Posted on 10/12/2008 6:21:16 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
To the degree that they are engaged in this election, conservatives are motivated entirely by fear of Obama and what he will do as president when backed by a solidly liberal Democratic House and Senate. They are not driven by love of the Republican candidate, and it shows in the anger present at McCain campaign rallies. Most conservatives will probably vote for McCain, but they also realize they are far less likely to persuade others, and they feel a disaster coming. The enthusiasm the Right felt during the 2004 election, which had been framed as a true ideological clash between Left and Right, simply does not exist this time around.
McCain's abrupt embrace of a big-government solution to the mortgage crisis during last week's debate places an exclamation point upon his many apostasies from conservative thought. Never a believer in supply-side economics, McCain had denounced the tax cuts of 2001. His push for campaign finance reform, for carbon emission restrictions, for federal regulation of boxing, and his long-standing defense of the Death Tax prior to this election have always made his agreements with conservatives on other issues appear to be accidental overlaps rather than a sign of common philosophical belief.
What would have happened if Republicans had nominated a conservative this time around? Conservatives must consider the possibility that things would look just as bad as they do now. The Bush presidency, by its mere association with conservative ideas, has ruined many of Republicans' best issues, creating an overwhelming headwind for any Republican running this year.
But a true conservative might also have shown voters an alternative rather than someone who incites "I agree with John" in the debates; someone to put Obama's left-wing policies in stark relief.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Nobody dislikes Rino’s more than me, but lets keep our heads in the game.
No, it is not. Conservatives voting out of fear. What an absurd and foolish idea. Fear does not stand it's ground. It runs, lashes out in desperation, or curls up in submission.
Principled Conservatives have the courage of their convictions. THEY STAND. THEY DO NOT MOVE.
It is we who fight for our way of life. It is we who would vote *for* the right man, *for* the right way. That is what is right for our children.
To accept McCain is to accept defeat as sure as losing to 0bama.
Who are you voting for?
ROTFLMAO!!!
Yet you would kick us 1%ers around like dogs, and settle all the time every time for less and less and less Conservatism- Ever more liberalism.
Democrats and their administrations have been becoming MORE liberal, not less. Moving toward their base.
Why is it that Republicans think that their power lies in running away from their base?
“Yup. We can thank ole Jorge for that compassionate conservatism or whatever the hell he wants to call it. I call him A FAILURE.”
Liberating 50 million people
No major attacks on Homeland since 9/11(knock wood)
Roberts Alito et. al.
Cutting taxes
All while driving Libs stark-raving Mad
Yeah, a real failure.
/sarc
If you are armed and know you can prevent something from happening that you fear will happen you go all out
A perfect example of lashing out- You think you can prevent it. You do not know. Yours is an act of desperation- and desperation, by it's nature, nearly always fails.
Because we keep getting candidates that are from the "business school" side of the party and not the middle class. Gov. Palin is so different from the other three candidates because she comes from the middle class.
We need closed primaries.
I am not talking about the war effort. I am talking about his spending bills, palling up to Kennedy and his $700 billion bill. THAT is a failure. His entire administration besides the war has been pretty much a failure. You believe what you might friend and I will believe what I might.
“His entire administration besides the war has been pretty much a failure. You believe what you might friend and I will believe what I might.”
Roberts Alito tax cuts...yeah, a real failure./hvy sarc
That is a fact. We also need a balanced way to get red states into the primary season much earlier.
Yes, yes, yes!
FWIW, why not hold primaries in order of how they voted. IOW, the state that had the highest % for the Pubs goes first and the state that had the weakest % goes last. Why do the pubs have to go to liberal NH. and IA. before conservative SC.?
I am voting for John McCain and against Barack Obama.
My point is this: if you think McCain is so awful, put your money where your mouth is and vote to defeat him by voting for Obama.
If you are voting for McCain, why not stop jawboning against him right now and leading the weak-minded and uncertain astray in the last weeks of the election?
How do you help McCain get elected? By meeting your friends’ and families’ frustration with reminders of the alternative.
Sometimes you win by playing offense, sometimes by defense.
Doesn’t matter what anyone else does, even what McCain does at this point. We can’t do much about that, you’d agree, I think. But what does matter is what we each do in our own lives. We CAN control that.
So I’m suggesting that spewing “vitriol” here on FR and elsewhere and “demonstrating our fear that McCain won’t do what is necessary to win the election” is an exercise in futility, a waste, and allowing the MSM to play the conservative voter for a fool.
This election is about defeating Obama and stopping the Rats from gaining even more power in our government. The only way to do that, at this point, is to vote for McCain. So get on with it.
NOTHING McCain does or does not do CHANGES WHO OBAMA IS or WHAT OBAMA PLANS FOR THE COUNTRY.
That’s the stark fact that must be focused on between now and election day.
Tackling the quarterback is necessary because he keeps passing to the wrong team.
And you complain no one wants such people "on the team"?
The task here is to DEFEAT OBAMA and STOP THE RATS.
That is all.
“If you are voting for McCain, why not stop jawboning against him right now and leading the weak-minded and uncertain astray in the last weeks of the election?”
Why would speaking the Truth “lead...the weak-minded and uncertain astray...”?
I have a problem with any method which would allow the "machine" to predict and pump the vote. Here is what I see, basically:
Divide the nation into four (or so) basic geographical regions east to west. Regional order in the primary is drawn from a hat.
Further divide those regions in half north to south, again, which goes first is determined by a coin toss.
The states of each sub-region would order themselves, again by lot, from a hat.
This is eminently fair- the states of every region have an equal chance of being that all important "first", and every state as well. and most importantly, the political machines would have virtually no influence in the process.
Furthermore, instead of hopscotching hither and yon, regional issues can become platforms nationally. The press and the politicians are forced to linger on the localized regional plights, because ALL of the states in that region are speaking together, one right after the next, or at least, basically so.
I have put a lot of thought into how this should be done rightly, and this is really the best thing I can see.
It’s a good plan. Let’s hope no matter how the election goes the Pubs see the need to change the process of picking a nominee.
So what you're saying is that, in order to stop the Rats, we have to elect someone who will then turn around and pass to them, enabling them to score? What kind of "strategery" is this?!
Uh, you conveniently left out the part about defeating Obama.
Of course.
If you can’t see the wisdom of defeating Obama in 2008, please do not post to me again on this thread. Thank you.
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