29 Comments

Richard Whalen:

I cannot bring myself to vote for some one who does not even remotely represent the interests of conservatism, IMO.

So I respectfully disagree with the conclusion that there is a distinction with a difference between the Clinton’s and McCain. Also I believe the proper legal definition for undocumented workers is (deportable aliens). However I am certain that the liberal cant will eventually redefine the republican party out of existence if possible.

RDW

Feb 4, 2008 - 12:33 pm Terry Quinn:

We’re voting for Romney in CA on Tuesday, & hope to G-d he is the nominee. We also know it’s a longshot.
My guess is that Rush, Ann C, et al, will ultimately vote for McCain in the General, BUT, with energy & cash? Doubtful.
As long as his big win states come from “cross-overs” (D&I,)and the left media adore him, he is very suspect.
Sorry to be un-pc, but he’s also old, had cancer, maybe megalomaniacal (certainly ill-tempered,)and comes from a line of short-lived males.

Not a good prospect.

Feb 4, 2008 - 6:19 pm Jen:

Did you catch this piece when it hit NRO?
http://www.whwg.com/thefirm/sample.php/181/Clark_S._Judge

I’ve never thought about the election this way — Clark Judge makes the argument that this election centers around one question: “How does America deal in a world without walls?”

Now that the Cold War “walls” have been pulled down, global issues such as immigration, terrorism, the economy, and the environment are THE issues that our country faces. And Mr. Judge makes a convincing argument that while the Democrats are reverting back to pre-Cold War ideals (Hillary=Truman, Barack=Eisenhower) that won’t work in today’s world, the Republicans are correctly focusing on the challenges that our changing world has brought our way.

Feb 4, 2008 - 7:03 pm kpeyser:

Reasons Romney Is Not A Conservative!
1- His Massachusetts Health Care Is The Same As Obama’s and Hillary’s Plan (it is bankrupting Massachusetts)
2- Romney raised various fees by more than $300 million, including raising fees for driver’s licenses, marriage licenses, and gun licenses.
3- Increased the state gasoline tax by 2 cents per gallon, generating about $60 million per year in additional tax revenue.
4- In May 2004 Romney instructed town clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
5- In 1994 Senate race Romney supported the abortion rights established under Roe v Wade.
6- Waffled on Iraq by mentioning time tables for withdrawal.
7- Approves abortion pill RU-486 while Governor.
8- The 2002 Olympics - run by Mitt Romney - was the only Olympics that restricted the Boy Scouts from participating.

Feb 4, 2008 - 11:48 pm Mick Stockinger:

I can’t believe I am commenting on a blog written by a man who wears bow ties and accuses conservatives of childishness.

I’ve read several reflective posts from people who have decided not to support McCain should he become the nominee as well as some who would vote for Hillary Clinton instead. They at least provided rationales for their actions. You simply assert that McCain “isn’t scary”. Make your case if you can.

The point is moot anyways because McCain can’t possibly win against any Democrat nominee. The reality is that he has no money and won’t be getting any, anytime soon. The base is not going to fund him. Independents don’t fund anyone and those who might benefit from liberal immigration policy are finding much better investments in Obama and Clinton. You may persuade some conservatives to follow McCain’s mother’s advice and hold their nose and vote, but you can’t persuade anyone to write a check to the man.

McCain has come a long ways on five years in a prison camp, but Democrats are going to be far less impressed with him and his mythology than the prospect of a black man or woman in the White House.

To vote for McCain is, in the words of one blogger, the consumption of a shit sandwich, supposed made palatable by the fact that it has the GOP brand.

No adult can seriously contemplate voting for the man.

Feb 5, 2008 - 1:13 am Linda Frank:

Hello? There’s a war on!

And who’s the most qualified candidate in that instance. John McCain by a mile. These “conservatives” are unbelievably self-indulgent.

Feb 5, 2008 - 6:22 am Bot:

Let us look at McCain’s conservative credentials:
-IMMIGRATION: he wrote the bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants (co-sponsored by Ted Kennedy)
-SOCIAL SECURITY: he voted to give your social security money to illegal immigrants
-TAXES: he voted against the Bush tax cuts multiple times (he has since flip-flopped and has campaigned as a lifelong tax-cutter)
-RHETORIC: he routinely engages in Democratic class warfare against big companies in America, particularly the “evil” drug companies who research cures to debilitating diseases for a profit
-ECONOMY: as recently as December 2007 he admitted “he does not know the economy very well” and needed to get better at it
-1ST AMENDMENT: he wrote the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that was declared to be an unconstitutional infringement of the 1st Amendment (co-sponsored by ultra-liberal Democrat Russ Feingold)
-2ND AMENDMENT: he was called the “worst 2nd amendment candidate” by the president of the NRA
-ENERGY TAX: wrote a bill (co-sponsored by his buddy Lieberman) imposing a massive tax on energy which, according to the Department of Energy, would drastically raise the price of gasoline and put 300,000 Americans out of work
-GLOBAL WARMING: supports radical global warming legislation which involved him voting with every Democrat; think only America is responsible to take action, not other superpowers
-JUDGES: he joined forces with Democrats (Gang of 14) to block the Senate Republican’s attempt to confirm conservative, strict constructionist judges; also said Alito was too conservative for his liking
-WAR ON TERROR: fought with Hillary Clinton to demand that terrorists be given a full American trial
-GAY MARRIAGE: he joined liberals to fight against a federal marriage amendment supporting the institution of traditional marriage
-CHRISTIANS: campaigning in 2000, he famously described Christian leaders as “agents of intolerance”
-PRO-LIFE: he filed an amicus brief against pro-life advocates in Wisconsin
-BI-PARTISANSHIP: he met with leading Democrats in 2004 to discuss the possibility of being John Kerry’s Vice-President; publicly considered leaving the Republican Party in 2001 after he lost the primary
-PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: ringleader of the infamous Keating 5 ethical scandal which cost US tax payers $160 billion (Google it)
-PERSONAL ETHICS: McCain cheated on his first wife after she had a severe accident that left her partially disabled. He then divorced her and married his multi-millionaire mistress, whose daddy bought McCain a spot in the Congress

Feb 5, 2008 - 6:42 am C Smith:

Linda,

McCain is only qualified from that standpoint if you are really hoping the War in Iraq never ends. Ever. Well at least not until long after you are dead.

Feb 5, 2008 - 6:44 am Fred Beloit:

Gee, what a good idea. Vote to prevent the other party from winning, even if your own party is offering you people who by rights should be in the other party. Is this why government in the UK is so successful?

Feb 5, 2008 - 8:40 am Lily:

If you supported the war, which in case you have forgotten, is still going on, you have a moral obligation come the general election to vote for the candidate who is most qualified to help us win. If you vote for a candidate who says they are going to pull out when that will be an obvious disaster, and when in fact our present course is working, you have sent our soldiers to die for NOTHING. Your actions will be far worse than those on the left who opposed the war from the beginning. Do what you want in the primaries. But if you don’t put the war first come the general election, quite frankly your reprehensible actions will be worse than unpatriotic, they’ll be treasonous.

Feb 5, 2008 - 9:05 am layerguy:

All grow’d up conservative here.

John McCain is against the First Amendment to the Constitution. His law tells me I can’t say anything negative about him 60 days before his election. Free speech is the cornerstone of conservatism. John McCain is AWOL on the issue. Traitorously.

John McCain is against enforcing the laws he swore an oath to uphold. He’d rather just grant citizenship to illegal aliens because it’s more politically expedient to do so. “I’ll build the Goddamned wall if that’s what they want me to do.” Blasphemous on top of everything else.

John McCain allowed money to corrupt him and his family. That’s why he was taking money from Frank Keating, and trying to coerce federal regulators in the Savings and Loan scandal nobody remembers. He dishonored his brothers in doing so by bringing shame on those who spent years in the Hanoi Hilton, but refused to be bought off.

If McCain is the best the Republicans have to offer, then I’ll vote Democrat and at least get free health insurance out of the deal.

Feb 5, 2008 - 10:10 am howard:

I’ll vote for Romney or an independent. I don’t care what mccain’s mom said, I won’t hold my nose and vote for mccain. I could get even more piss off and vote democrat just to keep mccain out of the white house.

Feb 5, 2008 - 10:29 am R.W. Rasband:

“Far from it. I would prefer to pull the lever from Mitt Romney myself—assuming, that is, that Romney could win in the general election. Can he? Many pundits say no.”

If you really believe this you should not be trying to rhetorically shut down opposition to McCain six months before the convention, when the vast majority of delegates haven’t even been selected. Contrary to conventional wisdom, McCain hasn’t wrapped this up no matter how many of his mainstream media supporters might wish it, and Romney is still in the race.

Feb 5, 2008 - 10:58 am Peter:

McCain SHAMEFUL Voting Record:

The Hill: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is the only presidential candidate in Congress to have missed a major vote on the Iraq war this year.

The National Journal: “Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., …missed more than half of the votes in both the economic and foreign-policy categories…

HOW MANY MORE MEN AND WOMEN IS MCCAIN GOING sacrifice to preserve Bush’s war legacy?

Are you willing to surrender your vote to McCain on Super Tuesday?

Feb 5, 2008 - 11:24 am Daniel Anderson:

I just say no to McCain, I was party when he was off the Reservation. If he leads it is not a “National Party No More” Zell Miller.

Feb 5, 2008 - 11:46 am Peter Laverick:

As an Australian, suffering under a newly elected non-conservative government of little ability in anything but whining, I have to caution American conservatives from electing a corrupt, statist idiot (Clinton) or an idealist windbag with no experience (Obama), just because the Conservative side puts up its least Conservative candidate.

Let’s face it, no matter how statist Mr McCain is, he will still be less statist than the Democrats. So voting for a Democrat over McCain is merely spiteful idiocy.

Feb 5, 2008 - 2:34 pm FWL:

Please lecture Democrats and stop trying to shut down Republican dissent.

Remember Bob Dole - It’s his turn - Vote the electable one!

Good grief!!

Feb 5, 2008 - 3:17 pm Dean Smith:

IMMIGRATION is the issue poised to scuttle the United States of America.
Allowing 20 million illiterate peasants to become voting citizens with access to welfare is going to shock even the Liberals when they get the bill! Mexicans, Hispanics, Chicanos, and Latinos are historically NOT self reliant.
AND remember this: EVERY illiterate, illegal alien who is granted AMNESTY, automatically becomes a “minority”, and is INTITLED to affirmative action, and welfare.
MY GOD, WHITE PEOPLE ARE STUPID !!!

Feb 5, 2008 - 4:29 pm Zhombre:

Conservatives can vent and rewrite Waiting for Godot as a dream of the New Ronnie but my bottom line is to prevent the Clinton Restoration, or the Obama Ascendancy and if McCain, whom Camille Paglia once described as the Uriah Heep of American politics, can accomplish that, then he has my vote in November.

Feb 5, 2008 - 4:41 pm Richard Whalen:

I think I would vote for Uriah Heep before McCain, only because at least I’d have some idea what I would be getting. With McCain you are really rolling the dice.

RDW

Feb 5, 2008 - 5:36 pm rcocean:

Lets all unite behind McCain-

-The jobs aren’t coming back;
-The illegals are never going home; and
-more wars!

That platform and Bob Dole’s endorsement make him unstoppable.

Feb 5, 2008 - 6:59 pm Fred Beloit:

Irony, example: Bob Dole injecting himself into a primary which could be called Bob Dole Redux.

Feb 6, 2008 - 5:24 am Sue:

It seems to me that it is you, sir, who doesn’t understand: voting for McCain is no alternative to Hillary or Obama…they’re all the SAME!!!!!!

Better a witch I know or a boob without experience then this weasel, McCain.

Feb 6, 2008 - 8:40 am mal:

http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=10980#comments

Roger Kimball to Conservatives: Grow Up! [Dan Collins] - UPDATED, WITH A RESPONSE TO MR KIMBALL FROM PROTEIN WISDOM THE ELDER
Mr. Adult Guy:

Feb 6, 2008 - 11:42 am Deborah:

I guess I’m just a Peter Pan Republican.

Feb 6, 2008 - 4:40 pm Zhombre:

“With McCain you are really rolling the dice.” So let’s roll ‘em. With the Clintons you know you get grifters and with Obama you aren’t rolling the dice but expecting a miracle.

Feb 7, 2008 - 1:42 pm Richard Whalen:

Zhombre, I recognize your screen name from NewsBusters, my other favorite website.

Regarding the “Peter Pan Principle” implicit in Mr. Kimball’s evaluation, I am willing to admit that he may have hit a sore spot, and in so far as I must concede that my recent enthusiasm of conservative ideals has been set back to some extent. I will present my case in typical knuckle dragging hayseed, fashion; short on analysis, and long on the side of gut wrenching fear.

I do not wish to seem obsequious nor be accused of faked praise by confessing to an inferior education. In fact Mr. Kimball has saved my artistic soul, thank you very, very, much. And I will continue to purchase his books.

Zhombre, Re: your posts, they are intellectually edifying, as well as being clearly stated and erudite.

Granting all that, (silent scream), I originally supported John McCain in the 2000 Presidential campaign, my reservations orbit around the gradual erosion of an assault on American culture.

Example: The open borders policy advocated by President Bush and Senator McCain, a policy in my opinion which would in effect force a sort of shotgun wedding between two incompatible cultural sensibilities; namely the knuckle dragging maize pounding southern cornhuskers of south America and knuckle dragging northern corn-husking Anglo American, here in the reddest of red states, nativist Nebraska.
Seriously, I live about 140 miles (as the crow fly’s), from the geographical center of the United States of America. But when I use my local drive-thru-ATM, I’m asked to choose either English or Spanish, even though the demographic make-up of our little hamlet consists of the following proportions:

98.26% of people are white, [Probably Germanic, Italian and some sort of Celtic mix], 0.11% are black, 0.34% are Asian, 0.13% are native American, and 1.49% claim ‘Other’. 98.01% are non-Hispanic)!

Although, the following may have the ring of protesting too much. I really, really do like Mexican people. In fact I like Americans of Mexican decent even more than Mexicans. Moreover, I would someday like to see actual Mexicans living in Mexico, when luck have it, I win the lotto, and Mexico is where I hope to vacation, So call me a friggen romantic already!

The aborted Kennedy/McCain amnesty legislation or similar proposals will only create an underclass of “bastard” Americans who are neither patriots of Mexico nor American patriots but only nomads whose future offspring will be suspect for decades to come.

This does not even touch upon the significant prospect of actual enemies taking advantage of an open borders and amassing sleeper cells. I will confine my concerns towards the full and silent tide of future strife.

I prefer that these good people figuratively, knock first. So that we may welcome them through the front door as we would welcome newly wed in-laws accepted as family members rather than consign them to the inevitable status of dingy vagrants living under our porch.

If Senator McCain shows me a plan to perform this miracle I will gladly vote for him.

As for the war against Islamofacist, fair trade, small government, all of these subject are more encouraging. I guess, who knows?

Feb 8, 2008 - 4:04 am Dr. Filthy McNasty:

Oh goodness gracious–every conservative who does not want to vote for McCain KNOWS that Hillary would be worse. That’s not the point.

The point is that Republicans win the White House most of the time, but not all of the time. With that in mind, pick your losses.

Best to let the Dems have a go with a candidate who’ll have the nation pulling their hair out within the first six months and who has little hope of a second term. Hillary is that gal. Imagine what would have happened if Michael Dukakis won in 1988. He would not have won a second term, and we would have likely had eights years of a Republican in the White House instead of Bill Clinton.

Feb 8, 2008 - 7:46 am John W:

Now is the time for conservatives to ask for commitments from McCain. As the summer goes along, he will be tacking towards the left, and conservatives will be forgotten.

Feb 9, 2008 - 8:19 am

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