Posted on 02/15/2008 6:15:23 AM PST by jdm
It's all but settled. John McCain will be the Republican Party nominee for president in 2008. That has caused much anguish among many conservatives who knew Ronald Reagan - who was a friend of theirs. And Senator, you're no Ronald Reagan, or words to that effect.
Nevertheless, conservative realists recognize that despite all the chinks in the right side of his armor, John McCain still is far more conservative than either Hillary or B.O. But when President Bush declared that John McCain was a "true conservative" this week - which was kinda like Joan Crawford declaring that Britney Spears was a good mom - true, true conservatives said "Huh?"
After seven years of excess spending and rampant government growth (Homeland Security, No Child Left Behind, Medicare prescription drugs, etc.) under "compassionate conservative" governance, the right ain't readin' anybody's lips again. Trust, but verify. And this time they want it in writing. Preferably in blood.
GOPUSA.com has drafted a "Contract with Conservatives" that it hopes the Republican presidential nominee will embrace. "Conservatives need something more than simple assurances," writes GOPUSA's publisher, Bobby Eberle. "For our time, effort, money, and votes, we need a pledge. We need a pledge from our presidential nominee to uphold the core Republican values that built this party, and which have taken a backseat to politics in recent years."
Right-footed GOP foot-soldiers are flocking to GOPUSA's Web site to sign the online petition declaring that they "will support our presidential nominee and other candidates for high office, only if they uphold the Contract with Conservatives." An extraordinary declaration of grassroots independence. The Contract includes:
Immigration Reform: No "comprehensive" plan. Border security first. THEN we can talk about the rest. And when it comes to dealing with illegal aliens already in the country, they "should not be given special consideration for citizenship and should not be put ahead of those seeking to come to America legally." Pretty reasonable.
Tax Reform: Support for not only lowering taxes, but reforming the tax system to make it simpler. And stop using the tax code "for social engineering." Hard to argue with that.
Limited Government: SHRINK the size and scope of the federal government, not just slow its growth. Earmarks and pork should be eliminated. Limit the government to doing "only those core jobs enumerated in the Constitution." What a radical notion.
Judges: Select judicial nominees who will "follow the law rather than make new laws from the bench." And make sure they get up-or-down votes in a timely fashion - a clear shot at Sen. McCain and his "Gang of 14" that prevented Republicans from breaking Harry Reid's judicial filibusters a couple years back.
Life: Support overturning Roe vs. Wade and oppose embryonic stem cell research. Of course, this is where fiscal conservatives and social conservatives divide their forces, which is how Sen. McCain ended up winning the GOP presidential nomination in the first place. Thanks, Mike Huckabee.
Free Speech: Repeal McCain-Feingold. I suspect this one just might be a bit hard for Sen. McCain to swallow.
All in all, a pretty good treatise. Sen. McCain won't embrace all of it, but then again, no one really expects him to. All this does is put a possible President McCain on notice that conservatives will not support him blindly the way they often did President Bush when W wandered too far off the left side of the conservative reservation.
Fool conservatives once, shame on you; fool conservatives twice, shame on us. We won't get fooled again.
YOu write: “That’s like saying the troops are now forced to salute a drunk”.
Gee, what percentage of America has or has had a drinking problem? Now what percentage of America has abused cocaine? How many households in America have bottles of booze in their house versus vials of COCAINE?????
Nice try, you lose.
I was here a couple of years with a different name. Made the mistake of giving my email out with nasty results.
In that case, slam away Freeper. I am just protective of long time freepers and I feel new guys should be as well.
Regards
Not reasonable at all. Allowing them to stay and work here puts them at the head of the line. It is not about citizenship, it is about legalizing their status.
I’m voting for obama in the primary here in Wisconsin, then for repub in in the big one
Right now the expectations game is very low with McCain. If McCain was smart he’d make some overtures to the rightwing. That could get more conservatives to reluctantly hold their noses for him. A staunch VP choice for a running mate would go a long way to uniting the GOP.
If McCain does nothing to consolitate GOP voters, he’s a goner.
The real point remains - going after what he did as a kid is stupid and petty. Especially when he’s come clean on his own and called his mistakes for what they were.
If that’s the best objection we can come up with, we better get used to President Obama.
anti second amendment? now that’s a new one
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/77636553-6337-4ecd-b170-49e1c07d2fbd.htm
BTTT!
I guess what I’d most like to see is a younger, more vigorous conservative in the VP slot where he (or maybe she) could become the logical successor to McCain’s one term. One can hope.
Why do you and so many others base your arguments on a campaign’s website, where they can say just anything they want based on nothing in reality, instead of 40 years of known positions for which there is a record ?
Don’t watch their lips, watch their hands...
What would you do if someone yelled, “Sharks! Sharks are in the water!”? I would hope I had some repellent. The problem with McCain is the repellent stinks and repels some of us.
Hope - isn’t that what Obambi’s selling :)
I don’t want McCain anywhere near the presidency, no matter who is his VP. If there’s any hope of saving the GOP for conservatives, electing McCain will kill it dead.
don’t give me some wacky website. mcCain has a strong record on guns. voted against the Brady Bill and the assault weapon ban
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OI1GEO0&show_article=1&catnum=3
LAREDO, Texas (AP) - Sen. John McCain says the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech does not change his view that the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to carry a weapon.
“We have to look at what happened here, but it doesn’t change my views on the Second Amendment, except to make sure that these kinds of weapons don’t fall into the hands of bad people,” McCain said Monday in response to a question.
The Arizona Republican, who was campaigning in this Texas-Mexico border city, said he didn’t know the details of the attacks at Virginia Tech.
“I do believe in the constitutional right that everyone has, in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon,” he said. “Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens.”
i know his record.
About a month ago, I daydreamed of something similar to the Contract with Conservatives. But then I thought about WHO we are requesting to sign this. There is no way John McCain’s ego and temperament will allow anyone — especially piss-ant conservative insects like us — telling him what to do!
If you're referring to the Gun Owners of America, a more pro-Second Amendment group that rivals the NRA as a "whacky website," then you've got some serious soul-searching to do.
If you don't believe me, I suggest you consult the Free Republic bang_list.
There. Fixed it.
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