The American Spectator

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Disappointing Democracy

2.25.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 7)

Senator McCain is merely the tactical winner of the 2008 Republican nomination campaign. The strategic winner is the ghost of Nelson Rockefeller.

Mr. Henry, along with many other observers, believes that McCain is an unfortunate nominee, the wrong man to lead the Republicans. Respectfully, I disagree. Forty so years ago, this would have been so. But now, he is just the man to complete the Rockefeller-ization of the party. The party has come so far leftward that McCain now feels confident in telling Goldwater conservatives to go take a hike. It's not a matter of wooing conservatives poorly, or wooing well and betraying later. This time, Barry's ghost is explicitly being handed his eviction notice.

And we -- one last time, I'll say "we" in referring to the Republican Party -- have done this to ourselves. I still respect the concept of personal responsibility. As such, I do not believe the party was pulled leftward by Democratic saboteur-voters, or by people under the hypnotic suggestion of the New York Times. What happened is that many millions of Republican-registered voters went to the polls believing that a little bit of nanny-stating is all right, as long as they are the ones who benefit. Chapter Eight of "Conscience of a Conservative" has become a dead letter, killed by our own ballots. These days, quoting Goldwater to Republicans is like quoting the Bible to Episcopalians -- it just embarrasses them. We get what we vote for, and his name is Nelson Aldrich McCain.

If the Republican Party -- I can't call it the Grand Old Party any longer - survives 2008, it'll be because the Democrats need someone to beat, like the Harlem Globetrotters needed the Washington Generals.
-- Byron Keith

Lawrence Henry says that you might have to go back to Nixon v. Humphrey to find a worse choice than Clinton v. McCain. I disagree. We need go no further back than Bush v. Kerry or Bush v. Gore.
-- R.P. Roderick

REVOLUTION STALLED
Re: W. James Antle III's See Ron Run:

I like Ron Paul, but it's time for him to go back practicing medicine. Texas needs another Republican in Congress.
-- Michael Tomlinson
Jacksonville, North Carolina

We support Ron Paul at our house. I watched his video announcement to us last week. Here are a couple of things that I consider in supporting him even now: first, to me it never was about winning the presidency. I don't think that was realistic at any time. Second, it's about the message of a restored republic under the Constitution, and making a statement about that at the polls. Third, I do feel, in spite of what rhetoric has to be put out there, that Ron is a realist. The issue of keeping his congressional seat is just plain realistic and he has to deal with it. I don't think this nullifies his message or the value of his campaign for president. That campaign is about testifying to the truth about legitimate governance under the law. Win or lose, it's the testimony on the record that matters. Sure, if you don't get elected, you can't do anything. But, the result will tell us something about us that we may need to know. If Ron Paul achieves nothing else in this campaign but to make the choices clear to thinking people, then he will have succeeded. We will at least know if America has given up on liberty for political advantage.

Am I disappointed that more Americans have not supported Paul? Sure. Did I expect something more? Not really. I am voting for Ron Paul in November, period. I said I would, and I will. Even if he quits. Why? Because his message is the right one. Clearly, the road we are on is not the right one.
-- Steve Hayes
Utah

James Antle's piece on Ron Paul contains an error. Andy Mann, who Antle refers to as the "third candidate in the primary" did not file for the race. It's just straight up Ron Paul vs. Chris Peden on the primary ballot. In fact, there are reports that he is now backing Peden.

Ironically, there is a third candidate in the race: Eugene Flynn, of the Libertarian Party. Flynn is an immigration lawyer and has informed that State Libertarian Party that he intends to list his name on the November ballot to oppose Paul.

Antle may be suprised to learn that even many libertarians have soured on Ron Paul. More conservative-leaning libertarians were deeply dissapointed to see him take a hard leftwing turn on foreign policy and defense issues. Peden more closely represents the libertarian-conservative Pro-Defense views of the District.

Leftwing-libertarians still passionately support Paul. But the Congressional District no longer contains those liberal Austin-San Marcos-Bastrop areas of the CD.

Paul could still win the primary. Though, it will almost certainly be very close. This will set Peden up for 2010, when Paul will be pushing 75, and has many have speculated, ready for retirement.
-- Eric Dondero, Publisher
MainstreamLibertarian.com

W. James Antle III replies:
I had missed the departure of minor candidate Andy Mann from the race. Mann has endorsed Chris Peden. I regret the error.

Letter to the Editor

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Taxes, Foreign Policy, Education, Health Care, John McCain, Bill Clinton, Economics, Business, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, Founding Fathers, Military, Iraq, NATO, Socialism, Conservatism, Immigration