Three Good Options for The Right

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  • BigBadBrian
    TOASTMASTER GENERAL
    • Jan 2004
    • 10625

    Three Good Options for The Right

    Three Good Options for The Right

    By George F. Will
    Thursday, March 8, 2007; Page A23

    The axiom is as old as human striving: The perfect is the enemy of the good. In politics this means that insisting on perfection in a candidate interferes with selecting a satisfactory one.

    Which is why the mood of many of the 6,300 people, lots of them college age, who registered at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference here, was unreasonably morose. Sponsored annually by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is the conservative movement's moveable feast. Many at CPAC seemed depressed by the fact, as they see it, that the top three Republican candidates -- John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani-- are flawed. Such conservatives should conduct a thought experiment.


    Suppose someone seeking the presidential nomination had, as a governor, signed the largest tax increase in his state's history and the nation's most permissive abortion law. And by signing a law institutionalizing no-fault divorce, he had unwittingly but substantially advanced an idea central to the campaign for same-sex marriages -- the minimalist understanding of marriage as merely a contract between consenting adults to be entered into or dissolved as it suits their happiness.

    Question: Is it not likely that such a presidential aspirant would be derided by some of today's fastidious conservatives? A sobering thought, that, because the attributes just described were those of Ronald Reagan.

    Now, consider today's three leading candidates, starting with McCain, the mere mention of whose name elicited disapproving noises at CPAC. This column holds the Olympic record for sustained dismay about McCain's incorrigible itch to regulate political speech ("campaign finance reform"). But it is not incongruous that he holds Barry Goldwater's Senate seat.

    McCain, whose career rating from the ACU is 82 (100 being perfect), voted against the prescription drug entitlement in 2003 because of its cost. He is a strong critic of corporate welfare. And since 2003 he has been insisting that the mission in Iraq requires more troops-- even more than will be there during the current "surge."

    Conservatives' anger about McCain coexists with others' discordant criticism of him for "pandering" to conservatives. Astonishingly, a recent Vanity Fair profile accused McCain of "toeing the conservative line" on immigration, which shows that Vanity Fair does not know what that line is.

    The journalistic rule is that conservatives pander, liberals "grow." When Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, Jesse Jackson and Dennis Kucinich changed from being pro-life to pro-abortion, their conversions, a price of admission into Democratic presidential politics, were often described as conscientious "growth." But when McCain, who opposed President Bush's tax cuts, concludes on the basis of the humming economy that they should be made permanent, it's called pandering.

    At CPAC, Romney gave the most polished speech, touching all the conservative movement's erogenous zones, pointedly denouncing the "McCain-Kennedy" immigration bill and promising to seek repeal of the McCain-Feingold law regulating campaign speech. Romney, however, is criticized by many conservatives for what they consider multiple conversions of convenience -- on abortion, stem cell research, gay rights, gun control. But if Romney is now locked into positions that these conservatives like, why do they care so much about whether political calculation or moral epiphany moved him there?

    Giuliani is comprehensively out of step with social conservatives and likely to remain so. He probably assumes two things.

    First, that some of the social issues have gone off the boil because argument about them seems sterile: Democrats have scant interest in federal gun control legislation; scientific advances may obviate the need for using embryonic stem cells; cultural changes will do more than any feasible legislation could do to reduce abortion numbers; the way to change abortion law is to change courts by means of judicial nominations of the sort Giuliani promises to make.

    Second, that his deviations from the social conservatives' agenda are more than balanced by his record as mayor of New York. That city was liberalism's laboratory as it went from the glittering metropolis celebrated in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) to the dystopia of the novel "Bonfire of the Vanities" (1987). Giuliani successfully challenged the culture of complaint that produced the politics of victimhood that resulted in government by grievance groups.

    He favors school choice, he opposes bilingual education that confines students to linguistic ghettos and he ended the "open admissions" policy that degraded City University, once an effective instrument of upward mobility. The suggestion that Sept. 11 required city tax increases triggered from Giuliani four adjectives: "dumb, stupid, idiotic and moronic."

    Conservatism comes in many flavors. None seems perfect for every conservative's palate; most should be satisfactory to most conservatives.

    georgewill@washpost.com

    Link
    “If bullshit was currency, Joe Biden would be a billionaire.” - George W. Bush
  • BigBadBrian
    TOASTMASTER GENERAL
    • Jan 2004
    • 10625

    #2
    Re: Three Good Options for The Right

    Originally posted by BigBadBrian

    Conservatism comes in many flavors. None seems perfect for every conservative's palate; most should be satisfactory to most conservatives.

    Bingo. Just what I've been saying all along.

    So much for the "(Insert your conservative group here) will never nominate (Insert your GOP candidate here)."
    “If bullshit was currency, Joe Biden would be a billionaire.” - George W. Bush

    Comment

    • Hardrock69
      DIAMOND STATUS
      • Feb 2005
      • 21889

      #3
      Talking to yourself again, LittleBoyBrian?

      Comment

      • FORD
        ROTH ARMY MODERATOR

        • Jan 2004
        • 59141

        #4
        Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

        Originally posted by BigBadBrian
        Bingo. Just what I've been saying all along.

        So much for the "(Insert your conservative group here) will never nominate (Insert your GOP candidate here)."
        Whether George Will made a logical statement, or whether you agree with it doesn't make any difference. The fact remains that the religious reich controls the Republican party, and they aren't going to nominate a Mormon or a pro-choice Catholic. And the fact that they didn't nominate McCain in 2000, when he clearly WAS the best candidate they had running, doesn't bode well for him either.

        Not that McCain is as good of a candidate as he was then. Far too much Bush ass kissing in recent years.

        Maybe George Will should run for office himself, and steer the Republican party back from the lunatic fringe?
        Eat Us And Smile

        Cenk For America 2024!!

        Justice Democrats


        "If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992

        Comment

        • Hardrock69
          DIAMOND STATUS
          • Feb 2005
          • 21889

          #5
          I would think Republicans would be desperate to rebuild their integrity in the eyes of their constituency, but political infighting, along with the usual periodic scandals involving corruption, drug abuse, and gay prostitution will kill that notion permanently.

          Comment

          • hideyoursheep
            ROTH ARMY ELITE
            • Jan 2007
            • 6351

            #6
            Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

            Originally posted by FORD
            The fact remains that the religious reich controls the Republican party, and they aren't going to nominate a Mormon or a pro-choice Catholic. And the fact that they didn't nominate McCain in 2000, when he clearly WAS the best candidate they had running, doesn't bode well for him either.

            Not that McCain is as good of a candidate as he was then. Far too much Bush ass kissing in recent years.

            Maybe George Will should run for office himself, and steer the Republican party back from the lunatic fringe?
            The reich needs to worry about choosing competent leadership-notsomuch choosing a candidate based on lame, useless 'moral issues'. It's time they catch up with the rest of the world and practice the morals of their choosing within it's own walls. This could be the Republican line-up that breaks off the moral majority. That'll be fine with me.....Keep Rove the hell out of campaigns. Keep churches out of politics all together. Any church or religious group that donates to a party or candidate in any way should pay TAXES-period.

            Comment

            • hideyoursheep
              ROTH ARMY ELITE
              • Jan 2007
              • 6351

              #7
              Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

              Originally posted by BigBadBrian
              Bingo. Just what I've been saying all along.

              So much for the "(Insert your conservative group here) will never nominate (Insert your GOP candidate here)."
              What have you been saying? Satan himself could come out anti- abortion and anti-gay marriage and the right would carry him on their shoulders....

              Wait!.....That's already happened......Twice!:p

              Comment

              • Warham
                DIAMOND STATUS
                • Mar 2004
                • 14589

                #8
                Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                Originally posted by hideyoursheep
                What have you been saying? Satan himself could come out anti- abortion and anti-gay marriage and the right would carry him on their shoulders....

                Wait!.....That's already happened......Twice!:p
                Please.

                Maybe you should realize that a majority of conservative voters, regardless of religion, are against unfettered abortion and unfettered gay marriage.

                Part of the reason Bush has been elected twice:

                Two duds your party has nominated. If Hillary doesn't win, the Democratic party will be out of luck for years.

                Comment

                • Warham
                  DIAMOND STATUS
                  • Mar 2004
                  • 14589

                  #9
                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                  Originally posted by hideyoursheep
                  The reich needs to worry about choosing competent leadership-notsomuch choosing a candidate based on lame, useless 'moral issues'. It's time they catch up with the rest of the world and practice the morals of their choosing within it's own walls. This could be the Republican line-up that breaks off the moral majority. That'll be fine with me.....Keep Rove the hell out of campaigns. Keep churches out of politics all together. Any church or religious group that donates to a party or candidate in any way should pay TAXES-period.
                  Only a liberal like yourself would consider moral values and issues worthless.

                  Keep thinking that way, and keep losing national elections.

                  Comment

                  • hideyoursheep
                    ROTH ARMY ELITE
                    • Jan 2007
                    • 6351

                    #10
                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                    Originally posted by Warham
                    Please.

                    Maybe you should realize that a majority of conservative voters, regardless of religion, are against unfettered abortion and unfettered gay marriage.

                    Part of the reason Bush has been elected twice:

                    Two duds your party has nominated. If Hillary doesn't win, the Democratic party will be out of luck for years.
                    What is your goddam fascination with abortion and gay rights? How is that going to STOP AN UNJUSTIFIED WAR?!?!
                    You're too fucking stupid to vote.

                    Comment

                    • Warham
                      DIAMOND STATUS
                      • Mar 2004
                      • 14589

                      #11
                      Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                      Originally posted by hideyoursheep
                      What is your goddam fascination with abortion and gay rights? How is that going to STOP AN UNJUSTIFIED WAR?!?!
                      You're too fucking stupid to vote.
                      This forum isn't just about the War in Iraq. People voted for Bush in 2004 for reasons other than the War, as well as the War.

                      You haven't been here long enough to know my beliefs on gay rights and abortion rights, unless you're an alias. If you are, come clean.

                      Comment

                      • FORD
                        ROTH ARMY MODERATOR

                        • Jan 2004
                        • 59141

                        #12
                        Seriously, after gay prostitute Jimmy Jeff Guckert Gannon, gay porn star Matt Rod Majors Sanchez, transsexual lunatic Ann Coulter, numerous queer leaders of the "religious reich", and the suddenly pregnant-by-turkey-baster Mary Cheney, isn't it about time the Republicans gave up on using gays as scapegoats??
                        Eat Us And Smile

                        Cenk For America 2024!!

                        Justice Democrats


                        "If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992

                        Comment

                        • hideyoursheep
                          ROTH ARMY ELITE
                          • Jan 2007
                          • 6351

                          #13
                          Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                          Originally posted by Warham
                          Only a liberal like yourself would consider moral values and issues worthless.

                          Keep thinking that way, and keep losing national elections.
                          Only a chickenshit conservative who never seen combat would vote for an incompetent tool twice. That's right, they ARE worthless issues! What good is it to be against abortion(something I'm personally against, but I'll be damned if I have the right to make that call for someone else) and vote for an administration whose mismanagement of the military have cost us lives?! You're not affected, so it doesn't concern your selfish ass, right?! The same goes for abortion-noone is forcing you to do it, so how in your pathetic life can it be a priority?! Is it still leagal? Yes. Aren't servicemen's life valuable to you as well?!
                          YOU FUCKING JOKE.
                          I guess when you talk about the "right to life" you're referring to your party's right to decide who should live and die.

                          Comment

                          • Warham
                            DIAMOND STATUS
                            • Mar 2004
                            • 14589

                            #14
                            Such hatred for gays is unbecoming of a liberal, isn't it?

                            Comment

                            • hideyoursheep
                              ROTH ARMY ELITE
                              • Jan 2007
                              • 6351

                              #15
                              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Three Good Options for The Right

                              Originally posted by Warham
                              This forum isn't just about the War in Iraq. People voted for Bush in 2004 for reasons other than the War, as well as the War.

                              You haven't been here long enough to know my beliefs on gay rights and abortion rights, unless you're an alias. If you are, come clean.
                              You just posted your beliefs.
                              FUCK OFF!

                              Comment

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