Posted on 05/18/2006 9:59:12 PM PDT by RWR8189
Actually, I think both Bush and McCain are "National Greatness" Republicans of the McKinleyite stripe. Bush's domestic and foreign agenda are definitely McKinleyite (remember, it was McKinley who went to war with Spain over Cuba -- prodded, of course, by the rabid yellow press) and put the Great White Fleet to use.
Roosevelt was McKinley's VP, not quite the same agenda -- and I think McCain is closer to Roosevelt, frankly.
My worries about McCain are rooted a) in his war record, about which I've heard ugly mutterings, b) in his reputation while in the Nav for being the Admiral's Son in all things -- a kind of "prince of the Navy" -- and c) his tendency to gravitate toward the Democrats in pursuit of higher office, and compromise any scintilla of principles he'd displayed as a senator from Barry Goldwater's state.
Camille Paglia, one of the few conservative lesbians in America and about the only one who's ever been to lunch with Rush Limbaugh, once described McCain as "positively bulging with protofascist impulses", which if she's right does not bespeak a Jeffersonian preoccupation with the liberty interest of the American people. Quite the opposite.
The old National Greatness Republicans were warmed-over Whigs, who in turn were the successors of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, who'd have reconstituted America as a kingdom without a king, if they could have gotten away with it. And it's always worth remembering that Hamilton famously spat on the idea of the Bill of Rights, in Federalist 84. He lost that fight: are we grateful, or not, that he did?
lentulusgracchus wrote: "Camille Paglia, one of the few conservative lesbians in America and about the only one who's ever been to lunch with Rush Limbaugh, once described McCain as "positively bulging with protofascist impulses", which if she's right does not bespeak a Jeffersonian preoccupation with the liberty interest of the American people. Quite the opposite."
I love her quote. Here's a quote from McCain: "He [Michael Graham] also mentioned my abridgement of First Amendment rights, i.e. talking about campaign finance reform....I know that money corrupts....I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I’d rather have the clean government."
McCain is not overly fond of the US Constitution. Many moderate Republicans (RINOs) pervert the true rule of law. They never ask, "is this Constitutional?" They are only concerned whether a legal house of cards can be built to justify their actions. I'm not saying their motives are inherently evil. The probably believe they are just being good people, but the end result IS evil. For if McCain can warp or ignore the Constitution to do whatever he wants, so can anyone else in power.
One of the top conservatives of the conservative cause is Phyllis Schlafly. She now heads the Eagle Forum. I heard a speech from her a number of years ago that really made my blood boil. She was talking about what the RNC had become and used the 1996 GOP Convention (at which she was a delegate for the millionth time) as an example. She used the term elitist throughout that speech to describe the country club, north east, establishment liberal Rockefeller Republicans. The description was apt. She was right on with her speech and she denounced the same people that are busy liberalizing the Republican Party and one of the core causes of this division that we see within it now. They drove the wedge years ago and just keep driving it deeper and deeper. If the RNC was lead and staffed by Republicans more like the mostly conservative grassroots of the party, things would go much better and this divide would not be so great right now. It is awful that we have the grassroots pulling one way and the RNC pulling the other.
Of late McCain has made a lot of what I would call, "I'd rather be right than be President" remarks. I think if he's running for anything, he's running for Senate Majority Leader, or the Democratic nomination. Of course, it's possible he believes that so many GOP politicians "owe" him for stumping for them or their candidates, that the '08 nomination is his for the asking. Nobody wanted Dick Nixon in '68, but so many Republicans owed him favors for fund raising/campaign appearances that he became the default candidate.
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