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 ...
The purpose of your vote is not to make you happy. It is to do what is best for the country under all the circumstances. You did that and I commend you!
I really don't see that strong of an association between Bush and conservative ideas. His approach to "ownership society" was to continue such socialist ideas as the CRA (which is a major factor in the mortgage crisis) and his veto pen was missing for at least 6 years resulting in some democrat-like spending (yes, congress is to blame here as well). He barely mentioned Social Security reform as more than a campaign issue and if not for a furious response by conservatives, he's have screwed up the Supreme Court appointments as well.
The legislation has been passed, but the bailout hasn't even started yet. Not one purchase has been made under it yet.
Not only that, if you think a credit crisis that has been winding into a ball for about 8 years now is going to unraveled overnight, that's ignorant.
Not only that, Paulson and other economists over and over have said the purpose of the "rescue plan" was simply to stabilize the economy within certain parameters, while within the parameters the market will be allowed to ruthlessly do its thing to prune out dead wood. Paulson has said over and over again that many more banks will fail and they will be "allowed" to fail as part of the normal business cycle.
Chemotherapy doesn't work overnight either.
You are so right. These folks seem to have no clue that the Rats are playing them like a fine violin.
Do people know that polls consistently show that more “conservatives” are voting for Obambi than the number of “liberals” voting for McCain?
You know who those “conservatives” are? Yep. They are the types who spend all their time wailing and bellowing about how they are going to “send a message to the RNC,” “show the GOP how mad I am,” “put the disaster on the Rats’ watch,” “teach Them a lesson,” “make Them grovel back to me for my vote,” “get the destruction of the country over with quickly,” “make our country so bad, They’ll listen to me next time,” on and on ad nauseum.
They are the ones who are so busy looking for ways to bring down the only man at this point in history who is our vehicle for DEFEATING OBAMA that they have no clue they are the Rats’ “useful idiots,” sabotage pawns of the most clueless order.
They are those who often fully recognize the dangers Obambi and the Rats pose to our nation, YET SOMEHOW CAN’T MUSTER THE HORMONES TO VOTE AGAINST HIM.
Then they have the gall to claim they have no responsibility at all for how their little snits impact the outcome of the election.
There is nothing wrong with voting for the sole purpose of defeating Obambi. In fact, it is the right thing to do for our country and I view it as a personal moral obligation.
Sometimes you live to fight another day by playing offense, sometimes by defense.
These myopic, petty nitwits are hypocrits as they help sell our country down the river over their disagreements with their own team’s gameplan and quarterback.
Since they believe McCain is so horrible, they should put their money where their mouth is and vote directly for Obambi instead of taking the unprincipled way out of sitting on their behinds at home or voting for ThirdPartyLoser or SpongeBob.
Surrender is the right word for it.
And it’s sickening.
Your post says a lot. About you.
“McCain’s abrupt embrace of a big-government solution to...”
McCain’s embrace of Obama as a decent person that would make a fine president lost him a million votes Friday.
I couldn’t agree more.
Well said. The polls are so heavily over sampled dim, it’s ridiculous. Now all the chicken littles come out.
Be a man (or a woman if you are one) volunteer at your local RNC to make calls, and get everyone you know to get out there and vote for Palin err McCain.
I hope so, I believe in calling a spade a spade.
Has anyone noticed that Rudy, Mitt and Fred aren’t out there helping drag McCain across the finish line? Sarah and Cindy seem to be on there own and he’s getting pretty tough to carry.
National primary day next time. The race was over by the time I got to vote. I vote for smaller, less intrusive government, and that’s all I vote for.
I know you as a thoughtful poster and I respect your views.
However, I disagree with you here. Just one example: LBJ was in office a little more than four years and we will NEVER be rid of the Great Society/War on Poverty. NEVER.
All we can ever hope to do is “reform” it here and there.
My point is that, see my tagline, YOU NEVER WIN BY LOSING.
You can never teach enough or any of that to overcome the gains the Left will be making PERMANENT in that time.
Doesn’t matter what the score is, we must never surrender ground. We must keep fighting.
You are reasonable enough to realize that it’s important to defeat Obambi, and that means voting for McCain.
Others are not smart enough, apparently, or perhaps too guided by emotion to make that connection. That’s what will hand the election to Obambi, if that sad event for our nation occurs.
And that’s why all this whining is pernicious. It leads the emotionally susceptible away from the conclusion that, regardless, Obambi must be defeated and that requires each person exercising his personal responsibility to help defeat Obambi by voting for McCain.
“Teaching?” It never ends. Like now. We need to teach (ourselves) that, whether you have to play offense or defense, you vote to salvage what you can for the country, not to “make a statement in protest” that hands the country over to someone like Obambi and the Rats.
McCains a whole lot better than Obama. And they’re the only people in the race. So I’m totally with McCain. ‘Nuff said.
Exactly.
I suggest we all spend the last few weeks of the campaign focused on that stark fact, rather than sitting around wailing about the other guy.
Right now voting for the other guy is the only way to defeat Obambi. So it's past time to get that settled in one's mind, stop bellyaching and try to win.
Its a very expensive flop! You’re with Pelosi, Reid, and Franks! Go take your chemo!
Having been around these parts for a number of years, I fear he’s not wrong.
I read that polls consistently show that more “conservatives” are voting for Obambi than “liberals” are voting for McCain.
Know who those “conservatives” are?
Yep. The ones who are more than willing, in fact often gleeful and sanctimonious about, “throwing away an election to (in their minds) make a point.”
You know-—like that “point” that was made when the same types voting for Ross Perot and handed the country to the Sinkmeister on a silver platter? That worked out really well, didn’t it.
Still on that anti-Palin campaign eh, well your man Mitt would have been a disaster.
I wonder what name you used to go by.
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