Super Tuesday resulted in a big win, at least according to the news media, for John McCain in his bid for the presidency. He now has significant momentum and more than half of the delegates needed to wrap up the Republican nomination. Money is sure to follow as elites donate to back the man who they see as the inevitable "winner."Unfortunately for conservatives, McCain is not one of us. He loves to court liberal Democrats and "reach across the aisle" in a "spirit of bipartisanship." What those noble sounding catchphrases really mean are that McCain likes to back Democrats and liberal ideas to boost his personal standing with the Washington elite and members of the media.
It amazes me that the GOP seems on the verge of electing John McCain as its standard bearer. This is the guy who is wrong on taxes, wrong on immigration and wrong on campaign finance "reform."
One reason, of course, is that Democrats and so-called independents are voting for McCain in droves in primaries around the country. These folks aren't likely to vote for him in the general election, just like his friends in the media aren't going to support him over Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama, but they love seeing this "moderate" nominated instead of a conservative contender.
The time is now, if it isn't already too late, for conservatives to rally around a candidate or candidates to keep McCain from gaining the Republican nomination and "moderating" the GOP right out of relevance and possibly right out of existence.
Editor's note: This entry was originally posted on February 6, 2008, before Mitt Romney dropped out of the race. I did some internal housekeeping and changed the name of the blog, requiring a re-posting tonight. It pains me to say that today's developments proved my worry that it might already be too late correct. I wish that I was wrong to worry about what has become reality.
4 comments:
Ron Paul is still in the race.
You define "in" the race in a funny way.
As a self proclaimed centerist, I think McCain's the only "Republican" candidate who has any chance to beat Obama or Clinton. A straight up conservative doesn't have a prayer after Bush's bungeling of the Iraq situation. (Wasn't until the Republicans got blown out in '06 that he made a half way decent decision to fire Rummy and change course.)
McCain will take the independant voters that were leaning left after 8 years of failed right wing administrative policies. By the way, I voted for W in 04, so I have to take some of the blaim.
Obama is an unknown. I'd like to vote in new blood, but I have a feeling he won't be able to do any more than talk a good game. I don't think he'll do well straight up against McCain in the general. He'll loose those independants that vote conservative on social issues, and that will do him in.
Clinton is now in a floundering campaign. Her ship's going down. Resorting to negative attacks as she has been doing will put her under. She'd have a better chance against McCain because she's a known quantity. People were prosperous in the Clinton years and that will get her more votes in the general. But I don't think she'll make it that far.
Time will tell. Conventional wisdom is that elections are won by being more moderate than your opponent. McCain is certainly trying his best to do that.
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