The Situation:
Candidates who aren't always conservative are pretending to be much more so in order to appeal to the far right.
The Problem:
We don't know what to believe.
A Prime Example:
John McCain was an extremely moderate Republican. In my opinion his downfall came with trying to come across as some ultra conservative; it was disingenuous and I believe most Americans don't like ultra conservatism. If he had simply ran as what he was, a moderate who had worked with both sides of the aisle on many occasions and had actually accomplished quite a bit because of it, he would have had a much better chance of winning.
A Current Example:
The same thing is currently in Utah's Republican primary with both candidates. Why, because both think that the extreme right is the only way they can get elected.
Tim Bridgewater has said that he would turn down any earmarks meant for Utah, yet he received a large part of his salary from a company that receives earmarks. Personally, I think it's just good business; if the government is handing out free money, you would be an idiot not to take it. Seriously, how many of us refused the President Bush's stimulus check, or told the IRS to not give us our "Make Work Pay" credit? However, the extremists in the party claim to be so principled that if the federal government wants to pay for our commuter train, they will say no. Personally, I doubt more than 5% in the party are that principled. However, Bridgewater now says he'd rather set the example, so he would turn it down (don't worry, Mike Lee said the same).
Mike Lee has said that he will fight to maintain the state's right to not have to store foreign nuclear waste and yet he's suing the state on behalf of his employer to do just that. Personally, if the people of Utah received a nice cut of the profits for bringing it in, I would support that storage in a heartbeat, and I think that most would. However, states' rights come into play because the company wants to force the state to accept it (and while I don't mind it being brought here, I do mind it being shoved down my throat). So, in order to fall in line with the extreme in his party, Mike Lee says he will fight against it.
I am willing to bet that Bridgewater would rather take earmarks for Utah, and that Lee wouldn't mind having that waste brought in, but because they think the Party is that far to the right or of that opinion, they are saying whatever they can to win. Why can't they just say what they believe so we can choose who would represent us best?
Everywhere Else
I'm willing to bet that most Republican candidates who are trying to win their primary are the same. They have the exact platform of almost everyone else in the country, appealing to the extreme right, but they have done things in their past that go directly against it. Like everyone else, once they are elected their more moderate views, that fall in line with their past, will come out. While I'm glad they are mostly all more moderate than they claim, I wish they had confidence in their own views.
I think you nailed it at the end of your statement. They simply don't have confidence in their own views. They have spent so much time trying to appease the majority, that I doubt they know what they truly believe.
ReplyDeleteThey get elected and then mesh their views into what they *think* the people want. When in actuality, we elected them based on what they said while running.
You hear so much hope and promise during these campaigns and when it comes down to it, they are just human afterall. It must be a lot harder to be a good politician than I think it would be.
I wish that politicians knew how annoying it is when they start bashing eachother. It reminds me of playground fighting. I agree with you, Randy. I would like to know what they truly believe so that I can make a good choice...I want to know what they plan to do, why they plan to do it, and how they plan to do it. I really don't care about their spin on the mistakes of their opponent.
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