PJTV Afterburner - Bill Whittle - New Coke

When Coca-Cola changed its recipe and rebranded itself as New Coke, the world recoiled in horror. What does New Coke have to do with conservative politics? Who is the classic conservative and who is the new conservative? Does the marketing plan of Pepsi resemble progressivism? Find out what Bill Whittle thinks.

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RG - Ronald Reagan's Winning Conservative Strategery

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."
Ronald Reagan

What Reagan Inherited in 1980:

On Election Day 1980, unemployment was at 7.5 percent and forecast to be 10.8 percent; inflation was at 12.5 percent, forecast to be 13.6 percent, and interest rates were at 15.5 percent, forecast to be 21.5 percent by Christmas, well before Reagan was sworn in.

We forget, but 1981-82 was also called "The Great Recession" and billed as the most severe since the Great Depression. As 1981 began, small-business people and farmers were borrowing money at 23 to 24 percent - the highest interest rates since the Civil War. The rate of inflation was also the highest since Abraham Lincoln's day.

The decade leading up to the Reagan years had been culturally difficult as well. The 1970s featured Watergate and Richard Nixon's resignation; the Vietnam War and helicopter escapes from Saigon; the Russian invasion of Afghanistan; Iranian hostages, and gas lines. Worst of all, there was a feeling that communism was on the rise and that the Soviet Union was on the offensive. Even with 9/11 and two foreign wars, the decade of the 2000s looks manageable compared to the 1970s - a tough 10 years for freedom and capitalism by any measure.

Reagan's Strategery:

Rather than blaming Jimmy Carter, whining and pointing fingers at everyone else, Ronald Reagan rolled up his sleeves and began working and providing leadership.

Ronald Reagan begin explaining to GOP politicians and the American people that 'True Conservatism' consisted of three main areas and used the analogy of a three-legged stool. Each leg of the stool represented Conservatism and none of them was more important than the others.

1. National Defense.
2. Fiscal Issues.
3. Social Issues.

Conservatism began to prosper, the GOP was kept united and the Country was kept safe.

Today, many want to abandon one or more of these 'Principles' that turned America around and gave America prosperity and instilled pride and accomplishment in the American People - why? So that Conservatives can be more like that which we detest most? Moderate on the very things we hold dear?

Remove a leg of 'Reagan's Stool' and we fail and fall into defeat.

National Defense:

Ronald Reagan believed that first and foremost as President he was responsible to defend the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

"The top priority of the federal government is the safety of this country."
Ronald Reagan March 16, 1982

"A truly successful army is one that, because of its strength and ability and dedication, will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it."
Ronald Reagan May 27, 1981

"Our involvement in the search for Mideast peace is not a matter of preference; it's a moral imperative."
Ronald Reagan September 1, 1982

"When we've taken up arms, it has been for the defense of freedom for ourselves and for other peaceful nations who needed our help. But now, faced with the development of weapons of immense destructive power, we have no choice but to maintain ready defense forces that are second to none. Yes, the cost is high, but the price of neglect would be infinitely higher."
Ronald Reagan December 28, 1982

"The defense policy of the United States is based on a simple premise: The United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression -- to preserve freedom and peace."
Ronald Reagan March 23, 1983

"Strength is the most persuasive argument we have to convince our adversaries to negotiate seriously and to cease bullying other nations."
Ronald Reagan February 26, 1986

"I call on the Palestinian people to recognize that their own political aspirations are inextricably bound to the recognition of Israel's right to a secure future."
Ronald Reagan September 1, 1982

"No people have fought longer, struggled harder, or sacrificed more than yours in order to survive, to grow and live in freedom."
Ronald Reagan September 9, 1981

"America has never flinched from the commitment to the State of Israel - a commitment which remains unshakable."
Ronald Reagan March 23, 1982

"In the Middle East, in particular, a strong, credible America remains the best guarantor of Israel's integrity and survival as a free nation."
Ronald Reagan March 23, 1982

"Our dream, our challenge, and, yes, our mission, is to make the golden age of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood a living reality in all countries of the Middle East. Let us remember that whether we be Christian or Jew or Moslem, we are all children of Abraham, we are all children of the same God."
Ronald Reagan September 9, 1981

"As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it, now or ever."
Ronald Reagan January 20, 1981

Tear Down This Wall

"There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Ronald Reagan June 12, 1987

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means."
Ronald Reagan May 9, 1982

"A people free to choose will always choose peace."
Ronald Reagan 5/31/1988

"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors."
Ronald Reagan 1/20/1981

"Terrorism is the cynical, remorseless enemy of peace, and it strikes most viciously whenever real progress seems possible."
Ronald Reagan 10/17/1985

"Terrorism is the preferred weapon of weak and evil men."
Ronald Reagan 4/15/1986

Fiscal Issues:

"We cannot reduce the deficit by raising taxes."
Ronald Reagan 3/1/1985

"The fact is, our deficits come from the uncontrolled growth of the budget for domestic spending."
Ronald Reagan 1/25/1983

"At home, our enemy is no longer Red Coats, but red ink."
Ronald Reagan 9/14/1981

"Balancing the budget is a little like protecting your virtue: You just have to learn to say "no."
Ronald Reagan 9/9/1982

"Yes, deficits are a problem. I've been saying so for more than a quarter of a century now. But the problem is not the size of the deficit, it's the size of government's claim on our economy."
Ronald Reagan 3/3/1984

"The deficit doctors have their scalpels out all right, but they're not poised over the budget. That's as fat as ever and getting fatter. What they're ready to operate on is your wallet."
Ronald Reagan 5/16/1983

"While the quality of health care in this nation is unsurpassed, unfortunately, so are the costs. In fact, many patients believe that a hospital should have the recovery room adjoining the cashier's office."
Ronald Reagan June 23, 1983

"It's high time that we put health care costs under the knife and cut away the waste and inefficiency. The growth in medical costs is malignant and must be removed for the continued health of the American people."
Ronald Reagan June 23, 1983

"Inflation is the greatest enemy of all the people and of our hopes for economic growth. It is at the bottom of the problems that we're trying to solve."
October 6, 1982

Social Issues:

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
Ronald Reagan 8/23/1984

"If the President of the United States can pray with others in the Oval Office - and I have on a number of occasions - then let's make certain that our children have the same right as they go about preparing for their futures and for the future of this country."
Ronald Reagan September 25, 1982

"The Constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying; its declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray."
Ronald Reagan September 25, 1982

"Now, no one is suggesting that others should be forced into any religious activity, but to prevent those who believe in God from expressing their faith is an outrage. And the relentless drive to eliminate God from our schools can and should be stopped."
Ronald Reagan September 25, 1982

"Our involvement in the search for Mideast peace is not a matter of preference; it's a moral imperative."
Ronald Reagan September 1, 1982

"And yet our opponents tell us not to interfere with abortion. They tell us not to impose our morality on those who wish to allow or participate in the taking of the life of infants before birth. Yet no one calls it imposing morality to prohibit the taking of life after a child is born. We're told about a woman's right to control her own body. But doesn't the unborn child have a higher right, and that is to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?"
Ronald Reagan 1/22/1988

"With me, abortion is not a problem of religion, it's a problem of the Constitution. I believe that until and unless someone can establish that the unborn child is not a living human being, then that child is already protected by the Constitution, which guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all of us."
Ronald Reagan 10/7/1984

"It's a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun control laws. I happen to know this from personal experience."
Ronald Reagan 5/6/1983

"There's only one way to get real gun control: Disarm the thugs and the criminals, lock them up, and if you don't actually throw away the key, at least lose it for a long time."
Ronald Reagan 6/20/1983

"Society has always regarded marital love as a sacred expression of the bond between a man and a woman. It is the means by which families are created and society itself is extended into the future. In the Judeo-Christian tradition it is the means by which husband and wife participate with God in the creation of a new human life. It is for these reasons, among others, that our society has always sought to protect this unique relationship. In part the erosion of these values has given way to a celebration of forms of expression most reject. We will resist the efforts of some to obtain government endorsement of homosexuality."
Ronald Reagan, July 12, 1984.

Retired Geek from VA (WJF)

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Austin Hill - Do Social Conservatives Care About Capitalism

The Republican primary races are underway, and pundits are abuzz about whether or not religious social conservatives will embrace Mitt Romney.

That’s an interesting and worthwhile question. But here’s another interesting question: do religious social conservatives care about the free market economy, and capitalism?

I’ve pondered this question over the years, in previous columns and in various talk radio venues. When I do, I usually get very angry, visceral answers – responses like “of course we do,” and “how do you dare even ask?”

Despite the anger and discomfort, this is an important question to be asking. Religious social conservatives are large in number and can influence the outcomes of elections. And as our nation is currently at an economic crossroads, it remains to be seen what our country and our country’s economic system will be like in the future.

But before we think about capitalism, ponder this for a moment: who are “religious social conservatives,” anyway? According to research from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 70 Percent of American adults identify with some form of evangelical Protestant Christianity, mainline denominational Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Orthodox Judaism, or Mormonism.

Obviously, adherents to these various faith traditions do not all think alike on issues of culture and public policy. However many members of these religious groups share common, strongly-held beliefs and values, so it is not surprising that over the past several decades they have often exhibited similar responses to public policy concerns amid America’s changing cultural landscape.

This is to say that not every individual who practices one of these religious traditions necessarily qualifies as a religious social conservative. However, the religious social conservative movement is comprised of members all of these various faith communities, while the movement is most certainly dominated by Evangelical Protestant Christians.

The earliest beginnings of this movement can be traced back to the social upheaval of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s youth culture, and the 1973 Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision. After decades of non-participation in elections and public policy debates, many devoutly religious Americans became alarmed by a “hippie” generation that was determined to overthrow our culture’s authority structures, and by their government arbitrarily determining that unborn children were not really human beings.

Thus, “social conservatism” emerged as a movement that was focused on the most basic of all social structures – the traditional family. Over the past several decades, concerns about the life of the unborn child, the rights of parents, and the definition of marriage have all taken center-stage among social conservatives, while each of these concerns have been openly regarded as “moral issues” that are worthy of religious peoples’ attention.

While the long-standing concerns of social conservatives remain in-play today, the United States now finds itself at another turning point. Will our country continue as the “most free” among the world’s free market economies? Or will the U.S. devolve in to more of a European-styled, socialistic economy, where private individuals and businesses make fewer decisions with their own economic resources, and politicians and government bureaucrats make more of those decisions?

Given our nation’s economic crossroads, and given that social conservatives are so influential among the American electorate, the religious social conservative movement needs to look within itself and answer this question: should economics be regarded as one of the “moral issues” that is worthy of our attention? And if it is, then which economic system do social conservatives prefer – our free market capitalistic system, or a more socialistic, government-controlled system?

Economic systems and policies are, after all, an expression of how a society regards both its weakest and most powerful members and everybody else in between. Likewise, economic policies often play a key role in determining who “wins” and who “loses” in a society, and they can either encourage or discourage positive, productive behavior.

Social conservatives can begin addressing economic issues by first confronting a very common assumption that is widely held as true – the assumption that capitalism is an economic system built on greed and selfishness, while socialism is a system based on generosity and “fairness.”

Despite its prevalence, this is a false assumption. When properly understood and implemented, capitalism is an economic system that allows every willing participant the opportunity to gain entry into the marketplace; demands that every participant abide by a uniform set of rules; rewards people according to a system of merit; and allows private individuals and organizations the freedom both to succeed, and to fail. Special governmental favors – bailouts and so forth – are an anathema to a capitalistic economic system.

Socialism, however, places in the hands of politicians and governmental bureaucrats the power to take away increasing amounts of wealth from certain individuals (generally the more wealthy in a society), and re-distribute that wealth to people that are believed to be “deserving” of it. In such an economic system, personal responsibility, a system of merit, and one’s freedom to succeed and to fail, are all undermined.

Economics is absolutely a “moral issue,” and our nation’s economic dilemmas are numerous and profound. Will the influential social conservative movement have a voice in setting the course for our nation’s economic future?

Austin Hill

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Austin Hill is an emerging American voice, addressing culture-defining questions through books, talk radio, web, speaking, and interviews. His recent books "White House Confidential" and his new title "The Virtues Of Capitalism" show his range from whit-infused writer to thought-provoking expert on the intersection of philosophy, religion, politics & culture. Hill helps to make the complex seem simple when exploring capitalism, socialism, and other "Isms".

He is an editorial contributor to national publications such as U.S. News & World Report, a columnist with TownHall.com, and is a popular expert-host on radio from leading stations in Washington DC, Chicago, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and nationally with networks such as Fox NewsTalk Radio.  He hosts the "Austin Hill Show" weekday mornings at Fresno, California's Talk Radio 105-9 KMJ-FM,  and weekday afternoons at Boise, Idaho's Newstalk 580 K I D O radio.

Hill holds a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and a Master's Degree in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University in California.

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