Posted on 03/03/2010 10:44:15 AM PST by rabscuttle385
My brother and I have a running conversation about whether it is a good thing that John McCain didn't become president. We both voted for him, but I decided early on, as much as I oppose every Marx-tinged thing President Obama stands for, I was glad Obama had won and McCain had lost. At least, I was glad McCain had lost.
That's because only out of ashes may the phoenix be reborn. The liberal-lite frustrations of a McCain administration would have smoldered on the Right but lit few fires, dampening the possibility of real post-Bush regeneration. From Bush's "compassionate conservatism" (read: liberalism) to McCain's compassionate bipartisanship (read: more liberalism), the nation would have continued to drift in the wrong direction. The "good" thing about the economy-crashing, military-breaking, ideologically mind-blowing Obama administration is that it puts us on a collision course that just might force Americans to bail and start over in a better way -- metaphorically speaking.
But also, McCain didn't deserve to be president, at least not under the false flag of "conservative." McCain is no conservative, a fact that stands out as he faces a serious Senate primary challenge from J.D. Hayworth, a genuinely conservative former U.S. Representative.
After all, John McCain co-wrote the bill providing, in effect, U.S. citizenship to some 20 million illegal aliens (that's why they called it McCain-Kennedy). He co-wrote the bill restricting political speech (McCain-Feingold). J.D. Hayworth opposed both. As for global-warming legislation -- sorry, "climate change" -- McCain used to lead the floor fight for cap-and-trade (initially known as McCain-Lieberman), but now even the New York Times has noticed McCain has gone mum on the issue and "is likely to keep his distance even more over the next six months due to a primary challenge from a conservative former congressman that threatens to end his Senate career after four terms." And yup, Hayworth opposes cap-and-trade. McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts; Hayworth, as he puts it, helped write them. McCain rules out enhanced interrogations and wants to close Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo). Hayworth supports enhanced interrogations, and wants to keep Gitmo open. The list goes on, but there's no need to draw a picture.
Except, maybe, for the benefit of -- how to put this? -- challenged conservative leaders. These include former Sen. Fred Thompson, and former Govs. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, who, contradicting everything they ever got us to think they stood for, sort of have endorsed McCain. This may burnish "the maverick" with their conservative bona fides. But it also makes those bona fides look more than a little cheap.
Or maybe they just aren't who we think they are. But does it matter? Perception does seem to be everything. In November, Hayworth was polling neck-in-neck with McCain. After Sarah Superstar held out her coattails to McCain -- who, let's not forget, personally, and through his staff, publicly savaged her -- a January poll showed McCain leading Hayworth by 22 points.
So why is McCain running scared? Because he is running scared. At least that's one conclusion to draw from an initial Web ad released by the McCain campaign that stoops to smear Hayworth as a conspiracy nut unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate for having the audacity -- I call it common sense and a little grit -- to point out as a radio host that "questions will remain" until our commander in chief releases the paperwork associated with his birth currently under state seal in Hawaii.
Questions will remain, and do remain, and despite Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose's craven dodge: "Questions were raised on the air. They have been answered." No, they haven't been answered. And that's true largely because of John McCain.
Remember when presidential candidate McCain's own natural-born creds came under question because he was born in the Canal Zone? Naturally, he released his paperwork. He should have then called on his opponent, Barack Obama, to do the same -- naturally. Such leadership would have dispelled all corrosive doubts raised and perpetuated not by "conspiracy nuts" but by the unprecedented lockdown on simple Obama identification -- birth certificate, education transcripts and more -- by the Obama machine, fueled and oiled by a compliant media.
But he didn't -- another reason McCain shouldn't have become president. Now, if conservatives could just retire him from the U.S. Senate.
Diana West is the author of "The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization," and blogs at dianawest.net. She can be contacted via dianawest@verizon.net.
I’ll bet you can give me hundreds of names of those who are not Conservative enough.
And Duncan Hunter will never be President.
A very intelligent fact, thanks for bringing a little sanity to this forum.
What’s your point?
You’re not smart enough to figure it out?
There is a non-stop litany of people who Republicans are not supposed to vote for since they are not Conservative enough. Almost every election, especially, in blue states, one votes for the lesser of two evils.
Some people here will never understand that.
Oh, did you vote McCain, stay home or vote Third Party?
By the way you asked for three conservatives not who could become president. To get elected one has to have years of experience and love America...certainly a person who has served a total of two years in the Senate and is ignorant of our history ...oh! wait...maybe not... maybe a total moron can be president!
Janet Napolitano 62%
Now THAT is three landslides and an ass kicking.
Maybe your not smart enough... We had eight years of Geo Bush..how did that work out!
Now we are confronted for the first time in our history, a complete overthrow of our Nation from within.
Len Munsil 35% (1)
Janet Napolitano 62% (2)
(3)???
Now THAT is three landslides and an ass kicking.
A landslide is generally held to be a win by 10% of the popular vote. Napolitano nearly tripled it in kicking Munsil’s butt.
I just love it when people think they know what they are talking about only to prove themselves a fool.
You make a statement like this and then run around telling people they aren't smart enough. So intelligence to you is voting for someone you hate. Barack Obama was elected due to the stupidity of a bunch of Rino republicans who were perfectly willing to keep spending if they thought it would get them elected. They had eight years of the presidency and six years of control of both houses and ran another entitlement program through....REPUBLICANS...and you would just keep pulling the lever.
There is really no percent that I can find...Goes from 53%-60%. She ran for Gov. I believe and was trounced.
“”PHOENIX, Ariz. March 3, 2010. J.D. Hayworth has gained the endorsement of a man who over the years has probably done more to keep Arizona steering in the direction of family values than anyone in the state: Len Munsil. The founder of the Center for Arizona Policy – and 2006 Republican nominee for Governor – today endorsed the campaign of J.D. Hayworth to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.”
Fantastic. Did you happen to hear Mark Levin yesterday? He has no problem proclaiming LOUDLY that he endorses J.D. over McCain. Thank you, Mr. Levin for having the fortitude.
“The hottest place in Hell is reserved
for those who remain neutral
in times of great moral conflict.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
My first thought too
And he orchestrated the Gang of Fourteen to eliminate the nuclear option on judicial nominees.
Yep. Enough said.
A wise FReeper has as their tagline: a closed mouth gathers no feet. So take heed.
All this talk and she freely admits she actually voted for Sarah Palin. Like McCain would have let her do anything. Just listen to how his people trashed her during the campaign and after the election. And then he comes begging for her endorsement.Despicable!!
Obviously you are proof one can still make a fool of themselves with both feet in their mouth!
“You gambled with everyone’s freedom, and you gambled with our future. “
STop it! You want to blame another freeper and can’t muster the guts to put it where it belongs...MCCAIN.
He thwarted every attempt by Bush to keep us safe...NO torture....NO Gitmo....PROMOTING DEMOCRATS, like Kerry to the point of considering running WITH Kerry. How anyone who cared about Bush can see McCain as anything but the enemy is beyond me. Do you remember how McCain threw Bush under the bus??
McCain has much fault, and much blood on his hands, but you can only find disagreement with other freepers who can see what you refuse to. And then have the nerve to blame those of us who don’t like this old bastard!
JUST WOW.
Yeah, I'm extremely upset about this creep in the WH yet I don't go around trashing other FReepers for their beliefs if they happen to like someone more or less conservative than my guy.
BTW, I didn't have a "guy" in the last election. I voted strictly for Palin. Not that I think she's the answer but at least I could have held my head up if they'd won.
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