Reader Comments
Issue 139 - September 16, 2009

Editor: “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement” is a must read for conservatives. Floyd Brown

Editor: I applaud you on your excellent column, “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement.” It is right on target! Best wishes, Quin Hillyer

Editor: “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement” makes excellent points. Interestingly, I just had a Facebook debate with a young conservative intellectual (born 1975) who blithely asserted, with some scorn for the latter, that mainstream conservatives share no first principles with libertarians. Amazing. Ken Grubbs

Editor: Regarding your “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement,” philosophically you are right and you state a strong case for principle. This should be said and we must teach this. But having said that, public policy battles have become more zero-sum Left/Right, Democratic/Republican battles than ever before. I wish it wasn’t so. Obama is different from Clinton, Carter, LBJ, and FDR…but they are seen together in the public mind. Whether we like it or not…too few of the general public understand the nuances of the differences among Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich and other more conservative Republicans than Dick Cheney, the Bushes, Denny Hastert and John McCain. When we attack the later publicly (heck, I was at the Supreme Court as a director of Citizens United attacking John McCain’s big government schemes)…we sometimes push the public into even worse choices. The Movement has to build up its activism muscles. The Left is out organizing us (maybe they always have)…and they have a better spokesman for their horrible policies than we have for our sound policies. This might be the easiest ground to make up. We have to raise a bold banner for our ideas. We also have a lot more effective spokesmen on radio, in print, on cable than ever before. But we probably have to hold fire (not always, but more than we would like) against those of our weaker brethren. I wish we had better than Chuck Grassley and Olympia Snowe—and I’d be the first to help their conservative challengers—but I also pray they hold their ground in the meantime. Or another example, we should get behind and give to Marco Rubio in Florida right now…but if Charlie Crist ends up as the nominee…I’d rather see him in the Senate Seat than another liberal. Ron Robinson

Editor: “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement” is concise, to the point, and, if one believes in principle (as one must to stay sane), on target. Tom Tripp

Editor: “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement” says: “ For eight years, conservatives basically supported the policies of Mr. Bush, only a handful opposing more federal control of education, prescription drugs, energy, housing, banking, autos and the rest.” As a member of the “handful” -- especially regarding “all the rest” -- I appreciate your helpful and clarifying contribution. The sad reality is that a lot of very big money in both parties supports (and readily benefits from) big government, whoever is in power. If someone can crack that nut, I’ll contribute to building his statue on the Mall. Chris Manion

Editor: You make a very good point in your article. “Clear the Confusion, Then Rebuild the Movement.” Jon Lerner

Editor: I totally agree with Robert Higgs’ “Audit the Fed.” Every root and branch of the Federal Reserve needs to be killed and sprayed with root-kill to be sure it never surfaces again. Stonewall Jackson had it right. They are a "den of vipers". Congress created it and Congress has the power to abolish. I have signed on the petition to “Abolish the Fed” and have written several letters to John Cornyn asking him to work toward that goal. I have been a believer in Ron Paul for 40 years. He has it right also. It is a scheme the biggest scam ever played on the American people. I can't wait for it to go! Elsie Stevenson, Houston, Texas

Editor: Thanks for what you do in keeping us informed. Regarding John Berlau’s “Hold Paulson Accountable,” I'm all for holding Paulson accountable! Is there a group doing that? Where can I sign up? Sincerely, Pat, Colorado

Editor: Kudos to Roger Kimball,on his artcle "Not Get Out of Way." He is directly on target. This is the first article I've seen to address this problem in any extent - "the problem is freedom".Others have addressed the technical parts of the "healthcae" problem such as cost, increased government buearacracy, etc,. Few have addressed the loss of freedom, and infringement on human dignity and liberty, and then only marginally. The technical things can be worked out or compromised upon, but freedom cannot be compromised or "worked out". Mark Steyn has talked about it but this is the first article. Thank you Roger Kimball. Dave Richie

Editor: Thanks. You've made ConservativeBattleline into a gem. Neal  Freeman