Posted on 02/06/2008 1:59:59 PM PST by TSchmereL
After seven years of watching and fighting against Americans who wish to see the country suffer so that they can get at George Bush, the last thing I wanted or expected to see was conservatives saying they would rather see the country suffer than support John McCain over Clinton or Obama, so that they can "get the blame."
A retreat before victory is assured in Iraq cannot be undone in 2012. And mandatory, single-payer, universal health care, once established, will not EVER go away either.
I am not impuning anyone's motives. I believe I have a reasonable understanding of principled behavior. But if your goal is to see the country punished because---
You can stop right there. If your goal is to see America punished, and her people open to attack and/or ruined financially in order to prove a point for any reason, then you do not deserve politial power nor are you likely to achieve it. A party is a compact. It is, essentially, a pleage of mutual support. As a matter of fact, it's nothing more or less than a promise.
A political party is a series of personal compromises in order to achieve a goal unattainable by the perfect political party: one's own self. If McCain is the legal and lawfully selected nominee, and Republicans decide to walk away from their party in droves, what makes them think they will be able to count on those who, you know, actually went out and voted Republican either joyfully or through clenched teeth, in order to prevent The Deluge?
If your idea of any political party is one that means unlimited support for your personal values if your candidate is ascendant, while you in turn owe none to those you dislike or even disdain, you might be in for a surprise in future elections.
Speaking as a FredHead myself, I am bitterly disappointed that I did not even have the chance to vote for a man I admired, and am more distraught still to find myself in the position I now occupy. I see many, many worrisome things about John McCain, but being tough on terror and spending are not among them. We could do worse. Two names come to mind immediately.
Much is said about principles, and since I am not able elect anyone BY MYSELF I have entered into this pact with the group of people who I feel most comfortable with in terms of values. If they, as a body, choose a candidate who is not my first, second, third or fourth choice, then I can look to the Democrats. There I find views so antithetical to everything I believe that I realize there is indeed something to this idea of party loyalty.
And I cannot help but think that such a kind and practical man as Ronald Reagan would be amazed that his name was being invoked so frequently in order to insure that the most liberal, socialist, power-hungry statist in my living memory is elected. I'm glad he's not here to see this because if he knew the consequences of what was being done in his name, I believe it would kill the man.
Then you will have, in effect, voted for Hitlery or Obama. If you can live with that choice, then enjoy what you get.
Actually a vote for McCain will be a vote for Hillary....there is no difference....except for the plumbing
I don’t think to many people view this situation through your warped mind.
Most conservatives will stay home in November, just look at current turnout numbers, the Dems are killing us right now.
I TRULY believe Teddy Kennedy is for Barak Obama. I TRULY believe his second choice would be a Jorge Bush third term. I TRULY believe his third choice would be John McCain. I TRULY believe his last choice would be Hillary Clinton. You see there is a lot more bad blood between the Kennedy crime family and the Clinton crime family, than there is between the Kennedy crime family and John McCain.
Hillary will hold McCain's feet to the fire too. Which one do you think he will pay attention to?
Nonsense.
“I will too. not happily, but the alternative is much worse”
Stop scaring yourself, the alternative is the exact same thing.
They? Then Who is the Real Republican in Name Only?
If it's ultimately a choice among McCain, Hill/Bama and write-in/3rd party, I'll probably hold my nose and vote McCain. While I can't stand the man, at least he is pro-life and is likely to support our troops. Beyond that, I'm not hopeful. Fortunately, there is a limit to how much anyone can accomplish in 4 years in the White House. There's a lot to be said for inertia and legislative stalemate. I'm mentally preparing myself for writing a lot of letters, e-mails, and making phone calls when congress starts deliberating some of these socialist-paradise programs. We may not have representation, but we still have voices, and I intend to keep using mine.
I went to bed last night thinking I would NEVER vote for John McCain if he is the Republican nominee. However, in the cold light of day I just don't think I can bring myself to sit back and let Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama end the Iraq War with a unilateral surrender. It would be a betrayal of everything our brave warfighters have sacrificed. Senator McCain's one redeeming quality is his steadfast support of the war.
I’m not punishing anyone. McCain is a slow-motion train wreck, and its probably too late to stop it.
Anyone who has paid any attention over the last decade couldn’t help but know that. On what planet does anyone imagine McCain is fit for the presidency? By the time everyone figures out what they ought already to have known, it will be too late. Repubs are worrying about being beaten in November, when they were beaten last night, and they did it to themselves.
By “they” I meant the non-party members and the MSM. But have your way, I am registered Republican but that doesn’t assure my vote for all or any candidates if I find them incompatible with republicanism. I am a republican truly, and a Republican in that sense in name only.
I did not leave the Democrat Party,they left me. Zell Miller put it so eloquently.I was a Democrat for most of my life and as Zell said, they left me. I am not really a Republican but the Republicans have thrown their party to the wolves.There is room for compromise as long as it doesn’t’t compromise my moral values and I will not tolerate that. Regardless of what the country is being taught we were formed because of taxes and on religious beliefs and my thoughts on those subjects have not changed.
TSchmereL you are right. Ronald Reagan would vote for McCain, IMO. His son, who knows him better than anyone here, said so on Fox last night. He could not stand Ford and actively campaigned for the man.
Has this party lost it’s collective mind????
Have they forgotten that WE ARE AT WAR!!!!!!!!!
THE ENEMY WANTS TO KILL US!!!!!!
If you, who cannot get behind McCain in Nov., give the power over our military to either Hillary or Obama, by either voting for them or by abstension, the greatest victor in this whole thing is AlQeda and not you and your “principles”.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME IN HISTORY TO TEACH THE PARTY A LESSON!!!!!!!!!!!
GROW UP!!!!!!
Those that would spit on the men in women and their sacrifice by handing the WH to the cut and run Dems. make me SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's referring to McCain right?
Your position is sound only if you believe in Party uber Alles. I do not. I am loyal to the Republic, not the Republican Party. I will vote principle or not vote at all.
NOBODY is trying to punish anyone!...your first error!
What u clearly don't understand is why True conservatives wont vote for McCain just because he has an (R) behind his name...
McCains policies and voting history are almost in lock step with the liberal policies and views ..U see, its about principles...compromise is about politics...NOT principles....thats the unique difference between libs and Conservatives
A conservatives bases his politics on his MORALS!
A liberal bases his MORALS on his politics.... It appears your appeal to us here is based on the latter...if u want to compromise your principles...Thats your business...but to try to convince others to do so to gain a win in a no win situation is shallow.....U vote for McCain...and if, God forbid, he makes it....YOU will have the blood on your hands as a result of his policies and where he takes this country..Ill have no part of it... And as to your Reagan reference...Reagan made compromises over dollars..NOT principles...He understood how dollars were more important to libs then principles and he played them like a fiddle..That was part of his genius
Thanks for the insight...
As for me, I will crawl over broken glass to vote AGAINST Hitlery Clinton. She’s Stalin in a pants suit. If SHE wins I’d swallow the throw-up in my mouth and vote McAmnesty.
On the other hand: It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan. I believe Barack Obama IS the Jimmy Carter of our time. He’s basically an “empty suit” with a good “talk.” If he’s elected he will (by weight of his inexperience) not do very much damage. Sure, we’ll have higher taxes and the economy will tank but I don’t believe he’s that stupid to pull troops out of Iraq right away.
If Obama wins, I write in Fred Thompson and hope Obama wins (and he probably will). By 2012, we’ll have congress back and win the white house with a real conservative.
My point is one marries for specific reasons. If those reasons are thwarted BY the person one marries, the reason for marrying them becomes null.
The Republican party has consistently attempted to expand by appealing to the squishy “center” at the expense of their “right” wing, while the Democrats have boldly charged “left” and moved “center” in the direction they prefer.
Ronald Reagan’s answer was not “detente,”to become more like the Soviets...it was to BEAT THEM
McCain is strongest in the Blue states, but not strong enough to pull them away from the Dems.
McCain is not strong in many of the Red states, and many of them that were barely Red will turn Blue if McCain is the nominee.
McCain's biggest strength is with moderates. A large percentage of those people simply don't have strong views and are easily swayed by the media.
In the Republican primary race, the media loves John McCain. In the general election they will tear him apart and a large percentage of those moderates that you think might help McCain win a few states are going to quit believing the strait talk express B. S. and follow where the press leads them.
That's how I feel as well. The crypto-Marxist Hillary Clinton will be able to do more damage just with executive orders than those now claiming she won't be so bad can imagine. Liberal democrats already run the permanent government in DC - the agencies, the civil service, State and CIA, etc. With one of their own on top, and the whole Clinton gang back in charge as secretaries and under-secretaries, the disaster will be total and long-lasting. As one who always votes defensively - for the person who will do me the least harm and against the one who will do me the most - I will pull the lever for McCain, and every other Republican on the ballot.
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