The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Voinovich's Rebel Yell

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Voinovich's Rebel Yell

By W. James Antle, III on 8.6.09 @ 2:13PM

Ramesh Ponnuru points out what's wrong with Kathleen Parker's interpretation of Sen. George Voinovich's (R-Ohio) recent anti-Southern remarks: Big George is as socially conservative as any oogedy-boogedy Parker would like to chase out of the party. As senator, he has voted with the National Right to Life Committee 100 percent of the time and he supported the federal marriage amendment. As governor, he defended Ohio's "With God, all things are possible" motto against legal challenges.

Where Voinovich really parts company from Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint is on size-of-government issues. In fact, it is economic conservatives and gun-rights activists who have always complained about Voinovich in Ohio and hoped to mount a primary challenge against him. Voinovich's strong social conservatism, particularly his pro-life stand, made such a challenge implausible: conservative primary challengers are usually only successful when they can mobilize a broad range of conservatives behind them. If there is a God-n-gubmint Republican in Washington right now, it's George Voinovich.

View all comments (8) | Leave a comment

nellpost| 8.6.09 @ 2:46PM

God bless normal people who understand the far-sightedness of our President and his team! Please protect our President from birthers, tea partiers, rabblerousers, foxentertainmentnews biggots, and worse. Hooray for Voinovich!

jenna| 8.6.09 @ 3:14PM

Thank God he's retiring in 2010; the GOP needs fewer cranky old men like him!

nellpost| 8.6.09 @ 3:51PM

As a black gay woman who can now get married, I applaud our savior Obama.

Bill Pearce| 8.6.09 @ 4:09PM

The GOP has lost the North-East, North-West and most of both coasts. Without the South what does the GOP have but a few sparsely populated districts in the North-Middle West. It is a no brainier for the Liberals and Democratic Party to push the theory that it is the Southern people who are holding the GOP back. If the South can be split from the GOP, then the Congress will be dominated by one party.
After that happens the liberals will be completely unrestrained. That is the ultimate goal of liberalism, a one party state with no restraints.

Ken (old Texican)| 8.6.09 @ 4:22PM

Thank you for that, Mr. Antle.

I am an abnormal citizen. I believe in God too, but I believe in working constructively...even if money is no issue.

Mr. Obama needs NO protection! My God have mercy...if he died of a heart attack tomorrow...BIDEN WOULD BE IN CHARGE...ARGGHHHHHHHHH!

Guess what...right behind Biden is Nancy Pelosi!
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Farsightedness tends to make one trip over the johnson........especially a communist.

David T.| 8.6.09 @ 4:34PM

nellpost--The ancestors of the people you loathe were the "normal people" of their day who threw off the shackles of Geo III and helped make this country what it is today: the greatest, freest nation on the face of the earth. Your normal people are the somnambulant Obamaton-sheep-drones under the spell of this power mad, self-aggrandizing Kenyan Svengali-wolf. When I count to three, please wake up....