THE JUNGLE REPORT

The election is over, but the ramifications will be far reaching and enduring. The one question that pundits haven’t analyzed is this: Are conservatives still synonymous with Republicans?

This question goes beyond the scandals and corruptions plaguing the Republican Party in the last 4 years.

The core conservative principals of right and wrong, of self responsibility, of the narrow interpretation of the constitution, of a country with secure borders, of morality and respect, of equality, of limited government, of low taxes (thus low burden on the taxpayer), of strong defense,… are now big questions marks within the Republican party, and it’s leaders.

Republican party looks to be conservative only in name, and when they want or need the grass roots vote. The Republican leaders and candidates, when in power, seem to forget how and why they got elected. The past six years, where all three branches were controlled by the Republicans, were squandered on mostly bickering with the Democrats, which is what the Dems wanted, and not actually passing any serious legislation or controlling the budget.

The Republicans actually joined the Democrats and were really quite happy with the pork barrel spending (bridges, roads to nowhere). The death of social security reform is a perfect example of Republicans (with the 3 branch majority) falling apart.

The process of nominating judges was botched with the Republicans cutting a deal with the Democrats (the gang of 12), rather than standing up for principles and fighting. The nomination of Harriet Meyers was finally withdrawn with the outcries of the conservative base. This is not that she wasn’t qualified, but that her nomination was considered as capitulation to the Dems by the conservatives.

The illegal alien situation is another area where the Republicans have shown no backbone. Rather than enforcing the law, the Republicans are ready to give amnesty and are offering citizenship rewards. This is really nothing more than a sharp stick in the eyes of every law abiding citizen of the United States, let alone a sneer at those now awaiting their Visas to immigrate to America.

The wars have not been defined and objectives not shown clearly to the Americans. We can spend a whole chapter on the war, but suffice it to say, the way it has been run and explained has totally played into the hands of the leftist. Again, victory for the Dems.

Abu Grhaib scandal and Guantanamo Bay situations could not be put into the right perspective, thus giving Islamo fascists and the Dems an upper hand.

On all of the above, and on other important issues of our lifetime, the Republican majority has been MIA.

So, back to the question of whether these Republicans deserve the label of conservatives? Given the track record of the past six years, where they controlled all branches of government, they have little to show for it. Many Americans, who worked hard to give the Republicans a majority, probably feel betrayed. The power given, for the most part, was squandered.

Where are the Reaganites? Where are the Newts? Are there any real conservatives left in the group? Or is conservatism the real casualty of war? We’ll have to look real hard to find the true conservatives in this bunch, ‘the gang that couldn’t shoot straight’.