My Real Problem With John McCain

While many are linking a Congressional Quarterly article as reason enough to be concerned about McCain as the Republican nominee, it's this item via Michelle Malkin that sometimes gives me the most concern. It validates what I've sensed and observed about McCain from a distance.

I can only imagine the stories the liberals on the Hill have to tell about this guy. And they will be told, prominently in that once friendly mainstream media McCain so loves. And how he reacts when that starts happening may be even worse. Keep in mind, this is from A Republican on the Hill. Geesh!

John McCain is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. That is unfortunate, and I am sad to say that I cannot support him – as is the case with many people I know – for many of the reasons explored repeatedly on NRO and other places. As a Hill staffer, those of you who share my view and I know what is at stake – at least as much as anyone… from the confirmation of judges to the War on Terror and beyond. But, as a Hill staffer, many of us find him to be a petty, often vindictive man who treats people – from Senators to junior female staffers – disrespectfully and, frankly, without the manners appropriate for a Senator, much less a President.

His votes and stances are a matter of record and have been fully explored in many places. But we, as Hill staffers, have seen his personal vitriol up close and personally. Whether it has been personal confrontations with Senators or his cussing out of and demeaning comments toward staffers – whether it was his arrogance and dismissal of concerned conservatives displayed during the “Gang of 14” or his or his staff’s constant, repeated – often vindictive and very personal – undermining of conservative principles in the immigration debate – John McCain has proven time and time again that his worthiness to lead our Party, much less our nation, is more than questionable.

I believe it matters who you choose to follow. The “lesser-of-two-evils” argument is always compelling, but I simply have come to the conclusion that John McCain, for all his patriotism, is not the kind of man I want to follow and that I want to represent me, my country and my Party.

That said, the next 9 months will be an important time for conservatism. Whether you are a conservative, like me, who chooses not to vote for Senator McCain, whether you are a conservative who chooses to hold your nose and vote for him, or whether you are fully behind him, it is important to remember two things… 1) it is absolutely reasonable to support him in the face of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton – potentially the most liberal individuals ever to run for the American Presidency – individuals who will undermine our military, choose activist judges, expand the size of government, raise taxes, show contempt for the unborn and the institution of marriage and otherwise disregard fundamental American values; and 2) you must show up to vote for conservative Senators and Congressmen regardless of your disaffection for Senator McCain or your frustration (shared by many of us) with the current Senate and House Republican leadership.

Regardless of who wins the Presidency this November, the best hope conservatives have to affect public policy in a positive direction is to get highly motivated to gain conservative seats in the Senate and the House, not to sit around moping about the likely nomination of John McCain. We must stay positive and focused…

Comments

[AndyB]

My real problem with this whole episode is the way in which we conservatives have been dismissed and spat upon. People like David Brooks and Bill Kristol treated us like hayseed hicks who don't know what's best for us. And that really pisses me off.

Not to mention the audacity of these folks to assume they know something we don't. How dare these Elite pinheads destroy what so many people for so long have worked for. And POOF it's gone. It's not that simple but that's what I think sums up why I'm really pissed off at these establishment McCainiacs.

Wait till you see the dirt the media has on this guy. If those bemoaning our harsh treatment of McCain only knew what's to come they'd have thought twice. The MSM are going to have a field day with his record. And it started all over the media today.

I'd be dishonest if I said I'm not going to take some pleasure in watching the conservative punditry cry and moan about how McCain needs to get out in front of all these potentially damaging stories. In fact, I'm sure Kristol, Hume(Fox News, ALL), and Brooks are working on preemptions as we speak. That is if they have any clue what's to come.

[tally]

it just sounds like the typical pilot mentality to me. i don't have a problem with it, but then i have a pretty thick skin. he's just feisty.

[fatsacca]

He said mean things boo hoo. Gimme a break, sounds like those tough generals who all complained about how demeaning Rumsfeld was, get an effing backbone and tell em all to go scratch if bothers you so much.

[Trista]

I don't have a problem with McCain getting angry and disagreeing with someone. I do have a problem with the lack of respect that he gives the world in general. Yes, we are supposed to respect him, because he is a war hero. We are supposed to respect him because of his position as a POW. Fine. I can agree with that, but I do not respect the way he disrespects his fellow Americans. You can disagree angrily and still be respectful. It's an art McCain has not managed. He has earned no personal respect as a person or positional respect as a Senator. How will anyone follow a person that doesn't respect them and whom they cannot respect? I can't.

[IslamoLlama]

Ok, in all honestly, I can kinda sympathize with you conservatives. At least when the Democratic Party dumped Howard Dean for John Kerry in '04, we were still getting a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. If we'd nominated Joe Lieberman, I'd be thinking long and hard about sitting out the election, too.

If John McCain is the Republican Party's Joe Lieberman, I can hardly blame you for vomiting in your mouth a little as you watch him take the nomination.

[Uncle Mikey]

Why are we all agonizing over this guy so much? So fearful? I've never read and heard so much paranoid, selfish whining about anything in my life. You were lied to, is that it D-FENS? McCain's not Reagan? Boo effing hoo, life's not perfect. Well, he sure as hell isn't Hillary or Obama, so sack up and live with the choice that's been made. Stop petulantly tearing down and start building.

There's something disgustingly liberal about the bitchy nature of the discussion here and elsewhere that it, and not the prospect of McCain as presidential candidate, is what's making me vomit in my mouth. Stop threatening to take your ball and go home if the rest of the country won't play by your rules, and stop insulting the intelligence of anyone who doesn't agree with you. You don't hold the moral or intellectual high ground when all you do is pine for fantasyland and piss on reality. You just come across as pathetic children who are apparently willing to see a Democrat in the White House rather than compromise your supposed "values."

[Hope Muntz]

Yeah, Malkin's column was cheerful news from the Hitler Bunker: 'Stay positive! Stay focused!" And based on what, exactly? Emails from Capitol Hill staffers. I know these people--hell I've even DATED one of these people--and they are what the military calls 'house-cats'. They could only be gayer if they were actually gay. fact is, I am totally salivating at the idea of having someone in the White House who will scare the Craigs and the Vitters into actually doing their jobs and stop embarrassing the party. And so should all of you, if you weren't falling for the 'CPAC Celebrity' line on McCain. I have a new term for the Coulters and the Malkins and the Limbaughs in this election--I call them 'MadLibs', because all they are doing is the Clintons' work for them. Either they're crazy--or they have their own secret agenda. As for Mccain, I already know what his secret agenda is--because he's been pursuing it for nearly 30 years. It's something called 'defending America'. Too bad so few of you are willing to sign on. I guess you all figure the Clintons would never diss you on two of the three most crucial issues of our time--offending Thad Cochran and trying to reform campaign finance. I'll grant you the immigration issue. But McCain has recanted-- how about the Dems? Only a MadLib La Raza sympathizer would like what they're gonna do once in office--and once illegals get the vote, there's no going back. Imagine the effect they'd have had in 2000. Sometimes you have to choose sides in a war and not stay neutral. Unlike Coulter and Limbaugh, I don't have a Latino maid--or a Swiss bank account.

[Fred Beloit]

I don't know what sickens me more: (1) the way these Repub hacks treat us like children, (2)the stupidity of their argument (pledge to vote for McCain now or you are traitors), or (3) their anger-provoking insults.

Examples:
(1) From Jules Crittenden, who I thought had more respect for his readers.
He said we should grow up on PJM. I told him, literally, to get lost.
(2) The primaries are not yet over. The Convention has not yet begun and there is no platform yet.
(3) The campaign for the Presidency has not yet begun. I want to watch the campaign unfold and learn more about McCain, his beliefs, his finances, his health.

Now that I think about it, all you Repub flacks and hacks, get lost.

[Fred Beloit]

From Jules: "You’ve had your tantrum. Now it’s time to be adult about it."

"Get lost", I now feel, was way too weak. FU, would have been more suitable.

[Jd]

The "lesser of two evils" argument may be compelling, but adhering to it is what perpetuates this disaster that we yet again face. If conservatives declined to vote in November's presidential election, we might be offered up something of a choice for conservative candidates in 2012. It can no longer be considered reasonable to support "politics as usual", even with the likes of Hillary and Obama lurking in the shadows. That, we can overcome. Our party has truly lost it's way and We the People must make our stand in order for them to discover the necessity of changing their ways. We must either find a way to save the GOP, or we must begin anew.

[seekeronos]

A few observations:

(1) Mitt bowed out.

(2) Ron Paul has realized the futility of his POTUS run, and is shifting into gear to keep his seat on TX-14. Smart man, as he gets to keep a substantial part of the pot of gold he collected for his primary run. Plus, he woke thousands of people up to conservatism (plus or minus the goldbug/truther nuttery) and a desire for constitutional government. I think though, he will have a far greater effect as a congressman, and hopefully, more and younger people will keep the _spirit_ of his constitutional "revolution" alive (hopefully, minus much of the goldbuggery/truther/JBS/LaRouche etc. baggage).

(3) Ol' Huckabuck continues to stick around hoping in some miracle to give him the 520+ delegates he would need to force a brokered convention. Ain't gonna happen on this blue earth, methinks, if only because the nature of the GOP primary machine will see the remaining states break for the "inevitable" presumptive nominee, because the establishment and even some of the harsher critics of McBane are lining up behind him. And even if the impossible did happen, I'd count on the "unofficial" horse trading of delegates (assuming they can be compelled to vote this way or that) would likely hand the nomination to McCain no later than the second ballot.

(4) The six SCOTUS justices, the war, the other bits of nastiness that could go moderately, liberally, or far left moonbatsville all depend upon which of the three weevils we get to vote for in November. However, I am not well disposed to seeing six more Stevens type justices populate the SCOTUS bench, who could go God knows which way. I am even more uneasy about replacing them with six Ruth Bader-Ginsburgs.

(5) J-Mac will prosecute the war in fine fashion, killing many terrorists. Hopefully, more will get killed than will be forced under a trial-by-jury as is the right of US citizens, once Gitmo's terrorist Club Fed gets the ax. Hillary or Imam Obama will take very great care to see that the terrorists are moved into the nearest Hilton at taxpayer expense, remunerated for their time in the pokey, and given a very fair trial, represented by the very best the ACLU has to offer - also at taxpayer expense. The Imam-President would also ensure that they all have nice new copies of the Koran and Halal food... also at taxpayer expense.

(6) I don't much like being treated like a child by the GOP establishment elites who tell me to stop being a fussy brat and "suck it up" because I don't like their media-chosen and sheeple-endorsed pick, who happened to play by the rules and actually get nominated to be head of the Party and to run as the GOP candidate for POTUS. Yet, what I will probably like even less, will be having my wages garnished for HillaryCare or ObamaCare should I somehow trip that wire, nor do I feel particularly inclined to help pay for the medical care and education of 40 million new Latino-American citizens who earned their citizenship with a few strokes of a pen.

(7) The primaries are still unfolding, and the presumptive nominee hasn't indicated who he will pick for VP. He could pick a hard core southern conservative to reassure the Tri-Cons, whilst he goes off after the moderates, Blue Dogs and Rockefeller Pubbies, or he could pick a Condi Rice or someone more moderate while he attempts to pander to the conservative base himself. As some other blogger was writing (Vodkapundit?) today, J-Mac will likely hold that card very closely until the Dems have their nominee and he knows what direction they are headed in terms of a Dem VP.

I've already said that J-Mac's selection of his VP will probably steer me back into the fold, or drive me away from any thought of supporting anybody but a paleo-con third party nobody (I've decided that I cannot bring myself to directly vote for Obama or Hillary) who would be a throwaway vote from the word go. Which, naturally, would be a vote by default for the (D) candidate.

Well, technically, my being in NY pretty much makes my vote a throwaway vote no matter what, since NY is a cobalt-blue state among blue states. But ye get the idea.

So to Jules and all other presumed "grownups" at the GOP table... yes, there is a lot at stake this year, and this is by far the most aggravating choice (politically) I've had to face in years. J-Mac is on the plane of being a Bush re-tread, and not for nothing, eight years of Bush'43 hasn't thrilled me that much.

So, I'll stay in my denial for a few more months, assuming J-Mac doesn't make some attempt at humouring me by picking a VP slightly to the right of Attila the Hun. :)

[BobInStamford]

Wow, writing all this nonsense at 3 AM on a Sunday morning. Jeebus must be thrilled that he's got a quality 'worshiper' like you. Next time you talk to him, you may want to ask Him to stop sending tornadoes the wicked rednecks. It seems like overkill.

[seekeronos]

"--- Wow, writing all this nonsense at 3 AM on a Sunday morning. Jeebus must be thrilled that he's got a quality 'worshiper' like you. ---"

No more than you logging in at 7am to critique my 3am posts... I have a valid excuse for being up with my kid waking me up. But you... what are you doing up so early on a Sunday morning? As far as I know, you haven't repented and are just logging in before going off to an early morning church service? Or are you still with no hope for eternal life?

As for me, I put in a word with Blessed Redeemer to keep you alive for a few more years in hopes that you repent, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. It would be rather awful to see you die unrepentant and to suffer in eternal hellfire.