When American voters think of the term “maverick,” they often think of Senator John McCain because McCain has spent decades associating himself with that term. To some degree, McCain is right to call himself a “maverick,” having independently departed the company of both his party and his constituents on many issues over the years.
The fact is, not so long ago every Republican was a “maverick,” an independent thinker prone to placing the long-term interests of freedom and liberty far ahead of partisan politics aimed at only serving the party interests at the expense of national interests.
Every Republican should be a maverick, bucking an overtly corrupt system and representing the true will of the American majority which still believes in an “unalienable” right to life, individual liberty and the economic freedom to define and pursue individual happiness without fear of government intrusion or penalty.
Instead, too many Republicans have sold out the basic party principles of individual freedom and liberty for the same greater communal good offered by Democratic Socialists and as a result, Republicans find themselves in a free-fall from power, losing election after election to Democrat candidates smart enough to run to the right of Republicans on the issues, even though they will caucus with Democrats after the election.
The Wrong Kind of Maverick
John McCain has indeed been a maverick in the senate. But he has been the wrong kind of maverick.
When he has departed from his party and his constituents, he has also departed from conservative principles and values, siding with Democratic Socialists on issues such as amnesty for illegal aliens, open boards for illegal migrants, the global warming scam, and his refusal to ask known terrorists when and where the next 9/11 might be, in a serious way.
Even now, as the presumptive RNC presidential nominee, he continues to pander to the left while thumbing his nose at the right, as if he’s more interested in solidifying his maverick image among liberals, than his Republican credentials among conservatives.
This is No Way to become President…
John McCain and the Republican Party leadership are clearly ignoring the lessons of the past.
Bill Clinton became President in 1992 with only 43% of the popular vote. That’s because Bush Sr. drove conservatives away from the party by appeasing leftists during his first term, just as Bush Jr. has done during his second term, and in 1992 conservatives revolted in anger. 19% of the popular vote went to 3rd Party candidate Ross Perot, most of them protest conservatives, and Bill Clinton spent the next eight years destroying America from the Oval Office with the support of only 43% of the nation.
A reality the nation has never recovered from…
Early Republican Losses, a Sign of the Times
The New York Times writes Republican Election Losses Stir Fall Fears and USA Today leads with Republicans fear public has lost confidence.
You’re damn right the people have lost confidence in Republican leadership. That’s because the people have not seen any Republican leadership since then Speaker Newt Gingrich came up with his Contract with America brainchild some 14 years ago, which opened with, “
As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.”
What a great concept, conservative policies from the conservative party, representing the people not just blind political ambition - and it worked too, gaining Republicans control of congress for the first time in 40 years and returning the party to its founding conservative principles and values, albeit only temporarily.
The new Republican congress made quick work of keeping those promises too. But then they stopped doing what worked and returned to the moderate (compassionate) appeasement policies of the past once Newt left Washington, and they have remained in a tailspin with their noses aimed at the dirt ever since.
The bond Gingrich restored with the American people has since been broken again and today, one of the men most responsible for that reality is the Republican nominee for President, wannabe Maverick-in-Chief, John McCain.
Preserving American Values in That Environment
It’s time for a trip down Reality Lane here. I can’t speak for all conservatives, who seem unable even to agree on what the term “conservative” means today, but as for me, I knew George W. Bush was not a “JB Williams” kind of conservative before I voted for him in 2000 and again in 2004.
I knew he was just what he reported himself to be, a “compassionate conservative,” which any true conservative knew meant, compassionate towards some leftist ideas. He has proven to be just that.
But I also knew that Al Gore was a very dangerous substitute for George W. Bush, just as I knew that John Kerry was by no means a valid alternative to Bush in ’04. If he were running against Obama or Clinton, I’d vote for him again today, even though I disagree with many of his decisions. I would have disagreed with ALL of Gore or Kerry’s decisions.
Today, I know that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are entirely unacceptable substitutes even for the Maverick McCain. John is indeed liberal on some 35% of his campaign platform. But both of his opponents are 1000% Socialist in their platforms. So, to pretend as though there isn’t a dimes worth of difference between them is not only false, it’s suicidal.
True Conservatives Conserve
Self-styled conservatives who refuse to conserve that which can be conserved, are either outright frauds or emotion driven loud-mouth pretenders. The basis for being “conservative” is the perpetual act of “conserving” the principles and values we hold dear.
In a perfect world, we would have a perfect conservative candidate to cast a vote for this fall. But we failed to nominate any such candidate. I know all of the reasons and all of the excuses offered for why we failed to nominate such a candidate, none of which change the fact that we failed. In the future, we will have to do a better job of making certain we have the kind of nominee we really want.
Today, conservatives must act to conserve that which can be conserved.
That’s how it is in every election…as there are no perfect candidates because there are no perfect people. (Myself and Ron Paul excluded, of course.)
Electing McCain (or anyone else) is not a silver bullet that will automatically conserve all principles and values we would like to conserve. It will protect only about 65% of the principles and values conservatives claim to revere. That’s a far cry from what will happen to those principles and values under Obama, Clinton or any other Democratic Socialist and that’s a reality that must be drummed into the head of every angry suicidal conservative.
The other 35%, we will have to protect and preserve through other means, standing at odds with the Maverick McCain and his leftist buddies across the aisle.
To do this, conservatives need control of at least one of the two houses of congress. In my opinion, the easiest one to grab control of is the Senate, which is more powerful anyway; due to its oversight of many Executive branch decisions, not the least of which is judicial appointments. Conservatives not directly engaged in sending conservatives to Washington in their home districts are pretending to be something they are not, conservative.
Socialists are counting on Conservatives in 2008
Democrats are equally divided over Clinton and Obama. Democrats are on the verge of causing the greatest racially charged culture war since the American Civil War. However, they also know that they can only win in November (with either candidate), the same way Bill won in 1992 and 1996, with less than 50% of the popular vote.
So, they are counting on conservatives to help them by staying out of the booth for McCain on Election Day. Nothing will guarantee a victory for Democratic Socialism like a divided conservative electorate will, as Democrats learned in ’92, ’96 and ’06. Some conservatives seem to have missed this history lesson…but all Democrats caught it.
Conservatives must remain intelligent and focused enough to conserve that which they can conserve, or they will lose it all in one broad sweep. Making emotional decisions while under fire is a liberal thing to do, not a conservative trait.
I trust that most conservatives know this, and that you will forward this column to those who might have momentarily forgotten in their moment of righteous indignation… please.
