Let Them Go Their Own Way

I have just finished reading this article from the Washington Post. The article basically describes how John McCain has settled back into his familiar role of the "maverick."

The surest sign of McCain's return to his "maverick" ways came when he caught wind of an effort by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) to delay Clinton's confirmation vote by a day, pushing it from Tuesday to Wednesday because he was seeking greater disclosure about foreign donors to former president Bill Clinton's charitable foundation. McCain found the objection gratuitous -- despite policy disagreements with Clinton, he and most Republicans consider her well qualified -- and said so publicly.

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Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said McCain has accepted the election outcome and decided, "Let's move on with it." He said McCain's campaign agenda remains his agenda in the Senate: immigration reform; overhauling energy and environmental policies; budget restraint; improving Social Security. "He'll be one of the leaders of the loyal opposition and he will obviously try to find that middle ground on big items," Graham said.

It seems that Senator Graham misses the big point. We don't to find the "middle ground" on the big issues. The big issues of this administration will include the expansion of unions, huge government spending programs and the weakening of our security.

In his speech to CPAC in 1975, Ronald Reagan stressed that the Republican Party had to be the party of "bold colors." He urged moderate Republicans who wanted to catch a ride on the Democratic express to "go their own way." Well, I believe that we face a similar situation today. There is a war over the soul of the Republican Party between those who want to go along to get along and the rest of us. You see evidence of this even today from Palin kneecapper David Frum. He reported on his blog the "story" concerning the disposal of clothing purchased by the RNC for Governor Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign. Why is this an issue? Well, because it makes Palin "look bad." Governor Palin is a true conservative and to the David Frums of the party she must be stopped. We must remember this: John McCain was the choice of the Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party. He was pushed on us by so called "conservative intellectuals" because he could attract those pesky independent voters. As the campaign progressed I realized that I could barely tell the difference between John McCain and Barack Obama on most issues, and I was getting the sinking feeling that McCain only wanted to be the Republican nominee and nothing more.

From time to time you may have heard the terms "centrist" and "pragmatist." "We need a more centrist party. We need pragmatic candidates." Make no mistake, the terms centrist and pragmatist do not have the same meaning. We are told that a centrist is somebody who governs from the middle; centrists are also pragmatists because they respond to an issue or crisis by crafting a response regardless of political ideology. This is not the correct path for the Republican Party. A conservative can be a pragmatist. Ronald Reagan was a pragmatist. Even as the recession in the early 1980s became more severe, he knew in his heart that lower taxes and less government would lead the United States out of it. When he was crafting a response to the challenge, he looked into his heart and made a decision. A "centrist-pragmatist" does not look into their hearts to make a decision because they have no political foundation. They see a challenge and they look around the room and ask, "how do I solve this?"

If people like John McCain and Olympia Snowe want to become Democrats, they should just change their party identification. Why should the conservatives, who make up the heart and soul of the Republican Party, be forced to continue to support these candidates with millions of dollars and hours of volunteering? All we seem to get in return is "crossing the aisle" and knife wounds in our backs from their work in Congress.