I am bemused watching the sycophants at Powerline twist themselves into pretzels to justify supporting John McCain. The rest of the “conservative” pundits will come along soon. This is the same crowd that touted the supposed inevitability of Rudy Giuliani, answering every substantive question about his record with a Pavlovian, “But he’s ahead in the polls!” Of course, they had it backwards. They didn’t want to hold Giuliani accountable because he was ahead in the polls. In reality, Giuliani was ahead in the polls because he hadn’t been held accountable—or rather, until the voting actually began and he became accountable.
The common justification spouted by those now laying their swords at the feet of an enemy of conservatism is McCain’s (allegedly) 80 percent conservative voting record. This is a numerical average of McCain’s votes on a litany of issues over the years. Even if one accepts this (which I do not), it ignores a critical variable—i.e., that not every issue is of equal importance to voters. Counting every 80 percent voting record the same is tantamount to ranking the New England Patriots among the greatest football teams ever based on their 18-1 record, ignoring the fact that their one loss occurred in the Super Bowl—the most important game of all.
Traditionalists do not expect Republicans to be with them 100 percent of the time, but a true supporter is always there when it counts. A good analogy is public services. Taxpayers expect their town to be prompt in collecting trash, supplying street lighting, etc. But if you get to the park on Saturday and find the gate locked, it is merely annoying. If your house catches fire, you expect the fire department to come pronto. If they do so only 999 of 1,000 times, that is unacceptable. When the stakes are highest mistakes cannot be tolerated, precisely because they cannot be easily erased.
Now consider the three issues most important to traditionalist conservatives: national sovereignty (which includes border security), judicial appointments, and political debate. On every one of these issues, John McCain fails miserably.
This website has documented McCain’s traitorous positions on issues important to American sovereignty. John McCain is supported by George Soros, an enemy of America whose escape from the Nazis (and his selling out of his fellow Jews in the process) must rank as one of the darkest events in the 20th century. McCain can be counted on to do the bidding of the Council on Foreign Relations—a sad sign for those who believe in America as America. In fact, John McCain considers his POW experience to be a blank check that entitles him to sell out America at every turn. To call attention to his treason is to “question his patriotism.” Well, I don’t question his patriotism, I already know the answer. Benedict Arnold was more patriotic.
Now consider judges. Issues such as tax cuts, tariffs, etc. are important to traditionalists. But if they don’t go your way, you come back and fight another day. Legislation can be repealed, amended, or reconsidered. With judges, however, the decision lives for a generation. You had better be sure to nominate an unapologetic, sure-shot, constitutional originalist, because no law matters if not enforced consistently.
Don Feder has already done an adequate job eviscerating the claim that McCain can be trusted to appoint decent judges, so I won’t beat that horse. Suffice it to say that any man who places any value on the opinion of Warren Rudman is one who will stick it to the traditionalists.
As if the above issues are not enough to disqualify McCain, consider his crowning achievement—McCain-Feingold—a law that makes it harder for citizens to influence their government. You know, Larry, that process by which a self-governing people makes its voice heard. McCain was the architect of that fiasco, and his justification was that there was too much money in politics. Sure there is. Like there is too much nitrogen in the atmosphere. Now the deck is stacked heavier against traditionalists and in favor of media darlings, which of course suits McCain just fine, since the media is his real constituency. What McCain really means is that there is too much debate in politics—and how is he to do what he knows is best if he must be bothered with the voices of those he purports to represent.
I am fed up with hearing how John McCain would be better for America than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton—even from a traditionalist standpoint. If John McCain were the mayor of Traditionalism, USA, residents would probably get their trash picked up on time, but could not count on the ambulance showing up if they had a heart attack. Concerning judicial appointments, he is at best indifferent and at worst hostile. He sucks on the National Question. And he is an enemy of free speech. He may be a more conservative candidate overall, but on the three issues of greatest importance to traditionalists, exactly how would he be measurably better than the Democrats? Until Powerline, David Horowitz, Sean Hannity, et al are ready to answer that question honestly, they are not to be taken seriously.
For too long, the GOP has treated traditionalists with contempt. They brand those who go to church “the Religious Right,” as though there is something shameful about believing that Judeo-Christian values (which built the country) should guide policy. The limousine liberals wish the GOP could be a country club where hoi polloi (i.e., their base) do nothing more than vote in November and shut up the rest of the year. In fact, they are embarrassed about being in our company, almost ashamed that we call ourselves Republicans. Well, I won’t embarrass them any longer.
Those who say that Barack Obama would be a disaster for the U.S. and its security are probably right. And that is why I hope he wins. The American people need to be pushed to the wall before they will respond forcefully. We would not have had Ronald Reagan if Gerald Ford had won in 1976. Maybe we need four years of weak security, gay marriage parades, Bill Clinton appointed to the Supreme Court, five million more illegal aliens, bureaucratic hassling of churches, America held up to the ridicule of the world and nostalgic for even Jimmy Carter, etc, to get the country as angry as it needs to be to make the needed changes. One thing is for sure—the election of John McCain will not reverse that tide.
Best regards,
Joseph C.
P.S. In deference to traditionalism, I am wearing a business suit while typing this memo.