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Another Conservative Journalist Turns Against Palin
Libertarian blogger and senior editor at Reason magazine, Radley Balko, once heralded Pailn as "a good pick."
Looks like recent events, specifically her vague answer today on her foreign policy credentials, has changed his mind. He is now writing that he was wrong to praise her.
Add Balko to the growing list. As she continues to talk and show her lack of knowledge of the issues, I am convinced that conservatives with any comprehension of the seriousness of the issues today will have to abandon their support.
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Comments (10)
19 recommends and not a single comment. Must be a record.
I have been trying to tell people that this year a split is widening in the republican party between conservatives and neoconservatives. We are only seeing the very beginnings of it, but it will be enough to get Obama elected with a governing majority.
I think is perhaps the biggest story not being told next to the 12 million new voters.
September 19, 2008 6:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, that is one of the things I hope Obama will be able to do as a president : encourage the emergence of a reasonable conservative opposition. Bush has been so effective framing every debate in terms of patriot or traitor, real man or wussy... IMO, if Obama wins, his nuanced rhetoric will rub off on other politicians, making it easier to voice different opinions within a party. But maybe I'm overestimating Bush's/Obama's influence there.
On a side note: thanks for the link, that's an interesting blog.
September 19, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
If (when) Obama wins this election we will really see the final collapse of the so called conservative movement (or the neoconservative to be fair to "true" conservatives.)
There will be a dramatic change. Obama will have proven the model flawed and I think we will see the ideologues fleeing back toward the center, for no other reason than to save their political lives. The Republican party will split badly, with Libertarians on one side and the Christian Right on the other. There will be a lot of finger pointing and the party will be fragmented. Blue Dog Democrats will move in to fill the void causing tension in the Democratic party as well. But it will be healthy, preventing the party from moving too far to the opposite extreme.
After the bloodletting, the Republicans who survive this fallout will regroup and adopt a more centrist, pragmatic approach to governance (basically following Obama's lead), and try to recapture lost ground. In an attempt to reunify their base, they will continue to hold principles from both the Libertarians and the Christian Right, but will be much more moderate than today's extreme positions.
On the other hand, if McCain wins... well let's not contemplate that.
September 19, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's stop calling the far-right lunatic fringe -- that being the TRADITIONAL term for them -- "conservative," becaue they are NOT that.
In fact, Barry Goldwater said of the Reaganites: "I don't know what they are, but they aren't conservatives. I'm as far right as one can get, and they are to the right of ME!"
What they've done is misappropriate and hide behind the term in effort to pretend their stench is still stench, and their delusions the result of sniffing swamp gas.
That includes the irrational "Libertarians" behind the arrogantly mis-titled "Reason" rag.
September 19, 2008 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, come on, Libertarians aren't all that bad.
And too, it's hard to think of Radley as a Republican. Can't see him voting for McCain -- maybe Ron Paul.
September 19, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, the list is growing rather long, now.
I'm compiling all I can find of conservatives criticizing McCain/Palin and/or endorsing Obama) here: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Tesibria
September 19, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
As follow-up, I have found - so far - over 30 such articles/opinions from conservatives.
September 19, 2008 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Never trust a guy with the first name of Radley.
September 19, 2008 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Balko is an excellent journalist. He is one of the few conservative Journalists whose writing I do trust.
September 19, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
When McCain loses, the cultural cons will go back to loathing him, and blame the MSM for his defeat. Their beloved Sarah will be credited for preventing a total wipeout. She will be their new Reagan. Palin will wisely choose not to run for re-election in 2010, and instead will begin a quixotic quest to be the first female presidential nominee of either major party. She will lose the nomination to Bobby Jindal.
September 19, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
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