Posted on 03/01/2010 11:00:52 PM PST by freespirited
My brother and I have a running conversation about whether it is a good thing that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., didn't become president. We both voted for him, but I decided early on, as much as I oppose every Marx-tinged thing President Obama stands for, I was glad Obama had won and McCain had lost. At least, I was glad McCain had lost.
That's because only out of ashes may the phoenix be reborn. The liberal-lite frustrations of a McCain administration would have smoldered on the Right but lit few fires, dampening the possibility of real post-Bush regeneration.
From Bush's compassionate conservatism" (read: liberalism) to McCain's compassionate bipartisanship (read: more liberalism), the nation would have continued to drift in the wrong direction. The "good" thing about the economy-crashing, military-breaking, ideologically mind-blowing Obama administration is that it puts us on a collision course that just might force Americans to bail and start over better. Metaphorically speaking.
But also, McCain didn't deserve to be president, at least not under the false flag of "conservative." McCain is no conservative, a fact that stands out as he faces a serious Senate primary challenge from J.D. Hayworth, a genuinely conservative former U.S. representative.
After all, John McCain co-wrote the bill providing, in effect, U.S. citizenship to some 20 million illegal aliens (that's why they called it McCain-Kennedy). He co-wrote the bill restricting political speech (McCain-Feingold). Hayworth opposed both.
As for global warming legislation -- sorry, "climate change" -- McCain used to lead the floor fight for cap and trade (initially known as McCain-Lieberman), but now even the New York Times has noticed McCain has gone mum on the issue and "is likely to keep his distance even more over the next six months because of a primary challenge from a conservative former congressman that threatens to end his Senate career after four terms."
And yup, Hayworth opposes cap and trade. McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts; Hayworth, as he puts it, helped write them. McCain rules out enhanced interrogations and wants to close Gitmo. Hayworth supports enhanced interrogations and wants to keep Gitmo open. The list goes on, but there's no need to draw a picture.
Except, maybe, for the benefit of -- how to put this?-- challenged conservative leaders. These include former Sen. Fred Thompson and former Govs. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, who, contradicting everything they ever got us to think they stood for sort of, have endorsed McCain.
This may burnish "the maverick" with their conservative bona fides. But it also makes those bona fides look more than a little cheap.
Or maybe they just aren't who we think they are. But does it matter? Perception does seem to be everything. In November, Hayworth was polling neck and neck with McCain.
After Sarah Superstar held out her coattails to McCain -- who, let's not forget, personally and through his staff publicly savaged her -- a January poll showed McCain leading Hayworth by 22 points.
So why is McCain running scared? Because he is running scared.
At least that's one conclusion to draw from an initial Web ad released by the McCain campaign that stoops to smear Hayworth as a conspiracy nut unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate for having the audacity -- I call it common sense and a little grit -- to point out as a radio host that "questions will remain" until our commander in chief releases the paperwork associated with his birth currently under state seal in Hawaii.
Questions will remain and do remain despite Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose's craven dodge: "Questions were raised on the air. They have been answered." No, they haven't been answered. And that's true largely because of McCain.
Remember when presidential candidate McCain's own natural-born credentials came under question because he was born in the Canal Zone? Naturally, he released his paperwork.
He should have then called on his opponent, Barack Obama, to do the same -- naturally. Such leadership would have dispelled all corrosive doubts raised and perpetuated not by "conspiracy nuts" but by the unprecedented lockdown on simple Obama ID -- birth certificate, education transcripts and more -- by the Obama machine, fueled and oiled by a compliant media.
But he didn't -- another reason McCain shouldn't have become president. Now, if conservatives could just retire him from the U.S. Senate.
Lindsey Graham is defining.
Look at Berlin_Freeper’s post #15 to see what money can do.
We're working on it.
I voted for Sarah, but glad McCain lost.
I am not glad he lost. You’d have to hate America to wish 0bama upon America.
Great analogy.
One of the things that sunk McCain’s campaign was his annoying habit of complimenting Obama and the democrats.
I’ll never forget at the McCain rally I went to just before the election, he had the balls to say how much he admired Obama and how important it was to ‘reach across the isle and work with the democrats’. Lots and lots of boos from the crowd when he said that. We came there to fight, and all John wanted to do was play kissyface with the enemy.
Barf.
That’s a load of BS. There are things that I certainly don’t agree with McCain about, but to suggest that his policies are no different is insanity.
This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.
Car-theft suspect choked to death after being caught by hulking ex-Marine.
[Mexico:]Explosion reported at Reynosa police department
UKChannel4: Dispatches - Undercover Mosque VIDEO
Vicente Fox Thanks Governor Perry (for Funding Illegal alien education)
“McCain is not politically stupid. He is using Palin and her audience-drawing power. If he loses his Senate bid [sadly, unlikely, because incumbency is difficult to beat in the primaries], he will drop Palin as hard as he dropped her immediately after his presidential defeat. [Recall the awkward situation of her being on the stage and being almost totally ignored by McCain as he gave his concession speech.] “
Sarah is just popular enough to allow McCain to win.
Then you do not know the real McLame. His mental illness and willingness to bend to the other side whaile being a prickly bastard to everyone on his side. I have studied him for years dreading the day when he might become President. His irrational and flip flopping policies usually wind up being liberal in the end.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/john-mccain-vs-john-mccain/lNsAawBCr4RT9XXojrJLHg
Do you think he brainwashed by the KGB when he was held in North Vietnam?
Interesting perspective.
One thing for sure, obama as president is forcing people to take sides and waking people up.
And when people complain about what the Republicans did to this country, we can point to the Dem led White House, House, and Senate and ask what they’ve done to fix things now that they have the majority.
And the argument that the Republicans screwed things up so bad that they can’t fix it yet, rings hollow. The Dems have had over a year and STILL haven’t done anything even noteworthy.
I’m glad he lost too, for a lot of the same reasons he mentioned. I’m now at the point where I despise mccain, and his wife and daughter.
Other than that I agree with most of what the author has said.
Love ya Sarah but I'll be supporting JD all the way. See I'm not a Sarahbot. Nobody is perfect.
So now we have OBAMA. (screaming heard!). But we have something else, we have a LIBERTY BELL RINGING LOUDLY WAKING UP THE POPULATION. The alarm has been sounded ... under McCain, the alarm would have been silent. So now battle lines are being drawn, Americans ...in droves ... are buying up Constitution learning books and going to classes, etc. We are going to PUSH THEM BACK HARD in this next election and in the process maybe many "on-the-fence Independents" who voted for HOPE AND CHANGE and a bunch of numb Republicans that stayed home will not STAND UP FOR SOMETHING AND DO SOMETHING RIGHT for a change.
It is unfortunate we needed to get Obama to wake up. American people tend to sleep as the attack is coming (as with Pearl Harbor) ... but they do finally wake up angry. Obama was the wake-up for Conservatism.
BTW see post 58 expalins my thoughts on the OP very well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.