When interviewing 2008 Republican National Convention delegate and former Chair of the Charleston County Republican Party Cyndi Mosteller, SA and his radio cohost Richard Todd pull no punches in pointing out how the speaker line-up illustrates the complete neoconservative take-over of the party.
- Jack Hunter
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The "Southern Avenger" Jack Hunter is a conservative commentator (WTMA 1250 AM talk radio) and columnist (Charleston City Paper) living in Charleston, South Carolina.
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8 Comments
Jack,
You use the word ‘neoconservative’ so much that it really detracts from what the Republicans really have become: Neo-Liberals.
“It’s so not a big deal”, what a JOKE. This woman is full of it. She’s a Republican talking head who can’t come up with any justification for war mongering other than “9/11 changed everything”.
The Republican party is garbage. I hope they collapse and I hope every Republican running on their current war platform loses by a landslide. It will be nice to see them sink under they weight of their own disgusting hypocrisy.
–Daniel
I respect Jack Hunter’s independent thinking and his refusal to give in to mindless partisanship. But I disagree with him that anything labeled “traditional” is worth preserving.
Traditionally, pastors and priests have been granted authority by the state to legally marry people. I think this is wrong. I believe this practice blurs the distinction between church and state. The state alone should have the power to legally recognize a marriage since legal sanctions will be granted as a result thereof. Any religious ceremony should be purely symbolic.
I believe that loving committed gay couples deserve the same legal and financial privileges as straight couples. Whether their relationship is termed a “marriage” or not is of no importance to me.
In my home state of Arkansas, there is currently legislation on the ballot banning gay couples from adopting, overturning a state Supreme Court ruling to the contrary. It will most likely pass by an overwhelming majority. As a gay person, I don’t like it; but as someone who believes in state autonomy, I respect it. I believe decisions like this should ultimately rest with the individual states, not the federal government.
I also firmly believe we need a universal health care program. Nearly a quarter of of our nation’s citizens simply cannot afford to pay monthly health insurance premiums. In case of catastrophic illness, they are saddled with huge hospital debts that take a lifetime to pay off. I don’t think that’s right, especially when so many of these people are honest, hardworking productive members of society.
I also believe it’s idiotic to try to condense complex issues into two-word sound bytes such as “gay rights” or “pro-life”, and then try to stuff everybody into one category or the other. The terms “cut and run”, “blame America first”, and “nanny state” are also used to stereotype or pigeon-hole someone’s political views.
The use of these phrases denies the complexity of the issues that face our nation. And the people who constantly utter them remind me of the sheep in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, who were given simple propaganda phrases to repeat over and over again because Big Brother assumed they were too stupid to grasp the complexity of any issue.
There are many things about true conservative philosophy that I agree with. But by no means do I agree with them all.
The George Orwell novel I referred to was entitled “Animal Farm”, not “1984″. I apologize for the typo.
JD,
Neoconservatives aren’t actually conservative at all, but Right-wing liberals. They are utopian in philosophy, which reflects their Trotskyite roots.
I know I use the term a lot, but not only is it apt, as long as neoconservatives remain influential, I hope the term “neocon” becomes as popular a pejorative as “liberal.” It’s already heading that way, anyway.
Brad,
You bring up some excellent points about marriage and the financial treatment of gays, also about the stereotyping of political views by the use of two- word phrases.
I think that we get too distracted with the fact that gays and straights are treated differently financially. If we went to the root of the problem, which is the huge expansion of government power, and we sought to limit the size and scope of our government then these would be non-issues (as taxation would be a minimal burden, and equal for all citizens whether they be rich or poor, gay or straight, single or married). Our tax code has gotten too complex- it has gotten this way because our government seeks new and innovative ways to finance their frivolous spending without causing a public uproar.
As far as healthcare is concerned- as a financial advisor, I deal with medical insurance everyday (since this is an aspect of my business). I will be the first to tell you that the system is broken. Giving government the control over our healthcare system would be an even bigger disaster! The government slows down, steals, and nearly ruins anything that it controls (go to the post office, then go to the ups store for a comparison of expediency if you want an easy example of this). I have a simple, yet effective 3 part health care fix: TRANSPARENCY IN PRICES AT THE DR.’s OFFICE. The health care industry is not subject to competition because it is probably the only service that we will “buy” without knowing the cost beforehand! Imagine going to a mechanic to get your car fixed and allowing him to do any diagnostic and repair that he pleases without first being notified of the cost… this is what we do with doctors! Our thought process is that insurance will cover it. Well if we do not shop around for the best price for a comparable service, then what incentive to doctors have to lower prices in order to compete for business?! Which brings me to my next fix: STOP USING INSURANCE FOR ROUTINE VISITS OR MINOR INJURIES. You don’t make a claim on your auto insurance for an oil change, you don’t file a claim on your homeowner’s insurance to replace an old appliance… so why do we use health insurance as though it is a warranty? It should be used for catastrophic claims only. Which brings me to the final fix: DO NOT ALLOW BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES. The discrepancy between premiums costs and coverage options for individual and group insurance is huge. So individuals that are self employed or work for a small business get screwed. While big corporations provide healthcare to its employees with ridiculous benefits. This is what caused the problem of people using insurance to pay for an office visit in the first place.
Sorry it was long-winded, I just think more people should be aware of this.
Hi Cory,
I appreciate your thoughtful, intelligent input. I agree with many of your points, and respect your experience as a financial advisor. You make an excellent case with your three-part health care fix. Is there a website I can visit to get more info on this subject?
One of the ideals of conservative philosophy, namely very limited federal government, really appeals to me. As a result, I’ve come to re-think my position on some key issues.
Like gay rights, I think abortion policies should be determined by each state, not by the federal government. Consequently, if Roe vs. Wade was struck down, it wouldn’t bother me. I don’t know if that makes me pro-life or pro-choice, hence my distrust of two-word sound bytes.
And I’m starting to see the importance of securing our borders, but not for reasons of cultural preservation. I believe it’s only a matter of time before Islamic terrorists initiate another 9/11 on American soil. If and when we withdraw our troops from the Middle East, we should deploy many of them at our nation’s borders, particularly port entries. If we can’t prevent another terrorist attack, at least we can stave it off for a while.
Brad,
My ideas on health care just come from my day to day frustration with the system, no specific research. I think that Ron Paul has some good ideas about government intervention in the industry, you can read his articles at http://www.lewrockwell.com (just search for health care). Since he is a medical doctor, naturally he does not place any blame on actual doctors (I do), but he still has great ideas (and research) on the subject.
I couldn’t agree with you more on the abortion issue as well as the border issue. What bothers me is the fact that our best troops are thousands of miles away! It is unimaginable to me that they are being utilized effectively in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan. We need our best and bravest men and women here at home, defending OUR land. This article helped enforce my view of the power of non-interventionism:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/walker/walker32.html