McCain Haters For McCain

American Thinker ^ | September 05, 2008 | Randall Hoven

[neverdem]

I think I'm fairly representative of those conservatives who just could not stand to vote for John McCain.  But I now plan to vote for him this November.  Let me tell you why.

My published criticisms of McCain can be read here, here, here and here.  I even contemplated that a President Obama might not be so bad.  I think my bona fides as a "McCain hater" are fairly well established.  (Although I don't care for the word "hate" here.  I didn't hate him, just voting for him.)

To some conservatives, voting is a simple matter: only one of two candidates is going to win, so pick the more conservative.  By that measure, McCain easily beats Barack Obama.  Just compare, say, lifetime ACU ratings.  The score would be 82 to 8, McCain over Obama.  No contest.  But by that measure, if the Republicans had nominated Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), we should vote for her over Obama, since her ACU score is 22.

The logic of the anti-McCain crowd was not that simple.  Our time horizon was not just the next four years, but the future in general.  I had stated that it is better to have a Democrat President who governs like a Democrat than a Republican who governs like a Democrat.  Why?  Because the Democrats would get a twofer with the latter: the enactment of a Democratic agenda and the ability to fix the blame for anything bad on the Republicans.

And what would conservatives get?  An agenda they despise, blame for everything bad and no political party representing them any more.

I gave the example of Richard Nixon.  He did virtually everything Democrats wanted.  He got us out of Vietnam -- by withdrawing in defeat.  He hugged Mao Zedong, the greatest mass murderer in history, in public.  He imposed wage and price controls.  He gave us OSHA and the EPA.  His EPA chief then outlawed DDT, letting millions around the world die defenseless against malaria.  He appointed Justice Blackmun to the Supreme Court, who went on to author Roe v Wade.  He increased government spending to support a growing welfare state.

And what did conservatives get for all that?  A Republican President resigning in disgrace, a sweep of Democrats in Congress, oil price shocks, a recession, President Jimmy Carter, our enemies emboldened abroad and a political albatross that hangs around the necks of Republicans to this day.

In short, some of us think preserving a party that truly represents conservative values is more important for the long term than just having someone in the White House with an ACU rating somewhere north of 8.

If McCain were trying to morph the Republican Party into Democrat-Lite, I would not vote for him.  He could have demonstrated that by picking a Vice President like Joe Lieberman.  Nothing wrong with Joe, but he's not a Republican.  He thinks life is improved through government programs.  Republicans think government usually is the problem, not the solution.

But McCain did not pick Joe Lieberman or anyone like that.  He picked Sarah Palin.

And that changed everything.

Sarah Palin is pro-freedom, pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax, anti-spending.  And she walks the walk.  Her life story is pure American -- even old-time, frontier American.  We can compare experience levels in years of "public service": her 12 to Barack Obama's 11.  But more importantly, Obama's experience consists mostly of missing a lot of votes so he could write a second autobiography and make speeches, while Palin's includes negotiating a gas pipeline deal with Canada and confronting Big Oil face-to-face and making it blink.

Sarah Palin also represents real reform in government.  Not just reform in the sense of ethics rules, but reform in the sense of getting back to the days where elected officials were normal people recognized for their real-world leadership, not professional politicians, usually lawyers, adept at making good excuses, not good decisions.  Alexis de Tocqueville would recognize her as an American: a Bible in one pocket and a newspaper in the other.

And because she is so young, John McCain showed us the future of the Republican party.  It's even more choice that Palin's nemesis in Alaskan politics is Senator Ted Stevens, the oldest, whitest, pork-barrelest, and now indicted, Republican in the Senate.  McCain made it clear: out with the Stevens, in with the Palins.  I am down with that.

In a stroke, McCain showed us his vision of the Republican party, and it is not Democrat-Lite.  And the base knew it right away.  On the day he announced Palin as his VP choice, $4 million flew into his campaign from internet contributions.  The previous daily high was under $1 million.  What does that tell you about what the Republican base thinks of Sarah Palin?

Yet we've heard this spun by our wise media as a scheme to get Hillary Clinton's voters.  We hear those same wise men advise McCain to reach to the middle and the left.  Such advice is wishful thinking or self-delusion at best, or lies at worst.  Five of the last seven presidential elections were won by Republicans.  When Bill Clinton did win, he did it with less than a majority of the popular vote.  The last Democrat to garner a majority of the popular vote for President was Jimmy Carter, who received 50.1% of the popular vote two years after Nixon resigned.

Republicans do not win by moving left.  They win by being Republican: pro-freedom, pro-defense, pro-American, by being the party of small government and big ideas.

The Palin choice was not about getting Hillary's voters, although that might help nudge the margin of victory up by maybe 1% or 2%.  It was about reinvigorating the base, the base that put Reagan in the White House with a 49-state victory.

This whole episode also shows me that McCain is probably smarter than I had thought.  He apparently has favored Palin since February; this was not a seat-of-the-pants decision.  His campaign staff was not only able to keep it a secret, it let the media drink its own bathwater in its silly who's-he-gonna-pick game.  And he timed it beautifully to deny Obama a big post-convention bounce.  You could almost think McCain knows what he's doing.

The surge is working.  The US and Iraq are discussing troop withdrawal dates.  General Petraeus is drafting a troop drawdown schedule.  The latest GDP figures show healthy economic growth.  Jobless claims are down three weeks straight.  And John McCain picked Sarah Palin for VP.

I'm voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin this November, and I won't even have to hold my nose.

Randall Hoven can be contacted at randall.hoven@gmail.com or  via his web site, kulak.worldbreak.com.

[jospehm20]

That’ll show ‘em. /S

[MARTIAL MONK]

And I think the key to John McCain the politician is his life in that cell in Hanoi.

"I had a lot of time to think over there, and came to the conclusion that one of the most important things in life—along with a man's family—is to make some contribution to his country."

McCain in 2000?

Nope.

McCain in 2008?

Nope.

This is McCain in 1973. Just back from Vietnam. Before he left the Navy. Before he entered politics.

[cripplecreek]

Personally I’m more than a little concerned with the religion that seems to have formed around McCain/Palin.

Opposition to Obama is entirely understandable but the cult of McCain is clearly willing to give him a mandate to do whatever the hell he wants and he’s no friend of the American people no matter how many times he says “My friends”.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Without hard core conservatives on FR and elsewhere bitching 24/7 about McCain and radicalizing the cynical base in opposition to him, even with him gaining the nomination, he met his fait d' accompli in the VP selection, and had no choice but to drop those two pro-choice loons, Tom Ridge and Joe Liberalman, and had to chose somebody like Sarah Palin palatable to the huge hard core of whiners and true Conservatives.

Without our bitching and threatening and hair splitting and whining and threatening to take our marbles home here on FR and elsewhere for the last three months, in other words, without articulating the skepticism of the GOP Conservative base (something I engaged and and will continue to engage in) Sarah Palin would be a figment of our imagination today.

McCainiac, Bushbots, Republican-Firsters and reluctant conservatives alike on FR should keep this in mind. If you lose the whiners and threateners like AiT, rabscuttle385 and thousands of others, you lose ALL LEVERAGE AND POWER TO REIGN THIS GUY IN WHOM WE KNOW IS STILL NOT A BEDROCK CONSERVATIVE.

People told us to "get lost" or "go back to D.U. you troll", (some even "f*ck off!" in private Freepmail....but WE knew our value and our role and mission), and nothing stopped us nor will stop us in the future. Therein lies the value of the "bad cop" so to speak. We had a small role, but a role nonetheless. (Thank you, thank you).

[MrPiper]

Ridiculous logic.Meanwhile, he’s free to move, seemingly undetected, as far to the left as he wants. Bravo McCain. Bravo.

Not hardly, she will bring people to the polls that would not have shown up otherwise. They will hit the "Republican" button and this will increase votes for all Congress critters and other trash. (2/3rds vote and all that) I think she can LEAD by example, and show those critters how to grow a pair even when not issued.

I doubt she will sit quietly on the sidelines if McWhatshisname steps left. She not only got me to vote, (I was not going to bother) I sent money TOO! McW can't ignore that!

I think this will be like a marriage, and she will have him saying "yes dear" in short order.

PS, I have never given money for POLYTICS. (Poly= many, TICS=blood sucking insect.)

[cripplecreek]

There’s nothing more pathetic than getting called a DU troll by people who two weeks ago were holding Hillary campaign signs and willing to rape and pillage if she didn’t get the nomination.

Actually I take that back. The only thing more pathetic are the long term FReepers who cheer on the recent Hillary voters who they’ve never asked what attracted them to Hillary in the first place.

[Diva]

His campaign staff was not only able to keep it a secret, it let the media drink its own bathwater in its silly who's-he-gonna-pick game. And he timed it beautifully to deny Obama a big post-convention bounce. You could almost think McCain knows what he's doing.

This impressed me as well. I don't want to call myself a McCain hater cause I never hated him but there was no enthusiasm. When people would ask who I supported I would tell them I planned to vote for Menelaus "Pass the biscuits/Pappy" O'Daniel" of O Brother Where Art Thou fame!

But after he chose Gov. Palin and I had a chance to read about her and then hear her speech I was won over and now believe the fighter jock knows what he is doing.

[NoGrayZone]

"But McCain did not pick Joe Lieberman or anyone like that. He picked Sarah Palin."

"And that changed everything."

Amen! I won't be holding my nose either. I will actually pull that lever with pride! Go McCain/Palin 08!!!

[NoGrayZone]

You can be amazed all you want. It is what it is.

[HalfFull]

You know, I was thinking of what Sarah could do as VP that could really make a difference. If McCain is truly serious about shaking up his buddies in the Senate, she could make the Senate “veto proof” even if the senate gets 60 Dem seats after this election. Here’s why.

Today, the president does not get any face time on TV because the lefties control the TV media. But, since Sarah is a rock star, the networks would be willing to jump all overt themselves (for ratings) to let VP Palin take the issues to the people to keep the senate from over-riding important Presidential veto’s. Kinda of like Reagan did. McCain just needs to turn her lose to do the “dirty work”

One thing about the Dem Senators....they still will do what the public wants if they fear losing their jobs. And if McCain does not turn her lose, I believe Palin would quit as VP and run against him in 2012, or as an independant.

Things sure are interesting!

[Eye of Unk]

I am getting the impression that America is awakening from a long long sleep, Sarah is the morning coffee, breakfast and inspiration of the day to get our buts in gear and make America a better place to work for.

The American dream is coming into reality.

[freeangel]

“I’m amazed by how many people needed Sarah Palin to see the light....”.

Face it, without Sarah, the future of the GOP was doomed. People are still not voting for McCain with a smile on their face—but they ARE voting for Palin because she represents the real hope that the GOP will one day(in 4 years) return to the conservative principles much of the base yearns for.

[NoGrayZone]

"You objected to him as I see it because of his liberal voting record and antics, it seems."

"Did he change or did you?"

His pick of Palin surely demonstrates he is the one who changed, or at least listened to those of us whom objected him. If we were all like you guys and accepted him from the start without ANY voice of protest, we would be looking at a McCain/Liberman losing ticket right now.

So, instead of condenseding us "haters", you should be thanking us.

[bert]

On the floor under my desk is a little pile of shavings. I whittled away the sharp point on the stick used to poke Anti McCain types.

Out in the back yard there is a little pile of fresh dirt....underneath is a hatchet, forever buried.

[AmericanInTokyo]

There are LOTS of newbies on FR these days. It is not difficult often to trace them back to their first posts and see what the motivation is. In most cases it is to support just McCain or moderate/centrism on a fundamentally INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE thread...then also insult people who have been on here five, eight, ten years, through all kinds of issues and campaigns. Trolls? I’d say these folks can look in the mirror as far as I am concerned. I told Jim four years ago and eight years ago, he ought to have a moratorium on NEW FR memberships for something like 2 months prior to a major Presidential election, freeze all new sign ups so they can only lurk and not post...then free up the membership the day or two after the election. If they are just provocateurs from some campaign as paid staffers, they wont stick around and help FR. If they have nothing to put into FR after Election Day, but to just use it before hand, screw them. They should troll on some other forum rather than FR. Maybe Jim will do that this year.

[AmericanInTokyo]

is there an echo in here?

[Jabba the Nutt]

Here's a comment I found posted at Anderson Cooper's website. I included the intro for background and snipped parts. Follow the link to read the entire post:

Gov Palin should not compare herself to Sen. Clinton because of this inside scoop…This is an email I received from a good friend in New York City. She is a Bryn Mawr graduate, and is a physician currently engaged in cancer research at Columbia University. This is an email she received from a Bryn Mawr classmate of hers who lives in Alaska.

Begin forwarded message: Dear classmates - As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some information on Sarah Palin, Senator McCain’s choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that he picked her. The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and bears.

Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad, but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is appropriate is beyond me.

She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has “green” policies. The only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience.

Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum education level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade. Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put Palin in office in the first place. I know what I’m talking about.

These people don’t have a concept of the world around them or of the serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don’t care. So long as they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the wilderness, they’re happy. I wish I were exaggerating.

When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable if it weren’t so serious.

Should something happen to him such that the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our country and possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate as Sarah Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain to try to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. When McCain introduced her today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton.

But please try to see how the poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain’s judgment. While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally, a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone president.

Buwahahaaha! You know, these "progressives" remind me of Victorian gentlemen in their clubs talking about the rabble and 'those type of people'. They're closed-minded, bigoted and unbelievably self-righteous. They also are incapable of self-reflection.

[S.O.L.]

I don’t know if the Palin pick was dumb luck, desperation, or divine providence, but I have gone from being less than lukewarm to being an enthusiastic, active supporter of the ticket. Since I am in Massachusetts, how I voted wouldn’t have mattered and so I had planned to vote for a third party as a protest although I guess I sorta hoped that McCain would beat Obama as Obama will be a disaster for our country but was not willing to lift a finger to prevent it - hoping that in four years we could start on the road to recovery although recognizing that the damage (SC justices, devastating homeland attacks, or lasting diplomatic distrust) will be so great that it may have taken decades to recover, but the blame would fall on the libs/Dems. But if McCain pulls this off (and it’s now come up to at least being a long shot), I think he may feel he owes the base enough to fulfill his SC justice picks promise as otherwise he was going down to defeat. So for that alone I can support him. Besides we will get Sarah in 4 or 8 years or even sooner.

[MARTIAL MONK]

And if McCain does not turn her lose, I believe Palin would quit as VP and run against him in 2012, or as an independant.

Not a chance.

I wouldn't worry about it, though. You don't pick a no-name reformist Governor from a small state in order to win an election. You do it because she matches your plans for the office. This is going to be a four year dog fight.

We are going to get a few things that we don't like and we are going to get them until we howl.

We are also going to get a lot of things that we do like. And we'll get them until we howl.

[BuffaloJack]

For all those who really didn’t want to vote for McCain, vote for his ticket. It positions a real Conservative for the followup in 2012. Sarah will be president in 2012,
Unless, of course, you want Hillary to re-occupy the White House.