The Case For Sitting Out
Posted on January 21, 2008
Fred Thompson was a more than acceptable Reaganesque conservative who offered the GOP a chance to delay having to face those tough choices. Indeed, to borrow a football metaphor, a Thompson presidency offered the GOP a chance to reload rather than going through the painful process of rebuilding. The other 4 are all so deeply and irredeemably flawed that their presidency likely would be doomed to failure from the outset.
If the choice is between choosing the lesser of 4 evils and teeing up a process by which the GOP reinvents itself for the 21st Century, I’m inclined to opt for the latter. Coupled with losing Congress in 2006, losing the presidency in 2008 will provide a pair of defeats that surely will prompt “attentiveness†on the part of the GOP leadership and the intellectual base of think tanks and academics who helped lay the foundation for the Reagan and Gingrich revolutions. Just as the
IsraelisIsraelites had to be punished for listening to the 10 fearful spies, the GOP needs to be punished for having been seduced by Bush and DeLay. Just as theIsraelisIsraelites came back stronger and fitter for the tasks ahead, so might a chastened GOP.So that’s why my answer to Ruffini’s poll is: None of the above.
Related…from Rush Limbaugh:
CALLER: Earlier you had mentioned that when the time comes, you’re going to announce or get behind somebody, and I’m just wondering, what’s your selection criteria for picking a candidate, and two, how do you decide when that time is that you’re going to announce? I’m more interested in how you pick a candidate. Because especially this year with—there’s really not a true conservative. How do you narrow it down?
RUSH: That’s an excellent point. I don’t have a time frame, just to address that first. I don’t have a time frame.
CALLER: All right.
RUSH: And I also, I can see possibly not supporting a Republican nominee.
CALLER: Hm-hm.
RUSH: And I never thought that I would say that in my life.
If we’re going to give this country to statists, by all means do it under the Democratic banner, not the Republican one.
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, Elections, News, Politics As Usual
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11 Responses to “The Case For Sitting Out”
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The problem is, sitting out will not change what the GOP does. They haven’t had the epiphany that 2006 should have provided them, and losing in 2008 will not do it, either.
I see the point, but, if the choice is a moderate, wishy washy, namby pamby Republican, or Hillary/Obama/Edwards, I gotta choose the RINO. At least I will get some of what I want, vs getting everything I hate.
Rush should throw his weight behind Thompson. Give him a personal phone call and see if his intent to stay in.
If it is, then we can at least get to a brokered convention.
No offense, but I don’t think you’d see this many RINOs on an African safari and the election would go down to a nailbiter.
2010, 2012, whatever it takes. These are politicians we’re talking about here. At some point, someone will figure it out and run a good conservative campaign.
You can only effect change by voting your conscience.
You should watch Gingrich who is attempting to build up his national political base by entering the national conversation. That is what Reagan himself did prior to his 1980 win. It may be Gingrich believes that the Democrats will win in 2008 but that he may be able to topple them in 2012 or 2016 much as Reagan toppled Carter. Gingrich has just released a book entitled “Real Change”.
Why vote if you can’t vote your conscience? Why vote if you are not voting FOR someone?
McCain IS a democrat.
Huckabee is worse in most cases to the Democrats.
If it is these guys, why vote?
You never ever stay home to punish GOP! Example: If I am a resident for AZ6 district (Jeff Flake is rep.) and if lets say McCain wins GOP nom, it would be better to at least vote Jeff Flake and vote 3rd party for president than to stay home and not vote at all. Silence in this matter is as bad as evil and more Conservatives don’t want that (remember how silent it was after 1973 roe v. wade).
What I plan to do: Either Thompson or Paul are acceptable moderate to far right candidates. If not both, my opinion would be to vote for lesser of two evils (Hillary is the worst of the worst).
If you are upset at a leader, voice your frustration on the phone to him/her. BUT DON’T STAY HOME AND THROW AWAY YOUR VOTE, CAUSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
It’s fine to vote third party, but you must have a good excuse. Meaning voting third party against someone like Jeff Flake or Jeb Hensnarling or Andrew Harris (MD1) will not help the conservative revolution grow.
For you Marylanders in district 1 - vote Andrew Harris. Thats a start!
You can always vote your conscience.
Jason’s right, if you sit out completely, it’ll have ramifications throughout the party.
So go vote in November. Give the entire undercard to the GOP and do as you wish with your Presidential vote. Leave it blank, write in Fred, or vote 3rd party. I’d suggest you find a 3rd party because that will show up more clearly as a protest in future statistical analyses.
Thank you Jeff.
Another thing to add is that everyone should remember that if you stay home, you will not only protest on Presidental vote but also on other important positions too (senate, rep, state positions, locals), and that is awful. Even you will miss voting on a potential lightning rod conservative below the President’s level.
I live in NY-25 (Rep Walsh-R) and staying home from voting here would be terrible.
The problem with sitting it out is that then we end up with a Dem in the WH, and, unfortunately, politics is often about voting for the least repulsive candidate.
We could end up with a RINO that at least gives us some of what we want, or we could get a Dem and get everything we hate. It is a cynical way of looking at it, but, hey, that is the way of politics.
He’s Out — Fred Thompson Drops ‘08 Bid…
Early buzz for candidacy, plagued by delay and low energy, never picked up steam…
You know William, that’s long been my philosophy but I wonder if it’s right.
With a Republican President and a Republican Congress, they managed to bloat the government more than anyone before them.
I’m trying to count on “what I got” out of voting for Republicans for the last 6 years. I’m paying more taxes than I ever did. I’m not a senior so I didn’t get a prescription drug bribe.
I got two Supreme Court justices out of it. Two that have some real iffy opinions on subjects near and dear to yours truly.
I’m through with them. We’ll see them again in a decade or two when some more Justices are retiring and I’ll buy my high capacity clips before they get banned again after November.