The Death of Cranky Conservatism

Is this election the death knell of compassionate conservatism (or as I call it cranky conservatism since I never saw any compassion - just look at Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter)? Is the progressive conservative or moderate Republican on their way back from the Gulag? I think so.

According to David Broder in a great article "Ceding the Center the progressive conservative "is for using limited but energetic government to enhance social mobility." This is who Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosvelt where and who John McCain was until he allowed himself to be hijacked by the cranky conservatists as exemplified the Sarah Palin. (One of the reasons I, a moderate Republican, voted for Obama was Sarah Palin)

This trend of moderate Republicans has already been in the works in Florida as noted in the election of Charlie Crist as Governor of Florida and Rose Ferlita elected as Hillsborough county Commisioner.

We moderates Republicans need to keep this trend going. We need to come up with credible candidates to defeat cranky conservatives, these Bushtonians, these Rhonda Stormians. We need to support moderates.

We need people are less idealogues and more pragmatists. Sometimes strict idealogy is less effective in reaching goals. (This was part of the problem with communism)

For example: Abortion. If we took all of the money, millions and millions and millions of dollars, of dollars that has been spent on abortion fights and all of the time people spent on this issue (parading in front of abortion clinics, putting little crosses on church yards, organizing amendents, etc) and spent it on really dealing with the abortion issue, we would have less abortions in this country. So it is your faith that abortion is not the way to go. Leave it as a faith issue and something you personally would not want done but remove it as a policy issue. Change it to redcing the number. Lets agree on how late an abortion could be done ( a thorny issue) and then focus on prevention. First by having real sex education that includes not only abstinence but also birth control. Spend a lot of money on teen pregancy issues. Stop the resistence to morning after pill. Also make it easier for a woman give up a child for adoption, including providing her more support (which maybe should be perhaps financial) and also make it easier for someone to adopt that child. Improve the role models these children have (both boys and girls.) End result less abortions and less unwanted children and less children in poverty and less child abuse and less money spend on public assistance.

The failed Cuban Embargo for another example. The purpose if this embargo was to get rid of the Castro brothers. Well at some point you have to declare something a failure and I think 40 plus years is long enough. I believe in the subversive power of the American dollar. Drop all restrictions and let the money flow in and the American tourists and investors flow in. Do this and I predict the Castro regime would be gone pretty quickly.

There are plenty of other issues where a pragmatic approach would be more effective.

Moderates arise and cast off your shackles!