Senator Jim DeMint says flatly that McCain betrayed conservative principles. He also alludes to Bush's responsibility for the loss.
Definitely true..as is the fact that McCain shot himself in the foot by supporting the raid on the US treasury , AKA the Bail Out. Money quote: " Americans want a traditional conservative government. They just didn't trust the Republicans to give them one."
Meanwhile, Patterico engages in some I-told-you-so gloating over his older posts about McCain's not being the most electable candidate. I certainly agreed with him there.
And Ed Morrissey fisks ex-GOP Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman's assessment that the Republican Party has been hijacked by "social fundamentalists", and says that social conservatism had very little to do with this election. When you consider that (a)the GOP ran a 'moderate' this year and got badly defeated and (b) both California and Florida went for Obama this year (in Florida's case, by only a tiny margin) yet both passed socially conservative ballot propositions by a comfortable margin, it's hard to disagree with Morrisey. And that, of course, circles back around to Senator DeMint's money quote, doesn't it?
And last but not least, Cinnamon Stillwell, like yours truly, voted for Mccain but is actually happy in a way that he lost, becausae it will lead to:
"..a forthcoming Obama term in which Democrats control the White House, Congress, and possibly the Senate, and therefore have no one to blame but themselves."
She also forsees more optimism in the country itself, and more accountability from the media who "won't have those nasty Republicans to kick around anymore and will instead have to report not only the Democrats' successes, but also their failings."
Unfortunately,I think she's wrong on both counts. Grievance is a way of life for these people, and the media, which has fallen in love with what it thinks is Camelot will cover for Obama with a vengeance, brandishing the race card at any critics.
2 comments:
Patterico is equivocating. That McCain lost doesn't mean he wasn't the best possible Republican candidate under the circumstances and Patterico acknowledges that in his post.
Hi Dave,
I dunno...but I could certainly see where you'd get that interpertation.
As far as I'm concerned, McCain only got as close as he did because of Sarah Palin. Without her, he'd have been lucky to hit 40%.
One of things that tickles me is the longing for a Reagan-type conservative by many of these people.
As I've written before,there was a Reagan-type conservative running, and one who would have made a damn good president- Duncan Hunter, my personal choice for the office.
As you know, he didn't get the time of day.
Regards,
ff
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