Limbaugh, Hannity and the Republican Establishment

2/1/08 | A2J

[A2J]

In the coming weeks, I will acknowledge an anniversary of thirty (30) years as a registered Republican. I have always been a Republican and my first presidential election was a vote cast for Ronaldus Magnus, one of my heroes.

I have always voted the GOP line in state and local races, except when there were only Democrats running wherein I would either vote for the most conservative or skip that particular match up entirely.

I'm afraid that this year will be different.

As a conservative who found a home in the GOP 30 years ago, I now find myself without a home, particularly as the GOP has been gradually becoming the DNC-Lite over the past eight (8) years. To say that I'm now frustrated with the GOP would be an enormous understatement but yet I find myself more frustrated and even bitter at such conservative stalwarts as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, two I have always enjoyed listening to and agree with for the most part.

It is not my intention to challenge the pedigree of their conservatism, but rather to tell them and the collective conservatives and conservative wannabes who are now complaining about the ascendancy of John McCain, a despicable little man, to shut the hell up.

Why? Because they've laid the steps for McCain's rise.

Just this week I listened to Rush complain about McCain and Huckabee, who should step aside and support Romney who is more conservative than McCain, with Rush's earlier comments that should McCain or Huckabee receive the nomination, they would destroy the GOP...a statement to which I agree. Additionally, just this week Rush was championing conservatism over the GOP, as he and all conservatives should, and yet when asked as to whether he would support McCain if he is nominated, Rush flip-flopped, ala John Kerry, when he said that he would do nothing to harm the GOP.

Such doublespeak is what cracks the door open for rats like McCain.

Sean Hannity, "Mr. Nice Guy," is no different especially when it comes to anyone who has an "R" after his name.

During Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial run against Grey Davis, Hannity nearly wet his pants in adoration of Schwarzenegger. He has been the same toward "Mr. Character," Rudy Giuliani. And now he wants to feign anger and frustration over Schwarzenegger's endorsement of the little man from Arizona. In fact, Hannity ridiculed Schwarzenegger's comments as being void of the ideals and core values of Ronald Reagan.

While I cannot speak for all true-blue conservatives, I know that my frustration truly lies with people like Rush and Hannity who openly embrace liberal Republicans and yet now complain that those same ones whom they have embraced are now going to destroy the party. Maybe the GOP should be allowed to continue to merge with the DNC. Maybe then we can build a true conservative party from the ashes.

To me, true conservatism transcends parties and labels and remains absolute and unchangeable, however hard others may try to redefine it. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are the "marching orders" for all conservatives regardless of party and while the GOP is currently undergoing a redefinition, conservatism must never.

But, alas, as long as we are more obsessed with making sure that GOP candidates are elected instead of true conservatives, we are not only guaranteeing the destruction of a Grand Old Party, but worse, we become the willing participants in the assault on conservatism.

This year will mark a new era in my long history of voting Republican in that should John McCain become the Republican nominee, I will choose my convictions over my party and withhold my vote because if I truly love America, as we all claim to, then why would I continue to inoculate her with more poison by choosing party over principles?

[seekthetruth]

“I just wish Mitt had run a better campaign. I was surprized very few of my friends were aware that when some terrorist type from Afghanistan was due to speak at Harvard Mitt would not provide state troopers for the guy’s security. He got a lot of grief but he said no way were the taxpayers of Massachusetts going to pay to protect that guy. He should have a campaign commercial with that information.”

Mitt is the only choice. If Huckabee supporters think he is so conservative, why is it he is so sweet to McCain? It is becasue he knows he does not have a chance of winning the nomination, but has a chance to be McCain’s VP. No doubt becasue McCain promised it to him. Well Huckabee better realize that McCain backstabs all the time. But the more I think about it, Huckabee does agree with McCAin on amnesty and closing Guantanamo, and Government mandates.

I just hope conservatives vote for Romney, and I have hope they will on Tuesday when they realize what is going on. A vote for Huckabee gives us McCain, and McCain gives us Hillary or Obama in the White House.

[A2J]

Once the primaries are over, then the responsible thing is to sit down and see how your vote will lead to the least damage to the country and cast it.

I loathe the idea of a McCaine presidency but I will not vote for Obama or Clinton. I will not waste my vote on a third party candidate. And I will not act like a petulant child and sit out the election.

Too bad we'll never know how many "petulant" children would have survived Jim Jones' Koolaid Fest, had they sat out the festivities.

[A2J]

It’s called the Constitution Party and it gets about 1% in a good year.

But if the true conservatives would abandon the GOP as they have us, that percentage would grow dramatically.

We have to stop being afraid of doing what is right.

[mysterio]

even bitter at such conservative stalwarts as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, two I have always enjoyed listening to and agree with for the most part.

Both of them lost me when they failed to hold President Bush to the same standard that they would have held a dem to on spending. No thanks, I don't need someone to try and spin out of control spending into something positive.

[A2J]

Not that I agree with the original premise of McCain being a done deal to start with, but does the SCOTUS mean anything to either of you?

Apparently you haven't heard the latest about Mr. McShame's supposed support for justices of the ilk as Alito and Roberts?

McShame has been outed as saying that Alito is "too conservative," which tells me he would select justices that are acceptable to the Democrats.

Do you honestly believe that he, as a moderate, would choose truly conservative justices?

Get real.

[A2J]

Staying home will guarantee that it does not happen.

I've never advocated not voting for the house and senate seats. I agree that they may be our redemption.

[A2J]

But the alternative is national catastrophe, from which America very likely will never recover. Electing Hillary or Hussein would be like installing Hugo Chavez.

While it would be scary under a second Clinton administration, I'm convinced that just as America responded strongly after the Carter debacle, they would do the same after Hitlery.

You can shove Americans only so far before they open up a can on you.

[Beagle8U]

What happened is the field was too crowded and liberals picked the RINO’s that fit the model for liberal states.

All the media coverage goes to the liberal choices and the conservatives are starved out and broke by the time the Republican states get to cast a single vote.

I doubt we would be in this mess if Romney had lost in MI rather than have all the liberals in the Detroit area voting for him giving him the win.

He would have dropped before SC and McCrazy would have came in 2nd or 3rd.

That would have killed off McCrazy. Fred would still be in and the fiscal conservatives would have a candidate THEY could support THAT WOULDN’T make the rest of the base BARF!

Now here we are with Rooty already out, Romney will lose in the ST landslide, and the fiscal conservatives are stuck with RINO McCrazy!

Bottom line, IMO if the NE liberals had to run first in the red states we would have a 180deg different ballgame now.

I’ll write in Fred in Nov and hope we have a better system in 2012.

[tear gas]

Rush was a closet Rudy lover. He constantly talked about what a great candidate Rudy was and he never criticized anything about Rudy.

Had Rush openly supported a conservative candidate rather than hiding in the closet with a pervert, we might have gotten a conservative nominee.

[Regular American]

My point , which you totally ignored, was;

“Perhaps you recall Madam Speaker? We got her from so called principled conservatives doing exactly what what you are advocating right now.”

To put it another way.

Why cut your nose off to spite you face.
I despise McCain, almost as much as Hitlery, but refusing to participate by voting only helps the Dems and hurts everyone else.

That is what you are really doing. The Dems Really appreciate the “gesture” I’m sure.

[A2J]

I like that strategy.

After all, it's been the House that's saved us from many a heartache, even with Bush's antics.

[A2J]

I am voting McCain, because Hillary would be a disaster.

They're one and the same.

McHillary?

[hellbender]

The Demonrats already control both houses of Congress, and will almost certainly continue to do so. Demons have held off on some of their most extreme proposals, like bailing out of Iraq, simply until the election is over. The Senate is a joke, many of the Pubbies being hopeless RINOs. The Congress is no impediment to the Demons.

Unlike you, I think the U.S. is extremely fragile. Hispanic immigration has made CA permanent Demon territory, and other once-Red states are following that path. A few more years of this reconquista and it will be all over. Very few of the other immigrants flooding the rest of the country will ever vote conservative either. The Demonrat Party is unabashedly socialist, and the Pubbies are socialism lite. I look at the primary results, where RINOs won in the most conservative states left in the country. I'm afraid it's now a myth that there are millions of silent conservatives out there waiting to rise up.

[A2J]

He has always said he is a conservative first, not a republican.

And yet he will vote for whomever the GOP props up.

And by the way, I listen to Rush everyday and have listened to him since the Rodney King fiasco.

[A2J]

Exactly! Well said.

[hellbender]

I'm convinced that just as America responded strongly after the Carter debacle, they would do the same after Hitlery.

This is not the same country it was in 1980, not by a long shot. The country has been flooded with immigrants from countries which have no tradition whatsoever of free institutions, the rule of law, and limited govt. Meanwhile conservatives are dying off. It requires a certain kind of unbringing and environment to produce conservative children. The entertainment media, the govt. schools make that more difficult every year, so the whole country drifts Left with every generation.

I think if you live in a rural Red state, you may entertain the delusion of a conservative resurgence, but I've lived all over and the changes in this country are negative and permanent.

[A2J]

I’m just stating that for a huge chunk of the base Romney is a barfer and more disliked than McCrazy.

As a Christian, I can tell you that those who feel that way about Romney are the bigoted, self-righteous "believers" who will never vote for a Mormon.

[A2J]

He has not taken that position, he has said exactly the opposite, that he could see himself not supporting the REP nominee.

Go back on this week's broadcasts (I think it was Monday or Wednesday) and you will find that he said he wouldn't do anything to harm the GOP, which is Limbaugh for "I'll vote for whomever the GOP nominates."

[dangerdoc]

“All you are doing by voting for McCain is contributing to the demise of the GOP, and especially the conservative wing of the GOP.”

Maybe, who knows, but I will have to sit down and weigh what a McCaine presidency will mean for my kids vs. a Hillary or Obama presidency.

I will say that the GOP problems are much bigger than McCaine. The place to solve these problems in the primaries and between elections.

We were handed a sh!t sandwich with the selection of presidential contenders this year. The choice is which end we take a bite out of.

[dangerdoc]

“Too bad we’ll never know how many “petulant” children would have survived Jim Jones’ Koolaid Fest, had they sat out the festivities.”

Wow, that was completely random.