I decided that I needed a break from any and all things related to the presidential election.
So, I am going politics-free until Tuesday when the Florida primary is held. My hope is that the current polling is accurate and Mitt Romney emerges the victor. The alternatives are just unacceptable.
Sphere: Related ContentTwo of my co-workers and I have political discussions over the walls of our cubes on a very regular basis. We are all of the conservative persuasion and very seldom disagree on any of the issues.
Today Nikki, our Administrative Assistant, sighed and said she wasn't going to vote at all because there was no one to vote for.
Normally I would have been reading her the riot act about shirking her responsibility and how we are so blessed in this country to be able to choose our leaders.
But today? I simply sighed as well and said "I've got nothing. I cannot give you one good reason why you should vote this time." I am simply drowning in political apathy due to the remaining choices before us.
Sad.
Sphere: Related ContentI have been a political junkie all my life.
The first time I remember being interested in an election was when I was 8 years old. My grandmother was puzzled as to why her granddaughter was so determined to remain awake until the final results for the 1976 presidential election came in. She was not a political type and neither was her husband. Yet, she had to fight me tooth and nail to get me to go to sleep when I was clearly on the verge of nodding off while trying to stay glued to the television until the bitter end. She won that battle. But the next morning the first words out of my mouth were to ask who won. Was President Ford still the president? Or did Jimmy Carter win? I was too young at the time to really tell the difference between the two politically, but I knew the race was important because they were fighting to be President of the United States.
Now in the year 2008 I fear that I am on the verge of having no delight in what has been one of my great passions in life.
Why?
This election is historic. It is the first time in 80 years that there is no sitting President or Vice President running for office. You would think that would be a good thing. The more candidates, the more options the better, right? Wrong! The sameness among the field without any distinct choices has left me feeling quite melancholy about the foreseeable future. Who will lead? And will they lead us in the right direction? I can't say. But I don't foresee this election doing this country much good in the long or short term. I think it will leave us more divided than ever.
Politics and its historical ramifications were one of the few interests that I shared with my father. I have felt his loss even more so with this election falling so soon after his death. He and I were two peas in a pod when it came to politics. On this, we saw eye to eye. I could sit and talk to him for hours about the state of the nation and its leaders. We would handicap the races and talk about the odds for each potential candidate being elected. It was sheer bliss.
But this feeling of dissatisfaction and unease with the choices presented is a unique experience for me. I have not been so adamantly opposed to so many candidates in my life. I grew up with Ronald Reagan being larger than life. He led this nation during the time that I really became politically aware and he remains the standard by which I judge all those who run. Now we have pundits and leaders we had grown to respect tell us that all of the values and principles that Reagan stood for is over. They say we should get over ourselves and accept this new path.
And it leaves me asking the question - Is this it? Is this all there is? And that leaves me quite sad indeed.
Sphere: Related ContentOver the past week or so I've seen posts around the blogosphere that have angrily demanded that conservatives line up behind John McCain if he secures the nomination - because we MUST defeat whoever the Democrats select.
The writers all seem to insist that voters abandon their conservative principles based purely on the party in which McCain has filed.
I will have to take a pass on that.
I cannot vote for John McCain.
I will not vote for John McCain.
If these bloggers are so intent on denying all of the ways in which John McCain has lined up with Democrats over the years then that is their choice. If they choose to ignore the times in which John McCain has spit on the Republican party that is their choice. If the Maverick tickles their fancy because of where he offices in Washington D.C. then I am not going to criticize them for making that choice.
But my choice is not to make the mistake of assuming that President McCain would act in any way that is different than how Senator McCain has acted. Senator McCain has given us suppression of free speech via McCain-Feingold. Senator McCain has given us a rejection of our nation's sovereignty and an attempt to force amnesty for illegal aliens via McCain-Kennedy. Senator McCain fought to keep the appointment of conservative judges off the bench by his bullying through the Gang of 14. Senator McCain insulted and offended evangelical Christians in the 2000 race for President. I cannot recall a time when Senator McCain has made a real stand for the protection of the unborn. His actions speak volumes. In nearly every opportunity he has been presented with in which to act contrary to the values of the Republican party he has taken it. He is the true definition of a RINO.
I don't trust or respect John McCain one bit more than I like or trust Hillary Clinton. I think I might like and respect Barack Obama significantly more than I like or respect John McCain, but we part ways on the issues.
So, I reject the insistence that I have to vote for John McCain simply because he files as a Republican. He has not acted as a Republican during his time in the U.S. Senate. I have no faith that he would act as one as President of the United States.
If John McCain is on the ticket in November, I will be casting a write in vote for Fred Dalton Thompson. I want my vote to matter. I want my vote to represent me. I cannot, in all good conscience, say that any vote for John McCain is in keeping with my values or my principles.
If a liberal is going to be in charge for the next four years, then I want the Democrats to get the credit for it. Maybe then Republican voters will learn the lesson that you don't send a RINO to do a Republican's job.
Update: Michelle Malkin rips John McCain a new one
In quoting Michael Medved, Sister Toldjah has written a very compelling argument about why Republicans should vote for John McCain should he be the nominee. And I have to admit that this is the one issue that could make me do the unthinkable when the chips are down.
Who would you rather be at the helm of the ship in the middle of the war on terror? The guy who has been unwaveringly supportive on the issue of winning in Iraq and who understands that it is critical to the future success of the war on terror that we are victorious there, or the guy or gal who would let all the progress that has been made in Iraq go to waste, and allow our troops sacrifices be in vain by pulling the US out of Iraq before the mission has been completed? If we support the troops, doesn’t it stand to reason that we would support the candidate who understands what the cost of losing in Iraq would be, and who understands that our troops have fought so strongly, so bravely, and so proudly, and deserve to come home with honor and a sense of accomplishment?
Personally I am going to hope and pray that Mitt Romney is the guy that can get the job done and not force any of us to have to make the difficult choice to vote for someone as repugnant to conservatives as John McCain.
Sphere: Related ContentIn a brief statement issued today, Fred Thompson has officially dropped out of the 2008 race for President of the United States:
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
His country is sorely lacking the highest quality of leadership that he alone, amongst the available candidates, could have provided. Fred Thompson was a serious candidate that provided real solutions for the issues facing this nation, but in this age guided by pop culture and influenced by the media his audience was not able to fully grasp that greatness.
His party has certainly benefited from his run because it has deeply, and I believe fatally, wounded the candidacy of Mike Huckabee. The one consolation that I take from the loss of Fred! from the field is that he drew a clear, distinct line between what is conservative and what is not. By so doing, he has saved his party from suffering through the disastrous nomination of someone who is not fit to be President of the United States. A true and competent leader must guide us through this time in which our national security is even more serious and vitally important than ever before and Mike Huckabee is most definitely not that man.
Rumors of his withdrawal from the race were often accompanied by the idea that he would endorse one of his opponents. The man that was assumed to receive that endorsement was his friend John McCain. However, Fred! has once again gone the opposite direction of what was expected and he will not be endorsing anyone.
In the coming days I will be reading up on Mitt Romney so that I can make an informed decision when Texas holds its primary in March. My heart's desire is to still cast a vote for Fred Thompson. However in order to stop the nomination of John McCain, who is not a true conservative Republican, I will probably have to support the one man that I believe can put an end to the Maverick's bid.
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