I don't usually agree with many of the notions put forth on Classical Values, but I read it fairly often, anyway. My comments below are in red:
Today, however, Classical Values hit my nail square on the head with this post:
I read Hawkins regularly, and I like his blog. Although I don't consider myself especially nice, the point of this post is not to take sides in this dispute so much as it is to make an admission by way of disclosure (at the risk of repeating myself).
In his rebuttal to Adams, Hawkins (who is in a position to know these things, so I won't fact check him), makes a couple of observations I just can't ignore:
it's worth noting that Ann Coulter is the single most popular conservative columnist in America...
So noted.
And this:
Moreover, the Right is slowly but surely narrowing the media gap. For example, WorldNetDaily -- which Mr. Graham disparagingly mentions -- gets more traffic than the Associated Press and the top seven conservative talk radio hosts alone reach more than 60 million people a week combined.
The problem is, Ann Coulter irritates me and I can't stand WorldNetDaily. (I feel guilty for not disparaging that dishonest outfit even more.)
Personally, I think Ann Coulter is making a pretty penny out of being a jerk. I find much of the material on WND spurious as well, and will never link them for any reason. (I was once falsely accused of using WND material by a commenter at Moderate Voice. I avoid commenting there now because while I don't mind vehement disagreement, I draw the line at smears.)
And, fwiw, I don't have much use for Michelle Malkin, either. I frequently find her tone juvenile, and I was appalled by the whole Fox/Baby Mama incident. Malkin doesn't need my help, and I don't want hers.
The same goes for many left-wing blogs.
If Coulter and WND are "the Right," then to that extent, I'm very definitely not.
Nor can I stand Michael Savage. Yet the man is often described as a conservative. (No references are necessary here, as I don't want to be seen as picking fights. But trust me. He is routinely called a conservative -- by conservatives.)
I never listen to talk radio, so I have no opinion of Mr. Savage. I've read the name here and there, but that's it.
My point is, if Ann Coulter, WorldNetDaily, and Michael Savage represent conservativism, then I have a huge problem with conservatism, and I cannot call myself a conservative.
My thoughts exactly. And I'm genuinely sorry to say it, because there are 'conservative' issues that I sincerely support. Not all of them, but some.
Skipping ahead a bit:
This is not to say that I would not vote for a conservative over a liberal. I would do so unhesitatingly, as I have many times. My problem is that I'm lacking in the enthusiasm factor, and I would be dishonest if I did not admit it.
I personally have voted all over the map, politically. Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Conservative, Liberal. It depends on my perception of the issues and the candidates at that time. I am a registered Independent who can't imagine ever joining any political party. Orthodoxy is not my strong suit- neither is signing my name to the gigantic package deal that a party platform represents.
......................
Is there some pressing reason I should have to decide between liberal and conservative? Where was that rule written, and who wrote it? Liberals and conservatives? Perhaps it's time to return to basics. After all, rejecting these labels was a primary reason I started this blog.
I'm tagging this post "Religion" because that's how the parties seem to view themselves these days. You are required to buy into the dogma wholesale, genuflect upon command before all the designated Sacred Cows, and contribute your blindly shouted support but never your constructive, creative thoughts.
Bag it.
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