While I have always liked McCain on personal levels, provided he lost to W back in the primaries of 2000, I have my reservations. First, provided what W and Rove did to McCain, it is that he has managed to come around to supporting W has my Machiavelli-sense tingling, the same way Hillary’s vote for Iraq authorization, it’s too calculating. Beyond that, his age says to me, “no, he is not your guy.” I used to like McCain, but I don’t any more for President. Personally, I would prefer a disintegration of the old guard in Washington; moreover, that he is in the GOP says to me, “not a chance.”
What I love about the Economist’s Lexington piece this week though, is its deconstruction of the other Pols running in the Republican Primaries.
“Mr McCain's qualities are particularly striking if you contrast him with his leading rivals. His willingness to stick to his guns on divisive subjects such as immigration stands in sharp contrast to Mr Romney's oily pandering. Mr Romney likes to claim that his views on topics such as gay rights and abortion have “evolved”. But they have evolved in a direction that is strikingly convenient—perhaps through intelligent design. Can a party that mocked John Kerry really march into battle behind their very own Massachusetts flip-flopper?
Mr Giuliani gets good marks for character. His record as mayor of New York bespeaks toughness. His performance on September 11th 2001 proves that he can take charge in a crisis. But what about judgment? He chose Bernard Kerik to run the NYPD, made him a partner in his consultancy, and persuaded the White House to nominate him as head of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Kerik is now facing serious corruption charges. The Democrats will be happy to remind people of other lapses in Mr Giuliani's judgment if he wins the nomination.
The weakness of the two front-runners is persuading many Republicans to turn to Mr Huckabee. Mr Huckabee is indeed an attractive candidate—a good debater and a charming fellow. But he is woefully lacking in experience. He knows next to nothing about foreign and military affairs, and his tax plans are otherworldly. A presidential debate between Mr Huckabee and Hillary Clinton would be a rout.” (Economist, December 6, 2007)
In short, I like to think of myself as an independent, but I have not seen anything out of the GOP since McCain ran eight years ago. When the GOP went with W that is when I went the other direction with a clear conscience. The GOP’s base was sold on W’s religious conservatism and his tax cuts, one of those two platforms he executed on, but did so poorly. The other, religious conservatism, well, it’s just not politically viable. As for the tax cuts, the genius thought that one could push tax cuts during a war, which he also thought we completed, what? Three Years Ago? We are in such a mess right now, the years it takes to fix the state of the GOP’s hegemony in Washington will leave pundits blaming who is holding the torch fixing things, not those who left it in shambles from ’00-’08.
What I love about the Economist’s Lexington piece this week though, is its deconstruction of the other Pols running in the Republican Primaries.
“Mr McCain's qualities are particularly striking if you contrast him with his leading rivals. His willingness to stick to his guns on divisive subjects such as immigration stands in sharp contrast to Mr Romney's oily pandering. Mr Romney likes to claim that his views on topics such as gay rights and abortion have “evolved”. But they have evolved in a direction that is strikingly convenient—perhaps through intelligent design. Can a party that mocked John Kerry really march into battle behind their very own Massachusetts flip-flopper?
Mr Giuliani gets good marks for character. His record as mayor of New York bespeaks toughness. His performance on September 11th 2001 proves that he can take charge in a crisis. But what about judgment? He chose Bernard Kerik to run the NYPD, made him a partner in his consultancy, and persuaded the White House to nominate him as head of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Kerik is now facing serious corruption charges. The Democrats will be happy to remind people of other lapses in Mr Giuliani's judgment if he wins the nomination.
The weakness of the two front-runners is persuading many Republicans to turn to Mr Huckabee. Mr Huckabee is indeed an attractive candidate—a good debater and a charming fellow. But he is woefully lacking in experience. He knows next to nothing about foreign and military affairs, and his tax plans are otherworldly. A presidential debate between Mr Huckabee and Hillary Clinton would be a rout.” (Economist, December 6, 2007)
In short, I like to think of myself as an independent, but I have not seen anything out of the GOP since McCain ran eight years ago. When the GOP went with W that is when I went the other direction with a clear conscience. The GOP’s base was sold on W’s religious conservatism and his tax cuts, one of those two platforms he executed on, but did so poorly. The other, religious conservatism, well, it’s just not politically viable. As for the tax cuts, the genius thought that one could push tax cuts during a war, which he also thought we completed, what? Three Years Ago? We are in such a mess right now, the years it takes to fix the state of the GOP’s hegemony in Washington will leave pundits blaming who is holding the torch fixing things, not those who left it in shambles from ’00-’08.
No comments:
Post a Comment