(10/2010) Book Review: The Last Best Hope By Joe Scarborough [Basil & Spice]

Oct. 04--'Morning Joe' Scarborough Maps Out Game Plan for True Conservatives to Rebuild America

The host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," former congressman Joe Scarborough (R-FL), calls on conservatives of both parties to rally around true conservative principles in the paperback edition of his 2009 book "The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise" (Three Rivers Press, 288 pages, $16.00).

His book echoes the cry of "A plague on both your houses" of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as he attacks big government Republicans, like George W. Bush, and his Democratic successor, Barack Obama, in their support of bailouts and stimuli when we don't have the money and have to borrow it from China and other countries.

Stating the obvious that "conservatives should be engaged in conservation," Scarborough calls for conservatives to go back to the roots of conservation as exemplified by President Theodore Roosevelt, and wonders why France gets 80 percent of its electric power from nuclear power plants versus 20 percent in the United States, which developed the nuclear power industry. Scarborough falters however when he urges increased offshore oil drilling, stating on Page 114 that "Offshore drilling is safer than ever. In fact there has not been a significant spill from an offshore U.S. well since 1969." Obviously, this passage was reprinted direct from the hardcover edition published last year by Crown Forum and doesn't reflect the reality of the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon/BP offshore platform explosion and resulting oil spill off the coast of Louisiana. This should have been changed for the paperback edition because it makes Joe Scarborough look like an idiot, which he isn't.

I'm guessing that the self-described "libertarian conservative" author is on the same page on most issues with Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), whom he lauds as the man who predicted the housing bubble as far back as 2003. Both Paul and Scarborough focus on economic issues and war, rather than social issues so beloved of many conservatives. Scarborough writes that he has no problem with same-sex marriages in Vermont, as long as gay marriage advocates don't foist their views on conservative Floridians.

Scarborough's libertarian bonding with Ron Paul is emphasized on pages 137-138, where he illustrates how much alike Bush 43 and Obama are in supporting stimulus packages and bailouts, including the $400 billion bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the $150 billion bailout of insurance giant AIG, the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, and the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler.

"In all," Scarborough writes "both presidents stood shoulder to shoulder in support of legislation that has rapidly moved the U.S. economy in the direction of European socialism."

Although as a congressman from the ultra conservative Florida panhandle he voted to impeach Bill Clinton, Scarborough essentially praises Clinton when he states that "Republicans under George W. Bush took a $150 billion surplus and turned it into a $1 trillion deficit."

Similarly, he praises the Clinton Administration for following the policies on warfare laid down by Ronald Reagan and Bush 41 -- George H.W. Bush -- which he credits to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in the Reagan Administration and Gen. Colin Powell and -- believe it not -- Defense Secretary Dick Cheney in the Bush 41 regime: not to engage in open-ended warfare of the kind that was introduced in the Bush 43 administration and which continues today under Barack Obama.

"The Last Best Hope" could have benefited with the addition of an index, something I've ranted about since the beginning of time (I exaggerate only slightly!) and more careful editing to make it easier to determine exactly what principles conservatives should follow. Still, as a fan of Ron Paul, and one of his constituents in the 14th Congressional District of Texas, I think Scarborough is on the right track.

For instance, unlike some other conservatives and libertarians, he tells conservatives not to scare senior citizens by calling for an end to Social Security and Medicare. Joe Scarborough is enough of a realist to grasp the idea that these programs are here to stay and must be fixed to stay solvent for future generations. As I write this review, workers are rioting in Europe, protesting cuts in the cradle-to-grave welfare net that is bankrupting countries in Europe.

In "The Last Best Hope" Scarborough explains:

--How Washington and Wall Street conspired to create the housing bubble that caused America's financial meltdown

--How the "candidate of change" -- Barack Obama -- has not only maintained but accelerated the reckless spending policies of Congress and President George W. Bush that led us to this historic economic collapse

--How Washington's bailout culture will cripple America's future if left unchecked

--How Barack Obama's stimulus plan devolved into a socialist spending spree that would make FDR and LBJ shudder

--And how conservatives need to take a closer look at Ronald Reagan's political career before claiming his great legacy

I particularly enjoyed the passages where the author described how, during his congressional career, he changed his attitude toward his political opponents on the left and made friends with Democrats like Maxine Waters and Ron Dellums. He remarks that under presidents like Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, members of opposing parties could sit down at the end of a long day of partisan politics and enjoy each other's company, usually with a drink or two. Politics shouldn't be a zero-sum game, Scarborough seems to be saying.

This "kindler, gentler" conservative attitude by Scarborough is reflected in Mika Brzezinski's foreward. She's his co-host on 'Morning Joe" and states that she often disagrees with him politically but that he's never the kind of guy to demonize his opponents and engage in ad hominem attacks.

Joe Scarborough is currently the host of MSNBC's Morning Joe and can be heard weekdays on The Joe Scarborough Show. He was elected to Congress in 1994, becoming the first Republican to represent northwest Florida since 1873, and was reelected three times with no serious opposition. In 2001, he retired from Congress and, in 2003, became an NBC political commentator and host. He is also the author of "Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Day," published in 2004.?

MORE FROM DAVID M. KINCHEN

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