A Test of Sincerity for Conservatives

It's no mystery that conservative radio hosts and some conservative bloggers are not the biggest fans of Senator McCain. They don't like some of his positions, and they don't like that he's spearheaded legislation that is not in line with the conservative doctrine. Campaign finance reform, immigration reform, and cap and trade legislation have been not only areas of disagreement, but contentious issues as Senator McCain worked with Democrats to addresses these issues. That being said Senator McCain's record is conservative. He is a foreign policy expert/hawk, he has tenaciously fought against earmarks and wasteful spending, and has been rated as a solid conservative by third party organizations.

The test for conservatives, particularly 'professional conservatives' like talk radio hosts, is a test of sincerity. Do they believe what they say they believe, or are they simply champions of their own brand of politics? A genuine staunch conservative may not be happy that Senator McCain won the nomination, and likely doesn't agree on all issues, but would see that they get far more with a McCain presidency than they do with a Democrat presidency. The Democrat candidates have been running on a far left platform, and the difference between Senator McCain and his future competitor is dramatic. Those conservatives who would rather see a Democrat as president than Senator McCain are either being incredibly petty and resentful that their candidate lost, or their beliefs are insincere. The meltdown that some conservative talk show hosts have had suggests that the issues are irrelevant that their protests are based on power. Compromise and bipartisanship is kryptonite to poltical extremists, and this threat posed by Senator McCain is being met with epic temper tantrums.

Obviously everyone wants their candidate to win the primaries followed by the general election. Disappointment is understandable, particularly for those actively involved with a campaign. However, for some in talk radio who never really supported a candidate fully this rings hollow. For other conservatives the question becomes who fits your beliefs better, and are those beliefs worth fighting for.