The GOP and the Coming Civil War

With a title so inviting of hyperbole and hysteria, the first question which likely comes to mind may be, “Is he talking about a fight within the Republican party or open combat in the streets?” It’s a fair question, and to be honest, I’m not sure which we should focus on right now. What I do know is that we are living in a period where persons with my particular hybrid, hard-to-pigeonhole political persuasions have a lot to concern them.

First, we have an era of government which is currently dominated not just by Democrats, but by the most ambitious, far reaching liberal agenda imaginable. Any and all thoughts of conservative fiscal policy and debt / deficit awareness have been whisked out to the woodshed for a stern thrashing. While some brights spots have shown up in the foreign policy arena, Washington’s current direction in handling of the budget, health care reform, the stabilization of a floundering economy and proposed industry regulation are deeply troubling indeed.

But this is also a time when looking to the GOP for a unified front offering sound, reasoned solutions to these shortcomings seems equally futile. I would first suggest that you take a look at Rick Moran’s column from yesterday, The Different Reality Inhabited by the Conservative Base. At first glance I thought some of the criticism in there, largely drawn from one study by James Carville’s Democracy Corps and a thought provoking column by Peggy Noonan, was a bit harsh. But on further reflection, it seems to me that it may not have even gone far enough. (By all means, follow the links to those two source pieces in addition to Rick’s essay. They are eye openers, and not in the usual partisan hack festival way.)

There has long been a reasonable amount of healthy debate in the Republican ranks, largely between the primarily fiscal conservatives and social conservatives. Such discussion is useful and productive. The problem is that, ever since their trips to the woodshed in 2006 and 2008, a variety of GOP tribes have been fighting intensely to lay claim to the mantle of being “true conservatives” and attempting to raise their standard as the definitive flag of the Republican party.

This has now reached the truly alarming stage after listening to certain “hard core” individuals who consider their definition of conservatism to not only be the single valid one, but a casus belli against anyone who doesn’t speak in the proper code phrases. The calls for “purging the RINOs” from the party in the primary process (which is partially how the party lost me back in 2005) have given way to much more hostile tones in some circles, as I found out while browsing the comments section of my column from Sunday at Pajamas Media.

I had dared to suggest that the moderate-to-liberal Republican who is running on the GOP ticket in NY23 might actually merit the support of the national party, (having won the party’s nomination) rather than having a NY Conservative Party candidate divide the vote and hand the election to the Democrat. Allow me to share with you a few of the responses I received from readers in that “different reality” which Rick Moran referenced.

The Republican Party is not the party that fights liberalism; it’s the party that enables liberalism. As for me, I’d rather face the enemy bayonets across the trench than have the bayonets of my “allies” sprouting from my sternum.

No @@##$$!!!! RINOs!!!!! What don’t you people understand!? True Conservatives are sick of this s*** and will no longer go along with it “for the sake of the party”. Reform is coming, one way or another- it is up to you moderates and liberals( on both sides of the aisle) how it happens. . .

I’d rather take to the streets against these lawless criminals running our country and trampling our Constitution before supporting a Marxist Lite Obama agenda which is at best what Scozzafava supports.

We need new blood. We can’t keep putting our enemies in office under our flag. We need people who respect the Constitution. Regardless of what Obama says we are still, even though barely, a Judeo-Christian country. When we are no longer that we will cease to exist forever.

We must take to the streets or we will lose our liberty.

It’s time to stand up and be counted…Our country has been usurped by communists…let’s not mince words here….COMMUNISTS…what will YOU do about it…I will fight..

To hell with all you RINO scum! Your the reason I stayed home during the last election. Not one vote, not one penny, for the lesser of two evils ever again. If the people have to, we can take our country back by armed struggle, We’ve done it before, in case you’ve forgotten. Why do you think the sales of guns and ammo have sky rocketed in the last nine months; 10.000.000.000 rounds, yes that’s billions with a B, and if you Rino scum keep pushing the American people, you’ll be hiding under rocks beside your commie dhim friends when we come looking for you. Just a thought…

Do you suppose things like this have led to the strain on the Secret Service with an unprecedented number of threats against the President? But I digress.

Before any of our left leaning friends here become too self-righteous over this, I would remind you that I’ve seen more than a few calls for internecine warfare among the Democrats as well. There have been curious demands to challeng the Blue Dogs in traditionally red states because of your displeasure with some of their votes. Of course, putting a Nancy Pelosi type liberal up in most of these races would just result in handing the spot back to the Republicans, but who cares, as long as it makes for good press, right? But to your credit, I will admit that you generally do it in a more polite, less “blood and tear gas” fashion.

As most regular readers already know, I moderate an online chat most weekdays at my friend Ed Morrissey’s show. It’s a generally enjoyable experience with great guests and a very lively crowd. But over time, taking part in the general chatter can bring me down from time to time. As has been made clear here in the past, I’m no fan of most of President Obama’s domestic agenda, and it can be a good experience to get in with like minded people and discuss the problems with these policies and possible alternatives. But we also get more than our fair share of people who have no interest in the specifics on some of these things and simply choose to go on and on about Obama’s “secret agenda” to transform America into a socialist state, sell us out to Iran, Russia and North Korea, or make claims that the president hates his own country. It gets tiresome. I don’t think Barack Obama hates America at all. I just don’t happen to agree with his vision on how to handle the economy, health care and a number of other items.

The point is, it can get rather depressing when you’re in the mood to have a reasoned discussion on the future of conservatism. Don’t get me wrong… I’m well aware that people such as the ones who left the comments I quoted above actually only represent a small but vocal percentage of an otherwise largely civil society. (As I pointed out in a previous column.) But the problem is that the chief forums today for such debate and productive discussion – almost exclusively on the internet – seem to be dominated by the loudest, most divisive voices. There is little room for reasoned discussion of serious problems which likely could be solved with sufficient elbow grease and cooperation.

The ideal solution, of course, would be the formation of a viable third party focused on moderate, states based approaches to social issues with a strong national focus on fiscal responsibility and accountability. Sadly, the two party system is too deeply entrenched (at least for the time being) and we’re unlikely to see that any time soon.

UPDATE: A group of police and military members standing ready to defy the government? Connected?

UPDATE 2: More at Memeorandum