Where Do We Go From Here?

The unexpected primary

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue and Marcie's is in purple.

Let's face facts here folks, this wasn't the primary we were hoping for. Some of us had our hearts set on Rudy Giuliani, or Fred Thompson, or Mitt Romney. Those men are obviously not in the cards this time around. Fred and Rudy are out, and Mitt got his butt kicked on Super Duper Tuesday like a narc at a biker rally; so much so that he bowed out of the race at CPAC. And the man we all counted as down and out -- sinking on his own version of the Titanic -- is now the GOP frontrunner. That'd be John McCain. A lot of people don't like him, and the vast majority are conservatives, like ourselves. Ann Coulter has boasted she'll vote for Hillary (unless McCain puts Mitt Romney on the ticket). So has Tammy Bruce. And Michelle Malkin might just sit at home along with Dr. James Dobson (though he has recently endorsed Mike Huckabee). Face it, we're in the middle of a schism that we don't need. The petulance of Republican pundits and primary goers was evident from the start. That's not meant to bag on those that differ with us, but this schtick is getting old really fast. What went wrong, and what do we do? Those are two questions we're about to answer.

Thomas wanted Rudy Giuliani, and I wanted Mitt Romney; a house divided, only without literal battle lines being drawn. Rudy's problem was putting all of his eggs into Florida on a crap-shoot gamble that was ridiculous from the start. In the primaries, you have to compete in every state, not make the seventh or eighth battleground your one and only stand. For Mitt Romney, he was competitive, but his message never really got out. That is his fault, not the media's, as many of his supporters are contending. Mitt Romney had a steady cheerleader in Hugh Hewitt, and a few others within the blogosphere, but the people on the sidelines yelling "rah-rah" are not the people that voters are choosing. They are choosing the candidate running. Neither man did well, and it is due to how they ran their campaigns. John McCain remained steady through all the rocky waters, despite the continued criticism from conservatives. Congratulations to Senator McCain for his perseverance.

When the dust finally settled after the Tuesday primaries, it was clear that the Republicans decided against Mitt Romney, and had opted for John McCain instead. Does this mean that the party has moved more center-left than center-right? Not exactly. We think that McCain's victory was based on two simple reasons. Name recognition and integrity. Not a lot of people know who Mitt Romney is, or what he stood for, and all too often he was accused of "flip-flopping" on issues. When the media hypes up that singular point, and you don't combat it it'll be the albatross hung around your neck. In Mitt Romney's case, that, and his inability to get his message out is exactly what did in his campaign. For John McCain, people knew who he was (conservatives especially) and they knew he was, for the most part, an upstanding senator. He was a hawk on the war which was the main focus of his platform. He has said that the tax cuts need to be made permanent, and he claims he has "heard the American people" and will actively fight for tighter border security, and enforcement of the laws on the books with regards to illegal immigration. Talk is cheap, and Reagan reminds us to "trust, but verify," but if he remains true to those positions he just might have a shot at gathering together enough conservatives to win in November.

Emailers in the aftermath of Super Duper Tuesday have accused us of being disingenuous; of selling our principles out for winning when the win is not even guaranteed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let us ask this question of conservatives: Would you be willing to cede the White House to a Clinton or Obama Presidency knowing full well that they will withdraw our troops from this war, push for socialized health care, and appoint activist jurists to the federal bench, including the Supreme Court? We will not. There are seven reasons why John McCain is better than either of the two Democrats: The war, and six possible retirements from the Supreme Court. Four of the justices in question (Scalia, Ginsburg, Stevens, and Kennedy) are over age seventy, and there is the distinct possibility that as many as three could retire in the next President's first term. These are issues to be examined with respect to this upcoming election, and in the end -- to prevent a Democrat getting the White House and doing the damage they could inflict on the nation -- we will hold our noses and vote for John McCain.

Of course the primaries aren't over yet, and anything could happen. (Um, yeah right.) Some speculate about a brokered convention, but even then, at the very least, the GOP would be looking at a rehash of the 1976 Republican National Convention where neither Gerald Ford or Ronald Reagan had a majority of delegates. Before Super Duper Tuesday, we would have agreed that such a prospect favored Mitt Romney. Then, a great deal of the GOP base was clearly not jumping up and down over John McCain, and it was looking like a three-way split up to the convention. Now, that's not true. John McCain clearly worked his magic, and routed Mitt Romney 697 delegates to 286. A brokered convention at this point could be a disaster for Mitt Romney. Like Ronald Reagan did in 1976, he needs to suck up this loss, work on his image and message, and be ready for 2012. Then, the nation needed Reagan to rescue us from the malaise of Jimmy Carter. If John McCain keeps his word, he will only serve for one term. The door could be opened for Mitt Romney then unless McCain chooses one helluva running mate.

The idea of staying home in protest has never crossed our minds. We have loyalty to the party, and we do not think it is wise to stab the party in the back and abandon it when it needs us the most. The nation needs grown ups who understand the gravity of this election. Again, the Democrats have vowed to vastly alter this nation and what she stands for. We are not looking to maintain the so-called status quo, but rather we wish to give this nation a fighting chance in the near and uncertain future. We believe that John McCain could be that chance. He is not perfect, in any way, shape, or form. No one said he was. But he is a Republican, and he does believe in what most of the party does. Sure he goes off the reservation once in awhile for those accolades he desires, but he has stated his agenda and it is one in which most Republicans can support. The point is that while he may not be our first, second, third, or even fourth choice, he is the better choice.

"The worst Republican is better than the best Democrat," was the first lesson that my grandfather taught me about elections. I have never voted for a Democrat. Marcie has participated in two elections --2004 (her first) and 2006 -- and she has not voted for a Democrat. Today's Democratic Party is nothing like the one that Thomas Jefferson created. In fact, they bear little resemblance to Democrats like FDR and JFK, which is a sad testament to their party. It's unfair for those who disagree with John McCain to call him a "Democrat." Yes, he's a moderate Republican, but that hardly warrants the hysteria exhibited by Ann Coulter and company. For us, this election comes down to the war, the economy, illegal immigration, and the Supreme Court, and not necessarily in that order. John McCain is strong on three of those four issues, and on immigration -- provided he truly has changed his tune -- he should be able to at least abide by his word. (Truth be told, regardless of who is elected, immigration will not be "fixed" immediately. That problem will take time to hammer out.) We see no reason why we couldn't vote for him. The "I'm taking my marbles and going home" crowd needs to grow up. There will never be a candidate that everyone will agree with 100%. So you take what you can get, and you work for more. Instead of carping about how bad the choices for President are, you vote to support the party, and focus on Congress.

We only bring up Congress because that is the second problem of this election. The entire House is up for reelection this year, and the Republicans are looking at a daunting task of holding their numbers in the Senate. As of right now there are 23 Republican seats up for the election and only twelve Democrat seats. The numbers in the senate right now have the parties evenly divided 49-49 with two independents that caucus with Democrats. Losing eight seats would give the Republicans no breathing room when it came to blocking legislation, or maintaining a filibuster. With the Supreme Court clearly in the balance, we can ill afford to lose seats which would make originalist jurists nearly impossible to pass through a Democrat-controlled Senate if they have enough votes to mount and maintain a filibuster, or deny cloture. Additionally, if John McCain were to go a little nutty, we would have no way to keep him in check. So the Congress -- most especially the Senate -- is an important factor that must be addressed. The stakes are simply to high to entrust the Democrats with any sort of executive power, and if they did manage to take the White House and still hold onto Congress, they could ram through whatever they wanted regardless of what the people have to say about it. For us, the choice could not be clearer.

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She has finished her undergrad studies, graduating with a BA in English and history and will move onto law school this fall where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at Hamilton, Madison, and Jay -- a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, and resides in Arizona

Archives of "Throwing Down the Gauntlet"

Send an e mail to Thomas and Marcie Clark

Check out Thomas and Marcie's blog: Hamilton, Madison, and Jay