{"id":11008,"date":"2008-02-07T14:24:44","date_gmt":"2008-02-07T20:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/proteinwisdom.com\/?p=11008"},"modified":"2008-02-07T14:24:44","modified_gmt":"2008-02-07T20:24:44","slug":"gop-2008-if-you-dont-grow-up-well-throw-a-tantrum-karl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proteinwisdom.com\/?p=11008","title":{"rendered":"GOP 2008: If you don’t grow up, we’ll throw a tantrum [Karl]"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Mitt Romney suspending his presidential campaign, the clamor of pundits like Fred Barnes<\/a>, Roger Kimball<\/a>, Dan Henninger<\/a>, Dinesh D’Souza<\/a>, etc. that conservatives — and others — must “grow up” and support Sen. John McCain will likely intensify.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed, McCain himself<\/a> now speaks of the need to “just calm down a little bit and see if there’s areas we can agree on.”<\/p>\n

For some reason, I suspect that McCain refuseniks will not take kindly to being told to “grow up” and “calm down” by Senator Hothead<\/a> or his proxies.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 It demonstrates a certain lack of irony or self-awareness, which is no surprise.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 In the now-infamous\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Vanity Fair<\/a> profile of McCain, Todd Purdum wrote:<\/p>\n

McCain’s temperament may be the single most discussed element of his life and career.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And yet:<\/p>\n

McCain’s aides say that McCain himself was the last to recognize that he had a reputation as a hothead, and used to rail at them in private every time a public commentator suggested he had a problem, shouting, “I do not<\/em> have a temper. I just care passionately.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indeed, the title of the profile refers to McCain as a “Prisoner of Conscience.”<\/p>\n

Yet McCain and his proxies would deny that status to everyone else.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Bill Whittle<\/a> may write eloquently (as always), but his description of political parties (and the GOP in particular) as akin to a street gang or La Cosa Nostra<\/em>, whose members have entered into some sort of pact,\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0stands in rather stark contrast to Ace’s<\/a>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 “What have you done for me lately?” formulation, which puts the burden on the party or the candidate to demonstrate that they are worthy of support.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Moreover, Whittle’s invocation of party loyalty rings hollow when discussing a candidate whose career is built on his frequent and well-known rejection of party positions, not to mention conservative principles.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 John Hindraker<\/a> can criticize others for an excess of purity, but apparently McCain is to be not only excused, but rewarded for his lack of purity.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Victor Davis Hanson<\/a>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0writes, with a tone of incredulity:<\/p>\n

It is clear that pragmatism or expediency is not seen as a sin greater than erroneous conviction, in the sense that it is to be understandable that Romney had to do or say some liberal things in blue-Boston to get elected, but that McCain did them willingly when he did not have to in red Arizona.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In a word, yes.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed, one of the primary arguments made by McCain and his proxies is that he must be supported because the alternatives are worse.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Another way of putting that is to say that the convictions of his opponents are more in error.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 So yes, people do prefer candidates who agree with them.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the insistence that others “grow up” gains additional layers of irony in light of the historical record.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 If we are to believe\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0the distortions of the Reagan record offered by Hanson and Jeff Jacoby<\/a>, conservatives (and others) got shafted by an icon.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Regardless, no one can credibly argue that George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, or George W. Bush were any better.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Yet they have generally stuck by these figures — acting “grown up,” as McCain & Co. would have it.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, we are informed by Henninger and others that it is simply too much to expect that McCain compromise with conservatives on any<\/em> of the issues on which they disagree.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hanson and others go further, peddling myths about McCain’s ACU slumping rating and pretending that he has somehow modified his position on immigration, though he has made it pretty clear himself that he has not.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Blatant spin like this does not win friends or influence people.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Similarly, suggesting that people like Ted Olsen and Miguel Estrada are going to ensure he makes sound judicial nominations tends to carry less weight when McCain is unlikely to find judges who will support his beloved signature piece of legislation — the McCain-Feingold “campaign finance reform” — who will otherwise construe the law in a manner congenial to conservatives (and others).<\/p>\n

McCain’s proxies seem intent on extending the trifecta of stupid<\/a>.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0planned to open<\/a>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0his CPAC appearance with an introduction likely to offend its attendees.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 He is sending Sen. Lindsey Graham to woo Sean Hannity<\/a> — another misstep demostrating either a lack of understanding their critics or a continued desire to offend them.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, when McCain says he wants to see if there are issues upon which he and his critics can agree, it likely means he will point out already existing points of agreement, not issues where he would be willing to credibly compromise,\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0as opposed to\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0publicly grumbling about the opposing point of view or suggesting he really does not care about it.<\/p>\n

McCain wants to be president.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 McCain wants to\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0be\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0the leader of the country, his party, and perhaps even conservatives.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 After all,\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0if McCain\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0thought he could win an election without\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0the support of a decent-sized chunk of people who are currently his critics, he would not be\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0engaging in any\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0outreach efforts, as ill-conceived and occasionally insulting as they may be.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Someone who wants to lead should be a grown-up.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 For that matter, someone in his seventies should already be a grown-up.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 That means recognizing that asking your critics to be less pure might require that you set the example.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 For a change, McCain might consider compromising with conservatives instead of liberals.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Then both sides could act like grown-ups.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 I would not predict that will happen, but perhaps McCain will surprise everyone at CPAC.<\/p>\n

Update:<\/strong><\/em>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 At NRO’s Corner, Ramesh Ponuru<\/a> claims that McCain’s speech may show some movement on illegal immigration.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 If that pans out, credit where credit is due.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Our septuagenarian may be growing up a little.<\/p>\n

Update x2:<\/strong><\/em>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Allahpundit<\/a> is less impressed: “Today\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s ass-kissing was a good start but it\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ll take a few more speeches like these before we\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2re even at the let\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s-pretend stage of believing he respects the anti-amnesty position.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Mitt Romney suspending his presidential campaign, the clamor of pundits like Fred Barnes, Roger Kimball, Dan Henninger, Dinesh D’Souza, etc. that conservatives — and others — must “grow up” and support Sen. John McCain will likely intensify.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed, McCain himself now speaks of the need to “just calm down a little bit and see if there’s areas we can agree on.” For some reason, I suspect that McCain refuseniks<\/p>\n

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