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The Conservative Case for Obama

amconmag.com — An article in the American Conservative lays out why even Conservatives should vote Obama in the fall.

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OsirisO 72 days ago

119 diggs
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bullcutter, on 05/15/2008, -5/+17If even after reading this article you have doubts that Obama would not "embrace" conservative ideals in his presidency as much as McAmnesty, just remember that Obama voted NO on the deal to sell our nation's ports to an Islamic nation, while McCain voted YES, all the while giving the flimsiest and most roundabout of excuses why he did so:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/26/mccain-port-sa ...

McCain would sell the Pentagon to Saudi Arabia for the right price. He has already been in politics far too long, and for the wrong reasons, as is evidenced by his senate voting record.
- DaDrake, on 05/16/2008, -4/+1I totally disagree with the entire UAE crap. The democrats used that to appear strong on national security when it has nothing to do with national security.
  - bullcutter, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1what are you talking about?! can you imagine if Syria or Saudi Arabia or even Iran or Egypt used their influence with Dubai (the company is owned by the government of Dubai I hope you know) to smuggle arms or even warheads into the U.S. how much wouldn't it have to do with national security then?
    
    rightwingers privvy to this fact are just glossing over the reality that their candidate is a shill to the highest bidder or whoever can get them the most votes. Obama, on the other hand, is who he says he is, and has no qualms about being that person. He is not half the ideological chameleon that McCain or Hillary are. McCain is simply too riddled with contradiction too ensconced in the beaurocratic cesspool to be a trustworthy candidate, and Hillary of course has proven herself to say or do anything for attention.
    
    McCain also has absolutely no intention of taking any of the pressure off our financial woes -- i hope you realize we are currently at a record ~9.4 trillion dollars in debt right now, WAY TOO MUCH of which has already been spent of America's most costly and pointless war ever.
    
    if you can't agree that the Iraq war has been an utter disaster and with little bonafide rationale, you are simple in a state of denial and are fooling only yourselves, to the detriment of the welfare of the country. its time to start admitting our mistakes and actually DOING SOMETHING about them.
    
    Obama might not end the war Dec 1st, 2008, but you're also kidding yourselves if you think he won't end it the fastest.
BECoole, on 05/16/2008, -11/+6They both suck but just think of who Obama will appoint to the courts and agencies. It is going to be a crappy 25 years or so after he is out of office that we will be suffering from his presidency.
NoDrama, on 05/16/2008, -1/+12Fascinating read. Of course, only those who aren't already sure they could never vote for Obama would learn much, and they don't dare deal with stuff that can shatter their world-view. Too scary.
- vanimal, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Their argument is basically that conservatives should vote for Obama because:
  1. There are only two candidates to choose from.
  2. John McCain isn't really a conservative
  3. Obama promised to end the war in Iraq.
  
  Obviously 1 completely untrue. This sounds like it's directed at people who, since they're conservative, believe they should vote for a Republican by default. You can't vote for just a portion of the candidates platform, so if you actually want someone conservative and believe 2, then find someone who is and vote for them.
WiamCJ, on 05/16/2008, -2/+9Well, nobody is going to get exactly what they want out of the election this year. But if conservatives want to team up with liberals and choose someone who will end this war, I'll jump in.
- wild, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1I am getting what I want, if Obama gets in office.
  
  1.) An end to the war.
  
  2.) Transparency and Accountability in Government.
  
  3.) A change in the leadership in Washington
  
  Affordable healthcare and an administration that listens to the American people are also great adds.
BECoole, on 05/16/2008, -9/+6The Liberal "end the war" promise is ***** and they know it. All they can do is bet that it will be wrapped up sooner rather than later.
There is no way any of the candidates are going to start withdrawing troops straight away.

That article was more criticism of Bush than it was supportive of Obama.
- juankovo, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1"There is no way any of the candidates are going to start withdrawing troops straight away."
  
  Other than Ron Paul, that is.
  - BECoole, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Don't be stupid - Ron Paul isn't and he wouldn't immediately pull out troops either. He knows that if we were to leave before the time is ripe that it would only cause chaos. Chaos not only for Iraq but for us an the rest of the world as well.
    
    Politicians make lots of promises; this is one they can't keep.
- internetcoward, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3I love how its liberal ***** to get us out of a war, but conservative bravery to ***** get us into it. Sometime I really do wonder if people are just genuinely under educated. Not saying that we will pull out of iraq as quick or as smoothly as they promise, but I wish we were never there in the first place. HRC also helped out getting us there.
  - vanimal, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1He's not saying the idea of pulling out of Iraq is *****. He's saying that the promise that the next President will be able to immediately bring all of our troops home is.
- wild, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Obama isn't going to start withdrawing right away. He is going to say "Get us out in 16 months" and let the general's decide how to do that effectively.
  
  As he says, the President sets the mission. The generals take care of the details.
Pherdnut, on 05/16/2008, -4/+4I think the author would do well to consider that his very definition of conservatism enshrines some of the values that have lead to abuses that are ultimately responsible for the the GOP's demise. Faith-based values that haven't been framed in reason have no place in political discourse and ultimately lead to derision and division, even among your own ranks. The separation of church and state is a principle that protects religion as much as state. Conservatives, by my definition, ought to know that best.
- Dumbledorito, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1I find it fascinatingly inept when people don't consider their arguments in the form of reason, even if they have a faith-based belief in the argument.
  
  For example, if someone tells me that gambling is bad because their god says it is, I'm less likely to give that any credence, especially if I don't share their belief in that particular (or any) god.
  
  But if that same person tells me that gambling is a sucker's activity and shows the statistics to back up the claim, I'm far more likely to embrace their point of view.
Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -3/+6REAL conservatives need to take their party back, regardless of ones feelings about the democrats and Obama, make no mistake: Electing a neoconservative like McCain means BIGGER GOVERNMENT, BIGGER DEFICITS, MORE INTERVENTIONISM and MORE INFLATION. I think this article makes some good points (but then I'm a liberal :D ) but regardless of whether you think Obama would be a good choice, (at least he has called for transparency and has reached across the aisle more than once) Remember McCain will be more of the same crap ( with a few feel-good appeals to frivolous liberal ideals thrown in). If you can't justify a vote for Obama, AT LEAST vote for Doctor No, He's not gonna win but if enough people write in Ron Paul the nation will be forced to stand up and take notice that old school conservatives still exist and still have some good points to make.
Hillsfar, on 05/16/2008, -0/+6Obama's real work with conservatives to get ethics reform passed, to protect civil liberties, his past work as a Constitutional scholar, his refusal to allow lobbyists and Big Business to hurt ordinary Americans... And the Republican Party's unprecedented empire-building and warmongering, subversion of the Constitution, and unabashed penchant for government growth and deficit spending... have ironically combined to make Obama the best choice for true conservatives who value America and her Constitution.
brycelb, on 05/16/2008, -3/+1This article demonstrates, once again, that the single issue voters (most of the people commenting on digg articles) are the Achilles heel of the political process. Both sides are guilty of tunnel vision in this respect. It is no more valid to base your vote solely on immediate withdrawal as it is to base it on over turning Roe v. Wade. The world that surrounds you is far more complex than that and you're simply contributing to continuing the madness that is the Presidential elections. Why would a politician willfully engage in important discourse when they don't have to.
- DaDrake, on 05/16/2008, -2/+2So what? I think the 2nd amendment is MORE important the the Iraq. Not all issues are equal.
DaDrake, on 05/16/2008, -4/+2Polls show conservatives aren't going to Obama... it wouldn't even make sense.
- treehugger87, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4Real quotes from West Virginia "real conservatives" who aren't going to vote for Obama (taken from the Daily Show - http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Video%3A_Daily_S ... These are the people you want in your voting block?
  
  "I guess because he is another race, I'm sorta scared of that coz' we have so much conflict with em' "
  "I don't like the Hussein thing. I've had enough of Hussein."
  "He's a muslim, and that has a lot to do with it."
macweirdo42, on 05/16/2008, -3/+4I always say, liberals are the heart of this country, and conservatives are the brain. I love to see liberals and conservatives working together.
sjbradyusd, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1I was hoping for something that was game changing. But basically if you are a Conservative and you want the war to end. Vote Obama. If that is your one issue then right on. Not really "The Conservative Case for Obama"
caeser5786, on 05/16/2008, -3/+2An Obama presidency may cause a conservative revival, because it would be a Jimmy Carter type disaster. I wonder how fast this will be buried.
gsarnowski, on 05/16/2008, -4/+0LOL Obama will never be elected President. Oh, and even if hell froze over and he was, he would never end the war in Iraq. IIRC he refused to promise to have the combat troops out by the end of his first (imaginary) term.
priamel, on 05/17/2008, -2/+1Given that heavily prochoice NARAL just endorsed Obama ( http://hillary-clinton-president.blogspot.com/2008 ... ) I am suspicious. They couldf've chosen McCain but they believe in Obama's ability to promote access to abortion. While I am not a Republican, I am prolife, and this is an issue that will impact my vote.
- Macrophage, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1As Prolife..how many children do you have? How many have you adopted? Do you volunteer in hospitals..hospices?
  
  Do you donate to childrens orphanages...Shelters?
  
  Womens Crisis/Rape Centers?
  
  Do you actively OPPOSE WAR?
  
  If you cannot answer yes truthfully..you are not PROLIFE
  
  No man can understand this decison..or the right to be able to make it.
  I have 2 sisters, three daughters, and one Grand Daughter and hope they never are forced to make a Choice..but i defend their right to do so.
  
  PEACE
  John From Cape Cod, Ma.
  - priamel, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1Thanks John. I heavily support adoption, shelters (volunteered for many years in a jail and homeless shelter, and housed ex-offenders in my home, and have been involved in ex-offender welfare beyond this), and my wife and I are in the process of considering adoption for ourselves.
    
    Recently, I have supported an orphanage in Romania, but not much yet.
    
    And you are correct. Adoption is an option these poor girls who think abortion is their only choice.
    
    Regarding war, capital punishment, I am vehemently against both. As for rape/crisis centers, I have not given. I cannot give to all the orgs you mentioned just as a matter of sheer economy. I could, I suppose, if I gave less to shelters, but that's not a decision I have made.
    
    Have I passed your litmus test? I'm impressed you support all of those places, John.
    
    Even if I flunked that test, it would not change the reality of the horror felt by an unborn girl just as the scalpel hits her.
laudyms, on 05/21/2008, -0/+2Real conservatives, like the rest of us, may be tired of being distracted by cynical social positions taken by the GOP just to stay in power. Because POWER and corporate control is what they want. The Corporate State will put their boot on the necks of all Americans, assuming they can keep us fighting among ourselves long enough..

It's not about left or right anymore. It's about authoritarianism or freedom.
bohemianowl, on 06/19/2008, -0/+1not much difference between the 2 puppets. exposes the false left/right paradigm quite effectively, like laudyms said, It's about authoritarianism (replicrats) or freedom.
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The Conservative Case for Obama

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