These debates are downers. Its not that I think McCain will lose, because I think McCain ultimately will prevail. Barack Obama would rather be President of France than the US, and I think a lot of blue collar types get that.
These debates are wasted opportunities for the conservative movement, and from our perspective, the best interests of America.
All of the ongoing narratives on the economy are left wing narratives, and none of those memes are being challenged. Being unable to challenge the narrative, McCain is like an injured boxer on the ropes.
- The financial crisis is the result of deregulation
- Trickle down economics leads to job losses
- Tax cuts for the rich somehow reduce the real wages of workers
- $350 Million in CEO pay is a big part of the problem, but $20B in earmarks is nothing, and the IOUs for Social Security aren’t even worth mentioning
- Tax cuts are really just another form of government spending
A principled free-market person could knock these things out of the park. I’ve even heard Huckabee talk about some of these things on his show. For whatever reason, McCain just can’t articulate arguments contrary to these narratives. Probably because capitalism is not high on his list of principles. He is an honorable man, a hero and a man of personal character. He is not however a business person, and he like Obama, has never really worked in the free market. In other words, capitalism is merely a theory to McCain, while global warming is a threat requiring a hero to come save the day.
You campaign with the candidate you have, and the candidate strengths that you have. I predict (hope) that McCain will at least repeat an infinitum over the next couple of weeks the following:
Obama SAYS he wants to cut your taxes, but has never even tried to do so . . . NOT EVEN ONCE. He has repeatedly tried to raise taxes and he has repeatedly voted to increase spending. Barack’s record shows his true commitment to tax policy–he is a tax and spend democrat who believes that any money you retain after taxes is the result of the generosity of the government
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
I agree - we can't win without challenging the liberal narrative
South_Park_Conservative (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 1:05AM EST (link)But the biggest problem with McCain is not that he doesn’t believe in capitalism. He does. His problem is that he is the ultimate go along to get along Republican. He believes in bipartisanship for the sake of bipartisanship. He has been completely submerged in liberal inside the beltway politics for decades. He reads the Washington Post and the New York Times. Many of the people he trusts and talks to are liberals.
The problem is that McCain always accepts the liberal narrative on almost every issue. He starts from the liberal narrative and then tries to explain his position, assuming everyone is agreed on the liberal narrative. It explains his position on immigration, climate change, stem cell research, and now his refusal to defend capitalism. These are issues where it was impossible to maintain friendly relationships with liberals if you disagreed with them on it. If you’re pro-border security you’re racist. If you’re anti-global warming hysteria or anti-stem cells research you’re dumb and anti-science.
Moderates that actually pay attention to politics are just people who are scared to offend or upset anyone. John McCain is a moderate.
On the good side he proposed a spending freeze. Perhaps I missed that but I was pleasantly surprised. On the negative side he wants to spend $300 billion to bail out homeowners that bought a house bigger than they can afford. What the hell? If Obama had proposed this conservative would be screaming bloody murder. I suspect Limbaugh and some conservatives will be tomorrow.
Excuse my gloomy outlook on McCain right now. I actually think he won the debate, but I hate this abandonment of economic conservatism, which is my #1 issue this election now that Iraq has mostly stabilized for now.
I’m looking for an entry level job in D.C. or Maryland.
I earned a Government and Politics major at the University of Maryland, College Park and have experience interning on Capitol Hill.
I think McCain sticks to his guns when he really believes something
JSobieski (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 1:13AM EST (link)For example, foreign policy is not an area where he goes soft.
I do think capitalism is, out of all the aspects that makes someone conservative, the one leg on the tripod that he doesn’t have strong convictions on.
He just doesn’t.
Part of it is the military background—he grew up in a family with a long military history, and a private sector job probably would have been looked down upon.
Part of that may be the result of the Keating 5 fiasco. He has overcompensated against greed ever since. Corruption is bad, but a desire for profit is not.
Maybe part of it is an opportunity to reach across the isle.
Fact is, the phrase “tax cuts for the rich” gives me the creeps when McCain says it
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!
I think McCain sticks to his guns when he really believes something
JSobieski (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 1:13AM EST (link)For example, foreign policy is not an area where he goes soft.
I do think capitalism is, out of all the aspects that makes someone conservative, the one leg on the tripod that he doesn’t have strong convictions on.
He just doesn’t.
Part of it is the military background—he grew up in a family with a long military history, and a private sector job probably would have been looked down upon.
Part of that may be the result of the Keating 5 fiasco. He has overcompensated against greed ever since. Corruption is bad, but a desire for profit is not.
Maybe part of it is an opportunity to reach across the isle.
Fact is, the phrase “tax cuts for the rich” gives me the creeps when McCain says it
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!
So you want to fight the liberal narrative?
stang (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 2:25AM EST (link)Short Run vs. Long Run
I do not disagree with you that JMcC is not the most ardent proponenet of capitalism, but I think there is a lesson for us here.
We will not change John McCains habit of thinking like a 30 year Senator. Our country needs us to support him on the things we agree about and see him elected Nov.4. The rest will not matter if he’s not elected.
No need to discuss the alternative.
Just as 30 years of Senate-think have indelibly infuenced JMcC, we have been giving the left in this country a 22year first bite at influencing the thinking of our coming generations and we are now seeing the impact.
Should we be suprised that polls, FWTW, tell us that nearly 50% of the adult population of our country have arguably become so incapable of crtical thinking that they are seriously contemplating electing BO as POTUS?.
Why? Have a gander. Clarice Feldman/SolStern.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/ayerssocialjusticeeducation1.html
You are correct and cannot overstate the case that capitalism be not just defended but taught and honored for what it has enabled us to acheive. This is the battle we must do all we can to win in the longrun.
We must do all we can to elect John McCain in the short run.
“Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any farther obedience, and are left to the common refuge which God hath provided for all men against force and violence.”
John Locke
Does he believe in the free market?
bantamwait (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 7:26AM EST (link)The headline of the debate for me was McCain’s pledge to nationalize millions of failing mortgages. Excuuuse me? Haven’t we had enough of Republican big-government socialism?
Let’s send the Marines to evacuate refugees from Libya and shut down the drug gangs in Mexico–and make the Marine hymn relevant again.
Good speech.
itrytobenice (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 8:13AM EST (link)Hopefully we’ll get a champion soon.
Proper grammar saves lives.
Let’s eat Grandma.
Let’s eat, Grandma.
Not deeply. It is not "part of who he is"
JSobieski (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 9:11AM EST (link)nt
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!
Never said I was refraining from or withholding support form McCain
JSobieski (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 9:13AM EST (link)What i am saying is that the closer McCain can come to articulating conservative economic concepts, the better he will do.
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!
Couldn't happen soon enough
JSobieski (Diary) Wednesday, October 8th at 10:30AM EST (link)nt
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!