And Then There Was One...

Well, it is all but official, John McCain is going to be the next Republican nominee for President. Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race.

I'm a little disappointed that my primary vote in May will be virtually meaningless. I'll still probably vote though. I may still make a protest vote just to let Senator McCain know that he has some bridge building to do and to let it be known that I will be watching very carefully.

It looks like Hillary is done. It isn't official yet, but with her losing Texas, it doesn't look possible for her - even if she wins Ohio as projected. I can't say that I am disappointed, although I tend to think that she would be a more competent president than Senator Obama.

I have been staying away from keeping up with too much of this political stuff this time around. It isn't like anyone will change my mind by anything that they have to say. I WILL be voting Republican. The only things that could change that would be: a) an audible voice from God or b) an angelic visitation from God.

Now I suppose that it is possible that I may not end up voting for Senator McCain. If Mr. Gingrich enters the race I'd vote for him. I don't think that is very likely, though. I will be curious to see if all of those uber-conservative naysayers follow through with their foolish notion to cross lines. That is too bizarre a thought for words.

It will also be interesting to see if either candidate wins the endorsement of the NRA. The NRA has been no friend to Senator McCain since McCain/Feingold.

That's enough politics for now. I don't have much of a stomach for it anymore.

UPDATE: March 5, 2008 10:38 am That'll teach me...

It turns out that the news last night was WRONG. Hillary won both Texas and Ohio. I don't think that it will really change anything, but it does make it more interesting.

More On McCain

It would seem that conservatives are fairly divided on McCain. As I reported earlier, Michael Medved is squarely in McCain's corner, but I have since read or heard several absolutely blistering condemnations of him as a candidate only today.

The first that I read was written by Ronald Reagan's son, Michael Reagan, and was entitled John McCain Hates Me. He said in as many words later in the article that the sentiment is echoed back towards the Senator.

The feeling is mutual between McCain and me. I don’t like the way he treats people. You get the impression that he thinks everybody is beneath him. He seems to be saying, “I was a war hero, and you had damn well better treat me as your superior.”

He has contempt for conservatives who he thinks can be duped into thinking he’s one of them, despite such blatantly anti-conservative actions as his support for amnesty for illegal immigrants, his opposition to the Bush tax cuts which got the economy rolling again, and his campaign finance bill which skewed the political process and attacked free speech.

I am appalled by his contempt for the intelligence of his listeners when he flat-out lies and expects them to believe what he says even when the truth is staring them in the face.

So, there you go.

Later I heard Ann Coulter say that she would vote for Hillary Clinton over John McCain. Yes, you heard that right, and she said it with all of the vitriol that she could muster. Sean Hannity wasn't terribly supportive of him either.



Hmmmm...

Now I see that Dr. Dobson won't support him either. He recently reaffirmed his views which were aired months ago. Well, crap.

It looks like McCain will probably wrap up the support he needs to win the nomination on Super Tuesday. Both Huckabee and Romney are fading fast. It's not looking good for the Republicans in November. If the conservative base balks at McCain there is no way that he will win. That leaves us with Hillary or Obama at the helm. (Excuse me while I shudder uncontrollably.)

So what is the answer? Well, I am still pulling for a Gingrich upset at the convention - but I'm not holding my breath either.

Here is the thing. I just cannot vote for either Obama or Hillary. They have way too many stupid ideas. I will not vote for either of them under any circumstances - barring the sudden appearance of the Antichrist as a candidate.

And sorry, I cannot abstain from voting simply because there aren't any perfect - or even nearly perfect candidates to choose from. To abstain is childish, overly-idealistic, and incredibly irresponsible even if you are Dr. Dobson. There is no way that McCain, Huckabee, or even Romney could be worse than Clinton or Obama. No way at all.

I would rather put in a vote for the best of the bad choices than stick my head in the sand, bitching the whole time, and wait for the inevitable bad choice to be elected so that I can bitch about it some more. Guess what, Republican party: Ronald Reagan isn't running for either party's nomination. Get over it and make the best of what you have to work with or provide a better alternative. And if you find someone better then let me know so that I can vote for him too.

It Would Suit Me Just Fine

Michael Reagan wrote an interesting article that suggested that Newt Gingrich might enter the presidential race as a dark horse candidate at the convention. I hope he is right. His article argues that most of the conservative Republican base are dissatisfied with the choices that they are being presented for the presidential nomination.

All of a sudden you've got this Republican primary coming down to McCain, Romney, and Ron Paul. With all this uncertainty, just where can a conservative go? All of a sudden radio talk-show hosts, who reflect the opinions of grass-roots conservative voters, are all over the lot, hammering on Rudy, hammering on Romney, hammering on McCain, and hammering on Paul.

Listening to them you get an idea who they want or don't want. They don't like McCain. Most probably they support either Huckabee or Romney. Although they think Rudy is gone, he could come back however, if he wins in Florida next Tuesday.

If Huckabee is finished, I think they go to Romney, who is somewhat more conservative than the rest. At any rate, conservatives could be faced with backing either McCain, or Romney, or Huckabee or even Rudy.

Or they could end up backing none of them.

This option is exactly the one Rush Limbaugh suggested on his show recently. Frankly, I have heard from many of the folks that I have talked to or whose blogs I have read that are so disillusioned that they are actually considering not voting at all.

I personally believe that this would be great foolishness on the part of the Christian community and the conservatives. Sometimes you are presented with nothing but bad choices. I personally would prefer to choose the least bad of those bad choices. I think that it is irresponsible to do otherwise.

But what if there were another option that 'miraculously' appeared at the last minute? What if a true conservative with well-thought-out solutions to the challenges facing America were to come onto the scene? Reagan thinks that just might happen with Gingrich.

Well, who recently has come out with a new book? Who's doing all the shows talking about his new book? Who is advocating common sense solutions to the most pressing problems America faces?

Newt Gingrich, that's who. He was out of the race for a long time; he toyed with the idea of running until Fred Thompson entered the race; and then he more or less pulled back.

Why Newt? Ask yourself why Ronald Reagan won. He won because he was able to excite a group of people in America that the liberal wing of the Republican Party has never excited – the grass roots.

Newt Gingrich is the last Republican to do that — to reach out to the grass roots, to all those conservative Republicans and Reagan Democrats. Remember, it was Newt who engineered the miraculous Republican take-over of Congress in 1994 — something that was deemed impossible two years after Bill Clinton won the White House. …

If Newt throws his hat in the ring he knows that in the blink of an eye he's got the grass roots behind him.

Well, one thing is certain. Nobody is out there actually providing well-thought-out solutions besides Newt. Everyone else is all blah, blah, blah, rhetoric, rhetoric, pontificate, pontificate, obfuscate, blah. After reading Newt's Winning the Future I am convinced that this is a man who has thought about our nation's situation thoroughly and intelligently. He has identified our greatest threats and has presented some very logical, common sense solutions to these sticky problems.

The only problem is that Newt denies having any interest in the Presidency. According to an article at Newsmax:

Gingrich also reacted to a recent column by pundit Michael Reagan, in which Reagan said he would support Gingrich for the GOP nomination if the process were deadlocked and the choice had to be brokered at the GOP convention.

“I was very flattered by Mike Reagan’s comments, he’s a terrific guy,” Gingrich said. “I think we’re going to pick a nominee in the next few weeks, and I think it will be one of the guys currently running.”

Gingrich left open the possibility that he would accept an offer to run as vice president, however. “I would feel compelled to consider it,” he told Newsmax. “But it would depend on what the platform was, and what the agreement was about relative roles. But I certainly would not turn it down out of hand.”

Well, let me say this, Mr. Gingrich: as far as I'm concerned Mr. Reagan is right. If your name was on the ballot I would unreservedly give you my support. I wouldn't say that about anyone currently campaigning.

Update:
I just found this in an article with CNN.:

The radical realist (Newt Gingrich) who defied conventional wisdom 12 years ago by stealing the House out from under the noses of entrenched Democrats now plans a surprise attack for the presidency. "I'm going to tell you something, and whether or not it's plausible given the world you come out of is your problem," he tells Fortune. "I am not 'running' for president. I am seeking to create a movement to win the future by offering a series of solutions so compelling that if the American people say I have to be president, it will happen." So he's running, only without yet formally saying so.

The article is pretty old, but all I can say is, "I hope they are right."

Gingrich Not Running...

Just saw a headline that Newt Gingrich is not running. Dang. That should clarify things in the GOP race a little bit. At least that possibility is removed and the candidates can start weeding each other out. Now my earlier post is becoming even more relevant. It's going to be an interesting ride...