Ohhhhh . . . I live in a Pineapple under the Sea!
RINO John, Brown Pants!
Posted on 02/10/2008 4:38:36 PM PST by pissant
So-called conservatives’ hysterical overreaction to the likelihood that U.S. Sen. John McCain will be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee shows what is wrong with ideologues of all stripes.
They prefer purity to practicality.
Following the crash-and-burn campaign of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the never-got-off-the-ground run of actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and the suspended-but-still-there presence of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party has three candidates left — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and McCain.
After Tuesday’s primary and caucus results, McCain is virtually unstoppable. Barring some unforeseen turn of events, he should be the party’s presidential candidate in November.
That has the ideologues who call themselves conservatives positively apoplectic. They have convinced themselves that McCain is somehow not a conservative.
But that says more about the unrealistic worlds that ideologues inhabit than it does the United States of America in 2008.
Have no doubt. McCain is a conservative. As McClatchy Newspapers has reported, the senator has an 83 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. That somehow makes him unclean — dare one say, unholy — in so-called conservative circles.
McCain does have a reputation of being a maverick and for being willing to work with Democrats on legislation such as campaign finance reform, climate change, immigration and other issues.
That has made him popular with moderate Republicans, independent voters and some Democrats. But at his core, McCain is a conservative.
But among movement conservatives, 83 percent isn’t good enough. Only 100 percent pure is acceptable.
It’s not just the right. Ideologues on the left likewise covet purity over practicality. This mindset has dominated American politics and government at the federal level for the last decade, and look where it has gotten us.
The problem with ideologues is that their shrink-wrapped worlds do not reflect America. The United States is a diverse country in terms of geography, race, faith, income, etc., and its people have views and beliefs that don’t fit neatly into ideologues’ conservative and liberal camps.
James Madison recognized this diversity via his famous “factions” in The Federalist Papers No. 10, and our Constitution fashioned a government that took into consideration the need to accommodate diverse points of view.
It’s an inclusive, not an exclusive process, and compromise, moderation and centrism, which hardliners so abhor, are absolutely essential for it to function properly. Americans don’t have to like the results, but they are more likely to accept them if they believe their point of view got a fair hearing.
The next president of the United States must be a healer, someone who understands that binding up the nation’s wounds is more important than continually picking at political scabs for ideological gain. It would be a welcome and much needed change.
Soros.
Is that 83% ACU part of a press release sent to all MSM? And when was the last time the libs cared who the GOP nominee was?
well stated.
McCain is poisoning the party, not conservatives.
At some point these bozos will understand, like the day after the November election. Wnen everyone wakes up to realize we have given up not only the White House, but the Senate and House with Democratice supermajorities and another liberal Supreme Court. America will not survive another 40 or 50 years.
Leave it to a RINO to characterize debate, dissent, diversity of ideas and free thinking as being, “undemocratic”. I pray that Romney will “unsuspend” his campaign. John McManchurian has done NOTHING toward uniting the party. It’s NOT the party dummies!
I'd guess the folks in Kansas weren't too happy that McCain is planning to send the Gitmo detainees to Ft. Leavenworth the first day he becomes president.
This summer, Ft. Leavenworth had 450 prisoners.
It can hold 500
Gitmo has over 400 prisoners.
McCain has admitted he doesn't understand the economy.
Does McCain understand basic math?
McCain is not my ideal candidate, far from it, but it seems to me that he’s not that different than Bush. Both backed a form of immigration reform that many of us don’t agree with. Both back the war effort. Bush nominated a potentially liberal SCJ until forced politically to change his nominee. Bush ‘reached across the aisle’ to work with Ted Kennedy on the education bill, etc.. Does that mean if Bush was running no one here would vote for him? I do believe McCain is more liberal/less conservative than Bush, but not be a huge margin.
More bullshit, don’t you mean.
They got their way. They nominated their liberal maniac. Now they can choke on him.
I supported Fred in the beginning, but he wasn’t pure to some people.
"Practicality" -- the soulless goal of technocracy.
The socialist technocrats are trying to maneuver America into having in reality only one party with the Rats and Pubbies reduced to being but two principal subdivisions.
A little like the merger of the AFL and the NFL into one league but there is still a great deal of hoopla over the final game each season between the two conferences.
BOHICA!
“McCain does have a reputation of being a maverick and for being willing to work with Democrats”
Why does his ‘Maverickin’ only work in the leftward direction?
Why don’t we hear about ‘Maverick’ Hillary or Obamer moving rightward, say on taxes?
Some gall, Times telling Us that we are nuts, apparently for not being leftward Mavericks ourselves.
If McCain is so truly conservative, why would all these lib editorials be so anxious for conservatives to nominate him?
The difference is, that john mccain would have nobody left in congress to fight him, he will go with the easy choice for supremes,thus it will be at the very least, a moderate who will change into a liberal after years on the bench just like souter(Bush)Kennedy,oconner, stevens
Ohhhhh . . . I live in a Pineapple under the Sea!
RINO John, Brown Pants!
He wasn’t pure to me, either. Until I see someone close to me in rhetoric as well as action, I will not vote for them.
That’s how it is with liberals, when you have no values, you have no foundation or sense of direction.
To liberals power and winning is everything, while principle is negotiable. “Practical” is a synonym for “the ends justifies the means”.
It should read: “Pragmatism destroys democracy”
Floudering and flopping, turning and spinning, all to accomodate a person (pretty face) or a party destroys democracy. Where the %$&# do people vote for if it isn’t for principles.
Sorry, this one doesn’t wash. Conservatives have compromised away their core values since Reagan, more and more with each passing election.
That 83% conservative rating is a raw number; it has nothing to do with the quality of the conservatism being measured.
It’s clear that McLame has been more than willing to get in bed with the DhimmiRats...campaign finance reform that runs roughshod over free speech rights, shamnesty for illegal aliens, and on and on.
His record is sufficient to draw conclusions on future direction. And McLame comes up short.
Time to stop castigating conservatives. A significant number aren’t likely to get back on the bus just because some talking heads think we should...in the interest of the party. This is one of those “what have you done for me lately” situations, and we’re not feelin’ it.
Can you or anyone tell me what that photo on the right is from? I’ve seen the fuller picture where it’s obvious McCain is either in a debate or an interview (I believe the latter).
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