Resigned to Indecision
By Pete Abel | Related entries in 2008 ElectionWhile Justin Gardner enjoys the extended weekend, I (and others) committed to filling in here, keeping this blog updated. I have largely failed to do that, overcome by the allure of the weekend’s lull. My apologies to Justin and the rest.
Regardless, I did manage to post once this morning at TMV, and after doing so, I thought the subject of that post might be of interest to Donklephant’s readers, too — especially those of you who share my inability to rally fully behind either of the major-party candidates for the White House.
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 6th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Pete I have a question for you. I am curious if you have given up hope for fixing the GOP. You were so passionate with “The Letter” and yet it seems you have abandoned it. At first I thought it was because you wanted Obama but now I am not sure. I really hope for a more fiscally sane and more tolerant GOP. But it’s going to take a lot of work. Even though McCain is doing a good job under a extremely bad year for the GOP, I feel that his loss will be another sign to the far right that Moderate Republicans can’t when elections. I don’t want the regrouping of the GOP to go back to the far right.
I feel like Barry Goldwater’s words in 1960 ring very true today.
“Let’s grow up, conservatives,” he said. “If we want to take this party back, and I think we can, let’s get to work.”
Moderates and the conservatism of Goldwater need to grow up. We let so much crap go on because we were in power. We need to fight back whether you vote for Obama out of digust of the party (or because you like him) or vote for McCain. We can’t let the GOP crawl back into the sewer of the last 8 years.
I even think you can keep the Letter going without voting for McCain because whoever wins we have a lot of work to do.
Bob
A fellow Missourian.
July 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Bob — I have not given up hope, nor am I convinced a McCain loss would signal the strengthening of the GOP extremists. It’s widely recognized among Republicans (with the exception of Hewitt, Limbaugh, etc.) that McCain is the only candidate that holds a reasonable chance of winning the White House — and his loss would not mean (for many of us) anything other than we need to do an even better job fighting our way back to the center. I also think some time in the wilderness might be good for the party, though I’m not ready to accept that just yet. Net: I haven’t given up hope for reform; I’m just not convinced what the shape of (or proper catalyst for) said reform might be.
July 6th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Let me help you out here Pete. First – you have got to get over the notion that a battle for the most powerful position in the most powerful country on the planet is ever going to look like the Council of Elrond. This is a battle for the ring of power between contestants who lust after “the precious”. Only the most power hungry gladiators can traverse this journey and still be ready to stand and fight at the end.
For me the picture becomes crystal clear if I stop thinking about who I “like” better, and stay focused on the fact that this is all about power and what the United States Government is really going to look like in January 2009. The House of Representatives is going to have a 100 seat Democratic Majority under Nancy Pelosi. The Senate is likely to have 60-40 filibuster proof Democratic majority under either Reid or Clinton. If Obama is President, this will be the most concentrated raw power in one party in the lifetime of the vast majority of the readers of this blog. There will be no meaningful opposition party, and no restraints on the good or bad impulses of the Democrats. Fact.
As far as reforming the Republicans, even if McCain wins I think they are done as a major party. That may be good thing. The way our system works, there is only room for two major parties and everyone else is a spoiler (if successful). To make room for something that better represents the liberty coalition and classic conservative constituencies, the Republican Party may have to die. One can envision the centrist Republicans like yourself, old-school Goldwater “live and let live” conservatives, limited government advocates, small “l” libertarians, and conservative and blue dog Democrats (who are already under fire from the left with active campaigns to drive them out) coming together to form a principled opposition party. It’ll take a few years for that to happen and a devastating defeat for Republicans in Congress as a prequisite. But in the meantime, it’ll be prudent to hold your nose and get behind McCain just to keep things from spinning too far out of control under our new Democratic Party Overlords.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
MW,
I do agree with you mostly. Your reasoning is a major reason why I am voting McCain, although unlike you I am not really holding my nose. I happen to like both candidates.
As for your prediction about the doom of the GOP. I highly doubt it, we have had a rather long period of stabilization of the two parties. It’s been almost 150 years since we have not had a Democratic vs a Republican for the White House. The coalitions and factions my change but I don’t think the name will. As the New Deal coalition fell and lead into the Conservative Revolution it’s probably time for a new era now. I hope the GOP looks like you say. I have no idea but I even if the brand is down I can’t see it going away completely. LBJ didn’t kill the Democratic name, neither did Carter. Hoover, Nixon and Ford didn’t kill the Republican name either. As bad as Buch has been I don’t think even he can do it. We will see who is right in the end. But somehow I think the Party of Lincoln will survive.