Slouching toward the voting booth
I am a Reagan Conservative -- and have been since being captivated by Ronald Wilson Reagan's "To Restore America" speech in 1976. However, following eight revitalizing years of the greatest American president in my lifetime, I was set adrift at sea. After floating rudderless through the accommodating, good-guy mediocrity of George Bush the Elder and the egregious first term shenanigans of Bill Clinton the False, I was rescued by the Conservative Congressional Revolution of 1994.
Nevertheless, my salvation was short-lived, lasting less than a decade before those fiscally responsible, socially conscientious congressional visionaries gradually succumbed to the inevitable poison of entitlement and giveaway politics as usual within the Beltway.
Disillusionment for conservatives
Despite the original, perhaps naive, best intentions of George Bush the Younger, certainly abetted by the radical Left's congressional takeover in 2006, the administration, Congress, and Drive-by Media have managed to relegate cherished conservative principles to the wings of America's political stage ... which segues nicely into B2's 2008 voting dilemma.
Conservatives (and I most certainly do not mean mainstream Republicans) have been saddled with a choice: one of two avowed socialists who despise a strong, independent America; and a senator who has done as much to undermine conservative principles as his two opponents ever could. You know the two condescending socialists, but do you know the real John McCain?
It is with good reason that the McCain campaign has been silent about his congressional voting record. There is also good reason for his supporters to flaunt his so-called electability, his personal story, and his support for the War on Terrorism -- because when painted by his political track record, McCain is revealed as an opportunistic poseur.
The smoking gun
John McCain's senatorial record is a disaster for conservatives. He has spearheaded a willful and purposeful attempt by elitists within the Republican Party to remake and marginalize conservatives, to dampen conservative influence. Yet despite the facts, despite all of the hard evidence, I will slouch toward the voting booth and pull the lever for McCain.
"But B2, B2!" you croak, spittle running down your chin as you vainly attempt to uncross your eyes, "What has he done? Surely he can't be as bad as you say! And if so, why would you vote for him?"
Se calmer, mes petits amis. To answer the first question:
McCain-Feingold -- This campaign finance scheme ensured that a muzzle was placed on free speech and political debate;
McCain-Kennedy -- The most far-reaching amnesty program for lawbreakers in American history;
McCain-Lieberman -- Perpetrating the Global Warming hoax by attacking American industry through reporting, regulating, and taxing authority of greenhouse gases;
McCain-Kennedy-Edwards -- Under the guise of a "patients' bill of rights," this boondoggle busts the budgets of businesses and is forcing them to drop coverage for their employees;
McCain vs Tax Cuts -- He opposed the Bush tax cuts using socialist, class-warfare rhetoric;
McCain-Gang of 14 -- Cost the GOP its Senate majority by preventing the abolition of the systematic use of the filibuster to prevent majority approval of judicial nominees;
McCain-ACLU -- The unprecedented granting of due-process rights to terrorists and unlawful enemy combatants;
McCain vs Guantanamo -- He repeatedly called for the immediate closing of Guantanamo Bay and interning al-Qaeda terrorists in U.S. prisons, despite the security burden and legal rights terrorists would immediately gain;
McCain vs Pharmaceuticals -- He embraced the socialist, wrong-headed Hillary Care notion that re-importation of drugs would lower costs - they would not - but they would lower corporate investments in drug research and development; and
McCain vs Bush -- Pick an issue, any issue, and McCain has criticized, opposed, or thwarted nearly every presidential initiative in the Senate.
Hold your nose
And now to answer the second question.
Conservatives have a choice, to vote their principles or not, to vote for someone they can believe will represent their interests and those of the country, or not. The federal judiciary and Supreme Court are at stake, and are we likely to get a similar result given a McCain, Obama, or Clinton presidency? I think not.
Some say it is time to burn the building down, let the conservative-loathing, country club, elite Republican Party smolder in the ashes, and build a new house standing upon a firm foundation of conservatism. This is patently ridiculous and doesn't work. Remember, you did this before and we got Carter, Clinton, and the shameful, anti-American 2006 Democrat Congress.
However we allowed it, the Drive-by Media selected "The Maverick" as the Republican candidate for president. McCain reeks of hypocrisy, self-servitude, and disingenuousness, and he is certainly no Ronald Reagan -- but who is?
Don't think of McCain as the lesser evil of three evils. Think of him as an imperfect caretaker, a four-year, marginally dangerous alternative to the abject socialization of America when you hold your nose and pull the lever in November.