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Youth Movement by Daniel McCarthy
www.takimag.com ^ | November 12, 2008 | Daniel McCarthy

Posted on 12/02/2008 11:16:53 AM PST by Publius804

Youth Movement

by Daniel McCarthy

Nov. 4 was a lucky day for Republicans. Barack Obama crushed John McCain by a landslide, but voters hedged their bets on Congress. The sheer weight of turnout for Obama shifted 24 seats in the House of Representatives and six in the Senate to the Democratic column—but the House gains were offset by four GOP pickups and a handful of races in both chambers remain too close to call. This was far from the wipeout it might have been. Voters gave congressional Republicans a reprieve, even as they resoundingly rejected McCain.

Republicans can be trusted to learn all the wrong lessons from this. Indeed, the leaders of the conservative movement, which is little more than the Republican Party in repose, have already decided not to mend their ways. At a post-election powwow held at the home of L. Brent Bozell III, the dons of the movement came together and decided that, in the words of American Spectator reporter Phil Klein, “John McCain wasn’t really a conservative.” What’s more, as one unnamed partygoer told Klein, “We’re no longer going to support Republicans who want to ‘improve’ a bad bill. We’re going to oppose all bad bills.” But what were putative conservatives doing supporting “bad bills” in the first place? And if they were willing to support bad bills under Bush, what makes anyone think they won’t support bad bills again under the next Republican president?

Of course John McCain “wasn’t really a conservative.” But neither was George W. Bush in ’00 or ’04. Neither was Bob Dole in ’96. Neither was George H.W. Bush in ’88 or ’92. The Republican Party has not nominated a conservative for president in over 20 years.

(Excerpt) Read more at takimag.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservatism; election; mccain; obama

1 posted on 12/02/2008 11:16:53 AM PST by Publius804
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To: Publius804
" The Republican Party has not nominated a conservative for president in over 20 years."

But in the case of the Bushes, we thought we had.

Is it the fault of the membership that we were lied to?

"Read my lips" my ass!

2 posted on 12/02/2008 11:20:26 AM PST by Redbob (W.W.J.B.D.: "What Would Jack Bauer Do?)
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To: Publius804
four GOP pickups

Where were the pick ups??

3 posted on 12/02/2008 11:33:06 AM PST by MaineConservative (Conservatives -- if you want CHANGE run for Congress in 2010!! I am))
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To: Publius804
Barack Obama crushed John McCain by a landslide...

Oh, really? A landslide?

4 posted on 12/02/2008 11:39:51 AM PST by CPOSharky (Coming up: Four years of Jimmuh Cartah on crack.)
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To: MaineConservative

The Republicans picked up LA-06, TX-22, FL-16, and KS-2.


5 posted on 12/02/2008 12:00:29 PM PST by Galactic Overlord-In-Chief (Russia invades Georgia? For a moment, I thought that was Red Dawn II)
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