I’m a Republican. What exactly does that mean? According to the stereotype, I’m very anti-gay, pro-life, yet pro-war and I am part of the 30% approval of President Bush. Also, I have an inner hatred toward anyone with political beliefs remotely left-wing liberal and i despise democratic “jackasses” (no pun intended) like Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Hilary Clinton. I should wear cowboy boots, have a slight Western accent and be very hard-core with my beliefs. Mm..its true more or less but I do not fall appropriately under the classic Conservative stereotype, most importantly, because of my beliefs. Yes, I have more conservative views when it comes to political issues such as economics and war, but I am more on the moderate side, no where near right wing conservative. I do not entirely despise liberal politicians, such as Al Gore, (although I despise his view points and would rather throw them out the window than waste a single second of my life listening to his rambling non-sense) and I do not always agree with Conservative icons, the classic example being, Rush Limbaugh. I have a Party Pride t-shirt that I do wear with pride and a “Proud to be Republican” key chain that i ironically bought in Washington, D.C. in a little shop after the inauguration (yes I actually found something republican in the most liberal district in the entire country during the most liberal day of the year, shocking I know) and it goes with me everywhere. I want people to know that I am not ashamed to be Republican, and I am not ashamed of my beliefs. Being trapped in a state that has become increasingly liberal since the Regan era, might bring people to believe that my beliefs would crack and crumble from the pressure of the blabbing idiots that surround me, especially with the results of the last election, but my beliefs stay strong. I am not against the war in Iraq and I do not agree with the current stimulus packages being presented by the Obama Administration and I am ready with my reasons why if you ask. However, the hope I had for the Republican party slowly diminishes as each day passes.
The last election was a blow to the heart. Did i expect McCain to win? Of course not. Barack Obama had the momentum from the start. With approval ratings of the president the lowest they’ve been in a long time, how could any Republican have won the election? Obama had it made, by simply focusing on all the things the people didn’t like about Bush and making them believe that McCain would bring the same concepts and ideas to the Oval Office for at least four more years. I highly doubt that was the truth, but if McCain gad won, one thing is certain: America would have woken up on November 5 with sadness in their heart and gloom on their faces for fear of repetition of failed politics for the next four years. Did i want Barack Obama to win the presidency? Of course not, even I’m not that moderate. But I’m glad he did because he brought hope into the mind of young Americans, even if hope wasn’t plausible. Being the first African American president, he was the face of change and he arrived at the perfect time. He promised that he would turn America around, that he would be the flame to fire-up the weak, crashing economy and that he would be the man to erase party lines and bring to America universal, bi-partisan leadership in Washington. But with big promise comes big disappointments. Obama’s inspiring, calming demeanor and voice won him a quick seat to the Oval Office, but is he simply all talk and no walk? So far he’s been extremely aggressive, but that may not be a good thing. He’s passed a stimulus plan of almost $1 trillion, and the fun has just begun kids. “Barack Obama’s $787-billion (U.S.) stimulus plan, which critics derided as wasteful and excessive, may in fact have been fatally modest, compared to his $3.6 trillion budget proposed 2 weeks previously”(globeandmail.com). Spending enormous amounts of money is not the way to go, unless you are enthused about paying it all back in taxes until the day you die. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to solve our corrupted and failing economy and any plan proposed will have its failures. This is exactly where Obama’s inexperience shines through. Does more experience equal better choices though? You decide. Obama just isn’t the heroic figure everyone thought he’d be. Behind the pretty, reassuring smile is a dirty, lying, slime-ball politician, just like the rest of Washington. I could have told you this would happen six months ago, but back then no one would have believed me. It was an Obama-crazed nation at the time. But hey, it’s only been two months right? Hard to judge him yet. I simply hope the future brings brighter and more frugal ideas from the Obama administration.
Referring again to the election and failure of the Republican party, who is to blame for the recent downturn in popularity of Conservatives? Its easy to pick a disease and eliminate the problem and start fresh, but unfortunately that’s nearly impossible, and not to mention stupid. Could it be the failings of George Bush the last couple years? Could it honestly be core Conservative beliefs? I believe its a mixture of two things: right-winged Conservatives speaking aimlessly to a liberal news media without thinking and the turn of a new generation. Voting trends were shifting in a negative way for the Republican party. Republicans never really got the Latino or immigrant vote, but they were losing key voters, especially the younger generations. “Republicans have owned the college-graduate vote. But in 1992 Ross Perot led an exodus of the college-educated out of the GOP, and they never fully returned. In 2008 Obama beat John McCain among college graduates by 8 points, the first Democratic win among B.A. holders since exit polling began” (newsweek.com). California is the most important state to win in an election because of its plethora of electoral votes and Republicans notoriously won this state, until 1992, from which California has never returned to the “right” side (once again, no pun intended), a key blow. “Since that 1988, the Democrats have won the under-30 vote in five consecutive presidential elections. Voters who turned 20 between 2000 and 2005 are the most lopsidedly Democratic age cohort in the electorate” (newsweek.com). With key states and important voters swinging left, is there any hope for the Republican party? Not in this generation. Especially because of the way Conservative politics are portrayed in a liberal media.
It is sad but true that the media is extremely biased. Almost every media outlet sways left, with exceptions like Fox News, which is blatantly conservative. When you have people like Rush Limbaugh bashing the ideas of the Liberal Messiah and Idol, Barack Obama, how do you think Conservatives are going to look to America? Heartless and pessimistic, which is the opposite of what Americans are yearning to feel right now. The first amendment gives everyone the right to speak their own opinion to the whole world, but the important thing is knowing when to keep your mouth shut and when to speak professionally and respectfully. A liberal media will take everything a 110% Conservative speaker says out of context. But is Rush Limbaugh really the poison of my party? Not entirely, but some of the things he does do not help. I’m not going to unite with fellow Republicans and have a battle royal between the conservative party, led by Rush Limbaugh, and the liberal party, led by Barack Obama but I’m not going to stand by and watch my party crumble due to ignorance and absentmindedness. Do I support Rush Limbaugh? I have no answer to that because I haven’t listened to his talk show enough times to know what his views and values are. Is the answer to my prayers? The one who will lead the Republican party back to the top? Definitely not. Too many people hate him, especially young voters and women, which are key groups to appeal to if you want to win an election. The Republican party needs a rebirth and transformation. It must evolve to current society or else it will soon disappear. The Republican party needs to push away the stereotype and public image of a hard-core, straight-talking force, and needs to reassure the public that it cares about things like health care and not so much oil. We must adapt to new ideas and ways of thinking to keep up with the new generation. In order to win back young voters, we must appeal to there tastes instead of pushing them away. Old-time Republicans must realize that it is not the Reagan era anymore and it is a new day and age and we must accept that and push onward. ” Our party seems to be running to govern a country that no longer exists” (newsweek.com). I have hope and I believe in change…change for the Republican party. If we want to regain power after these next four to eight years, then we must silence the harmful right-winged politicians and adapt to the new society and new ways of thinking. We must become an optimistic party that realizes a new America is in the making. If we want to be a part of the new era of America, then we must be pro-active and challenge old ideas. Despite the recent shortcomings and failures of my beloved party, I still wear my “Party Pride” with lots of dignity and plenty of pride. The rise of the Republicans will come again, and expect to see me right there, front and center.
-Marquan
Go to this website to read the Newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/188279/page/1
Citations
Frum, David. “Why Rush is Wrong.” Newsweek. 7 Mar. 2009. 10 Mar. 2009 <http://www.newsweek.com/id/188279/page/1>.
Ibbitson, John. “Obama’s Stimulus Plan Lagging Behind Economic Crisis.” America: The GLobal Recession. 10 Mar. 2009. National. 10 Mar. 2009 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090310.IBBITSON10/TPStory/National>.
