Posted on 05/16/2008 4:03:15 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I must admit that I had just about given up on the notion that a Republican could win the White House this year. With an unpopular war in its sixth year and an economy heading into a recession, the political landscape had all the earmarks (excuse the expression) of a country that was ready to put another party in power. Additionally, with the history-making candidacies of the first woman and the first African-American with a serious chance to become the nation’s Chief Executive, it looked like curtains for the GOP. Add to that scenario the fact that conservative groups were trying to decapitate John McCain on his way to the nomination and then continued to swipe at him after he won, and it didn’t take a Karl Rove to conclude that Clinton or Obama would be taking the oath in January.
All of that has changed since Senators Clinton and Obama have locked horns in one of the most vitriolic intra-party slugfests in recent memory. Senator McCain has been relegated to spectator status as he watches the two Democrats blow each other up with verbal grenades. The shrapnel from those explosions will continue to tear at the ultimate nominee in the general election. Furthermore, the person who does not get nominated will have an awful lot of spinning to do when it comes time to “unite the party” after a marathon of bloodletting. How could Hillary campaign for Barack after saying he can’t win against McCain? How could Barack support Hillary after insinuating that she will say or do anything to get elected?
In one of the most recent attacks, she called him an elitist after he said rural Americans “cling” to issues like religion, guns and anti-immigrant beliefs out of bitterness over lost jobs. Commenting on her recent assertion that she was a hunter, he mocked her, saying, “She's talking like she's Annie Oakley.” These and dozens of other caustic comments are surely being recorded by McCain staffers and will be used to great effect during the final months after the Democrat Convention. But, chances are, McCain won’t even need to use the corrosive sound bites that his opponents have provided him, because his strongest supporter is likely to be Hillary Clinton.
Mrs. Clinton’s “inevitability” notwithstanding, the fact is that Obama is going to end up with the nomination. Given her ruthless quest for power, that means she will have no alternative but to resort to plan B. She can’t afford to wait 8 years to try again, hence, she’ll need to ensure that McCain becomes the 44th President. Then she can say I told you so to the party and prepare to run again in 2012. She won’t openly back McCain; she’ll just quietly let her supporters know that Obama must be defeated. The reasoning will be that the Illinois senator’s success in the Primaries was merely an anomaly that must be reversed by her, once certain, and now delayed, inevitability. And, in the unlikely event that the superdelegates repudiate Obama’s victories and hand over the nomination to Clinton, the Democrats will have a war on the hands as their largest and most loyal constituency bails out on them.
All of the aforementioned makes it a virtual certainty that the former Navy Pilot and POW will garner at least the 270 electoral votes needed to change his residence from the north wing of Capital Hill to Pennsylvania Avenue. Some Republicans may not be overjoyed to vote for a moderate conservative, but when they compare the liberal record of the other choice, whoever it may be; it’s a no-brainer. Some wanted Romney; others wanted Huckabee, neither of whom could be accurately termed “conservative.” Nevertheless, the Party has to deal with the candidate they have, not the candidate they wish they had.
In addition, they have to come to terms with another reality; no GOP candidate is likely to measure up to the unique attributes of a Ronald Reagan. He was a truly inspirational and courageous figure with the ability to lead without ever being petty. Well, John McCain may not be the “Gipper,” but he inspired his fellow prisoners and displayed outstanding courage during five and a half years as a POW. That experience makes politics look like a pillow fight. If we’re looking for strength and character in our leaders, choosing Clinton or Obama over McCain is almost laughable.
If yesterday’s travesty of a speech is what pushes Mccain into the presidency, then I am truly even more frightened than I have been so far.
I can’t decide whether McCain has suffered an aneurysm, is on super-powerful psychotic drugs, or is simply living in a fantasy world that none of us will ever experience.
Listening to his speech about the “accomplishments” of his first (only?) term in office, is scary s**t, man!
Don’t be surprised if McCain picks Hillary as his VP...
Just think about that for a moment...
Considering that he’s said he’ll work closely with and appoint Democrats to his cabinet, why not ask Hillary! to run as his VP if she loses the nomination?
He could jump start his Utopian era of true bipartisanship.
I thought about it for a moment. VP Hillary would arrange for him to be assassinated in a New York minute.
McNutts is NOT suicidal.
>>> McCain for president, not easy to say, but for the sake
>>> of the unborn I must support McCain
I understand ... and to the extent of the war and pro life issues, I agree, McCain’s the only possible choice . . .
But in EVERY OTHER WAY we are just sooooo totally screwed: There is nothing else that I can agree with McCain on. Naturally, we cannot ignore the above two issues, and maybe that’s enough to be getting on with...
But the devastation of this country, social policy, economy, energy policy, environmental policy, taxes, business and financial issues, and so on, and so on, McCain will decimate this country no less worse than BHO - in fact, it seems as if he’s trying to out-Barack BHO.
>I must admit that I had just about given up on the notion that a Republican could win the White House this year
I hope that is sarcasm because there are no republicans running for high office this year.
No matter what letter is after their name.
>>> McNutts is NOT suicidal.
No...but voting for him is like entering into a suicide pact. He is the final destruction of the Republican party as a conservative entity.
Rush has it right: McCain is part and parcel of the Republican elite that is turning the party hard left (at least “hard center”) away from conservatism. Something has to be done to save conservatism, but what.
We are just so totally screwed...
>>> I hope you are right about McCain winning! The MSM has not even begun to attack McCain. It`s going to be pretty bad! First they are going to rehash his wife’s problems with prescription drugs. They will say she stole drugs and allowed another person to be falsely accused of taking them. The Keating 5 thing will be examined like never before, we all know the age thing and temper stuff...it`s going to be messy. They are actually going to attempt to suggest that the John Haggee comments about the Catholic Church (which he has since apologized for) are no different than Rev Wright`s terrible comments. THEY ARE NOT EQUAL AT ALL.
Yeah...and McCain is not going to play in the same battlefield as the Dems.
Ironically: We all (including McCain) can agree that we should not negotiate with terrorists... But McCain will negotiate with the “social terrorists” of the Democrat Party, while taking pot shot after pot shot at our people.
No, but maybe Olympia Snowe...Just to keep it in the family, yaknow.
Hopefully it's only 10%.
RE :”when they compare the liberal record of the other choice, whoever it may be; it’s a no-brainer”
Rush put it great once again, We have to be FOR someone and something. It’s not enough to be upset about Obama. If McCain wins, and it’s unlikely, the broken bricks of the Republican party left by Bush will be dust. Time for Democrats to get responsibility for something bad, cant happen under liberal McCain as pres with a superdemocratic majority.
No but she has to walk a very fine line. If she truly believes that Obama cannot be elected then she'll campaign her ample butt off for him, figuring it will make no difference. But if she's wrong...
I did. And while I appreciate a good laugh first thing in the morning now I have to wipe coffee off my screen.
RE :We are just so totally screwed...
As we were in 1992. But 1993+94 were fun years, the only two years democrats were held responsible for anything in my lifetime(of voting). Note: Democrats have convinced voters they didnt win in 2006, that Republicans are still in power, everything bad is their fault(some truth to that as Bush had a majority for 5 years) and they are compassion and change.
So what you are saying is the MSM will just pick up old FreeRepublic threads. Heck, they might even talk about his out of wedlock black child.
The MSM is in McCain’s back pocket. The GOP has nothing to worry about on that front.
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