March 6, 2008

Dear Concerned Precinct Committeeman

I apologize for the form-letter appearance of that greeting but a few other folks have sent similar complaints about the TruGOP website, so I'm writing this once and I'll pass it along as needed.

I understand and sympathize with your concern regarding the "negative stuff" on TruGOP.org about our de-facto Republican nominee for President of the United States, John S. McCain.

Yes the opinions posted on the TruGOP website about some of John McCain's accomplishments and attitudes are negative. There are no falsehoods posted there however, only opinions about things he has said and things he has done. By the way, these are things of which he professes to be proud. Unlike the Democrats, we do not accuse John McCain of doing things he hasn't done in order to write negative things about him. (I want to also add here that I did request, both in writing and face-to-face with a member of his campaign staff, that they provide something positive for balance on our site but I heard nary a peep from anyone there. Absent any response, I included a link to the McCain website instead.)

We conservatives disagree vehemently with more than a few of Senator McCain's positions and actions. Some of his accomplishments may have benefited specific groups but they have contributed overall to the detriment of our country. As a result, we did not support him in the fight for the party's nomination. He has technically won the nomination now, not just without conservative support but in spite of conservative opposition. That doesn't mean we concede the game. It just means that we lost an inning.

For conservatives, it's been a long, long dry spell since Ronald Reagan. No, Reagan wasn't perfect. The problem is that Reagan proved we don't have to settle for the lowest common denominator. Did you say the TruGOP articles on McCain are embarrassing? Well, if he does something really dumb, like trimming away at your free speech rights with Campaign Finance Reform, or further infringing on your right of self defense by trying to close down gun shows, and we publicly disagree with him, then just who is it that is embarrassing you, us or him? Your note says you would like the "negative stuff" removed. Do you mean because John McCain is now our Party's nominee that we, as conservative Republicans, should either change our opinions or not express them? If John McCain thinks he should move a little farther right to get elected because of our expressed opinions, is that a bad thing? Republican-to-Republican, do you really want the conservatives in our party to shut-up? I don't think so. Not if you are truly a Republican.

In any event, the critical stuff stays. We Republicans should be aware of our Nominee's history and here's why: Speaking for conservatives, I am a conservative first and a Republican second. As such, I am also part of a movement. You may have noticed that movement mentioned as you read all the recent memorials on William F. Buckley. America's is a two-party political system and the Democrats now have a firm claim to the liberal, collectivist philosophical side. We conservatives are busy trying to strengthen the Republican party's grip on the conservative, individualist philosophical side. It's a long, slow process and we suffer setbacks from time to time but eventually we will win. As you may remember, prior to Goldwater's campaign, the Liberal Eastern establishment was firmly in control of the Republican party. Conservatives weren't even respectable in those days. Liberal philosophy and goals have since been proven to be bad for society and bad for the Republican party. The way things are at the moment, if the Republican party loses in November, the fault won't belong to conservatives, it will belong to liberals.

Most folks have a real life. They don't follow politics like you and I do. They don't read the history of America's Founders and study the effects of policies and laws passed by our Senators and Congressmen let alone know who was behind those policies and laws. I think John McCain has benefited more from that than anything else about his campaign.

I'm not sure what John McCain can do to bring over intelligent, educated conservatives. He tends to honor his promises, even if he has no coherent conservative philosophy so maybe if he makes a lot of very strong, very specific, very conservative promises... One thing that would help immensely would be to select a Veep who is a genuine philosophical conservative as Reagan was, and who is young enough and willing to run for President when John McCain's term(s) run out. It might help to show conservatives some light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.

Three approaches that won't work are "Trust me", "He's the best of a bad situation" and "Get over it". As to being embarrassed by the contents of the TruGOP website, you can tell folks that we are a big-tent party and that unlike the Democrats, we allow spirited discussion and controversy within our ranks and that we are all looking out for the best interests of our country.

The general election will go one of four ways for Republicans. If John McCain can't convince conservatives to support him and he loses, then he wasn't liberal enough for the Democrats or conservative enough for the Republicans and we will be better off in the long run as Republicans fighting a liberal Democrat than rolling over for a liberal Republican. If he wins without conservative support, then the conservative movement has just suffered another setback but we'll live to fight another day. Peggy Noonan wrote recently, "Conservatism will endure if it is rooted in truth, and in the truths of life. It is." If John McCain convinces conservatives to support him and he still loses, that'll be his fault but perhaps the experience will lead him to help us continue the fight against liberal collectivism. But if John McCain convinces conservatives to support him and he wins, then he will have followed a good course and we may have helped the man to understand a little about conservative, individualist philosophy. Unfortunately we can't know for sure until after his first year in office.

The ball is in John McCain's court. The critical stuff isn't going away, it's part of history. But if he really wants to, he can give us some positive stuff to put in there with it, maybe even enough to bury it. It's all up to him.

Sincerely,

George W. Teegarden