Conservatives: Are you happy with the current direction of the Conservative Movement?

[NatMorton]

Republicans are one thing. Conservatives are another.

 

[HikerGuy83]

Among the leaders of the Conservative Movement:

Donald Trump
Steve Bannon
Nick Fuentes
Tucker Carlson
Alex Jones

There is no conservative movement.

These people are not the leaders of anything that says "conservative".

They are no more conservative than I am left-wing.

 

[HikerGuy83]

I wouldn’t consider any of those individuals actual conservatives.

SPOT ON

 

[HikerGuy83]

MAGA people.

I'd also add Ben Shapiro as a leader.

He isn't in that group.

Your original list are all fanatics who really do nothing more than spout propaganda.

Shapiro is smart, well-versed, and open to honest discussion.

He could be a considered a true leader.

 

[HikerGuy83]

Which policies do you think the Republican party should have pushed?

Hacking the federal government down to size.

Promoting local control of policies designed to address several of the key issues in our society today.

Things the federal government has failed at miserably (like education).

 

[jpevans]

Republicans are one thing. Conservatives are another.

Goldwater conservatives on steroids. Being a Conservative is like being religious, if you say you are, you are.

 

[Josie]

My "lean" is just there because-----zero meaning. But yeah, maybe a mod.

How is a moderate conservative different than one who isn't moderate?

 

[Tigerace117]

I have not been happy with Republican party since Bush 1 was elected. I understand why Reagan had to pick H.W. Bush in order to unite the party at that time, but I never liked Bush 1 or Bush 2.... typical East coast globalist elitists.

I wish the Republicans would have followed Pat Buchanan. Now there was a conservative who would have really made America great again.

The guy who defended the ****ing Treblinka guard, and claimed it wasn’t a death camp? THAT Pat Buchanan?

“ Around 1982,[67] Buchanan began to defend Cleveland auto-worker John Demjanjuk against the charge that Demjanjuk was a Nazi war criminal nicknamed "Ivan the Terrible" responsible for the mass murder of Jews at Treblinka. In 1986, while he was a senior figure in the Reagan administration, he was highly critical of the charges brought by Office of Special Investigations (OSI), the Nazi war crimes unit of the Justice Department. He claimed Demjanjuk was the victim of mistaken identity and possibly the victim of a plot by the Soviet Union.[68]

The following year, while still a member of the administration, he made unofficial attempts to stop the deportation of suspected Nazi war criminals from East Europe, including Estonian Karl Linnas as well as Demjanjuk.[69] Menachem Z. Rosensaft, in a New York Times op-ed, described Buchanan's "oft-expressed sympathy for a host of Nazi criminals" like Linnas as being "a constitutionally protected perversion."[70] Buchanan referred to such cases as being pursued by "revenge-obsessed Nazi hunters" in 1987.[71]”

“ In a 1990 column for the New York Post, Buchanan wrote that it was impossible for 850,000 Jews to be killed by diesel exhaust fed into the gas chamber at Treblinka in a return to his interest in the Demjanjuk case. "Diesel engines do not emit enough carbon monoxide to kill anybody," he wrote. The Washington Post cited experts to the effect that there is more than sufficient carbon monoxide present in the fumes to speedily asphyxiate victims causing their death.[67][80] Buchanan once argued Treblinka "was not a death camp but a transit camp used as a 'pass-through point' for prisoners". In fact, historians have estimated that some 900,000 Jews were murdered at Treblinka.[81] When George Will challenged him on the issue on TV in December 1991, Buchanan did not reply.[61]”

Pat Buchanan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Dans La Lune]

Hacking the federal government down to size.

States rights?

Promoting local control of policies designed to address several of the key issues in our society today.

Such as?

Things the federal government has failed at miserably (like education).

I don't understand this comment. Public education in America is largely a function of the states, not the federal government.

 

[Dans La Lune]

He isn't in that group.

Your original list are all fanatics who really do nothing more than spout propaganda.

Shapiro is smart, well-versed, and open to honest discussion.

He could be a considered a true leader.

Ben Shapiro is a theocratic lunatic, and he funds / facilitates some of the most deranged theocratic sociopaths on the planet (e.g. Matt Walsh).

 

[Dans La Lune]

How is a moderate conservative different than one who isn't moderate?

There is no such thing as a moderate or a centrist, since there is no agreement on what that actually means. In American politics, it's generally assumed that a moderate is a status quo corporatist. However, Joe Manchin is considered a moderate, and he's actually to the right of many conservatives and is arguably the most corrupt member of Congress.

Conservatives love Joe Manchin because they love corruption. The more corrupt you are in politics, the more support you have from the right-wing. There is no way around around this fact. Lining your own pocket by ripping off the American people you supposedly serve is considered 'being smart'. See Trump and Rick Scott for more examples.

 

[HikerGuy83]

States rights?

Such as?

I don't understand this comment. Public education in America is largely a function of the states, not the federal government.

States don't have rights.

They have powers granted by the Constitution. Nobody seems to follow that thinking.

High out-of-wedlock birthrate....social change that can be linked to the Great Society.

As is often the case, the states administer, but the federal government has it's hand in a great deal of what they can and can't do. No child left behind was a federal program which was basically forced on the states.

 

[HikerGuy83]

Ben Shapiro is a theocratic lunatic, and he funds / facilitates some of the most deranged theocratic sociopaths on the planet (e.g. Matt Walsh).

Yes, we know the practice of calling people people you disagree with names.

 

[tshade]

How is a moderate conservative different than one who isn't moderate?

who knows-----I say 'maybe'................who cares? As people learn, they change-----------or should..

 

[Kreton]

Among the leaders of the Conservative Movement:

Donald Trump
Steve Bannon
Nick Fuentes
Tucker Carlson
Alex Jones

These people are Republicans, they are not conservative by any definition of the word. Those two terms disassociated with each other years ago.

 

[Dans La Lune]

Yes, we know the practice of calling people people you disagree with names.

Are you saying Ben Shapiro is not a theocrat?

And you just said that the people I listed are fanatics.

 

[Dans La Lune]

States don't have rights.

They have powers granted by the Constitution. Nobody seems to follow that thinking.

High out-of-wedlock birthrate....social change that can be linked to the Great Society.

How would you legislate that?

As is often the case, the states administer, but the federal government has it's hand in a great deal of what they can and can't do. No child left behind was a federal program which was basically forced on the states.

It's not that the federal government shouldn't set standards, it's that billionaires (e.g. Bill Gates) shouldn't be able to leverage their wealth to attain policy.

 

[HikerGuy83]

Are you saying Ben Shapiro is not a theocrat?

And you just said that the people I listed are fanatics.

Shapiro has a pretty good grip on things.

I've recently enjoyed listening to some podcasts where he and Bill Maher discuss a number of topics is a very fruitful fashion.

Anna Kasparian, a total nutjob, and he had a great "debate" (discussion....very civil) for which her side went after her (how dare you).

So, I am saying he's not a fanatic.

 

[HikerGuy83]

How would you legislate that?



It's not that the federal government shouldn't set standards, it's that billionaires (e.g. Bill Gates) shouldn't be able to leverage their wealth to attain policy.

You start rolling back the welfare state entitlements that are creating some pretty big messes.

 

[post]

Any Republican will be preferable to the current empty suit.

Yeah, because Republicans certainly know how to make people suffer when there is a much better alternative!
I assume Grandpappy, that you got yours via democratic party legislated medicare, so, f*** everybody who doesn't?

Trump supported and rewarded "free riders" who could afford to purchase healthcare insurance but refused to until they were
informed they needed insurance to cover medical treatment, by eliminating the mandate that is necessary when surcharges on
insurance for those with pre-existing conditions are eliminated. The mandate protected taxpayers from having to pay for all of
the extra expenses resulting from the "free riders". Trump performed this vandalism to attract votes of those he convinced he was
not attempting to drive up the costs for everyone while lowering the financial burden of the "free riders"!

Millions suddenly unemployed and losing there health insurance and Trump's choice was to deliberately keep them from quickly
replacing their former employer sponsored health insurance during a pandemic.

Insurers Turn To Congress After Trump Refuses To Open ...​

https://www.forbes.com › brucejapsen › 2020/04/09 › i...
Apr 9, 2020 — The nation's health insurance companies are turning to Congress for a special open enrollment period for jobless Americans to sign up for ...

Florida unlikely to expand Medicaid for 800,000 residents, despite offer of more federal money

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida legislative leaders still aren’t interested in expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, despite the federal government’s offer…

www.orlandosentinel.com

TALLAHASSEE — "Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida legislative leaders still aren’t interested in expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, despite the federal government’s offer to defray the cost to the state for two years as part of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package signed by President Biden last week.
Democrats and advocates who’ve pushed for expansion say there’s no excuse not to offer coverage to 800,000 more Floridians now that the cost to the state would be less."

That damned Biden keeps trying to reduce intentional suffering practiced by Trump.... why would anyone want what is best for
his family when Trump is there to be irresistibly attracted to?

First full day in office....

Biden's Obamacare Open Enrollment Reopening Explained​

https://www.ehealthinsurance.com › affordable-care-act
Jan 21, 2022 — The Obamacare open enrollment is reopening in the fall. President Joe Biden signed an executive order creating a special enrollment period ...

 

[Felis Leo]

Among the leaders of the Conservative Movement:

Donald Trump
Steve Bannon
Nick Fuentes
Tucker Carlson
Alex Jones

I'm going to ignore your bad-faith disingenuous question save to point out that simply being right-wing does not make one conservative.

 

[Bullseye]

Among the leaders of the Conservative Movement:

Donald Trump
Steve Bannon
Nick Fuentes
Tucker Carlson
Alex Jones

Says who? A SOCIALIST?

 

[post]

He isn't in that group.

Your original list are all fanatics who really do nothing more than spout propaganda.

Shapiro is smart, well-versed, and open to honest discussion.

He could be a considered a true leader.

If I posted your post, I'd be wondering about the reliability of the mechanism resulting in what I am approving of.

Ben Shapiro - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

:...
He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News between 2012 and 2016. Shapiro has written eleven books.
...
Vox's Zack Beauchamp describes Shapiro as a polarizing figure, in part due to tweets such as one made in 2010 in which he said "Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage".

Shapiro supported Israel's settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. Shapiro is a longtime opponent of the two-state solution.

In 2007, Shapiro wrote an article in which he described the "Palestinian Arab population" as "rotten to the core" and places the blame for the Arab–Israeli conflict "with the Palestinian Arabs themselves". He further believes Israel and America will "continue to pay the price in blood and treasure" if they refuse to recognize the "simple truth" that the "Palestinian Arab population breeds terrorism, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism".

In 2019, Shapiro said that Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose comments about American support for Israel were accused of evoking antisemitic tropes, and the white supremacist San Diego shooter, hold "a lot of the same opinions about Jews."

In May 2021, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Ben Shapiro stated that Hamas' rocket attacks "would entail an anti-Semitic genocide", adding that Hamas was spending "tens of millions of dollars in foreign aid" on building "terror tunnels and rocket capacity to strike at the Jews." Shapiro argued that Hamas was positioning its rockets in civilian areas, seeking to "force Israel to kill Palestinian civilians so Hamas can propagandize about supposed Israeli human rights atrocities." He stated that Hamas was not only killing Jews, but also Israeli Arabs and foreign workers. He also criticized the media coverage of the crisis, labeling it as "absurd",..
....
On October 7, 2013, Shapiro and business partner Jeremy Boreing co-founded TruthRevolt,[42] a U.S. media watchdog and activism website, in association with the David Horowitz Freedom Center. TruthRevolt ceased operations in March 2018.[43]

On January 14, 2021, Shapiro was featured as a guest writer for Politico's Playbook newsletter, where he defended House Republicans who opposed the second impeachment of Donald Trump. The newsletter drew immense backlash from many Politico staffers, some of whom argued that Shapiro should not have been allowed to write the article. Matthew Kaminski, editor in chief of Politico, refused to apologize and defended the decision... According to the Daily Beast, more than 100 Politico staffers signed on to a letter to publisher Robert Allbritton criticizing both Politico's decision to feature Shapiro's article and the response from Kaminski. ..."

 

[Hamish Howl]

Hacking the federal government down to size.

Yeah, we have about a third of a billion people.

Shouldn't take more than a dozen to administrate it, right?

 

[Felis Leo]

If I posted your post, I'd be wondering about the reliability of the mechanism resulting in what I am approving of.

Ben Shapiro - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

:...
He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News between 2012 and 2016. Shapiro has written eleven books.
...
Vox's Zack Beauchamp describes Shapiro as a polarizing figure, in part due to tweets such as one made in 2010 in which he said "Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage".

Shapiro supported Israel's settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. Shapiro is a longtime opponent of the two-state solution.

In 2007, Shapiro wrote an article in which he described the "Palestinian Arab population" as "rotten to the core" and places the blame for the Arab–Israeli conflict "with the Palestinian Arabs themselves". He further believes Israel and America will "continue to pay the price in blood and treasure" if they refuse to recognize the "simple truth" that the "Palestinian Arab population breeds terrorism, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism".

In 2019, Shapiro said that Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose comments about American support for Israel were accused of evoking antisemitic tropes, and the white supremacist San Diego shooter, hold "a lot of the same opinions about Jews."

In May 2021, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Ben Shapiro stated that Hamas' rocket attacks "would entail an anti-Semitic genocide", adding that Hamas was spending "tens of millions of dollars in foreign aid" on building "terror tunnels and rocket capacity to strike at the Jews." Shapiro argued that Hamas was positioning its rockets in civilian areas, seeking to "force Israel to kill Palestinian civilians so Hamas can propagandize about supposed Israeli human rights atrocities." He stated that Hamas was not only killing Jews, but also Israeli Arabs and foreign workers. He also criticized the media coverage of the crisis, labeling it as "absurd",..
....
On October 7, 2013, Shapiro and business partner Jeremy Boreing co-founded TruthRevolt,[42] a U.S. media watchdog and activism website, in association with the David Horowitz Freedom Center. TruthRevolt ceased operations in March 2018.[43]

On January 14, 2021, Shapiro was featured as a guest writer for Politico's Playbook newsletter, where he defended House Republicans who opposed the second impeachment of Donald Trump. The newsletter drew immense backlash from many Politico staffers, some of whom argued that Shapiro should not have been allowed to write the article. Matthew Kaminski, editor in chief of Politico, refused to apologize and defended the decision... According to the Daily Beast, more than 100 Politico staffers signed on to a letter to publisher Robert Allbritton criticizing both Politico's decision to feature Shapiro's article and the response from Kaminski. ..."

Alright. You cited Ben Shapiro's C.V., post. Overall fairly boilerplate mainstream American conservative positions, and you add the fact that he is ardently pro-Israel.

Do you have anything to add or do you believe his positions are so outrageous that they speak for themselves?