Posted on 09/11/2008 11:58:04 PM PDT by Calculus_of_Consent
What has happened to the Republican party. When I was 18 I cast my first vote ever for Ronald Reagan. I did that proudly. I had a bumper sticker on car and I put a yard sign in my parents yard. Since then it has been down hill all the way. Now in 2008, the best argument that I have heard for voting for McCain is that he is not Obama. I have no enthusiasm for McCain. Not only do I not have a bumper sticker on my car or a yard sign in my yard, I am embarrassed to even ware a McCain button.
I dont think that I am alone in this. The only excitement that I have seen generated for either candidate has been among blacks supporting Obama, and they are only excited for obvious reasons. Talking to friends and acquaintances there seems to be a universal disgust at the choice of candidates. This election has truly come down to voting for the lesser of two evils.
What has happened? What went wrong in the primaries? Had we picked any other candidate, we would have the White House locked up already. Of course the same thing could be said of the Democrats. Had they picked anyone but Obama McCain would be toast now.
I am seriously considering voting for a third party this year. Not that I am under any illusion that a third party could win, but I find it morally repugnant to vote someone that is pro immigration and anti gun. The fact that he is slightly less anti gun and slightly less pro immigration then Obama doesnt impress me.
Wow, the internet’s broken. It took a month for your post to get through!
I don’t like McCain’s stand on a lot of things, but I do like Palin. I despise Obama and everything he stands for. I *would* walk on broken glass to vote the McCain/Palin ticket this year. 6 months ago, I never would have thought I’d say that about voting for McCain.
LMAO!
A little late for this kind of talk.
At this point, it’s either time to help or get out of the way.
best argument that I have heard for voting for McCain is that he is not Obama.
That certainly WAS the best argument for voting McCain, up until a couple of weeks ago.
Let's just write this post off as "Blast From The Past"
You you equally unimpressed that McCain supports a strong defense for America, energy independence from foreign regimes, and a pro-life position?
Well I guess I really will “ware” my McCain-Palin button... and with pride!
I’m one of the few who liked McCain before the Palin pick, but I’m definately stoked afterwards. I think the criticisms of McCain are a bit overblown. There are lot of issues that matter and McCain is right on enough of them. If nothing else McCain’s lack of “GOP purity” is probably an advantage in this election anyway.
There’s very few elections where there’s the “perfect” candidate. Regean was great yes but Nixon, Ford, Bush, W. Bush are all Republican Presidents too. And none of them were perfect models of Conservatism.
We all had to man up. Vote for him, and help us hold his feet to the fire during his term. Then you can feel some pride again.
You do have a point on the abortion issue. But again I don't see McCain's record as being particularly impressive there. It is just better then Obama's.
Senator McCain’s mother said the conservatives would hold their noses and vote for him. I had planned to do that very thing literally.I was in Vietnam for a year[67-68] and that seemed an eternity to me. I can almost feel the agony of being there locked up, tortured and probably feeling deserted by your own countrymen not for a year, but for many years. It seems easy now to forget the sacrifice. Much like the ill informed liberals that have forgotten September 11, 2001.This, if nothing else, gets my vote. Governor Palin is a bonus.
All you can do is put your trust in God and not in a political party or candidate. Do as you wish with your own vote, but I won’t waste mine on a third party that no one will take any notice of.
In countries with parliamentary democracies, they have to put ruling coalitions together after the fact, and you really aren't quite sure what you may wind up with until after the election. In our country, you pick a candidate based on positions, and since he has to cobble together a potential majority before the election he has to get enough people on board to be a lot less than perfect.
It's awful. If you want to be ideologically pure, go over to a Libertarian, or a Green, or a Constitutionalists web forum. They are so pure they argue all day long about who is or is not a REAL L/C/G. And they have EXACTLY zero political power.
Old Libertarian joke: Ted Kennedy announces from the well of the Senate "Our party has decided to completely scrap the Constitution," Bob Dole jumps up and says "The Republican Party will never stand for that -- it must be phased in over 10 years!"
OK, it's an old story, and sadly it's basically a true one.
Now decide whether you want to belong to a party that makes good jokes but does nothing, or a party that gives you at least a fighting chance that you can still change things while there's time.
I dare you to post a comment with the word “Palin” in it.
I agree with everyone here and most especially papa_smurf - time to man up and vote for McCain / Palin. Here are just a few reasons:
1. Voting for a 3rd party candidate is literally a vote for Obama. I did so when Bush & Clinton ran - many of us voted for Perot and we ended up with a serial adulterer for prez. Dumb move voting for Perot that I’ve regretted ever since.
2. Palin will be more than just a figurehead and already she’s helping to move some of his stances to the right. I think this trend will continue (not that I’m a known political commentator) and so do many others.
3. I believe the voice of the people will once again be heard on immigration and he will have to toughen his stance. Already his own state has made life most difficult for immigrants and it’s working. He’ll be forced by public outcry to toughen up here.
4. If you pay taxes, work and play in this country you should be scared to death of Obama’s proposed policies - higher ‘death tax’, higher capital gains, higher tax on investment income, higher taxes on everyone earning over $100,000, higher taxes on businesses and best yet ‘windfall profits’ levied on the oil companies. Who do you think will pay the oil companies windfall profits tax? We will, at the pumps! And the rest of the taxes above will cause the economy to spiral downward and again, who will pay businesses higher taxes? We will in a higher cost of consumer goods! Scared yet? You should be!
5. If Obama is elected do you really want Joe Biden the blithering idiot that seems as if he’s either drunk or recovering from a drunk all the time as V.P. - one heartbeat from the presidency?
6. Having people like William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and Rezko (sp?) chumming around with Obama in the White House doesn’t frighten you? I don’t believe for one moment that Ayers wouldn’t try again if he thought he’d get away with it.
7. Judges - do you want the country stuck with Obama’s choice of judges for 20 years or more? The man thinks allowing infanticide is okay - what sort of judges would he appoint? Ruth Bader Ginsberg will look conservative compared to who he’d appoint.
Sorry everyone for this lengthy reply, but people that bemoan voting for McCain and say they’ll vote 3rd party aren’t seeing the harsh reality of life in an Obama-run U.S.A.
Man up already and quit whining.
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.