A Caucusing We Shall Go. And Whom I'll Be Supporting There.
They're here! They're finally here! The 2008 Minnesota caucuses have finally arrived. And unless you're the sort of person who gets excited about regular dental cleanings it's kind of silly to get too enthused about them. If you've never been to one of these, I hate to dash your illusions, but they're one of the duller ways to spend an evening. It's just that, like those dental cleanings mentioned earlier, it's rather irresponsible to avoid them.
So I shall be attending my local caucus tomorrow evening. I will listen to the mostly moronic resolutions brought forth by my fellow Republicans for consideration and a vote. We've got to allow them. That's the same way the actual good ideas make it eventually into the party platform. I will sit politely through the tedious process crap. I will meet the one or two other Republicans who actually live in my ward. I will realize not a lot of what we do will matter, because we're caucusing in an inner ring suburb chock full of life-long union Democrats. But I'll show up and fulfill my responsibility.
Of course all that most anyone really cares about at the caucuses this year is who we're going to endorse for the presidential race. So let me make it clear once again that, like most other Minnesota bloggers it seems, I will be supporting Mitt Romney in my caucus.
Peeved as I might be about what I consider self-destructive attacks by the anti-McCainiacs, that's not enough to make me think he'd make a better president than Mitt Romney.
In my estimation McCain is the best candidate running when it comes to suitability to be a war time Commander-in-Chief, and when it comes to best electability against either likely Democratic opponent. On just about every other matter of policy or likely agenda once elected, I think Romney would serve us better.
The three major drawbacks to supporting John McCain in my opinion are represented by three major pieced of legislation he sponsored and championed:
1. McCain-Feingold
2. McCain-Kennedy
3. McCain-Lieberman
Put aside the super-heated pundit babble and none of these bills is by default non-conservative (remembering Russell Kirk's dictum that conservatism is not an ideology). Republicans have meddled in campaign finance laws before, and in immigration "amnesty", and in environmental protection legislation. My problem with these is that they are all examples of bad solutions to problems, real or imagined. It tells me a president McCain possesses some truly bad instincts in areas almost certain to come up again during his presidency. Frankly, if he's the guy in charge, I don't think he'd handle any of these areas well, and as president that would matter a lot.
I have just about the opposite opinion when it comes to Mitt Romney. I frankly don't buy into the all-too-convenient Road-to-Damascus conversion to the popular conservative side on matters of pro-life, gay marriage, or the rest of his crib-note Ronald Reagan act. Frankly, that's politics. It is what it is, and he's not the only one playing that game. However Romney seems to offer a record of someone who does not claim to always have the right answer. But he can lead, he can adapt, and he can attack all sorts of unexpected problems no matter how new they are to him and succeed.
I don't know if the next presidency is going to have to focus more on Iraq, a recession, or a global energy crisis. With President Romney, I feel like I'm picking a leader adaptable enough to handle most anything. John McCain is excellent at what he's good at, and rather clumsy at what he's not. And he's frequently too stubborn to change course in the latter case.
Now, that being said, I rather expect John McCain to win the nomination in the end. Some of you may recall that I read the tea-leaves just before Iowa and was rather startled to draw that conclusion. But if anything, luck has fallen even more in his direction than I expected when I predicted he would win back then. And, let me add, I think in many ways he would make an excellent president. None arrive without flaws, and more often than not a president displays qualities in office that weren't even part of the discussion when they campaigned. That could break either way, and in the case of both Romney and McCain I'm optimistic.
Now... off to the caucus (or primary, for my fellow Super Tuesday voters from other states) with you all. Play nice and play fair. The rest is up to you.
So I shall be attending my local caucus tomorrow evening. I will listen to the mostly moronic resolutions brought forth by my fellow Republicans for consideration and a vote. We've got to allow them. That's the same way the actual good ideas make it eventually into the party platform. I will sit politely through the tedious process crap. I will meet the one or two other Republicans who actually live in my ward. I will realize not a lot of what we do will matter, because we're caucusing in an inner ring suburb chock full of life-long union Democrats. But I'll show up and fulfill my responsibility.
Of course all that most anyone really cares about at the caucuses this year is who we're going to endorse for the presidential race. So let me make it clear once again that, like most other Minnesota bloggers it seems, I will be supporting Mitt Romney in my caucus.
Peeved as I might be about what I consider self-destructive attacks by the anti-McCainiacs, that's not enough to make me think he'd make a better president than Mitt Romney.
In my estimation McCain is the best candidate running when it comes to suitability to be a war time Commander-in-Chief, and when it comes to best electability against either likely Democratic opponent. On just about every other matter of policy or likely agenda once elected, I think Romney would serve us better.
The three major drawbacks to supporting John McCain in my opinion are represented by three major pieced of legislation he sponsored and championed:
1. McCain-Feingold
2. McCain-Kennedy
3. McCain-Lieberman
Put aside the super-heated pundit babble and none of these bills is by default non-conservative (remembering Russell Kirk's dictum that conservatism is not an ideology). Republicans have meddled in campaign finance laws before, and in immigration "amnesty", and in environmental protection legislation. My problem with these is that they are all examples of bad solutions to problems, real or imagined. It tells me a president McCain possesses some truly bad instincts in areas almost certain to come up again during his presidency. Frankly, if he's the guy in charge, I don't think he'd handle any of these areas well, and as president that would matter a lot.
I have just about the opposite opinion when it comes to Mitt Romney. I frankly don't buy into the all-too-convenient Road-to-Damascus conversion to the popular conservative side on matters of pro-life, gay marriage, or the rest of his crib-note Ronald Reagan act. Frankly, that's politics. It is what it is, and he's not the only one playing that game. However Romney seems to offer a record of someone who does not claim to always have the right answer. But he can lead, he can adapt, and he can attack all sorts of unexpected problems no matter how new they are to him and succeed.
I don't know if the next presidency is going to have to focus more on Iraq, a recession, or a global energy crisis. With President Romney, I feel like I'm picking a leader adaptable enough to handle most anything. John McCain is excellent at what he's good at, and rather clumsy at what he's not. And he's frequently too stubborn to change course in the latter case.
Now, that being said, I rather expect John McCain to win the nomination in the end. Some of you may recall that I read the tea-leaves just before Iowa and was rather startled to draw that conclusion. But if anything, luck has fallen even more in his direction than I expected when I predicted he would win back then. And, let me add, I think in many ways he would make an excellent president. None arrive without flaws, and more often than not a president displays qualities in office that weren't even part of the discussion when they campaigned. That could break either way, and in the case of both Romney and McCain I'm optimistic.
Now... off to the caucus (or primary, for my fellow Super Tuesday voters from other states) with you all. Play nice and play fair. The rest is up to you.
Posted by Doug Williams on
Monday February 4, 2008 at 11:03pm
