Posted on 03/28/2010 6:05:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
One of my very favorite bloggers on the Right - Powerline's John Hinderaker - wrote a post earlier today entitled 'Biker Girl Campaigns for McCain'. By Hinderaker's own admission, his sole motivation for writing it was to show a perfectly gratuitous photograph of Palin looking great in a black leather biker jacket on the campaign trail.
No complaints there.
However, I have a bone to pick with the rest of John's comments:
Sarah Palin was in Arizona yesterday, campaigning for John McCain in his primary contest against former Congressman J.D. Hayworth. This was an appropriate demonstration of loyalty toward the man who opened the door to fame and fortune for her. Beyond that, Palin's support McCain is right on the merits and displays her almost unerring judgment in political matters.
Like most conservatives, I sometimes disagree with John McCain, and on those occasions he can be an infuriating opponent. But he describes himself as a "proud conservative," and that's how he votes a large majority of the time. Moreover, while he is an imperfect Republican, McCain is a great man. He is a warrior, one of the staunchest characters ever to participate in politics, a modern-day Andrew Jackson. We need him. If the Republican tent ever grows too small to contain the likes of John McCain, we are in deep trouble.
Moreover, McCain was the party's Presidential nominee just two years ago. The last thing Republicans need to do is to start eating our own, like the Democrats when they drummed Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman out of their party.
Now, Sarah Palin endorsing John McCain per se is understandable. I still don't like it one bit, but I'll cut her some slack. Remember, she threw in with McCain before conservative J.D. Hayworth entered the race. And with McCain expecting only token opposition from the Democrats in the general election, he was for a time the most conservative man in Arizona's U.S. Senate race - if only technically and by default.
BUT...J.D. Hayworth is in the race now. He is a far preferable choice than McCain for conservatives on many issues, particularly immigration. Meanwhile, Palin has transitioned from merely supporting McCain (presumably out of a sense of loyalty) to actively stumping for the guy.
I thought Palin was supposed to be helping elect conservatives - not campaigning against them.
Furthermore, in this instance Palin is supporting the very man who deserves unique (though not exclusive) blame for putting Barack Obama in the White House, for the following three reasons (at least):
1. McCain-Feingold. The effect of this now officially unconstitutional campaign finance 'reform' legislation was to allow 'non-partisan' (read: radical left) outfits like MoveOn.org to thrive and to bestow massive political influence upon filthy rich liberal donors like George Soros. Think that played a role in Obama's victory?
2. Comprehensive Immigration Reform (aka Amnesty for Illegal Aliens). Read this and you'll get a sense of how McCain's convoluted stance on illegal immigration lost him the conservative vote in droves in 2008. Think that played a role in Obama's victory?
3. The Bank Bailouts of September 2008. McCain went out of his way to put himself on basically the same page as Barack Obama when it came to bailing out big banks. In an election year that favored any warm body the Democrats ended up nominating, this gave voters one less reason to not vote for Barack Obama. Think that played a role in Obama's victory?
Don't get me wrong - I'd probably still support John McCain vs. 'unopposed' or 'garden variety Democrat.' Probably. But J.D. Hayworth is a no-brainer for conservatives vis-a-vis John McCain, and one has to assume Palin would be in Hayworth's corner were it not for the fact that she was McCain's hand-picked running mate in 2008.
So I'll ask the question: Does personal loyalty trump conservative principles for Sarah Palin?
Sarah’s most vociferous and prideful hater on the whole of FR is a PAULTARD who has no skin in the Republican party.
(courtesy ping to the hater)
He is the follower of a real RINO in the true sense of the meaning.
Arizona will take care of its own primary election. Seems to me Arizona voters best know both candidates and it’s a fact the primary voters represent only up to 16% of the voters who vote in the November elections. IOW, only MOTIVATED voters, which would seem to favor JD’s voters.
They're anti-Republicans who prefer Democrats in power. They proved it last election.
the survival of our Nation is not a game
One reason Sarah Palin’s son serves in the Army and recently
served 1 year in Iraq.
I just mentioned on another thread how nice it was to be among tens of thousands and NOT have to hear nasty things about Palin.
We were all united against the real enemy....Obama and his thugs!
I am confused by your question.
Some of the people are not politicians - so nobody votes for them.
The others are not running in Alaska, so, again, I would not have an opportunity to vote for them.
I don’t bother to watch AnnC, she is both predictable and frankly, boring - ditto for Hannity and the toad Bill (big moutn) O’really.
Didn’t vote for McLame. Sara is not running for anything, so - once more - no vote for her.
I understand that the “rally” in Tucson was a bust. Some folks showed up, after sara left, the show was over - about 15 min.
I don’t live in Az anymore, but if I did, I would not vote for John. The talk radio fellow is unk to me- so I guess we will have to wait to see how it all turns out.
Just listening to John Batchelor on WABC.
with John Fund of WallStreet Journal.
Batchelor being facetious said looking at the photo of Sarah yesterday at Searchlight, there were only 16 people there, the rest were cardboard cutouts.
Mocking the bashers.
That looks more like an Alpaca.
The candidate have to be elected.
DeMint, Daniels, Pence, and the rest of the boys are
not electable. NO National Base. Can’t draw the big crowds and energize them nationally.
HAHAHAHAHA! so Funny! That’s why her detractors here on FR look so dumb!
ACE McCain had enough experince in removing them from flight status.
Possibly some AA (Admiral not affirmative) at USNA and
2/5 arrested landing at flight school.
The most intellectually vapid tagline ever seen on Free Republic.
“I understand that the rally in Tucson was a bust. Some folks showed up, after sara left, the show was over - about 15 min.”
Is that this rally?
ARIZONA DAILY STAR;
“An overflow crowd at the Pima County Fairgrounds, along with a national audience on multiple cable news channels, saw Sarah Palin stump for her former running mate U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Palin, dressed in a black leather jacket with zippers, took the stage about 45 minutes late, introducing McCain to a crowd that had swelled to about 5,000 for the event at the fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road.”
“People wanting to get a good look at the duo lined up as early as 9 a.m. “
I was told the ‘rally’ fizzled after sara left. The cops (Pima county) were on hand to ‘control the crowd’ were they for about 15 min or so.
Not having attended, I have to take the feedback of others who live in the AO.
5K out of muni of a million, pretty small. I’m sure they all had fun tho, the wx was nice.
Your humor-deprived insults have as much teeth as a 65-year-old bus station wino. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
“I do”, she said........ but finish her sentence.....”if they follow the rules for citizenship”.
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