Don't Pass Me the Kool Aid

My wife tells me today that Rush came out and asked Republicans to rally around McCain if he receives the nod. He says to hold your nose and call it an “Anti-Hillary vote”. Hugh Hewitt says that regardless of the nominee, we should jump in with the nominee because there are 6 Supreme Court Justices over the age of 68. Otherwise stalwart bastions of conservatism are cracking under the trite phrase “Party Unity”. I don’t buy it.

Yes, I am a fervent Romney backer, and no, I don’t think he will receive the Republican nomination. I know that this will be viewed by some as a sour grapes defeatist position to take. I will be called “a wasted vote” or worse- a “Republican Saboteur”. Do I take this position out of spite and hatred for the party? No, quite the contrary. I will not vote for John McCain in November because he is the living, breathing archetype of what is wrong with the Republican party. I love the ideals behind conservatism- free market economics, strong national defense, small government, low taxes, etc. John McCain has proven through his voting record that while he does share some of these ideals, he differs on enough of them that he has earned my vehement mistrust.

In my view, a vote for McCain does nothing to solidify the party. It further fractures what is already broken. McCain’s mantra is that he will work across party lines for the common good. In his own words, “I am a proud conservative, but I will put my country over my party every time.” On the surface, this sounds magnanimous and appealing. However, implicit in his statement is that Conservatism does not have the answers. This is unequivocally false. Every time McCain reaches across the aisle, he does it at the direct expense of conservative principles. Case in point- the McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance bill. Clearly this flew in the face of the First Amendment and Conservatism. The Democrats worked with McCain because it suited their goals. If McCain were to go to Russ Feingold today and ask him to support a Republican bill promising tax cuts, what would Feingold do? He would vote lockstep with the Democrat party. Yes, Reagan worked with Democrats, but he convinced them that his way was correct, not by compromising core principles. A vote for McCain is adding gasoline to the fire devouring your home. The bottom line is that any movement left toward the Democrat party is not rewarded with consensus. They just ask for more compromise. What you get is a blurring of the party lines, and the left wing of the Democrat party edges ever closer to Socialism.

The blame for this lay squarely at our own doorstep. We Republicans did not band together and tell Washington what we expected out of Congress and the Presidency when we maintained majorities. We allowed them to placate us with platitudes on Iraq and they accomplished nothing with the mandate. Spending skyrocketed, government grew and we lost faith. Yes, Iraq and the war against radical jihadism is vitally important, but we have to keep our financial house in order as well. We cannot be lulled into complacency because an elected official has an “R” beside his name. True conservatives must be ever vigilant.

That is why I can’t vote for John McCain. How can I look my three children in the face and know that I voted for a man in whom I have no respect? If I do that, how can I teach them to stand for what they believe? Should I tell them to follow their beliefs only to the point where it is easier “to go along to get along”? I was taught long ago that the only person who can sell your integrity is you.

Back to the practical side of the points raised by Limbaugh and Hewitt in the first paragraph. Rush says that I should cast my vote to stop Hillary Clinton. This is a faulty argument. It is becoming increasingly evident to me that Obama will be the man to beat. McCain is a supremely poor match-up against him. Obama can easily cast him as the old Washington guard- the very reason change is needed. The independent vote on which McCain has so heavily leaned will not support him against Obama. Hewitt says that Supreme Court Justices slots are what matter most. I can’t trust McCain to nominate constructionist judges. He openly criticized Justice Alito for “wearing his conservatism on his sleeve”, and now that it is politically expedient to do so, McCain praises Alito for his performance. And he calls Mitt the flip-flopper!

Also, consider this, Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Hewitt. Let's assume that McCain does win the Presidency. He will likely push for a slightly revised version of the McCain/Kennedy Amnesty Bill. If he does, rather than push against their (Liberal) Republican President and commit political suicide, a Republican congress will go with the tide. The end result is horrible legislation with Republican names all over it. However, if a Democrat is elected President, it is much easier to rally the troops in a fight.

The Republican Party will very likely lose in November. This may not be a bad thing. For four years we will be subjected to Democrat majorities in congress and the Presidency. My only hope is that someone emerges in 2012 to help to give the Republican Party and Conservatism a clarion call. Sometimes we must taste the bitter to truly appreciate the sweet. I am waiting for that knight in shining armor. I am a member of the Party of Lincoln. The Party of Ronald Reagan. I will not vote for a candidate who cannot legitimately claim the same.