and act on them. For those who came of age during Reagan’s time or after, we’ve never really seen what a Leftist national government can do. I guess it is a lesson that each generation must learn.

I am not a conservative Republican, I am a Conservative and I’m still very bitter that the only choice I had was McCain. Unless the party takes the conservative fork in the road, the party is doomed to minority status.

Bush Jr.

My second Bush Jr.

My third McCain

And I feel vindicated for all three. Unfortunately Democrats have a problem with harsh reality causing them to bash the right for the last 8 years. But facts are conservatism did not cause terrorism but responded to it. Conservatism did not cause the financial crisis but offers a hard ass no BS you-ain’t-gonna-like-it-but-it-works answer to it by suggesting we let capitalism complete its cycle and kill old dinosaurs while giving birth to new sectors, jobs, companies, and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Yeah the expense of nation building sucks, but frankly the coddling of occupied enemy nations is a Democrat trait that we as a country have had to bow to since media started covering wars near the front. No…I voted right all three times.

is now going through the transformation I did back when I left college. I always had a tendency towards the conservative side of issues, but was definitely caught up with the populist ideas when I was in college eventhough I thought I was a rebel.

Also, philosophy hasn’t always been dominated by the left leaning liberals that you describe. Sometimes logic and experience trumps all of that pontification, and college after all tends to examine things in the ideal, i.e. the problems examined are bound in tight constraints. At least this is what I learned as the major difference between college courses and the application of that knowledge in the real world. Science and engineering applied in the real world using sophisticated instruments turns out quite differently in practice then it did on paper or on the test.

Anyway, do not fret, Obama is doomed to fail in his logic of an overbearing all compassionate Government that fixes all problems because history shows that it never works. Yet, it seems some still hold on to the thought that a socialist paradise hasn’t occured because it was never done correctly. Trust me, the Soviets really tried everything to make it work. Just look at China, my hope is that in the future all of their progress to date will slowly take China to the capitalist system. Just look we swing left, yet the Chinese are swinging right, why, caused they figured that whole communism thing just did not work out the way they expected and realized human nature just does not work that way. Glad to see to you have some confidence in your vote now.

My first vote was for Jimmy Carter (I was raised a Democrat, but I’m feeling MUCH better now).

That’s a vote I’ll never get back…

I always felt more comfortable with McCain as the nominee because I felt that even if I am not crazy about his domestic policy initiatives, I had no doubts as to his committment to do whatever it takes, consequences be damned, to protect America from its enemies, which is job one for any President. Also one the second most important Presidential duty (filling the Supreme Court), I think he would produce nominees like Roberts, which is enough in itself to get my vote.

Unfortunately, not enough people are motivated by the same things as me, so hopefully next time we get a nominee who shares the entire breadth of the values of the conservative movement, so that he or she can inspire the kind of turnout necessary to overcome all of the duplicate votes and votes of deceased people that the Democrats produce in every election.

In the 92 Primary. When George Bush should have stepped aside rather than lose to Clinton. Haven’t seen my guy win a primary since.

McCain only looked good by comparison to Obama. Most of the primary contenders would’ve fared better had he chosen not to run. George, Bob, and now John; they all ran, but did not run.

I’ve been to Shanghai. On business. And business there is booming. We might all be wise to consider their ways.

Maybe it can work there because when corrupt officials or businessmen are caught they don’t get to enjoy the fruits of their ill-gotten gains, They’re executed.

…was for George W. Bush in the 2004 election (not including my semi-successful attempt at hijacking a Democratic caucus earlier in the year by convincing people to vote for Kucinich). I voted for Bush not because I necessarily supported him, but because I opposed Kerry that much more.

This past year, either I mellowed out, couldn’t get angry enough, or protested the GOP’s lightweight of a candidate, and ended up voting for Bob Barr, as I felt as though McCain, on the issues that I cared about, was only marginally better (if at all) than Obama. I’ve taken quite a bit of grief for the way I voted, but at the same time have been able to use it to explain to people why trying to emulate the Democrats is a losing proposition, and why we need to be able to have the ability to keep what rights we have safe from a government that takes an increasingly cavalier attitude with respect to them.

My first Presidential vote was for Steve Forbes in the 1996 New York primary. It was purely a protest vote; I wasn’t a big Dole fan, absolutely hated Pat Buchanan, and no one else was on the ballot due to NY GOP rules making it pretty hard for anyone else to get qualified.