Posted on 06/15/2008 12:57:09 AM PDT by neverdem
John McCain is clearly the preferable option for conservative voters come November. Although liberal in his views toward immigration, government intrusion in free speech, environmental issues, campaign finance reform, health care, education mandates, and a host of other issues that run contrary to conservative orthodoxy, McCain is solid on two (alas, two) vital issues that make the difference; spending and judges. From the frustration of eight years of a Republican Administration that began with so much hope and promise it pains one to say it, but there it is.
3 a.m. and I just got off of work.
I'm one of the "rich" people that just don't deserve a tax break.
I'm so glad the democrats and the republicans know how to spend my money.
I can't make up my mind whether to vote for McCain or just sit at home and laugh my tail off for 3-4 years.
This country is being destroyed by over-regulation. I see no hope that McCain and his environmental band wagon will give us any relief on that score.
Guaranteed.
On the comforting side, Sir Winston L S Churchill moved in that hazy middle-section between Labor and Conservative for much of his elected life, changed parties from Labor to Conservative, and then led a Conservative-Labor Coalition Government thru the Second World War.
He was the UK’s greatest Prime Minister ever (followed by Wellington and Marlborough IMO), and is usually held up as a fantastic Conservative model.
Just possibly McCain will do something similar. Nothing says that he has to stay the same as he already is. Churchill didn’t.
If I may offer a small opinion, DieHard The Hunter; I do believe that history shows Sir Winston Churchill was opened minded enough to seek answers and solutions to whatever problem, situation he was working on.
On the other hand, history shows us that McCain is quite content with his agenda, his values, and his associates. There is very little hope that he will change at this stage of his life; nor will he leave his comfort zone.
America needs a leader for President.
It’s not McCain.
It’s not Obama.
That’s the gritty reality right now — and it’s not pretty.
> I don’t know how you can mention Churchill and that drek McCain in the same thousand paragraphs.
And yet I did... deliberately.
Churchill wasn’t always the brilliant Prime Minister he is remembered for: he had a long political career that was mostly nondescript. And some of his work was truly bad.
The six years he was PM during WW-II tho’ — that was magic.
Sadly, Gorebull Warming negates one of those vital issues, The Gangrene of 14 and McCain-Feingold negate the other.
> If I may offer a small opinion, DieHard The Hunter; I do believe that history shows Sir Winston Churchill was opened minded enough to seek answers and solutions to whatever problem, situation he was working on.
Sometimes, yes. But the Dardanelles campaign in WW-I was largely his doing, and it was a disaster, and he would not be persuaded that Turkey wasn’t “the soft underbelly of Europe” like he thought.
Gallipoli was the result — which is a tragic subject near and dear to the heart of every Kiwi and Ocker.
> America needs a leader for President.
> It’s not McCain.
> It’s not Obama.
>
> That’s the gritty reality right now — and it’s not pretty.
I humbly submit Ollie North / Curtis Sliwa as the *DieHard the Hunter* GOP Candidates of Choice, for President and Vice President, respectively. Before these two men, who could stand?
Look, if you want a reality check go visit the presidential forum of DU and see what the goals of those crazies are and how devoted they are to Obama — the man they feel will totally negate everything accomplished by conservatives since Reagan.
Voting for Obama, or not voting at all if you are a patriotic conservative ameks as much sense as putting a tatoo of Elton John on your rear end and dropping the soap in a prison shower. Some people would enjoy the results but most would not.
Then we'll just pay more for everything else as well.
Gas goes up, everything that it fuels goes up, wages as well. Oil is one of those things that the entire economy is built on. All increasing oil prices does is drive up inflation. Sooner or later, the price of everything will catch up, adjusting to the increased costs of oil/gas.
The profits made by sudden sharp oil price increases are only temporary, which just goes to prove we are being gouged by inside trading.
These oil caused inflationary cycles will only end when less and less of our economic output depends on oil. But no matter what energy sources industry switches to, smaller inflationary cycles will continue to be triggered by sudden increases of those energy supplies.
It is a shame that Bush, who had the opportunity to be like Churchill, failed so miserably. Great start and then went down like an anchor. Churchill is the greatest man of the 20th century IMO.
We will see if McCain is up to the task. I doubt it sincerely but he will have his opportunity.
It won’t be due to my vote: I refuse to vote for him under any circumstance. However, I think he will defeat Obama and become the next CINC.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
He cannot, and will not.
Also, conservatives, though unhappy, will do the right thing for the country if only through a sense of duty.
Whistling past the graveyard.
The beauty of oil price increases is that there is now a massive pressure to find alternatives. Go alternative energy, go!
Churchill was a great man, but he was already demonstrating his greatness in the years leading up to the war, warning against Hitler while serving as First Lord of the Admiralty.
McCain is a betrayer. He has no principles. Churchill wouldn’t have let England be swarmed under a flood of illegal immigrants. Again, terrible analogy.
A waste of time and money. There is no alternative for the foreseeable future.
John McCain seems to enjoy saying things that set my conservative teeth on edge. As they suggest, these things demoralize. That which demoralizes also causes hesitation, procrastination, reconsideration.
That’s exactly what John McCain doesn’t want, but he seems hell-bent on getting it.
I think he wants to prove he can win without the conservatives by forming a coalition of lib/mod republicans + mod Democrats + mod independents.
He doesn’t want to be beholden to conservatives in any way shape or form. In terms of judgeships, that is scarey. John McCain will appoint what his experience in the Senate says will get through without much difficulty; i.e., “moderates.”
Normally, by this time, I'm spending a regular work day, every day, working on my Presidential candidate's campaign. Making calls, going house-to-house, and anything else I can do to help. I'm doing for Senator Istook, but no Presidential work. I'll vote for McCain, but I can't, in honestly, work for a candidate I can't believe in.
I grew up in the country. A maverick is a heifer, steer, bull, or cow, that is too stupid to follow the rest of the herd. Somebody needs to inform the McCain campaign. I've already tried.
> Churchill wouldn’t have let England be swarmed under a flood of illegal immigrants.
He had his own moments of really arguable domestic performance — like the General Strike of 1926 and the Sidney St Seige and the Tonypandy Riot. And I’ve already mentioned the Dardanelles fiasco.
We don’t know what he would have done about the Mexican illegal alien situation because he was never put in that position.
We *do* know that he wasn’t the arch-Conservative Icon all of his political career that we’d like to think he was.
His performance during WW-II was certainly masterful. Before that, and after that, it was so-so, and sometimes pretty awful.
> Again, terrible analogy.
Time will tell. On McCain’s performance-to-date, it tracks along quite nicely with Churchill’s pre-WW-II performance. Both served, both were POWs, both had political careers, both straddled either side of Center, and both had wobbly bits that would infuriate the Conservatives...
...no, I’d say it’s a brilliant analogy. Could even prove to be Prophetic, depending on how McCain does if he is ever made POTUS.
You clearly disagree — I’d be curious to see how.
By golly, we may have to elect this turd but that does not mean we can't make his tenure as President a living Hell! He would do very well to remember that!
Particularly if we stay on his back about all his stupid moves.
Churchill did well with WWII, but before that he sucked. Just ask the Irish; Churchill tormented those people and literally split the country in two. The sectarian strife, still prevalent today, can be laid right at his feet.
McCain will not appoint originalist judges(unless by accident)
And he's not good on spending either.
McCain promises billions in new spending
I could take the tax part seriously if he didn't believe in huge tax increases via cap and trade.
If you don’t seek you shall never find. there are lots of possibilities and high gas prices fuel the market (no pun intended).
He is also 99% better than gun grabbing Obama. Just wait till Obama is President with the MSM behind him touting gun control He will make Bill Clinton seem pro-2nd amendment.
^^^^^^^^^^McCain is a betrayer. He has no principles. Churchill wouldn’t have let England be swarmed under a flood of illegal immigrants. Again, terrible analogy.^^^^^^^^^^^
McCain isn’t just a bystander. He didn’t just stand by and watch it happen; let it happen.
McCain lead the charge so that the flood would increase.
Another author makes the mistake of confusing conservatives with John McCain's "base". The Senator's base is the 80% liberal media, and he would have to "woo" conservatives much the same way he will have to "woo" independents.
A few months month back a local Cincinnati radio personality was asked to fire up the audience at a McPain rally, just prior to McPain showing up. Bill Cunningham, the radio personality, had the temerity to mention Obama’s middle name Hussein, as in Barak Hussein Obama. McPain upon learning of this from his buddies in the liberal MSM immediately condemned what Cunningham had said ... as Cunningham put it, McPain thru me under the bus ... the straight talk express bus, now known, I believe, as the 'no surrender' bus.
That sums it up.
No, there are not 'lots of possibilities', there are nearly *none*. Nothing will take the place of petroleum products any time soon... at least for another generation.
I LOVE your analogy and do pray, earnestly, that it will come to pass. You have given me some hope.
He picks MYTH for VP and nothing will keep me from staying home.
If McCain is elected, and I pray he is, we just have to let him know what we think. It is very hard for a President to ignore what the folks in his own party are telling him.
I can advocate a McCain ticket if he selects a conservative running mate. Most VP’s eventually go on to lead their party into a future election. That will be an indication that he wants the conservative vote. If he doesn’t do so, then the handwriting is on the wall.
A McINsane/MYTH RINO ROMNEY ticket is better than the muslim exactly how?
The RINOs will not drill for oil
The RINOS will institute socialized medicine.
The RINOS SCOTUS nominees will not be confirmed.
The RINOS will do nothing about illegals
The RINOS will limit free speech (CFR and the Fairness Doctrine).
We are STILL going to need oil for at least the next 10 years. It is stupidly lib to think that high gas prices will “modify” American behavior. It will, more likely spark another civil war.
Before you start celebrating, think of all those folks who have an old car, are on a fixed income, and cannot possibly afford the gas prices you are praying for. How short sightedly stupid!
Our chances of a “kingdom” died when Washington refused the crown. These folks just need to get the Hell over it!
This morning I see McCain’s said it’s sometimes hard to be proud of America. Oh, really? Is he now whitewashing Mrs. Obama’s remarks? If so, he’s letting the MSM manipulate him. God help us, indeed.
N O T A
In my opinion, we need both. Lifting restrictions on drilling, coal mining, refining, nuke plant construction, etc. is one half of the equation. The oher half is offering tax credits for alternative energy research investment. Real simple.
We could be totally energy independent in a matter of a few years, plus provide the world with the next generation of energy production (and make a fat profit), if we’d just get our politicians off their asses.
Now now, drink your KoolAid and quiet down over there.
I'm shopping for solar panels for my house and, perhaps, even a wind turbine. To bad we can't harness all the hot air emanating from Washington, D.C.!
> The RINOS will institute socialized medicine.
Socialized medicine ain’t so bad: I have lived in two countries now which have had it.
Canada has it, and it is compulsory and there is no “choice” to go private. That sucks, admittedly — but if you are acute, you will be treated irrespective of your personal circumstances. If you are chronic, you wait. Or you sneak across the border and seek treatment.
New Zealand has socialized medicine, too: it is compulsory, but there is also “choice” — you can also choose to have private coverage too. Many people do (I do). That system rocks! If you are acute, you will be treated irrespective of your personal circumstances. If you are chronic, you will be treated in the fullness of time. But if you have insurance, you can opt to be treated right away. The hospitals and doctors in both the public and private system are very good (often one and the same).
I have been an in-patient in both the public and private systems in New Zealand, both as an acute and as a chronic patient: both are very, very good by any world standard.
If you have to have Socialized Medicine, it can be done right: New Zealand’s system ain’t perfect, but it is very, very good.
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