Can’t believe I forgot to mention this last week: Dennis Miller got an email from Admiral Stockdale’s son, thanking Miller for passionately and articulately defending his father during the 1992 Presidential election. Miller’s famous monologue at the…

oh yeah John TARP CARBON CREDIT MCCAIN-FEINGOLD mccain is one of us..right…

right4life on April 29, 2009 at 2:33 PM

lol.. that there is the truth. And you left out the Stimulus of 2008 (aka redistribution of wealth since it only went to lower and middle income taxpayers).

That said, the vitriol within our own party is too prevalent and too bitter right now.

To posters citing immigration: remember that the 2007 bill was 1000% supported all along by President George W. Bush and that the problem was really in how it would have worked — e.g., if the law enforcement provisions were not enforced (as they were not in the Reagan-era law), then the 2007 bill would have effectively allowed for an amnesty. Also remember that the last immigration reform law was during Reagan’s Administration.

Personally, I softly say good riddance to Specter because he is very pro-abortion and he has been instrumental the passage of Obama’s insane multi-trillion dollar deficit spending. The future of the GOP does lie in stitching back together the Reagan coalition of economic conservatives, national security conservatives and social conservatives; and Specter is too far a field from that coalition. But it is beyond stupid and destructive for Rush to call on an American military hero in McCain to leave the GOP and to be constantly running anti-McCain parodies on his show. McCain is a national security conservative and has shown this year to be true to his professed fiscal conservatism. I remember the guy who spoke at the Saddleback Forum; he was (and is) someone to whom social conservatives can relate. McCain is well within the old Reagan coalition and is well respected. Rush is out of bounds.

Phil Byler on April 30, 2009 at 7:36 AM

There are a lot of us that would like to kick both McCain and Bush out of the party. The illegal immigration issue was the watershed moment for Republicans. You can point directly to that debate as when the Republican coalition fractured. Conservatives were already disgusted with the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republicans. We had already seen a huge increase in entitlements with the medicare prescription drugs benefit. That was the last straw.

The revilement of McCain is really based on two different moments. McCains little bipartisan group of Senators that ran the Senate around by the nose over the filibuster issues, and immigration reform. These two issues proved to the conservatives that McCain was willing to toss away national security, fiscal sensibility, and the rule of law in order to get elected.

THAT is why we are mad.

To posters citing immigration: remember that the 2007 bill was 1000% supported all along by President George W. Bush and that the problem was really in how it would have worked — e.g., if the law enforcement provisions were not enforced (as they were not in the Reagan-era law), then the 2007 bill would have effectively allowed for an amnesty. Also remember that the last immigration reform law was during Reagan’s Administration.

Personally, I softly say good riddance to Specter because he is very pro-abortion and he has been instrumental the passage of Obama’s insane multi-trillion dollar deficit spending. The future of the GOP does lie in stitching back together the Reagan coalition of economic conservatives, national security conservatives and social conservatives; and Specter is too far a field from that coalition. But it is beyond stupid and destructive for Rush to call on an American military hero in McCain to leave the GOP and to be constantly running anti-McCain parodies on his show. McCain is a national security conservative and has shown this year to be true to his professed fiscal conservatism. I remember the guy who spoke at the Saddleback Forum; he was (and is) someone to whom social conservatives can relate. McCain is well within the old Reagan coalition and is well respected. Rush is out of bounds.

I keep coming back to something Mitch McConnell said during the shamnesty debacle: “It WILL get passed and NOBODY’S going to lose their job over it.”

Uh, Mitch?

Seems like an awful lot of people DID lose their jobs over it…hell, you yourself have pretty much lost a party over it.

Starting to sink in yet?

You do reap what you sow. Nothing new there.

Too bad most HAers can’t read it cuz their eyes are crossed with irrational hatred.

jgapinoy on April 29, 2009 at 10:10 PM

Not irrational at all. Really not even hatred. It’s more like disgust for the guy that bailed on us when we needed someone to oppose blowbama the most. “Oh, lets rush back to Washington and make sure that porkulus package passes, to hell with the campaign”

Let’s just ignore blowbamas past and all his nasty anti American “aquaintences” in favor of running a kissy huggy campaign. I’m sure conservatives won’t mind me losing as long as I never say anything bad or truthful about the 0ne.

Phil Byler on April 29, 2009 at 1:45 PM

Excellent comment.
Too bad most HAers can’t read it cuz their eyes are crossed with irrational hatred.

Losing causes us to forget some things. McCain was the advocate of the surge in Iraq before it was implemented and was responsible for beating back Democrat efforts to lose the Iraq War, which would have been very bad for the country. Polls showed that in 2008, McCain was the only GOP candidate close in a race against Obama or Hillary; polls showed that all other GOP candidates were way, way behind Obama or Hillary. During the campaign, McCain beat Obama at the Saddleback Forum soundly and outpointed Obama in the debates moderated by “mainstream media” persons. McCain clearly showed Obama to be inexperienced and naive concerning foreign policy and in the third debate, commanded the substance. McCain’s film clips were terrific. In September 2008, before the financial “crisis” hit, McCain was going into the lead.

There were, however, a lot of factors at work that hurt McCain. The McCain campaign stumbled when the election focused on economics, which is not McCain’s strong suit. Imagine if the election had focused on foreign policy, military matters and national security, which are McCain’s strong suits. But other things determined the election.

The financial “crisis” created economic uncertainties that historically favor Democrats and very much did in 2008; the Bush bank bailout muddied the waters as to the difference perceived by the public between the two parties on economics; Bush was unpopular, albeit unfairly so; the Obama money paid for what was false Obama campaign advertising (how do you win against a 7 to 1 money advantage?); and the media bias for Obama was such that the media acted day in, day out as a propaganda machine for Obama.

I mention all these factors because in the future, don’t think that a sharper conservative message alone will win elections. It is one part, but just one part of what needs to be addressed. Leftist money, ACORN operatives and media bias are not going away. Rush’s McCain bashing is not gong to solve anything.

Now, the question is: Will Meghan take the bait?

Christien on April 28, 2009 at 5:02 PM

The answer is: if the “bait” is two pounds of pasta and a diet coke, then yes, definitely!!

Phil Byler on April 29, 2009 at 1:45 PM

You’re talking about the same guy who was almost running a presidential campaign last year, right?

‘Every day I wake up, I look in the mirror, and I say to myself, “Today you’re going to be a loser.” And after you’re here awhile [freshmen], you’ll start to feel the same way. But don’t let it bother you. You’ll get used to it.’

That’s the kind of party Specter, Collins and Snowe want to be in. As long as they get their goodies, they don’t give a hot damn whether or not conservatism is fought for.

Yeah, we need to let them control the party.

Phil Byler on April 29, 2009 at 1:45 PM

oh yeah John TARP CARBON CREDIT MCCAIN-FEINGOLD mccain is one of us..right…

Right now I would take Ron Paul conservatism over the GW Bush variety.

I never thought that would be possible given Paul’s views on foreign policy, but now I’m ready for some draw back there.

There is no place in the Democrat Party for a pro-life fiscal conservative who is a hawk in foreign policy and national security matters. There is in the Republican Party, and that is why John McCain is and will continue to be a Republican.

Phil Byler on April 29, 2009 at 1:45 PM

There is no place in the Republican Party (or shouldn’t be, anyway) for a hyperventilating patsy of the illegal-immigrant movement who suspends his campaign to show his “leadership.” Word to McCainiacs: as the One might say, your guy lost. Now please go away and help Newt Gingrich save the planet from global warming or something.

John McCain just voted with 31 Republican Senators AGAINST the confirmation of radical pro-abortion Kathleen Sibelius for HHS Secretary. McCain has voted AGAINST every Obama budget bill, calling Obama trillion dollar deficit spending “generational theft” and being very visible in the media speaking out in opposition to Obama’s insane spending. McCain has voted AGAINST all the bailout bills Obama has proposed. McCain voted AGAINST the confirmation of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary. In short, McCain has as good a voting record as any Republican this year!

What is more, if you read John McCain’s latest e-mails, you will see that his message is is a harsh condemnation of the Democrat Administration and Congress for reckless deficit spending and for actions endangering our national security.

There is no place in the Democrat Party for a pro-life fiscal conservative who is a hawk in foreign policy and national security matters. There is in the Republican Party, and that is why John McCain is and will continue to be a Republican.

Rush Limbaugh is talking about McCain as if McCain is constantly defecting to vote with the Democrats. The short answer to Rush is that is as false as alse can be. As much as I very much appreciate Rush’s insightful analysis of the Democrats and the mainstream media, Rush has an anomosity toward McCain that really is not justified by the facts and that causes the kind of attacks on McCain that are counterproductive to the GOP. We need to be focusing our attacks on Obama and the Democrats.

Just remember all the spending, ethics investigations, etc. Makes me sick to my stomach …

And the current Democratic majority is absolutely a reaction to the RINOs plus an infatuation with Obama personally.

- HiredGun

2)Create (or jump on existing Constitution Party)a third party and let the Republicans flounder in their finger to the wind politics.

Where am I wrong? How is anything less drastic going to save conservatism in time to save the country?

The nation is dying for it.

itsspideyman on April 29, 2009 at 12:03 PM