Whither the GOP?
Or, as Glenn Reynolds quips: Wither the GOP?
There are some starting to grumble they may sit out 2008 election depending on the GOP nominee.
Some complain that those who are whining about McCain have not voted or contributed to an alternative.
First, I've contributed to both Mitt and Fred.
Second, I filled out my absentee ballot yesterday, and sent it in (everyone who reads these pages know I voted for Mitt).
To me, this election is about:
1) The War -- We Must Win
2) The Supreme Court -- We Need Another Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, Alito
3) The Economy -- We Must Remain Strong and Free
I have no confidence in McCain for (2) or (3), and I have no confidence in Huckabee (whom I never considered a serious candidate) for (1) or (3), and his recent comments on the Constitution being a "living, breathing document" makes me think he is incompetent for (2) as well.
I had originally wanted Thompson/Romney '08 (thinking we could have 16 years of leadership from such a dream ticket).
Huckabee threw a monkey wrench into that -- hurting both Romney and Fred and leading folks to look at McCain as the anti-Huckabee (even though he is actually carrying water for McCain).
Where does the GOP go from here?
Well, first of all, we have more states who have yet to weigh in.
Would I vote for McCain-Lieberman? No, nor would I consider such a ticket a GOP ticket.
Can I envision a scenario where I would not support the GOP nominee? Yes, McCain-Huckabee. Would I stay at home if it were close? Probably not, but I would think long and hard. If the President did not nominate Supreme Court members and if membership on the Court were not for life, I might be more tempted to sit it out. But, unlike Professor Bainbridge, I do not want my daughter, nephew and niece to pay for my pride of GOP purity.
Net: I think McCain would appoint better Supreme Court Justices than either Clinton or Obama.
I may not have the luxury of debating whether such appointments would have been better coming from Mitt or Fred.
I do think the root cause of all this nonsense is that Republicans lost their moorings while controlling Congress.
I mean, if folks think Democrats will be better at controlling spending than Republicans, it cannot be without reason.
UPDATE:
Andy McCarthy questions whether McCain would appoint originalist judges.
So, let's say Justice Stevens retires. Whom does a President McCain appoint to the Supreme Court? Will he be more inclined to nominate originalist judges or judges who would uphold the suppression of core political speech rights? They are, after all, not likely to be one and the same.