Posted by
"Mind and Morals" Michael Coyne on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:00:00 PM
There had to be a Carter before there could be a Reagan.
This sentiment is the only thing keeping me going at this
point, as it looks more than likely that we will face a Barack Obama
presidency. Yes, that scares me. We will see the Federal Government inflate to
unheard of levels and we will, indeed see taxes rise and liberties like the
Second Amendment erode.
But there is hope (sorry) on the horizon.
My prediction is this: that Obama—assuming he wins—will
only get one term. America tends to lean traditional, and doesn’t like an
inflating government in Washington. So who will the next Republican be? If the
Republican Party straps on its balls and stops pandering to the Left and the
big-government conservatives that currently inhabit Washington, then it will be
the best Republican president since the 80s.
Here’s what has to happen on our side, though. 1) Stop the
pandering. Republicans have become as good at shelling out cash and
entitlements as the Democrats. This must end. 2) We have to acknowledge that, when
the opportunity arises, we have to exercise it fully. That means no moderate
nominee. We will need a Mitt Romney, a Fred Thompson, or even a Ron Paul.
Someone who is not afraid to stand up and actually be a Republican in the vein
of Barry Goldwater or Theodore Roosevelt or even Ronald Reagan. If we go the
centrist route again, we will lose again. It’s that simple. 3) We need
coalescence. We can’t—however unlikely—be a party divided.
If we pull off all of these things, 2012 will be ours. Four
years of Obama might actually be just enough to shock the Republicans into
action. It might just be enough to make independents realize just how dangerous
a Democratic Super Majority in Washington actually is.
Now, all of this is assuming one thing: we lose the 2008
race on Tuesday. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t lost faith, and I still believe
that McCain has a shot. But it’s a long shot.
Good things come to those who wait. And we have to remember
that if Barack Obama is elected president. We can at least hope that the Bush
administration pops all the letter “O”s off the White House keyboards, much
like the Clinton Administration did with the “W”s in 2001. At least we’ll get
to chuckle a bit.