Posted on 10/12/2008 6:21:16 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
To the degree that they are engaged in this election, conservatives are motivated entirely by fear of Obama and what he will do as president when backed by a solidly liberal Democratic House and Senate. They are not driven by love of the Republican candidate, and it shows in the anger present at McCain campaign rallies. Most conservatives will probably vote for McCain, but they also realize they are far less likely to persuade others, and they feel a disaster coming. The enthusiasm the Right felt during the 2004 election, which had been framed as a true ideological clash between Left and Right, simply does not exist this time around.
McCain's abrupt embrace of a big-government solution to the mortgage crisis during last week's debate places an exclamation point upon his many apostasies from conservative thought. Never a believer in supply-side economics, McCain had denounced the tax cuts of 2001. His push for campaign finance reform, for carbon emission restrictions, for federal regulation of boxing, and his long-standing defense of the Death Tax prior to this election have always made his agreements with conservatives on other issues appear to be accidental overlaps rather than a sign of common philosophical belief.
What would have happened if Republicans had nominated a conservative this time around? Conservatives must consider the possibility that things would look just as bad as they do now. The Bush presidency, by its mere association with conservative ideas, has ruined many of Republicans' best issues, creating an overwhelming headwind for any Republican running this year.
But a true conservative might also have shown voters an alternative rather than someone who incites "I agree with John" in the debates; someone to put Obama's left-wing policies in stark relief.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
PUHLEEEEZZZZEEEEEEE do not blame me ......I voted for Fred.
Quitters and whiners everywhere. These folks digust me. Spit.
No other Republican candidate would be leading Obama, given that the economy has suffered major blows late with the sharp fall of the stock market. 401 K’s are melting and Americans associate Bush with any Republican. That’s wrong of them, but they do it.
bump
You are probably right. Without Palin it would be much worse.
Last week I held my nose and voted early for John McCain.
He was my least favorite Republican candidate but since he was foisted or forced upon us it was either him or obamma lamma ding dong.
Am I a happy Republican camper? Hell NO.
I really do not like mamby pamby wishy washy RINOs. And I find that best describes McCain.
Not only McCain, but GEORGE W. BUSH and the republican party blew it for conservatives. WE ARE THE MINORITY GROUP in America now. We will become more and more the minority group. Conservatives have little chance anymore. America has fallen for the Marxist trick, more free stuff at the expense of the “evil rich!!!!” Basically, we are screwed. I am preparing for after the election. I am arming myself and getting ready for years of socialism. You’d better be prepared. We are not going to like the results of the election. Our local rag had on the front of it today that Alabama has 99,000 NEW REGISTERED VOTERS!! The majority of that was 18-24. So, even in a state where McCain has a huge majority, the left is still trying to pack the results for the Marxists.
McCain is the one who quit.
MCCAIN SHOULD HAVE THROWN DOWN THE GAUNTLET AND OPPOSED IT.
80 % of the people were ready to support him right there. Plus, as it turns out, the bailout isn't working, so he could also have been right.
But he had to be a maverick and go with Barney Franks and Hanky paulson!
We didn't. The stock market did.
You mean the Fred who the media said his heart simply wasn’t in the race? That Fred?
Exactly what did we get in McCain? A man who’s heart simply isn’t in it. I think Fred’s ideology is sadly missing from this campaign...
I agree with this article by the way....McCain politically has always seemed like a ship lost at sea...finding more joy in fighting conservatives than taking on liberals.
The next 4 years should be the “taking conservatism back” era....Bush has bastardized conservatism....McCain too... They give it lip service but not much else. Conservatism works and is not dead...it’s just dead in the Congress, Presidency and Republican nominee.....it’s alive and well in America where politicians are out of touch.
“...conservatives are motivated entirely by fear of Obama”
This and for promoting Gov. Sarah. She’s a conservative campaigner, someone who can connect with the people.
McCain DID give conservatives something, rather SOMEONE, to be enthusaistic about: Her name is SARAH PALIN.
All these anti-McCain articles are showing up again — ask yourself WHO BENEFITS? Yes, OBAMA is the one who benefits.
This is just more “divide and conquer” strategy of the Democrats, trying to rile up conservatives against McCain, to get them to stay home, to help Obama and the Democrats get a larger majority in Congress.
One hopes that conservatives will refuse to become the Democrats’ “useful idiots”.
“No other Republican candidate would be leading Obama..”
I disagree. As someone said at the convention this year:
“We need change all right. Change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington”
That should have been McCain’s message. Obama is the status quo candidate.
We arrived at the present point because fewer and fewer people want to accept ANY responsibility for the problems in their lives. Government has become the solution of FIRST resort.
When a hurricane hits, it's government's fault and responsibility.
When we need medicine or health care, it's government's fault and responsibility.
When we can't afford to buy a house and make the mortgage payments, it's government's fault and responsibility.
If we can't find a job, it's government's fault and responsibility.
When we run up our credit card debt, it's government's fault and responsibility.
...and ON AND ON.
McCain's socialist leanings and his Republican primary success are not the disease. They are simply the symptoms of the disease.
We are the enemy we despise.
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." - John Adams
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