Saturday, February 02, 2008
McCain Derangement Syndrome
Let's break this down.
de·range \di-ˈrānj\ vt de·ranged; de·rang·ing [French déranger, from Old French desrengier, from des- de- + reng line, row 1769]
1 : to disturb the operation or functions of
2 : disarrange
3 : to make insane
— de·range·ment \-mənt\ noun
Rachel Lucas says I'm off my rocker. I've seen references to McCain Derangement Syndrome. I have it. Flat out. John McCain disturbs me for all of the reasons listed in Rachel's post. When confronted with the possibility (inevitability?) that he will become the GOP nominee, I cease to function in a rational manner.
Why? Let's get to the root causes.
Going back to 2000, President Bush appealed to both social conservatives and business conservatives (I won't say fiscal, because that implies spending restraint). At the time, I didn't understand what "Compassionate Conservative" meant. Now I do. It means "Democrat Lite". It's the failure to overhaul Social Security combined with a Medicare drug benefit. It's NCLB while Democrats whine that there's never enough funding for schools.
I went with the President on the war in Iraq. That I understand. I've been impressed by the judges he's nominated, while staring open-mouthed at his lack of willingness to organize the GOP to fight for more (so much for the New Tone). I've received my tax rebates (2001 and 2003), while watching him make the same mistake Reagan did: not reigning in spending by a money-drunk Congress. And I've watched him stand by while millions of illegals flood into the country, overwhelm the medical system and police forces, and claim that we owe them for their breaking of the law.
Then we watched as the GOP went down in flames in 2006 from scandal and unfulfilled promises. As they turned into Democrats through spending plans and earmarks, it left conservatives wondering which party actually represents their interests. Why do conservatives feel like staying home on election day if McCain is the nominee? There's no one there that represents our interests. And even if he says he does now, John McCain cannot be trusted. I believe he'll ride the Maverick label right into "bi-partisanship" that will serve Democrat interests more than ours. Give them an inch, and they'll expect the mile next Tuesday, or they'll label you a metric hate-monger. One thing McCain can't stand is bad press. He'll do anything to stay in their good graces, including appeasing their Democrat allies.
That's my rationale for being against McCain. Is that deranged?
UPDATE: Mychal Massie at WND says it better than I ever could. via Darth Misha
de·range \di-ˈrānj\ vt de·ranged; de·rang·ing [French déranger, from Old French desrengier, from des- de- + reng line, row 1769]
1 : to disturb the operation or functions of
2 : disarrange
3 : to make insane
— de·range·ment \-mənt\ noun
Rachel Lucas says I'm off my rocker. I've seen references to McCain Derangement Syndrome. I have it. Flat out. John McCain disturbs me for all of the reasons listed in Rachel's post. When confronted with the possibility (inevitability?) that he will become the GOP nominee, I cease to function in a rational manner.
Why? Let's get to the root causes.
Going back to 2000, President Bush appealed to both social conservatives and business conservatives (I won't say fiscal, because that implies spending restraint). At the time, I didn't understand what "Compassionate Conservative" meant. Now I do. It means "Democrat Lite". It's the failure to overhaul Social Security combined with a Medicare drug benefit. It's NCLB while Democrats whine that there's never enough funding for schools.
I went with the President on the war in Iraq. That I understand. I've been impressed by the judges he's nominated, while staring open-mouthed at his lack of willingness to organize the GOP to fight for more (so much for the New Tone). I've received my tax rebates (2001 and 2003), while watching him make the same mistake Reagan did: not reigning in spending by a money-drunk Congress. And I've watched him stand by while millions of illegals flood into the country, overwhelm the medical system and police forces, and claim that we owe them for their breaking of the law.
Then we watched as the GOP went down in flames in 2006 from scandal and unfulfilled promises. As they turned into Democrats through spending plans and earmarks, it left conservatives wondering which party actually represents their interests. Why do conservatives feel like staying home on election day if McCain is the nominee? There's no one there that represents our interests. And even if he says he does now, John McCain cannot be trusted. I believe he'll ride the Maverick label right into "bi-partisanship" that will serve Democrat interests more than ours. Give them an inch, and they'll expect the mile next Tuesday, or they'll label you a metric hate-monger. One thing McCain can't stand is bad press. He'll do anything to stay in their good graces, including appeasing their Democrat allies.
That's my rationale for being against McCain. Is that deranged?
UPDATE: Mychal Massie at WND says it better than I ever could. via Darth Misha
Labels: Election 2008, John McCain, Rachel Lucas
# posted by SMP @ 4:20 AM 
