Your next president is not a smart man.
Rupert keeps telling me not to be so sure Obama’s going to win in November. I keep telling Rupert he doesn’t read enough conservative blogs and thus doesn’t realize how many conservatives are so tired of getting “poked in the eye” and “stabbed in the back” that they’re gonna take their “principles” all the way to nowhere on Election Day by sitting home or voting third-party rather than voting for McCain, which is the ONLY WAY to keep Obama out of office. But they’re just Na. Ga. Da. (not gonna do it). Because they want to “punish” the Republican party. Teach them a lesson!
Sorry, I know lots of you who feel that way are very wonderful people who I really do respect, but I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: I think your plan is shitty. You’re going to get Obama elected, you realize that right? If you’re cool with that, more power to you, but I for one will NOT welcome my new Dumbass Overlord Obama. There are two new reasons for that today.
First: He has no fuckin’ clue what Memorial Day is for.
On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today — our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.
That’s via Hot Air, where you can also see that when McCain pointed out the error, this was the response:
Obama’s camp declined to hit back, with spokesman Bill Burton saying “Memorial Day is a day to honor our nation’s veterans, not a day for political posturing.”
Jesus on a battlestar. We have a whole holiday to honor veterans; it’s called VETERAN’S DAY. Memorial Day is for the ones who died while serving, and it’s a pretty simple concept, and you’d think presidential candidate would be capable of making that distinction but you’d be so wrong.
Second, via Ace of Spades, on the same venerated day:
…Obama also spoke about his uncle, who was part of the American brigade that helped to liberate Auschwitz…
Oy. I wonder how the Russians feel about that, seeing as how they’re the ones who liberated Auschwitz, not the Americans. Maybe Obama identifies so deeply with the Red Army that he has conflated things in his wee little brain.
Here’s a thought exercise: imagine Dubya making blatant factual errors like these two quotes. Imagine the headlines about how he was disrespecting the memories of fallen servicepeople and how he was such a pompous moron to ignore and belittle the overwhelmingly massive contributions of the Russians in WWII, who frankly had more to do with defeating the Nazis than America did (in my relatively knowledgeable opinion). Oh god. The accusations of dumbness and chimp-like brain power would be coming at you like a tsunami.
Whatever. We’re done with Bush now and we’re getting a new president. And it’s probably going to be Obama because so many people who otherwise could prevent that outcome simply won’t do it because McCain doesn’t say what they want him to say about whatever their pet cause is. It doesn’t matter to these people that there is no “Reagan” waiting in the wings to take over after Obama pulls a Jimmy Carter on the country.
I generally avoid saying much on this blog that I think would piss off or otherwise displease the bulk of my readers, but this is one case where I truly don’t give a shit because I genuinely believe that anyone who disagrees with me on this is flat-out wrong. I believe it with all of my heart and soul and I believe that history backs me up on it, and that emotion should have no place in a decision like this. I don’t give a flying fuck that McCain is more liberal than we would like and that he’s basically an asshole, because I’m operating with the awareness that he’s still better than Obama by about a hundred orders of magnitude.
I do not believe you’re going to teach anyone a “lesson” by sitting this one out or writing in Fred Thompson or Sunny Lucas. I believe that way too many people are ignoring the forest for the trees and that in doing so, they’re going to have a hand in electing Obama. Some say that’s fine because if the country’s going to be “ruined”, better that it’s ruined by a Democrat, and somehow magically we’ll come up with a fantastic, “real” conservative in 4 years even though there is no one like that on the horizon and everyone knows it. Like I said, I think that’s a super-crappy plan.
Usually I don’t want to be wrong but I sincerely hope I am on this one. We’ll find out in about four and a half years, and if I’m still blogging then, I’ll post a great big “I’M A GODDAMN MORON” post and all of you who sat this one out or voted third-party can point and laugh at me as smugly as you deem fit. I actually hope that happens, but I don’t think it will.
Seriously. Kevin Baker is still right:
I have no respect for the “McCain’s not conservative enough so I’ll punish the whole country” types. They are taking action which they believe will harm the nation in order to be proven correct and pure enough to choose our next President.
And save the “choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil” crap. If you believe McCain is evil you’re an idiot. I despise Hillary and Obama and don’t even think they are evil. If you (I mean, they, not you, Wachel) see evil afoot this election you’d better just go ahead, wet yourself and crawl under the covers, because you have no clue what real evil looks like.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:35 amIt’s true. Kevin Baker is right.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:35 amRepublicans choosing Obama (or Hillary) over McCain just to send a message will get all of bad stuff McCain is rumored to be planning to do, along with so much more Liberal claptrap. If they’re willing to accept open borders, socialized medicine, onerous taxation, and Lynn Stewart on the Supreme Court, why won’t they just bite the bullet and vote for McCain?
Perhaps we should form a blogger alliance — “Shit Sandwich Republicans for McCain” (Maybe he’s a schmuck, but he’s our schmuck!). An Obama presidency terrifies me; that’s why I’m supporting McCain.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:42 amTo the “no one waiting in the wings” bit: Bobby Jindal.
Assuming we make it to 2012 with President Dumbass.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:54 amBARR ‘08: LIBERTY FOR AMERICA
May 27th, 2008 at 10:56 amI do believe that Sunny Lucas should fire you as her campaign manager. You probably lost her at least four votes.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:59 amI’m with you, but I don’t think this is going to happen. Conservatives who say this kind of thing are going to wake up and smell the Starbucks in time, for the most part.
And of course it’s the political middle (or, more likely, the politically mostly-uninterested) who decide elections - and given the mounting series of gaffes and other problems, I just don’t think they’re going to go for a severely-liberal, inexperienced cigarette smoker with a funny name.
I’ll be a little less certain if Obama cleans up his act and starts thinking a bit more before opening his mouth, if he mounts a serious and effective general-election campaign, if the Clintonistas get behind him, and if the McCain campaign suffers some scandal or McCain chooses his running mate badly.
Otherwise: Obama’s not electable. No way.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:01 amIt’s one thing if the negative consequences of an Obama presidency stopped as soon as he left office. Unfortunately, we’d be stuck for decades with whatever Supreme Court justices he could appoint, to name one example. 30 years later, we’re still dealing with the effects of four years of Jimmy Carter. What’s worse, even Carter had more experience in business and government when he took office than Obama.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:01 amDead
Right
ON!!!
May 27th, 2008 at 11:15 amI’m with you one hundred percent, Wachel. I can’t stand McCain, but by God, better him than Obama. Hell, at this point, I’d rather have Clinton than Obama. I think a lot of it is just whining self-pity (lord knows I’ve felt it), and most will wake up before election time.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves and pile all our hopes and dreams on the man. Let him focus on cleaning up LA first, and prove he’s got the stuff before we anoint him anything. I like the guy, I think he does have it, but let him prove it and give him a chance before we hem him in.
My hopes at this point rest on the Hillary die-hards pulling this stunt on the Democrats.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:19 amAgree with you on the voting thing. And add that some Congresscritters are facing election/ejection as well.
Wrong place and time… Perhaps a great-uncle (and a different KZ), since he has no US uncles - and his mom’s generation was too young.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:20 amMy gut is telling me that Barack Obama will be the next George McGovern. Clear-thinking Republicans will come out and vote for McCain because they’ve figured out by this point what a disaster Obama would be.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:20 amIt is the height of irresponsibility to “sit ‘08 out” or to vote for Obama. On the other hand, I know numerous Democrats (many of them family members) who WILL NOT vote for Obama. For some of them it’s racial - they’re from Mississippi and would never vote for a black man. For others, it’s the Rev. Wright controversy. Some will sit the election out, others will vote for McCain.
These are “yellow dog” Democrats. They ALWAYS vote for the Democratic candidate, regardless of qualifications.
The Democratic party lost their vote in the Presidential election this fall by nominating a multi-racial man who spent the first part of his life being raised in Indonesia (attending Catholic school and going to mosque with his step-father), then being raised in Hawaii by his white grandparents (his grandmother whom he threw under the bus), then attended Ivy League universities. And yet he and his wife complain about the lack of opportunities here in America.
If conservatives just get off their a$$ and vote for the lesser of two evils - McCain - it will deal a devastating blow to the Dems this fall when counted with all the Independents and Dems who will be sitting it out or voting Republican. Is John McCain the perfect candidate? Obviously not. Is he the best we’ve got this year? Of course.
Consider - he’s strong on national defense, strong on fiscal conservatism and “traditional” values. His primary weakness is the support of comprehensive immigration reform before securing the borders.
I don’t like that, but I can live with it much better than the disaster Obama would bring. Obama will make the Carter years look like a walk in the park by comparison and we, as a country, may never fully recover.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:22 amI’m also hoping for Bobby Jindal in 2012. He’s got a 70% approval rating here in LA. Booyah
May 27th, 2008 at 11:25 amI’m not Johnny Mac’s biggest fan, but he’s head and shoulders above He Whose Middle Name Must Not Be Spoken or Der Hildabeast. No comparison, we don’t agree on a lot of issues but I think he puts the US first on his list. I think the other two only do that when it’s time to find someone to blame. Me, I’m fine with blaming states 51 thru 57.
Locally, I have a do-nothing democratic congresscritter that I want to see gone. I’m actually attending local political meetings, after a lifetime of saying ‘that’s es-stupeedo’. Don’t know if we can shift that unmoveable object but it’s interesting to be on the side of irresistable force for a change. Literally.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:32 am*giggle* That is funny. And so very true.
I think McCain is the least nutty candidate. I don’t agree with him on everything but at least he’s halfway fiscally responsible (and a paragon of savings compared to the other two) and cares about our security and standing up to the bad guys. Obama doesn’t even know who the bad guys are!!! He thinks it’s us. Sheesh. He’s such an idiot.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:34 amJust 2 points Wachel. 1) Maybe his uncle was in the Red Army when it liberated Auschwitz. T really would not suprise me. I could better imagine him there then in our army. 2) To bUD: I will vote for anyone, to include Stalin before I vote for a former ACLU stooge who represents the smoke pot party. I have no problem with people smoking pot, I just don’t want a President who thinks it is a ok. After all what would they do in the Oval?
May 27th, 2008 at 11:35 amThe more I see, the more I realize I will have to vote for McCain. We have two communists and a liberal in the contest. I’ll take the liberal over the communists any day.
BTW, Rachel, maybe you should cross post in the asshat category. Fits Obama to a “T”.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:37 amRachel,
Even if McCain selects his Mistress (Lindsey Graham) for V.P.
Would you still vote for him?
I mean, that would be one hell of a turd sandwich to swallow!
May 27th, 2008 at 11:44 amIndeed it does….
To those fools in the “teach them a lesson” category: Don’t you know that what is done cannot be undone? Sure, teach the GOP a lesson and vote for the other guy. Once universal healthcare is established, try telling the recipients 4 years later that they can’t have it anymore. You can bet your sorry ass that they’ll vote for the dems for the rest of their life, and guarantee libtard control of our government for the next 20 or so years.
GROW UP, morons! There is more at stake than your petty squabbles.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:48 amI agree with this 100%. If he keeps doing what he’s doing in Louisiana for the next four years, he has my complete support.
On the one hand, I almost look forward to seeing Obama as president just because I think he’s a complete idiot with no substance behind his supposed charisma (which I don’t get at all), and I can’t wait to see just how badly he’ll screw up. On the other hand, once you start with all the social programs-healthcare, etc.-it’s nearly impossible to take them away, and that is frightening. I’ve lived in countries with socialized medicine, and it is my biggest fear that we’ll end up with that kind of healthcare too. No thanks.
So, I’ll be holding my nose, and voting for McCain, and I’m hoping he comes up with a decent running mate.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:49 amThere was only one thing you said that made me sit up and take notice. That Obama is a modern day Jimmy Carter.
I’m sure we could handle a mediocre President. Bush has proven that. I don’t think we could handle another Jimmy Carter.
Also, Obama is so young, that he’d literally be able to run around for decades after being president. Doing the same stupid shit that JC is doing now. And he would have legitimacy because he was once the president of the US.
You’re right. We have to show up and vote for McCain.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:50 amI have no problem with people smoking pot, I just don’t want a President who thinks it is a ok. After all what would they do in the Oval?
The last time we’re sure a joint was blown in the Oval Office, nobody mentioned pot.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:54 amI’m very lucky that I live in NY… I don’t have to vote for McCain since Obama will win this state no matter what.
Oh, and Rachel, you missed the best part, noone can figure out what ‘uncle’ he is talking about. His mother is an only child, and his father was Kenyan.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:01 pmI wonder if folks have taken the time to note that whatever relatives of Obama’s served in the US military, it was his racist WHITE relatives (because you’re racist by default if you’re white), not his black Muslim relatives.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pmDear Wachel,
I have been looking at the Democrat polls lately and have become less concerned about the Obamanation becoming President. All the evidence says that there will be more Dems staying home in November than Republicans, in protest of “their” person not being nominated.
I’m still going to go in and hold my nose for McCain, because I can’t stand the thought of the damage that Obama or Clinton will do before enough outrage can build to stop them.
My prediction: overall turnout will be in the low 40s percent of eligible voters, and that McCain will win with a fairly marginal popular vote count, but a respectable Electoral Vote margin.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pmI’m voting McCain. And I loathe him with a white-hot loathing that could melt alien spaceship hulls.
There is no “lesson” to be taught by voting 3rd party or a write-in. Any one who thinks so should grow the hell up.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:04 pmPerhaps a great uncle? His white grandfather’s brother, perhaps. I’m sure he only “misspoke”, as he is wont to do.
Personally, I think this is BHO’s Tuzla moment to try and garner some of the Jewish vote. He knows his association with the anti-Semitic Wright has done some damage. He’s hoping his WHITE great-uncle “savior of Auschwitz” moment can give his some cred with [rich, white] Jews.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pmI’m not sure why so many people are up in arms about Obama’s seeing dead people in his audience. He’s a Democrat from near Chicago, dead people have been voting for him for years, I wouldn’t think he’d bat an eye at talking to a roomful of dead people.
Sheesh, get a grip people. Focus on something important, like whether Britney has underwear on today or not. Don’t you read the papers anymore?
May 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pmI taught George H.W. Bush a lesson by voting for Ross Perot. Boy, did that ever work out well. I, for one, am not going to make that mistake again.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:24 pm“There is no “lesson” to be taught by voting 3rd party or a write-in. Any one who thinks so should grow the hell up.”
Amen, Bonnie!
I have a question for those folks who believe this - exactly what kind of “lesson” are we supposed to learn from staying home and not voting for John McCain.
Do we deserve to lose a few friends or relatives to terrorist attacks when all of the loonies crawl out of the bin in order to test our new Utopian-Dreamer-In-Chief?
Or do we deserve to give up a certain percentage of small businesses - and the jobs they have created - when tax hikes take their toll?
And is their anyone who believes that even if these events happen in the fourth or eighth year of the Obama administration these events won’t be blamed on George W. Bush?
May 27th, 2008 at 12:42 pmNot surprisingly, the Shit Sandwich voters have come out of the woodwork again. I fully understand your position, Rachel, as I used to feel that way myself. In fact, I accept my part of the responsibility for the continued leftward drift of the GOP these last [unsure how long] years. I continued to vote for Republicans because I knew that the Democrats were worse. Then the next election came again I voted for a still more liberal GOPer because, hey, he’s not as bad as the other guy, right? And the GOP leaders took that as a sign that they could do whatever the fuck they wanted and I’d keep voting for them. Unfortunately for our erstwhile leaders on Team Elephant, I’ve had my fill. If I had wanted higher spending, greater government growth and still more entitlements, I’d have voted Democrat in the first place. I didn’t, of course, but that’s what I got.
I survived the post-Watergate debacle of a Democrat dominated House, Senate and President. Ditto for the first two Clinton years, although the House and Senate contained some at least marginally conservative Democrats, who retired en masse once they were no longer in the majority. What I learned from those two experiences is that Democrats will, in general, royally screw up when given access to unfettered government power.
Here’s what I see happening after this year’s election:
1) Obama wins and the Democrat majorities increase in both the House and Senate. Whatever cockamamy legislation the Democrats dream up will get almost uniformly opposed by the GOP. Unless the Senate gets 60+ Democrats- a possibility, I admit- this fall, filibusters will be the order of the day. Nothing much good happens during the first couple of years and the GOP comes back stronger during the mid-term elections, when the opposition party typically gains some seats in Congress.
2) McCain wins and the Democrats increase their congressional and senatorial majorities. McCain is the one who proposes some bullshit legislation that President Obama would have suggested, and the GOPers in the House and Senate go along with it because Maverick is the de facto leader of the party. So he possibility of some craptastic piece of legislation becoming law is, in my opinion, greater under a McCain administration.
3) Regardless of who wins the presidency, there is pretty much zero chance of getting through another Alito or a Roberts. Obama won’t nominate them and a Democrat controlled Senate will never vote for them. Also, the most likely SCOTUS members to retire and/or die during the next 4 years are all left-wing activists. Replacing them with other left-wing activists leaves the court as it is now, a narrow 5-4 slightly conservative majority. Kennedy is, of course, the fly in the ointment there. Regardless, I cannot envision a way in which a leftist Senate would vote for anyone reliably conservative or liberarian for SCOTUS, so I’m not certain how things would get better or worse with either of the two candidates.
4) McCain has mentioned that he’d like to go for McCain-Feingold part 2 if elected president. Obama wants to bring back the UnFairness Doctrine. Either way, someone gets to try and abridge my right to free speech. You can make an argument that Obama’s policies in this regard would be worse, but you’ll have difficulty convincing me.
I’ve got a lot more that I could say on this subject, but I’m pretty much done with arguing. I understand perfectly your position with regards to voting for the lesser evil as I’ve done it too often. However, all you raving jackasses who want to call me stupid or retarded can go eff yourselves. I thought long and hard to get to this point; it wasn’t something I dreamed up while drinking a 6-pack of barleywine. I will assume that you reached your decision similarly and aren’t voting for McCain because you’ve got a brain parasite. I understand and respect your decision, but I disagree with your conclusion. It would be helpful in this discussion if you afforded me the same understanding. Also, calling me a dumbass doesn’t endear you to me or make it more likely for me to come around to your way of thinking.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pmObama is averaging three gaffes a week, ranging in magnitude from slip-of-the-tongue level (1 on the moronometer) to outright-fucking-lie level (5). He’s a drooling moron and proves it with frightening consistency. Kind of fun to watch, really.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pmnoone can figure out what ‘uncle’ he is talking about. His mother is an only child, and his father was Kenyan.
His great-uncle, Ralph Dunham. Drafted May 1942. His grandfather Stanley Dunham enlisted in June 1942. Don’t know if his g’uncle was actually in Patton’s Third Army, which liberated Buchenwald.
BothONE of the two Third Army units first on scene at Buchenwald (83rd Infantry) also landed at Normandy on D-Day, an event one would think deserved a mention on Memorial Day if one had kin involved.The main camp at Buchenwald was taken over by prisoners after the Nazis fled, a couple of days before the 6th Armored, Third Army actually arrived. The 83rd Infantry liberated one of the smaller Buchenwald satellite camps. Units of the Third Army (11th Armored?) also liberated the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps in upper Austria, the last camps to be liberated by Americans.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pmOooh, good point, ErikZ! A post-Obama presidency will be even worse than an Obama presidency, the Carter presidency, and the post-Carter presidency put together! I shudder at the thought.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:15 pmWell said, physicsgeek. Very well said.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:16 pmRight now, I won’t vote for McCain, but please, stop lying through your teeth coming up with reasons we won’t vote for him.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:18 pmConservatives are not reccommending voting for Obama. Conservatives are not talking about walking away from the Repub party. We are saying work in your local elections to get the most conservative person running and elected to Congress and other elections.
If McCain wins the election we fear he pushes the whole party to the left. The Repubs (stupids) may feel that they can keep running RINOs and they will win elections. It won’t happen. Repubs win elections, I’m thinking Congress here, when they run on conservative platforms. When they don’t, they lose seats in congress.
It is expected that the repubs will lose 4 to 8 seats in the senate and maybe up to 12. If McCain wins and the repubs turn left, they can expect to keep losing seats. What happens to RINO John when he faces a veto proof congress? He will probably ‘work across the aisle’ for all the Dem issues. We are screwed that way. The press will blame the repubs for everything, since McCain would be president. Don’t expect to get filibuster ability in the senate until 2018 or after when we have a Dem president. What misery will be inflicted on us by then by the people pushing the repubs to left?
McCain on immigration? The bill was called McCain-Kennedy and would ok 12 to 20 million illegals in the country and allow them to bring in 30 to 70 million (3.5 each) relatives legally. Add additional illegal immigration and what does our country look like?
McCain lead the gang of 14 to block some judges. Why don’t repubs fight? I Don’t know, but I’m not voting for them if they don’t. McCain is likely to work across the aisle and get some ‘Souter’ types nominated. He didn’t like Roberts or Alito and will not nominate their equals.
Is there any good in the man? Yes. But he will finish off the Repub party, from what Bush has done. then finnaly make his big switch to the Dems, as he has wanted to at other times.
This is too long, so I’m ending here. Lie away if you want.
Rachel, your overly-simplified version of the reason why some folks won’t vote for McCain (”to teach the GOP a lesson”) is not mine. I would never frame my argument that way. There is a myriad of more legitimate reasons, covered here, there and everywhere ad nauseum that “punishing the GOP” is the least among them. I understand the general temptation to dumb-down the very valid arguments against McCain, but I tend to expect more from you.
I know you say don’t give a flying fuck what we think, but I think you’re fair enough to give us a little more credit than that.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:29 pmphysics geek Says:
Not surprisingly, the Shit Sandwich voters have come out of the woodwork again. I fully understand your position, Rachel, as I used to feel that way myself. In fact, I accept my part of the responsibility for the continued leftward drift of the GOP these last [unsure how long] years. I continued to vote for Republicans because I knew that the Democrats were worse. Then the next election came again I voted for a still more liberal GOPer because, hey, he’s not as bad as the other guy, right? And the GOP leaders took that as a sign that they could do whatever the fuck they wanted and I’d keep voting for them.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I second what Physics Geek said about respect for various positions regarding how one casts their vote. Please do not think that those of us not voting for Sen. McCain arrived at our position lightly or with any less consideration of the issues than you did.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:33 pmRachel, I feel your pain and frustration. I was about to post some thoughts about the whole thing, then read what physics geek posted and he did a much better job that I would have. Its simple, Obama wins, the House and Senate republicans fight tooth and nail ever single piece of “progressive” legislation that comes their way. McCain wins, pushes the same legislation, and it becomes law. McCain’s only redeeming quality is his stance on Iraq… Obama swears on a stack of Korans that he’ll withdraw the troops when he’s elected, but I’m positive he’ll come up with reasons why he won’t start withdrawing the troops once he’s elected, sort of like the way LBJ did with Vietnam.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:37 pmExcept with Obama (or Hillary) in office we can count on Republicans in Congress to fight tooth and nail against anything they try to do. With McCain in office they would let amnesty, gun control, global warming alarmism, and more just pass right on through out of pure party loyalty.
I’m not sure why this is a good reason to vote for John “Gang of 14″ McCain.
So you vote for slow socialism instead of fast socialism. Gotcha.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:43 pmI’m thinking I’m gonna vote for McCain simply because EVERYONE will be unhappy if he wins.
It’ll be awesome.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:50 pmWhile I wait for my other comment to be rescued from moderation:
I realize that Rachel is perfectly capable of defending herself, but I thought I’d swat at this one anyway.
TomJW - you really should hold accusations of lying back without proof. Also, you should really look around a bit more before doing so. While not a complete list, the reasons Rachel cited HAVE definitely been arguments conservatives have been using for reasons not to vote for McCain. You can look over the comments of numerous threads at RWN, or even the ones here on this site about McCain to see that.
Again, look around. I have seen several Conservatives proposing to walk away from the Republican Party and found another party. And some of the ones who want to “punish” the party are indeed advocating voting for Obama, so that the mess that will result will be blamed on Democrats and not Republicans.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pmA sign of the end times: some people responded favorably to something I wrote. None of those people are related to me.
I’ll second what Redhead Infidel and Just Plain Bill said. The commenters here are pretty smart overall and generally polite. Let’s not devolve into Kos type squabbles.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:16 pmOkay, show me one (1) real conservative (emphasis on “real”) who has advocated voting for Obama.
I am a regular poster on RWN and I don’t recall a single conservative who advocated voting for Obama.
So what? Conservatives have been saying that for years.
Show me one.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pmI think you’re correct Rachel that Obama’s going to win. In fact my pet theory is this one:
1)Enough angry conservatives stay home or vote third party in vital swing states like Ohio (which Bush barely won) and Virginia.
2)African Americans in those states vote in unprecedented numbers-which I almost can’t blame them for.
3)”Racists” in states like West Virginia and Kentucky give McCain huge margins.
Which all adds up to Obama winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote. At that point I laugh until I cry when I hear all the sob sisters in the media who screeched and mewled for poor Al Gore do a 180 and praise the electoral college as the wisest system ever devised.
Of course the election’s still over 5 months off, a lifetime in politics.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:21 pmWayne, the point that I was trying to make earlier to Rachel is that of all the incredibly well-written, intelligent, and legitimate reasons why people have said they won’t vote for McCain, she picked the dumbest to rant on. It’s a strawman - an easy point for her to score, but is by no means representative. Sure, some folks have said they won’t vote for McCain to “punish” the GOP, but far more have raised serious concerns, posited valid arguments, and waged intelligent debate. That, unfortunately, is all brushed aside as idiocy while a relatively minor reason is touted as the MAIN reason.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:22 pmWe get accused that we will vote for Obama - that is a lie.
We’re idiots for calling McCain evil - what is pushing this country to left with a McCain election? Will you be happy when Hillary switches party and becames the nominee, because conservatives and repubs always vote Repub? How bad does it have to get? Will you wait for worse than now.
And don’t duck on the congress possibilities over the next decade. Do you see the constant lose of seats that always happens when the Repubs don’t run on conservative issues? How does voting for McCain support conservative issues? He is the second least conservative senator. Pick someone else or we get a veto proof congress down the road for a good long time.
So do you see amnesty as not becoming undone, then don’t vote for McCain. Then maybe, just maybe blue dems and repubs will fight Obama on it. It’s not much to hope for, but with McCain it’s a done deal.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:23 pmphysics geek:
Great points on the domestic side — I’ve been weighing the destructive potential of Obama with a Democrat majority vs McCain with a veto-proof opposition.
But what about foreign policy? And what about the troops on the ground right now and the mission they’re trying to complete?
Please to enlighten?
Meantime, I’ll just be figuring out how the heck I’m going to keep that sandwich down — sigh!
May 27th, 2008 at 2:26 pmMc Cain vs Obambi?? Let me think about it… McCain is painful but Jimmy Obama? Not twice in my lifetime!
May 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pmRedhead Infidel, I tried to steer around your comment, because I know there are other reasons you folks aren’t voting for McCain, but I get REALLY pissed at people who call someone a liar when they have no evidence, and that’s what TomJW did. Just because not EVERY Conservative is saying it doesn’t make it a lie.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pmOkay, show me one (1) real conservative (emphasis on “real”) who has advocated voting for Obama.
Only because it’s fun to find the one….
Rush Limbaugh urges vote for Obama
Of course Limbaugh was urging Democratic superdelegates to vote for Obama, but hey, a vote’s a vote! And every vote should count!
Of course if any others turn up, you can always claim they’re not “real” conservatives. Escape hatch, eh?
And what felicity said. When you choose a position, you OWN the results of the position. BOTH sides, the good AND the bad. To me, McCain would be considerably less bad than Obama.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pmI agree that sitting out or a third party is one of the dumbest political moves imaginable. I cast my protest vote in the primaries, when I voted for someone who had dropped out, now let’s keep Obama out of office.
2 points:
1) Jindal 2012! (or 2016, if McCain is elected, I doubt he would get primaried) There are also a few other Republicans in the wings (i.e. Paul Ryan), but Jindal is the closest to a run at the White House
2) I wonder how many Republicans can go through with not voting McCain. If Obama had merely been the talking suit he appeared to be early on, I could see a lot more of that happening, but as people see how dangerous he really is, more people *may* see the light. Please?!?
May 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pmI just don’t see why everyone gets so worked up about some conservatives’ choice to not vote for McCain.
Lets face it, the reason that there is a dearth of good conservative candidates is that there is a dearth of conservative voters. Welcome to the margin everyone!
When you get down to it, the fiscally conservative, small government types that tend to populate this blog are very close to a statistically insignificant demographic of the voting public.
The GOP has come to the realization that to win elections, it needs to sway moderate or independant voters. Make no mistake, the people running McCain’s campaign know full well that they can’t count on conservative voters to back him up. They simply realize that to make libertarians and conservatives happy, they would lose independant voters. Independants represent a much larger voting block than conservatives do, so you do the math.
While I can’t get worked up about some people refusing to vote for McCain, I do question what they hope to accomplish. Lets face it, the whole country is swinging to the left, not just the GOP. If McCain loses this election, I’m betting that the next GOP presidential candidate will be FARTHER left than McCain, not less. If the GOP loses in ‘08, it will convince GOP strategists that they need to do more to grab those wonderful swing voters, not more to make conservatives happy.
You want to change that sorry state of affairs? Your vote isn’t anywhere near enough. We need to change the very demographics of this situation in order to affect the next presidential election.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:52 pmIvan, if you and the GOP are right, then McCain will win in a landslide WITHOUT conservative voters. You don’t need conservatives, do you? So no one should care one whit how we vote. Since we’re so “marginal”, then no harm is done by voting our conscience. Right?
It’s quite a gamble for the Republicans, what with abandoning their base to try and pick up a new one, and we’ll all see how that works out for them in November.
PS: don’t overlook that MANY of those new Independents you’re so confidently counting on are actually independent CONSERVATIVES like me.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:03 pmOK, I can’t prove that any “real conservatives” proposed this, partially because I’m just not going to spend that much time searching, but mostly because I am not going to try to prove who is or is not a “real conservative”, so I’ll retract that one.
Now you’re taking me out of context. My quotes in this section were not related to voting for Obama. They were specifically regarding accusations of Lying. Also, I went back and reread Rachel’s post, and SHE didn’t mention anyone advocating voting for Obama. That was ElvenPhoenix.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pmI’m with TomJW, Redhead Infidel, and Physics Geek on this one (if I understand what they’re saying): I can’t in good faith vote for McCain, nor will I ever vote for Obama or Clinton. While I am a registered Republican, McCain is just too far away from what I believe, so he won’t be getting my vote. I just came to this realization about twp weeks ago, and it surprised (and saddened) me. It is not to “punish” the GOP, nor is it to wait for the promised “Return of Reagan” in 2012.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:06 pmI will be voting in November; I haven’t missed a single election since I turned 18, even while serving overseas. It’s too important to miss. My vote won’t be “wasted” even though I may not be voting for the winning candidate. I can say I voted for the person who most lines up with what I believe, the one who I think would lead the country the way the constitution directs. It won’t be the candidate that offers me tidbits from the country’s coffers or the promise of a grand change and a new way of governing things.
Pipe dream? Maybe, but I won’t have compromised my morals to be on the winning side. And since I know our political system is set so that no independent candidate can ever win a Presidential election, I will still have to deal with the fall-out of a McCain/Obama/Clinton term tied to a Democratic majority in Congress.
I second Felicity’s comment. What about foreign policy?
May 27th, 2008 at 3:07 pmAs I commented on another blog to someone who said he’d vote for Bob Barr in November as the only real conservative choice (and if I may paraphrase a bit what I said), a vote for anyone but McCain in the general is a fool’s vote.
I was once one who said there was no way I could or would ever vote for McCain. Time and prudence have changed my mind. While I hardly embrace him (and pointedly voted against him in the Indiana primary well after making my decision to hold my nose and vote for him in the general), he’s still the best choice for any conservative who doesn’t want to be marginalized by an Obama administration.
Who do you want choosing Supreme and Appeals Court judges?
Who do you want prosecuting the war in Iraq?
Who do you want protecting the homeland?
Yeah, I’d prefer Reagan, too. But last I heard he’s not running this time around. So we’re stuck with McCain, folks. Live with it. Voting your “conscience” for Bob Barr makes no sense if it means four years of Obama in the White House.
And damn it, say what you will, but he has got a very hawt daughter. I’d rather look at her than Chelsea or Michelle for the next four years.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pmI’m a conservative who was planning not to vote for McCain until the reality of an Obama presidency finally registered in my mind. That assbag scares the absolute hell out of me.
Can you imagine Iran going nuclear with Obama as president? Good Lord.
I may not care for McCain’s politics, but as a disabled veteran who remains hawkish he has far more honor and the aptitude to confront our enemies than weenie girlie boy Obama and the man-thing beast he calls his wife.
Conservatives, wake up. Stop being petty little bitches and consider that staying home might indirectly result in some of our cities going up in nuclear smoke in the not too distant future. We’re not invincible, so please don’t be responsible for destroying this country by handing the election over to a chocolate Jimmy Carter.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:14 pmTime for us to just take a big mouthful of violets and jump into the nearest tar pit?
Edit: It’s precisely that sort of marginalization that prompts Conservatives, me amongst them, to consider abstaining from voting for the top spots, and focusing on the ‘down ballot’ candidates this time. However, for reasons already stated, I just can’t bring myself to do it.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:15 pmOk, that right there helps make our point.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmI suppose I should just keep my mouth shut, but I have been a Libertarian since Jimmy Carter. I had a renewed respect for Republicans because of Reagan, but their record has simmered back down to about the level of Dems since. At least the Dems tell you what they are going to do, hell they campaign on it. Republicans are supposed to be the opposition party to Democrats. Do I need to define opposition… as in ‘opposite’?
The playground allegory I see is that even though all the politicians are on the same side of the teeter-totter bending the equipment, ‘conservative republicans’ seem to think Obama will break the equipment. I say let it break. Sure it will cost us more to get new equipment, but the teeter-totter is being misused. It should break from the misuse and then people may see that we do indeed need new equipment instead of letting it sit out there bent and useless.
That said, I would not vote for Obama to help that happen, I am keeping my own faith and voting Libertarian, even though some of our views are way out there too.
Interesting how this election may turn on the number of Dems who really will vote Rep vs. the number of Reps who really will vote Dem.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pmfelicity said:
Here is what I think:
1) Obama wins. Regardless of what he says now to win the presidency, I will be mighty surprised if he actually follows through on a pre-emptive Iraq/ Afghanistan pullout. Sometime after the inauguration, he will suddenly “discover” some heretofore unknown-to him- rationale why we should stay in Iraq, albeit in reduced numbers. Since we’re already scheduled to draw down numbers some, I don’t believe that we’d notice this too much.
2) McCain wins. Pretty much the same result.
Why do I think that Obama won’t do what he says regarding Iraq? Call it observation of Democrats. I haven’t noticed the Pelosi group doing lots of what it said it would accomplish. The war is still funded and we’re still in Iraq. Despite the caterwauling of the usual suspects, the Democrats are doing what they do best: staying elected. You might have noticed that the leftist crazies have been in full batshit mode because of this.
Update: I see that Redhead Infidel responded to Lincoln before I did. Let me reiterate: you’re not winning any converts to your cause by being a pompous jackass and insulting us. When Bill Whittle weighed in on this blog in the comments, he was impassioned AND polite. Something to think about before you deign to talk down to us dumbasses who will cost you THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. ELECTION. EVER!!!
May 27th, 2008 at 3:44 pmPhysics Geek.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pmExactly, the war is too good of a platform stance. If it is fixed, it will no longer be a ‘point in their favor’. In Wisconsin there was a taxpayers bill of rights setting some limits on tax and fee hikes. When there was a clear majority of Republicans it could have been passed, but they hemmed and hawed because in reality it was too good of a talking point.
Voting for crappy RINO candidates is how we got in this position. I mock blacks for voting for crappy democrats who treat them like dirt. Now, conservatives are being told to vote for the crappy RINO candidate who treats them like dirt. It’s amazing that some people are turning their venom on conservatives when it should be directed at McCain. We are free to vote for whomever we want, and if we don’t want to vote for the crappy RINO, then so be it. For some conservatives, McCain is one bridge too far and I respect their choice.
Between McCain and Hillary, I would sit out the election. Between McCain and Mr. Stanky Feet, I would vote for McCain. I have spent some time with my “peeps” who think like the lunatic rev Wright. They really, really, believe that our gov assassinated MLK and put AIDS in coke machines. Obama is just the polite version of a hater. Its scary that Obama and his crazy, bitter wife, Evita Michelle, could actually win. They are my bridge too far.
Now, my game plan is to support strong conservatives to stop whatever lib wins, including McCain. There are very good and honorable reasons not to vote for McCain. To dismiss these legitimate concerns is ridiculous. And frankly, my country is stronger than that frackin Freak, Obama, and his bitter, crazy wife. George Bush has insured that the terrorists won’t risk another attack on the US any time soon. In the unfortunate event that the Obamanation wins, I can sit back and watch him become the black Jimmy Carter. For fun, I can watch unknown yutes burn down Europe.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pmMy mistake. I guess I assumed that when you wrote “some of the ones who want to “punish” the party are indeed advocating voting for Obama” you actually meant that some conservatives are indeed advocating voting for Obama. Apparently we’re now living in a parallel universe where words mean different things.
I sure don’t want John “Gang of 14″ McCain choosing them.
Gen. David Petraeus. Sadly, he is not running.
The US military. I doubt that will change regardless of who wins in November.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pmWelcome to Para’s world.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:14 pmYep. As this blogger wrote, “Hold your nose and pull the lever. The alternatives are truly frightening.”
May 27th, 2008 at 4:24 pmYeah, I’d prefer Reagan, too. But last I heard he’s not running this time around.
Bingo.
In the unfortunate event that the Obamanation wins, I can sit back and watch him become the black Jimmy Carter.
Because THAT didn’t hurt the country any worse than another Ford term woulda!
I taught George H.W. Bush a lesson by voting for Ross Perot. Boy, did that ever work out well.
Well, in retrospect it did contribute a bit to the ‘94 House revolution. And when something like that happens the majority loses more because they have more to lose, but it’s not much of a betting strategy.
I do urge everyone to vote for whomever they please. Do try to remember that even downballot voting for someone who can’t win the general doesn’t do much good.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:50 pmI’m pretty sure the bumper sticker exactly sums it up for me… F^*k it, I’ll be voting for McCain - but I understand and sympathize with those who will not or cannot.
And PhysicsGeek - I seem to recall that Bill Whittle had a complete melt-down of a freak-out on this issue and was not-so-polite in his words reserved for those who disagreed with him.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:54 pmIt seems to me that were it not for some very narrow opposition, neither might be the case now. Last time I looked, Webb, Murtha, Kennedy, et al were still trying to attach timetables and withdrawals to every penny of funding, not to mention meting out that funding in as unhelpful a way as possible.
Will a filibuster alone be enough to fend them off? I doubt it, especially as the numbers needed for a filibuster may not be there! (OTOH, as I have acknowledged, that would also mean a veto-proof majority of Dems opposing McCain — bah!)
Also, even if we’re to grant your premise that the current conflict is essentially a done deal (which I’m not sure I buy), what about the stench of weakness? BHO fairly reeks of it, and I can’t imagine the likes of Chavez, Ahmadinejad, and Co. not salivating at the prospect!
May 27th, 2008 at 5:04 pmWell that’s the thing about having been president of law review at Harvard Law: it tends to immunize one against charges of being “dumb as a chimp.” (An unremarkable term at HBS, which you got into based on Daddy’s connections, isn’t quite the same thing, now is it?) Also working in Obama’s favor: not having a decade-long record of saying spectacularly stupid things on a regular basis.
Maybe Obama identifies so deeply with the Red Army that he has conflated things in his wee little brain.
Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I’d stumbled across the blog of someone serious. Obviously you’re nothing but an hysterical GOP hack like Ann Coulter. Only not famous.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:14 pmfrigger, that’s true. And then when random people jumped on Whittle’s bandwagon is when it got ugly. Perhaps physicsgeek is recalling the people responding to Whittle’s comments (including himself) who remained respectful.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:18 pmWhat point would that be, that you are in fact a bunch of petty little bitches who would see the premature ruin of our country for…. what… general principle?
And Physics Geek, no offense but suck my ass. At this point if people cannot see the rationale in voting against Obama despite his alarming and incredibly dangerous policies, we’re beyond reasoning here.
I always knew whiny women and girlie men would be the end of America someday, I just didn’t think I’d see it in my lifetime.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:26 pmMarkCi: Never thought I’d see a guy express penis envy at a woman running a popular blog, but there it is. Thanks for making my day.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:30 pmBlackredneck: I have to agree, were it between McCain and Billary, I would have sat out the election (would still vote in the locals though.)
But the Obamamessiah, praise be his name, has made me seen the light.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:36 pmWhen I contemplate the 2008 presidential candidates, part of an old Alan Parsons song starts echoing in my head:
Am I dreaming/
Will the nightmare just go on/
And never end?
Someone, please wake me up. Please?
May 27th, 2008 at 5:41 pmLincoln, your method of…er…”reasoning” is undeniably effective, just not in the way you think it is.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:45 pmMarkCi -
Welcome.
I would have to correct you here, just a little.
In the last twelve months or so, Obama has said spectacularly stupid things, now part of the public record. And with far more frequency than President Bush. Unfortunately, this seems to be indicative of a long habit - spanning at least a decade. The difference is, in this past decade, Obama has not been in the public eye as much as the president, so his utterances of stupidity just were not documented. But they’ve been comin’, fast and furious, ever since this election cycle bagan.
But since, like the New York Times, you suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome (why cover the front page, and even more on interior pages, with more than a few large color pictures of Bush’s choosing of the wrong exit door after a speech?) That’s not news…unless you’re the New York Times on a suicide mission designed to guarantee plummeting sales.
President Bush is not articulate. But he certainly is not stupid. He had better grades in college and possesses a higher IQ than Al Gore. You folks on the left have enjoyed and exploited every little misstep and misspoken word on the part of the president. Don’t be surprised, and spare us your righteous indignation when we right-wingers point out the lies and gaffes of your Democrat nominees.
I can’t remember which of the 57 states Obama was in when he claimed his uncle liberated Auschwitz. Can you tell me?
And Rachel is serious - though she infuses nearly every opinion with sarcastic wit.
Hysterical GOP hack. hah! If only you knew…
May 27th, 2008 at 5:47 pmWhich (since you obviously aren’t here for the dialogue) accounts for your decision to post how exactly?
May 27th, 2008 at 6:09 pmWhoa there now folks.
NO NAME-CALLING AND I FUCKING MEAN IT. Even if you are “taking my side”, you don’t get to call those who disagree with me anything other than “those who disagree with me” or something like that.
It’s just not that hard to say that you think people are completely wrong without calling them shitty names. I did it myself in that post up there and I’m no genius so it must be pretty easy.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to wipe the coffee off my keyboard after spewing it in a fit of guffaws after reading MarkCi’s assertion that I’m a hysterical GOP hack. Oh, MarkCi. You really don’t know how to use archives, do you?
May 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pmI’m not voting.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pmAnd no I’m not walking away from the Republican Party it walked away from me, rapidly and to the left.
McCain for McPOTUS ‘08 — would you like lies with that?
Yup. Voting for the bastard.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:20 pmSure they are, because they know their proposals will be defeated. It allows them to ACT like they’re against the war without having to suffer the consequences of actually ending the war. If anyone ever asks why they didn’t end the war, they can say “Well, those darn Republicans stopped me!”
May 27th, 2008 at 6:26 pmEvidently you have never been to Harvard.
LOL That one made me chuckle.
Yeah, Obama doesn’t have a decade-long record of saying spectacularly stupid things on a regular basis. Instead, he’s opted to cram a decade’s-worth of spectacularly stupid sayings into one election cycle.
I’ll take this as an “I have nothing constructive to contribute to this discussion”.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:27 pmClearly you are a man interested only in reasoned and thoughtful debate.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:30 pmHow long before Hillary exposes that the only way Barry got into Harvard was as an affirmative action student? I mean, I’ve seen kids on that Foxworthy show know more about American history than he does.
Here’s a post that sums up Barry’s glaring misunderstanding of history, and the article which inspired it. At least this wasn’t the first time he’s shown how ignorant of history he is. Consistency…
May 27th, 2008 at 6:50 pmIt’s an amazing blog you run here Rachel. It obviously has the affect on new readers in that it makes them think they can figure someone out by just reading one post.
A-maz-ing!
May 27th, 2008 at 7:13 pmI’m more than a little disappointed that the headline wasn’t some form of “I see dead people.”
May 27th, 2008 at 7:23 pmEvery once in a while there is a story about some loon who decides to punish his wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/pet goat by cutting his own Johnson off so that she/he/it will have to do without.
Those people are going to vote for Bob Barr or Ralph Nader.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:18 pmWhy?!? Just say what you want to say! Keeping your audience too much in mind gives us the idea that we have a right to tell you that your Rupert vacation is over and you should get back to blogging.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:40 pmSorry, Rache. Sometimes ya hafta let the cancer grow big enough to cut all of it out. I disagree with your conclusion that BamBam will win - but if McVain is elected. never again will a real conservative be nominated by either major party, as he will have shown that pandering to the LCD* is the road to the White House. I was gonna write in my buddy H. Jablowme, but I think I’ll vote for Sunny instead.
* LCD - Lowest Common Denominator
May 27th, 2008 at 8:46 pmI don’t reason. I make fun of people, gives me more satisfaction. I leave the reasoning up to those who still have their sanity.
Damn you woman! Damn you to California!
May 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pmI’m not crazy about McCain (his penchant for creating laws with left-wingers like Feingold, Lieberman and Kennedy) but I sent him lots of money and I’ll vote for him. It’s too important. If Obama wins the presidency, then Islamism in the US is just around the bend.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:15 pmAs you can probably see from my blog, I went to Georgia Tech. However, I lived for a time in Cambridge and know a great many Harvard grads. I also know (and you apparently need to look up) what admission stardards are like at Harvard Law, and that president of the Law Review is one of the highest honors attainable there.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pmA+
May 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pmREAGAN WAS NOT A PURE CONSERVATIVE :
1) He granted Amnesty to illegals in 1986.
2) He appointed 2 moderate SCOTUS justices (Kennedy and O’Connor) amd just 1 conservative (Scalia).
3) He raised income taxes, after first lowering them.
So, all in all, Reagan did the same things people worry McCain will do.
The idiots who keep waiting for a ‘Reagan’ don’t have an accurate picture of Reagan at all. He was not a pure conservative, NO PRESIDENT EVER WILL BE, NOR SHOULD BE.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pmI must say the “anybody but McCain” crowd did really well with George Bush in 2000.
Now that Bush has redefined Conservative to mean “spendthrift Christian moron”, no one is going to elect anyone of that description until some time passes. It took almost 50 years to go from Hoover to Reagan. I hope this isn’t quite so bad.
McCain is on the right fiscally, militarily and with respect to foreign policy. Much less so on the social and non-fiscal domestic issues. So what?! He’s not going to tax capital gains as income, undo the FICA cap, fund Hamas, give Iran the bomb or put commies on the Supreme Court. All of which Obama will likely do.
I really don’t see the issue at all.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:23 pmRacheal, you just made me do something I never thought I would do. I just sent the McCain campaign $1,000
May 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pmI am unpersuaded by your logic.
I don’t like McCain, Obama, or Hillary and will not vote for any of them.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:30 pmThe lady is right. Absolutely right. And I am tired of sore loser cry baby conservatives and libertarians who seem to think that losing elections is some kind winning strategy. Obama is an idiot, anyone who is not a member of his cult can see that.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:32 pmAnd it has nothing to do with liking people. This is not highschool for Chrisake.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:34 pmI will not vote for McCain.
We’ve had 8 years of a quasi-Republican in Bush.
The only way to fix the party is to move RINOs off the stage. That this means 4 or 8 years of Democratic White House is unfortunate, but at some point you have to take your medicine. (And I don’t believe there will be that big of difference between a Democratic White House and a McCain White House.)
So no vote or money for the Republican Party and McCain in 08. See y’all in 2012.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:34 pmIf you still think sitting out the election or writing in a name is smart, I have ten words for you: UP TO THREE NEW SCOTUS JUSTICES NAMED BY BARACK OBAMA.
By 2012, you won’t recognize the country or the constitution.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:38 pmIt’s a shitty plan, but it’s all I’ve got.
Any Third Party ‘08!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:41 pmI don’t particularly care for McCain, either - but I’m going to vote for him. And all of you people who “just can’t bear” to vote for such a liberal republican (when you want a “real conservative”) had better not hold your breath waiting for that opportunity if hussein gets in (or hitlery, for that matter). If the obamassiah gets in - there is a better than even chance that we have seen the last free election held in this country for one hell of a long time. So why don’t you just quit yer bitchin’, suck it up and do what is best for the COUNTRY!! Get off of that old party-line bullshit and think ahead to what can happen to this country if you let the socialists have the country in this election. [and don’t try to pull that democRAT crap about “Don’t blame me - I didn’t vote for him.” We will blame you if you don’t do your part to help keep this country from becoming a 2nd-world socialist/islamofascist cesspool.] A lot of your arguments for not voting for McC are well-reasoned and well-thought-out — but they suck.
Just try to man up and do the right thing.
And, MarkCi — I’ve read your blog. You have no room, whatsoever, to call anyone a hack.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:42 pmReagan voted for amnesty as part one of a 2 part deal that involved closing the borders. The way he got screwed is why we won’t buy it again.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pmYeah, we gathered.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:45 pm. . . highly sarcastic humor, that it flew right over your dear head — which, firmly wedged as it was, was perhaps not all that high at the time!
Kind of begging the old question there, aren’t we? Famous as I’m sure it is!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:49 pmWell Mark, I think you’ll find that if you move your mouse to the upper corner of your web browser and click on the little red box with an X on it, all the bad words will go away.
Sure you do. Everybody’s an expert on the internet.
Yeah, right. That must be why the average Harvard score on this civics test was 69%.
Sorry Charlie, but all the Harvard degrees in the world won’t change the fact that Barack Hussein Obama is a moron.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:51 pmGod in Heaven, people. I don’t much like McCain either, but at least he didn’t have his political bar mitzva at the home of a couple of fucktard anti-American mad bombers like Obama did.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:53 pmTood:
Reagan made a point of putting amnesty in the bill. He insisted on it and if he were here today half these people bitching about McCain would call the man Ronaldo and demand his impeachment.
And Obama supports drivers licenses for illegals.
The real problem with conservatives is that they eat their own. When Bush was riding high and had coat tails and actually helped the Republicans win a majority in Congress, he was alright. But by God when things got difficult…screw him. Now they are going after McCain before he can even win. With an opposition like that Obama does not need so many supporters.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:53 pmI agree even if some people maybe don’t agree. Jeff Goldstein who is a lot brilliant maybe doesn’t agree. He should explain that again. It has something to do with not having a horse in this race. But for real getting McCain out of the Senate will be really gratifying. I’d walk on hot coals to vote for that. Unless it hurt.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:55 pmAlright, I’m one of those evil Conservatives that will write in Fred Thompson. But, just for a sec, let’s assume I vote for John and my single solitary vote takes him into office. How will that differ from Obama or Hillary?
The war: With the massive gains coming to the Democrat party in 08, how the hell do you think McCain will come up with a budget to support the GWOT? Iraq will be defunded regardless just Vietnam was by Kerry and Kennedy.
McCain will pass McCain/Kennedy legalizing all existing illegals and welcoming their families. He is already backing off building the fence and now says we need to treat illegals as “God’s Children”.
As for SCOTUS – do you really think any even remotely conservative judge stands a chance? Do you remember the gang of 14? Rather than confronting the Democrats in an environment the Republicans were guaranteed to win, he turned his back on his party and worked a little back room deal.
As for taxes, as early a January McCain was backpedaling on tax cuts. Congress will be able to enact anything they wish.
How about cap and trade on CO2?? It will add anywhere from $1.5 to $5 per gallon to the price of gasoline. It will come close to destroying our economy.
He is adamant about joining the Kyoto crowd – this in the face over 30,000 scientists signing the Oregon Petition and new NASA findings showing the planet has not increased in temperature for a decade and has actually decreased for the past 7.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:55 pmI really don’t want to sit this one out or vote third party. I’d really like to vote Republican again. But every time the Democrats and their media subsidiaries convince me to vote for McCain, he does something to make “none of the above” a viable option. McCain-Feingold remains the worst piece of legislation I can remember. The gang of fourteen still has a majority of judicial nominees bottled up. I have no idea where McCain stands on amnesty as his position is almost as fluid as Bill Clinton’s morals.
Is he superior to Obama? Yes, but in the same way a filling is superior to a root canal. Maybe he can convince me before November but he hasn’t tried up to now. It does not take a Democrat to make horrible Supreme Court nominations. Remember Ford appointed John Paul Stevens and the elder Bush appointed Souter. I know a Democrat guarantees bad justices but a Republican does not insure the opposite.
I will wait to see. If McCain offers the Vice Presidency to a conservative and Obama makes his expected far left choice, I’ll give it another look. If McCain picks Lindsay Graham or Chuck Hagel I don’t think I’m going to be convinced he’s serious.
It probably doesn’t matter anyway. If McCain is competitive here in California he’s going to win regardless. In a normal year no Republican can overcome the half million fictional voters here.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:56 pmNo Vote No Money:
Who ge