Your Email:

Subject:

Message:
Entry: Thinking About Obama Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/thinking_about_obama#29479 Post contents: Mr. Gottfried, if an Obama presidency is capable of causing the Great Conservative Awakening, why then do you rule out the possibility that McCain’s election will have the same effect? There is a large portion of conservative Americans that already despise McCain or at least hold great distrust for him. I think it is safe to assume that this resentment and distrust will grow if he is elected president. We may not have FOX News behind us, but most of the conservative radio pundits share our hostility for McCain, and though they may push for his election, they will not fail to criticize his liberal policies once he has achieved office. Perhaps I give Limbaugh and Hannity too much credit, but we should not discount the ability of the American people to recognize the threat of liberalism when it is smack-daddy in their face. Consider what happened when Bush attempted to push through his comprehensive immigration reform. Americans furiously rose up and made their voices heard. This was the strongest display of grass root conservatism we have seen in decades and it occurred when a necon was in office, not a democrat. Is it not likely that a similar reaction will occur if McCain attempts to institute Global Warming policies or tries once again to institute amnesty? Mr. Gottfried, these two issues are not gradual accommodations to the left. They are, in fact, a full embracement of the left and they have the potential to cause the Great Conservative Awakening that we so desperately need. I know some on here will argue that a McCain presidency will push the American public away from conservatism because they will be deceived into believing that neoconservatism is conservatism. To this point I must disagree. Having the neocons in the limelight is the best way, and perhaps the only way, to expose them for what they truly are. It is when neocons are in power that they are most vulnerable because the application of their liberal ideals is always a political course destined for failure. What is it you believe we can do to attack neoconservatism that we cannot do better when they are visibly failing? The greater the failure of the Neocons, the greater the wedge that will form between them and the rest of the conservative movement. Alternatively, an Obama presidency will allow the neocons to escape direct criticism, grow even more powerful and eventually reap the rewards of American dissatisfaction with the liberal policies of the democrats. If we are to wrestle control of the conservative movement from the hands of neoconservatives, then we need to expose the neocons for what they are, not awaken American to the realities of liberalism through an Obama presidency. The immigration debate proves that Americans know what liberalism is and most of them don’t like it. It also proves that some Americans are starting to see the difference between neoconservatism and conservatism. McCain’s election will be exactly what we need to finally make this difference apparent to all. Perhaps this all boils down to strategy. Do you think it is more important to defeat liberalism or defeat the neocons first? In my humble opinion, we must attack the near enemy before we take on the far. We must regain control of the conservative movement before we can defeat liberalism. Sent at: 2008 12 02