Conservative Crisis: Is the GOP Lurching Left?
Senator John McCain's new frontrunner status has triggered an identity crisis among the conservative party activists and media figures who deeply disagree with many of his positions, writes Rick Moran. "McCain proudly calls himself a conservative. But what kind of a conservative is he? A better question may very well be how McCain supporters themselves define conservatism?"
They’re holding a wake over at National Review’s The Corner and it isn’t pretty. And they’re not the only ones. Most conservatives on the internet are acting depressed, bitter. Someone should take away their belts and shoelaces before we have a tragedy.
The John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” is barreling down the track with a full head of steam and seems unstoppable in its headlong dash for nomination victory.
Most conservatives are in shock. “How could this happen?” is the question of the hour. The funny thing is, there are thousands of answers to that question depending on who or what you want to blame. But the bottom line is that McCain -left for dead 6 months ago – battled back by the sheer force of his own indomitable will and picked himself off the floor to get himself back into the race and back on top.
You don’t survive 5 years in a North Vietnamese Prisoner of War camp by folding your tent and giving up. Compared to that, facing down Rush Limbaugh, the army of talk show hosts and conservative internet pundits who trash him on a daily basis is a cakewalk.
This is the admirable side of McCain. Unfortunately, this is not the side McCain prefers to present to conservatives or Republicans most of the time. This is why he may very well become the nominee of the Republican party but will not enjoy the enthusiastic support of many if not most of its activists.
But beyond the obvious relish McCain takes in tweaking the noses of conservatives by supporting anti-free speech campaign finance rules, immigration disasters, and other “maverick” impulses that seem to strike the Arizona senator from time to time, there is another reason conservatives find McCain such a problematic candidate; they don’t trust his conservative instincts.
McCain proudly calls himself a conservative. But what kind of a conservative is he? A better question may very well be how McCain supporters themselves define conservatism? If McCain is going to be the nominee and he is rejected by those who you would think define conservatism for the movement and the party, it stands to reason that McCain supporters are either not conservative or have redefined the term to mean something slightly different.
Exit polls show both dynamics at work. In the 2000 Florida primary, 58% of GOP voters identified themselves as “conservative” while 42% said they were “moderate” or liberal.” (Bush dominated the Florida primary and won all three groups handily.)
But what’s up with this? The 2008 exit polls from Florida show an even larger percentage of voters identifying themselves as “conservative” (61%) while only 39% said they were “moderate” or liberal.” And yet with two candidates in the race – Romney and Huckabee – who everyone agrees were more “conservative” than McCain, the Arizona senator won going away.
A breakdown of the conservative vote shows that McCain bested Romney by 35%-32% among those who identify themselves as “somewhat conservative” while dominating among “moderates” by a 2-1 margin over Romney. The significance is that while Romney creamed McCain among those who identified themselves as “very conservative,” there were much fewer of those voters than moderates and lesser conservatives. Those two groups made up a majority (55%) of the GOP vote and McCain won both groups with ease.
It could very well be that what we are seeing in the Republican party is a redefining – or perhaps more accurately, a “readjustment” – in how people identify themselves as conservatives.
Part of it could very well be based on issues. There may be many moderate and moderately conservative Republicans, as Jennifer Rubin muses in The Observer, who wish the party to do something about climate change despite the adamant opposition of many in the base. It could very well be that there is close to a majority of Republicans who want to solve the illegal immigrant problem by closing the border and then granting some kind of path to legality to those already here.
The proof is in the pudding, friends. John McCain supports those positions and is the presumptive nominee. All other GOP candidates opposed those positions and are toast.
While these positions would have been seen as “moderate” 8 years ago, those McCain supporters who identify themselves as “somewhat conservative” may also hold positions on continuing the mission in Iraq, fiscal responsibility, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and other issues where they would find agreement with the base.
Does this mean that the party has lurched leftward while no one was looking? Perhaps not as much as it would appear but more than the base is willing to admit. But one explanation for McCain’s success could be very simply that many of his supporters have redefined for themselves what they consider conservatism to mean.
To date, McCain has yet to receive more than a third of all conservative votes. And as Rich Lowry points out, the Arizona senator has yet to win a majority of Republican voters:
Has this ever happened before? This is kind of amazing. I’m looking at CNN exit polls at the numbers for self-identified Republicans. McCain lost self-identified Republicans by a point in New Hampshire (oddly, he won registered Republicans); he lost self-identified Republicans by 14 points in Michigan; and he tied among self-identified Republicans in South Carolina and Florida. In other words, McCain is close to the presumptive nominee GOP nominee without having won self-identified Republican voters anywhere.
Of course, the candidate’s attraction to independents and moderates is what makes him so electable in so many people’s eyes. But at what cost to the principles of conservatism? Would a self described “proud conservative” President McCain govern from the right or even right of center?
This is what has Rush Limbaugh and the conservative commentariat reaching for the Tums when contemplating a McCain presidency.
And with at least some Republicans redefining in their own mind what the term “conservative” means, we may be witnessing a shift in influence from what traditionally has been known as the base of the party to the more moderate and moderately conservative elements of the GOP, illuminated by some of the positions on issues taken by Senator McCain that have set many conservatives against him.
Rick Moran blogs at Right Wing Nut House.
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42 Comments
1. Freedom4America Group:The McCain Train is soon to be derailed. His LIES are starting to be acknowledged by others.
We found this on a YouTube Channel.
Dr. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate we will vote for. If this STATESMAN is NOT on the ballot we will write him in.
We just found out that John McCain LIED about being endorsed by General Norman Schwarzkopf.
We called a contact of ours that is a Family Friend of “Stormin’ Norman and to their knowledge he did NOT endorse McCain.
They are expecting a phone call on Friday from the General and will be calling us to verify this.
Our contact is an Air Force Vet and they and the General both would NEVER endorse a Senator that created a bill that recognized our MIAs as being declared dead.
Dr. Paul has said he WILL get ALL of our MIAs back and will NOT leave them.
They also told us that they really doubted that Sly Stallone would endorse McCain either.
Dr. Ron Paul 2008-2016
Jan 31, 2008 - 3:20 am 2. Kim Zigfeld:Given the vast and intense unpopularity of conservative George Bush, it seems that the Republican Party’s best chance of winning the White House in 2008 is with a candidate who can undercut Democrat support among independent-minded voters, who are a powerful and perhaps decisive group. Let’s not forget that H. Ross Perot could well be the reason that Bill Clinton became president in 1992, with one of the smallest shares of the vote in modern electoral history (close to 60% of the electorate voted against Clinton in 1992).
McCain fills that bill rather nicely, and he he has some strong policy points as well. As a Russia maven, I’m particularly delighted with McCain’s tough (Reagan-like) stance on Russia and its support of Islamic terror and American enemies like Hugo Chavez. It’s certainly the case that he’s not the conservative dream candidate, but if right-wingers like Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh really can’t choose any Republican candidate over the likes of Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama, then perhaps they’re as much a risk to the conservative movement as McCain is.
Given what a maverick McCain is, I think it’s kind of crazy for conservatives to attack and alienate him. What they should be doing is supporting him with an eye towards influencing him. I think his mind is open enough that he’s willing to listen. If they’re not careful, he’s going to win the Oval Office against Hillary without their help, and then where will they be? Out in the cold.
Seems to me that what McCain needs is a young and dynamic conservative running mate, somebody who could succeed him in 2012 or 2016, preferably somebody with economic chops who could help deal with the wobbly economy, who could be given substantial responsibility in the new administration. Anybody got any suggestions as to who that might be? Pity that Rush and Michelle are offering some constructive suggestions.
http://publiuspundit.com/2008/01/an_open_letter_to_michelle_mal.php
Jan 31, 2008 - 3:48 am 3. Alb:Times change, and the requirements imposed by changing times demand adjustments in policy. It is hard to imagine two more different politicians than the two Roosevelts. Both were harshly castigated as “traitors” to their class and to the established patterns of their times. “Progressive” was an epithet then that would have been bleeped.
The Republicans have not “veered left” in my view. They have been required to make some adjustments to maintain a relevance in today’s society, which has changed. Granted, not all of the changes have been for the better; but neither can it be argued that all changes have been detrimental.
McCain represents a mix of “allegiances” that many on the right of the Republican Party do not like. Unlike Romney, McCain is a consistent and known quantity. Romney has a different policy in every pocket, ready to pull out to please the crowed. McCain does not always please the crowd, and that is often a strong virtue. One must adapt to the times or face the inevitable verdict of history, as did Lincoln’s Whigs — the evolution that gave us the Republicans.
And then there is the reality of Billary. So which will it be: ideological purity and Billary in the White House? Or a more realistic and amenable approach to fitting Republican values to national needs than we have seen over the past eight years?
Jan 31, 2008 - 4:01 am 4. Ran:“battled back by the sheer force of [CNN's, MSNBC's, NY Times', NPR's, CBS's etc.] indomitable will and picked himself off the floor to get himself back into the race and back on top.”
Please – the sheer volume of fawning and freebies the dinomedia tossed this contender was worth more than it’s value in dollars. This isn’t a quibble, Mr. Moran. It is an obvious and important fact left out of your analysis.
Jan 31, 2008 - 4:11 am 5. Kim Zigfeld:Oops, above that should be Rush and Michelle are NOT offering constructive suggestions.
Interestingly, after relentlessly bashing McCain for weeks Michelle just ran a closed poll in which only her registered readers could participate and nearly 60% of them said they either would vote for McCain against Hillary or are open to the idea of doing so. If he can hold up as well as that in that sort of cauldron, it says something.
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/30/the-gop-debate-at-the-reagan-library/
Jan 31, 2008 - 4:51 am 6. mishu:I’m for reining in entitlement spending, a strong defense and lower taxes preferably a flat tax. I think it’s imperative that we remain vigilant against Islamic fascism. Orwellian PC speech codes on college campuses impede learning and are basically illegal. Having said all that, I just can’t get fired up over the Mexican immigrant issue. The route they chose is simply a logical reaction overwhelming, bureaucratic incompetence of the legal immigration process. To those who want to seal off the country, I’m reminded of someone who said this:
“Some months before I declared, I asked for a meeting and crossed the border to meet with the president of Mexico. I did not go with a plan. I went, as I said in my announcement address, to ask him his ideas–how we could make the border something other than a locale for a nine-foot fence.”
Who was that liberal?
Jan 31, 2008 - 5:00 am 7. Ken Magalnik:We’ve had eight years of partisan battles. A “True” conservative will dig in his heels, and the democrats will do the same. The result is that precious little will get done, and our gov’t will be in “he said, she said” mode. No thank you. McCain is much closer to the center, and proven that he can work with people way on the other side of the line (How much less conservative than Ted Kennedy can you really get?). And that’s what we need: A leader who can unite the country, not someone who would continue the gotcha battles.
Jan 31, 2008 - 5:14 am 8. Mr Ed:“But beyond the obvious relish McCain takes in tweaking the noses of conservatives by supporting anti-free speech campaign finance rules, immigration disasters, and other “maverick” impulses that seem to strike the Arizona senator from time to time, there is another reason conservatives find McCain such a problematic candidate; they don’t trust his conservative instincts.”
I consider myself a conservative and I do not consider McCain’s stand on any of those issues as “tweaking” my nose. Those positions are a very real threat to this country and the constitution.
The Media’s cutsie nackname of “maverick” is just their way of offering praise to any non conservative conservative. And that’s one part of the big picture, how and why the media frames the public debate as they do, and that is what needs to be seriously examined.
In my opinion the reason someone like McCain has such popularity is that he fill the list of expectations created by the media. There are a very large number of people that absorb their news and attitudes about the would from the surrounding media. These people don’t spend a lot of time pondering the details of any any particular law or philosophy, they are primarily emotive and are driven by emotional events and circumstances. These are the people who are deeply influenced by the pervasive (Mostly Liberal) mythologies created by the media. They make their political decisions based on a combination of emotions and political dead reconing using the pervailing current media script (McCain is a maverick, illegals are all noble and righteous and deserve whatever we can give them, the purpose of government is literally to make life FAIR, etc)
I know it is a recurring theme that is getting a bit tired, but it really will take someone like a Regan to explain to Americans in a friendly and serious way what conservative principals are and why the work every time they are adopted. Only someone that can cut through the wall of media mythologies and disinformation will have any real effect. That person is not someone who plays footsie with the media to garner their affections, or rather, that person is not McCain. Ans that is why we are “lurching Left”.
Jan 31, 2008 - 5:43 am 9. RE:Once the GOP got on board the pandering vote buying bandwagon yes, they did lurch towards socialism.
Fostering government dependency by handing out goodies and/or absolving people of personal responsibility is leftist nanny-statism. The drift away from our founding principles will damage the country over the long term. Of that I have no doubt.
Jan 31, 2008 - 6:30 am 10. David:Every time the government does something it cost me money, or freedom. Gridlock is good.
Jan 31, 2008 - 6:43 am 11. Spider79:Ken:
I’ve read arguments like yours from others and really don’t understand your point. What will McCain governing from the center do that is good for our country? What initiatives that the dems have proposed need to be met halfway on?
Government run Health care? Besides their national we hate George Bush platform the dems have proposed very little. What they have proposed McCain has been with the far left, not the center or right.
Crippling our economy with global warming initiatives? (check)
Amnesty for illegals? (check)
Voting against tax cuts? (check)
McCain only attaboy comes from his defense and support of the military. The question in my mind is if the outside threat of Radical Islam is greater than the inside threat of American liberalism which McCain embraces all too often.
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:03 am 12. A. N. Pierson:Or perhaps this… perhaps the terms “liberal” and “conservative” are so old-fashioned and useless they should be shelved with “twenty-three skiddoo.”
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:12 am 13. Josh:I think the ideology of staunch Conservatism is becoming a minority view. I consider myself one. I see any deals whatsoever with the Progressive Socialists as a deal with the devil. I see them as the enemy within who are eroding the moral fabric of our country. So “reaching across the aisle” to the likes of Ted Kennedy is like surrender and anethema to me. McCain doesn’t mind it at all yet he is the frontrunner. There is a Conservative paradigm change happening right before our eyes. I think Nicolaitans would be an appropriate name for them.
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:29 am 14. spinoneone:The last time a Senator from Arizona ran as the Republican candidate, he didn’t do well. And I spent most of my senior year in college working on his campaign.
John McCain may not be a bible bashing Christian evangelical anti-abortion conservative. But then, only about 1/3 of the party is. Yes, he has voted to do some stuff I don’t support. However, consider the alternative – Billary or Obamalot.
If you really are a Republican then I suggest you do a couple of things. First, on November 3, 2008, if you plan not to vote as a protest, please past three photos on your bathroom mirror: Hillary/Obama, Harry Reid, and Charley Rangel. Second, remember that if you don’t vote then you automatically vote against the re-election of your local congressman and senator, especially if they happen to be Republicans. Third, if you do one and two above, and assuming the Dems win, kindly take out your straight razor and slash your wrists…you deserve it and the gene pool will applaud.
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:32 am 15. Jerry O'Laughlin:Bull Crap! McCain is winning by triangulating like the Clintons. Thats why Dick Morris likes him as the candidate. He is collaborating with Huickabee to split the conservative vote. Romney would have won by 5 to 10 points in Florida if not for Huckabee. That’s fine but after Florida it became clear that Huckabee should’ve withdrawn for the good of the party. But Huckabee for all his sweet talk about conservatism is SCREWING the conservatives so that he can have a position with McCain. The only problem is that he won’t get that position because McCain won’t win and he won’t win because Huckabee is SCREWING the conservatives he says he loves. A vote for Huckabee is a vote for that open borders, tax raising, global warming demogaging, free speech opposing, tax raising political Benedict Arnold old fart that is going to self destruct in the general election. I hope and pray that Romney pulls it out on Feb 5th because if he doesn’t then the whole party loses. Be careful what you wish for moderates, you just may get it and when you do, it will be right between your eyes. Liberals or moderates will not redefine us. We will start again and filter out all the infiltrators that have skewed our nominating process. I know you wise and brilliant columnists think we will plug our noses and vote but you are wrong.Too many of us won’t and McCain will lose and hence we all will lose because the moderates want to play both sides. But hey, go ahead,. Wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first. McCain loses! the only question is this. Will he properly lose the nomination or will he soundly lose the general election for all of us. HUCKABEE SHOULD HAVE WITHDRAWN!!! He is only staying in to split the majority conservative vote for McCain (and they are conspiring behind closed doors to do it) so that McCain can win with a paltry support. That may work in many cases but not when a majority of your own party despises your policies. I only hope that the evangelicals who like Huckabee will see this for what it is and vote for Romney. He is the only one left with the principals to lead the party. All those that believe in conservative principals should pray very hard that enough of the electorate will have a moment of clarity and realize the impending disaster who is McCain and switch from Huckabee to Romney. Sadly, if he gets it I and millions like me will turn off the TV and forget about it. As for me, for the first time in my 26 years of voting and as strongly as I feel about the duty to vote I will in fact, NOT VOTE! It will be my duty.
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:54 am 16. Ken Magalnik:Josh:
“I see any deals whatsoever with the Progressive Socialists as a deal with the devil. I see them as the enemy within who are eroding the moral fabric of our country. So “reaching across the aisle” to the likes of Ted Kennedy is like surrender and anethema to me.”
There is a big difference between political opponents, and military enemies, and I want a leader who understands that. What Hillary, Kennedy and the like are doing is what they believe is best for the country. While I disagree, I really don’t think they are trying to hurt the average American. We should work with opponents, so that we can fight against enemies.
Spider79:
“The question in my mind is if the outside threat of Radical Islam is greater than the inside threat of American liberalism which McCain embraces all too often.”
Yes, absolutely, without a doubt. Would you rather find yourself living in a nanny state like Britain is turning out to be, or a religious dictatorship like Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Jan 31, 2008 - 8:02 am 17. dougf:“Liberals or moderates will not redefine us. We will start again and filter out all the infiltrators that have skewed our nominating process.”
We will identify the TRAITORS and deal with them. Heretics every one of them. And I have a list.
Purges. That’s what we need. Purges.
Now I understand why McCain is not one of inner circle of ‘conservatism’. It’s by choice.
Jan 31, 2008 - 8:25 am 18. BMoon:One thing I think everyone with a conservative cell in his brain had better consider – the American political system does NOT run on ideology. Ideologists NEVER get anything accomplished in American politics. They are the ever-present and virtually ignored, cantankerous, vitriolic, self-righteous spectators always angry and yet just as befuddled as to why they didn’t get to play the game. Grow up already!
I say this as an evangelical, Austrian school-capitalist, strict Constitutionalist, fervent pro-life advocate. McCain may not be my cup of tea either, but I read some history, and he is solidly within the Rep Party’s progressivist tradition of Lincoln-T. Roosevelt…the man whose willingness to negotiate and drop ideological striving over nonessentials for the sake of preserving (hello conservatives?) the basics.
Conservatives, from the social to the libertarians, are going to have to decide to let real leftists take over or get behind the Party that will hold off the barbarians.
Jan 31, 2008 - 9:04 am 19. Dark Helmet:Ken Magalnik….. A nanny state is a precurser for a religious dictatorship. (global warming is the new scientology) The outer fringe liberals are the foot soldiers. Your elected officials are pandering to them in hopes of a seat at the new table soros and chavez sets before them.
Macain v/s obama or billary is straight out of a Simpson’s episode between 2 evil aliens that got both nominations.
I would very much like to see a run between Thompson and MaCain, without any voting by anyone other than the actual party members.
Being the least offensive to everyone also means being the one who stands for nothing.
President Bush has done a great job considering the idiots he’s had to deal with.
Rush isn’t the only one reaching for the TUMS.
Jan 31, 2008 - 9:08 am 20. progressoverpeace:I don’t care who wants to call himself a “conservative” and I don’t care if he wants to tell me that I am not. The label means nothing. All I know is that I have so many fundamental disagreements with John McCain that all I can say about my politics is that whatever he is, I am not.
I would also add that (I don’t know about everyone else) but McCain is intellectual kryptonite to me and I have exceedingly low opinions of all of the idiots who are endorsing him. Two years from now I will still be questioning whether someone was a McCainiac and then writing him off if he was – as support of McCain says enough about someone for me.
Jan 31, 2008 - 9:21 am 21. Josh:Ken Magalnik,
“There is a big difference between political opponents, and military enemies, and I want a leader who understands that.”
You don’t seem to understand the Progressive Socialist agenda and did I say they were military opponents? If you think that working with people who want to turn America into a European style Socialist state is somehow productive then you are naive. They are enemies of Representative Democracy therfore an enemy of our way of life. How could you not get this? They are the devils in the machine. I could use up two pages of comments listing all of the blatant Socialist statements made by Hillary Clinton. And you think we should work with her? No, we should eliminate her and her ilk politically and get back to the ideals that made this country great. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, “We need to look to the Europeans as our example.” Sorry, no working or just getting along with that philosophy. Eliminating it is the the only hope.
Jan 31, 2008 - 9:56 am 22. David W. Lincoln:Instead of saying, “Don’t _____”, why not say, “Do ___”.
Tearing down a rival shows a lack of
confidence in the purported candidate of those who are doing the tearing down.
To accuse Mike Huckabee of wanting open borders, when the founder of the Minuteman Project endorses him -
how Clintonesque.
As long as Mike Huckabee gets it as to why the Beltway Republicans were
taken behind the woodshed in ‘06, and has something positive to say about alternatives – he is the only
grown up in the Republican Presidential Nominee race.
Jan 31, 2008 - 11:15 am 23. Voter:Of the 4 top choices…..
1. Speech Maker
2. Intelligence
3. Scandals
4. Warmonger
I hope intelligence wins.
Jan 31, 2008 - 12:48 pm 24. JerryO:Mr. Lincoln, you make some good points. Please allow me to respond.
David W. Lincoln writes:
Instead of saying, “Don’t _____”, why not say, “Do ___”.
Response:
I agree this is the right philosophy to live by but not in all cases and certainly not in this case.
David W. Lincoln writes:
Tearing down a rival shows a lack of
confidence in the purported candidate of those who are doing the tearing down.>
Response:
Huchabee claims to support conservative ideals while intentionally siphoning the votes needed to stop the person who espouses everything we hate about government while cutting a cheap political deal. Huckabee may be a good man but is selling out the conservatives for a political position and he is also selling out those very voters who are believing in him because thier support will help the nominee who LEAST supports thier values and Huckabee knows this quite well. That’s not very grown up is it. A grown up would have dropped out after 6 out of 7 unsuccessful primaries for the good of the party. This isn’t beliefs, this is business between Huckabee and McCain and we are the beneficiaries of their back room deal. I respected Mike a great deal for his Christian beliefs while knowing that such a person would be an almost impossible sell to the general electorate but I lost respect when it became clear he sold out.
David W. Lincoln writes:
To accuse Mike Huckabee of wanting open borders, when the founder of the Minuteman Project endorses him -
how Clintonesque.>
Response:
How disingenuous; he claims to be strong on illegal immigration then gets endorsed by the shunned and I believe mentally imbalanced minuteman founder and then supports the open borders McCain??? Come On! How is that strong on immigration? In any case, there are nearly a hundred other illegal immigration organizations including the minutemen (who do not endorse him like the founder) who are dead set against him and will be pouring every resource they have into derailing this triangulation of the vote by Huckabee and McCain. You’re right, how Clintonesque of Huckabee and McCain>
David W. Lincoln writes:
As long as Mike Huckabee gets it as to why the Beltway Republicans were
taken behind the woodshed in ‘06, and has something positive to say about alternatives – he is the only
grown up in the Republican Presidential Nominee race.>
Response:
A grown up would not be so naive and an honest advocate of conservative values would not endorse the one man in the race who least represents his supporters values just so he can get a Washington job. You know looking back at the debates, I’m not so sure that McCain and Huckabee didn’t plan this strategy early on. It was odd how they seemed to be tag teaming Romney almost from the beginning and after all, without a silver tongue Baptist preacher getting just enough support from evangelicals, McCain could not win and knew that from the beginning. I wonder if this deal between Yin & Yang was set up from the start. One thing is clear, the only reason Huckabee is still in this race is for McCain. At least John Edwards had the decency to bow out in order to let their electorate have a fair choice.
That being said. Of course you should vote for who you like. We are just saying to the establishment that if they force McCain on us by triangulating the conservative vote then I’m sorry but our nominee is going to lose. McCain won’t get Democrats to cross over while at the same time he will not get the solid conservative support any nominee will need to win in November. Huckabee won only 1 state and got only 13% in FL and is nowhere in the national polls. He should step out for the good of the party and the nation and he should do it soon. If he doesn’t then we will also hold him equally responsible for the disaster that will follow but somehow in spite of his eloquent espousal of conservative and christian values, I sadly suspect he doesn’t really care.
Jan 31, 2008 - 1:05 pm 25. carly:Attention everyone who thinks it’s the “purist” Republicans or the “right wing” who are the only ones not supporting McCain. I’m one of many “moderate” Republicans–the people the “right wing” like to call “RINO”–former Rudy supporter. And I wouldn’t vote for McCain now–or in the general election.
He has neither the intelligence nor the demeanor to be President. He’s a committed class warrior–his anti-business/pro-big government record appalls me. And he fails as a warrior against Islamic extremism, too, because he’s against using every means at our disposal to catch, confine and debrief the enemies in our midst. There’s more to winning the war being waged against US than staying in Iraq for “100 years” and/or fighting “more wars”.
McCain? Nope. No way. Not now, not ever. If someone whose views are mostly opposite of mine is going to be Pres, I’d rather it was a Democrat. Let’s go whole hog down the toilet!! Then maybe someday we can start to climb back up.
Jan 31, 2008 - 1:24 pm 26. johnbrown:The fact that McCain was pushing the “comprehensive” immigration reform is not that disturbing; with 12 (11? 13?) million illegals in the country, some kind of amnesty is going to be granted, whoever is running the congress. The disturbing facts are McCain’s attempts to ram it through the Senate while lying (or being ignorant) about its contents and labeling every opponent an anti-hispanic bigot (a labeling he continues to employ even today).
Jan 31, 2008 - 1:57 pm 27. syn:McCain’s approaches to other problems are similar; e.g. Mitt Romney simply mentions the word “deadlines” and is “responsible for the deaths of American troops”.
At this point, the only reason that John McCain would be preferable to Barack Obama is the likelihood that he would appoint more conservative judges. However, given the McCain-Feingold Act, I have to wonder what kind of “conservative” judges he would appoint (it wouldn’t be the libertarian kind!).
Three candidates are currently members of the worst Congress in the history of the United States yet I am being asked to give my vote to one who has been a Washington insider the longest.
McCain is such forementioned member of the worst congress in the history of the United States and is no better than Hillary or Obama.
After the last six years of Congress’s BS, it’s insane to attempt to shove McCain down my throat.
A vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same crap which came out of the worst Congress in the history of the United States.
He wasn’t my first or my second but he is my last so I sent money to Romney’s campaign.
Romney is not a member of the worst Congress in the history of the United States.
I will not support the worst Congress in the history of the United States, I don’t care how much free crap they offer!
Jan 31, 2008 - 7:21 pm 28. David W. Lincoln:Jerry, thanks for taking the time to offer a rebuttal. One matter that wasn’t addressed, and I am interested in what you have to say.
The GOP was taken behind the woodshed in 2006. What can be pointed to as evidence that it learned its message?
Jan 31, 2008 - 8:06 pm 29. Christian Prophet:The real issue is McCain’s dishonesty. Romney has only gently called him on it. Any Democratic candidate would slaughter McCain. It seems Romney would be far better for America than McCain. Here is an interesting article indicating the deeper ramifications:
Jan 31, 2008 - 9:13 pm 30. MarkD:http://acimmessages.blogspot.com/
It’s too early to discuss this. I’m going out Tuesday and voting for Romney. If McCain wins the nomination, I’ll hold my nose and vote for him in November over either of the Democratic nominees.
But we really need a “none of the above” option on the ballot. I suspect it would beat McCain-Clinton or McCain-Obama handily.
Feb 1, 2008 - 7:42 am 31. delburd:Whats the problem when you vote Super Tuesday there is a True Conservative on the ballot ! yes its Fred Thompson Stop McCain vote Fred Thompson !! http://www.writeinfred.com
Feb 1, 2008 - 10:03 am 32. V for Victory:36% people
just remember if we had gotten Hucleberry out of this race sooner we could have had Fred. if he doesn’t get out of the way we may get McLame
36% does not represent the republican party by a longshot
this isn’t over
Feb 1, 2008 - 10:53 am 33. CitizenLiberty:When the evangelicals and neocons began to dismantle the GOP in the ’80s, I said “So long. Call me when the Constitution becomes important again.”
Finally, in 2007 a Republican did show up amid all the RINOs. So I returned, only to discover that the first truly Republican candidate since Goldwater was despised by the media, the insider establishment, and the fearful–just like Goldwater. In short, RINOs and lovers of the corporate State.
Though McCain claims “outsider and maverick” labels, he’s been part of the establishment all his adult life: Born on a naval base as the son and grandson of admirals, lived on a military bases his entire childhood, went to the Naval Academy, served a full military career, immediately ran for congress in ‘82 after retiring, moved on to the Senate in ‘86, and has been there ever since. So McCain has been a paid employee of the US government for 54 years and grew up in an elite military family before that. You can’t get any more ‘establishment’ than John McCain.
So what if the likely GOP nominee believes in restraints on free speech (like Kennedy), higher taxation (like Clinton), bigger government (like Bush), open borders (like Durbin), and 100-year U.S. armies of occupation everywhere from Albania to Zimbabwe? Romney believes in those things too – at least, he does when he’s in a room full of people that want him to.
In stark contrast, Dr. Ron Paul is the private sector candidate, for all those productive Americans who are sick and tired of foreign wars, Federal Reserve bubbles that only beat down farmers and ranchers, the police state, and excessive taxes. Only Ron Paul speaks for freedom, peace, and prosperity. And after Wednesday’s debate, I’ll agree with them.
Without a strong economy, everything else fails as well. When Bush took office in 2001, I bought gold at $270/ounce. Today’s price is over $900–and not because gold has become more valuable; rather, you need more dollars to buy the same amount of gold. The economic failures hitting Main St. will hit harder the longer Washington continues to spend like drunks and only Dr. Paul is addressing this core issue in an intelligent manner. Why can’t a Senator or Governor?
Dr. Paul serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. I believe he knows what he’s talking about when he points out the financial trouble coming down the pike.
And ‘national security’ conservatives, please note that when the dollar finally crashes (a la the ruble in ’80s and ’90s), any sense of military security will crumble as well. How many soldiers will continue to defend Iraq, Germany, or Japan when the paycheck doesn’t arrive? Or behave as Russian soldiers did and sell military hardware to feed their families?
Save America, save the dollar, and save our grandchildren from the fate of Russians: support Dr. Ron Paul.
Feb 1, 2008 - 2:21 pm 34. John the Dennis Miller Libertarian:I am a recovering Democrat (we never fully recover, do we?) who took 10 years to shake off the liberal indoctrination of the University system; I now align myself with Reagan (and Thompson) conservatives. It appears the Republican party is in disarray this election cycle and may very well lose the White House to a Democrat; that said, nothing seems to clarify and crystallize the conservative movement than to witness the damage wrought. Coulter may well be right that under a Democrat president the Republicans will regain the House and Senate in ‘10.
Which is all fun and games, but let’s try to keep our eye on the big picture, yes? Judicial nominees. Judicial nominees. Judicial nominees.
Plug your nose and vote McCain if you must.
And to all you Paul supporters? Your zealotry scares the rest of us. Truly, it does.
Feb 1, 2008 - 4:51 pm 35. John the Dennis Miller Libertarian:I am a recovering Democrat (we never fully recover, do we?) who took 10 years to shake off the liberal indoctrination of the University system; I now align myself with Reagan (and Thompson) conservatives. It appears the Republican party is in disarray this election cycle and may very well lose the White House to a Democrat; that said, nothing seems to clarify and crystallize the conservative movement than to witness the damage wrought. Coulter may well be right that under a Democrat president the Republicans will regain the House and Senate in ‘10.
Which is all fun and games, but let’s try to keep our eye on the big picture, yes? Judicial nominees. Judicial nominees. Judicial nominees.
Plug your nose and vote McCain if you must.
And to all you Paul supporters? Your zealotry scares the rest of us. Truly, it does.
Feb 1, 2008 - 5:56 pm 36. sheryl:McCain isn’t the GOP’s best candidate.
It’s almost like the GOP establishment has one of those red “take a number” machines that you see at a bakery or a deli counter and McCain’s number has come up. Pathetic.
McCain 2008 = Bob Dole 1996
McCain isn’t that smart and if the GOP is going to even think of competing against an Oprah approved Obama or both Clintons, we need someone who is wicked smart, with a quick robust intelligence, real world experience and fresh ideas.
I’m voting for Mitt Romney because I believe he has the skills required to be a great POTUS.
Feb 1, 2008 - 10:47 pm 37. Hal Bradstreet:What we’re seeing here, in my opinion, is the advent of a true third-party in the US political universe. It takes the middle road, eschewing the far left and the far right. It’s a hybred that obviously represents more of main-stream America than either of the extremes.
Feb 2, 2008 - 3:59 am 38. Smarty:Frankly I think it’s the wave of the future and the drowning of the left and right fanatics.
Of course there are fewer conservatives, we let the gutless, RINO controlled RNC run things, and they run things by sucking up to the MSM rather than by fighting back. Who should be working with state parties to eliminate open primaries? The RNC.
Who should be working with the state parties to ensure that our most liberal few states don’t get the first say? The RNC. Who should be deciding how many debates to have and who moderates them? The RNC.
The RNC needs a purge like Michael More needs a colin cleansing. Both would result in the same kind of waste washing out, IMHO.
Feb 2, 2008 - 7:24 am 39. David W. Lincoln:It seems to me that Ron Paul is similar to Nancy Reagan – both are suspicious of people who are loyal to ideas instead of people.
Well, seeing that backers of Ron Paul would purge those who put more confidence in ministers than in windbags who know what to say so that the listener hears what the listener wants to hear – he can join the segment who wants life to only be 1776.
What is the difference between them and those who want to the world to go back to the 7th. Century?
Life changes because of new sequences of cause and effect have been known to be introduced.
So, one can either pine for the “good ole days” or with confidence face the future.
This is why I think highly of Mike Huckabee’s message of “I believe in Hope”, via he endorsing President Reagan.
Feb 2, 2008 - 2:45 pm 40. Julie:I will never vote for John McCain. I am a conservative, not a republican.
Feb 2, 2008 - 6:13 pm 41. Richard:I think a similar proposal is already floating around out there, but, if McCain manages to win then conservatives need to show McCain who’s in charge of this party. For not lauching a third party campaign conservatives get to select the VP. Then McCain has to advertise just who will be on his cabinet and it better not include Huckabee or Rudy. Last, we get to write the reform of the nomination process: one national primary day for all fifty states. Any states that do not comply lose there delegates; States with open primaries will be penalized 50%.
Feb 3, 2008 - 6:26 pm 42. Mark Stewart:This is very simple. McCain, like all of our career politicians, is very, very good at manipulating the average person. This is especially handy when the average person doesn’t have the foggiest idea how economics works or what is and is not in the Constitution.
A coworker comes to mind. He describes himself as hardcore conservative, an enemy of the Left. However, he is most definitely a socialist follower. On the subject of why alternative fuels are unable to dent the market share enjoyed by petroleum fuels: He thinks it is because Big Oil is just too powerful. On the subject of whether we should adopt a complete tax reformation such as the FairTax: he thinks that the removal of embedded taxes would not be passed down to the consumer (apparently being completely ignorant of the effect of competition on pricing). On the subject of the McCain-Feingold BCRA: He looks bewildered and asks, “What’s the BCRA?”
McCain knows the average American is completely oblivious to what goes on in Washington. He knows most Americans don’t read National Review. Most Americans don’t read the Wall Street Journal editorial page. Most Americans don’t listen to Neal Boortz or Rush Limbaugh. Most Americans have only the vaguest notion of what a conservative or liberal is.
To win the votes of people who think they are conservative but are mouthbreather ignorant, you only need to put on the Lee Greenwood/Red-White-and-Blue decorations/BBQ/Backyards/Ballgames/John Phillip Souza Americana-in-a-box get-up and you’ve won their hearts. John McCain is selling political corruption and vote-buying socialism all done up in star spangled wrapping paper.
The fact that the opposition in the more openly socialist DNC is so far obviously of the Berkeley set is a major reason why McCain’s ploy works.
To those diehard followers of the GOP leadership scared witless of the idea that their success, as the Rush Limbaugh has famously noted, does not depend on who wins elections, I say this:
I’m not voting for Hillary/Obama. I’m voting AGAINST McCain. (I might have stomached Romney, but not the Manchurian Candidate…no way.)
I fell for the “lesser of the two evils” trick in 2000 and voted for a RINO. Shame on the GOP.
Then, in 2004, I fell for it again. Shame on Me.
That’s two mistakes. I will not make a third.
BTW: RED QUEEN! RED QUEEN!
Feb 4, 2008 - 6:09 pm