Reality Check for Republicans

If I were a medical researcher, I would embark on a study of a phenomenon that is displayed en masse once every four years. I call this condition: Election-Onset Memory Loss.

The symptoms of Election-Onset Memory Loss (or, EOML for short) include forgetting why and how much you do not like a politician before he or she wins a nomination. Post-nomination, the patient suffering from EOML suddenly believes the person he or she disliked so much, on principle, is now a shining example of all the patient holds dear.

I am getting very worried about a number of my friends right now, especially my Republican friends who appear to be the most afflicted by EOML.

The cure for this condition is a dose of Reality Check for Republicans (RCFR).

My worry has been piqued by the volume of emails I now receive from Republicans, several of whom are friends, whom I know to be conservatives. The symptoms are clear because of the accolades they are now showering on Sen. John McCain; someone these conservatives have rightly scorned for years.

The EOML-affected email blasts and newsletters I now receive, though, all praise the Senator and pledge unwavering support for his Presidential campaign. Since the liberal McCain has not changed his stripes and the aforementioned Republican friends are still conservatives, EOML is the only plausible explanation for them abandoning their principles.

If Republicans who are conservative, libertarian or otherwise Constitutional were to vote based on their principles, there is no way they would back John McCain without suffering from EOML. Let's review some of the reasons why.

·         John McCain advocates strongly for Ted Kennedy's amnesty for illegal aliens. Conservatives do not.

·         John McCain fought for the legislation that bore his name, McCain-Feingold, which now denies First Amendment rights to groups which seek to be politically active – not exactly conservative, libertarian or otherwise Constitutional.

·         John McCain, to this day, refuses to formally pledge to oppose any tax increase.

·         John McCain has a "C" rating from the NRA and an "F" (yes, an F) from Gun Owners of America.

·         He opposes drilling for oil in ANWR – and forced the Republican Party to soften its platform on that matter this year in order to complement his liberal position.

·         John McCain voted against tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 and has voted for tax increases over 50 times in his Senatorial career.

·         While running for President in 2000, McCain referred to some high profile religious leaders in the conservative movement "agents of intolerance" while scorning his party's "right wing".

·         Before accepting the offer for a free, televised press release from liberal preacher and book/snake oil salesman Rick Warren and claiming to be pro-life, McCain adamantly spoke against any effort to overturn Roe vs. Wade and other efforts to make abortion illegal.

I could go on, but you get the idea – there is nothing principled or conservative about John McCain.

There are two basic motivations or, more accurately, excuses for my conservative and libertarian friends' newfound, post-nomination support for John McCain (no doubt related to EOML) in this election: fear and Palin.

The fear can be summed up by saying something to the effect of "He may be an unprincipled liberal but, by gosh, he's our unprincipled liberal" or maybe "We have to vote for our liberal or their liberal might win!"

Since it seems we are going to have a liberal for our next President either way, why is anyone more afraid of the guy who is at least honest about being a liberal?

This excuse is a short-term reaction when our country needs a long-term directional change. That change is needed because of entrenched, liberal politicians like John McCain.

Then, there is the Sarah Palin factor. The McCain camp made a shrewd choice in selecting Alaska's Governor to be the nominee for Vice President.

Gun owners, pro lifers and Christians were not supporting him and Libertarian Bob Barr continues to climb in the polls because of the principled voters who value smaller government and, as a result, cannot stomach McCain.

Here is the reality check (RCFR) for those who say Sarah Palin brought them back to supporting the Republican ticket, despite McCain's long record of liberalism.

First, the election is about the Presidential nominee, not the Vice Presidential nominee. You are not voting for Sarah Palin for Vice President – you are voting for John McCain and his big-government, liberal record for President by endorsing him with your ballot. Make no mistake about it: voting for John McCain is endorsing his big-government record and policies.

It is the job of the Vice Presidential nominee to adjust to the platform and positions of the Presidential nominee, not the other way around. Palin must become more liberal in order to be on the team; John McCain does not become more conservative.

While I was recently in Minnesota, at the Republican National Convention, with Bob Barr I saw first-hand the lack of excitement for McCain. Many credentialed Republican delegates told both Bob and me that they will not be voting for McCain because they do not vote for liberals – they are voting for Bob Barr.

Those are principled voters. Conservative voters can be principled just as both liberal voters and libertarian voters can be principled. Whether you are conservative, liberal or libertarian, voting to have a real impact is voting responsibly. The impact those delegates will have is to send an unmistakable message to the Republican Party.

That message proclaims that they will no longer tolerate the GOP's steady march to the left and no longer will they tolerate being told to shut up and support the nominee for the sake of the party and no longer will they allow themselves to be taken for granted.

These men and women are brave enough to vote for their principles of smaller government, even when their party no longer adheres to those principles.

The Republican Party has an unprincipled, liberal nominee and it is demanding that its members cast unprincipled, liberal votes for him on Election Day.

For anyone who values the principles of Constitutionally-limited, smaller government and the rights and freedoms it protects, there is only one principled choice: Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr (who left the GOP when he saw it abandon its respect for individual liberties and dedication to smaller government).

Barr openly states that he cast some votes while in Congress that he now wishes he had not. The difference between him and John McCain: Barr had the courage to evaluate the issues, change his mind, state publicly and clearly that he changed his mind based on principle and then work to undo some of the things he saw enacted while he was in Congress.

McCain, on the other hand, simply attempts to recast his image by forcefully saying he is "conservative" and a "reformer" with nothing to back up his claims. It is like the old riddle: how many legs does a cat have, if you call its tail a leg?

Four. Calling its tail a leg doesn't make it one.

Calling John McCain a "maverick", a "reformer" or a conservative does not make him one, either.

So, to my conservative, libertarian and Constitutional friends in the Republican Party who are suffering from EOML, I ask: are you brave enough to cast a principled vote this year?

Mike Ferguson is the National Field Director for the Bob Barr for President Campaign. He lives in Grandview, MO. You can read more of his writings at www.myspace.com/missouri_viewpoints by clicking on the blog link.