When the Republican Primaries were still not a foregone affair, we here at PW were rather harsh towards John McCain. During the time since his rivals dropped out, we’ve been focused on the Democrat candidates. And this has led to some accusation that we’ve cast aside our principles to support McCain, in effect.
I can understand that criticism. For instance, I have stated that I’m going to vote for whomever the military regulars at this blog ask me to vote for, as a token of thanks for their service and also in recognition of the fact that the choice of Commander-in-Chief more directly affects them. Is that a dodge? If it is, it is so subtle that I’m not even certain, but if you are disinclined to like or believe me, you are welcome to think so.
It’s also true, however, that the Democrat candidates have lately given us much more to talk about and to make fun of than has McQueeg. And those of us who hold us in contempt for making our peace (presumably) with his nomination will nevertheless clamor for unity among Democrats once it is decided who will represent them, (despite Obama’s being far too far to the left for many, and unable creditably to move towards the center, assuming he wants to, until Mrs. Clinton is gone). I think it’s safe to say, though, that most of us agree with Matt Welch’s assessment of McCain:
BEHIND any successful politician lies a usable contradiction, and John McCain’s is this: We love him (and occasionally hate him) for his stubborn individualism, yet his politics are best understood as a decade-long attack on the individual.
The presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party has seduced the press and the public with frank confessions of his failings, from his hard-living flyboy days to his adulterous first marriage to the Keating Five scandal. But in both legislation and rhetoric, Mr. McCain has consistently sought to restrict the very freedoms he once exercised, in the common national enterprise of “serving a cause greater than self-interest.â€Â
So, once the primaries are effectually over, sooner or later, you can expect us to take our whacks at McCain again, I think.
UPDATE: Would it be petty to vote for McCain to piss off Chavez? Because I can be petty.
As I said before, I’m going to hold my nose and vote for McCain — though I gotta say lately he is saying stuff that is riling the Dems but makes a whole lot of sense. Gives me hope.
Also, who he finally picks as his VP will determine my reluctant or enthusiastic support.
Oh. I’m on good behavior for McCain cause letting McCain be McCain will a lot I think make those sad little Republican people in Congress define themselves in that context. Except for a few like Arlen and the piteously lapdoggy Lindsey Graham I don’t think very many of them owe McCain shit really. Cause of him being an asshole and all. This is healthy for the Republican party. I hope.
Oh and also McCain will win the war. A lot can be abided cause of that.
It would appear that the American people have decided that they want somebody who will make the trains run on time.
That being the case, and given that that is the only choice, I intend to vote for the one who appears to be sincerely interested in train schedules, rather than the one who orates nicely about how wonderful it will be when it’s accomplished but can’t tell a Burlington cross from a yard switch.
Regards,
Ric
Looking back, Romney and Giuliani and Thompson and thems don’t look like any great prize really.
McCain is many things. But a Conservative he is not. He is, alas, a politician. But what he is not is a Marxist. A Socialist, maybe… a Marxist, no. So, really, my disappointment is that Conservative has come to be synonymous with Bush. And I’ll admit, I worked on his behalf in 2000 and 2004 (a foot-soldier). But I am now more guarded than ever about the Evangelical Right… As a Papist, I find there is some cross-over appeal… but rather little. And about the best I can say about McCain is that he is not an appeaser of HitlerChavezAmedinijadIlSungStalinAssad-types… and then there’s his stance on Abortion. But that is about all I can tie my support for him to. Of course, Barrack and Clinton’s plank serves as the great Multiplier for me. So don’t think I am thrilled. I am just, well, less thrilled about Marxism than Socialism.
I’m on record saying that I would never vote for McCain, but that was before I found out about Obama.
If O is the nominee, I’m voting for John.
Say what you want about old John, (it will mostly be true, no matter how rude it is). He did, however, produce a phone message which was sent out before the Texas primary in which he stated as clearly and unambiguously as anything I have ever heard, that if elected he would govern as a Reagan conservative. While that may have been BS, the best part of the message was his promise that he will appoint Supreme Court justices in the mold of Alito and Roberts (Yes he said their names in that order).
Given the ages of the Supremes, Court appointments make it more important that a Republican be president for the next 4 years than it is that a Republican be president for the next 4 years, if you get my drift.
Mikee: good point. We appear to be on the verge of getting some sane decisions out of the Supreme Court (e.g., Heller). I’d like to keep it that way.
Mikee makes a good point. And the Supreme Court ironically can curb McCain’s worsest impulses a lot I think. Also, I think McCain of anyone is best positioned to move the ball on entitlements. Cause he’s old and geezers think he’s tits.
Mikee – fine, I will add that to my list. And, shit, while I think about it he would prob keep the tax-cuts in place. ok, there’s four reasons for me to vote for the McCain.
Global warming is still teh gay though. Maybe he’ll surprise me though. Truth is, the climate fags have won this round, and maybe John just figures he needs to play along until science pulls its head out of its ass.
Happyfeet – knock-knock…
Hi Enoch, who’s there?
BOOBS
Damnit JD! Stole my thunder…
Perhaps we aren’t acting towards McCain as we have to the Democrats is because we know that a blood-stained floor does not a happy convention make, and the only bloodstained floor ought to be in Denver.
Besides, we aren’t even spilling their blood – we’re over here, resting, watching, cheering…
Hi, Boobs. Um. Boobs who?
Enoch TWP – I was still laughing about that one from yesterday. My bad.
Bah. Give it up, guys. It’s over.
Oh, I don’t mean that literally. We ought to keep sniping at the bastards for as long as it continues to be permitted. But look you: there is a growing minority that uses “freespeecher” as a pejorative epithet. They are simply the extreme wing of the mass movement.
There is nobody around any more who doesn’t believe that more and better pettifogging regulations and central-authority interventions won’t bring Nirvana, if not Utopia. They differ only in what the immediately necessary interventions are to Correct the Current Abuses.
Pick your lizard and go with him. Remember, if you don’t vote for a lizard, the wrong lizard might get in.
Regards,
Ric
I would second Dan’s general explanation as to whY I haven’t done more with/to McCain recently. It’s also a function of the fact that McCain is more a known quantity, also. And the fact that coverage of BO (and HRC) has dwarfed coverage of McCain.
To those who say they refuse to vote for McCain:
President Hillary Clinton.
President Barack Obama.
[Elvis]Thank you, thank you very much.[/Elvis]
I think I just puked a little in the back of my mouth.
thx, never thought you guys would be inconsistent.
Obama’s on vacation anyway. Haven’t seen him windsurfing though.
I’m voting against Obama or Hillary.
That’s all.
I have no fear of either outcome. Partly because the more viable of the two Democrats is never going to get the nomination, and the one who’ll be nominated will never be elected. This entire election cycle has worked out as a big Lifetime Non-Achievement Award for John Sidney McCain.
Doesn’t mean I have to get on the bandwagon.
All this bitching about McCain’s ‘assault on individual freedoms’ and his not being a conservative continues to amaze me. Not conservative compared to who??? The sad fact is that whether he manages to eke out a win in November against the most seriously flawed candidate the Democrats will EVER have nominated, a President McCain will face a Democrat congress hell-bent on passing an avalanche of pork disguised as social ‘progressivism’–including tax hikes. His sole job once in office–aside from appointing Supreme Court judges capable of actually reading the Constitution without having to move their lips–will be to veto and veto again. Is either Lady MacBeth or Othello likely to do that? No. Then why does poor old Coriolanus continue to excite such contempt among those who should be most passionately in his camp?
Like a thing of blood?
The scourge of Corioles has the arrogance of the character, too, Hope. He also has the impulse to regulate.
McCain is a poopyhead is why, Hope.
Given those three characters from Shakespeare, I’d happily go with Othello, wheeling and extravagant stranger though he may be.
You’re gonna love McCain’s latest speech, Dan.
Some crap about borowing his Dad and Granddaddy’s ability to lead by genetic infusion. Some crap about Manifest Destiny. And then…
A new Kyoto deal that America will back first and try to get China and India onboard for later (but still sign even if they don’t).
Encourage support for the EU and…wait for it…a transatlantic Common Market (the CM was the predecessor of the EU)!
Removal of border barriers to trade between South, Latin and North America.
Unilateral nuclear stockpile reductions.
Kicking Russia out of the G8 (well OK, you’ll like that – back to the Cold War) but letting India and Brazil in.
A total ban on enhanced interrogation techniques.
But…no withdrawal from Iraq while at the same time he wants to throw the Saudis under the bus and take on Iran face first. Yoohoo! Proxy War!
Oh, and he’s flirting with being a plagiarist too.
Regards, C
Ok,
I am sorry to interrupt, I have read here for over a year but never posted. Happyfeet, you are hilarious. Yes, Jeff is great, and so is Dan, Big Bang Hunter, Ric . . . everyone really. But HF, . . . posts 2,5,10 & 12 are the best. I’ll be cleaning Diet Pepsi out of my keyboards for some time.
;-)
I’ll vote McCain simply because I feel that of the three, he’s less likely to do lasting damage to the country.
hmm… I think him needed a nose or something. Emoticon thingers aren’t really my thing.
And Happyfeet, THAT’S why us old geezers think he’s tits.
– McPain was chosen by the party movers and shakers, principally because it was decided he was the best odds against whomever the Donkeys put forward. In addition because of his Liberal creds, and the cross-over voting block that would attract. (A recent poll shows that whichever Dem cabdidate wins it, the otheres supporters will switch to McCain by an average of around 21% for both cases, which if it happened would make him a walk on winner.)
– But. I can’t help wonder if the RNC and company had known what a three ring disaster the Dems were going to sink into if McCain would still be the Reps choice. Somehow I doubt it, but who knows.
– As others gave said, the next 4 years in the WOT is going to be plain critical, and as they have said, I concur that the Iraq issue eclipses all the other political consideration, with the exception of the immigration issue, but that I believe is part of the WOT also.
– So I will vote for McCain with a clothes pin on My nose, but if he tries that crap with amnesty again, we’ll flood his offices with emails until he drowns in them.
I like McCain and I have no problem voting for him. If Conservatives have a problem with him, they should spend more time and energy trying to find someone people will actually vote for and less time acting like spoiled children.
And what is amnesty? Anything less than mass deportation? Most people prefer some sort of normalization for some of the illegals here. The idea is to be reasonable, rather than hysterical. Right now in Colorado they are dealing with labor shortages in the fields and the farmers have tried paying more, advertizing for help and everything else. So now they are trying to deal directly with the Mexican government to get migrant labor, how bizarre is that?
A guest worker program could deal with some problems like that without being amnesty. And most people do not support anything akin to mass deportation either. But what the hell, let’s start another war in the Republican party with this issue and see if we can manage a repeat of 06 and lose the next election. Republicans need to think more about what they have in common right now, rather than trying to start interparty fights. After all Obama supports drivers licenses for illegals. Think about that.
Do you really think he’ll do that? I’ve never seen any evidence that he would.
And no, his saying it wouldn’t count.
You, uh, you weren’t exactly paying attention before McCain clinched it, were you?
That includes most of the McCain-skeptics here. The trouble is that McCain’s record on the issue, before he decided he really wanted to be president, was to ask us to go along with giving the illegals lots of goodies first, while trusting him and his fellow pols to see to border security someday later.
What? McCain’s asking us to go along with giving goodies to the wrong people first, while we should trust him and his fellow pols to do the right thing later?
I never would have imagined he could do such a thing!
I like McCain and I have no problem voting for him. If Conservatives have a problem with him, they should spend more time and energy trying to find someone people will actually vote for and less time acting like spoiled children.
When you are going to accuse people of acting like children, it is usually best to not use a childish argument to make your point. Just sayin’
thanks Dan
*they should spend more time and energy trying to find someone people will actually vote for and less time acting like spoiled children.*
Well, there’s something to be said for wanting a candidate that appeals to me, as opposed to one I don’t find particularly compelling or palatable. I can list 10 things in the last 5 years McCain that kept me from even considering him in the primaries. However, I can list 100 things in the past 5 years that either Billary or the Obamessiah has done and based solely on that analysis, I’ll pull the lever for McCain. As noted, I don’t think he can do significant amounts of damage in a 4 year period but I guarantee you with a democratic congress and either democratic candidate as president, you me and the fencepost will be taxed into the poorhouse, and they’ll get that socialism they so desperately want.
Also, illegals are here illegally. So they’re breaking the law and straining our health care system to its breaking point. They break the law, they don’t deserve anything, period. And guess what- alot of people support mass deportation. I’d sign up for the immigration service if it was only a question of man power and help them send illegals back to where they came from. Illegals are eroding America and its economy from the inside.
Moreover, as has been said over and over again, you don’t even need mass deportations, just enforce the law and over time the problem will take care of itself.
McCain, of course, would never do so. He has no intention of getting control of the Southern border or solving the problem, just feeling good about himself, making friends with big business, and getting votes and good press. In short, just another corrupt politician who’ll gladly ignore U.S. law.
Voting for Goldstein/Burge.
And I trust y’all will do the same.
Did you eat lead-based label chips when you were a kid?
“Did you eat lead-based label chips when you were a kid?”
No, but it’s clear you did, Hammer Boy.
I don’t like McCain, I never have. Whoever coined the term “RINO” almost certainly had him in mind. Whether it’s McCain/Feingold, amnesty for illegals (and yes, I’m one of that 70% of the populace that wants the borders secured and mass deportation of illegal aliens), globull warming/cooling/whatever, etc, ad nauseam, this guy has spent most of his career sticking it to his fellow Repubs and sucking up to the Commiecrats. The only one of the original bunch that seems to have actually read and understood the Constitution was Fred Thompson. But unfortunately he didn’t make the cut, so here we are.
But having said that, when the first Tuesday in November rolls around, I will take my nose firmly in hand, and pull the lever for McCain. For all of his faults, as has been pointed out, the country stands a better chance of surviving four years of McCain than either the Obamamessiah or Hillary “I got shot at by non-existent snipers in Bosnia” Clinton. Both of the latter are dyed-in-the-wool socialists/communists (it’s been said that the only difference between a socialist and a communist is that the former won’t try to kill you if you oppose them, and the latter will; I would not take bets on what either of these two would do if pushed in that regard), who would drive this country run into the ground even faster than it’s already going.
“would run this country into the ground”…
dammit
– For every dollar of tax revenue we take in, the state spends 5 dollars in services, and its just going to get worse like it always has.
– Anyone that tries to temporize the alien invasion with “America’s to blame” moonbat bullshit either doesn’t live in a border state, or is dangerously self-deluded.
– The 30million+ already here is bad enough, its the next 30 million that will swarm across the boredr in the next 10 years that is going to bankrupt edge states if people do not ignore the caterwalling asshats, and secure the border soon.
Thor – that’s not funny… my cousin goes to that church… and they don’t all eat lead paint, contrary to what TWP’s say.
Obama gets my Good Christian Man seal of approval.
No, you’ll vote for Mad Mac because he’s the best available, and you’re all about pragmatism. The fact that it may cause Hugo to pop a gasket and drop dead is just icing on the cake, as it were.
A new Kyoto deal that America will back first and try to get China and India onboard for later (but still sign even if they don’t).
In your dreams. The last one went down 95-0 in the Senate.
McCain is a statist. But we haven’t had a pres in nearly a century who wasn’t.(well, Ronald Reagan was in some measure a proponent of smaller government and he did create the most significant economic expansion in US history and won the cold war, but I guess we haven’t wanted to experiment with someone like that again…) I don’t know how much longer we can bide our time being coddled by the nanny state until we are bankrupted completely, but it seems a larger issue than electing a president for this term doesn’t it?
It will take a majority of the population who desire a return to the classical liberalism of our forefathers to make that (limited government, entitlement reform, free markets, immigration reform, and generally the extrication of the nanny state from business, science, health care, etc.) happen. Where’s the state of that movement at present?
At present we are left with the rather obvious case of how much more statism are we going to get and pick the chance of least. Pitiful, yes. Just sayin’.
Where’s the state of that movement at present?
Being educated in government schools.
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