Why I don’t attack fellow conservatives

I believe that Ronald Reagan’s “Eleventh Commandment“* should more properly be applied to fellow conservatives,  not to fellow Republicans. As we all know, some fellow Republicans are traitors (see, e.g., Arlen Specter and Dede ScUzzafavo).  Some are Republican In Name Only. Some need to be spoken ill of.

But I hold my fire on fellow conservatives.  I find that many of my conservatives do not follow my lead, and instead attack fellow conservatives with particular relish.  I can think of two reasons why they do so, but neither of them convince me. 

One reason conservatives attack other conservatives is to curry favor with liberals and moderates. “See! I’m attacking X [fill in the  blank with the conservative to be attacked of the day, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Carrie Prejean, etc. ad nauseum].  “So please don’t lump me in with all those other crazy conservatives.  See, I’m relatively normal, I fit in with you guys except I’m a little more conservative than you are.”  This is just a cowardly attempt to fit in, or to not stand out quite so much. Besides, it won’t work.  Liberals and moderates will still turn on you in a heart beat on the next issue, or the one after that. Those “brownie points” that you thought you were earning with them by attacking a fellow conservative will have no value then. You’ve just helped their cause for no reason, and attacked a fellow conservative in his or her hour of need, and you’ve gained nothing.

A second reason conservatives attack fellow conservatives is based upon this misguided notion that we have to police our side more, that we have to hold ourselves and fellow conservatives to a higher standard than do the moderates and liberals.  Oh, horsesh!t.  Nobody is perfect. Rush takes viagra on road trips.  Carrie Prejean made a tape of herself while she was playing with herself [like you have never played with yourself?]. Sarah Palin and her family are not ”perfect”. Here is a clue–nobody is perfect. 

If we shoot all our leaders for not being “perfect,” we will never have any leaders. The liberals and moderates don’t shoot their leaders for not being perfect. Instead, they relish the imperfections. How did liberals treat Bubba, that Rapist in Chief, that fondler, that whip-it-out-on-a-lowly-employee- and- ask- for- a- b.j., then- commit- crimes-covering- it-up- kinda- guy? Oh, he’s just a rascal, a scamp. Liberals love him.  Charles Rangel cheated on his taxes? Oh, everybody does it.  Liberals won’t kick him out for something minor such as that!   

Now, I’m not suggesting that conservatives lower our standards for fellow conservatives so as to  condone law breaking. I’m just saying that we need to quit attacking fellow conservatives for every little time that they miss-speak, or have a bad interview, or are less than perfect. The liberals will attack them, don’t you worry.  You chiming in isn’t going to do any good.  Spend your time instead attacking liberals and moderates for their policies, for their hypocrisy, and for their own short-comings (hey, it’s fun, and they have so many of them). 

* “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”