Posted on 02/10/2008 4:38:36 PM PST by pissant
So-called conservatives’ hysterical overreaction to the likelihood that U.S. Sen. John McCain will be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee shows what is wrong with ideologues of all stripes.
They prefer purity to practicality.
Following the crash-and-burn campaign of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the never-got-off-the-ground run of actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and the suspended-but-still-there presence of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party has three candidates left — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and McCain.
After Tuesday’s primary and caucus results, McCain is virtually unstoppable. Barring some unforeseen turn of events, he should be the party’s presidential candidate in November.
That has the ideologues who call themselves conservatives positively apoplectic. They have convinced themselves that McCain is somehow not a conservative.
But that says more about the unrealistic worlds that ideologues inhabit than it does the United States of America in 2008.
Have no doubt. McCain is a conservative. As McClatchy Newspapers has reported, the senator has an 83 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. That somehow makes him unclean — dare one say, unholy — in so-called conservative circles.
McCain does have a reputation of being a maverick and for being willing to work with Democrats on legislation such as campaign finance reform, climate change, immigration and other issues.
That has made him popular with moderate Republicans, independent voters and some Democrats. But at his core, McCain is a conservative.
But among movement conservatives, 83 percent isn’t good enough. Only 100 percent pure is acceptable.
It’s not just the right. Ideologues on the left likewise covet purity over practicality. This mindset has dominated American politics and government at the federal level for the last decade, and look where it has gotten us.
The problem with ideologues is that their shrink-wrapped worlds do not reflect America. The United States is a diverse country in terms of geography, race, faith, income, etc., and its people have views and beliefs that don’t fit neatly into ideologues’ conservative and liberal camps.
James Madison recognized this diversity via his famous “factions” in The Federalist Papers No. 10, and our Constitution fashioned a government that took into consideration the need to accommodate diverse points of view.
It’s an inclusive, not an exclusive process, and compromise, moderation and centrism, which hardliners so abhor, are absolutely essential for it to function properly. Americans don’t have to like the results, but they are more likely to accept them if they believe their point of view got a fair hearing.
The next president of the United States must be a healer, someone who understands that binding up the nation’s wounds is more important than continually picking at political scabs for ideological gain. It would be a welcome and much needed change.
” They have convinced themselves that McCain is somehow not a conservative.”
He isn’t. Funny how the Republican party wants us to vote for whomever without any regard to their stand on the issues just because they are a Republican. I don’t vote for party over country.
It’s not democracy when only two or three states choose the Republican Presidential candidate. Money is determining the candidate...don’t know WHOSE money.
I’m sure the dems would rally behind Zell Miller if he got nominated.
If we hadn’t insisted that every candidate be 100% pure, we might have a nominee who in the low 90s instead of the low 80s.
At that rate, he’ll be more liberal than Hillary by the first year in office.
More proof that not all bloggers are thought-provoking or insightful.
How much are one-way tickets?
Perhaps the American Conservative Union is not measuring conservatism correctly when they score Mr. McCain at 83%.
$1099 and up. Better buy one now before McCain or Hillary take away your paycheck :)
No, if we had actually been insisting that, we would have got someone closer. Too many have signed onto this ridiculous loser rhetoric of “vote for someone who can beat X”, which is a losing strategy every time. ONLY positivity wins elections.
Ivory tower critics condescending over conservatives because we consciously cannot support the GOP and their annoited MSM draftee.
Don’t be brainwashed into complying with their agenda. We can do better and we have the right to ask for better. I don’t care what McCain’s score is with some “rating by some alleged conservative pundit group.” That “score” does not reflect some seriously big issues. Big business is a traditional GOP supporter, and big business is also behind cheap immigrunt labor.
Perfect , the dems would never stoop this low,as to try and force someone on you, you think cons are bad if this were happening on the other side, they would of destroyed them already
When I saw the link “TimesOnLine”, I thought it was the UK paper.
Turns out this editorial is from the Beaver Newspapers in Pennsylvania!
I’m sure their editorials are very influential. *snicker*
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