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The Case for McCain

Submitted by Dan R,, Jan 28, 2008 13:30

The Republican Party is at a fork in the road with two distinct factions vying for control of its future:

1) The "true conservative" faction, led by the 'high priests' of talk radio and rigid ideologues like Tom DeLay. These people hate anyone who they see as being anything less than ideologically pure and regard any kind of compromise with Democrats as being treason to the cause. These are the people trying to derail John McCain at any cost and ram through Mitt Romney as his replacement.

2) A more moderate, more pragmatic faction composed of both registered moderate Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. These people are believers in an aggressive national defense posture, free markets, lower taxes and lower government spending. But they also know that budgets have to be balanced and that sometimes taxes have to be raised for that to happen. In short, they are less concerned with absolutes than they are with getting results and they are much more flexible on social issues. These are the people who are supporting John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

If the first faction wins the day, the party will remain "ideologically pure" but will cement its status as the nation's minority party far into the future. It will be a replay of the mid-1970s where only about 30% of the population was willing to identify themselves as Republicans and the Democrats had unquestioned control of the country. (For my part, if Romney is the nominee I will definitely be changing my party registration to "Independent".)

But if the second faction can hold off the troglodytes on the far right and move itself to the center by nominating McCain (I simply don't see Rudy as a serious contender any more, unfortunately.) then while the fringe right wing may sit out or (hopefully) split off to form their own party, the Republicans can begin to reassemble a broad governing coalition that will endure.

The fruit loops on the far left have taken over the Democratic Party and have presented the Republicans with a golden opportunity. Whether the same fate .... ceding control of the party to its most extreme elements ... will befall the Republicans remains to be seen. But if the Neanderthals do win the day on the Republican side, there will be a tremendous opportunity for a new "Centrist" party to emerge, perhaps with Michael Bloomberg as a candidate. Personally, if presented with a choice of Romney or HIllary, someone like Bloomberg would start to look pretty good to me. I suspect that many of the political moderates in the country like me would feel the same way.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
John McCain appears to oppose a federal bailout for Florida homeowners who don't like paying high insurance premiums because they... [MORE]	jbb	Jan 29, 2008 14:36
John McCain is Bob Dole 2.0. The doctrine of primogenture is once again going to sink my party at the... [MORE]	Adirondack Al	Jan 29, 2008 04:37
He's distanced himself from Bush, and he is the only one that can grow the party and maintain the ol'... [MORE]	GOP Latina	Jan 29, 2008 01:15
"These three candidates all offer the American public the prospect of experience and ability, and they offer the prospect of... [MORE]	Handy	Jan 28, 2008 23:22
WOW!... Go Mitt! Poll Watch: Datamar Florida Poll, conducted Jan. 25th-27th, 2008. Mitt Romney: 35.6% John McCain: 23.2% Rudy Giuliani: 14.8% Mike... [MORE]	Newzaroo	Jan 28, 2008 21:20
Anyone who saw John McCain Meet the Press on 1/27 had to lose all respect for him. He makes Multiple... [MORE]	mnjam	Jan 28, 2008 20:12
I disagree with one of the key premises of this article; that in order to be a successful commander in... [MORE]	Hanya	Jan 28, 2008 19:52
Does it not bother ANYONE ELSE that McCain admitted that he doesn't know much about the economy!? Come on people?... [MORE]	Thooper	Jan 28, 2008 19:14
Professor Glaeser hints at - but perhaps stops short of completely saying - that the Grand Old Party has lost... [MORE]	Ramjet	Jan 28, 2008 18:44
Here is a link to an article that the neoconsevatives will find interesting since it comes from none other than... [MORE]	Todd	Jan 28, 2008 18:26
There are two things McCain is proud of - his family's tradition in the US Navy and his Republican heritage.... [MORE]	Rod	Jan 28, 2008 18:19
Smaller government? With more wars, his cuts in pork will still have higher government spending. And he'll balance the budget... [MORE]	pgl	Jan 28, 2008 17:24
I grew up a Republican working on dozens of campaigns from the time I was about 12. I watched thru... [MORE]	Ron Moore	Jan 28, 2008 17:04
Ed, You note that the polls show McCain as having a higher chance of winning the Presidency than either Giuliani or... [MORE]	Eric Crampton	Jan 28, 2008 15:58
In this article, you did not emphasize the most important reason why John McCain should be elected President of the... [MORE]	Mr. W. Hodgkins	Jan 28, 2008 15:49
I have been closely watching the campaigns from the beginning. Although he is to be admired for his military service,... [MORE]	Ann Herget	Jan 28, 2008 15:37
McCain lacks economic expertise (by his own admission), Giuliani lacks pro-family values, and Romney excels in both these critical areas.... [MORE]	Eliot Brinton	Jan 28, 2008 15:30
I would have to disagree Mr. Gleaser. The potential President that has the most experience in Congress, and knows personally... [MORE]	Andre Jaumot	Jan 28, 2008 14:42
While I agree with Glaser that the GOP is broken and needs fixing, consider the following in determing whether McCain... [MORE]	Drew	Jan 28, 2008 14:25
Thanks for a terrific article. I am a McCain supporter because he is the best on the central issue of... [MORE]	Jim Adams	Jan 28, 2008 13:47
The author of "The Case for McCain" touted the three leading GOP contenders as including: McCain, Romney, and Guliani. The... [MORE]	Daniel	Jan 28, 2008 13:37
McCain will destroy the Republican party. Just say NO on McCain! [MORE]	John	Jan 28, 2008 13:31
The Republican Party is at a fork in the road with two distinct factions vying for control of its future: 1)...	Dan R,	Jan 28, 2008 13:30
Are you kidding me? Backwards? What's wrong with backwards? The essence of conservatism is to conserve those values that made... [MORE]	Mike D'Virgilio	Jan 28, 2008 12:34
I am getting concerned over McCain's infatuation with war combined with his headstrong anger. SCARY! I keep hearing him repeat... [MORE]	Afisher	Jan 28, 2008 12:34
The three candidates seem to be uniquely representative of the party of Reagan. Although we can not construct a clone... [MORE]	Ralph Lawrence	Jan 28, 2008 12:17
No, McCain is not leading the Republican party off in the right direction. Through his liberal leadership in Congress (McCain/Feingold,... [MORE]	Paul in California	Jan 28, 2008 11:49
McCain is thewrong choice! McCain is too old, too angry, and too much a politican insider. The media has Not... [MORE]	Norma Parker	Jan 28, 2008 11:16
I am a lifelong conservative Republican. I will probably support Romney or Guiliani for the nomination. I, along with millions of... [MORE]	Calie Stephens	Jan 28, 2008 11:11
Incredible! McCain IS THE PAST! He's one of the reasons Washington is BROKEN! If you want change, vote Romney! [MORE]	Rockyspoon	Jan 28, 2008 11:02
Do you believe John McCain? Do you believe him when he says he didn't vote for Tax Cuts because there... [MORE]	Timothy L. Pennell	Jan 28, 2008 10:57
It's absurd how enthusiastically right wing pundits forgive and forget the mistakes and ideological deviations from Giuliani and Romney, but... [MORE]	Armando	Jan 28, 2008 10:24
I don't understand this. Romney changes position on one thing...abortion and it's called a flip-flop. He has been extremely open... [MORE]	Russ	Jan 28, 2008 10:00
I'd like to address McCain's global warming approach, and his chances against the Dems. McCains policy to restrict the economy... [MORE]	Ben Davis	Jan 28, 2008 09:32
You should pass this on to your parents and sister. It is the best summation of the importance of Republican... [MORE]	Heidi	Jan 28, 2008 09:21
There is no case for McCain. He was part of the Savings and Loan scandal of the 80's. He has... [MORE]	Randy	Jan 28, 2008 09:12
"Congress Shall Make On Law", the first five words of the first amendment. I do not understand how the Republican... [MORE]	Paul, Georgia	Jan 28, 2008 06:48
One only has to read Robert Coram's recent book American Patriot to get a picture of McCain and his motivations... [MORE]	Rogers Marshall	Jan 28, 2008 22:28
"Mr. McCain offers the most radical break with the recent Republican past," That's because he's all but a Democrat. [MORE]	Sav	Jan 28, 2008 05:52

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