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 ...
I agree with your assessment. What concerns me is the damage that is about to be done with Polosi, Reid and Obama. One thing that McCain did have right in the debates was that Obama votes 98% or close to that of the time with the dems. That’s the change people are about to surrender to.
We have three weeks to organize. We have to vote all the creeps out. We love our country and the Socialists have to go. It is the House we have to work on. Find out there voting record if they wobbled
on immigration vote them out. If you are an activist already make your calls. We have three weeks.
REAGAN’S MILITIA
BS
Fred was part of the problem.
Most conservatives will be voting for Palin. Not for the other guy, whats-his-name.
I disagree with you. While I’ll admit the intensity of current credit matter was likely unforeseeable, a good candidate could go out there and explain that it was the LEFTY’s that stole everyone’s 401k values by having taxpayers backstop the risk in lending to people that should not have been lent to in the first place. That DEM policy in fact created capitalism on the way up and was creating socialism on the way down. By explaining that the GSE’s are democrat featherbeds. Forget Willie Horton and think Hal Raines. The way it turned out it should have been EASY to win this year.
A massive amount of power was given to conservatives by the People in 1994.
The result is well known.
The premises of 1994 (as I see them) were Liberty, smaller government, and transparent uncorrupted leadership in Congress.
On all three counts, not only were the People betrayed, but their "leaders" in fact pissed on their heads and told them it was raining.
There are no second chances at regime change.
It's the other side's turn, now.
More BS, name the conservative ideals jorge associated with. They all ended election day.
Soo- as Rush says, now conservatives have to play the hand America has been dealt
Drag Yosemite Sam over the finish line and then deal with him once he’s in the White House.
Better than the prospect of an ACORN elected, Obama worshipping single party element in control of executive and legislative branches PLUS the Obama element appointing the next 2-3 USSC justices to boot.
Nailed it, one was to busy banging the sectary, and whining about the back of the plane, and the other was to busy buy land and building roads to develop his land.
Seems like a lot of conservatives actually prefer to WHINE, rather than WIN. If we win, they can’t whine as much and they are more comfortable as whiners and critics.
Rather than get 60 or 80% of what they want, they are actively working to throw it all away and elect socialist Obama.
Quite a few anti-McCain articles, vanities are showing up and there is an anti-McCain ping list that is still going.
These are the real OBAMACONS, helping Obama, all in the name of conservatism. Disgusting.
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I wonder everyday, how did John McCain get the GOP nomination for POTUS? Most Republicans don't agree with McCain on many issues.
Too many Democrats crossed over in the primaries, IMO...especially in FL where the Dems didn't vote, if I remember.
And I wish the MSM would stop calling McCain a conservative! Obama, Reid, Pelosi, Frank, Dodd are about the only people in D.C. who scare me more than McCain!
The only good I see coming out of the election is we got to know Sarah Palin--a breath of fresh air!
I posted to the same effect here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2103653/posts?page=2#2
The gay MSM is fulfilling it’s mission to supress the vote by creating false polls, a hysteria of defeat, and climate of hopelessness in the mind of anyone who would dare vote for McCain.
The good news is that since the Left wishes to destroy Liberty, enlarge government, and is overtly corrupt, the wheel will turn again.
But I'm coming around to the view (mostly for my own mental health) that it's time to take our medicine for the failures of 1995-99 (never mind the catastrophe of "compassionate" conservatism), purge the movement, allow new and better leaders to emerge, and TEACH TEACH TEACH incessantly as the Left in power reveals what it's all about.
Trying to rally behind McCain is just too much like banging a square peg into a round hole. I don't dislike him like a lot of others here, and I think he's vastly superior to Obama. I'm going to vote for him.
But putting the right people in power requires mass mobilization and passion, and McCain is not the One to deliver.
It was all thrown away by 1999. And if you are a proponent of Bushism, THAT needs throwing away, too.
We are supposed to be the reality-based ones. We made a revolution in 1994. It was betrayed, wasted, and thrown away.
I'm voting for McCain, and I don't hate him.
But he's not effective, and he's going to lose.
If this David Freddoso was a true conservative he would never have written this for publication at this time. What was his plan, to show all the world that conservatives will throw away the election just to make a point?
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