Embrace Your Inner Socialist

John McCain Has...

I am afraid that regardless of who gets the nomination on the republican side the Dems are going to win in 2008. Maybe that's not so bad. Randall Hoven writing for the American Thinker web site tells us "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Loving Obama". He makes a good case for letting the libs give it a try. The Republicans have not only abandoned their own beliefs they have achieved the very damage to the country that they fear liberals will effect. Paradoxically the liberals will not get the credit or the blame. Others conservative pundits have also come to grips with the realization that "change" is necessary.

Hoven makes some very valid points:

...in 2003 Republicans got the Democratic foot off their collective neck. They had the House, Senate and Presidency. Finally, they could do all those things Republicans had talked about for the last 50 years: cut taxes, cut spending, cut regulations, reduce the scope of government, appoint constitutionalist judges, etc.

How did that work out?

Well, let's just look at Campaign Finance Reform, for example. It was proposed by a Republican Senator. It was passed by a Republican Congress. It was signed into law by a Republican President. And it was approved by a Supreme Court whose nine justices included seven who were appointed by Republicans. The result? It sure looks to me like money and special interests still have some influence in politics. Plus, Republicans were thrown out of Congress in 2006 partly because they were painted as the party of corruption.

Gee, I wonder who that Republican Senator was? Hoven continues:

Mandatory programs like Social Security and Medicare are the Godzilla eating the federal budget and are estimated to go broke in just a few more years. Did the Republicans reform those programs? No, they added prescription coverage to Medicare, the greatest expansion of entitlements in 40 years. The result? Republicans got labeled as being too stingy. Seniors were irritated. Government spending spiraled and the date of Medicare bankruptcy grew closer.

We thought we largely ended farm subsidies under President Clinton with the Freedom to Farm reforms. Instead, with Tom Daschle's support, President Bush brought them back, and now we'll soon be swimming in ethanol.

President Clinton started that silly AmeriCorps, a sort of Peace Corps for America, remember? President Bush did not get rid of it or even try to; he expanded it.

Examples go on. New tariffs. Increased minimum wage. Gargantuan transportation spending. Spending growth not seen since LBJ. And what did we get for all that compassionate conservatism? George W. Bush is labeled the most ideological and divisive President in modern times, with a job approval rating approaching Jimmy Carter levels. A federal debt over $9 trillion. A loss of both the House and the Senate to the Democrats in 2006, the first time since Bush's father lost in 1992. And a field of 2008 Republican candidates that looks like the bar scene in Star Wars.

In fact, the one thing that was truly effective - the Bush tax cuts - was not even supported by the republican front runner. Will it even matter if Barack or Hillary let these tax cuts expire or if McCain does?

With the Main Stream Media talking down the economy for 6 years now it is bound to crash if for no other reason than the natural cycle of such things. Far better it be under Hillary and Barack than a republican. (Yeah, the MSM will blame Bush for it, but the average Joe will look to see who's in the White House when it hits his wallet).

Actually, if McCain wins the nomination he will most definitely lose the general election because the only thing conservatives stand side by side with him on is the War on Terrorism and Iraq. On every other issue conservatives HATE him with a passion. The fact is conservatives will stay home on election day rather cast a vote for a man they truly despise.

I'm not sure -yet- if I despise him that much.


CW