Angst

There's been a lot of hand wringing and angst amongst my fellow conservatives over the rise of John McCain as the presumptive GOP nominee. Some have even seen his rise as the death of conservatism.

Do these people really think so little of our cause? Our beliefs? Their fellows?

I understand where the angst comes from - but I'm not here to argue about whether a "good" conservative can vote for McCain or if one who does is actually a "bad" conservative (or, as is implied in many quarters, not a conservative at all).

My beef with these arguments, at the end of the day, is how demeaning and belittling they are to those of us who are in the conservative "movement" (whatever THAT even means).

How in the world can people imply, with a straight face, that conservative beliefs and ideals will fly out the window with the election of John McCain? How in the world can they think so little of the various causes and supporters of those causes in America, to think they would just *poof* disappear?

So on Wednesday, November 5, the pro-life movement will cease to exist? The tax reform movement will cease to exist? The home-school network, the private property rights, the defense of marriage, the kill-the-death-taxers will just crumple and die? They will just curl up into a fetal position and take whatever whipping given to them by the Moderate Establishment President John McCain and the RNC?

Give me a break. Anyone who tries to make that argument, in my opinion, simply doesn't have a real working knowledge of these groups, the people running them, the members and most importantly the passion that drives them.

I don't know if John McCain will be good for the conservative movement. Maybe (likely?) he won't be. But I'm not prepared to write the obituary for the conservative movement yet. Maybe, just maybe, we've been too fragmented and he'll accomplish something unforeseen - he'll unite us.

I know he's brilliant, but it's nice to see other people know it too!

Jim Geraghty over at Campaign Spot on National Review, gives a shout out to my favorite blogger in the whole wide world: my husband!

:-)

Check out both links!

And we're off...

Obama. Huckabee.

The Republicans:

I admit that in these closing days leading up to Iowa, I thought that Mitt's Millions would close the gap and maybe put him back on top of Gov. Huckabee. McCain must be dancing (or, well, whatever McCain would do if he would dance) in New Hampshire right now. Despite coming in third/fourth at the caucuses, McCain has been pulling back in New Hampshire, and seeing his biggest rival in NH (Romney) fall is only good news for him. As Mort Kondracke mentioned, it's like a baseball pennant race - you always want the guy who is ahead of you in the division to lose, so you can move forward. Huckabee should certainly spend some more time in New Hampshire now, but he also needs to pour a lot of time and money into South Carolina. And let me tell you - Mitt's folks on the ground in SC will not take this lying down. Huckabee for President better be ready for the gloves to come off down there, and be prepared to get their knuckles a little bloody too.

The Democrats:

But Obama. Wow. This is a huge day in American politics - an African-American man won Iowa. You know, Iowa. The 95% Caucasian state in the middle of the country. It's not like Iowa has a huge minority population to put Barack Hussein Obama over the top. HRC and her minions must be shaking in their boots right now. Oh yeah - and the son of the mill worker is done. D.O.A. One silver lining I am hoping that comes out of this Obama win is it hopefully puts the first (final?) nail in the coffin of the divisive politics of race that come from the ilk of Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I hope they see his win as what it is - a rejection of them, not as black men, but as liberal, fear-and-hate mongering cretins.

I Heart Huckabee