February 5, 2008
Rebuttal
Happy SuperDuperMostAwesomestTuesdayEver!
I said I was making my last persuadin' try yesterday. But -- like the debates -- when one is brutally savaged in the comments, the moderator grants a 30 second rebuttal. Read Fast.
McCain strengths:
- Commander-in-Chief -- the Democrats may be lulled into ignoring the war against Islamofascism. Let's not follow them. McCain will be loved by our troops and feared by our enemies.
- Spending Hawk -- Great Kudlow last night. Every sane, sentient member of the panel (all but Secretary Reich and Jared Bernstein) agreed that the deficits are not a big deal except that they will be used to prevent the Bush tax cuts from renewing. Belief in limited government and any hope for the continuation of the GOP right now requires tough focus on spending.
- Free trader -- free trade is under assault. It has been completely abandoned by the Democrats and the GOP are "weak as water" these days. A resolute advocate in the White House is important.
- Commander-in-Chief gets two.
I will likely climb down my list to Numero Cuatro if Governor Romney prevails, but his campaign's phone calls are getting worse and worse. They are the rankest populism and assume the lowest intelligence: "Did you know McCain teamed up with liberal Senator Ted Kennedy to write an Amnesty bill" a voice asks? Well, I'm glad he specified which Senator Ted Kennedy he was discussing. No need to worry about any nuance (unless we're discussing Romney's signature on an assault weapons bill, you see he was guiding the legislation...). Then it plays a clip of President Bill Clinton saying that a Hillary-John race would be "civil." The narrator intones gravely that "you can tell a man by the company he keeps..."
Frozen, frikken' NED on a stick! I am going to find it hard to support this man if he gets the nod. It will signal that the talk radio populists really have taken over the GOP. As the Weekly Standard would say, the Country Club will have lost to Sam's Club.
(Though if the weather does not improve, perhaps we might make a Faustian bargain to both stay home).
Wait, so if Romney gets the nod, populism will have won?! Have you listened to John McCain's attacks on pharma companies, on people who work for a living, etc.?
Posted by: HB at February 5, 2008 1:26 PMHB. Perhaps you have noticed that neither Jesus nor Phil Gramm are on the ballot this year (and Jesus has some funny economic ideas as well...).
Bismarck reminds us that "Politics is the Art of the Possible" which idiomatically translates to "We get what we get."
Do you think anybody running is less populist? (I cannot support Rep Paul.) I really don't know that Romney is a populist. Exit polls show his support trends wealthier and more educated than McCain's which would argue against it.
But the fact is, Candidate Romney has decided that populism is his big hope. He's gonna bail out the auto industry, he's gonna shut down the border, he's gonna amend the constitution twice to end abortion and keep them queers from marrying.
He has ridden this to endorsements from Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram, NR, Hugh Hewitt -- oh and Ann Coulter will turn Democrat if I don't caucus for him (a twofer!)
Neither I nor anybody else has any idea what if anything he stands for. But I take him at his word. Today he is running as a populist (I wish I had recordings of the calls I have received).
Posted by: jk at February 5, 2008 2:21 PMStay home? Heck, I'll come get you and we'll go together! (My caucus first, of course. ;)
You've proved yet again why you'll always be the "Top Blog" 'round here. Just when I thought 'Merciful Zeus!' was the ultimate invective you produce 'Frozen frikken' NED on a stick!" Brilliant. I'm rolling on the frozen frikken' floor!
I'd rebut with a (longer than 3) bullet point list of McCain weaknesses but AlexC already did that in the "for McCain..." post I savaged you with last night. (Sorry Cap'n, but my point wasn't that you flip flopped, rather that when one follows McCain one can't help but flip flop with him.) Instead I'll just summarize by saying I fear that McCain will 'compromise' with the Legislative on every point you listed except possibly C-in-C. In fact, he'll tell us all he has to do so in order to get their support for his aggressive prosecution of the WOT.
Romney, on the other hand, has pledged that his budget will require annual discretionary spending increases of inflation MINUS 1 percent. McCain slams him for restructuring businesses such that "some folks may lose their jobs." Well, if a few gub'mint jobs fall by the wayside I won't lose any sleep. How 'bout you?
If we're going to allow our nation to be guided by liberal ideals then we should put it in the hands of professional Democrats, not a poser like McCain. For conservatism to survive it must distinguish itself from liberalism, not meld with it.
Posted by: johngalt at February 5, 2008 3:13 PMI know a few ThreeSourcers that will recognize "Merciful Zeus" as being lifted from the able pen of Joss Whedon (Xander says it in "Once More With Feeling" Buffy 6:10). I'll take credit for FFNOAS -- glad it provided some mirth.
It is most definitely not about dueling lists of John!'s failings vs. Mitt!'s. You have driven me further than anyone toward the importance of philosophical purity: of building one's opinions and deciding actions based on core principles.
It's not Governor Romney having seven apostasies vs. McCain's five. It is about Romney having no foundational beliefs. McCain's failings are there for the world to see.
Posted by: jk at February 5, 2008 4:41 PM | What do you think? [4]