Wake Up, Conservatives!

What in the world is wrong with Conservatives and the GOP?

In the late winter time of 2007, I wrote a piece entitled "Analysis of the Conservative Movement -- Early 2007" in which I pointed what may be the singular biggest problem within the Conservative movement: the GOP is made up of a conglomerate of members who have different amounts of government control that we're willing to tolerate, and the end result is that any time a Conservative steps in to fill the leadership void (leaders don't come from moderates), he's pounded upon by other wings of the Republican party, and his chances of becoming elected are diminished.

It is also a problem that the definition of a Conservative is constantly being re-written. If you want to know what Conservatism is, read the U.S. Constitution, and stick to it. (In all aspects of life, you Ron Paul Spammers).

McCain needs to go.

But it is no longer 2007, and I am afraid that the lessons we told ourselves we were going to learn as a result of the 2006 election have not sunk in AT ALL. What was that lesson? When the Republican Party governs from a position of Conservatism, and then conducts elections from a position of Conservatism, the movement wins. When Republicans act like Liberal Democrats, they will quickly be thrown from office.

What is my evidence that we haven't learned the Lesson of 2006? John McCain is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Period. Enough said. But I will go on.

Folks, I don't care what anybody says about McCain, he is NO Conservative, nor is he even remotely friendly with the Conservative movement. In May of 2007, in a column entitled "Impressions of the GOP Field: May '07," I wrote:

McCain needs to go. Over and over again he sounds great, supportive of Bush, tough on the war, tough on the Democrats. . .then he steps in it and does something stupid like Campaign Finance Reform or (proposing) Immigration Reform (with Sen. Kennedy). Rudy is more of a known commodity than McCain, and the Conservative movement cannot risk a presidency on an unknown commodity.

Whenever any of the Conservative leaning pundits begins talking of McCain, they always begin with, "While his sacrifice for his country is admirable. . ." or something of the sort. Not enough for me. I don't care that he showed tremendous courage and sacrifice in his past. His current positions on immigration, free speech, judicial nominations, etc., remove him from the circle of Conservatism, and I'm not ashamed to be exclusive when it comes to Conservatism.

Furthermore, John McCain is not even attempting to appeal to Conservatives. He has relied on independents and Democrat crossovers in primaries. What is his plan when it comes time to rely on Conservatives? This remains to be seen.

Friends, the GOP hasn't even learned the Lesson of 1996. What was that lesson, you ask? In 1996 the GOP was running against Bill Clinton and we nominated Bob Dole. Bob Dole. Nice guy. Good Republican. Not broadly inspirational. Why, then, did we nominate him? Because it was his turn. The Republican Party is in serious danger of repeating the same mistake. "John McCain has been a Senator for a long time, he lost the nomination in 2000, just give him his turn," some of these pundits, authors and voters say. Give me a break. There's not a line for the nomination. We need to nominate the best possible candidate. John McCain is not that candidate.

Let me refer you to my May, 2007, column again:

I like Mitt, and I think, of the declared field, that he'd be the best president. I have a tremendous respect for business success, and nobody has had greater business success than Mitt. Why is that important, you ask? To which I respond: Do you want someone who has been unsuccessful in business? Do you want a trial lawyer? Do you want a career politician?

I'll be the first admit that I made a mistake in that column by referring to Mike Huckabee as a "good Conservative." Big mistake. My analysis of Mitt Romney, though, was right on the money, if I do say so myself. Of the choices we have, he is the only candidate that can take the Conservative movement in a direction of influence. John McCain cannot.

With Rudy stepping aside, XEKE.com is thankful for the thinning of the field, of which we've written and called for extensively. It is now time for Conservatives to get their act together and side with Mitt Romney against the GOP's enemy of Conservatism, John McCain. The consequence of a Romney loss of the GOP nomination is a McCain, Clinton or Obama Presidency. Yikes!

rg

1/30/2008