Conservative Ceausescus

It's highly entertaining to see conservative stalwarts like Rush Limbaugh, George Will, Robert Novak, and Grover Norquist inveighing against John McCain. Collectively, they and other panjandrums of the right are saying the same thing: that McCain isn't conservative enough for them, which means, ipso facto, that he's not conservative enough for their Republican Party, and their Republican country. But there's news for them: no one cares. All, in fact, represent a new, heretofore unidentified branch of the Republican party: the Ceausescu wing.

Remember how, in the waning days of Communist rule, the former Romanian dictator stood in disbelief before a crowd in Bucharest, stunned that his perpetually compliant subjects were suddenly jeering him? Ceausescu's time was up: within days, he and his wife were corpses. That won't happen to Limbaugh et al.: come what may, they will blather on. But their moment has come and gone. The political ground is shifting under them, and whine as they might, there's nothing they can do about it.

How spoiled have these guys become? Consider Novak's column this morning. He complains that while McCain supported the nomination of John Roberts for Chief Justice, he secretly considered Samuel Alito was too conservative for his taste. In fact, there's no practical difference between the two. Still, Novak is outraged at such heresy. For decades, these unelected moguls have held hegemony over the Republicans, free to dictate where the party should go. But now, real voters are reminding them that the party, and the country, are more moderate than they. And that if someone they admire comes along, they'll forgive him some lapses from ultra-conservative Republican orthodoxy. In the process, they're granting the Republicans, who by all rights should be thrown out of the White House, a bona-fide chance of staying there.

Instead of pouting, these spoiled bloviators should be grateful that the commonsensical Republican electorate, with the help of independents, has miraculously produced a candidate who could actually win for them in November. He won't be all they want, and he won't be completely under their thumb. But he'll agree with them most of the time. And he will help them salvage some of their waning influence. Surely they'll realize this as time passes, and will quietly reconcile themselves to John McCain. Besides, they've nowhere else to go -- unless they want to remain conservative Ceausescus.

Comments

[scooperss]

After mccain said today that the US was the world's police, I hope the repubs do listen to the likes of limbaugh. Imagine what mad mccain would do as president.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Thanks for reminding us about extreme idiots in history.

[ProudNeoCon]

Who else do we (Republicans) have running in this election.

I like McCain enought to vote for him over Bush 8 years ago. You bet I will vote for him now.... McCain Lieberman - hmm.... Talk about getting Dems stuck on the left...

[ChristianEcon.com]

It's unbelievable to me right-wingers are still in the game after the hideous train-wreck they foisted on the world in the form of the Bush admin.

Fox, Limbaugh, et. al. all promoted Bush, the war, and the rigging and pillaging of our economy with a vengeance, and we got the comprehensive tailspin of nearly everything they touched since Clinton.

It's amazing conservatism--much less all these chickenhawk clown pundits who're responsible for so much of its implementation yet seem to be coming out of it unscaithed--still has supporters around in numbers.

If they didn't grok it in theory, they should've at least let go of it after witnessing its destructive results, every time it's been implemented since Reagan.

It's a tribute to propaganda's power to mislead people. I would think the internet would provide some balance, but it doesn't seem to have been the case thus far.

[mikey2]

Panjamdrums?

[shawninCT]

This is good for Democrats. When McCain actually gets the nomination, some of the wingnuts will stay at home and pout while Clinton or Obama wins the presidency.

[noamjunior]

interesting opinion but I disagree-
2009-2112 will likely see a re-emergence of Rush Limbaugh as he reverts to the schtick that originally popularized him - Lampooning a democratic president-
The problem with most Cons these days is that making fun of a popular president will always be more entertaining than ass-kissing an unpopular president - or worse yet backstabbing a president you had a homo crush on 2 years ago (mike savage I am talking to YOU)

[anniemargret]

With all due respect, how in heaven's name can one call McCain 'moderate?" This is, after all, a man who says all abortion should be illegal, even when a woman is raped! This is the man who says we should stay in Iraq for '100 years' and then later changed it to "10,000 years' and calls for permanent bases in Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East . He is a neo-con in drag. He is a Bush clone on foreign policy. He is a conservative in financial matters, favors the Bush tax cuts, is anti-homosexual rights, anti-abortion rights, is to the right of Bush on war, has made derogatory remarks against Americans who have spoken out against the war, and the two issues he appears to be 'moderate' on is the illegal immigration issue (which Democrats are absolute fools about), and the torture issue. Even on the torture issue, he caved when his back was against the wall. Please. The image of John McCain as some 'maverick' is nonsense. And Democrats that support him, or are even thinking about voting for him in the general election are seriously deluded.

[Not Blind]

Conservatives are a mixed bag, and some are more moderate than others on various issues. I would be more afraid of someone who espoused liberal views and now turns around for political expediency rather than someone who has a steady track record on issues (whether I agree with all of them or not). Huckabee is hoping to make America a theocracy. Romney once embraced far left ideals to win the governorship of Massachusetts and now claims to be a conservative. Giuliani and Thompson were more of a side show with lethargy and/or one scandal after another. McCain is a decorated veteran, has held strong beliefs from which he has not waivered. Paul is a Libertarian and held steadfast to his beliefs, although the media have shunned and marginalized him.
The Republicans better make up their minds as to whom they feel will best represent their cause.
Fiscal responsibility, anti-abortion, the economy, taxation, the environment and other issues are important to conservatives, moderates and liberals alike. The choice is who stands a better chance of getting the job done.

[MPCarr]

Yes, nobody cares what Rush has to say.

Except the 20 million listeners he has every week.

He has the biggest audience in the media, period.

The left can believe the latest media story that Rush and other talk radio shows are irrelevant, just like they believed the exit polls in 2004.

[hubcap halo]

Nazi Germany comparisons are so overdone, but this one is relevant.

Coulter, Limbaugh and Hannity's frothing over McCain's supposed "liberal-ness" is reminiscent of High party Nazi criticisms of any German General that did not absolutely sing the praises of the Furher or who dared to voice any opposition to invasion tactics. Of course they agreed that the Nazis had a right to take over the world at the barrel of a tank, but how they did it was not even up for discussion.

Conservative pundits show the same level of psychological rigidity with their criticisms of McCain. He's basically one of them, but he does not live, breathe and sing praises of the Neocon faith 24-7. Hey may actually defer to reality rather than ideology when making some of his decisions.

And that, friends, is heresy to hardened, brittle ideologues.

[bigfated]

It's too bad, Mr.Margoli­ck, that the idiots you speak of cannot see as clearly as you.....an­d millions more among us do....that their time has come and gone. And while these ego-swollen bloviators had the ear of much of America, they squandered their opportunity to change America to their way of thinking by instead trying to divide Americans from one another...­all the while defending the most ineffective, corrupt, and criminally dangerous administration ever to assail the Constitution of the United States of America.
Even those among us that count ourselves as "Liberals," understand that the core principles of the Republican Party...lo­w taxes...fi­scal responsibi­lity...per­sonal accountabi­lity...etc­.---(now a thing of the past)---could, if properly and FAIRLY applied, be a boon to America. As the current view of Islam by those engaged in terrorism is a distortion of the True Islam....s­o is the Bush Administration's view of the Republican Party. These few charlatans---with the help of the religious wing nuts in America---have literally destroyed their own party...on­ly to gorge their greedy maws with the power they weilded with such poor judgement.
One need only to listen to the cry from the right that any opposition to these people somehow translates to disregard for the welfare for those serving in our military---all the while being quite willing to sweep under the rug the PROVEN FACT that this mindless and muddled president of ours---with the vile assistance of his boot-licking followers have basically stood by in silence as we discover that our Veterans Hospitals are falling apart---(as Bush cuts still another $900 million from the VA budget)---and wounded servicemen are being treated like dirt. This is but one example of how these fools are ruining our government.

[schmuckwithearlaps]

Why pretend the right wing talk show hosts have lost their power, merely because they are venting at McCain. All they are doing is reminding him that they own him and that he is going to need to kiss their collective asses if he is the nominee. And he will.
Remember the famous line from 2004, "By the time we get finished with Kerry, no one will remember which side he fought on in the Viet Nam war?" That is no less true today. In heavy commuting cities such as Los Angeles, many people listen to talk radio four or five hours a day without even knowing it. When Rush, Sean and crowd successfully swift boat the Democratic candidate this year, they will do it with two hands tied behind their back and a sock in their mouths, because they do it so well.
Liberals need to learn to fight back, and we have not made that step yet. Remember when the radio boys spent all day talking about "self inflicted wounds" resulting in purple hearts? Do you think Hilbama is going to fight back this time? I hope so. But then again, Kerry said he was no Dukakis, and turned out to be even more timid.

[BigBagel]

The radio talk shows are all McCain all the time. They hate this guy more then Clinton. Hannity is positively foaming at the mouth. The robots won't obey anymore and they don't understand.

[Kirby]

You would be so wrong, too. A McCain win, or a Clinton win, would be a big victory for the likudniks who are dominating the control of our country and the directionality into which it has been going. This is precisely because McCain and a few others have abandoned the principles of the Republican Party from years past.
We need, first of all, to take our government back, and out of the hands of the likudniks. We need to restore our party to the ideals which led it for many years. Real conservatism for the United States of America would not permit us to throw ourselves to the winds wanting and waiting for a mind-writhing Armageddon on behalf of an Israel which is hell bound on enlarging itself, and which will stop at nothing, and stoop to anything in order to accomplish this.
Hooraw and Hoorah for George Will and the others alert to what is happening!