Posted on 02/11/2008 5:48:13 PM PST by Kaslin
Republicans: George Bush insists John McCain is a true conservative. James Dobson says he's not. Meanwhile, Newsweek predicts "there will be blood" in the GOP. We predict a Republican president. There has to be.
President Bush, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," responded "absolutely" to host Chris Wallace's question of whether John McCain was a "true conservative." McCain is "very strong on national defense," is "tough fiscally," "believes the tax cuts ought to be permanent" and is "pro-life," Bush noted.
For Obama and Hillary, none of the above apply.
Bush did say, "I think that if John is the nominee, he has got some convincing to do to convince people that he is a solid conservative." Indeed he does, as evidenced by Mike Huckabee's win in the Nebraska caucuses over the weekend.
McCain has done well in primaries where independents could vote for him. In caucuses dominated by party activists, he's done poorly. The caucuses of Maine, Minnesota, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada and Wyoming were all won by Romney. One might dub McCain the "rebel without a caucus."
Ann Coulter may vote for Hillary Clinton, but we will not. The time for Coulters and the true believers to have rallied behind Mitt Romney was before Super Tuesday. It is by waiting for the next Reagan that they've risked sticking us with the next Clinton.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
True and sad.
LLS
Would George know a true Conservative if he saw one?
Uh if that were to happen on FR, no doubt you would see swine flying in the air.
Amen. We had to go through Ford-Carter and suffer the peanut years in order to reset our compass, and get the Reagan revolution.
Maybe they are following the trajectory of the nation?
"The pattern is obvious. We keep voting for the lesser of two evils"
No. Sometimes, like in 1992, some people decide *not* to do that to 'send a message' and - hey, presto - we get the GREATER of two evils for a time.
Yes, we screwed up letting McCain be the nominee. "We"="conservative primary voters". We needed to find one, good conservative leader ... and we didnt have one. I thought it was Romney, some thought it was Thompson. Now some are peddling Huck (I dont buy it).
But I do know this ... if they were clearly superior enough out shine all the rest, wouldn't they have been good enough to win against McCain?
"We keep voting for the lesser of two evils and our version of the evil becomes more evil every election. The only way to break the cycle is to STOP SUPPORTING THEM."
I don't see it that way. Conservatives will have to rebuild the farm team, but a loss to an ultra-liberal will shift the political center so MASSIVELY to the left, that we will be cast adrift. We are better off getting a RINO elected and then becoming the 'loyal opposition' that - LIKE WE DID SUCCSESSFULLY ON AMNESTY AND MIERS - stands up against McCain when he does us wrong.
With Obama, we will be fighting him every single hour of every single day on every single issue. And we will lose, because he opposes everything we stand for.
Stick to your guns! Don’t be swayed to the dark side.
I will not vote for McCnut!
We will more likely go down that path if we are slowly boiled to death while listening to the siren song of foux conservatism than if we are shocked out of our complacency by seeing the raw unadulterated socialism that H/O bill attempt when they are elected.
So long as we continue to be "enablers" to a misguided party drunk on governing like Democrats, we will never HAVE a party which will govern like Republicans (or rather, what Republicans CLAIM to be and usually are not...which is conservative)
On the contrary, lets let the ignorant and the complacent American voter see raw socialism in action for 2 or 4 years. when they do, they will either recoil in horror are REAL Conservatives will be elected in 2010 and 2012....or they will shrug their shoulders and reach for another beer - in which case, it's too late anyway.
I have heard of that incident where he threw the woman out. I don't see a lot of videos because I'm on dial-up. FReepers have related similar first hand stories of his insane behavior at town hall like meetings. McCain is a lunatic.
Well, if that's the criteria, let's just unite behind Obama and we're sure to win. /sarc
Reagan compromised, giving amnesty with a promise of a closed border. He got shafted, but his heart was in the right place. Bush/McCain tried to give away the store, and we still don't have the wall they promised. Bush and McCain did not have their heart in the right place.
McCains grudging compromises are with the Right, not the left. He starts in the wrong place. And when elected, he will only need to compromise with Teddy Kennedy, and guess what -- he has no disgreements with the man at all.
Can we at least get an Ike?
A pantload is a pantload.
Not much I can do now, as I just became an independent. Why the hell McCain wasn't tossed out on his butt long ago is indictment enough of the go-along-to-get-along, golf and cocktails GOP leadership. But it ain't just the big shots who are in denial over the man.
Mr. niteowl77
“Then you are not much of a conservative if he in your opinion is right on most conservative issues:”
Unfortunately, you’re misguided about Senator McCain:
“2. McCain-Fiengold” - No comment, but it does show Senator McCain’s efforts to get the big dirty money out of politics - imperfect but still noble.
“3. McCain-Kennedy” - He’s totally backed away from this and has a totally different approach to border security. He said that he’ll secure the border and ONLY THEN once there’s widespread belief and agreement that it’s secure, he’ll look at how to deal with the illegals and he refuses the blanket amnesty approach now.
“4. McCain-Lieberman” - His environmental approach is concerning to some GOP’ers but I think that it’s not a disqualifier - every Republican has a weak point.
“5. Support for Stem-Cell Research” - Sure, but only at the same levels of President Bush - existing lines and he’s wavering publicly even on this support, too. What’s more, you conveniently ignore the fact that the National Right to Life Committee refers to him as pro-life and hints at endorsement, while NARAL has given him a 96% pro-life rating and is blasting him for PUBLICLY saying that Roe v. Wade should be overturned (even GWB refused to go that far!). How much farther must he go?
“6. Support for Global Warming Scam” - See above.
“7. Will NOT Nominate judges like Scalia or Alito” - Totally distorted and opinionated information, I’m afraid. He has REPEATEDLY said that he’ll nominate justices like Roberts and Alito and uses the same ‘strict constructionist’ terms that President Bush used. He strongly supported Alito throughout his confirmation. This is certainly not a fact-based allegation.
“9. Leaked top-secret information about CIA Prisons in Europe.” This is grasping at straws, I’m afraid.
“10. Voted against President Bush’es Tax Cuts” - and Mitt Romney said he didn’t want to bring back the Reagan-Bush era and made NRO’s top 10 RINO list as recently as late 2005. John McCain now openly and unabashedly wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
“11. Gang of 14 which kept conservative judges from being nominated.” Actually, the Gang of 14 is probably what saved Samuel Alito from being filibustered (he was only confirmed 58-42). It also got ultra-conservative judges like William Pryor, Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown confirmed. In other words, we should probably thank Senator McCain for helping us get good judges confirmed that were otherwise hopelessly filibustered. What’s more, the filibuster is still there to be used by the GOP if they need it during a Dem administration - reassuring considering that we lost the Senate.
What about his solidly pro-Iraq position? What about his persistent opposition to pro-gay hate crimes and the anti-business ENDA and his strident opposition to pork and the now almost countless solid conservatives lining up behind him (to name but a few reasons to vote for him).
Anti-McCain folks, please stop beating around the bush and come out and support John McCain. You know you can’t support Hillary or Obama. Let’s stop resorting to 5th Grade mentality name-calling like ‘McAmnesty’, ‘McInsane’, or ‘McLame’ and start acting our ages and be realistic. Once you resort to name-calling instead of facts, it’s one of the surest signs you’ve lost the argument.
The author does have a point. Instead of spending all of their time with the “Stop Hillary Express”, Hannity and others should have been pushing “Elect Fred Thompson”....then we wouldn’t be stuck with McCain.
“You need a tagline...........(or 2008)”
Great point. ;)
Let's keep it crystal clear which one of us was engaging in character bashing politics.
That seems to be a common misconception. We are not looking for another Reagan. What we are after is Reaganism and a candidate that truly believes in Reaganism. I have no interest in election time Reaganism conversions.
And btw, no, I will not be voting for McCain. If he is nominated, I hope he gets his ass kicked.
Look McCain can beat hillary with out my vote, Obama said it himself, she starts with 47 percent of the country saying they would never vote for her. If by chance she is the Dem nominee, McCain will get my vote, If not it won’t matter. You can’t beat hope with more of the same.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.