Everyone knows that over the past 8 years, longer really, the GOP has moved away from it's core values and become a wishy washy version of it's former self.So what do we do about it? Well some people who call themselves Republicans or "conservatives" think we should send 'em a message! Vote Obama '08.
I was reading the comments on a Jonestown Juice sucking Obama site and found a response to a comment I had made there a week ago. Here's part of it:
"You seem to think that a vote for Obama must be predicated on making a positive case for him. That may be rules of the game you and Darwin are playing but it certainly doesn’t have to be the rules that Radley Balko or I play by. While Radley may be voting for Obama where I am not, he and I share the same principle: a complete repudiation of the GOP. Let it burn I say.
Write all the facts you want about McCain and Obama. Duly noted. However, it’s about time you stopped hiding behind them and predicating your entire argument on facts because you are woefully, woefully short on defending principles. The fact that the libtards suck may be correct but you have never made a convincing case for the conservative movement."
My response:
1) A vote for Obama is, in fact,making a positive case for him. You are giving him your support and your vote to become the next President of the United States. In fact voting for him is the ONLY support he wants from you.
2) Repudiating the GOP by electing the most far left radical extremist candidate to ever run on the Democratic ticket; one who lacks any experience, one who's campaign is run by Naziesque goon squads and one who's own VP seems to be in the dark about his intentions, is not a repudiation, it's like breaking your own leg just to see if it hurts.
3) One cannot hide behind facts. Facts are the quintessential essence of openness, of truth, justice and the American way.
As for making the case for the "conservative movement". Well that's easy. I'm not a conservative, I'm a Republican.
And I fail how I have been "woefully, woefully short" on defending Republican principals. I have made it clear that McCain was a poor choice, that I am against federal government intervention in cases like Terri Shiavo; that abortion should be a states rights issue as well as gay marriage. I have squealed like a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs that I want a government that is limited, non-interventionist and decentralized. I have spoken so many times, I sound like a broken record, that being a Republican is about personal responsibility. I've pleaded for fiscal restraint, the end of useless social programs and f-ed up regulations that screw with free trade. And I have acknowledged that being Republican for the last decade has meant trying to appease the moderate voter and that we have strayed from our core principals.
As it pertains to this upcoming election, and people like the commenter who tried to take me to task above, I get what you are saying. McCain is a moderate at best, in fact I would call him a conservative Democrat, maybe a moderate Republican? He has abandoned the party and shown that he in fact is the one who is "woefully, woefully short" on standing in good stead with the party that placed him on the ticket. On that, we agree.
That being said, these "teach them Repub-lite bastages a lesson" types out there who somehow think that electing a Messiah-like junior senator from the state which is home to the murder capital of our country is a "repudiation of the GOP" are delusional.
You do not elect a man who's friends, mentors and spiritual leaders are all anti-AmeriKKK-an whack jobs. You do not elect a man who's idea of free speech is telling people what to say, and if you fail to parrot him, you are punished. You do not elect a man who's campaign is so entrenched in various criminal dealings they need thousands of lawyers to quell the flow. You do not elect a man whose own VP candidate acknowledges he is not ready to lead. Ad infinitum.
Point is.....You do not elect a man who fails the litmus test on EVERY SINGLE CORE REPUBLICAN value, just to send a message. That's nothing more than cutting your nose off to spite your face.
So what do we do? Those of us who are frustrated, mad, angry that our party has abandoned us. Well, I'll tell you what you don't do, you don't elect a flaming radical leftist nut job into office to send a message.
You elect the Republican-lite and you send HIM a strong message, do it our way or it's the highway. He listens, we can work toward healing our troubled party. He doesn't and we WILL be moving to, at minimum, a three party system and "Republican" as it once was will cease to exist. Elect Obama and it's over. You haven't accomplished anything other than voting for an elitist megalomaniacal man with a Jesus complex.
