A reader writes about "the message of conservatism"

Walker McKay, my good friend, wrote me the other day as a follow up to my last entry, "Are we just now figuring this out?" He is exactly right when he says:

"Bill: I don’t think we have lost the message of conservatism for a generation, but maybe the Republican party has lost conservatives for a generation. I think the message of conservatism is stronger now than ever, there just isn’t a viable “party home” for it."

Thanks to Walker for the input.

Are we just now figuring this out?

Recently, I received an email from Republican U.S. House member Joe Wilson (SC-2) discussing the fact that "Spending is out of cotrol in Washington." http://joewilsonforcongress.com/home/2009/06/spending-is-out-of-control/

(This realization is only slightly later than his endorsement of John McCain for President.)

http://www.fitsnews.com/2008/01/22/joe-wilson-is-tardy/
http://shotpolitics.com/wilson-staff-loses-release-endores-mccain-anyway.htm

Below is the reply I sent regarding his correspondence:

Dear Mr. Wilson:

Thank you for your recent email correspondence entitled, “Spending is out of control.” As I read it, I was struck by the fact that if we as Republicans had simply had this outlook on spending during the period when we were the majority party we wouldn’t be facing the spending crisis you discuss in your correspondence. Because you chose not to stand up to the Bush administration on the expansions of government under their watch, or to the appropriators within our own party, we lost the faith of many of the voters even within our own party. I fear that your request for action may be too little, too late, and that we may have lost not only the majority, but also the message of conservatism for a generation.