Regarding McCain Derangement Syndrome

Plenty of discussion of it at links here.

Isn't it fair to expect a little craziness when you wake up thinking your party's political platform this year might look in part like it was drafted by the other side - with John Edwards taking the lead? If hearing "bad guys on Wall Street" from McCain, or "we need a bigger nanny state" from Huckabee, time after time in a Republican debate doesn't make you just a little bit crazy, perhaps one's interpretation of the world doesn't quite square with reality to begin with.

Change is one thing but, give me a break. The word bizarre describes the cause, as much as the reaction in this case, if you ask me. If you're an Indie who doesn't much care about such things - fine. But some do care and words used to mean things, once upon a time.

Comments

[Corey Cronrath]

McCain Derangement Syndrome sounds a lot like what many of my fellow conservatives are suffering now that he is the unquestioned front-runner. The idea that a strong military, strict constructionist, fiscal conservative might get our nod seems to be truly frightening to many of my compatriots. The fact is that we've abandoned the spending hawk part of our party over the last few years, and we've failed to challenge the dems on populist issues, aside from social ones like marriage. If w're not careful. we may actually elect a President who is ready to be Commander-in-Chief the first day, and pick up seats in Congress to boot! Heaven forbid! We should nominate Flip Flop Mitt and crash and burn instead! That'll teach the dems! We love ideological purity so much we'll nominate a guy who was to the left of McCain two years ago, and to the left of Ted Kennedy 14 years ago, and then get nothing when the dems point that out in the general election.

[Terry]

Between the two, I personally prefer Romney over McCain. One of the fellows over at Powerline summarized it rather well when he said something along these lines: "McCain's tendency to make snap judgments based on prejudice rather than information, and his hostility to information that doesn't conform to his prejudices, is perhaps the most frightening aspect of his candidacy. It is also the most stark difference between McCain and Romney, outstripping any substantive disagreements.."

Having said that, however, I can still vote for McCain in November, if he wins the nomination, as I consider the alternative of a Democratic victory too horrible to contemplate in terms of its likely impact. As things now stand, it appears near certain that the Dems are going to significantly expand their base in the House, and have an increasingly good shot at achieving a filibuster-proof 60 vote majority in the Senate. Given the kinds of judges, laws and regulations that could be brought into force under complete control of all branches by the Dems, I can rather easily cast a vote for McCain. The argument that only a complete collapse by all parts of the Republican party at the ballot box can improve things is, in my opinion, totally specious.

[seekeronos]

Interesting stated, Terry.

I would have to wonder too, if Hills or the Big O see themselves as the second coming of FDR and JFK repesctively... and wouldn't like to try reviving something as insidious as FDR's 1937 court-packing plan (with a Democratic Congress backing him) to create a permanent Dem lockdown on the SCOTUS.

FDR only let that lapse after the CJ/SCOTUS of that era decided not to challenge the constitutionality of the New Deal programs.

As much as McCain and the Gang of 14 bothered me at the time, perhaps the outcome of it might save our minority bacon in the years to come.

The question then is:

Will McCain (setting aside his relative instability) be a Republican Carter that draws even more Democratic congresscritters in the midterm, or will he draw a stronger minority (R) Congress?

Or would the (D) nominee result in a stronger (R) presence, if not an eventual turnaround to majority status (don't count on it until 2014 for a dual-term Obama, but possible in Hill's first term)...?

If faced with the "inevitable" McCain candidacy, we'uns who look at him as a backstabbing old git will have to think about this before abstaining or worse, crossing over to the (D) lines.

[tally]

I agree with Corey Cronrath, I might add pro-life to McCain's cap (just for all you social conservatives). I've never seen such a screwed up bunch of people in my life, well I take that back, the liberals are still more messed up. Anyway, no
wonder people are moving to the middle.