Politix Cartoons

When Democrats won sweeping victories in 2006 and 2008, constantly we were bombarded with stories in the media asking, “is this the end of conservatism? Is this the end of the Reagan era?” “The Republican party is now an endangered species, conservatism is dead!” was the conclusion made by some.

I find it interesting, now that the European elections indicate a swing to the right, there is scant coverage of it in our presses. I haven’t found a single story questioning whether Democratic Socialism is now dead in Europe. In fact, I had to dig deep just to find the election results themselves!

For conservatives, the results are a promising sign. America is usually a few years behind the European trend (I’m still waiting for European style jeans to show up at my local Kohl’s). What is boggling my mind now is why on earth is the Republican party shifting left? Polls indicate that America is still a center-right nation, and some Democrats have won victories by campaigning to the right of their Republican counterparts. With Europe moving right and America remaining to the right, the Republican party must either love losing, or they are power hungry, sacrificing principle for what they believe will be the quick vote.

My hope is that true conservatives will run solid campaigns on what conservatives hold dear: limited government, more individual freedom and responsibility (like the freedom to choose which kind of lightbulb I want to use) and fiscal responsibility. My next hope is that they keep their promises once in office.

Politicians that keep their promises? Now that would be news.

Those of us who have been through a few election cycles know that nothing really ever changes. The candidates make feel-good promises that could never really be implemented without some sort of consequence, and yet we buy into it, follow the hype, buddy up to our candidate and hammer in those yard signs. It seems both sides make the move to the center, contrary to how they historically have voted. This year the Democrats have especially done so, but to be fair and objective (like there is such a thing, anywhere), this toon lampoons both sides.

Tax cuts, strong defense, limited spending, pro small business, wait a minute, those are Republican talking points! Use the federal government to stop corporate greed? Now my side is sounding like Democrats! Anecdotally, I occasionally hear individuals talking about how they will support a certain Democrat candidate because they promise to reach across the aisle and be bipartisan. When it was brought to their attention that said candidate was one of the most liberal in the House or Senate and has yet to reach across the aisle, according to readily available congressional records, those people merely replied with, “but now they say they will this time.”

A liberal will always be a liberal and a conservative will always be a conservative and a campaign promise is not worth a whole lot. It amazes me how some people vote based on what a candidate says rather than what a candidate has done.