Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

My Personal Process of GOP Elimination

I freely confess to being a yellow dog Republican. I can’t think of a nationally prominent Democrat who could get my vote for dog catcher. I also think third parties are generally silly, both as a matter of game theory in a first past the post system and because I’ve met plenty of large L Libertarian Party types. So my choices are the Republican and staying home. As I assess the state of the 2008 GOP Presidential primaries, it increasingly looks like staying home will win.

John McCain just got the Union Leader’s endorsement. As I said all the way back in 2005:

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: I get all schizo when I think about John McCain. I admire his life story and I think his “national greatness” version of conservatism is an interesting take on the problems of the day. But there’s so much about him that drives me nuts. Ultimately, I can’t imagine supporting him in light of:

• He basically gutted the first amendment in the guise of campaign finance “reform”


• He and his allies consistently smeared my friend former FEC chairman Brad Smith for defending the first amendment


• He’s inconsistent on influence peddling


• He gave Dick Durbin cover fire when the latter made some incredibly stupid comments about Iraq and our troops


• And most important of all: He seems to have no notion of what the phrase “limited government” means

Regular readers know why I’m dead set against Mitt Romney. For the benefit of those who came in late, Romney care, sanctuary mansion, flip flopping, and dog abuse. As I wrote of Romney all the way back in July 2005:

I am deeply suspicious of politicians whose views on abortion, stem cells, and the rest of the culture of life issues “evolve” just in time for them to run for higher office. Even when they claim to have come around to my side.

Mike Huckabee. America gave Hope Arkansas one chance to send us a President. It doesn’t get a second. On a more serious note, George Will ably summarized the case against Huckabee:

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee’s candidacy rests on serial non sequiturs: I am a Christian, therefore I am a conservative, therefore whatever I have done or propose to do with “compassionate,” meaning enlarged, government is conservatism. And by the way, anything I denote as a “moral” issue is beyond debate other than by the uncaring forces of greed. ... Many Iowans think it would be wise to nominate a candidate who, when the Republicans were asked during a debate to raise their hands if they do not believe in evolution, raised his. But, then, Huckabee believes America can be energy-independent in 10 years, so he has peculiar views about more than paleontology.

Huckabee combines pure moralism with incoherent populism: He wants Washington to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in public, show more solicitude for Americans of modest means and impose more protectionism, thereby raising the cost of living for Americans of modest means.

Huckabee’s nanny statism - see, e.g., his support for a nationwide smoking ban - really bugs me. What happened to the GOP being the party of freedom?

Tom Tancredo? I don’t have a lot of time for a nativist (and, I suspect, racist). I’m an open borders guy and unapologetic about it.

To be continued.

Update: Okay, Now that McCain’s won, I take it all back. I’m going to hold my nose and vote McCain. Why? Judges. The line to call me a flip flopper forms to the right.