Ohmeohmy...

I'm not a GOPer, I'm a Conservative. One of the great conflicts of our political age right now among our political minority is the fight between Conservatives and Republicans, one that is getting uglier by the day. It may seem a nuanced view for those without a great deal vested in politics, but the infuriation GOPers incite among Conservatives (and vice-versa) is ruining both. As a Conservative, I would note that the GOP has done nothing to warrant Conservative support, and theoretically deserves to die a quick death. The only problem with said theoretical is the GOP is the only party Conservatives have even a a minor stake in.  We, as Conservatives, vote on very few issues, and take the good with the bad regarding the rest: we want lower taxes, less spending, concrete protections to our rights of guns and property, stronger defense, and an overall Pro Life position regarding abortion. All of this can be massaged, but these positions cannot be negotiated. If the GOP doesn't have the sack for this, it will be abandoned by the only base it has.  

Over at Newsweek, a long piece by David Frum just posted. Frum was, among other things, a speechwriter for Pres. Bush who is said to have coined the phrase "Axis of Evil" (a claim that was disputed in piece in The Atlantic last year). What is not in dispute is that Frum managed to get caught up in the needless non-controversy involving Rush Limbaugh and The Dear Leader. Frum, in short, took the route of Parker and Noonan and Brooks and Buckley and so many others: facing criticism from those who presumably think as he does, he has now compounded a non-issue into infinity. In short, Frum took the anti-Limbaugh position (which is confusingly to also say, not necessarily the pro-TDL position), and was excoriated by Right-Wing Radio, especially by Mark Levin. What so many Beltway GOPer/Cons fail to understand is that with every explanation of their "nuanced" views, they further marginalize all of us in the middle of the country who sincerely believe that our voices are not being heard, not by a long shot. As it resonates more and more, the notion that Obama fiddles with Limbaugh while the nation burns is not only common sense, it is being amplified by those in print and on the Right as a silly ego-stroke. Frum is merely the latest. 

Frum spells out his position and his Conservative credentials in the long piece linked above, and it comes off as half-sincere, half-smug. Although I try to keep an open mind, Frum's piece - especially the forum in which he presents it (Newsweek) - is not reassuring. He repeats his concerns about Limbaugh, while stating inadvertantly the reason Limbaugh is such an influential voice. As GOPers have abandoned the Conservative ship while the GOP is the de facto party of Conservatives, we have entered a tangled Catch-22: Is the GOP a Conservative pary, or do Conservatives, by an absence of legitmate choices, merely flock to the GOP? To anyone who pays attention, Conservatives are to the GOP as blacks are to the Donkeys: a vote taken for granted, because frankly, where else is either group going to go? 

Oh, and then there is the issue of self-described Conservatives like Frum spending so much ink on Limbaugh as The Dear Leader sinks the economy. But such talk would be impolite - who am I to imply - no, to dictate - what another Conservative should write about?

As a Conservative, John McCain (war hero, Pro Life, not a Conservative) was my last call in the GOP. Nominate a Conservative, and I - along with many others - will join the party line, Yet Frum states, among other things, that tax cuts aren't the answer. I daresay that come '10 and '12 and forever and ever, tax cuts will win voters. The problem with GOPerism isn't Conservatism, it's a lack of it. 

Another issue Frum brings up is homosexuality; the fact is, even in California, the bulk of Americans do not want gay marriage legislated from the bench (I favor gay marriage, but that's a different story). And Frum brings up the enviornment, yet another trapdoor Progressive issue that is putting GOPers in a no-win situation. 

Ultimately, what is putting the GOP and Conservatives - two very different creatures at this point - at odds is turncoats like Frum writing about Limbaugh. Where are the Liberals casting stones at Pelosi, Reid, Obama, HRC, Frank, Dodd and Rangel? Where are the Liberals apologizing for the endless number of media figures who enrage and insult those of a Conservative bent? There aren't any. Yet so many GOPers are self-satisfied with their open-mindeness, continuing to wage an absurd rhetorical battle against the most influential Conservative - right now - in the country. 

They call Limbaugh an entertainer and they dytopically whine about his profiting from the ordeal, while still carrying some bizarre notion that they are Conservatives. When will this end? 

From Parker to Dreher to Frum and beyond, ideas matter, and the sophistic nature of their thin skin, one gets the idea that their day in the sun is getting too hot, which is indeed silly. What compels self-described Conservatives to split hairs about Limbaugh, to waste so much time on him while the American experiment is being unwound by an inexperience, party-happy President is not only abominable, it would in previous times be unthinkable. 

But yeah, they get sack points for standing up to Rush Limbaugh, a figure they all describe as electorally inconsequential. 

Exit question: if he's so inconsequential, why are so many turncoat Conservatives wasting so much time talking about him?