Now is the Winter of Our Conservative Discontent

American Thinker ^ | February 07, 2008 | Thomas Lifson

[neverdem]

The prospect of John McCain as Republican nominee is inspiring sometimes angry resistance from millions of conservative stalwarts. Ann Coulter's famous support for Hillary Clinton  threatens to spark a wave of conservative "suicide voters"  if the Arizona Senator gets the nomination.

Other Republicans, variously called insiders, party pros, elitists and worse, blithely assure us the alienated base will come around in the end and vote for McCain and the GOP ticket, particularly if Hillary Clinton is the alternative.

Assuming McCain gets the nomination, I am not so sure. It could go either way.

Anger at McCain

Anger has been a consistent theme for 7 years on the left, beginning with outrage over Bush's electoral victory. Anger now has now become a familiar conservative motif, as well. McCain has provoked a profound animus from conservatives ranging from Rush Limbaugh and Thomas Sowell on down to the posters at numerous conservative blogs, emailers to this site, and callers to talk radio. McCain's Legislative sins prominently include McCain-Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, and McCain-Kennedy. All three feel to principled conservatives like monstrous betrayals -- liberalism that can only make things worse.

Then there is the obvious relish with which McCain sometimes sticks it to the disaffected voters to his right, as with his comment on a conference call to bloggers likening ANWR and the Grand Canyon as places we shouldn't drill for oil. The conservative base of the GOP has been dissed by the Senator on multiple occasions like this, in ways big and small.

To be fair, this in-your-face attitude has caused trouble for him on the left as well, witness his remark that we could have troops in Iraq for one hundred years and that would be "fine", in response to a hostile questioner in New Hampshire. This man enjoys challenging, sometimes baiting, his opponents, and when provoked may still retain a little of the propensity for getting himself in trouble that he displayed at Annapolis and as a fighter jockey.

Discontent

McCain's nose-thumbing stings all the worse for conservatives because it has been unusually tough to be a conservative of late. The loss of Congressional majorities still stings. President Bush has been no Reagan, except in his commitment to victory in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush's fiscal profligacy has been dispiriting, as has his tendency to accommodate Ted Kennedy and other liberals.

Conservatives feel they need a champion. Instead of an inspiring new conservative leader, they have now pinned their hopes on Mitt Romney, who has attracted several major conservative endorsements since McCain became the man to beat. Governor Romney is a fine and able man, but his evolving positions and managerial speaking style do not recommend him for the role of ideological champion.

All in all, it is more than reasonable for conservatives to feel somewhat abandoned. They are unappreciated by McCain, and, so it almost seems, by the party that may be about to nominate him.

Atmospherics

Relentless media portrayals of the supposed misery inflicted on America by Bush and other conservatives also have taken their toll. Conservatives ably critique mainstream media coverage of the economy, Iraq, immigration, and other issues, but these words rarely reach beyond the world of the internet and talk radio. The vaster reach of the liberal media has created an atmosphere in which conservatives have to fight against a media-spawned general public impression that having the GOP run the White House or Congress was a very bad idea.

In the major media, the American economy is never celebrated as a success (though Bush's track record has been good), but always seen as a problem. The now-classic portrayal of coffin makers in Iraq suffering as the carnage has declined crystallizes beyond satire the media's gloom-mongering. Iraq was a horrendous disaster, and then it just vanished from consideration as the Surge turned things around. The media have been telling Americans that things are in terrible shape for seven years, thanks to Bush and the conservatives, and too many people buy it because TV comedians joke about it. There are a lot of parties at which it is not much fun to be an open conservative, and not just in Berkeley.

Schadenfreude Season

The sole pleasure being a conservative now is enjoyment of Hillary Clinton's life-and-death struggle for the Democratic nomination. She expected a coronation and ran into Barack Obama's charisma, likeability and extraordinary appeal to those delighted at the prospect of finally having a black American occupy the nation's highest office. His race card has trumped her gender card.

She and Bill have already drawn down the family wealth and loaned the campaign five million dollars, while Obama is reported to have raised three million dollars yesterday alone, raising the question of how far will the Clintons go in financing her campaign, against Obama, the candidate with all the momentum Hillary was known as a tightwad, so this kind of financial drain must be painful indeed for her, and persuading Bill to cough up the dough from his gigs in Dubai, Kazakhstan and other erstwhile friendly states may be no picnic.

If the Democrats' contest lasts all the way to the convention floor, it will get down and dirty, possibly with Hillary needing to pressure super delegates and make a stink about seating the Florida and Michigan delegations, if she is to win. Americans, including conservatives, will be treated to the spectacle of Hillary Hardball being played on Obama, and Obama fighting back. This will serve as a handy reminder to the conservative base of how bad either Democrat alternative to McCain would be. 

How Many Conservatives Can McCain Lure Back?

Inevitably at least some conservatives will cool their passions between now and November and rally to defeat Clinton or Obama, unless Senator McCain further aggravates and alienates them during the campaign (a possibility that cannot be ruled out). But McCain potentially could expand the number by addressing both the substantive and emotional problems conservatives have had with his behavior. He must win both hearts and minds, to adopt a Vietnam era slogan. Today's scheduled speech by McCain at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) offers an opportunity to begin mending fences. 

On a substantive level, he has to emphasize the part of his record that is consistent with at bedrock conservative values, showing how very different he would be from the Democrats' nominee. His strongest case is in national defense, but he could leverage his record on fiscal restraint into a push for lower taxes while shrinking the deficit. McCain has a career rating of over 80% from the ACU, while his democratic opponents have approximately 10% ratings

Perhaps his biggest opportunity to neutralize previous damage is with immigration reform. He needs to make it clear that he no longer favors rewarding illegal residents with permanent residence or a shot at American citizenship, unless they pay some penalty and get back in line in some symbolically and substantively important way. If he is able backtrack and admit doing so, a door opens for him. 

McCain is almost uniquely endowed with the ability to speak meaningfully about the obligations of citizenship, having so spectacularly sacrificed personally in serving his nation. A ringing defense of the heroic service of immigrant soldiers who have earned American citizenship, along with a plan to reform naturalization processes to make it possible for legal immigration to better meet America's needs and interests, could turn the issue around.

In the realm of feelings, some form of direct or indirect apology can be a useful tool of reconciliation in normal group dynamics. But Senator McCain may not have it in him to apologize per se. But if in some form he acknowledges, directly or indirectly, that he regrets the stress he has created for conservatives, that would help his case on a purely emotional level. He might be able to get some mileage out of agreeing to hear out critics of global warming theory, or acknowledging problems with campaign finance reform, or consider reversing himself on ANWR drilling, painting a picture of a man who can learn from his mistakes.

At the same time, he has to avoid giving centrist voters the impression that he is knuckling under to the hard right. A tricky feat for even a sensitive feeling sort of guy, much less for a man who prides himself on speaking his mind and has a temper. A   bungled attempt could aggravate matters.

Mitt Romney at this moment is unlikley to be able to pick up momentum and secure the nomination, of course. Only time will tell.

But John McCain seems poorly equipped by temperament to winning over the hearts of alienated conservatives. Which creates the need, if not yet a supply, of conservative leaders willing to help nudge him along toward reconciliation by going a few baby steps forward themselves, in the interest of keeping the United States on the course to victory in Iraq and in the War on Terror.

Thomas Lifson is the editor and publisher of American Thinker.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

I do not define as conservatives any claimants who are so lacking DNA for survival in a hugely dangerous world that they must blah blah blah *snip*.

Allow me to err on the side of (comparative) brevity: I do not recognize as "conservative" any claimant(s) willing to pimp or peddle away the sanctity of our nation's borders for a wadded, soiled handful of pesos in return.

This applies to any putative candidate, regardless of whether a capital letter "D" or an "R" follows their name on the ballot.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

[rahbert]

Calling a cat a fish doesn’t make it one.

[AmericaUnited]

However, if you are going to insist on spaming the board with McCainiac campaign ads, at least be an effective, rather then an obnoxious, campaigner.

SHOW ME WHERE I'VE SPAMMED THE BOARD WITH MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ADDS?

You do have severe mental issues! One time is a mistake but time after time when you keep babbling absurd accusations is just pure unadulterated brain damage. I've asked you again, and again, to SHOW ME WHERE I'VE DONE WHAT YOU'RE ACCUSING ME OF AND GUESS WHAT... ZERO/NADA/ZIP. Are you in some kind of fantasy world. Hello?! Is anyone there?! Please take your medication.

[PurpleMan]

Being neutral on the man, positions, etc.

Just seeing if it’s something that’s gonna come up.

Replace McCain Derangement Syndrome with Huckabee Derangement Syndrome or Romney Derangement Syndrome.

[AmericaUnited]

“You McCainics don’t seem to realize you are your candidate’s worse enemy. “

Why did you post that to me? If you think I support John McCain you didn’t get that from any of my posts.

Oh no! He's doing it to you too? You know what I think... I think MNJonnie IS McInsane freeper alter ego. The fruitcake profile is a dead giveaway. Accusing everyone(think Captain Queeg) of stealing the strawberries.

[RavenATB]

“Bottom-line: We need to build a strong conservative faction within Republican party.”

Let me qualify what I’m about to post with a few facts.

1. I have been a registered Republican since I became an adult.
2. I have donated money to the Republican Party since 1993, until last year when I told them to stop asking.
3. My wife was a paid staff member on two congressional campaigns and has donated many months of unpaid, full-time work to other congressional campaigns. I was unable to participate as actively as I wanted to because of my military status.
4. We hosted Republican fund raisers in our own home
5. My wife and children walked door-to-door working to reelect President Bush three years ago.

My family has sacrificed a great deal of our personal time and income to support the “cause,” and I have dedicated 26 years of my life to this nation through military service.

That being said I now am close to the opinion that the best thing that can come of this is the complete destruction of the Republican party. The Republican candidate, McCain, has worked and I believe will continue to work to grant citizenship to over 20 million illegal aliens, who together with their anchor babies will destroy this nation within two generations.

I have sworn my life to the protection of this nation, not the protection of the Republican Party. I don’t care a bit about John McCain’s credentials or ACU ratings, because no other issue, including the war on terror, is of importance if we’re going to allow ourselves to be destroyed from within.

If the Republican party is going to roll over and elect a pro-illegal alien President, I’m finished with the Republican party, regardless who the opposition may be.

[Designer]

"McCain will make a fine President."

No, he can't win. Moot point.

"I cant stand to see people unfairly drill him over and over because he does not walk the party (line?)."

If John McCain can't walk even the warped liberal party line of today's Republican Party, what makes anyone think he could ever become conservative. He won't.

"Is that how it is ? My way or the highway ? that is shamefull"

No, that is honorable. My vote is not for sale.

"If that is the case. We will not be a majority party for maybe a generation."

I believe the Party establishment sets the direction for the Party, and they have been attempting political suicide for years. Maybe the Republican Party has seen its last best years already, and is on its way down the tubes, but lets be clear about who is responsible: The Republican "leadership".

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

God has a way with blessing this country with the right man at the right time. I am giving McCain a chance. I admire him as a person and a war hero.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[LadyNavyVet]

“Where has McCain gone wrong on the war on terror ?”

Let me count the ways. He is against waterboarding. He wants to close Gitmo and bring the troops to Ft. Leavenworth. As soon as those terrorists are brought to US soil, they are arguably subject to Constitutional protections meaning they and their attorneys would have to be given access to classified information that is being used in their prosecution. That information could then be passed on to alQaeda.

McCain has, along with Carl Levin, fought the President on military tribunals to ease the rules and make them more in line with international law. He wants to join the International Criminal Court, which would subject our troops and intelligence officers to prosecution for war crimes.

He said he wanted to stay in Iraq 100 years, and then in the next breath said that that was only if American troops were not injured or hurt. Why have forward-based troops that you don’t plan to use?

He is for open borders, which is our last line of defense against terrorism.

He is mentally unstable and possibly senile, and doesn’t need to be anywhere near the nuclear button.

[Richard Axtell]

Which truths do we ignore to support the rather treacherous and disloyal-to-his-party Senator from Arizona?

Which of McCain's leftist inspired foolish policies do we embrace, so that we can "embrace" McCain?

How can we "get beyond" our opposition to the man's lack of an even temperament and thinly submerged character flaws?

Do we swallow the same Kennedy-Clinton-Democrat bullsh*t that McCain seems to devour with relish?

Can his war record make up for all this? Doesn't it all come down to "It's McCain or else?" It just doesn't seem to have a future to me. Perhaps that can be said for the country, at least in the next few years.

[Fawnn]

I'll vote for the person who meets my standards and beliefs, if no candidates are on the ballot who meet that criteria then I will write in a name.

Evidently "McPolitics" is in violation of somebody's McRights (Fiengold's?), so my designs got rejected. But I tried:





Maybe we could come up with a McCain-ism phrase. McCain-tics? McCainigans? (Obviously, nothing workable so far....) ;)

[pookie18]

I think I’ve heard McCainiacs...

[Fawnn]

That’s a possibility! Thanks!

I’ll let you know if/when I get updated graphics done.

[Condor 63]

I wasn't calling McCain a Democrat. I was stating IMO he can't win ie. = a Democrat in the White House.

One reason I think he can't win is there are a lot of Conservatives that won't support him. Apparently that is coming as a big surprise to some folks on this board.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

alright. have it your way. Should we just give 2008 to the Dems ?

lets give up.

[Eva]

McCain sent Charles Keating as his spokesperson to the Hannity and Colmes show, last night. That isn’t going to win over any hearts and minds, and shows an in your face, unwillingness to even try.

[LadyNavyVet]

“Should we just give 2008 to the Dems ?”

Newsflash—they’ve aready won. Whether it’s the Dem with a “D” behind his/her name who wins in November (likely) or the Dem with an “R” behind his name who wins (highly unlikely) a Dem will be in the White House.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

John McCain will not run away from terrorists in Iraq. that is why I am supporting him.

[LadyNavyVet]

McCain is unstable, to put it nicely. I used to work with a guy who had an extended stay at the Hanoi Hilton, and his behavior and McCain’s are very similar. Nobody survives something like that without permanent, irreparable damage, and putting someone like that in charge of our nuclear arsenal is unconscionably irresponsible. I won’t do it.