The Pink Flamingo :: The Conservative Walk, Talk, & Fix

I've combined two different posts together for a very long posting. They are a little disjointed but I think belong together. For the past few days I’ve been griping that it is quite obvious the USUAL CONSERVATIVE SOURCES are out to get Mike Huckabee. I wish I knew who was giving Malkin, Limbaugh, Drudge, etc. their talking points. This is a well-coordinated effort to completely eliminate Huckabee. I would also love to know who has informed Tom Tancredo that he is now to pull out. Rewind, Tancredo is owned, heart, mind, and soul by John Tanton. If Tanton wants him out, he’s out. It’s that simple.

PART I
TAKING OUT HUCKABEE
My theory has now been verified by James Joyner at Outside the Beltway. He says that the same sources who basically destroyed Harriett Miers are at it again, this time taking out Huckabee. If so, he’s DOA.
Joyner wrote:

“…Rush Limbaugh, still the most listened-to talk radio host on the planet, has taken to calling Huckabee the “Huckster.” Not even Mitt Romney, in his most profane of moments, goes there….Limbaugh theorizes that the media is rooting for Huckabee because they know he’s the kiss of death in the general election. And he has compared Huckabee unfavorably to Jimmy Carter — as a snake oil salesman in Southern Baptist garb who later sold his soul to liberals….My guess is that Huckabee’s fate will be the same as Miers’. But there’s a rather important difference. Supreme Court nominees are voted for by the United States Senate and elite opinion, especially that of leaders in the legal community, is incredibly influential. Presidential nominees, by contrast, as selected by the most enthusiastic partisans. In this case, Rush Limbaugh’s opposition will be much more important than that of the blogosphere….”

IT’S THE CONSERVATIVES, STUPID
Captain Ed has an interesting take on the constant need to destroy anyone who isn’t “conservative” as the front runner. He is blaming it on center right Republicans, and that is where he’s getting it wrong.

"…I second Blankley's commentary. At times, it appears that the various factions in the center-right coalition have all attempted to demonize the candidate du jour as a means of demanding obeisance to their own candidates. In doing so, many have distorted the actual policy positions of the candidates by using reductio ad absurdum arguments that allow for no nuance or compromise at all….”

Captain Ed is referencing a Tony Blankley WTimes (owned by Sun Myung Moon and edited by the white supremacist de jour) piece. The problem here, and Blankley is repeating the conservative attack on Huckabee, is Blankley is part of the “established” far right, WTimes, Moonie party line that has nothing to do with GOP and everything to do with manipulating conservatives for their own end. Powerline is continuing the status quo talking points conservative hit on Mike Huckabee. I do not like Huck’s foreign policy status. But I think conservatives who demand RELIGIOUS PURITY who are not taking a man out because he is giving them exactly what they demand are absolutely disgusting.

“…Second, the quickness with which Huckabee conflates criticism of his record and his policy statements with antipathy towards evangelicals is telling. Although Huckabee exudes charm and humility, I've heard Arkansas Republicans complain of his thin skin and vindictiveness. His statement on the Today program tends to confirm that assessment.

Huckabee seems to believe he deserves a “pass” by virtue of his status as an evangelical and the fact that evangelicals have supported Republicans. That's a dangerous mind set. Other serious Republican candidates have no difficulty understanding that resistance to them flows not from prejudice or elitism but from legitimate policy differences. Thus, Rudy Giuliani understands that his "pro-choice" and related positions, not anti-Catholicism, represent the source of Republican resistance. And John McCain has acknowledged that his position on immigration reform, not prejudice or personal animus (of which there actually is some), was the reason why his campaign faltered so dramatically. Huckabee's small-mindedness stands in sharp contrast, and constitutes another reason to see him as second-tier in stature, if not in present popularity.

Huckabee's statement aspires to seriousness when he attributes criticism from Lowry and others not just to his standing as an evangelical but also to his desire to "talk about hunger and poverty." Perhaps, then, Huckabee will point to the Republican critics who have attacked him for discussing these issues. To my knowledge, the criticism has focused on matters like tax increases (though I defended him on this), scholarships (not food) for illegal immigrants, the release from prison of an obviously dangerous rapist, the desire to negotiate directly with Iran, the desire to trade with Cuba in order to confer profits on Arkansas farmers, and so forth. Huckabee's strange and sometimes false explanations of these matters hasn't helped him either….”

I think Paul at Powerline is not going far enough into the attacks to understand what is going on here. Mike Huckabee has given conservatives exactly what they want. He’s basically called their bluff and they can’t handle it. We also need to realize that there are a few well placed Ron Paulites in Arkansas who are leading the belly-aching against Huckabee. Drudge isn’t helping with his recent attacks on Huckabee because he is TOO RELIGIOUS AND TOO CHRISTIAN. Maybe the big problem is Huckabee isn’t going around telling everyone he is “Born Again” like the little “Christians” Drudge adores such as Coulter, Malkin, and the like. Dave at Oricus is basically thumbing his nose at this bunch who are in the process of slitting their own hypocritical ultra right throats. Personally, I agree with Dave. Conservatives are starting to act like a bunch of fools.

THE 3:30 HEADLINES ON DRUDGE TODAY

HUCKABEE AD FEATURES 'FLOATING CROSS'...

'That was a book shelf behind me, a book shelf'...

MSNBC Host Laughs At Huckabee Over 'Floating Cross'...

WIRE: Non-believing voters feel demonized...

Romney Gets Tearful Recalling War Toll...

Harold Hutchinson at Called As Seen is basically saying the same thing and pointing out the theater of the absurd that is going on here. He also points out how many ultra right spoiled brat conservatives are now threatening to vote for a Dem is Huckabee is nominated. Frankly, I think there is a heck of a lot more at play here.

ROMNEY IS THE CHOICE?
To me it is increasingly obvious Mitt Romney is the conservative choice de jour. Someone is pushing him to the point where not that many of the usual sources are taking him down, or even calling him to task the way sites like the Palmetto Scoop or Flap is doing, this being the perfect example. Flap just calls it what it is – lies. SO why can Romney constantly get away with his machinations and lies and not pay for them?

MEDVED THE FAIR
Michael Medved seems to be the only conservative pundit and talk show host who is treating Huckabee fairly. He also seems to the only one of the above who is a voice of reason and rational logic. I fear in the near-term he is an endangered species!

“…Among elite commentators and prominent conservative opinion leaders, Huckabee has won no supporters and only one defender (the radio host writing this commentary). For answering those who claim that planet earth groans under the control of some secret cabal of Bilderbergers, Illuminati, the CFR, Trilateralists or neo-cons, it’s useful to point to the current situation where a complete outsider with no globalist ties manages to shake up the Republican power structure (Yes, he’s outspokenly opposed to the Law of the Sea Treaty). While providing new excitement, energy and unpredictability to the Republican race, the affable Arkansan has pulled ahead of any and all of the Establishment’s favored candidates – showing that this establishment is vastly less omnipotent and fearful than previously assumed.
3. HUCK’S CAMPAIGN DEMONSTRATES THAT THE SO-CALLED “CHRISTIAN RIGHT” IS MORE COMPLEX AND DIVERSE THAN COMMONLY ASSUMED. The silliest and most misguided commentary about Huckabee suggests that his appeal arises solely out of his background as a Baptist pastor. In a typical column, Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal: “The Republican race looks – at the moment – to be determined primarily by one thing, the question of religious faith… Mike Huckabee is in the lead due, it appears, to voter approval of the depth and sincerity of his religious beliefs as lived out in his ministry as an ordained Southern Baptist.” This is nonsense, of course. Evangelical voters may play a disproportionate role in giving Huckabee the lead in Iowa and South Carolina, but they can’t readily explain his similar polling advantages in Michigan, Delaware or Florida. The truth is that the polls indicating Huckabee tied with Rudy for the national lead indicate that his support is evenly divided between those who describe themselves as Evangelical Christians and those who identify with some other religious tradition or no faith at all. Not all Huck’s supporters are Evangelical, and not all Evangelicals support Huckabee….”

MCCAIN MUTANY CONTINUES
Even Captain Ed is admitting that John McCain is on the move. Let’s put it this way – the next big bull’s eye you are going to see via the conservative attack machine is against John McCain. These people aren’t going to stop until they destroy everyone but their anointed choice.

A MINI RANT:
This all ties into another post I was going to do, but I’ve decided to combine them into one very long post.

PART II
CONSERVATIVE TALK, WALK, & VALUES
Conservative Talk, Walk & Values

IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO!
I think anyone who read The Pink Flamingo yesterday knows I’m annoyed with the abject hypocracy of Conservatives and allowing expediency to over-rule actual conservative values. The problem is the political expediency of anti-immigration extremism. Take the border fence, please. Malkin is lamenting the way it isn’t being properly funded, and is completely ignoring the wishes of the local population. The border fence is big government at it’s worst. But if conservatives want it, BIG GOVERNMENT GOOD – WILL OF THE PEOPLE – BAD. The RCP version: (also appears in Vdare)
“…More than a year after the law's passage, the citizen watchdog group Grassfire reports that just five miles of double-layer fencing has been built in the first 12 months of implementation of the act. Five lousy miles. The Government Accountability Office claims 70 miles were erected -- but most of that fencing failed to meet the specifications of the law….”

Malkin then criticizes James Byrd for being an ex-Klansman, but completely ignored the white supremacist and neo-Nazi connection at The Washington Times, and the neo-Nazi and KKK connection to Vdare where she is a regular columnist.

CONSERVATIVES BETRAY THEIR BUSINESS BASE
Greg Siskind has the info from Business Week.

“…Much of the change can be attributed to the success of U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is centering his entire campaign on stricter immigration policy. He's in favor of deporting the illegal immigrants in this country, and has run ads attacking "spineless" and "gutless" politicians who let drug pushers, murderers, and terrorists come across the border with ease. One ad closes with a hooded figure leaving a backpack near a bench, followed by the sound of an explosion. The words "Tancredo, before it's too late" flash on the screen. Plenty of business people think the harsh stance on immigration by Republican candidates, especially Romney and Giuliani, is simply positioning for the primaries. But employers worry that the rhetoric may box the candidates into problematic positions. Particularly in industries like agriculture, construction, landscaping, and restaurants, most employers want comprehensive immigration reform that allows undocumented workers to join a guest worker program or pursue a path to citizenship, as well as an effective way for new immigrants to work in the U.S. The Democratic front-runners already voice support for such reforms, albeit with some additional security….”

RON PAUL AND CROSSES
AJ Strata has more on Ron Paul complaining about crosses. That makes sense. The vampire that he and his supporters are, a cross is a symbol of anhiliation to them. Sorry for the snarky remark but I felt like making it!

STRATA ON THE PURITY WARS
My only disagreement is “GOP”. It is conservative purity wars.

THE BORDER FENCE
Conservatives love the cause of eminent domain abuse. Chertoff is threatening to confiscate land via eminent domain for the order wall.

“…Chertoff pledged to complete 370 miles of fencing in Texas and other border states by October 2008. About 130 miles of fences are planned for Texas. Leonard Loop, who farms hundreds of acres along five miles of the Rio Grande below Brownsville, expressed resignation. "I guess they can do it if they want to, but what is this country coming to?" he said. Loop, who hasn't allowed surveyors on his property, said government officials still won't tell him where they want to locate the fence on the land where he was born 70 years ago and which his parents settled in the 1920s. Edward Mathers and his father Robert are allowing the survey of the 2,000 acres their family has owned since 1880 on the river north of Brownsville. ''They're going to take it no matter what, so it's best to cooperate now or they make it harder later," said Edward Mathers, who contends the fence won't work.

Chertoff said that only 10 percent of the landowners who may be affected by construction of fencing, roads or lighting have refused access. Most of the holdouts are in Texas, where opposition to the fence has been the strongest. Texas, unlike Arizona and New Mexico, has most of its border land in private, not government, hands….”

This weekend protesters in Naco proved you can go across the border fence with a ladder. I’ve been by that section of fence. It’s true. Malkin is very much against eminent domain abuse. We’ll use one of her Vdare columns (Vdare is a known hate group) to prove our point that she does not approve of eminent domain. To be fair, she feels the only acceptable way for eminent domain to be viable is via government usage. Even better her column about the border fence is in Vdare.
The SPLC on Vdare and Malkin’s editor Peter Brimelow.

“…One essay complains about how the government encourages "the garbage of Africa" to come to the United States. The same writer says once the "Mexican invasion" engulfs the country, "high teenage birthrates, poverty, ignorance and disease will be what remains. Another says that Hispanics have a "significantly higher level of social pathology than American whites. ... In other words, some immigrants are better than others." Yet another complains that a Jewish immigrant rights group is helping "African Muslim refugees" come to America. Brimelow's site carries archives of columns from men like Sam Francis, who is the editor of the newspaper of the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens, a group whose Web page recently described blacks as "a retrograde species of humanity." It has run articles by Jared Taylor, the editor of the white supremacist American Renaissance magazine, which specializes in dubious race and IQ studies and eugenics, the "science" of "race betterment" through selective breeding. Recently, VDARE has even begun to publish the writings of Kevin MacDonald, a psychology professor at California State-Long Beach. MacDonald accuses Jews of "dominating" the "movement to change the ethnic balance of the United States by allowing mass, non-traditional [i.e., non-white] immigration." He writes that Jews, believing "the masses ha[ve] to be deceived," frame their appeals in universalistic language. But behind that are "the Jewish agendas" of the deceivers. MacDonald also mentions "the famously heavy Jewish role" in television news….”