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![]() One Man with a Vision California Needs Conservatism
Reagan espoused conservative principles and policies
Rush
Limbaugh is a nationally syndicated talk radio host. Five veteran political writers and Party leaders consider, from a variety of perspectives, the question: How should Republicans approach the October 7 recall election? The authors are Rush Limbaugh, Assemblyman John Campbell, Senator H.L. Richardson, ret., William E. Simon, Jr., and Shawn Steel. Under the heading Equal Time, CPR reprints portions relevant to the recall of Senator Dianne Feinsteins August 6 announcement that she would not run.
Listening
to some Republicans and conservatives on the possibility of winning
the California governorship lately has been dismaying. We dont
really want to win this race We conservatives didnt get where we are today with this kind of thinking and we cant lead in the future with this attitude.
California is a liberal proving-ground run amok. Its crushing debt resulting from years of pandering to unions, bureaucrats, illegal immigrants, environmentalists, and trial lawyers has led to huge tax increases, major cuts in basic services, a reduction in the states credit rating, brown-outs, water shortages, and a large exodus of citizens from the state. None of this decay is surprising. The lefts promises of Nirvana never measure up. But what does surprise me are the reactions of some conservatives who see Californias problems as so severe that they cant be solved by the application of conservative principles. Their thinking has led them to support Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, to my knowledge, has yet to embrace any conservative positions, though he has embraced Warren Buffett. Hasta la vista, whatever. Theres no better time to advance conservative principles than when theyre most needed. And California needs a large dose of conservatism. Recent history should be our guide. During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, inflation, unemployment, and interest rates were double-digit. OPEC held sway over the U.S. economy. In the dead of winter, Mr. Carter urged Americans to lower thermostats, wear sweaters, and sleep with an extra blanket. He lectured the public to lower its expectations, and spoke of a malaise in which he blamed Americans for his own leadership failures. Americas predicament was no better abroad. Communism was on the march in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Angola. The United States lost a key ally in Iran, eventually resulting in a disgraceful hostage crisis lasting 444 days. What conservative
would want to be president under these dire circumstances, right? Well,
of course, we know that Ronald Reagan wanted the job. He espoused unequivocally
conservative principles and policies. He was confident that strong leadership,
free Within hours of his inauguration, President Reagan froze federal hiring. He also deregulated oil prices, which weakened OPECs grip increasing supply and lowering costs. Moreover, fearing Ronald Reagans wrath, the Iranian regime released its American hostages. During the first summer of his presidency, Mr. Reagan forced through Congress, including a Democrat- controlled House, the most broad-based and significant tax cut in American history, thereby unleashing unprecedented economic prosperity for the next two decades. Who would have thought that possible? And at the same time, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization ordered its membership to strike illegally, in hopes of shutting down air travel in an effort to force Mr. Reagan to meet its demands. The presidents response to this blackmail: Within 48 hours he fired nearly 70 percent of the strikers, and he had Patco decertified. Mr. Reagans conservatism didnt end at the waters edge. Despite enormous opposition from congressional Democrats, he pushed back the Soviet Union on all fronts. In 1983, at the height of the nuclear freeze protests, he deployed the first Pershing intermediate-range ballistic missiles in West Germany in response to the Soviet targeting of missiles at Western Europe. In 1986, the president ordered an attack on Libya in response to its bombing of a German nightclub in which several Americans were killed, showing the world that savagery against Americans would be punished. Mr. Reagan rebuilt the military and launched the Strategic Defense Initiative, which is not only a key aspect of Americas present-day defense structure, but helped break the back of Soviet Communism and freed hundreds of millions imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain. No one had thought this possible either. Unfortunately, some still regret it. You know who you are. Its important to remember that each of these bold actions was met with skepticism and derision. In fact, Mr. Reagan himself was met with the same reaction during his entire public career including his earlier unsuccessful campaigns for the presidency. But he stuck by his principles. He believed in them. He championed them. He saw opportunity where others despaired. He saw challenges where others surrendered. Conservatives need to learn from Ronald Reagan. They need to stop being timid, pessimistic, and insecure. California needs solutions. There is no better time and place to establish and illustrate the primacy of conservatism. True, not all of Californias problems mirror those of the late 70s and 80s, but many do, particularly those that forced this recall. Now, if one man with a vision completely changed the course of a nation, why cant it happen in a single state?
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