VOLuntarilyConservative

I was also able to catch bits and pieces of Sean Hannity this afternoon. One thing that Sean said today really lifted my spirits, because it is a point that I stress on this site and most people never really fathom. During an argument with an irate (and extremely stupid) caller, Sean parsed the difference between loyalties to a political philosophy (conservatism) and a political party (the GOP). For whatever reason, people have a hard time understanding this - including many of my Republican friends who lauded Zell Miller for staying loyal to his ideology while turning his back on the party that had abandoned that ideology. Sean, in a surprise to me given his almost nauseating support of President Bush during the election, even admitted that he would not be registered with the State of New York as a Republican if he could claim that he was a "conservative" and still vote in the Republican primary. He then went on to show the many areas where the Republican Party had angered conservatives recently (immigration policy, reckless spending, lack of an energy policy, amongst others). Finally, he stated that if the time came where the GOP was not aligned with conservative values, he would join with his fellow conservatives and organize elsewhere. His declaration almost made driving in construction-savaged Nashville (thanks for that TDOT reform you promised, Governor Bredesen) bearable. Almost.

Along the same lines, Jeffrey Kuhner has an excellent but stinging column regarding the GOP's retreat from conservative principles on Human Events Online. I'm not sure I agree with everything Kuhner states (too much doom, gloom, and melodrama for my tastes), but I am certainly aligned with the general premise. The GOP needs a bold, Reagan-esque leader to steer us through this tricky time leading to the mid-term elections. If someone was able to do so, there is a good chance that person would be a favorite for the White House in 2008.