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.McCain may be a disappointment to Conservatives, in fact, there’s no question about that, but he HAS been a consistent fiscal Conservative, there’s no question about THAT either.
For those who doubt that, go read Kevin Stach's piece in the WSJ;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120295108223666913.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
If McCain has been poor on illegal immigration (and he has been), well, Huckabee and Giuliani and Romney and G W Bush have all been as bad, or, in some cases worse.
If he's been bad on spending (he has been), then so have all the others mentioned, as well.
The idea that "McCain's not a real Conservative," is best countered by the fact that "G W Bush ISN'T either!"We have a very important election coming up. Thompson didn't try hard enough, Huckabee tried too hard, Giuliani ran hard too late and Romney ran as someone he wasn't....they're all out and McCain's what's left.
Come January 2009, six of the nine Supreme Court Justices will be over 70 years of age. If Conservatives sit home, saying that McCain's no better than Hillary or Obama, then we'll get Hillary &/or Obama....and by 2012 we won't recognize this country.
It will almost certainly be one we wouldn't recognize today, as a Dem President with a Dem Congress CAN and WILL make-over the landscape within 4 years....certainly enough so, as to make the election of another Conservative (in 2012 or beyond) a very real long shot.
McCain's far from perfect, but NONE of the Republicans running were perfect either! Get over it.
We are facing a momentous crisis with this election, and it can't be over-stated, how bad things can get if the Dems get to control all three branches of government.
With all three branches and the MSM, Conservatism could all but be criminalized. There is no question but that America will be a poorer, less free and far more dreary place under Liberal management.
Conservatives HAVE to wake up!We don't have the luxury of supporting "only true Conservatives," we've GOT to become totally head-over-heels psyched over voting the LESSER of TWO BAD CHOICES....the alternative is really THAT bad!
We don't have the luxury of supporting "only true Conservatives," ..Perhaps youre right my friend but AnnCoulter seems to think even Hellary is better than McCain..so hard to know who is right in this?
ReplyDeleteYou know what, Angel?
ReplyDeleteThose who don't see a difference, or "enough of a difference" deserve to made into a permanent minority. That would certainly include the always loopy Anne Coulter. At best, she can be described as, "A ditzy blonde bomb thrower."
For instance, I'm not at all religious, but I've accepted 8 years of a Religious Conservative who's pressed onward with a number of issues I disagreed with.
I'm not only pro-abortion (although I DO oppose 3rd trimester abortions), I would mandate contraception, and where necessary, abortions for those people who are "wards of the state" (incarcerated felons, people dependent upon public assistance and the institutionalized mentally, emotionally and physically handicapped)....so I'm not technically "pro-choice."
What I am is anti-dysgenics - against the dysgenic impact of the dependent (weaker) people outbredding the productive members of society.
The "Conservative Movement" holds and has always held many disparate ideologies, from Corporatists, who support Free Trade and globalization over all, to economic and social Conservatives, such as myself, who espouse economic Liberty within a state with broad policing and Military powers to suppress both crime and terrorism, to religious Conservatives, who are intractably pro-life and often seem tepid on all "non-religious" issues.
McCain's been a consistent tax cutter and Supply-Sider, whose only anti-Supply Side vote came when the first round of Bush tax cuts, scheduled to correspond with spending cuts (a very vital part of Supply Side policies) were set to ultimately pass WITHOUT the spending cuts!
He voted to repeal the AMT in 1999. He voted against Bush Sr.'s tax hike in 1991....in 2004 he voted against rescinding parts of the Bush tax cuts and voted in favor of extending them.
Check out Kevin Stach's WSJ piece;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120295108223666913.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
I believe the bulk of Conservatives will come around on this, as I said, if not, they'll only end up fracturing the current Conservative alliance and dooming themselves to a veritable permanent minority status.
The coming election will be a momentous one. The momentum is against the Conservatives at this time. If we further fracture and alienate each other, that bodes very poorly for the future.
Ultimately I trust even the ditzy Anne Coulter to come around on this.
This election will be an interesting one, for sure. The news media will draw the most outrageous conclusions no matter who wins.
ReplyDeleteIf McCain wins, they will talk about how sexist or racist America is because they elected a white man. If he loses, they will talk about how America has changed and that dinosaurs like McCain are dying out.
Either way, I think that the big Republican shift to the left is something that the country will regret and I don't think they are helping themselves or the country by doing so. McCain has a lot of work to do to win over a lot of conservatives. Will he do it? Only if he can stop looking like he is pandering and convince them that he is sincere and will be an advocate for things they hold dear.
"I think that the big Republican shift to the left is something that the country will regret and I don't think they are helping themselves or the country by doing so." (Uncle Joe)
ReplyDeleteSadly, THAT is the history of the GOP. While "the base" (the rabble) are overwhelmingly Conservative, it's always been led by its elites - it's "Country Club" or "Rockefeller-wing."
Nixon was an out-and-out Keynesian (like Jimmy Carter) proclaiming at one point, "We are all Keynesians now."
Ronald Reagan was a JFK Democrat turned Conservative. He horrified the GOP elite.
After Reagan it was Bush 41 - another member of the Rockefeller-wing and they ran Dole (another Rockefeller Republican) in 1996.
G W is the scion of Bush 41. In many repsects he's just as much a Rockefeller Republican as his Dad was - he's been terrible on reining in the out-of-control spending, and on illegal immigration.
In many regards, G W Bush is as politically Liberal as John McCain.
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"McCain has a lot of work to do to win over a lot of conservatives." (Uncle Joe)
You're absolutely right and I think (HOPE) he'll do it, because he has to shore up Conservatives BEFORE he reaches out to independents.
The problem for both sides of the political spectrum is that most elections are controlled by the 30% of the electorate that are apolitical independents, who are largely moderates, generally disinterested in politics and often uninformed about the major issues.
That is why "conventional wisdom" favors the Democrats this year, because most pundits figure that that vast, amorphous middle is largely disaffected with Republicans.
I think they somewhat underestimate these people. Most of them are traditonalists and largely favor Conservartive views and values.
That's what I pinned my "Super Bowl XLII analogy" to.
I don't disagree with your points at all. I am well aware of the half hearted approach the Republican party has towards conservatives. The Republican party has been throwing bones to the more conservative ranks for a long time. The problem is that conservatives can't seem to realize that they are merely being appeased. Much of the conservative talk you here from the RNC is just talk. Republicans had control of the Senate and the House and they had a Republican president for a few years. But, they did nothing about abortion, nothing to ward off the nationalization of health care, and nothing to reduce spending.
ReplyDeleteNow, Republicans believe they have to win at least one of the states of NY, CA, or FL in the presidential race to have a shot at winning. They think that to reach those "305" they need to move to the left. Those are the voters they are trying to appeal to. That is why McCain pushed so hard for amnesty and, I think, it is why the Republican party manipulated the primary races to make sure that he would get the nomination.
I still feel that Republicans are going too far out on a left leaning limb. They risk losing the conservative votes that can help put them over the top. If conservatives are not enthusiastic about McCain, they will stay home on election day and that isn't good for anyone.
Democrats have been taken over by the "moveon.org" wing. I'll bet a lot of Democratic leaders are shaking in their boots at the thought of the Frankenstien they have created. If the Democratic party had shifted slightly to the right instead of the left, there are few Republicans that could beat them. The last election saw a lot of more moderate Democrats win seats in the House and Senate. You would think that the Democratic party would have seen that as an opportunity. Instead, they offer radical left wingers like Clinton and Obama for president.
So, I am waiting to see what the next few months will bring. If McCain can give conservatives the same sincere consideration that he has given in the past to Kerry, Kennedy, and Feingold, he may have a chance with people like me.
"If the Democratic party had shifted slightly to the right instead of the left, there are few Republicans that could beat them." (Uncle Joe)
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Without question that is true!
That's the strateguy Bill Clinton used, he actually was able to run to the Right of both Bush Sr. (who broke his "Read my lips pledge") and Bob Dole, both Moderate (Liberal) Republicans...and he won handilly twice.
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"The last election saw a lot of more moderate Democrats win seats in the House and Senate." (Uncle Joe)
Yes, the Schumer-Emanuel plan actually recruited more "Blue Dog" (Conservative Dems) and that's where their gains were made. Only now they have 20% of the Dems in Congress now being Conservative Dems. They fought Pelosi on the recent NSA Wiretapping, opposed the Amnesty Bill (McCain-Kennedy) and have been a thorn in the Liberal Democrat's side.