McCain VP Pick May Upset Conservatives

Are true Conservatives concerned about McCain's VP Pick?

Hey folks,

You better BET they are. I do not blame them one bit. All the talk about Lieberman being a possible VP pick for McCain, or a Pro-Choice person being tapped, has sent the Conservative base into a whirlwind of threats and confusion. The once gaining support McCain was starting to enjoy could be recked if he goes down the path some feel he is heading. I personally LIKE Sen. Joe Lieberman. I would have little problem with that choice, but some do have a BIG problem with it.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. This is an open letter to Sen. John McCain from Richard A. Viguerie. Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called “one of the creators of the modern conservative movement” (The Nation magazine) and one of the “conservatives of the century” (The Washington Times). His latest book is Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big-Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books), which, Jerome Corsi wrote in WorldNetDaily, is "destined to become a classic of conservative thinking" and "may be the most important conservative book written in the last quarter century."

Conservatives Can Also Play the Maverick Game

Dear Senator McCain:

The buzz in recent days has been that some of your key aides were calling national and state GOP leaders to alert them to the possibility that you were seriously considering a pro-abortion running mate and to take their temperature on such a selection.

As Dan Henninger of the Wall Street Journal asked: Are you politically “stupid” or do you care little for conservative principles?

It also shows that you don’t understand why the Republican brand has taken a massive beating in recent years. You clearly don’t comprehend why millions of conservatives are off the Republican reservation and sitting on the political sidelines.

Your indication that you’re willing to put a person who has a clear, unequivocal pro-abortion record within a heartbeat of the presidency is alarming.

Pro-life conservatives understand that, to change the laws to protect innocent life, first and foremost, we need good, articulate leadership--from the president and vice president.

To put it as simply and clearly as I can, most Republican leaders at the national and state level have betrayed, abandoned, and sold out the principles that define conservatism. Talk of selecting a pro-abortion liberal Republican (Tom Ridge) or, even worse, a pro-abortion liberal Democrat (Joe Lieberman) drives the Republican brand lower and lower.

Your apparent interest in selecting a running mate who is out of sync ideologically with the vast majority of conservatives reinforces the image of the Republican Party as a party without principle and dedicated to one proposition above all others – the seeking, acquiring, obtaining, and holding onto power.

Senator McCain, you are exceedingly proud of being a political maverick – you wear it as a badge of honor.

Well, poke the base of the Republican Party – the conservatives – in the eye one more time by choosing a pro-abortion vice presidential candidate and conservatives will show you that two can play the maverick game.

Conservatives are people with proudly held principles. We’re now waiting to see if you share our principles.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman,
ConservativeHQ.com

Now I can agree with some of this. I understand where Mr. Viguerie is coming from. I really can. But Let me ask you, Mr. Viguerie, a couple of questions. One, Sen. John McCain is NOT a Conservative. Why pretend he is. The split has already taken place. There are Conservatives, and there are Republicans. It seem increasing difficult to truly find a Conservative Republican. Why do you assume Conservatives like McCain to begin with. Second, and here is the big one, who are you going to vote for if not McCain?

You see folks, McCain is not my pick either. McCain-Lieberman, being one of the biggest reasons. McCain-Kennedy, McCain–Feingold, two more reasons. GWBS, Amnesty, and a direct attack on Free Speech.

But who is the alternative? Obama? Clinton? No. She is not out of this yet. Who? Like I have said before, I am resting in the hope, that perhaps, McCain has a conscience. That MAYBE, just MAYBE, this will keep him from going over the edge. He may be compassionate to a fault, and even ignorant enough to believe idiocies from time to time, but he IS strong on the number one job of ANY President. Keeping America safe. So is Lieberman.

Sorry, but I see no other choice at this point. None. If he DOES pick Lieberman, he has said he will serve only one term. That is FAR better to me, than the possibility of 8 years of a Socialist wannabe.
Peter

Sources:
ConservativeHQ.com
Richard A. Viguerie Blog