October 6, 2008

Transformation Is the Only Certainty

Hatched by Dafydd

I believe more firmly than ever that this not be a "holding action" presidential election, as were the last five; it will indeed be "transformational" -- but it's now 50-50 in my mind which way we will be transformed.

If John S. McCain is able to beat Barack H. Obama, it will not, I believe, be close; it will be because the American voters fundamentally and finally reject Obama and everything for which he and that wing of the Democratic Party stand. It will be a resounding defeat; and when the Democrats once again claim it was "stolen" from them -- racism! lies! panic! Diebold! -- they will only make themselves utter laughingstocks for a generation.

The new Republicanism will be conserative at its core but practical and reformist in its methods... a huge transmogrification away from the two Bushes, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, and even old Blob Dole, and back towards muscular Reaganism instead.

Contrariwise, if Barack Obama wins, it will be because the voters have so thoroughly rejected McCain and George W. Bush and Sarah Palin and the Republican Party in general that it will be a Tuesday Night Massacre, and the Democrats will probably get their fillibuster-proof Senate, thus able to enact any policy they want.

In this nightmare scenario, don't smugly anticipate another Gingrich revolution in two years; the 2008 election will not be like 1992, it will be like 1932... and we will have many years of total Democrat dominance of all levers of power, eventually even including the Court, our own 14-20 years of the New New Deal.

What will drive this choice? It will be a basic, core decision by the American people: We shall either embrace or emphatically reject the very idea of American exceptionalism, the notion that we are different from Europeans. That is why this election will transform us as a nation: We shall either cast off many of the cords from the days of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton that shackle us to the Old World, or we shall give up entirely and become a Euro-style "social democracy."

(We may eventually rise up and once again remember who we are; but last time, that uprising was delayed for nearly half a century.)

We faced just such a crisis in 1980; and after a month in which the nation held its breath, wondering which way the sky would fall, we eventually made what, in the hindsight of today, I agree was the best possible choice. (At the time, being still only an egg, I feared Reagan and hated Carter; I called a murrain on both their houses and wrote in some candidate, I forget who. Probably some Libertarian.)

Will we make the same choice next month? We're in a state of flux now, with Obama ahead by a scant handful of points -- but unable to muster a majority in any poll but the Rasmussen daily tracker. This is not yet a runaway train... and McCain's best bet is the traditional two-pronged attack:

  • McCain himself must take the higher path, arguing again and again what he will do in the future to resolve the various crises that beset us from all sides (much from horrific failures of the same European states that Obama and the Democrats would have us emulate). Particularly on the economy, he must tell us in clear, unmistakable, and unambiguous terms what the McCain administration will do differently from the Bush economic policies. That is, he must persuade America that, personalities and character aside, our only hope as a nation is to reject Socialism, populism, protectionism, and defeatism -- and embrace Capitalism, free markets, freedom, and victory.
  • Simultaneously, Sarah Palin must embrace the traditional role of the vice-presidential running mate and attack every element of Obama's bad character, untrustworthiness, and unfitness to serve as president. She must make rigorously certain that every attack is sustainable and provable, for any hint that she is smearing Obama (the way Obama routinely smears McCain) with false charges will destroy the Republican cause... playing, as it does, into 2006's theme of "the Republican culture of corruption." Palin's quest is clear: Even if the voters say the Democrats have the better plan, she must make them add, "but not this particular Democrat!"

This is always how Republicans must fight; sometimes the strategy wins, sometimes it loses. But if we don't employ it, if this isn't our fundamental strategy, then defeat is certain.

Buckle your breath, folks; this is going to be one wild landing. We shall either end up safe on the tarmac (albeit pointed in some impossible direction after a merry-go-round spin down the runway)... or else at the bottom of a smoking crater. And at this point, I could not even give odds which one.

All depends upon the answer to one question: Are we, those of us fighting for the Republican cause, going to be as heroic as were the "greatest generation?" If so, victory is at our finger-ends.

Or will we passively allow the bleeding-heart barbarians to overrun our country, as we did in the Vietnam war? Both choices, courage and poltroonery, lie in our history; we are bound to repeat one of them. But which?

All of us, including you, dear readers, must choose up sides now.

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, October 6, 2008, at the time of 2:03 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this hissing: http://biglizards.net/mt3.36/earendiltrack.cgi/3278

Comments

The following hissed in response by: Captain Ned

1980:

You voted for John Anderson. I regret to admit that I wore a John Anderson for President t-shirt back in 1980; the upside was that I was 2 years away from voting at the time.

The above hissed in response by: Captain Ned [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 6, 2008 2:56 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh

Captain Ned:

You voted for John Anderson.

No I did not.

Dafydd

The above hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 6, 2008 3:29 PM

The following hissed in response by: Nathan

I disagree. If Obama wins this election it won't be because the American people chose to embrace his view of America; it will be because they did what they always do when they're dissatisfied with the way things are and one party holds power: voted for the other party.

Now I'll be the first to admit that this is an important election, and that if Obama is elected with a veto-proof majority in the Senate it will be a Bad Thing, but the things Obama has promised to do with that majority will only shatter the economy more. He'll be a one term President.

The above hissed in response by: Nathan [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 6, 2008 7:31 PM

The following hissed in response by: PC14

If Obama is elected, his hat tip (PGA style, not fedora like) will be to the daily press and network news with perhaps a nod to CNN.

The CBS/Rather deception was an early warning sign as to how low they will go. And they did.

Bush is mocked by the elitists. But deep down, they know he's a kick ass guy. He'll fight. He has the gene that says "go."

Barry Obama is a skinny, weak, cowardly type, who, during a short period of time, will be abused by world leaders. Just look at the photos of his pre teen and teen years. He was the kid who got his ass kicked by George Bush types. And he will get his ass kicked as an American President.

It will take four years of Barry, for the American voters to be poisoned by liberalism.

This will take patience, one of the more underestimated virtues, in my opinion.

Let's just hope that Ginsberg and Souter have 4 more years in them also.

The above hissed in response by: PC14 [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 6, 2008 10:02 PM

The following hissed in response by: TerryeL

I don't care what the pundits say, I am voting for McCain/Palin and hoping for the best. The experts can say it is impossible if they like,but I still prefer to think that elections matter more than polls.

If Obama is elected, I think he will find that things are not as easy as he had hoped.

The above hissed in response by: TerryeL [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 3:45 AM

The following hissed in response by: hunter

The only way a transformation is meaningful is if the truth is told clearly.
We have less than a month to tell the truth about Obama, the democrats, and how they have wrecked our economy for their own ends.

The above hissed in response by: hunter [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 5:21 AM

The following hissed in response by: Rovin

That is, he must persuade America that, personalities and character aside, our only hope as a nation is to reject Socialism, populism, protectionism, and defeatism -- and embrace Capitalism, free markets, freedom, and victory.

As much as many should embrace Capitalism and free markets to assure these tools remain the backbone of our society, I fear that in the current fiasco in the markets, (and the bailout), these two terms may turn off the un-educated voter that is voting on pure emotion. We, (conservatives) have two strikes against us; the election cycle and the registration process the Democratic Party has effectively boosted in key states. I fear that only a low turnout and if a strong portion of independents/moderates pull the lever for McCain, there may not be enough time left on the clock to pull out an upset.

It may be too late to make the argument, but if the electorate understood that this grand social experiment of suppying affordable housing to unqualified buyers is at the heart of the current financial disaster, AND, Barack Obama plans to extend this philosophy (with government sponsered programs that supply affordable (universal) health care and affordable higher education) that will add a couple more TRILLION dollars in taxpayer debt, maybe they will reject this trainwreck! (sorry bout the run-away sentence)

Barring a critical mistake by Obama, this is a "ninth inning" situation because the mainstream media has programmed the electorate to believe this unvetted candidate is the answer to our social and financial ills. (wow, I just inserted the third strike). Time to change the game.

The above hissed in response by: Rovin [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 5:33 AM

The following hissed in response by: MikeR

"She must make rigorously certain that every attack is sustainable and provable"

As I've said before, the McCain campaign needs to end-run the media on this. They can't allow NBC or NYT to do their fact-checking. They should be saying, in their ads and their speeches: To get the full evidence for this, click the PROVE IT! button at johnmccain.com. All source documents will be posted there.

No one should be able to question what a candidate meant in this day and age.

Let the Obama campaign do the same. I'm looking forward to hearing when and how NATO drove Hezbollah out of Lebanon.

The above hissed in response by: MikeR [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 7:26 AM

The following hissed in response by: David M

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the - Web Reconnaissance for 10/07/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.

The above hissed in response by: David M [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 7:41 AM

The following hissed in response by: ~brb

I'm hedging my bets. I'm voting for Palin and that old guy.

And I'm buying a new reloading press and stocking up on primers.

The above hissed in response by: ~brb [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 8:58 AM

The following hissed in response by: Geoman

As I High School senior I worked for the Carter, Reagan, and Anderson campaigns, simultaneously. I figured it was the best way to decide how to vote. I knew Reagan was going to win. It was in the campaign vibe. I voted Libertarian.

Actually it will be very funny to watch Obama try and be president. Not funny hah hah, funny in a tragic sort of way. The sad story of the boy-king.

And when he realizes that even talking super duper nice to foreign leaders doesn't mean they won't stomp all over your interests, he'll grow up a little. I expect the Obama in 2012 will not remotely be the same man as Obama 2008.

I also expect all Americans will have a very expensive education at the hands of Mr. Obama.

The above hissed in response by: Geoman [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 10:32 AM

The following hissed in response by: Terry Gain

The MSM is completely in the tank for Obama and won't report anything negative about him. Unless he admits he's a Muslim who really admires Ayers there is no way McCain is going to win in a landslide.

If McCain wins, and I hope he does, he will squeak through. If McCain runs his campaign for the next 4 weeks like he has for the last 2, Obama will win in a landslide.

The above hissed in response by: Terry Gain [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 4:39 PM

The following hissed in response by: Mr. Michael

...he must persuade America that, personalities and character aside, our only hope as a nation is to reject Socialism, populism, protectionism, and defeatism -- and embrace Capitalism, free markets, freedom, and victory
In the debate tonight (10/7) John McCain just proposed spending 300 Billion Dollars to subsidize home loans for people who cannot afford to fulfill the contracts they signed.

I don't understand him at all; and now I think he just got Barack Obama elected. :sigh:

The above hissed in response by: Mr. Michael [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 7, 2008 9:30 PM

Post a comment

Thanks for hissing in, . Now you can slither in with a comment, o wise. (sign out)

(If you haven't hissed a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Hang loose; don't shed your skin!)


Remember me unto the end of days?


© 2005-2009 by Dafydd ab Hugh - All Rights Reserved