Conservatives have a difficult choice to make in this upcoming election, or do they? Speaking to Conservatives all over the State of Florida I have found many unenthused by the McCain Campaign. They are universally opposed to the Socialism drift to Obama and Hillary. They can, to a person, recite 20 reasons it would be bad for the country if either were to become our 44th President. Libertarians and Conservatives alike are fearful of the largess of Government, the spending over the last 7 years and the prospect of even higher levels in the future, leading to Socialism.
The Conservative base can recite legislation sponsored by Senator John McCain like their phone number, McCain/Feingold, Kennedy and Lieberman and list numerous issues larger than their grocery list of things they do not like about Senator John McCain's record. The debits against the Senator are principled and long, and they find little of appreciate personally either, less the admirable and hero-like service to his nation. Oh but wait, just before you begin to make this a case of the Lesser of three evils we need to refocus and harkens back to what makes a conservative a conservative.
Conservatives and Libertarians like to view themselves as students of History and in particular the Constitution. So to engage in the debate of whether they as conservatives should work, support and engage in the election of Senator John McCain, they need to only look at what makes them what they are...
Our Constitution is a Federal Constitution not a National Constitution. Hence we have a process by which we select the nominee of our perspective Party's and that has a price. Sometimes it is the ascendency of a Barry Goldwater or Ronald Wilson Reagan but sometimes it is a Nixon, Bush or Bush, too.
Conservatives pride themselves on principles of which they will not negotiate, but unfortunately that is a luxury they cannot afford in Presidential Politics. Principles are for Primary's and too many Conservatives became too narrow and missed the opportunity to choose the Candidate that best represented their views. Often selecting one overriding issue to choose a candidate and ignoring the field of options. Perhaps the field was too large to allow the Base to choose the best choice. Perhaps the arrogance of a few Candidates superseded the need and rational to unity around the best Conservative or two to lead the movement. OR, perhaps, the Base is so divided, single issue oriented, and myopic to understand that in Presidential politics you need to build a coalition of like-mind folks to win the nomination.
History shows us that 3 major groups along with too many to count less sized groups coalesced around Ronal Wilson Reagan to help bring the landslides he achieved in 80 and 84. The dissembling of this legacy has many fathers. President Bush and Congressional Spending since 2001, Moderates in both Chambers who seek power over principle, and Conservatives who have lost touch with the need to move broader agenda's forward.
So, having lost the battle inside the party on the State level, the Conservative base has a choice to make about the future. Do they believe in Optimism or Opportunism? Do they believe in the moving their Agenda forward or complaining? Do they believe in our Constitution and our History as a Republic or do they take the short view of history and become a footnote.
**Conservative Base: a narrow group of principled Americans who did not understand that Politics and particularly Presidential politics is a game played in the paradigm of coalition building. While keeping in mind what they will negotiate and what they will not, this vibrant group rose to power in 1980 and lost political influence in 2006 when they broke apart over single issue advocacy.
This need not be the 'footnote' in history books yet written, rather Conservatives have the ability to help bring victory over the Socialist left and build the bonds that bring needed reform to the government they wish to affect. Uniting behind John McCain can provide the necessary portal to power to affect enough decisions to keep the slide to Socialism at bay a little longer. Providing the needed margin to bring a McCain Presidency to power, the reality that some issues may still be lost to Senator McCain's need to be liked by the Media Elite and Moderate America, while understanding that many issues will be protected from this slide should serve as enough of a motivator to elect Senator McCain.
It may also be time to introduce the advice mothers, all over the world, have been giving since Eve attempted to with Cain and Abel. Conservatives need to realize the GOP is a broad coalition and they need each other, killing off the other will not benefit the survivor. Rather, using the unity to win, is the only way to move the ball down the field,...For in Politics--History is written by the Victor!
Conservative have only one choice in November, Elect John McCain!
Life issues, The Court, the War on Terror and Fiscal Responsibility stand to lose should he not win...are you willing to be responsible for killing the movement forward?
The pace will be decided by the next President, if it is Obama or Hillary that pace will be in reverse, should it be Senator John McCain it may not be as rapid or as direct as Conservatives would like, but it will be directionally better. Conservative can look at a McCain Presidency as parents do a child's life...you cannot cause them to make all the right decisions but you can limit the number of bad one's they make.
Conservatives need to unite behind Senator McCain, be the margin for Victory and then work even harder than they have before, to influence his decisions in the manner they would like them decided. You may not get all you want, but you can get a seat at the table, and Political sustenance is what will allow the movement to build for the future.
The Choice is Senator McCain!