When the GOP nomination became a virtual lock for McCain, I, like most of you, was forced to re-evaluate my views on conservatism and its place in the Republican party. In my mind, the real question that needed to be answered was: could I support McCain in the general election after strenuously opposing him in the primary?
There are two competing viewpoints here. The first is that of conservatives who are so disgusted with McCain that they are pledging to sink McCain no matter what (whether by simply staying home or by going as far as to support Hillary) in the general election. The second viewpoint is that no matter how odious it might be, a vote for McCain is still preferable to a vote for Clinton or Obama.
That's the situation Republicans have to deal with. It sucks, but there it is. Now, how are you going to deal with it?
Here are my thought processes at the moment (they could change as events unfold). The thought of voting for McCain makes me nauseous. I think he's the worst possible choice the Republican party could throw out there. At best, he is barely better than your average Democrat on many important issues, and often he is worse. His positions on immigration, judicial nominations, and terrorist rights are abominable. He favors oppressive legislation that will tank our economy to combat the supreme hoax that is global warming. His name is plastered on the first successful swipe at free speech and the 1st Amendment. He thinks government is the answer to every problem.
Believe me, I don't relish the thought of voting for McCain. Like I said before, it makes me nauseous. In my mind, voting for McCain is like enlisting the services of the only septic tank cleaner in town - you know he'll gouge you because he always has before, and you know he's lying to your face when he tells you he won't make a mess of things. But, you have no choice because he's the only one available, and if you don't use him you'd better break out the mop because your home will be flooded with...well, you get the point.
But, despite all of that, he is a far better option than either Hillary or Obama.
The differences between McCain and Clinton/Obama may be small, but they are potent nonetheless. We all know what we got with the first Clinton presidency - lies, deceit, divide-and-conquer tactics that deflected attention from the truth, scandal after scandal, and little if anything of substance. There is no doubt that we will get that again if Hillary wins, but this time it will be even worse. Universal health care, universal pre-school and kindergarten, massive handouts for every conceivable thing - retirement, birth, failed mortgages, and who knows what else comes up in the next few years. Clinton has proposed $1 trillion in tax increases, which would increase our national budget by a full 33%, and the bulk of that will be paid by the middle class, which is anyone making from about $45K-120K. Clinton is an aggressively anti-Christian, anti-freedom socialist who is in tight partnership with -- or has been bought by -- the avowed America-hater George Soros, both of whom are hell-bent on re-shaping America via liberal policies to mirror the disaster that is Europe. Both Clinton and Obama are falling all over themselves to declare defeat in Iraq and all other fronts in the War on Terror, and that alone could have disastrous consequences. It can safely be said that both want to expand the government and make as many dependents as possible purely to increase their own control and power. Amazingly, according to his voting record, Obama is even more liberal than Clinton, but there is little substantive difference in their proposed policies. And what about judicial appointments? The next president may have the opportunity to appoint as many as four new Supreme Court justices (in addition to other federal judges), and there is zero doubt that either Clinton or Obama would appoint the most far-left activist judges they could find. On the other hand, McCain has pledged to appoint judges like Roberts, who is a great originalist. This is important because the Supreme Court is likely to address critical issues like abortion, the right to bear arms, eminent domain, and the fairness doctrine in the next few years, and these are things that will affect you, the everyday American. The Supreme Court, with activist judges, can take away your property, your right to defend yourself, and even your ability to live with the swipe of just five pens.
This, people, is your alternative to John McCain.
I understand the incredible desire to stand purely on your principles - I share it. The first viewpoint I mentioned above looks at a McCain presidency as one that will be almost as destructive to the country as a Clinton or Obama presidency, and would therefore prefer a Democrat be at the helm when the country bottoms out. I understand that, I really do, but I think that's an extremely dangerous tactic on which to rely. I'd like to throw the battle in hopes of winning the war as much as the next guy, but I have to be honest - I'm not convinced that sitting out this battle isn't the same as surrendering the war itself! After all, with a Democrat-controlled Congress, we have to ask ourselves just how much damage a Clinton/Obama presidency will cause in just four years. We've already had the 1st Amendment curtailed (thanks to McCain), so what's to stop it from getting chopped even further? Democrats have already been talking about reinstating the fairness doctrine, which would stifle any true free speech on the airwaves. Without free speech, how can we oppose the ultra-liberal policies of Clinton or Obama at the next election, or even inform people of the truth about anything? Many of the things they want to do will propel us down a path from which we cannot turn back: you can't just roll back universal health care once it gets implemented, you can't reverse a permanent nanny/welfare state, and you can't restore the destruction done from a surrender to terrorism. If we let these things happen, they cannot be reversed because too many people will voluntarily become dependent upon them.
Be as principled as you want, but principles aren't required to reflect the reality that someone will become President. Make no mistake that by withholding your vote from McCain, you are voting for Clinton/Obama. One of them WILL become President. The choice of who is up to you, but there is no neutral position here.
If you think the past few years have been bad, and if you've been angered by what Congress has done -- inaction, amnesty, government expansion, countless investigations into imaginary scandals, etc. -- just wait until you see what a Democrat-controlled Congress (with even bigger majorities) AND a flaming liberal President will do to you.
Republicans: don't sit out this election just because you hate McCain. This is precisely what happened in 2006, and your inaction got us a Democrat-controlled Congress for two years. Your bull-headed, selfish refusal to live in reality will bring legislative disaster on all of us. Perhaps even more important, conservative Republicans MUST be elected to the House and Senate - even a flaming liberal President will be largely ineffective against a Republican-led, conservative Congress with a backbone (remember how Newt Gingrich stymied much of Bill Clinton's policies?). Go to the polls in huge numbers, hold your nose, and vote for the most conservative candidates available for all levels of office. Pick the least bad choice in every case. It's the best chance we have of minimizing the damage.
This all boils down to the critical question: in November, are you going to be using a barf bag or a mop? Those are your only two options, and that is the McCain choice.
There's my two cents.
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