I have been voting since 1980 and in all that time I have only voted twice for what Freepers would call a pure conservative and even that one had some flaws but still turned out to be the greatest President of the second half of the 20th Century.
I think when we vote on conservative purity and not what is in the best interest of the country we end up with Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. I don’t think we need or can afford a second Carter term.
So I will vote for McCain.
I’m with you. And I have the distinct feeling that many of these pharisical FReepers demanding “100% Pure Conservatives” would refuse to cast a vote for Ronald Reagan, if he was running today.
In this case, we can’t count on Congress having some sanity in it like there was in 1976-1980. Sure, it was Democrat, but with guys like Nunn, O’Neill, and others who were Democrats, but also pro-America.
This time around, we won’t even have that. In 4 years, with a few SC appointments, the damage WILL be done, and it will be irreversible. Think universal healthcare (how to undo that after 4 years?). Think military cut in half (meaning another 8-12 years to build it back). Think a destroyed economy (when taxes shoot through the roof). Think World Court. Think Kyoto. Think gay marriage.
These are issues that will not be undone, once done. Four years of Obama, these WILL happen, and having another Reagan, or Lincoln, or Eisenhower will not undo the damage. It’s done forever, and conservatives will be gone forever.
The time to fight for the candidate that is the most conservative is the primary; that is when you play offense. Now is the time to play defense, and keep the damage down as much as possible for the next 4 years to try again.
When you turn over the ball after a punt, you send your defense out. You don’t just walk off, let the other team score, then send your offense out again!