The Myth That McCain Wasn't Conservative Enough

Pajamas Media ^ | November 11, 2008 | John Avalon

[AJKauf]

After a losing presidential campaign, the candidate quickly (and often cruelly) is painted as an object lesson in what not to do — but that should not happen in 2008.

In order to truly revive itself, the GOP should be more like the real John McCain in the future, and less like the conservative cast of the past decade: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Tom Delay. And it certainly should not look to the likes of Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin to lead a restoration.

You do the math: America has a moderate majority — 50% of Americans are centrists, compared to 20% who are liberal and 30% who call themselves conservative. ,,,

[WOSG]

the best indie voters pick their guy based on character and competence. the worst go by personality, looks and ‘coolness’...

It’s amazing it was this close if you consider how the Obamedia had built up Obama and tore down the GOP on all those factors.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2008/11/moderates-want-competence-not-mush.html

[dead]

An article that portrays George W. Bush and Mitt Romney as the "hard right" that we need to avoid in our push towards the "center."

Usually one must sift through the droppings of Michael Moore for such enlightening nuggets.

[WOSG]

“The center is not peopled by voters with fixed notions about the exercise of power who wait for one of the great political parties to surrender their values and embrace the tempered and resolute opinions of the middle. That happens with splinter parties but not with the mushy middle. When an unaffiliated voter bestirs himself to enter the polling booth he is confronted with one of two options: right or left. He does not consider who has moved the farthest geographically from right to the left or left to right any more than he commits because of his own long held political beliefs. He votes for the fella who best tickles his fancy at the moment. Put more charitably, he votes for the candidate who persuades that he is the best, and has the best to offer.

If we as conservatives do not believe that we have the best to offer we should get out of the business. A candidate, like a party, who is centered on his philosophy has integrity and is persuasive. And that philosophy must first have a vertical spiritual component which finds expression and out working in a horizontal governing philosophy.”

Well said. Please consider this relevant thought:
http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2008/11/moderates-want-competence-not-mush.html

[Redbob]

"obama along with the black vote...."

One plus about the Obama election is that whites need never again feel guilty about voting strictly along racial lines!

WE've just read and heard that it's A-OK.

[WOSG]

Third parties: A narcissistic leap to powerless irrelevence by those who forsake the hard work of real political bridge building.

If you really know the way forward, get involved in leading the GOP there.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2008/11/rebuilding-gop.html

[SoCalPol]

AS a Reagan - Palin Republican I only look at the Third Party stooges who got their wish for Obama with contempt.

[Redbob]

"Prove the qualification of Palin, Jindal, and Steele as Reagan Conservatives. They are not."

Sarah Palin is a conservative by comparison to John Insane, but on her merits, she's a populist ala Mike Huckleberry.

Bobby Jindal is a "big government" conservative, like George Bush, but with personality.

And Michael Steele, to the disappointment of many, appears to be a "Condi Rice conservative" rather than a Reagan Conservative.

[Redbob]

"...does anyone around here really question that the media’s favorite Republican lapdog was McCain(?)"

Not I,
nor, I would guess, anyone else who's been paying attention.

[TigersEye]

It's no myth. McCain is the Super RINO!

[nathanbedford]

That was a very interesting blog piece which you cited. I thought the comments were illuminating especially those of the liberal who reversed the facts about Governor Blanco during Katrina and accused Bush of undercutting Nagin and Blanco. If Bush had only fought his corner liberals would not have such an open season for standing truth on its head.

With respect to the blog piece itself, I think it largely is in agreement with what I said. I was thinking prospectively and the blogger has the voter thinking retrospectively. The conventional wisdom is that voters are always looking forward but I am inclined to think that the lessons of Carter and Bush and Hoover are that the way a democracy works is that the voters punish failure and keep the ship of state tacking between mistakes.

In any event, we need not give up our principles, we must somewhere find the gumption to fight for them and we must learn to do so with humor and vigor.

One last thought. I think it is important that we do not confuse a search for bedrock principles with a talent search. Unlike Christianity, our solution is not a person but a philosophy. The man will emerge who has a message.

[TigersEye]

For you folks who didn’t want McCain, hey no problem. We now have the Marxist.

Nice display of victimhood mentality. Really! Nice!!!

[Glenn]

Pajamas Media owes its existence to FR, in my opinion.

I’m losing all faith in them.

[WOSG]

“The conventional wisdom is that voters are always looking forward but I am inclined to think that the lessons of Carter and Bush and Hoover are that the way a democracy works is that the voters punish failure and keep the ship of state tacking between mistakes.”

Yes they do. Clearly, this is why the experience issue didnt work against Obama, and the McCain=Bush did. People were being told ‘you dont know what obama will do’ and obama’s retort was ‘ it cant be worse than what we have now’.

“One last thought. I think it is important that we do not confuse a search for bedrock principles with a talent search. Unlike Christianity, our solution is not a person but a philosophy. The man will emerge who has a message.”

YES!

That’s why I think the 2012 chatter is pointless. The drivers in the next 24 months are the agenda challenges we face from the onslaught of Obama’s liberalism. If we are smart, we will focus on debunking and slowing down the Obama agenda, picking it apart piece by piece and/or exposing its dangerous elements as the Democrats ram it through.

Use the Obama agenda as way to frame our principles and agenda against his.

[nathanbedford]

I think we could write each other's posts and our mothers couldn't tell the difference, at least by the content.

Although they might be able to tell by my picture.

[Phantom Lord]

You got it. I was wrong on the "liberal" response. It was a little larger.

Question D3 is: When thinking about politics and government, do you consider yourself to be...

Very Conservative: 20%
Somewhat Conservative: 40%
Moderate: 2%
Somewhat Liberal: 27%
Very Liberal: 9%
Unsure/Refused: 3%

Poll conductd 8/10-8/14 2008. Clicky here

[Dick Holmes]

“It’ll be a dispirited debate...”

[SoCalPol]

So you are saying Obama is not a Marxist.
You think he is just another democrat.

I grew up around victims, fresh out of the WWII European camps.
I witnessed first hand victims when I was in East Germany in 1983

We are next.

[TigersEye]

So you are saying Obama is not a Marxist. You think he is just another democrat.

I said nothing of the kind. Nor did I speak of real victims. Nice try at changing the subject but your blaming the voters for the candidate is baloney.

[Dead Corpse]

Actually, since none of them are former Democrats, they are by definition MORE conservative than even Reagan was.

[MooseChic]

If he had only used these words sparingly he would have won.
1. My friends…
2. Porkbelly earmarks…
3. Bi-partisan…