Apr 02 2008
President McCain: Side Effect
I am enduring an internal struggle, one that I believe is somewhat common among principled conservatives. A series of unfortunate events that would make Lemony Snicket cringe have occurred and left The Republican Party with John McCain as the presumptive nominee. John McCain is in many ways the adversary to conservatives, a role he seems to relish. We, as conservatives face a conundrum and there is no attractive resolution.
Some conservatives suspend intellectual honesty and support John McCain, period. He is the Republican nominee and if you are speaking ill of his record you are betraying your party. Some of these conservatives would guilt their conservative peers into silence by putting forth the American troops as victims (How could you subject them to President Shrillary or B. Hussein?) or they present The Supreme Court as a ticking bomb that only a Republican, no matter how liberal, can defuse.
John McCain the veteran and P.O.W. is beyond reproach… but separate from John McCain the politician and senator. The list will be shorter if I focus on his positives so here goes:
- He is more pro-life than the two socialists running for the Democrat nomination, even though his stance on embryonic stem cell research is deplorable and his fight against Wisconsin Right To Life was a disgrace.
- He is stronger on national defense than the wife of the rapist or Rev. Wright’s disciple, even though his defense of our nation only seems to exist overseas.
- With McCain we stand the chance to get constructionist judges nominated to The Supreme Court, even though this will likely be accidental if it occurs.
- He seems to be genuinely against wasteful government spending.
So what is one to do? The idea of a Clinton or an Obama presidency is incredibly frightening while the idea of a McCain presidency is potentially scary. While it is possible that Republicans in congress will fight against the policies of either socialist, there is no guarantee (just look at Republicans like McCain.) There is also the possibility that the next presidency is bound to be a disaster given the three remaining candidates and the opposition party might gain in the following election. If that is the case, a disaster with the Republican McCain at the helm benefits the left and further damages the conservative cause.
Obama and Clinton, in my opinion cannot be considered as reasonable choices for the presidency. I view either presidency as a great societal disease that needs to be prevented. This means that in my opinion, a John McCain presidency is an unfortunate side effect, something like the gas with oily discharge that is identified in the Xenical advertisements.
Oh Sam, what to do, what to do …
Currently, I just try to focus on that short list of positives you have written. Tieki tells me the Constitution Party will elect their Presidential Candidate later this month. Possibly that might hold some hope? Doubt it, but one never knows.
Tammi,
I think I heard that Alan Keyes might run for the Constitution Party.
We can always hope, but it might be a foolish hope (not to be confused with the foolish campaign based on the word “hope.”)
Sam
I am urging readers at my main blog “Bloggin on down the Rogue” to bypass McCain and write in either Alan Keyes or Duncan Hunter. I prefer Hunter but can live with Alan Keyes as my candidate.
I have faced McCain close up when he visited the local GOP county office. I questioned him on amnesty (on TV) and he denied that he was for amnesty because of the fire sale price of $2000 for citizenship… up close, McCain is charming but is has a short half life and wears off as distance increases.
McCain is still pro-amnesty and will pick up where Bush has left off in the attempts to give away citizenship to illegal alien criminals.
I wonder if McCain has been to see the illegal alien (Ms Crisostomo) sanctuary seeker at the Methodist church in Chicago… she is holed up in the same place where the Arrelano border jumper was before she left and got deported.
A Constitution Party or a Conservative Party would be great. But I’m dizzy with all the problems getting there.
Woe is me … Obama, McCain, and Hillary…
As Conservatives, we are all suffering this election season. I don’t know what the disease is called, but I don’t see any cure any time in the near future. I don’t see any medications on the horizon to make the…
Hey, Sam!
I know shortly after it became clear we were getting Sen. McCain (when fmr. Gov. Romney suspended) I was terribly bitter and saddened at the direction my party was going. And it wasn’t so much my party as much as it was the people from other parties or no party at all allowed to vote in my party. I even sent out an email to my list about how I could not see myself filling in the oval for Sen. McCain and whatever running mate. Not that I’d go for the Democrat, but I could see myself going for a 3rd party like the Constitution Party, which in Wyoming would probably be a manual write-in.
I still have angst about the Sr. Senator from AZ being our nominee and possibly President. At the same time, with Rush feeding the Dems their own medicine, I’ve been able to see that I really don’t like either Democrat. So, I’m in that status where there’s plenty to be excited about in Wyoming (both Senate elections and our Representative), some of the county commissioners are up this year, etc…, just that the Presidency is one that will be hard to.
Debbie,
I feel your pain!
James,
It wouldn’t surprise me if McCain were to visit the sanctuary of the wannabe face of the illegal alien sob stories. I need to verify the Constitution Party’s candidates, someone said Alan Keyes might be their nominee. Duncan Hunter was my guy and i hope he has the chance to come back and try again!
Scott,
I don’t know what its like to be excited about state politics (at least in a positive way.) I live in blue Illinois. land of Durbin, Obama, and Blago. Durbin does have a challenger, Dr. Steve Sauerburg, so that is some cause of hope.
I can’t bring myself to vote for McAmnesty so I presidential election box will probably be left empty by me. I don’t believe in the argument of voting for the candidate your party stuck you with.
All three possibilities are disastrous to true conservatives.
Kat,
I’m not sure I can stomach voting for McAmnesty either and i agree with your last sentence.