posted on October 30, 2008 04:58:38 PM new
This top 10 list of reasons why conservatives should vote for Obama was written by conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan. I think he gets it.
10. A body blow to racial identity politics. An end to the era of Jesse Jackson in black America.
9. Less debt. Yes, Obama will raise taxes on those earning over a quarter of a million. And he will spend on healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan and the environment. But so will McCain. He plans more spending on health, the environment and won't touch defense of entitlements. And his refusal to touch taxes means an extra $4 trillion in debt over the massive increase presided over by Bush. And the CBO estimates that McCain's plans will add more to the debt over four years than Obama's. Fiscal conservatives have a clear choice.
8. A return to realism and prudence in foreign policy. Obama has consistently cited the foreign policy of George H. W. Bush as his inspiration. McCain's knee-jerk reaction to the Georgian conflict, his commitment to stay in Iraq indefinitely, and his brinksmanship over Iran's nuclear ambitions make him a far riskier choice for conservatives. The choice between Obama and McCain is like the choice between George H.W. Bush's first term and George W.'s.
7. An ability to understand the difference between listening to generals and delegating foreign policy to them.
6. Temperament. Obama has the coolest, calmest demeanor of any president since Eisenhower. Conservatism values that kind of constancy, especially compared with the hot-headed, irrational impulsiveness of McCain.
5. Faith. Obama's fusion of Christianity and reason, his non-fundamentalist faith, is a critical bridge between the new atheism and the new Christianism.
4. A truce in the culture war. Obama takes us past the debilitating boomer warfare that has raged since the 1960s. Nothing has distorted our politics so gravely; nothing has made a rational politics more elusive.
3. Two words: President Palin.
2. Conservative reform. Until conservatism can get a distance from the big-spending, privacy-busting, debt-ridden, crony-laden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant faux conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, it will never regain a coherent message to actually govern this country again. The survival of conservatism requires a temporary eclipse of today's Republicanism. Losing would be the best thing to happen to conservatism since 1964. Back then, conservatives lost in a landslide for the right reasons. Now, Republicans are losing in a landslide for the wrong reasons.
1. The War Against Islamist terror. The strategy deployed by Bush and Cheney has failed. It has failed to destroy al Qaeda, except in a country, Iraq, where their presence was minimal before the US invasion. It has failed to bring any of the terrorists to justice, instead creating the excrescence of Gitmo, torture, secret sites, and the collapse of America's reputation abroad. It has empowered Iran, allowed al Qaeda to regroup in Pakistan, made the next vast generation of Muslims loathe America, and imperiled our alliances. We need smarter leadership of the war: balancing force with diplomacy, hard power with better p.r., deploying strategy rather than mere tactics, and self-confidence rather than a bunker mentality.
Those conservatives who remain convinced, as I do, that Islamist terror remains the greatest threat to the West cannot risk a perpetuation of the failed Manichean worldview of the past eight years, and cannot risk the possibility of McCain making rash decisions in the middle of a potentially catastrophic global conflict. If you are serious about the war on terror and believe it is a war we have to win, the only serious candidate is Barack Obama.
posted on October 30, 2008 06:11:53 PM new
Someone once pointed out why Jimmy Carter had a problem in politics.
A good politician will believe in one thing,say something else and end up doing something he neither believe in or said and feel fine.
Bill Clinton grasps that very well.
Most business titans make lousy politicians,political events unlike business events have a much broader scope,it changes constantly and impossible to quantify.
By the time you ask your subordinates to do an analysis and give you a presentation and suggest the best scenario,it is already out of date!
Poltics is also dangerous.
Few people would consider assassinating a corporate CEO.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on October 30, 2008 06:58:40 PM new
Thanks, Pixia. I found it interesting that, although Sullivan is my polar opposite in philosophy, we have many common concerns. And, not one mention of serving PB&J sandwiches in a Muslim school!
posted on October 30, 2008 07:35:08 PM new
I agree, Coach! Andrew Sullivan is very interesting to read! You certainly won't find an article as thoughtful and well written as the one that you post here on most conservative sites.
Sullivan wrote today, "Sometimes, I get razzed by conservative critics for being a "leftist".
posted on October 30, 2008 08:05:09 PM new
Hi Helen, He is an interesting person and talented writer. He is British, gay, Catholic and a conservative who supported Kerry in 2004.
In one of his essays, Sullivan made up a list of awards he would like to see, such as the Paul Begala award for liberal hyperbole. My favorite is the Michelle Malkin Award, named after (neocon) blogger, Michelle Malkin. It is for shrill, hyperbolic, divisive and intemperate right-wing rhetoric. Ann Coulter is ineligible for this award so that other people will have a chance.
posted on October 31, 2008 11:46:32 AM new
Oh? I thought they'd retired that award when Ann C. won it. NO ONE could top her. I caught her act again on Fox (briefly) last night; she was incredibly rude, worse than usual, and her nasality was worse than ever.
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posted on October 31, 2008 05:30:57 PM new
Andrew Sullivan is a conservative truly worth listening to. I especially enjoy him on Bill Maher's show (Real Time on HBO), where he can represent a view that I frequently disagree with (but does so thoughtfully and with honorable intent) while also being a very funny guy.
Coach, I know what you mean about finding common ground with Sullivan. Notwithstanding labels, I find that intellectually honest people usually do find considerable agreement with each other.
posted on October 31, 2008 07:11:41 PM new
I agree 100%, Cash. I like talking with people who have a different view and express it the way Sullivan does. I am also a fan of Real Time and really enjoy Andrew Sullivan when he's on. Actually, most of Maher's guest are interesting.
posted on October 31, 2008 07:38:50 PM new
MIght be a worth a read into who Andrew Sullivan really is. Meaning his opinion isnt worth the time it takes to read it, SINCE HE CANT VOTE IN THE US.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Andrew Sullivan
Born August 10, 1963 (1963-08-10) (age 45)
South Godstone, Surrey, England
Occupation author, activist
Spouse(s) Aaron Tone (2007-present)
Website
andrewsullivan.com
Andrew Michael Sullivan (born August 10, 1963) is a prominent blogger, author, and political commentator. He is a British citizen.
Sullivan is a speaker at universities, colleges, and civic organizations in the United States, and a guest on national news and political commentary television shows in the United States and Europe. Born and raised in England, he has lived in the United States since 1984 and currently resides in Washington, D.C. and Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Sullivan is known for his distinctive personal-political identity. He is gay, and considers himself to be a classical libertarian conservative who is often at odds with other conservatives in the U.S., a Roman Catholic,[1] and a non-U.S. citizen who focuses on American political life.
Sullivan is sometimes considered a pioneer in political weblog journalism, since he was one of the first prominent political journalists in the United States to start his own personal blog.[citation needed] Sullivan wrote his blog for a year at Time Magazine, shifting on 1 February 2007 to the Atlantic Monthly, where it received approximately 40 million page views in the first year.[2][3] He is the former editor of The New Republic and the author of five books. It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on October 31, 2008 09:25:57 PM new
So, because he is British, he can't have an opinion? He's intelligent, can write and makes his living studying American politics. Besides, Bear, he has a a lot in common with you. See if you can figure out what that is.
