Conservatives on the warpath

David Brooks has a column basically stating that conservatives are ruining the republican party.

Excerpt

But then a great tightening occurred. Conservative institutions and interest groups proliferated in Washington. The definition of who was a true conservative narrowed. It became necessary to pass certain purity tests — on immigration, abortion, taxes and Terri Schiavo.

An oppositional mentality set in: if the liberals worried about global warming, it was necessary to regard it as a hoax. If The New York Times editorial page worried about waterboarding, then the code of conservative correctness required one to think it O.K.

Apostates and deviationists were expelled or found wanting, and the boundaries of acceptable thought narrowed. Moderate Republicans were expelled for squishiness. Millions of coastal suburbanites left the party in disgust.

Brooks then continues to rip conservatives for their luke warm support for the republicans running in the primaries.

I believe he totally misses the disgust conservatives have with republicans. Most conservatives owe much of their belief to Ronald Reagan, who exposed the failures of liberal policies since the "Great Society". We didn't have to look far.

Our inner cities had become a mess, unemployment and interest rates were astronomical. The US had become a country of uniform malaise.

Reagan was the right person at the right time to show that conservative principles work.

Unfortunately, too many republicans don't believe in those principles. They believe in a form of liberalism light but they want to wrap themselves with the flag of Reagan conservatism to win elections. You can't have it both ways.

Look, I'm not a believer in same sex marriage, but too many republicans decided that they could run on that issue alone while they continued to spend money like a drunken sailor ie the bridge to nowhere. I believe conservatives have just plain had it with the continual bait and switch. Especially when conservative know that conservatives principles work and wins elections.

All I've ever asked from a politician is that their policy support match some underlying principle of government. Instead we get a hodge podge of Mike Huckabee lying about his support of tax increases, Romney all over the place on abortion and John McCain thinking it's Ok for the state to infringe on First Amendment rights.

Please. I'd rather have a V-8.