"The American Conservative" Magazine Argues FOR an Obama Presidency!!!

[housewolf]

From: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/05/the-american-conservative-argu.php

The American Conservative Argues FOR an Obama Presidency
By Bademus - May 14, 2008, 7:42PM

Poking about online I stumbled across an article from March in The American Conservative. The title is “The Right Choice: The Conservative Case for Barack Obama”. It’s an interesting narrative about how the neocons are conning conservatives into believing their values are being tended to while in actuality their actions are only self serving. It goes on to point out how a vote for McCain would be bad, on several levels, and how a vote for Obama is a vote to end the war and reverse foreign policy mistakes.

On McCain:

“For conservatives to hope the election of yet another Republican will set things right is surely in vain. To believe that President John McCain will reduce the scope and intrusiveness of federal authority, cut the imperial presidency down to size, and put the government on a pay-as-you-go basis is to succumb to a great delusion.”… ….……"Above all, conservatives who think that a McCain presidency would restore a sense of realism and prudence to U.S. foreign policy are setting themselves up for disappointment. On this score, we should take the senator at his word: his commitment to continuing the most disastrous of President Bush’s misadventures is irrevocable.”

On Obama:

“Yet if Obama does become the nation’s 44th president, his election will constitute something approaching a definitive judgment of the Iraq War. As such, his ascent to the presidency will implicitly call into question the habits and expectations that propelled the United States into that war in the first place. Matters hitherto consigned to the political margin will become subject to close examination. Here, rather than in Obama’s age or race, lies the possibility of his being a truly transformative presidency.”

It’s quite an interesting read. The article is at :
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_03_24/article.html

[Selatius]

1. Ouch. This part really struck close to home.

From the article:

Social conservatives counting on McCain to return the nation to the path of righteousness are kidding themselves. Within this camp, abortion has long been the flagship issue. Yet only a naïf would believe that today’s Republican Party has any real interest in overturning Roe v. Wade or that doing so now would contribute in any meaningful way to the restoration of “family values.” GOP support for such values is akin to the Democratic Party’s professed devotion to the “working poor”: each is a ploy to get votes, trotted out seasonally, quickly forgotten once the polls close.

Ouch. Today's Democrats aren't the New Deal Democrats of old. I wish leftists of that kind were still around in America.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. That's why we need to keep the DLC as far from the WH as possible.

And now, with Edwards formally in the Obama camp, we can start getting back to that.

[aquart]

5. Conservative opinion, of course, is the only truthful opinion.

So, naturally, you believe every word.

But why should I be surprised?

[Selatius]

9. So, you don't think today's Dems are more right wing economically than the FDRs/Trumans of the past?

What country are you living in? Your snark is not much appreciated and is rather counterproductive.

[BR_Parkway]

7. I'd take the old style Dems and Repubs any day over the current

crop. With few exceptions, we used to elect people that we respected, even if we disagreed with. People who we knew seemed to have the People's and the Country's best interest at heart - we just disagreed on how to get there.

There are certain things I think most all Americans want -

that no child in one of the richest nations on Earth should go hungry, regardless of any stupid decisions their parent's made

that paying a farmer to throw food in the trash to keep the prices up while people go hungry is simply immoral.

than no child should go without seeing a Dr or having health care in a manner that doesn't put the family into bankruptcy

that the governments we elect should not spend more than they take in - and setting a little aside for a rainy day is just as good idea for their budget as it is for my house.


the sad part is when we got away from looking out for our neighbors as if they were part of the community around us that we valued. when we got sucked into our oversized houses with plasma TV's and all that went with the new "American Dream" that Wall Street and Madison Ave convinced so many that we had to have. When we stopped teaching critical thinking skills in school and relied on end of grade testing - so that we now have all these younger Boomers and later generations who don't process what they hear to question it and wonder why the government or corporation would want them to believe something (I know, broad brush, but I'm talking about a large part of the population)

[eridani]

12. Isn't that up to us?

Obama has been perfectly clear about the obvious fact that he won't be changing jackshit unless his supporters stay organized and involved.

[AndyTiedye]

2. ???

[orleans]

4. no shit. and those pigs are flying HIGH! n/t

[susankh4]

6. That's a little bit concerning.

Doncha think?

Someone else said it today: "lie down with dogs, get up with fleas."

I'm not sure I want these kinda fleas infiltrating my party.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. So instead you would rather have mainstream Republican voting

for the Neocons, instead of voting for Obama?

Old school conservatives are fighting against the Neocons who have seized their party (much as many of us are fighting the DLC which controls so much of OUR party) - and if they can bring down the neocons by voting for Obama, we should object?

Their party needs a shake up more than ours does. Why not let them do it?

[susankh4]

13. But... but... but.....

Clinton was EEEEVILLLLL for pandering to Republicans. Remember?

[KG]

10. amusing that 'conservatives' need to have how they're being played by the repub party explained

[cascadiance]

11. The American Conservative is not as "conservative" as some might think...

They have had quite an independent streak in their articles and at times go directly against the neocons. They are more Libertarian in their philosophies. They gave just retired Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski her breakthrough article as a Pentagon whistleblower on the leadup to the war with Iran, and ever since Ms. Kwiatkowski has been a voice of dissent and commentary on the wrongdoings of the Pentagon.

http://www.amconmag.com/12_1_03/feature.html

[GOPBasher]

14. Principled conservatives -- they still exist? n/t