Articulating Restraint: Conservative Victory & Joe Scarborough

We are at an unfortunate place in America where both political sides spend more time yelling than listening. Liberals and conservatives seem content to debate amongst people with whom they already agree, without engaging the other side. Name-calling is frequent: un-American, racist, socialist, homophobe, communist. Are the children now running the fun house? Where is the restraint and civility? Good examples are hard to find.  

The best example of the type of conservative thinker we need is Joe Scarborough. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to articulate conservative views and to engage both sides in constructive dialogue. Even rarer to find, he has been intellectually consistent. Joe was conservative in 1994 when it was cool and he was elected to Congress. Joe was conservative in 2004 when it wasn’t cool to criticize the big spending GOP. Joe is conservative now in 2010 and is still talking about a cautious foreign policy, sustainable domestic spending, and calmer rhetoric. His ideas about our politicians’ lack of restraint in these three areas should be the playbook for how we articulate conservative views and sell them to the American people.

Domestic Spending – For years, Joe Scarborough has been talking about the need for real entitlement reform due to the exploding budget. The Congressional Budget Office projects the national debt ballooning to $22tn by 2019 and the Tax Policy Center just reported that 47% of Americans pay zero federal income taxes. To put our fiscal situation into perspective, that is ~$75k per person. If you are married and have two kids, your family owes $300k. That is equivalent to a mortgage on a nice home you don’t get to live in. Joe’s been talking about the need for real entitlement reform for years. The track record of conservatives doesn’t make it easy but it is time for us to lay out our plan. Our plans for restraint in how we spend our money must be articulated.

Foreign Policy – Besides George Will, Joe Scarborough has been one of the only conservatives talking about our lack of an end game in Afghanistan and tangible approaches to dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. A senior intelligence official recently stated that there were only 100 al Qaeda members in Afghanistan. This was at the same time President Obama was sending another 30,000 troops with broad support from conservatives. Secretary Gates recently said that Iran is a year away from developing nuclear weapons and that the US lacks an effective strategy for dealing with this. While many conservatives have supported President Obama’s surge in Afghanistan, Joe’s been calling for a description of the end game. It’s time for conservatives to lay out what our end game in Afghanistan would be and how we will tangibly deal with Iran. Our plans for restraint in where and how we deploy our troops must be articulated.

Rhetoric – Joe Scarborough is one of the few conservatives not wading in current morass of incivility. He is one of the few conservatives who actually engage both conservatives and liberals. Nancy Pelosi calls healthcare protestors un-American and the news is full of insinuations that tea-partiers are gripped with racism. Tom Coburn said that while he is in 180 degree opposition to Pelosi, she was a nice person and that people shouldn’t dislike someone because they disagree. For this glimmer of sanity, our side laughed at him. Joe is one of the only people willing to call out our side on the unnecessary rhetoric. This ability to speak with civility may be why Joe and Erick Erickson get along so well and why Erick has been on Joe’s radio show so much. It’s time for us to set a new standard in how we speak to those with whom we disagree. Our plans for restraint in how we speak to others must be articulated.

If we don’t expect more from our conservative leaders, we will never get the conservative policies we want. The financial crisis, the years of war, and the divisive rhetoric should have taught us the value of a little more restraint: in our domestic spending, our foreign policy, and in our rhetoric. America is looking for leadership and conservatives need to articulate how we will act with restraint where we haven’t in the past and where this administration has no desire to. This country can rebound and it will, but it will require conservatives willing to act with restraint and expecting it from each other. Joe Scarborough is a great example of the restraint we need.

Cross posted at RedState.com on April 23, 2010

12 Reasons Joe Scarborough Should Run in 2012 on the 12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, Joe should run because….

1.) Strong conservative values
2.) Reagan’s tone and style – Treats people he agrees with 80% as a friend, not an enemy
3.) Supports states’ rights – Understands 10^th Amendment’s guidance in the role of states
4.) Supports gun rights – 100% National Rifle Association rating
5.) Limited government – Knows government is the problem, not the solution
6.) Strong pro-life – 100% National Right to Life rating
7.) Conserves our resources – Supports prudent use of our national and natural resources
8.) Supports small business – Believes in small business jobs, not government jobs
9.) Cautious foreign policy – Puts troops before politics calling for the wars to de-escalate
10.) Sustainable budget – Understands that government needs to live on the budget it has
11.) Strong voting record – He has the voting record to win
12.) Dropped the F-bomb on TV – How can you not like this guy?

Joe understands conservatism is a belief in a cautious foreign policy, conserving our resources, encouraging entrepreneurship, and a sustainable budget. His politics and style make him a great candidate for 2012 and provide a path forward for the movement.

Cross posted at RedState.com on December 19th, 2009

Winning Issues for 2010 and Beyond: Joe Scarborough

As much as Democrats would love to paint conservatives as racist, homophobic, and intolerant faith-pushers, it’s interesting that few conservatives are focusing on these issues. As far as I can see, Republicans are succeeding by focusing on the issues that matter most to the folks. This is probably the only time I’d ever quote James Carville but, “It’s the economy stupid.” Fortunately conservative voices such as Joe Scarborough and the 2009 gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia get it. The Democrats were the ones obsessed with social issues and they looked foolish at a time when nearly 20% of households have experienced a sharp drop in income.

The theme of the successful conservatives in 2009 wasn’t on social issues. They focused on conservative solutions to revitalize those states and it led to an evisceration of their Democratic opponents. Conservative solutions to the economy, our national debt, and foreign policy are the model for success and winning in 2010 and beyond. Joe Scarborough’s politics are a great example of the type of conservatism needed to rebuild and grow the party.

Scarborough is a fiscal conservative who applies this conservatism to all issues. His ideas are simple and yet profound. America is in debt, stop spending. Our troops have endured too many burdens, finish the job and bring them home. Gay marriage and abortion may drive primary voters in both parties, but Scarborough knows they are best handled by the states under the 10th Amendment’s guidance. Americans are out of work, stop the fake “stimulus” and incentivize small businesses to hire. This is the type of conservatism needed to build the party. To quote Scarborough, “When you’re out of work, how do two guys getting married in Vermont affect your life?” Social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and prayer in schools should be left to the states. Conservatism means limited government and Scarborough has got his eye on the ball.

Joe Scarborough’s political philosophy and his brand of conservatism won in 2009 and will continue to win in 2010 and beyond. Focusing on solutions to the big problems and taking a federalist view on social matters wins. Conservatism means conserving our resources, a cautious foreign policy, and a sustainable budget. These are principles Scarborough discusses everyday on Morning Joe. Conservatives would be wise to listen up.

Cross posted at RedState.com on December 3rd, 2009

Beck vs Scarborough and the Future of the GOP

Two markedly different paths forward have emerged for Republicans as they decide how to rebuild and compete in the 2010 elections. These divergent paths have been characterized by the politically similar, Glenn Beck and Joe Scarborough.

Both pundits have an affable personality, but their styles are far apart. Beck makes emotional appeals and frequently embraces conspiracy theories. Scarborough focuses on reason and practical policy solutions. There is a place for emotional appeals but there must be more for a party to move forward. Practical communication of conservative principles, in Scarborough’s style, is the key to the rebirth of the Republican brand.

Republicans must overcome President Obama’s personal popularity to succeed in the 2010 midterms and in 2012. The President ran as the anti-Bush who would be all things to all people. Unlike President Obama’s 2008 campaign strategy, Republicans can’t simply run on the fact that they aren’t their opponent. While the President’s policies are losing traction with independents, his personal popularity is too strong of an asset to compete against as the anti-Obama party.

Beck attempts to appeal to the public as a likeable ordinary guy. This style will lead to a doomsday for Republicans and will squander an opportunity because it fights against the President’s primary strength, likeability. Scarborough attempts to shape the debate by putting forth practical policy suggestions. This style is a winner because it emphasizes the President’s weakness in shaping the policy debate.

President Obama has a unique ability to sell the public pseudo-truths. A recent example is the illogical idea that he can easily cut hundreds of billions of dollars in waste from Medicare without a decline in the level of care. Republicans need someone who can counter this preposterous rhetoric but do so in a style that maintains their likability across a broad swath of America.

Beck’s style has the ability to emotionally galvanize red states but it isn’t enough to win national elections. Scarborough’s even-handed style, with its practical application of conservative principles, can appeal to moderate blue and red states. For the GOP to capitalize on the President’s declining popularity, adopting Scarborough’s style is their last best hope at speaking truth to power and pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. Conveniently, the Nobel Peace Prize winner is supplying them with ample material.

Cross posted at RedState.com on November 15th, 2009