Thomas Sowell on principles

A very timely message:

What principle separates the Republicans from the Democrats? If they are just Tweedledee and Tweedledum, then elections come down to personality and rhetoric. If that happens, you can bet the rent money on the Democrats winning. . . .
When have the Republicans won big? When they stood for something and told the people what that something was. . . .
Too many Republicans seem to think that being "inclusive" means selling out your principles to try to attract votes. It never seems to occur to them that you can attract a wider range of voters by explaining your principles in a way that more people understand.

(Via Conservative Grapevine.) Sowell is talking about his specialty, economics -- especially the idiotic mortgage price-fixing scheme proposed by Senate Republicans -- but he could be talking about any number of other issues where weak-kneed Republicans pander by endorsing liberal ideas. These organ-transplant candidates (lacking eyes, brains, spine, and testicles) do not understand that standing firmly on principle is ultimately good politics: Better politics than appearing weak, wobbly and wish-washy.

That's why last week's solid "no" vote against the stimulus bill was so beautiful. Rather than give Pelosi and Obama a fig leaf of "bipartisan" camouflage for their budget-busting nightmare of pork, the Republicans stood up on their hind legs and said to the Democrats, "Take it, it's yours."

It. Won't. Work. And because it won't work, the fewer Republican fingerprints on it, the better. When Obama's economic plan fails -- and it will -- the GOP needs to be in a position to tell voters, "We told you so. We voted against it. And here are the TV ads showing our members, speaking in January 2009, predicting exactly the economic disaster that has now unfolded."