John McCain’s final hope to become president might have been in his response to W. Bush’s “creeping fascism” a.k.a. the bailout. McCain interrupted his campaign and went back to Washington, D.C. — to do what? To rubber-stamp Bush’s bailout as laden with pork by the senate. McCain proved with unmistakable finality that he advocates centralized government controls, not economic liberty. Meanwhile, with his selection of Sarah Palin, McCain demonstrated his commitment to government controls in the personal sphere.
Radly Balko (with whom I disagree on various matters) summarizes many of the reasons why the Republicans deserve to lose because of their massive escalation of federal control over the economy. Near the top of the list: “we now get to watch as the party that’s supposed to be ‘free market’ nationalizes huge chunks of the economy’s financial sector.”
And Christopher Buckley, in endorsing Obama, wrote that “Sarah Palin is an embarrassment, and a dangerous one at that. … What on earth can [McCain] have been thinking?” While Buckley doesn’t detail his problems with Palin, he notes, “On abortion, gay marriage, et al, I’m libertarian,” meaning he disfavors the proposed political controls of the religious right, the group that Palin was assigned to energize.
If you care about economic liberty, you cannot vote for John McCain. If you care about personal liberty on matters like abortion, you cannot vote for John McCain. If you care about free speech, you certainly cannot vote for John McCain. If you like nationalistic economic intervention and religion-based law, McCain’s your man. Unfortunately for McCain, Obama seems to scare the hell out of fewer voters, and that’s a major reason why Obama seems poised to win. Unfortunately for the rest of us, Obama might prove at least as destructive of our rights and of our vulnerable nation.
“many of the reasons why the Republicans deserve to lose because of their massive escalation of federal control over the economy. “
Aside from some republicans in congress and the president, more democrats pushed for the bailout, and democrats were completely responsible for the economic collapse.
Obama doesn’t scare me any less. If you’re for confiscation of wealth, loss of free speech, altruistic foreign policy, an possibly weaker defense against terrorism and fundamentalist Islam, Obama is your man.