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Thread: O’Sullivan’s First Law

  1. #1

    O’Sullivan’s First Law

    O’Sullivan’s First Law, named for John O’Sullivan, former editor of National Review, speechwriter for Margaret Thatcher, and author of the fine book The President, The Pope, and the Prime Minister, goes as follows: Any institution that is not explicitly right wing will become left wing over time. Good example include such seemingly anodyne institutions like the League of Women Voters, PTAs, National Public Radio, most professional associations like the American Bar Association, the Pew Charitable Trust (which actually was intended to be explicitly conservative, and still got captured by the left), and so forth.

    By the way, there is no O’Sullivan’s Second Law.

    More at: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archive...-in-action.php

    A more precise way of putting it, however, is that any institution not rooted to ageless principles will bend to the age’s preferences.


    Let's not let it happen to this site or the movement.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  3. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    A more precise way of putting it, however, is that any institution not rooted to ageless principles will bend to the age’s preferences.


    Let's not let it happen to this site or the movement.
    Too late.

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCount View Post
    Too late.
    You haven't won yet.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You haven't won yet.
    The trolls think they are close to wearing everybody out.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You haven't won yet.
    Populist Trumpism has nothing to do with "ageless principles."
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Pinochet is the model
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Liberty preserving authoritarianism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Enforced internal open borders was one of the worst elements of the Constitution.

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCount View Post
    Populist Trumpism has nothing to do with "ageless principles."
    It has more to do with them than you do.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    It has more to do with them than you do.
    I know you are but what am I?
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Pinochet is the model
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Liberty preserving authoritarianism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Enforced internal open borders was one of the worst elements of the Constitution.

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You haven't won yet.
    But you're sure working to make it possible.

    The principles of liberty are timeless and ageless. Sacrificing those for partisanship may seem like a necessary evil for limiting the erosion in the short term. But it opens the door for that dreaded 'leftward drift' to happen to this place.

    Indeed, it makes it happen immediately, because the overwhelming majority of Republicans are left of libertarians. The very act of labelizing, demonizing and trying to hound leftists out of the conversation moves this place to the left. And pretending the difference between Democrats and mainstream Republicans is substantial and meaningful is a complete anathema to the site's purpose.

    Trying to protect the site from people on the 'wrong side' of the partisan divide does more to destroy it than leftists can ever do.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...



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  11. #9
    I think it's obvious by now that the OP is not going to admit that blind partisanship is worse than useless--it's a way to hand the battle to the enemy. But if anyone else has any doubts, consider the Pro Life Voter.

    Roe v. Wade happened, and the Republican politicians began promising to do something about it. So, those opposed to abortion began voting for them. Then the Republicans did nothing about abortion at all. So, the Pro Life Voters began to question the efficacy of voting for Republicans. Then the trolls began saying, well, they might do something someday, and Democrats don't even promise to do anything to stop it. So since Republicans are a maybe and Democrats are a no, you might as well take your chances with the Republicans.

    This kept Pro Life Voters on the Ruling Parties Bandwagon for a couple of decades. But then the grumbling started again. So the trolls said, you could go third party. But you can vote Republican just to send a message. So vote Republican, and maybe people will think every Republican voter is sending that message.

    Now it's 44 years later, and what did all that blind partisanship get for the Pro Life Voter? Abortion is a foregone conclusion, and no politician even pretends he intends to do anything about it any more.

    Seems to me there's a lesson in that for us, somehow. $#@! partisanship. Going partisan for either of these parties is akin to pulling down your pants, bending over, and placing a tube of lube on your tailbone. Calling partisans stupid is an insult to stupid people.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCount View Post
    Populist Trumpism has nothing to do with "ageless principles."
    The GOP is a fine example of an 'institution not explicitly right-wing becoming left-wing over time,' with Trumpism being the latest step leftward.

    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    And pretending the difference between Democrats and mainstream Republicans is substantial and meaningful is a complete anathema to the site's purpose.
    Indeed
    Last edited by r3volution 3.0; 01-21-2018 at 09:33 PM.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    I think it's obvious by now that the OP is not going to admit that blind partisanship is worse than useless--it's a way to hand the battle to the enemy. But if anyone else has any doubts, consider the Pro Life Voter.

    Roe v. Wade happened, and the Republican politicians began promising to do something about it. So, those opposed to abortion began voting for them. Then the Republicans did nothing about abortion at all. So, the Pro Life Voters began to question the efficacy of voting for Republicans. Then the trolls began saying, well, they might do something someday, and Democrats don't even promise to do anything to stop it. So since Republicans are a maybe and Democrats are a no, you might as well take your chances with the Republicans.

    This kept Pro Life Voters on the Ruling Parties Bandwagon for a couple of decades. But then the grumbling started again. So the trolls said, you could go third party. But you can vote Republican just to send a message. So vote Republican, and maybe people will think every Republican voter is sending that message.

    Now it's 44 years later, and what did all that blind partisanship get for the Pro Life Voter? Abortion is a foregone conclusion, and no politician even pretends he intends to do anything about it any more.

    Seems to me there's a lesson in that for us, somehow. $#@! partisanship. Going partisan for either of these parties is akin to pulling down your pants, bending over, and placing a tube of lube on your tailbone. Calling partisans stupid is an insult to stupid people.
    All I have ever called for is for people to take the best option available, I have never advocated blind loyalty to the Swampublicans.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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