Conservatives: Sitting Out 2008 Is the Height of Idiocy by Ben Shapiro

Family Security Matters ^ | 14 February 2008 | Ben Shapiro

[K-oneTexas]

Published: February 14, 2008

Conservatives: Sitting Out 2008 Is the Height of Idiocy

Ben Shapiro

 

The conservative base isn't fond of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. They disagree with him on a wide variety of issues, and they feel insulted by McCain's ardent desire to please those across the political aisle.

           

But conservatives are fools if they stay home in November.

           

There's plenty to question about John McCain, but there's one thing conservatives can't question: McCain is better than Hillary Clinton. He's better than Barack Obama. And it's not close.

           

McCain is a hard-line proponent of victory in Iraq. He has pledged to lower taxes. He has always fought governmental corruption, even if that has led him to absurd extremes like campaign finance reform. He is a strong pro-life voter. He says he will veto any bill that has any earmarks. In 2006, McCain received a 65% rating from the American Conservative Union, which measures whether members of Congress are in line with conservatives on major issues. In 2005, his score was 80%.

           

Here are Hillary Clinton's scores in those same two years: 8% and 12%. Obama scored 8% both years.

           

It's simply unthinkable to equate McCain's record with either Clinton's or Obama's. McCain is a left-leaning Republican, which means he ranks in the upper half of the Senate in terms of political conservatism. National Journal, by contrast, ranked Clinton the 16th most liberal senator in the Senate in 2007. Obama was No. 1.

           

Despite the vast difference between McCain and his Democratic opponents, many conservatives are threatening to boycott the 2008 election. They argue that the Republican Party has abandoned conservatism, and that in order to reclaim the Party, the GOP may have to go through the purifying ritual of cataclysmic electoral defeat.

           

This is historically ignorant. Intraparty squabbles are constant with regard to choosing presidential candidates. Parties do not move toward a particular ideological group because of electoral defeat – they move toward a particular ideological group because that group is most motivated to back a single candidate. Ronald Reagan was a rising force in the Republican Party before Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter -- he almost wrested the nomination from Ford in 1976. The Democratic Party's recent move to the left has not been a reaction to their electoral defeats in 2000 and 2004 – after all, Al Gore and John Kerry were certainly quite liberal. The problem with the conservative movement in 2008 wasn't the movement -- it was the lack of a candidate. And sending the GOP to ringing defeat in 2008 won't push the Party back to the right unless there's a candidate to rally around.

           

If conservatives think they can rally around a challenger in 2012 and oust an incumbent Democrat, they should think again. Conceding the White House in 2008 could easily mean an eight-year term for either Hillary or Obama – and such an eight-year term would wreak havoc on a country already overburdened by taxes and under assault from Islamic terrorism.

           

The proposed conservative boycott of the GOP in 2008 also demonstrates a massive misunderstanding of the GOP's role. The GOP isn't constructed to nominate conservative candidates. It is constructed to win. It's the conservative base's responsibility to nominate conservative candidates. In 2008, the conservative base failed. That isn't the GOP's fault. Punishing the GOP fruitlessly punishes an organization that isn't to blame.

           

Conservatives must recognize that the choice in 2008 is between John McCain and Clinton or Obama. It isn't about McCain vs. Romney or McCain vs. Huckabee anymore. And if McCain wins, that doesn't preclude conservatives from rallying around a more conservative candidate next time. Dooming the country to at least four years of Democratic incompetence and appeasement won't solve conservatives' problem.

# #

FamilySecurityMatters.org contributing editor Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School. He is also the author of the recently published "Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future" as well as the national best seller "Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth." He practices law in Los Angeles.

[farmer18th]

Hmmmm...sit it out and let an anti-constitutionalist socialist win or participate and let an anti-constitutionalist socialist win.

If I participate I can have an anti-constititutionalist socialist win AND help the American Center justifiably conclude there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.

Hmmm.... difficult... difficult.

[Designer]

"And by allowing your political disappointments to deliberately place our fighting men and women in the hands of Clinton/Obama is an insult to THEM."

One could say the same thing about your using our own pride and concern for our fighting military as a shameful use of emotion in an attempt to influence our opinion.

Kinda the same way as the libs use the phrase; "it's for the children" ploy.

So here: "Shame on you."

[jveritas]

I think that all pro-McCain posting should stop on FR because it is a waste of time. The majority of vocal people on this forum do not support McCain and they would rather have a communist and defeatist like Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in the White House than have McCain. They do not care about the immense ill and evil to be brought on the USA so they see McCain defeated.

Therefore I would like to ask all McCain supporters to absolutely cede this forum to the anti-McCain crowd. However in the "real world" do your best to make sure that McCain wins.

[wita]

Too bad you’ll also be screwing our military and America’s security.

...and you and me in the process, but what the hell they have principles.

[dforest]

blah, blah, blah.

If this guy wants to vote for McCain, vote for him, otherwise he can just shut up.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Kinda the same way as the libs use the phrase; "it's for the children" ploy.

Are you saying that standing up for the American soldier and providing the most capable CIC is a PLOY????

Are you trying to be clever?

If so, you have failed miserably.

[beckysueb]

He won’t lose if people vote for him. Obama is going to get the nod on the dem side. His voters are mostly groupies. More and more people are becoming very afraid of him. By November a lot even dems will vote for McCain. He can win if we don’t hand it to Obama in a fit of stubborness. For the life of me I don’t understand people who would let someone win who has an 8% rating in exchange for an 80% rating. That is a terrible trade off.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Save your guilt-hype for your moderate buddies.

In the mean time, go to this web site and find out something of substance for a change about your candidate Juan McEvil.

http://vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com

That’s why not having McLame is very good for our Military.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Too bad you’ll also be screwing our military and America’s security. ...and you and me in the process, but what the hell they have principles.

Nothing personal, wita, but I'll stand firm for the principles and contributions of the American soldier over the "principles" of irrational politicos any day.

[no dems]

I've got to believe that before November '08, common sense will prevail and we will not do the same thing many of us did in '92 when we voted for Ross Perot, because we were angry at Bush 41, and gave the world "light years" of the Clintons.

[ARE SOLE]

I have to wonder how a soldier in the field will feel when he gets the call that his wife and daughter were raped and murdered by an illegal alien.

Just weeks ago a wounded soldier lay in a VA hospital waiting for his family to visit. His wife and two kids were killed by a drunk, previously deported illegal on the road to visit him. It is happening. It is not theoretical.

Regards

[Seaplaner]

This CONSERVATIVE will NOT sit out 2008.

I have many differences with John Sidney McCain, and I've posted them right here in FR at what I recall to be over a hundred times.

As the Dad of a Marine (in Iraq as I type this) and a Naval aviator-to-be, I have a special interest in having an administration that supports our military.

Hillary detests our military, and Obama... well, I suspect he feels no differently.

My modest objective (with postings here and other places) is to convince (legitimately) indignant conservatives ...

1. That much of the blame for McCaine's nomination comes from a goofy primary system that lets blue state GOPers and meddling independents have too much of a say-so on our candidate, and...

2. That the damage done to our country with 4 or 8 years of a Marxist Hillary will be unrecoverable. (Think gun confiscation, property confiscation, taxes and lawsuits confiscating your hard-earned money, and lawyers appointed to make sure that conservative votes never seem to count in key states, ever again.)

[Squantos]

Another blame the conservatives , diversion of guilt game for the GOP’s idiocy........how nice. Haven’t seen one of these threads on FR for at least six minutes

Suck it up GOP and deal with it. You dealt the hand , you play the hand. Don’t demand conservatives to back yer BS bet on a bluff !

[CharacterCounts]

Idiocy is jumping in bed with McCain when he has delivered absolutely nothing. I am not planning on voting for McCain in November.

Can he do things to change my mind?

Possibly!

He could provide more assurances that he will treat the right with respect. He could nominate a strong conservative as VP.

Will he do these things to try to get conservatives on board?

The chances are less likely if he believes he already has us wrapped up.

Don't just jump in bed with him...make him earn your allegiance.

[Designer]

"Are you saying that standing up for the American soldier and providing the most capable CIC is a PLOY???? "

I'm saying that your pathetic use of emotion here on this thread is a shameful ploy.

[cripplecreek]

Just google the words “soldier + illegal alien”.

[beckysueb]

Maybe instead of waiting for someone else to do something we should do something about our situation. I think the conservatives who are upset with McCain who are refusing to vote should join together and form a coalition and give themselves a name like the Christain Coalition did. When you are a large group, you have more bargaining power. Much more than just a single protest vote here and there. We could probably even get our guy or girl the nomination next time. A third party never works. Changing our party from within is the key and we could do that as a group with one spokesperson like a chairman. However the Christain Coalition does it. We would need someone with influence to start it up.

[Towed_Jumper]

“Conservatives have bent over backwards for the GOP for far too long.”

Actually, I think conservatives have bent over FORWARDS for the GOP far too long.”

I live in Arizona. McCain is from my state. I have NEVER voted for him before to represent me as I saw early on that he wasn’t too “stable” or conservative. I won’t vote for him in November either. I will vote for every other conservative Rep on the ballot, but McInsane can bite me.

[Post-Neolithic]

"I swear some people are dumber than dirt. Do they really think that continually insulting people is going to get them to come around to their side."

That's exactly what the RINOs think.I remember quite vividly all the name calling by so called Conservatives like McCain, when they where trying to push amnesty down our throats.

McCain will never get my vote. Come election time I will be voting for conservatives, and if Mcpain is the Republican nominee, I will use the write-in section on the Presidential race, or if a third party conservative get's in the race, my vote will go to them.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Save your guilt-hype for your moderate buddies.

"Moderate buddies"....like the ones dodging bullets and IEDS around the world standing as a firewall against those who would kill us and making sure you have the freedom to put them in President Obama's hands?

What about those buddies?

There's nothing "moderate" about supporting our soldiers and preventing the likes of Clinton/Obama from gaining control over them and their mission. This is an American responsibility.

Wake up. Acknowledge the cards in play and make your choice. Just don't whitewash the effect a Dimm CIC will have on our military and nation security. You will have own it.