Redstate

Posted at 5:17pm on Jun. 5, 2008 Will a McCain win validiate his politics? [Closed and annotated.]

By Staunch_Libertarian

[OK, let's try this again. This is a conservative and Republican website. Burn the "and" into your retinas, if you please: contra the author, the answer actually is pretty simple. There was a primary. John McCain won it. If you think that he shouldn't have, I suggest that you join the RNC as a volunteer and start fixing what you consider to be flaws in the infrastructure. This isn't a flippant suggestion; how the heck do you think the current system got implemented? But moving on: we're a Republican site, which means that we're committed to getting Republican nominees elected.

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Posted at 4:12pm on Feb. 1, 2008 Is McCain electable without the base?

By Staunch_Libertarian

We've been here before with a national figure with a heroic resume and a moderate to liberal past. Not too long ago Rudy-G was the frontrunner and it was a cause for a pause when many considered that he couldn't hold the base due to his social positions and family life. Some still argued that he was the most electable because he could bring in the most moderates and independents in liberal states thus, the argument goes, putting them in play in November.

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Posted at 1:11pm on Jan. 26, 2008 Huckabee is the best thing to happen to McCain.

By Staunch_Libertarian

I don't know if there is a deal between the two or not. The deal, if it exists, didn't happen before Romney put them both through a trial by fire in Iowa and New Hampshire. Perhaps both despise Romney's plastic exterior and Ward Cleaver persona so much that the deal took place informally over quips against the Ken Doll. I don't know. Regardless of the deal's existence or not, Huckabee is giving John McCain the fast track to the presidency.

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Posted at 3:30pm on Jan. 4, 2008 What Iowa means...to me.

By Staunch_Libertarian

Primaries are important because they come along to redefine parties. Some primaries nudge parties to the left or right while others completely transform what it means to be a member of a certain party. There are a million people smarter than I am who have already weighed in on what Iowa means, but to me it means compassionate conservatism is here to stay.

I would like to say out front it isn't with glee that I announce this. Rather it is with resigned gloom. I consider myself a realist though, and it is not helpful to cling to the shattered shards of the campaign of Fred Thompson nor is it cheering to me to think about this being one blip on the radar.

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Posted at 6:50pm on Dec. 30, 2007 A thought experiment for Mitt Romney supporters.

By Staunch_Libertarian

I've been thinking about this Mitt Romney fellow for a while now and how I don't trust him as far as Dennis Kucinich could throw him. Talking to his supporters you get a lot grief for not taking him at his word. After all, people can change can't they? What in Mitt Romney's life suggests he is dishonest?

I admit it is entirely possible that Romney has had a genuine epiphany, but the more I think about it the more I just don't buy it and I would like to offer a few thoughts about why I don't trust Romney and then present a thought experiment that will hopefully illustrate why it isn't rational for anyone to trust him.

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Posted at 8:24pm on Dec. 29, 2007 Say something bad about your candidate, for sanity's sake.

By Staunch_Libertarian

This flood of Fred blogs has prompted a few to notice a bit of hero worship. I guess for me calling anyone a "John Wayne Stud", whatever that means, was the point where I started to see more than vigorous support for a qualified candidate and began to see some hero-worship. The most obvious candidate and supporters that seem to have grown into a cult of personality is Ron Paul and his fanboys. However, I think the FredHeads and Hucksters are starting to slide ever so close to the brink of cult.

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Posted at 11:09am on Dec. 17, 2007 Mike Huckabee, and the election of 1852.

By Staunch_Libertarian

Now I know we aren't in 1856 so this perhaps for some won't matter and I know no two elections are exactly the same. Each election is a perfect little disorganized meteor barreling towards the American people with all deliberate speed.

It is still true that history can be a helpful guide and on the matter of nominating Mike Huckabee, history has a good example of a party compromising itself out of existence in the name of electability.

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Posted at 1:09pm on Dec. 10, 2007 Who won't you vote for?

By Staunch_Libertarian

This is apparently the central question facing the Republican primary voter. Who won't you vote for? A couple of months ago at the height of Rudy's poll numbers there was a revolt seen on many conservative sites where evangelicals claimed they wouldn't vote for him. Before that, if you can remember that far back, John McCain was the assumed frontrunner and many said they wouldn't vote for him. If you have a good memory you might also remember when Fred Thompson was going to be the savior before he died (Fred Thompson may or may not be actually dead). Now we have the Huckster. Oh joy.

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Posted at 3:05pm on Nov. 26, 2007 What does being "pro-family" mean?

By Staunch_Libertarian

Hola.

I've been reading RS for a while and I've always wondered about this term, "pro-family". It is very interesting to me. One of those terms, like "pro-life", that suggests those on the other side are against life or in this case family.

I have to admit I'm probably seen as "anti-family" even though I love my family. I have no anger towards families in general (but those Hatfields can die!). So I don't understand where I'm anti-family because I've never sat around seething about the existence of families.

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