Not everyone who generally votes Republican will be motivated to support McCain, as was the case with both Bushes, and Reagan, and every election. If candidates like McCain draw less support than usual from Republicans at election time, the party will learn to avoid “moderate” “mavericks” who are willing to run as vice-presidents on a Democratic tickets (i.e. Kerry/McCain 2004).

I’m an independent. Michael’s words make the first sense I’ve heard coming from a Republican. YOU ARE RIGHT, Mike. What you said applies to ALL parties and to independents like me. We are all in this highly political society together. We have to live with one another, or kill somebody. There are TOO MANY voices on the fringe inciting “my way or the highway” thinking. There is no highway. I choose life, and have for 77 years.

McCain is a LIBERAL…what’s his stance on major issues?

We should be careful about voting for or against someone strictly because of party affiliation. What matters in the end is the policy and plans of the individual elected to office. I would rather vote for a winner and lose, than vote for a loser and win.

Michael,

Speak English. What you mean is, “we should all vote Republican, right or wrong.” Which is a bit robotish, but pretty clearly your entire point.

Personally, I don’t care for democrats either (one party is filled with self righteous crooks, the other party is too) but I do enjoy Barack Obama’s, uhm, versatility. He doesn’t seem to be speaking to one crowd (white rich men who enjoy blowing up brown people, white women over eighty who like that you have a vagina). I dunno who will win in 08, but if I were a betting man, I’d say loyalty is overrated and what we need is more free thinkers.

Wait, was that your point?

You say this as you speak ill of conservatives. Perhaps you don’t realize it, but a Republican tent without conservatives won’t win any elections either. While we find another tent, you probably want to find a new message as well. The Republican party will not survive without conservatives. If it does, it won’t be in power for awhile. And who will you blame for the problems when conservatives are gone?

“find another tent.”

Indeed. The Republican Party was born of the break-up of the Whig Party over the slavery issue, and the modern day Republican Party can suffer the same fate. The warfare/welfare policy of empire so popular with McCain, Giuliani, and Romney is not sustainable.

McCain “100 years in Iraq”, “…there will be other wars” is a disaster for the Republican Party. I’m one of those limited government conservatives that have stuck with this party through thick and thin.

No more! Party has trumped principles and I see no turning back. The GOP is dead to me.

So,what is wrong with “ultra conservatism”? What you moderates call ultra was acceptable mainstream Republicansim just 20 years ago. And, when we look at where our country has gone in the past 20 years, maybe it is time we Republicans begin thinking once again in terms of conservatism.

Quite frankly, I would encourage the moderates and liberals to go over to the Democratic party and support Obama/Clinton. You moderates apparently like the idea of a Socialistic State with a huge centralized federal government. You think that “health care for all” is a good idea, but, it is the door opener to Socialized medicine in the United States. You moderates probably support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and other parts of the middle-east and to expose Israel to attack from the Hamas and Hezbollah and the total chaos that would ensue if we were to cut and run.

The moderates (centrists), are the ones who are corrupting the established principles of our conservative values.

Granted, the President of the United States is the president of all the people, but, we, the electorate must stand on solid principle and adhere to the core beliefs of the Republican Party. Senator John McCain is a moderate to liberal candidate. When are we going to learn that a president who is moderate and reaches across the aisle to work with liberals, we, the conservatives lose every time. Liberals are like a cancer. They keep eating away at core conservative values and eventually conservatism in America succumbs to the Marxist ideology of the left and ultimately, all Americans will suffer the horrors of liberalism in America.

Governor Mike Huckabee is and has been the only true voice for conservatism in this primary campaign, but, as evidenced by the biased media, radio talking heads and the Club For growth incessant attacks on Mike Huckabee, we will end up succumbing to the liberal’s agenda. Thank you moderate Republicans for your unprincipled support of John McCain. We shall pay dearly in November.

Admittedly, I’m not a Republican, but I do question whether Michaels has accurately captured the Republican “philosophy”. In my humble opinion, it works like this –

Republican/Conservatvies basically say “Trust me; I am the leader; I’ve thought about this, and I know more than you do; I will quickly make a decision, it may have flaws, but on balance you know I’m right, and by proceeding quickly and confidently, we will have a head start on the problem (or our enemies, if applicable).”

Democrat/Liberals basically say: “This is a big tent, and we want to make sure that everyone’s issues are considered. This may make our decision-making process slower than the Republicans, and it may make us sound less confident, but it also means that everyone’s views will be considered, and everyone will feel inoolved in the decision”

With that in mind, I think tht Michael is wrong — to have a larger Republican tent would be to turn them into Democrats — the idea of discussing the merits of various positions and reaching consensus just isn’t in the Republican playbook. If you have to think about the problem and reach a “considered” decision, then you are wasting valuable time, at least by Republican standards.

Of course, it hasn’t always been that way, but at least since the Republican “Contract with America” of the early 1990s, it seems that Republicans have established a set of principles that guide all decisions (and greatly slim-down the decision-making process), while Democrats still talk about(and sometime agonize over) how to do things.

I think that the problem that the right-most of conservatives have with McCain is that they recognize this “Cede all decision making to your standard bearer” concept, and, for the first time in at least 20 years, they aren’t sure that the decision maker is following the same set of principles as they are. They don’t want him to “invite them into the discussion before he makes his own decision”; that would be way to “Democrat”. They still value the “I know best, and I’ll be decisive” philosophy that we associate with Republicans, but they fear that McCain’s decisiveness will allow more immigrants, might raise taxes, etc., etc.

“patriots of American Democracy”…
How about Patriots of the American Republic?

It’s sad when citizens don’t even know what form of government we are supposed to have. And then sanctimoniously pontificate upon their error.
I believe a LOL is in order

One may want to quote the framers of the constitution and founders of our REPUBLIC… they knew a little more about OUR form of Government than Reagan or the Ultra Liberal, “I proudly co-sponsor Constitution destroying bills with Ted (the drunken Murderer) Kennedy” John McShame!

bedrock fundamentals of our Democracy?
How about the bedrock fundamentals of Russia’s Democracy? Yeah… That fits better!

Rockwell

he’s a good man, and an independent THINK/er and if he wins he will sternly EDUCATE the Republican Party… and after so many years of the Party letting the likes of James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Limbaugh and Hannity and Bortz and Dr. Laura and Michael Medved do their framework thinking for them, it’s about time!
the Repulican Party will NEVER, EVER be the same outmoded jackboot-wearing machine it’s been under the thumbs of these armchair politicos.

…and, I might add …. never before in our Great History of American Democracy has a political party turned, cannabalized and censored one of it’s own as they did 10 term Republican Congressman Ron Paul, our Greatest Statesmen since Thomas Jefferson, and then decide for all America the message we would hear and the messenger we would be allowed to vote for. This has been the most deliberate, orchestrated, and pre-ordained circus parade of all time & quite frankly, smells to high heaven. Hopefully, what remains of our “Party” will, once and forall, cave in on itself so that “We The People” can once again, come out of the ashes to re-claim what was once … the “Cream of the Crop”, the “Best of the Best”, the “Grand Old Party”. May the rest of you rest in peace!

McCain is a war monger that supports liberal domestic policies. He is George Bush on steroids.

McCain is a Gun-Grabber

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is being issued by the Gun Owners of America:

“John McCain has actively worked against the Second Amendment and self-defense during his time in Congress. He also has been a spokesman for gun grabbers during state initiative campaigns,” said the three top officers of Gun Owners of America - Founder and Chairman Sen. H. L. Richardson (ret.), Vice-Chairman Tim Macy and Executive Director Larry Pratt.

“John McCain’s so-called ‘Straight Talk Express’ will derail if he attempts to con gun owners into thinking that he is really their man. If he had wanted the support of gun owners, and conservatives in general, McCain should have thought about that before chalking up his long string of unacceptable votes and initiatives.

“Gun Owners of America urge the conservatives gathering this week in Washington, D.C. for the CPAC 2008 to remember that John McCain is no conservative. He worked with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for amnesty for illegal aliens. He worked with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) for protecting incumbents by gagging political speech. He voted against President Bush’s tax cuts, although now Senator ‘Straight Talk’ says that he is for making them permanent. He supported Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) when his presidential bid was beached by the Swift Boat Veterans. He even explored running with Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.

“He appeared in radio and TV ads in Colorado and Oregon on the behalf of an anti-gun group, in an attempt to cripple gun shows and register gun buyers.

“Conservatives should not support John McCain for president. It is for sure that gun owners will remember who has burned them and undermined the Second Amendment,” concluded the GOA officers.

Gun Owners of America

True conservatives vote with the Libertarian Party.

Why? Republicans have never been fiscally conservative — they only tout themselves to be so. Deficit spending, to me, is NOT a “Conservative Value”. Moreover, the Republican administrations that have continued to steer tax breaks to their rich friends (against free market principles) rather than giving fair tax breaks to ALL Americans — all while increasing federal bureaucracy, which makes future tax reductions impossible. This reckless fiscal policy runs directly opposite to true conservative principles.

Change is drastically needed, and since the Republicans are lacking a Theodore Roosevelt to cut through the mire of their own making, it is time to give 3rd party candidates serious consideration. Or, as some friends of mine have already admitted, support a Washington outsider like Obama or Nader who at least are minimally influenced by corrupt lobbyists. Send an honest man to the White House for once.

Hay all you “Republicans” out there, I think it Was 1980 when Fascist started calling themselves Republicans and neo-con’s- try reading Lou Dobbs’s WAR ON THE MIDDLE CLASS, to see what a REAL Republican has to say, so stop calling yourselves one thing, when you, and your “values” are CLEARLY Showing something else, and that something else, is being a Fascist.

Other then that, the REAL reason you Fascist don’t like John Mcain , is bacause he’s not right wing enough, you people wont be happy till you get somebody like Mussolini in office, and the closest you ever got to that S.O.B, was with that other S.O.B Fascist, Reagan.

Before last week,I used to think that ALL Republicans (with the exception of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt) were evil, not so, bacause after reading the above mentioned book, after seeing what a good person he was, and having my faith in humanaty restored, (I diden’t even know that Mr. Dobbs was a Republican)I now see what a large part of the probelm is, many people (in the media and other wise) running around calling themselves Republicans and or conservatives when in fact, due to there so called “values” they are not. I now belive that Republicans of old- like Theodre Roosevelt- would have called people like Ronald Reagan, and anybody else with the same “values” what they really are, a Fascist.

And if we EVER get a Republican with “values” like Lou Dobbs, to run for office hell I might even vote for them.

And voting for a republican, was something I thought I’de never say.

McCain, the Straight Talk Turtle said we should be in Iraq for 100 years, long after his own great grandchildren would be dead.

And why? Because there is Al Queda in Iraq. And he would plan to go Al Queda them wherever they are.

Then why has he not mentioned Algeria, the birthplace of terrorism? They have Al Queda in the Maghreb in Algeria now in addition to the GIA and GSPC. Yes, the same Al Queda who bombed NYC and the Pentagon.

Is he confirming we are in Iraq, getting Americans killed and maimed just for oil? Seems to be the same reason we keep threatening Iran. Is his cowardly side showing in not mentioning the DPRK with its nukes and missiles?

I am a tagless voter.

I will vote for Ron Paul as a Republican in my state’s primary. If Ron Paul secures the Republican nomination, I will vote for Ron Paul as a Republican president.

If McCain gets the Republican nomination, I will vote for Obama as a democrat, to keep McCain out of the Oval Office.

I think the funny thing is that there are actually people who believe that Republicans and Democrats are polar opposites. Really people, are you naive enough to think there will be a significant difference depending on whether McCain or Obama is elected?

Welcome to the soup lines, my friends.

For a moderate to support Obama- about to become the most radical Democrat ever nominated for the presidency- wouldn’t make much sense.

Most of the American people are in the center. That’s one reason why McCain is going to win this November, the Obama-worshipping media to the contrary.

#7, HILARIOUS!!!

McWar will help you keep your job? Better hope you’re a weapons manufacturer or a food stamp administrator. Course you could always ‘join up’ and get shot at. Hundreds of thousands of valiant men and women are at ’stop loss’ now which makes them slaves. They can’t quit, even after their time in the service is up! That’s what you’ll be signing up for. Nah, seriously I wouldn’t worry because to support the army we’ll need with McWar we’ll have to reinstate the draft.

Godd thing we got rid of that dummy Ron Paul who’s WRITTEN 6 books on economics and has come in under budget EVERY YEAR he’s been in Congress. Wouldn’t want some jerk like that getting in and saving all our jobs, would we?

McCain disgusts me, plain and simple. You can spout all the rhetoric you want, and label him liberal, a RINO, moderate…what I care about are the issues. This man’s only issue is war, and we’re supposed to believe he’s qualified to execute one because he participated in a very different war 40 years ago.
At the same time, the man who has the BEST plan to stop illegal immigration and rejuvenate the American economy has been dismissed because he used to be a preacher 20+ years ago. The Republican electorate deserves MUCH better than this manipulated, stage-managed primary. Huckabee gets my vote, write-in or not.

DebinTX,
You say all you care about are the issues, but your comment that \”the man\’s only issue is war\”, shows your complete ignorance of McCain\’s career. If you were to attempt to identify a \”signature issue\” of his at all, it would probably be campaign finance reform.

Oh, but wait… I forgot — you\’re a conservative, so you\’re probably under the delusion that it is in your personal best interest to allow as much money (i.e. corruption)in politics as possible.

My bad…

Oh, and by the way — don\’t lie to yourself. What you are truly angry about, is that for once the primary was UNABLE to be manipulated and stage-managed. McCain was nominated by the majority of republicans, in their infinite common sense, despite, for once, the best efforts of the far right to dictate to the rest of us who they demand be coronated.

Thank God.

(FWIW, I like Huckabee alot. I\’d love to hang out with him, and maybe have dinner and jam a little. But some of his beliefs are a way too extreme for me(and clearly most other republicans also)to want him in charge.)

#42….

most of the American people are “brainwashed” by the 24/7 bombardment the Zionist owned American media machine. Let there be NO MISTAKE!!! The war in the middle east IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, about oil! What nobody is saying out of fear of being called “anti-semitic” is that the oil Americans are dying for is for ISRAEL!

I’m a conservative republican. I’ve voted predominately Republican all of my life, and this is the first time I am disgusted with my party and their back room deals to cut Mike Huckabee out. I won’t be voting for John McCain because he does not mirror my convictions and in short…I just don’t trust him to do what is right. Regardless of how many endorsements he receives from the establishment politicians, our voices should still be heard, we should be the ones choosing our nominee. Our party is broken if all we can do is line up like robots and vote for McCain knowing his left-wing record. He will lose by a large margin to a either democrat. We need someone in our party to represent the people and be competition in Nov… Vote Huckabee!!!