The liberals had Camelot, and the conservatives had Ronald Reagan. Since the 1980s we have been blundering along, hoping for a President who would do the United States better than Reagan's successor, George Bush. Every election year, I get excited, wondering who could be elected, who I could count on to beat the candidate put forth by the Democratic Party. Although they sometimes turn out to disappoint me, there is always one candidate who I think I can count on. In 1996, I had Bob Dole, in 2000 and 2004, I had George W. Bush.
This year, I have...no one. With Mitt Romney's pull out of the Presidential race, true conservatives have no one to vote for. Everyone who has seen CNN knows that John McCain has the Republican race locked up, although Ron Paul should be given an A for effort.
As a wise student once said, when a woman has a choice between a designer handbag and a knockoff handbag that cost the same, which will she choose? She will choose the designer bag! (Ladies, nod your heads; gentlemen, take note.)
In 2008, voters have a choice between a real Democrat (either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama) and a knockoff Democrat--John McCain. McCain-Feingold is just the beginning of a liberal tradition that he is starting in the Republican Party.
John McCain’s reluctance to remain a Republican remains another matter entirely…
Sadly, presidential elections have become more a vote against someone than a vote for someone. Many people who are on the fence will vote against another truly conservative candidate even if it means voting for Obama or Hillary. So I think the idea is not to woo the democrats into voting for Mcain, but rather to try to convince the moderates, independents, and less conservative republicans not to jump off the sinking republican ship.
-m-
John McCain is no conservative, yes, and I would call him a quasi-liberal. But as far as I'm concerned, a quasi-liberal who supports finishing the job in Iraq, has decreed that he will not raise taxes (remember Bush Sr.'s famous "Read my lips" line? I don't think, especially in today's media age, McCain can be forced to get into a snare now), and supports using the market, not the government, as the solution to healthcare is better than a liberal who supports a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, revocation of the Bush tax cuts, and the government takeover of our healthcare system. Plus, he's actually grown on me in several respects, and I appreciate how he's still reaching out to conservatives even when he otherwise could choose not to at this point. (Not to mention the New York times hit job on him had me rallying behind McCain as well, and other conservatives like you and me.)
McCain is the farthest thing from the right choice (pun intended), but he's better than the alternative, and I think every Republican should go out and vote for the Arizona Senator, conservative or not.
"Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem. - Ronald Reagan
As a FAR-right winger, the Conservatives best look at a ticket would be a Huckabee-Romney ticket or vice-a-versa. Conservatives are in a dibacle. They vote for a liberal or they vote for a liberal. The SMART conservatives, as said, would stay with John McCain and now that Saah Palin is on the ticket, when John McCain dies well have a conservative. I think Obama would kill America....not literally (well maybe).