Good Stuff

Kim du Toit
May 14, 2008
11:48 AM CDT

Bob Bidinotto posts his thoughts on November’s election, and they’re good ones. Here are a couple of samples:

Someone just posted a comment to a previous entry, asking, in essence, whether I thought it was better to vote for Republican John McCain (because of his stand on the war, and his likelihood of appointing better Supreme Court justices) or Libertarian Bob Barr (because of his superior political philosophy).

My answer is a qualified “neither.” The qualification hinges on the word “for.”

I won’t be voting “for” any presidential candidate in November. I’ll be voting against one.

As good as Bob Barr is on most domestic issues, the Libertarian foreign policy is suicidally naive. Also, I think minority-party “protest votes” are futile and wasted.  Either a Republican or Democrat will occupy the White House in 2009. Those are the only realistic alternatives. For me, therefore, my November presidential vote will be between the two major party candidates—and that vote will be purely tactical, not philosophical.

Obviously, I can’t support either Obama or McCain on philosophical grounds. Both, in different ways, would be national disasters—Obama both at home and abroad, and the McCain mainly on the domestic front. Unlike conservatives, I have zero confidence that McCain, as a conservative progressive in the Teddy Roosevelt tradition, will select limited-government justices to join the Supremes. So I think that there is only one public-policy reason to pull the McCain lever: the war against radical Islam. Period.

Can’t argue with any of that. Pragmatic approaches always win out for me, especially when facing the Antichrist socialists. Also:

It looks like the GOP will suffer crushing defeats at the congressional level in November. I would not want the Dems to take the White House, too, and thus have an unobstructed path to unlimited expansion of federal power. Since limiting federal power—to whatever extent possible—is my top political priority, I’d probably want a Republican (however nominal) in the White House, as something of a check on Congress. In other words, I’ll be voting in hopes of some measure of gridlock.

Yup.

And for those who are thinking of sitting this one out, allow me to quote some other guy:

Fact is, our choices are going to be Maverick Johnny McCain (Self-TV) or Messiah Obama (Soc-IL). That’s the hand we’ve been dealt, and that’s the one we’re going to have to play.

Remember, this is not like a poker game, where if you’re losing, or don’t like the stakes, you can walk away from the game with your money.

If you walk away from this game, the others will continue to play your hands, with your money.

Time to restart the conservative revolution later.

Comments

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Any chance we can build a time machine, go into the future, and bring back a 45-year-old Bobby Jindal with a full term or two as Louisiana Governor under his belt to run??

Alex F. | 5/14/2008 12:03 PM CDT | #119710


Any flashbacks to voting under apartheid, Kim?

You had the reigning Nats (Nationalist party), the United party - the official opposition - and the PFP (Progressive Federal party.) The only party that stood for one-man-one-vote was the PFP and they garnered less than 10% of the vote. I “wasted” my vote on the PFP, because I felt they rejected apartheid, the problem was that most voters got swayed by the same kind of number games we find ourselves playing here in 2008!

I am probably going to pull the Libertarian lever. I cancelled my LP membership after 911, reason listed: failure to uphold the constitution - specifically protecting our borders - but then the Dems and Reps aren’t taking that seriously either…

joe moer | 5/14/2008 12:41 PM CDT | #119714


Election after election we face the same thing. Time after time we wind up voting against the radical left, rather than for someone who represents our worldview.

We have almost no conservatives (sorry, Romney was NOT a conservative. Thompson was marginal and doomed) at the national level, and we have almost no one there because we don’t pay attention to the “minor leagues” so we a LOT smaller selection.

What we need to do is start getting involved with local (City/County) elections. Making sure that conservative leaning Republicans (and Democrats if you lean that way) get elected to office.

But I think I’ve said that before.

Billy Oblivion | 5/14/2008 12:53 PM CDT | #119717


I concur with the “I’m Voting Against Socialism” mantra.  Any possibility of seeing that as a bumper sticker anytime soon?  I would by one for each of my vehicles (3) and several for my like minded friends and relatives.  By the way, I hate bumper stickers and there are none on any of the vehicles right now.  This would be a huge step for me.

Brutus | 5/14/2008 01:18 PM CDT | #119724


The mere fact that McCain won’t abandon our military is enough to garner my vote.

4 (or, Hayseuss forbid, 8) years of a socialist as POTUS would devestate our capabilities.  In these perilous times, that’s not something I am willing to accept.

So yeah, I’ll be joining the ranks of nose-holders and pulling the McCain lever. 

Like Billy O said above, the time and place for activism is not the coming POTUS election.

RightIsRight | 5/14/2008 01:26 PM CDT | #119725


Hallelujah, Kim turned the lights on for folks!

I’m glad Kim puts it in a way that folks here can accept; I never claimed to be a public speaker, I get too frustrated with the issues and get all screaming-strident and p*ss everyone off. Sorry about that, guys.

Vote AGAINST Socialist Ding-a-lings, if you can’t vote FOR McCain. It’s the same thing, just from a different POV.
And then start the grass-roots for someone you CAN vote FOR. DO the best job for that candidate you possibly can do.

The Mad Yank | 5/14/2008 02:31 PM CDT | #119738


“I’d probably want a Republican (however nominal) in the White House, as something of a check on Congress. In other words, I’ll be voting in hopes of some measure of gridlock.”

This is the best passage in the entire piece.  And McCain is at least nominally pro 2nd amendment.  As long the American people have arms there is hope.

Mike Hunter | 5/14/2008 03:07 PM CDT | #119743


“I love my country more than I dislike John McCain.” Did I read that here first?  And yeah, he has the right attitude on radical Islam and national defense.

Him or Obama.  A protest vote is a wasted vote.  Nobody knows, nobody cares.

And most conservatives are too busy raising kids and working to bet too involved in politics.  Democrats tend to be younger and more fanatical.  Then they grow up and realize what has happened.

badfrog101 | 5/14/2008 04:23 PM CDT | #119750


What about people in safe states?  If one is voting in a place like Texas, it would seem to be acceptable to vote for a Libertarian candidate because one’s vote doesn’t have a snowball’s chance of affecting the outcome.  Am I wrong?

Antipodes | 5/14/2008 04:31 PM CDT | #119751


I voted Libertarian from 1976 (anyone remember Roger Macbride) through 1992. It was my way, 100%, or the hell with you. I was young, dumb and altogether way too ideological in my thought patterns. I never appreciated how Reagan and to some extent GWHB (but not on taxes) held the line against a Democrat House, and a most of the time Democrat Senate.

Then Clinton was elected, and I got wise. the LP is for cranks who could care less if they win as long as they appear to be standing on principles. I will not argue with anyone who points out that the GOP is populated by a spineless bunch of wimps who in the end misued our trust in a ridiculous orgy of spending and other nonsense. On the other hand, Obama is at least the political antiChrist, and for all I know, a theological one as well (I’m not as well read in the Book of Revelation as I should be). So, I’ll still vote for McCain because a sometimes idiot is better than a 100% 24/7 idiot.

There are things we can do in the meantime. Find and support real Conservatives. The Club For Growth is putting their money where their mouth is, and if your district or state doesn’t have anyone good, these guys can link you up with someone else who can hopefully stand for limited Constitutional government.

I will not drop out of the political scene, and none of you folks should either. Say what you want about Pelosi, Reid and Dean, but they could have done that after 2004, and now they are poised to possibly have it all.

Jim in Carmichael | 5/14/2008 04:43 PM CDT | #119754


What if you live in a state where your vote does not matter? What if you live in a state where there is a 100% chance that the winner will be the Democrat?

Protest votes are not futile or wasted in this situation. I live in a state that John McCain has already written off, and that the Dems have already added to their win column.

So, this November I will be voting for the same guy I voted for in the primary. I will vote for Fred Thompson.

spectre765 | 5/14/2008 04:56 PM CDT | #119756


*SIGH* Truly, pragmatism must come to the fore here. I’m getting so sick of voting against rather than for. But, from the totally pragmatic view, that’s indeed what we’re stuck with yet again. Mah daddy always said play the cards you’re dealt. *SIGH* Maybe next hand will be better. Eventually? Maybe?

cmblake6 | 5/14/2008 05:15 PM CDT | #119757


I’m voting McCain, even though it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Dems will carry California.
Fortune may smile on us; the Dem voters may decide that they can’t vote for someone so leftist or who has such an incomplete view of the threats in the world today*, or they may forget where the polling places are.
Hey, it could happen!

*compared to the threat from radical Islam, the threat from global warming is the same as the threat from fairies in my lower garden.

Windy Wilson | 5/14/2008 07:27 PM CDT | #119761


Well, we do what we can. Maryland is so firmly Dem that even after four years of O’Malley’s broken promises and tax hikes, he will stand an excellent chance of being reelected. Even if the voters finally wake up, it won’t help. Election law and procedure here are absolutely in the Dems’ favor. As some guy said, “It doesn’t matter who votes, it matters who COUNTS the votes.” So, I continue to suffer, due to circumstances beyond my control, until the happy day when I can get the hell out of here. Of COURSE I won’t support the socialists, but they’ll screw me anyway. The crack-heads, crooks, and welfare mothers of Baltimore will see to that. I intend to invest heavily in brass, copper, lead, sulfur, potassium nitrate, and other commodities.

Odahi | 5/14/2008 07:49 PM CDT | #119764


This is the first election in the 36 years I’ve been voting that I can barely tell ANY difference between the socialist candidate and the the “republican” candidate.  Supreme Court Justices? I expect McCain to “reach across the aisle” and nominate judges acceptable to the socialists.  Limit the power of the socialists? How?  By reaching across the aisle?  If they control congress, I don’t trust McCain to limit them any more than Hillary would.  The war?  McCain is on the right side of that but, correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think he’ll be able to continue a war in defiance of a hostile congress.  If he can, he must know something Nixon didn’t know in 1973.  Someone with a shorter memory than mine said he’s nominally pro 2A.  No doubt that’s why he worked with the Citizens for Gun Safety to work for more gun control.  McCain-Feingold, McCain Kennedy, etc.  Why doesn’t the guy just change parties?

The only thing I see him providing is political cover and a scapegoat for the socialists so they can still blame the republicans when their big government programs fail.

I’m desparately looking for any feeble excuse to vote for McCain so help me out here.  I’ll probably put my head in a vise and force myself to vote for him...unless fear of having to tar and feather myself afterward wins out.  When over half of the voters are below average intelligence* and you add in dead democrats, “undocumented” democrats, multiple personality-hence multiple vote-democrats, the boxes of uncounted ballots they’ll “discover” in the basement of the teamsters hall, etc, America may be done.  No country can survive giving itself unlimited free lunches.

*I know that seems mathematically incorrect but can you look at the last election and honestly say it’s wrong?

DwightG | 5/14/2008 08:19 PM CDT | #119766


Ah well, maybe this will inspire the pushing of the “RESET” button. Maybe this will be what triggers the coup d’etat. Maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt. Who knows.

cmblake6 | 5/14/2008 09:23 PM CDT | #119769


I cannot possibly vote for McCain. The reason he’s a “maverick” is that he sides with the Democrats against the Republicans.

However, that doesn’t mean I can vote for whichever lying socialist the Democrats nominate. I’ll leave the “President” line blank, or maybe write in Tom Tancredo.

Ultimately, I want the socialist to win. Why? Because McCain will be worse for the Republican party than a Democrat. Regardless of which Democrat it is, the Republicans will recognize it as the enemy and act accordingly. However, if it’s McCain, it’ll be just like with W: despite his continuous betrayal of Republicans, conservatives, and the country, the Republican establishment will support him at all costs.

W has thrashed the conservative movement to within an inch of its life. President McCain would deliver the coup de grace, thus destroying the conservative movement for a generation.

We don’t have a generation to spare. Let the socialist Democrat win and the conservative movement will be revitalized. Let the Democrat take the blame for the impending recession, market crash, and possible depression to come. We can survive four years of incompetent Democratic “leadership,” but we can not survive a generation without a viable conservative movement.

HarryK | 5/14/2008 11:16 PM CDT | #119776


I will ask one more question on this subject and then shut up about it, just to stimulate the argument.
WHO actually killed the Conservative Movement in this country, and state your supporting evidence? Please, no emoting (I’VE already done WAY TOO MUCH of that crap!), just factual, go-to-the-encyclopedia and look it up evidence, the kind Kim would accept from the Bench.
I’ll be waiting to read the answers posted here until Kim closes down commentary. OR, alternatively, Kim: How about putting this open over on Geopoliticus?

The Mad Yank | 5/15/2008 06:28 AM CDT | #119781


Around the time of the 2006 elections, Nancy Pelosi (Moron-CA) said that it was always better if the White House was one party and Congress was controlled by the other.

I wonder if she feels that way now.  Will she be willing to give up Congress if the Obamassiah wins?

Steve L. | 5/15/2008 07:16 AM CDT | #119786

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