Who Wants to Be a Loser?

Townhall.com ^ | February 10, 2008 | Debra J. Saunders

[Kaslin]

There are elements in the Republican Party who are trying to turn the GOP into the victim party. No matter how much they've won, they want to see themselves as losers.

An e-mail I received from a reader summed up the resentment that has been bubbling up all over the GOP. She had liked Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter as GOP hopefuls and didn't know if she would vote for John McCain.

"I began to rethink my allegiance to the Republican Party last summer with the immigration reform bill after party leaders told the rank and file to screw themselves," she wrote. "I do not object to Republican leadership having a collegial relationship with Democrats. What I object to is that they always get hosed when they 'compromise' in the 'spirit of bipartisanship.' Bipartisanship, by definition of the Dems and the media, is doing it the Democrat way. Ronald Reagan, when explaining his departure from the Dem Party, said he didn't leave the party so much as the party left him."

I've received many e-mails with the same sentiment. It's odd that those very voters, whose outrage obliterated the immigration bill (which contained amnesty provisions), somehow feel as if they lost that battle.

But they won. They killed the bill. Twice. McCain now promises to secure the borders before proposing a path to citizenship. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton says that she opposes driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. The Bush administration has beefed up deportation of "immigration fugitives," (illegal immigrants in violation of deportation orders) and is going after employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Bipartisanship means Democrats win? In 2006, Democrats took over Congress. Yet because President Bush has not backed down on Iraq, the Nancy Pelosi-led House and Harry Reid-led Senate are funding the war -- including the troop surge, which Democrats opposed.

Washington has not made the Bush tax cuts permanent, but the cuts are still on the books and in Americans' wallets. Bush promised to work with Democrats on an economic stimulus package. He wanted tax rebates for taxpayers and tax cuts for businesses. Democrats wanted "rebates" for those who don't pay income taxes, an extension for unemployment benefits and increased subsidies for heating assistance and food stamps. Last week, Democrats agreed to a package that gave Bush what he wanted. While they won smaller rebates for those who pay no income tax, as well as payments for seniors and disabled veterans, the Dems didn't get the Christmas tree they wanted.

Congressional Democrats thought they had Bush in a corner when they passed a $35 billion expansion in federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Bush vetoed the bill, then vetoed a second bill. He insists that eligibility be limited to children in families that earn no more than 2 1/2 times the poverty level.

Here's another biggie: After eight years in which President Bill Clinton nominated big-government justices, Bush managed to place two solid conservatives -- not conservatives in name only -- in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bush is a lame duck whom the left has written off as hopelessly stupid -- yet he still manages to command Beltway policy -- despite a Democratic majority. Indeed, Democratic leaders, who once thought they were so smart, now look feckless before partisans who were convinced a Democratic Congress would force Bush to pull out U.S. troops from Iraq and show the world an America that cuts and runs when the going gets tough.

Still, some conservatives want to believe that they get no respect, that their side isn't getting anywhere. Like Democrats, they want to be victims. They can always wait until 2009. Then they just might find out what not getting their way really means.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

McCain now promises to secure the borders before proposing a path to citizenship.

Sadly for the paid Juan McCain shill dutifully cranking out this sad, ineffectual little exercise in party apologia, however: conservatives -- not, on the whole, being much prone towards nitwittery -- are neither gullible nor unblinkingly credulous enough to take the sneered, insincere word of a proven serial liar as grounds solid enough, guarantee-wise, to justify the casual lobbing of their every last principle into the nearest trash can; thanks awfully, all the same.

[G.Mason]

Wow ... this is eerily like my kids would act after they were told no.

The answer is still no children ... which you will finally discover when 2008 resembles 2006 in spades.

[MNJohnnie]

That the ticket GOP Establishement scream insults at your party base. That is really going to get them to support your canidate!

I strongly suggest McCain supporters might want to quit singing the Cult of Personality song in praise of McCain. People here know his real record. Chanting slogans about how great McCain is isn’t going to sell with Freepers. We know better. We know his political record.

It is also really stupid to be screaming insults at Conservatives or trying to play boogieman politics by talking about “Well they are worse”. Conservatives vote for things, not just against them. Neither screaming insults, nor browbeating us, is going to convince any of us to vote for McCain

Being spun to belive in a McCain we know has never existed does not convince us to support him, it angers us because we know we are being lied to.

Right now McCain supporters best tactic is to simply talk about what the Democrat candidates are saying on any issue. Their only hope is that the Democrats manage to scare Conservatives more then McCain pisses them off.

I have no doubt most Conservatives will be scared into supporting McCain in Nov by the Democrats. Simply saying “Well they are worse” “or “McCain is really a great Conservative” isn’t going to work. We know better. We know McCain’s real record.

The Democrats themselves are your best chance of changing peoples minds about McCain. Telling us what a great guy he is isn’t going to sell to Feepers. We know his real record on things like Iraq. His real record differs quite a bit from the air brushed one presented by his campaign

I personally think it is a waste of time. I think McCain’s record for the last 8 years has so poisoned the well that McCain supporters are wasting their time. However, if McCainiacs are going to keep spaming the board with McCain ads, they might at well at least TRY to be effective, rather then merely annoying.

[NavVet]

“McCain now promises to secure the borders before proposing a path to citizenship.”

We just nominated a guy who still publicly procalims that he intends to offer amnesty to 20 million illegals (who will then import 20 million family memembers) just as soon as he believes there is “consensus” that the border is secured. He also said a couple of weeks ago that he would sign McCain Kennedy if i crossed his desk.

The conservatives may have one one battle in defeating one Amnesty bill that the party was all too ready to embrace, but we do appear to have lost the war. The RINO’s have all just observed that the most pro-amnesty candidate won the nomination. I doubt they will be a intemidated by a few faxes and e-mails next time McCain tries to push amnesty through. There is a reason the Mexican president has all but declared a national holiday to celebrate McCain’s victory.

The Republicans can vote for who they want to, this Conservative will not be voting for Juan McCain.

[LadyNavyVet]

The McCainiacs are getting a bit shrill. Perhaps they need to calm down.

Note to Republican Party: next time, poll conservatives first before you decide someone is electable.

[muir_redwoods]

"I strongly suggest McCain supporters might want to quit singing the Cult of Personality song in praise of McCain."

I sing no praise for McCain. He isn't a person I would choose as my president if there were better choices with a reasonable chance of winning. He is better than Hillarama; so is the mayor of my small town. But my small town mayor isn't in a position to stop Hillarama and McCain is.

It is natural to this conservative to distrust the government and the people in it. With that as a philosophical basis, I can vote for McCain as the lesser (by a small bit, admittedly) of two evils.

I wonder if the people who want to take their ball and go home are simply people who haven't seen enough bad things happen, either nationally or personally, to simply make a hard decision in an adult fashion.

[MNJohnnie]

I wonder if the people who want to take their ball and go home are simply people who haven't seen enough bad things happen, either nationally or personally, to simply make a hard decision in an adult fashion.

I wonder if you realize insulting people is not going to persuade them to vote for your candidate? Childish? The people backing McCain are taking the easy cop out route. They are the ones being childish. Many of the very people you are insulting are making the hard decision rather then the easy "Party Uber Alles" decision.

Simply supporting McCain is the easy childish decision. It abdicating making a tough call to do the easy thing. Just cop out, back the party, who cares if the guy they are running has many many bad ideas. The his vision of the future for the GOP is to be Democrat Lite.

They are saying "You know what, a GOP Leftist or a Democrat Leftist there not really a lot of difference". McCain talks tough on the war and judges etc, but that not where his record is. Perhaps the right thing to do is NOT back the GOP Leftist. Indicate to the party, you know what, I have political principals I am not willing to sacrifice just to keep Repb politicians in power. If you want my vote you have to earn it, not take it for granted the way Democrats take the Black vote.

That the serious, adult mature decision. The childish decision is to scream "you have to vote for this or that person because they are the Republican". Republican Liberal or Democrat Liberal, not much difference. Playing bogeyman politics is not going to convince those people who have serious policy differences with many of the things McCain has done to sudden decide he is a great guy.

McCain needs to build a bridge to the Conservatives to try and repair all the damage he has done being the Obstuctionist in Cheif the last 8 years. Screaming at them "they have to vote for McCain" and they are "being childish" for standing on principals rather then selling out is NOT going to work.

[ontap]

Hinting that voting for McCain is the ADULT thing to do is not going to get you anywhere on this forum. People are pissed at him for a damn good reason. The simple fact is that if you go against your base this is what you get. He’s the idiot that did this not us.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

He is better than Hillarama; so is the mayor of my small town.

So, too, so far as that goes, is my eight-year-old chow/labrador mix. Possible compromise: why not simply go ahead and cast your ballot for him, instead?

He, at barest minimum -- and in stark contrast to ol' Juan -- has not even the remotest interest in summarily transforming our own sovereign nation into nothing more than a spacious, slightly cleaner suburban annex to Mexico City. Deal...?

[muir_redwoods]

"I wonder if you realize insulting people is not going to persuade them to vote for your candidate?"

I think if you can find an insult in what was phrased and intended as an open statement about my uncertainty, you may have defined yourself as a child.

BTW, it's neither my job, nor my purpose to persuade people to vote for "my" candidate.

[Josh Painter]

What have conservatives who oppose illegal immigration invasion won? The fence still hasn’t been built. Our laws still are not being enforced.

What a load of steaming goat custards, Saunders!

[ontap]

I wonder if the people who want to take their ball and go home are simply people who haven't seen enough bad things happen, either nationally or personally, to simply make a hard decision in an adult fashion.

In an adult fashion! I don't see how to take that stupid statement any other way than an insult. You sound a lot like Lame ass McCain.

[org.whodat]

Twice. McCain now promises to secure the borders before proposing a path to citizenship.

McCan=bob dole 2008, but dole didn't tell whoppers like mccain

[SkyPilot]

Translation of this article:

"You will vote for McCain and like it!!"

[org.whodat]

you may have defined yourself as a child.

Big on the personal insults aren't you, but way short in departments that matter.

[Travis McGee]

Don't listen to McCain's promises of the moment: observe his actions. This is the man John McCain chose to be his "Hispanic Outreach Director." Hernandez is a verified traitor. Born in Dallas he decided as an adult to become a dual-national Mexican citizen. His last "real" job was serving in Mexican President Vicente Fox's cabinet as his "American Reconquista Director." After that gig ran out, he worked for George Soros funded internationalist foundations, like the one that published his book.

Hernandez believes all Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the USA should become dual citizens and consider themselves Mexicans first, "to the 8th generation." The "New American Pioneers" proclaimed in his book are the illegal alien invaders he urges to become settlers in the USA.

And this is the man McCain chose for his "Hispanic Outreach Director." In the past week he was asked about this choice, and McCain said he chose Hernandez because he agrees with his positions. If so, McCain is supporting invasion and reconquista.

Remember: Benedict Arnold was also a genuine war hero, who lost a leg and suffered months of agonizing recovery...before he became a traitor.

[VU4G10]

Say No to McInsane.

[BluH2o]

McCain now promises to secure the borders before proposing a path to citizenship.

There's already a path to legal citizenship in place ... speaking as someone who followed that protocol (I'm a former Canadian, now U.S. citizen 35 years). What McPain is proposing, if you're in the country illegally when we secure the borders ... you will be given a leg up on obtaining U.S. citizenship.

[humblegunner]

People here know his real record.

We know his political record.

We know better. We know McCain’s real record.

We know his real record on things like Iraq.

His real record differs quite a bit from the air brushed one

We heard you the first time.