Okay, John McCain was not my first choice, or second choice, or third choice, or fourth choice for the Republican nomination, but under the theory proven by time and practice, even the worst of the (R)s in the White House is much better than the best of the (D)s.
So I have no problem, as a conservative Republican, with whichever candidate the Republicans select, even if that darkest of dark dark horses the ultra-liberal George Pataki or, God forbid, that guy down there in Texas.
It's all good.
Anyway, this was posted on freerepublic this morning:
Ok. Like most posters here, I'm disappointed with the results of last night's Florida primary. I simply cannot understand the mindset of Republican voters who want McCain to be our standard-bearer.
HOWEVER, in the spirit of Reagan optimism, I thought it might be productive to posit some of the benefits of nominating McCain.
Don't get me wrong: I'm an "anyone but McCain" primary voter. Just thought it might be an interesting (and amusing) exercise.
Here are my top 5 reasons why McCain might be ok:
1) National Defense He will reinforce the GOP's reputation as the party of serious foreign policy. I have no doubt that McCain will continue to take the fight to Islamic terrorists and their state sponsors.
2) Spending Call it grandstanding if you will, but McCain has always been aggressive in fighting wasteful spending. Will he have the intestinal fortitude to take on the *real* problems: entitlements, as opposed to earmarks? Who knows--but at least he has a well-earned reputation as a budget hawk.
3) Hispanics Exit polling suggests that his win in Florida was at least partially due to overwhelming support from Hispanic voters. I'm not under any illusions about winning a majority, but I think McCain at least keeps us in the game with this large and growing voting bloc.
4) Independents/moderates We've been losing ground with Independents for years. McCain has spent a career cultivating them. Say what you will about the squishy middle, it helps to have those votes in your pocket. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, and McCain is ours, I think we win big among young voters, independents, and moderates.
5) Judges Almost any GOP nominee beats the pantsuit off Hillary in this departmet. I don't necessarily think McCain will nominate another Clarence Thomas, but neither do I see him nominating a Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Plus, his credibility as an "independent" will make it harder for Democrats to filibuster his nominees.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1961928/postsI am appalled, truly appalled, at the attitude of members of freerepublic, many of whom were utterly negative about this idea.
"Demanding" ideological purity is the surest road to defeat.
One wants the whole loaf, and gets not even a crumb. Just like the primitives on Skins's island.
Me?--I'm happy if I get a third of the loaf, and that's a rare occasion, as I'm sure it is with most conservatives.
If John McCain ends up with the Republican nomination, though, since he already has the "moderate" and "independent" vote tied up, I suggest he name Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-California) as his running mate.
But anyway, I can't believe the piss-poor reaction on freerepublic; this is going to cost us, if we don't act against this "ideological purity" stuff.
And there's another part to this too; traditionally, Republican presidents have tried to woo their adversaries (Nixon, Ford, Reagan, the first Bush, the current Bush) by taking their conservative support for granted--they have traditionally turned leftward.
If John McCain ends up with the Republican nomination, in the same tactic used by his predecessors in courting adversaries, one can quite reasonably expect him to.....turn rightward.