Is it still true that conservatism won when McCain lost?

This is posted at Weekend Pundit:

Conservatism Won When McCain Lost

Gerald Warner in the London Telegraph, writing about the Chicago gun case that was argued recently, writes in passing:

It looks as if Obama is turning into an accidental promoter of conservative values, by provoking a reaction through the law of unintended consequences.

Thanks to Obama, it’s not only gun and ammo sales that are through the roof. Conservative tomes are best sellers and liberal politicians are on the defensive after being so triumphalist less than a year ago.

This is something I’ve seen predicted by Lawrence Auster of View from the Right, who opined, rightly it turns out IMO, that a McCain victory would have doomed conservatism, which was then moribund and on life support in 2008. In the “death grip” of non-conservatives liberal poseurs, of which McCain is almost certainly one.

[end of Weekend Pundit post]

Question: Will we still feel that way—will I still feel that way—if the inconceivable disaster occurs and Obamacare passes?

As I said just before the 2008 election, a McCain victory would be no salvation from leftism. Under the hapless McCain, the left would become even more determined and aggressive than before, leading to the election of a Democrat, likely Obama himself (the nonwhite messiah who had been unjustly denied his messiahship by McCain), in 2012. Meanwhile, as a result of four years of dutifully and absurdly defending the anti-conservative McCain from leftist attacks, conservatism would be thoroughly hollowed out and demoralized, while the Democrats would have even more energy to pass their agenda, including nationalized health. So, I said, since this battle for our existence as a free country was going to happen eventually, it would be better to have it while we were stronger, than when we were weaker.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 15, 2010 07:55 PM | Send