I missed the debate last night. The Lakers had their first pre-season game. I'd rather watch the Lakers play a meaningless game than watch two idiots argue over how they plan to spend the money I make.
The Lakers look good. Their 20-year old center Andrew Bynum nailed his first three shots, several of which were 10-foot jump shots; he's not just a dunker like Shaq. Bynum is being tutored by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and it shows.
But you don't come to this blog to read about sports.
Reaction to the debate on the right ranges from not enough to change things to disaster.
Not only does McCain approve of the bailout, but he wants to expand it by $300 billion! On a purely political level, setting aside whether or not bigger government is a good idea, this strikes me as a loser. It's not the way a Republican wins an election. Those who think bigger government is a good idea will vote for the Democrat. The rest will vote for McCain for other reasons, hoping he doesn't go too far in the pursuit of socialism. Some Republicans who might have voted for McCain will be demoralized by his socialism and stay home on November 4th.
I'm beginning to wonder if McCain believed his PR a bit too much during all those years when he was the media's pet Republican. He concluded that the way to success is to oppose the Republican base and court independents. This is looking like a loser strategy. October 8, 2008 is a hell of a time to figure this out. It might be too late for McCain to give himself up completely to his conservative advisers and follow Sarah Palin's lead to the White House.
I predict that if McCain loses in November he will instantly become the MSM's favorite Republican again. But he will also become the Republican most reviled by the right. Conservatives had to swallow a lot to support McCain. They did it because they want power. If McCain can't deliver power, he is useless. If a lot of Republicans are like me, they will want McCain to go away and never be heard from again.
UPDATE: Boortz complains about McCain's performance in last night's debate:
So many lost opportunities last night ... how in the world does someone light
a fire under this guy? There's not all that much time left.
It's too late. McCain is who he is -- and that is someone who is ignorant and contemptuous of free market economics. We are now seeing why he never should have won the nomination. It is not just that he is wrong, but he can't win. Statist Republicans can't beat Democrats at their own game.
2 comments:
"Statist Republicans can't beat Democrats at their own game."
Very true.
In an argument, if two sides share ground principles, then the most consistent party will win. That's Obama. If greed is evil, sacrifice is heroic, and Country First is the goal of our politics, why not nationalize healthcare, finance, and energy? And pace McCain, Obama's victory will be completely fair.
With the financial system in dire straits, and Obama seemingly on his way to victory as a direct result of that fact, it would be a golden opportunity for the Republican candidate to throw caution to the winds and support a full program of laissez-faire capitalism. What has he got to lose? He's already going to lose the election.
Castigate environmentalism and government intervention in the economy, advocate the gold standard, and the abolition of all entitlement programs (over a course of years).
There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Unfortunately, John McCain wouldn't know a good economic idea, or an individual right, if it hit him in the nose.
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