By Paul Chesser on 9.2.08 @ 12:08AM
Because of Sarah Palin, conservatives now have no choice but to back McCain.
The choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin last week by Republican
presidential candidate John McCain has been explained in the media
as a "game-changer," "bold," "daring," and in keeping with the
Arizona senator's "maverick" image.
But here's what the decision means for across-the-board
conservatives: vital.
Before McCain's decision many on the Right (including myself)
were alternately ambivalent, disaffected, or outright opposed to
the idea of voting for him. After years of nose-thumbing acts by
the GOP candidate towards many of his party's colleagues and its
base, the temptation for conservatives to register a protest vote
(most likely Libertarian Bob Barr) -- or not showing up at all --
was strong.
However, the Palin pick has overturned the apathy towards McCain, in one swell
foop (I've always wanted to write that!), into a
Republican ticket that is critical for conservatives to
support.
Why? Because as Fred Barnes wrote in the Wall Street Journal over
the weekend, "should the McCain-Palin ticket win the election, it
will produce a huge change in the party itself. Mrs. Palin would
become first in the line of succession to become the next
Republican presidential nominee and would usher in a new generation
of leaders."
That cannot be underestimated. The choice of the Alaskan
governor could mean, finally, the elevation of the Tom Coburn/Jim
DeMint/John Shadegg reform element of the party over the Ted
Stevens/Duke Cunningham/Jerry Lewis old guard.
But more importantly, it could restore to the GOP the principled
and inspired conservatism that has been absent from the two top
spots since Ronald Reagan left office in 1989. Recall the last 20
years and sigh: Bush/Quayle, Dole/Kemp, and Bush/Cheney. President
George H.W. Bush squandered his inheritance and was never in the
Reagan mold. Sen. Robert Dole was the "it's his turn" establishment
candidate that did not enthuse. And our current president was
not
the conservative that his early anointers pretended he was.
So the McCain/Palin ticket -- dead
even with Obama/Biden, who enjoyed no Democratic convention
bump -- holds the most promise in years for delivering the Right
from the wilderness. It may not pay immediate dividends in a McCain
presidency, but Palin could represent the beginning of a
conservative restoration for a long time.
Of course, how it all pans out remains to be seen. McCain's
pandering plays to liberals (including the media) could rub off on
Palin instead of the other way around. But her record so far shows
that she has taken on entrenched Republicans who have lost their
way -- the good (unlike much of McCain's) kind of reform
that the Right longs for.
Adherents to conservative principles would play a large role
here, despite McCain's reputation for stubbornness. If the base,
including energized social conservatives, turn out in
force for this year's GOP ticket, then they'd have at least have
the credibility to remind the him of that and that they should have
a voice. How about this for a challenge to a President McCain:
"Listen to your (political) wife!"
Of course, many who are inclined to support McCain/Palin have
not achieved complete comfort with her. Much is still unknown about
her, and questions about her judgment, her background, and whether
she lives as she talks will be examined. Democrats and liberal
bloggers will make sure every question about her gets scrutinized.
While the news of her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy does not
undermine Palin's legitimacy as a candidate, an absence of any more
surprises would help. The 60-or-so days left in the campaign are
plenty enough time for voters to decide whether she passes
muster.
Assuming she does, it will then be not only helpful, but
necessary for conservatives to get behind the ticket. Palin
represents their views across the spectrum, even if McCain doesn't
always. Her profile has been elevated higher and faster than anyone
in the base could have hoped, and promoting pro-life,
limited-government, and freedom-loving principles in such a dynamic package is an incredible opportunity
that cannot be allowed to slip away.
topics:
John McCain, Sarah Palin, NATO, Conservatism, Alaska
