McCain Can Sure Sound Like A Conservative (Mark Steyn: But He Isn't One Alert)

Orange County Register ^ | 2/09/2008 | Mark Steyn

[goldstategop]

Why did Republican voters pick John McCain? Mark Steyn's answer is because the Arizona Senator sounds like a tough swaggering conservative. Even though in reality he isn't on substance - a conservative and would on the domestic side pursue many of the same policies as Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. A McCain presidency would offer the country a Democrat agenda under a Republican label. That's the reason most conservatives can't stomach him or even consider voting for him in the fall. He may sound like a conservative but there's nothing in his past that says he would implement a conservative agenda. Its a big difference between rhetoric and the nuts and bolts of conservative governance. So considering McCain's relationship with the conservative movement, he's just a quintessential RINO.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Navy Patriot]

he's just a quintessential RINO.

Worse, he's the quintessential CINO, dis loyalist, egotist, gigolo, and collaborator.

[DoughtyOne]

Quintessentially corrrect!

If our ship of state is to be righted, it will be righted from the body of conservatism within this nation.

Who will champion conservatism if McCain is president over the next four years? John himself states he is eager to reach across the isle. John, see gun, see foot, see smoke rising from foot, see big hole in foot, see blood gushing from it? John can’t help himself. He is such a die-hard liberal, he can’t keep his mouth shut long enough to fool anyone.

Conservatives don’t reach across the isle to Ted Kennedy unless it’s to trip his fat ass. As for reaching across to Feingold, what conservatives do that sort of thing?

John McCain will destroy conservatism if he gets four years to do it.

He won’t get that four years with my help.

[ovrtaxt]

If you're under 70 and have no idea what "Woodstock" is or why it would require its own museum, ask your grandpa.

Under 70 LOL!!! Go Mark!

[goldstategop]

Agreed. Even with all he's got going for him and the party bigwigs now lining up behind him, he's still gotten less than half the Republican vote. McCain is a weak candidate. His strong suit isn't ideology or even party loyalty. Not for nothing he's been called a maverick and his biggest boosterers are not the rank and file conservative base but the liberal media.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[MARTIAL MONK]

Fired up! Ready to go!

[ARE SOLE]

I like this part on Obama:

“He wants to waft us upward on a great uniting bipartisan marshmallow of “hope” and “change” so he can implement down-the-line by-the-book highly partisan hopeless unchanged liberal policies.”

Regards

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

I’m worried that our “Ship of State” is the “Titanic.”

[King of Florida]

McCain is not a true conservative. He’s the true heir to the Rockefeller wing of the GOP.

[Navy Patriot]

Agreed. Even with all he's got going for him and the party bigwigs now lining up behind him, he's still gotten less than half the Republican vote. McCain is a weak candidate. His strong suit isn't ideology or even party loyalty. Not for nothing he's been called a maverick and his biggest boosterers are not the rank and file conservative base but the liberal media.

Yep, and I am oh so sure that the liberal media, MSM, DBM really WANT a Republican to win.

Watch all the stuff they "discover" and and are oh so obligated to publish about McCain just AFTER he gets the Pubbie nomination. McCain will ask the North Vietnamese to take him back, he'll get better treatment there.

[kellynla]

On Fox News Sunday, 12/23/2007 BILL KRISTOL: “A deadlock Republican convention turns to the most qualified Republican of them all to be president on the fifth ballot, Dick Cheney. And he wins in a landslide in November.”

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

[Obama] wants to waft us upward on a great uniting bipartisan marshmallow of “hope” and “change” so he can implement down-the-line by-the-book highly partisan hopeless unchanged liberal policies.

That word is gonna leave a mark.

[incredulous joe]

Steyn is brilliant!

I love the “apostate sheriff” and the Yosemite Sam analogy.

The unfortunate reality is that his observation regarding the surge being a tactic, not a long-term strategy, is as true as his other points are humorous.

What are the odds that Commander McCain may be brought around to a point of view that he may not particularly like from his military people?

[incredulous joe]

I love Dick Cheney, but I’m afraid that he would have the same effect on liberals as Hilary has on conservatives.

It would ensure that 30% of those going to the polls would crawl naked ofer broken glass (I believe that is a Steynism, as well) just to throw the switch against him.

I also think the GOP establishment would have something to say about such a strategy though.

I’d pay money to see the debates though. Cheney would destroy Hilary and Barack.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

A McCain presidency would offer the country a Democrat agenda under a Republican label.

BUMPED for The Truth!!!

[livius]

The usual excellent analysis by Mark Steyn! I live in Florida, and I think he’s right on the “image thing” as being McCain’s drawing card, particularly for the geezer vote. The geezer generation is not particularly interested in social issues, since they feel these things don’t affect them any more; they like the idea of somebody as old as they are (or at least close, since many of them are older) and they actually like the bluster and scary vein-popping roaring of McCain because it makes them feel powerful again. The actual substance of his ideas and his track record in bowing down - er, sorry, I mean “reaching out” - to Dems doesn’t bother them in the least because they never look at it.

Of course, I can’t say I liked Romney much, either, and while I think Huckabee has some good ideas, he’s hated by the geezers, who regard themselves as pragmatic voters with no interest in things like abortion or the gay take-over, and I don’t think he has any chance.

The whole problem from the start is that somehow, no one ever emerged under Bush who would be a good candidate for the next generation. The GOP as a party did not perform the function of “incubating” possible candidates; it’s almost as if this election was a total surprise to them, and there was simply a mad scramble to get somebody, anybody, out there to run. And this is the result.

[MSSC6644]

The whole problem from the start is that somehow, no one ever emerged under Bush who would be a good candidate for the next generation. The GOP as a party did not perform the function of “incubating” possible candidates; it’s almost as if this election was a total surprise to them, and there was simply a mad scramble to get somebody, anybody, out there to run. And this is the result.

Why is this so? Is it because, especially at the grass-roots level, conservatives found themselves fighting Dems, the media, but also other Republicans?

And to top it all off, it's the hard-working conservative who has the least amount of time or energy to spend in order to take that fight to the people. They're in the real world working to support themselves, their families and all those the socialists have made them responsible for.

What do we do?

[Cacique]

btt

[G.Love]

?A deadlock Republican convention turns to the most qualified Republican of them all to be president on the fifth ballot, Dick Cheney. And he wins in a landslide in November.?

If only...

[chainsaw]

What we need is a national write-in campaign for Newt Gingrich. I don’t think he would win but that would shake up the status quo, and possibly redirect our present reps on a different course.