Did National Review Give Sen. Brownback the Shaft?
We Wouldn't Even Be Asking Except For the Romney Bias In The Corner
By Erick Posted in 2008 | Featured Stories — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I hesitate to even mention this, given my admiration for National Review (literally, my mother read NRODT to me at night as a kid) coupled with my RedHotted tirade this morning over another danged "con" discovered in the HTML of NRO, but I think it is valid to ask if there is a "there" there to this issue over Brownback and National Review. The Hotline reports that an organization called "Students for Brownback" is accusing National Review of giving Brownback the shaft at their Institute Summit over the weekend.
I'm always doubtful about claims made by student political organizations, and I doubt this would have gotten any traction, except for the fawning treatment Governor Romney gets daily at NRO and the battle between Romney and Brownback over who is the real conservative (fact: Brownback has been consistently pro-life and conservative since 1994; Romney was not until 2002. Both are in 2007. Both sides, suck it up).
Kathryn Lopez offered this explanation:
In the final weeks before the summit, with Senator Brownback and former Governor Huckabee announcing or about to announce, room was made on the crowded schedule for both to address the gathering. Gov. Huckabee accepted and Senator Brownback declined.
The re-invite actually was days, not weeks, before the event, and, given that Huckabee spoke at 11 a.m. on Sunday, I'm willing to bet Brownback was to speak at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday -- not exactly prime speaking time, especially given that NR intended for Brownback to debate with former Senator Danforth earlier in the event until Danforth declined and, as a result, Brownback's invitation to speak at that time was withdrawn.
In the grand scheme of things, this is probably not a big deal. I think, had we not all been subjected to the Romneyfest at the Corner for the past year, that we'd blow this off instead of wondering if NR was playing favorites among the candidates. And if they are or have been (other than McCain; he's fair game), that's a real shame for what I still consider to be *the* voice of conservatism, even if on some days they appear to be more the National Geographic of the conservative movement.
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Did National Review Give Sen. Brownback the Shaft? 13 Comments (0 topical, 13 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Wait, so... she doesn't have the pull to possibly give the shaft to anyone, but she did in fact give the shaft to George Allen?
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[F]or by the fundamental law of Nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred...
-John Locke
I have not seen her say a bad word about Brownback. Would that the same were true for Allen. Perhaps she learned her lesson.
Per Rich Lowery, who is higher up the NR totem poll than Lopez, Brownback declined an invitation to speak. Unless Brownback says differently that's good enough for me.
Look for "Brownback" and "conversion."
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Even those who learn from history are surrounded by those doomed to repeat it.
I think an increasing amount of what is written here at Red State is needless attacks on other Republicans. That is not to say that there are not some needful attacks to be made, but you guys get carried away sometimes.
for the anti-Romney bias on this site.
(Erick not included) :-)
Maybe NR doesn't want to hear from a big government, pro-illegal, uncharismatic flip flopper? Who wouldn't pick Romney over Brownback? Seems completely reasonable to me. ;)
I am the chair of Students for Brownback and the one who wrote the blog entry about Brownback getting shafted at the NRI.
My point is that Brownback should have been offered a prime speaking slot from the beginning. He has been fighting for conservative agenda since 1994, and has a higher lifetime ranking from the American Conservative Union then even Newt Gingrich.
The fact that Romney, a one-term governor from Massachusetts, who has no track record fighting for the conservative agenda, was given the keynote address is completely unacceptable.
I thought we were done with flip-floppers from Massachusetts.
And you are right to point out that while the National Review wants you to think they offered Brownback a speaking slot in the “final weeks” of planning, it was actually within the final days, when the campaign had already made other plans.
Billy Valentine
Students for Brownback
You should have just let it lie; your understood intent at least made sense. Now, with this clarification, I want my time back that you wasted.
Perhaps you should just concentrate on school.
Do you mean when he voted for $549 Billion Medicare Part D (plus another $10 Trillion in unfunded liabilities) or when he supported a $149 Billion farm subsidy package?
Because these are two things Brownback is boasting about on your website and if he thinks these are his good points, then I’m not sure why those of us who are sick and tired of the over-spending in Washington would give him the time of day.
Let's get one thing straight, the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.
is Lopez. She does not have the clout to shaft Brownback even if she wanted to, which I very much doubt.
She did give the shaft to George Allen though. Lets not get started on that.