McCain Doesn't Have My Vote.

Hey! What happened! The blog is blue now! I got some constructive criticism about a black background with white lettering. Apparently it can give you a headache. At this point, I'm not sure if it's the lettering or the content. If you find that you're still having headaches while reading this, it may be better for you to stick to the NY times. Anyway, on to the important stuff and the reason for today's rant.

I keep hearing the MSM say the only viable Republican candidate is John McCain. Their reasoning is that he has the (perceived) ability to win over independents and Democrats. That very well may be the case. However, McCain would also LOSE a huge voting bloc of his party's base, ie. the "true" conservative. We conservatives are not willing to forget the liberal legislation carrying his nameplate beside liberals such as Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold. We are also not willing to forget the Keating Five or the Gang of 14. Mr. McCain says that he is "Proud to be a Conservative, but will put his country ahead of his party every time." This is code-speak for being a turncoat.

If McCain wins the nomination, it is true that it will be on the back of independent and moderate Republican voters. This will cause a de facto shift to the left for the Republican party, and further fracture a group that is searching for its soul. McCain constantly refers to being a "footsoldier in the Reagan revolution", and repeats the tired old mantra that Reagan reached across the aisle to work with both parties. McCain has that partially correct. Yes, Reagan did work with Democrats. The difference is that he brought Democrats over to HIS way of thinking, not the other way around. You are no Ronald Reagan, Mr. McCain. You may claim to be a footsoldier in the revolution, but your positions have been treasonous. To keep up the military analogy, I believe that if Reagan were alive, he'd be recommending you for court martial.

I will not vote for John McCain if he receives the nomination. Sour grapes? Hardly. I am a proud Mitt Romney supporter as you have seen, but I would happily vote for a candidate other than Mitt if I felt that conservatives would be well represented. Case in point- During the Reagan Library debate, Anderson Cooper asked if John McCain would vote for his own immigration bill if it was re-introduced. John McCain sidestepped the question, stating in essence that he would not deal in hypotheticals. He then said that he’d secure the border first. That’s all fine, but what does he do next? I wish either the moderators or another candidate would have asked, “After you have secured the border, are you going to keep Z-Visa legislation? How will you deal with the millions of illegal immigrants that are in the country right now? Will you allow them to stay?” He owes the American people this answer. If he answers honestly, you will see that McCain has not learned as much as he claims. His presidency would yield another amnesty bill, and I’m afraid this time it will pass since the Republicans are sure to lose more seats in the house and senate. That’s the “Straight Talk” he’s trying to avoid giving. Why isn’t the MSM asking this question specifically? Simple. They are dying for a McCain nomination. You will find that as soon as he has the nomination wrapped up, the MSM support will evaporate like fog on a sunny day.

Sen. McCain says the reason that the immigration bill was rejected is because the American people had lost trust in Washington- that much is true. McCain has been in Washington for 25 years, and I do not trust him. Equally true is that the bill itself is fundamentally flawed. It is estimated that the cost of amnesty for 12 million illegal immigrants will cost 2.6 trillion dollars over 20 years. This research can be found on the Heritage foundations’s website here. Personally, I think that figure is low. The numbers are based upon 12 million illegals, and doesn’t take into account that there may be as many as 25 million here. It also does not allow for the mass exodus that would occur as soon as the bill is passed.

With the reasons mentioned above and the personal experiences I had in Florida, I cannot and will not vote for John McCain if he receives the nomination. I refuse to sell out my party to a Democrat in Republican clothing. It may be that America needs four years of Hillary Clinton so that they can appreciate the real contrast between conservative and liberal ideas. Sometimes you have to taste the bitter to appreciate the sweet. I still hold our hope that lightning will strike and my man will get enough delegates to pull through- I'm going to continue to work for him until he throws in the towel. If Mitt concedes, for the first time since I was old enough to pull a lever, I will stay at home. As with other true conservatives, I hope that our silence will be deafening.