Anna Quindlen has advice for the Republican Party: Throw religious conservatives overboard. In her Sept. 3 Newsweek column. "Disinvited to the Party," she lauds the heartland's apparent embrace of Rudy Giuliani despite his serial marriages and "quasi-liberal positions on abortion, gay rights and gun control." To Quindlen, "quasi" means not adopting the actual platform language of the Democratic Party.
Quindlen's rant is a typical leftist smear, lamenting the rise of the Religious Right and blaming it on ... sheer malice. She fails to acknowledge the political and cultural forces that have assailed every traditional institution from church to the Boy Scouts. She fails to recognize that social conservatives could possibly be human beings with real interests who don't want to turn all personal responsibility for their lives over to government bureaucrats.
Here's her nostalgic look at the Republican Party she used to love:
"Once the GOP was moderate and secular. But then the ‘60s arrived. Society divided itself neatly into the button-down and tie-dyed, and the Republican Party rallied around something called ‘family values.' It's a phrase that has appeared in every party platform since 1976 and is often accompanied by the adjective ‘traditional,' which translated means that if you don't have a stay-at-home mommy, a dominant daddy, some kids, a marriage license and a church membership, you're disinvited to the party."
Oh, please. What about Roe. v. Wade? Or the Supreme Court opening the floodgates of pornography? Or the rise of the Great Society welfare state that shattered the inner city family? Or the relentless liberal campaign to disarm law-abiding Americans and give criminals and illegal aliens more rights than the average Joe? You get the picture. The Right came out of nowhere just to be mean. There's nothing rational here folks, go home.
In Quindlen's world, religious conservatives are just Bible-thumping monsters that the GOP must spew out if it's to become, uh, what? More powerful? Is that what she wants? I have read this type of column probably 100 times in the past 10 years, in different forms and by different leftist "thinkers." And they all give the same advice to the GOP: throw your base overboard. Gee, why would a liberal Democrat want the GOP to do that? And why would Newsweek give a platform to someone who writes like this? Maybe I won't believe everything I read in Newsweek anymore.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
More likely
August 31, 2007 - 15:05 ET by third eye“Once the Democrat party was moderate and secular. But then the ‘60s arrived...."
Anna is
August 31, 2007 - 15:18 ET by bigtimerAnna is wrong...AGAIN!
Bet she misses being an Imus butt-kissin' regular...
The leftists really do not have a clue about reality.
Period.
What a hoot!
August 31, 2007 - 15:28 ET by c5thenReading Anna Quindlen is like listening to a 6th grader pontificate on quantum mechanics as they understand it.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
To the left a bible is
August 31, 2007 - 15:28 ET by superconTo the left a bible is nothing more than something to hold open a door or to smash walnuts with.It is something you carry into a black church when you're being impeached.You can detect the little snear on her face as you read her words.
Anna seems angry.Who is she really angry at?
Her parents perhaps.A teacher?Who can say.
People of religion are nothing more than backwoods hillbillies to her and you can tell she despises them.Look at how easily she can insult millions of people because they don't think like her.
Should the GOP take her advice?I'm sure she has our best interests at heart.
Victory in Iraq.
Newt for President.
I have a better idea for
August 31, 2007 - 15:52 ET by Clear thinkerI have a better idea for Anna. Throw all your anti-religious liberals overboard with cement for shoes.
Get Email updates from Fred http://socialnet.imwithfred.com/email_alert_july_26.html
Celebrating Anna Q midwest style: She has sh*t for brains
August 31, 2007 - 15:55 ET by Lame CherryI dearly love the citizens of the midwest, but Anna Q has no idea what she is talking about in them. They are not a Conservative lot, except if you call having jello as both salad and desert in the same meal.
They are a quirky lot and unless you know how to deal with them you will soon find out the quiet means they just don't like you, but they despise you. A midwestern citizen is polite to a fault, will not tell you boo about what they think unless you are one of them and they get that expressionless 1000 yard stare about people like Anna Q.
In saying they are not Conservative, they are not Liberal either. They are the type of people who like literal social security in their lives, but hate the government telling them to wear seat belts or not to smoke even if they never lit up in their life.
Midwestern folks are notorious for not voting issues like Anna Q is misreading their support for Rudy. A midwestern citizen votes for people they like first, makes excuses for the stupid positions a politician has and will vote for them again in the last. That is why birds like Tom Daschle, McGovern, those twits from North Dakota and Feingold end up in office and it takes an act of God to get them out. Midwestern people just vote for the person they are most comfortable with.
The surest sign of midwestern is I dare Anna to go to Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, the Dakotas etc...and start telling those folks they should drop the Christian ideals of the GOP........yeah there are twit Democrats who would giggle over it and say AMEN, but if you pinned the rascals down they would get this stern expression which would mean, "Go back home to the coast, stay there and don't come back as we don't need you telling us what to do missy".
The midwestern type is a great people, but Lord are they something else to deal with in etiquette, politeness and if you do not know their codes of body language you will soon be "that person who don't know no better".
I miss the old folks now that they are all gone with their Scandanavian and German accents all politely doing the political dance of life. Anna knows nothing of this sophisticated culture out on the low plains which is more complex than visiting royalty.
Politicians may visit there, be treated with a smile, but not until they go away do you really hear quietly around the coffee and cookies what these people really got going on........and it may be only, "That guy is really somethin'".......and then it will be in the way they say it which means delight, disgust or I will be voting for the regular guy.
Oh and the above title profanity I apoligize for, but it is what midwestern people would say about Anna G's understanding.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Quindlen is just expressing
August 31, 2007 - 15:56 ET by MassConservativeQuindlen is just expressing the absolute fear of the left which is that the conservative base is willing to do what they need to do to keep Shillary out of the White House. They may not agree point-for-point with all of Guliani's stances but on the whole he is a far less dangerous choice than the Hildabeast would be.
In a race that is likely to be decided by turnout the lefties have to do and say anything to try and keep this group of voters from the polls because lefties can 'Rock the Vote' but they usually don't 'Bother to Vote'.
"There are scandals that need to be addressed. Republicans address them, Democrats re-elect them." - Tom Delay
And where oh where are we
August 31, 2007 - 17:55 ET by Andrew H.And where oh where are we to go, Ann? No, the GOP would do much better if it were more forceful and consistent and you know it. Most of the country is conservative and do not like government minding our business--and confiscating our income under the threat of jail.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
Andrew, My question
August 31, 2007 - 17:58 ET by BlondeAndrew,
My question is....why would a liberal freak like Anna Quindlan possibly think Republicans would listen to one thing she has to say?
Seriously, liberals are delusional.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
}}---> Anna Quindlan
August 31, 2007 - 18:14 ET by Cool ArrowQuindlan confuses Liberal endorsement of rampant immorality with idealistic loyalty.
She wouldn't know principles from morass.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Cool, Or hers,
August 31, 2007 - 18:25 ET by BlondeCool,
Or hers, apparently, either.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
She might expect results because people aren't happy.
September 1, 2007 - 03:34 ET by sarcasmoUs fiscal conservatives haven't exactly been havin' a joyful time any more than the social variety of conservatives have. For people like me, spending-levels & waste over the past 8 years have been a long series of fiscal mens-room scandals, if you get my drift...
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.
Applause
August 31, 2007 - 20:25 ET by SportPoliticsGood lead, like the style and the direct pointed explanatory rebuttals.
Libs are ridiculous.
Leftists help create the Christian Right
August 31, 2007 - 21:42 ET by nkviking75The extremists on the left had a lot to do with creating the Christian Right because they set about attacking traditional values one by one. It took awhile for the Christians to wake up, but when they did, they became a major factor in the rise of conservatism. Libs got used to life without opposition. They think that's how things are supposed to be for them. They have yet to figure out that it'll never be that way again.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.