Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader suspects that if you happen to be a right-leaning reader of this site you probably also read the Wall Street Journal’s OpinionJournal website. Your Maximum Leader rarely cites the big-time bloggers or OpinionJournal because, in most cases, he doesn’t have anything to add to what has been said. Sure he could try and pick nits, but he’ll leave that to others.

If you haven’t already, you should check out at least two articles on OpinionJournal. They are similarly themed, in your Maximum Leader’s opinion. The first is by Mike Folmer. Folmer is the former tire salesman who defeated the incumbent Republican state senate majority leader of Pennsylvania in the Republican primaries. Folmer’s success, and the success of many other challengers in Pennsylvania, is proof that (however rarely it happens) major political tumult is possible through the standard methods of nominating and electing representatives. Of course, tumult is helped along by stupid, greedy legislators. Your Maximum Leader wishes Folmer and the other Republican “insurgents” the best of luck.

The other WSJ:OJ peice is by the magnificent Peggy Noonan. She says the time is nigh for a third political party. Actually, this type of talk happens all the time. Your Maximum Leader remembers a heated discussion with a friend in grad school about the impending destruction of the Republican Party. The friend said that the Republican Party would cease to be (as we knew it then) by 2005. The break-up would occur over abortion. That discussion was had in 1993. Your Maximum Leader argued against the break-up then on the foundation of political opportunism.

The major political parties of the US have adapted, morphed, and reinvented themselves more often than Madonna (and if her current wreck of a concert tour is any indication - the Dems and Reps have been more successful). They are motivated by power and opportunism which makes their “core” beliefs shift like an arabian dune in the wind. Perhaps they don’t move too quickly, but they move nonetheless.

While your Maximum Leader would welcome a viable third party he isn’t sure it is going to happen.

Okay… Let your Maximum Leader be honest. He would welcome a serious viable right-of-center third party that had a legitimate chance of picking up some political power within 5-10 years of its founding. The party would not have much of a social platform to speak of, would be “economically/fiscally conservative,” somewhat hawkish on national defense and security issues, and in favour of freezin the growth of the Federal Government. If your Maximum Leader thought for a moment that the Federal Government could be shrunk, or certain programs or departments eliminated, he’d be all for it. But he has grown more cynical and doesn’t believe it is possible. He’d give it the olde college try - but his hopes for success are limited.

The more likely path to reform would be a nationwide shake-up of the Republican party. A shake-up similar to the one that conservatives produced between Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan; or the one that is occuring in Pennsylvania right now.

Speaking of Barry Goldwater… Your Maximum Leader was always fond of Goldwater. He knows that many religious conservatives grew cool on Goldwater towards the end of his time in the Senate. (A time when religious conservatives thought he’d gone “squishy” on social issues. In all honesty, Goldwater was probably more libertarian on social issues than most. It is just that social issues like abortion weren’t issues in the 60s.) But Goldwater never waned with your Maximum Leader. He and Ronald Reagan represent the best of American conservatism. At least in politics.

Anyho… If you didn’t read those pieces you should.

Carry on.