It’s all but settled. John McCain will be the Republican Party nominee for president in 2008. Which has caused much anguish among many conservatives who knew Ronald Reagan - who was a friend of theirs. And Senator, you’re no Ronald Reagan. Or words to that effect.
Nevertheless, conservative realists recognize that despite all the chinks in the right side of his armor, John McCain is still far more conservative than either Hillary or B.O. But when President Bush declared that John McCain was a “true conservative” this week – which was kinda like Joan Crawford declaring that Britney Spears was a good mom – true, true conservatives said “Huh?”
After seven years of excess spending and rampant government growth (Homeland Security, No Child Left Behind, Medicare prescription drugs, etc.) under “compassionate conservative” governance, the right ain’t readin’ anybody’s lips again. Trust, but verify. And this time they want it in writing. Preferably in blood.
GOPUSA.com has drafted a “Contract with Conservatives” which it hopes the Republican presidential nominee will embrace. “Conservatives need something more than simple assurances,” writes GOPUSA’s publisher, Bobby Eberle. “For our time, effort, money, and votes, we need a pledge. We need a pledge from our presidential nominee to uphold the core Republican values that built this party, and which have taken a backseat to politics in recent years.”
Right-footed GOP foot-soldiers are flocking to GOPUSA’s website to sign the online petition declaring that they “will support our presidential nominee and other candidates for high office, only if they uphold the Contract with Conservatives.” An extraordinary declaration of grassroots independence. The Contract includes:
• Immigration Reform: No “comprehensive” plan. Border security first. THEN we can talk about the rest. And when it comes to dealing with illegal aliens already in the country, they “should not be given special consideration for citizenship and should not be put ahead of those seeking to come to America legally.” Pretty reasonable.
• Tax Reform: Support for not only lowering taxes, but reforming the tax system to make it simpler. And stop using the tax code “for social engineering.” Hard to argue with that.
• Limited Government: SHRINK the size and scope of the federal government, not just slow its growth. Earmarks and pork should be eliminated. Limit the government to doing “only those core jobs enumerated in the Constitution.” What a radical notion.
• Judges: Select judicial nominees who will “follow the law rather than make new laws from the bench.” And make sure they get up-or-down votes in a timely fashion - a clear shot at Sen. McCain and his “Gang of 14” which prevented Republicans from breaking Harry Reid’s judicial filibusters a couple years back.
• Life: Support overturning Roe v. Wade and oppose embryonic stem cell research. Of course, this is where fiscal conservatives and social conservatives divide their forces, which is how Sen. McCain ended up winning the GOP presidential nomination in the first place. Thanks, Mike Huckabee.
• Free Speech: Repeal McCain-Feingold. I suspect this one just might be a bit hard for Sen. McCain to swallow.
All in all, a pretty good treatise. Sen. McCain won’t embrace all of it, but then again, no one really expects him to. All this does is put a possible President McCain on notice that conservatives will not support him blindly the way they often did President Bush when W wandered too far off the left side of the conservative reservation.
Fool conservatives once, shame on you; fool conservatives twice, shame on us. We won’t get fooled again.
Posted on February 14th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
I signed it.
It’s missing a pro-RKBA clause!
McPain is a supporter of “Reasonable Gun Control”, and “Closing The Gun Show Loop-Hole”.
Just like Hitlery.
Instead of embracing more “Gun Control”, it’s time to start repealing it, it’s time to stop creating victim disarmament zones, it’s time to dump 20,000 unconstitutional Gun Control “laws”.
Some people are saying they will hold their nose and vote for the Manchurrian Candidate as the lesser evil, WRONG. McCain is the greater evil and history proves it. In the peoples republik of new york state, Mario Cuomo could get almost anything approved by the republican (actually RINO) controlled state senate. Then king George Pataik (RINO) became governor and all he had to say was jump and the senate leadership (oxymoron) asked how high. King George pushed through anti-laws that made upchuck schumer and the hero of Chappaquiddick green with envy. If McCain becomes President watch the RINO’s and republicans, who should know better, march in lock step.
Howard,
Cheyenne, WY
Oops “Could get almost nothing approved by the state senate. ”
Sorry did not proof read.
Howard
“If McCain becomes President watch the RINO’s and republicans, who should know better, march in lock step.”
That IS my fear!
At least with Hitlery or Hussein the republicans might suddenly rediscover some conservative principles and resist the socialist in chief.
1. “Which has caused much anguish among many conservatives who knew Ronald Reagan”. Recall that before he became president, Governor Reagan approved, in 1960’s and 70s’ dollars, $2.5Bn in new taxes for Californians’! He signed and approved a very liberal, especially for the 1967, abortion law. Law and Order Reagan paroled some 600 felons in his eight years as governor.
2. “And stop using the tax code “for social engineering”". Everyone understands that almost every business in this country is subsidized by the taxapyer, right? If the government subsidies ceased to exist tonight there would be almost no business operating tomorrow.
3. Richard, you know that in 230 years, the US Supreme Court has NEVER issued an opinion that the 2nd ammendment means everyone can have whatever ‘arms’ they want in their possession? Right, you know that, don’t you? NEVER. And, you know that AG John Ascroft demanded the destruction of records relating to the 16 highjackers of 9-11!!! That is right, Ashcroft would not allow anyone to look at the gun purchase records to see if any of these 16 highjackers bought weapons in America! Ashcroft’s action were treasonist!
4. Judges. “And make sure they get up-or-down votes in a timely fashion”…well, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) didn’t allow Clinton that privilege when he ran the Senate Judiciary Committe. But I note that Pat Lahey (D-VT) does for Bush’s nominees! But be careful what you wish for!, because what are you going to say if HRC or BO become president with a Democratic senate? Bet your going to yell for a fillibuster!
I know that prior to the “Civil War”, “reconstruction”, and Jim Crow laws, there was never any real question as to what Arms Americans might own!
Cannon, Volley guns, and privateer battle ships were lawfully privately owned.
I know that our constitution was written to limit the powers of government, not to erode freedom of the citizens.
“Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense?
Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress?
If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands? - Patrick Henry
“The Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms.” —Samuel Adams, debates & Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 86-87
“To prohibit a citizen from wearing or carrying a war arm . . . is an unwarranted restriction upon the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege.”
– Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
“To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them…”
– Richard Henry Lee, 1787
I take my direction from the founders of our country and those who spoke on these matters at the time of it’s founding, not revisionist liberals!
More recently,
“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence.”
– Charles A. Beard
And finally,
“The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it.
Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.”
– Albert Einstein
David Limbaugh just published a column about McCain and grassroots conservative support. The link is here Here.