thank you for that information.
    That explains some things.
    I think you have your priorities straight.
    Liberty first.
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  • Posted by artswavn 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    I thoroughly agree with both JLC and yourself. I have been around MANY elections, and unfortunately have found by experience that by voting for my 'ideal' hero, in truth casts a vote (absence of one vote 'here' = one vote 'there') for the opposition. WE -- are running out of $$ and influence. Unfortunately it takes many 'scared-hungry' liberals some lean years to see the light.
    THEN -- they vote for 'someone' to fix things. Soon as the boat settles down -- the hand goes out (for the freebies) and votes return to the 'liberals'.
    WE are NOT a Democracy -- WE are a REPUBLIC -- under democratic rule. Unfortunately -- we 'forget' that.
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually, there are four major Tea Party groups plus a lot of local chapters. They vary in what issues they emphasize.


    A few years ago, surveys found about half of those who identified as associated with the Tea Party considered themselves social conservative with a little under half identifying as libertarians. But the social conservatives as well as libertarians gave priority to rolling back government, not to pushing a social agenda. That might be changing though, and if it is, it's to the detriment of the fight for liberty.
    .
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Even more important, young people, the Millennials, are socially liberal but also want to be financially well off. Many, what I call the entrepreneurial achievers, lean toward free markets. And they are about 50% politically independent because they don't like Republicans or Democrats. In other words, they are libertarianish. If the GOP is to have a future it must attract these young people.
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    I have a chapter in my book on the Libertarian Party. While I've voted LP myself a number of times, I argue that it is not a realistic alternative to the GOP. In 40 years it has not established local power bases and a best about a dozen LP members have been elected to state governments. So for now, working within the GOP seems the best course.
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    This comment is on the mark about education. It is no accident that most younger adults could not define or explain, for example, that the separation of powers and checks and balances in the Constitution are and why they were put there by the Founders. An ignorant population is actually essential for the left, which believes that government should be all-powerful with them, the paternalist elites, in control. Knowledge of the dangers of such power would certainly turn the people against them.
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  • Posted by DrEdwardHudgins 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    It's my contention that the GOP is in a 3-way civil war. The establishment Republicans, who so often lose, simply want to tweak the welfare state to make it work a little better. But in the end it will still collapse in the U.S, is they are collapsing in Europe. The social conservative should give priority to stopping the growth of government rather than blocking gay marriage and such, and side with the libertarian and Constitutionally oriented Republicans. This would give us the best chance of actually saving America from the fate of Europe.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 10 years ago
    The Republican Party, whatever its sins of ommiss-
    ion or commission since then, did a great thing in
    regard to the Civil War and abolition; if the South
    underwent economic problems as a result, I don't
    feel sorry. Only individuals have rights.
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  • Posted by MinorLiberator 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Absolutely. Compared to today, the "average" American or Colonial Brit of 1776 I'm sure knew far more about their rights, or even that there was such a thing as rights. People don't fight, and die, for nothing. (Totalitarian regimes and countries with forced conscription excepted.)
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    I think even before the Revolution, there was not majority consensus. However, the population had a stronger sense of Englishman's rights. Maybe even more so than people living in GB. There was a Bill of Rights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_Rig... so still front of mind. This clearly influenced the colonial legislature
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  • Posted by MinorLiberator 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Agree, kh.

    The fact that "so very few grasp the essential principles of Liberty" was not always so, and is the outcome of a decades long effort by the Left-leaning and Far Left educational establishment (and their J-school graduates in the 4th Estate) to stop those ideals from being taught, and substituting their own agenda.

    It took a long time to obliterate those principles from a lot of, but by no means, all of, the population. Reversing it may take as long as it took the Left to accomplish what they attempted. There are many signs of at least the start of a reversal, but no guarantees, especially since the issue is now no longer an issue of just reclaiming the US, but whether the world will not destroy itself before that can happen.


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  • Posted by MinorLiberator 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Well said. To my recollection the book being discussed here makes many of the same points, as well as a practical way to achieve it, which is why again, I recommend it.

    However, I don't think they state that their "practical way to achieve it" will be instantaneous or pain-free, certainly will not occur overnight, absolutely not fully in 2016, but has to start somewhere.
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