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Meghan McCain is a monumental idiot.
All of you knew that already, I’m sure. But as if her other dalliances into idiocy haven’t been enough, she’s really hit the motherlode with this one. She trashes conservatives and Republicans for not being “moderate” enough, and then complains that she gets called a RINO, and also complained that the Secret Service is too overprotective, and none of them are cute. Aww. She complains that the GOP needs to be “cooler” and more “pro-sex”. And of course, she would know, because she’s a cool, hip, progressive Republican.
Her latest foray into “I hate the GOP but I really love them!” waters was her latest column, an attack on none other than Michelle Malkin. Let’s take on her drivel a little at a time, shall we?
Michelle Malkin, the conservative pundit and author of the recent book Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies, was asked during a live chat on Politico’s The Arena on Friday which conservative political figure or commentator needs to shut up. Guess who her answer was? Yeah, that’s right—yours truly.
What Meghan does not realize is that the entire Republican establishment, absent her father wishes she would shut up. And it has nothing to do with her being a “moderate” Republican, although she certainly likes to delude herself that it does. We all want you to shut up, Meghan, because you say idiotic, vapid things and make vague statements about how you are a real Republican, but refuse to actually make any substantial talking points. You want to be a pundit, but you won’t say anything except to talk about how the GOP needs to enlighten themselves to be at your level. Every TV appearance she makes is one in which she will, in some way, shape, or fashion, bash the Republican party. It’s always about how the GOP needs to be cooler, more progressive, more alternative. But when it comes to actually talking about policies, political positions, or conservative values, Meghan remains mum. She says absolutely nothing of substance, and that’s why we all wish she would shut up.
What do Malkin and the other conservative pundits hope to accomplish by arguing that people “like me” have no place within the Republican Party? And who exactly are people “like me”? Young people? Moderate people? Young female people? People with tattoos who go to biker rallies?
The Republican Party should be a place for all kinds of people, and I hope my fellow moderates come to see that the party is the place for them, too. With every day of the Obama administration, I am more convinced that my political party is the one with the better ideals. The recent Cash for Clunkers mess is a classic example of an issue that that Michelle and I agree on.
However, I am consistently asked why I would want to stay in a party that has members so angry about my involvement. It’s as simple as this: I idealistically believe in the Republican Party, and I also have an emotional connection to it. But if the party continues to demand that people leave, I guarantee you that they will. If you tell people there is no place for them, they aren’t going to fight for their right to stay. They are going to rush into the open arms of the other team.
Here’s where Meghan wades into delusional waters.
First of all, no one has ever said that young females can’t have a voice in the GOP (um, hello!).
Second, where has she ever heard anyone say that moderates have no place in the Republican party? No one is sitting here saying that Meghan doesn’t belong with us, and neither do any other moderates. What we are saying is that she needs to stop acting like she’s the new mouthpiece for the GOP, the bright, shining light of where we need to go in order to be successful. What has Meghan McCain ever done or accomplished to qualify her as someone who can lead the GOP in the right direction? She’s done nothing except be the child of a man who has ran for president multiple times and failed multiple times. And because of this, we should believe that she has the magic formula for success? Uh, no, sweetie, sorry. We’re not buying it. But here’s the kicker: just because we don’t want you to lead us does not mean that we are kicking you out of the party. Just because we aren’t appointing you our new rising star doesn’t mean you don’t have a place here. I suspect Meghan knows this deep down, but what kind of attention would she get by acknowledging that? It’s much more fun to sit there and try to fill the role of the new maverick in the Republican party. You get all kinds of lavish attention from celebutards and liberal talking heads who praise you for “keeping it real”. So I’m pretty sure she’ll just continue on acting like she’s being crucified in the GOP, when frankly, no one in the GOP even gives a damn about her. We just wish she would stop making idiotic, asinine remarks in our name.
I don’t know exactly what about me threatens them so much, other than that people are listening to me. Malkin has the No. 1 book on The New York Times bestseller hardcover nonfiction list, but I have nearly twice as many Twitter followers as she does. And trust me, Twitter is more of an indication of where young people are than books published by the hyper-conservative publisher Regnery—which will be bringing you Carrie Prejean’s new book and published one of Ann Coulter’s.
I honestly cannot believe she’s really making this argument. People buy Michelle Malkin’s book, but it doesn’t matter, because Meghan McCain has more Twitter followers?
Seriously?
Meghan, it costs nothing for people to follow you on Twitter. It costs them no money and it takes up no time. But people are actually spending their hard-earned money to read what Michelle Malkin has to say. In these economic times, that’s saying a lot. And while it’s great to have “the youth” hanging on to your every word, come election day, they always disappoint. Every. Time. The youth vote is a mythical thing. The youth did not win the election last year for Barack Obama. Neither did disgruntled moderate Republicans. What won the election for Barack Obama was your typical middle-class family, who wavers back and forth between center-left and center-right, and bought into his whole package of unity, hope, and change. They’re also largely regretting that vote now. The youth tends to get out in force for rallies and events, anything that will be exciting and entertaining, but the drama-free environment of the voter’s booth doesn’t draw them. They get sick, so they don’t go. They’re tired, so they don’t go. They forgot, so they don’t go. They got too drunk the night before, so they don’t go. They have an early class in the morning and don’t want to get up an hour earlier, so they don’t go. The youth tends to get extremely excited in the run-up before voting day, but when it comes down to it, they always disappoint, each election year. And here we have their newest self-appointed spokesperson, Meghan McCain, saying that we need to lower ourselves to reach out to them. Look, Twitter’s a great thing — I use it — but it’s no intellectual heavyweight. Could she possibly get more vapid? She’s making a fool out of herself, and she doesn’t even realize it.
The old conservatives of the past need to start accepting that this is a new era and I am a part of a new generation. I am as sick of the infighting as everyone else, but I would like to point out that I am not the one starting this fight or demanding that the other half of the party leave.
And here she’s just plain lying.
Meghan: when you go on The View or The Colbert Report or any of your other media appearances and bash the GOP, yes you are starting the fight. If you are “sick of the infighting”, then why all the criticisms? Why do you constantly sell out the rest of the party and put down conservatives? If that’s your way of stopping infighting, then you have more in common with Barack Obama than you do with anyone in the GOP. You may not be demanding that the other half of the party leave, but you are demanding that they change to suit your more progressive, alternative views, because according to you, this is the way to success. And I’ll ask again: what model of success are you basing this on? Certainly not your father. One of the greatest presidents we’ve ever had was Ronald Reagan, and he certainly was no moderate. You would surely call him the far right. Yet he had far more success than John McCain could ever dream of, and he did it on conservative ideals, not moderate ones. You want the GOP to change to be like you in order to attract the unreliable youth, but there has never been any sign that a moderate Republican party is a winning party.
The problem with you, Meghan, is that you offer nothing of substance or value. You complain and bicker and point fingers, but you offer no alternatives except pre-packaged talking points. You’re for gay marriage? Great, then how about you give us a brilliant dissertation on how to reconcile the pro-gay marriage stance with the Christian wing of the GOP. You love bikers? That’s fantastic, now how about you give us some kind of insight into your thoughts on some heavier topics, like perhaps cap-and-trade or Obama’s government run health care plan?
Meghan never discusses these things, she simply plays a negative blame game, and then turns around and howls because conservative heavyweights like Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin aren’t worshipping at her feet. She has no deep political thoughts. And that’s why we ALL want her to SHUT UP. God help Meghan if Michelle Malkin were actually to engage her in this “war”… because Meghan would be slaughtered. She doesn’t come anywhere near the intellectual capacity that Michelle Malkin posesses, yet she still thinks she’s somehow better. Why, because she has more Twitter followers? Ridiculous.
Meghan, unless you want to start talking policies and politics and things that actually matter, instead of your personal vendetta against everyone in the GOP who is more conservative than you are, please do shut up. You have nothing of value to say and you aren’t helping anyone except yourself. If that’s what you’re after, then fine. But don’t start crying those crocodile tears because we don’t embrace you with open arms.
btenney says: I predict that in the near future Ms. McCain will switch to the Democratic Party simply for the attention.
Kinda like signing on as 1st Mate of the Titanic.
First, I want to say you’ve written a good piece here. Second, I’m not a Republican, or Democrat. I’m a libertarian (lowercase L) and pretty much despise political parties – for this very reason: they are by their nature divisive and prone to not only fighting with each other over nonsense but withing their on ranks. Third, I follow Meghan on Twitter (just wanted to see what all the hype was about) and I can’t disagree with anything you say about her. She’s like her father; “Maverick” only as a result of being stubborn, sometimes clueless, and far too impressed by himself to have any core principles. The apple did not fall far from the tree. I’ve been following Ms. McCain for three months. In that time frame all I’ve discovered is that: #1 She’s managed to get around four or five speeding tickets in the past few months(no clue how she still has a license other than her last name). #2 Gone to L.A. for a “No H8TE” photo-shoot. #3 Gone to NYC for some kind of photoshoot. #4 Out somewhere at parties & clubs in L.A., and NYC. #5 Learned all the complaints about her apartment and how shopping is such a hassle at various stores. #6 Going to Sturgis to be cool with all the bikers (Daddy told her to “be careful.” #7 Four hours one day of hysterics because she fell for some weirdo’s suicide note to the point where she actually got her PR person to contact Twitter and the police to get the man help – turns out he “wasn’t serious and will seek intensive help” after she gave him the attention he needed (she got a kudos from Alan Colmes on that one with the gracious statement that her actions “only show how much she cares.” #8 And finally, One time she asked all her followers what she should write about in her next column at The Daily Beast. This girl is indeed vapid beyond belief and one glaringly obvious reason why influential people’s children should be rarely seen, and even rarer heard. God help us all if the future of the “loyal opposition” is her and people like her. Seriously, the fact that this woman is the child of John & Cindy makes me question the intelligence of both of them just based on the result of their DNA mixing. —- End Rant > Sorry for the long comment, but she hit a nerve, cuz I adore Michelle, and this is the first I’ve heard about this episode of “Rich Blonde Heiresses Gone Wild.”
Larry Sheldon says: “Meghan McCain is a monumental idiot.”
Today is Tuesday in this time zone.
What other Earth-shaking news have we?
Oh! The Alaska Legislature overrode Palin’s veto of the abdication of state-hood.
Surprises, surprises, everywhere I mlook.
SurroundSound says: Wow! That was great! Meghan McCain makes my blood boil but I don’t have a clue how to put it into words as articulately and RIGHT-ON-TARGE
SurroundSound says: ….OOPS, accidentally clicked on “submit” before I was finished. As I was saying: I don’t have a clue how to put into words my extreme dislike and disgust for Meghan McCain, so I’m just happy that you did. It’s something Meggo should read for herself but she’d never be able to stick with something longer than 140 characters! Thanks…great job!
onetireddad says: As my Twitter feed will attest (@onetireddad) Many followers does not a leader make.
I would personally love to see Michelle Malkin or Laura Ingraham go head-to-head with Meghan. My guess is that they’d both be more than willing to do so. Meghan would find some way to back out of it.
rwm says: Cassy:
A flat-out brilliant post. If the GOP is looking for a vibrant young voice, they might want to think about looking to you. (No pressure there…!)
Keep it up, kiddo!
Knott Buyinit says: How young do you have to be to be a hip young Republican woman? Michelle Malkin is in her 30s, whereas Cassy and Megan are in their 20s, does that make Michelle ineligible for hipness? Is it just age that counts? Olympia Snowe is in her 60s, but I bet Megan thinks she’s the cat’s meow (sorry for the old expression- hey, I’m old, OK?). What about Liz Cheney and Sarah Palin, both only in their 40’s, admittedly both with piles of kids (5 each), yet both HUGE stars on the conservative side of Good-Old-Boy-Republican-Land (trust me), do they have even a chance at hipness? Would it matter they did?
No, the only way to be thought ‘hip’ by the crowd whose admiration Meghan McCain so ardently desires is to be a sell-out to all that makes Republicans ‘Republicans’. And does she really believe they’ll respect her in the morning?
Larry Sheldon says: “…head-to-head with Meghan.”
That would be like bumping into a marshmallow.
Larry Sheldon says: Since when did “leftist” mean “moderate”.
Why doesn’t she join the Dems, or CPUSA or whereever she would feel comfy?
Larry Sheldon says: I need to learn to close my tags. Sorry.
mj says: Meghan Mccain’s the Joe Biden of the Republican party.
Sapwolf says: Foghorn Leghorn FB post goes after Meghan McCain:
“She reminds me of Paul Revere’s Ride,…a little lite in the belfry.”
Great post, Cassy.
The old conservatives of the past need to start accepting that this is a new era and I am a part of a new generation.
Oh, dear. As someone who is a fraction of a generation above Meghan in age, I’m old enough to know that this is b.s. and young enough to know that this “new generation” does not want what Meghan has to sell.
In fact, the group that is about a half-generation below Meghan and Cassy is the generation that will bring the conservative movement forward, based on hard-core conservative principles. Those who have grown up with divorce, drug use, and casual sex can see the harm of the liberal lifestyle. They know that this “cool, hip” b.s. just ends up hurting other people (and, often, the people who are all cool and hip).
One of the great myths is that people retain the same political ideology that they had in college. In reality, older people are more conservative because they grow up, see what reality is like, and have to pay a few bills. (Oh, wait, that might be Meghan’s issue.)
I know it has the whiff of dolphin logic (fish live in the sea, dolphins live in the sea therefore dolphins are fish) but I’m thinking Meghan’s intellectual sincerity and fortitude, what there is of such things, are emblematic of all her brethren in the “Republicans done won their last election until they stop using hate and fear.” I just can’t work up any respect for these people at all. If they’re people I happen to care about, I just figure they’re commenting about something well outside their knowledge base and they need to shut up before they make complete asses out of themselves. True pity; and I think what you feel for Ms. McCain here is something similar.
One thing that constantly gets in the way: Okay, let’s take it seriously for just a minute. Republicans need to build a bigger tent or they’ll never win an election ever again. Question. Did Republicans ever win elections before? What happened there; were they the Kumbaya party? No. What happened was exactly what’s happening now. We thought we’d elect some happy-happy-joy-joy liberal guy who was all marshmallows, flower pedals and rainbows, and inside of a few years we saw he was turning our country into a socialist mudpuddle, letting all the murderers and rapists out of jail, depressing the dollar, inflating the interest rates, raising the minimum wage, lowering the maximum wage, putting an iron curtain around our own natural oil resources…et cetera…we got sick of it and threw him out. No, I don’t have a single name in mind. But I do have a list.
Not that Meghan would know anything about any of this.
For her to talk about Republicans never winning another election again, is like me talking about the sound of Julius Caesar’s voice: It’s outside my scope because I wasn’t born yet, I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t know what I’m talking about. Except you haven’t seen me talk about Julius Caesar’s voice just yet. I have a sense of what I do & don’t know, because my name is NOT Meghan McCain.
Rob De Witt says: Yawn. It’s like listening to a high-school girl rag on a cheerleader.
Meow.
Cylar says: It’s just interesting to me that nobody ever takes the Democrats to task for not having a “big tent.” It’s a coalition of educators, feminists, labor unions, environmentalists, antiwar peaceniks, animal-rights wackos, militant minority rights’ groups, militant gay groups, gun control advocates, abortion “rights” advocates, and assorted other fruits and nuts. But the one thing they all agree on is that conservative, traditional ideals must be stopped at any cost.
I don’t recall anyone suggesting that they needed to “moderate” or “town down” their message, “ease up on the hate,” “enlarge the tent” or any of the other lame-brain suggestions we hear that essentially boil down to this – water down your message and your values.
On the contrary, they made a clean sweep of the entire government last year by running the most left-wing fellow they could find, who might have pretended to be moderate, but certainly didn’t fool anyone that was paying attention to the company he kept and where he had come from. A gaggle of Congressmen and Senators rode in on his coattails.
My question is this – why can’t we nominate someone like Palin or Jim DeMint and fire up the base? We tried it Meghan McCain’s way, and we got the crap kicked out of us last year. Hey GOP “moderates” – how about getting the hell out of the way next time around and letting the base actually have a shot at nominating our standard-bearer? Then maybe we wouldn’t have to listen to four years the media slobbering over some politician, along with his gloating about how he doesn’t have to make deals with us because he “won?” Why don’t we forget all this crap about “reaching out” (read: pandering) to groups which don’t usually vote GOP?
Just run on the winning fiscal and social principles, and they’ll come over on their own. Many of them would be happy to vote for us if we simply stuck to our message and spent some time trumpeting the importance of traditional moral values. Reagan got a lot of moderates to vote for him by doing exactly this. He didn’t see any need to water down the message – instead, he brought these people into our party AS CONSERVATIVES. John McCain had it exactly backwards.
No, we don’t have the same debates as existed in, say, Reagan’s time…but there is no reason the same principles can’t be observed in today’s debates and issues. The answer is the same today as it was in the 1980’s – a strong national defense, maximum economic and political freedom for everyone, low taxes. For today’s debates it is also a good idea to beat the drum of energy independence.
I wish I could be as kind to the mushy moderates as Cassy is. If they’re not willing to see the light, then yes, I think they do need to go. We can draw in new voters who don’t feel the need to compromise to the point where they have no integrity left. (The Libertarians would be happy to accept our former members.)
Frankly I think they’ve brought our party to the brink of utter ruin by not staying on-message and being willing to vote for candidates like McCain. And now I hear that wimps like Huckabee and that Mormon guy from the Northeast are thinking about taking another shot at it in ’12! Puhleaze. These guys ought to be put out to pasture, and if they aren’t, then we need to look at cleaning house in our party’s internal leadership as well.
CaptDMO says: *sheesh*
I was all ready to bestow my age earned wisdom on the matter.
Apparently, the traditionally observant, and articulate, folk pretty much covered the glaringly obvious.
CaptDMO says: Oh wait, I got one.
Right-Of-Center Bloggers Select The Most Respected People On The Right For 2009
I didn’t see Ms. McCain’s name(or her dad’s), ANYWHERE!
Of course I’m operating under the ASSUMPTION that ACTUAL
“conservative” folk lean toward the right of what Republicans In Name Only claim as their place under “the tent”.
I could be wrong…
Cassy,
A truly fabulous rant, but let’s face it: it’s wasted on Meghan. She is vapid, self-absorbed and totally clueless. You could run over her with the Fact Train and she’d be all “Omigod! Did you see what happened to my shoes?!”
If her last name weren’t McCain, she’d be nothing except another pretty college graduate, waiting for Girls Night Happy Hour to arrive each week. Instead, because her last name IS McCain, we’re “treated” to the sight and sound of nothing on an almost daily basis.
Why anyone would want the label of “progressive” hung on them – if they really know what it means – is beyond me. Choosing to be hip and Democrat-Lite isn’t a really good strategy either.
Roderick Reilly says: Isn’t Meghan McCain, like, good friends with Heidi and Spencer?
On her site, McCain wrote why she’s sticking with the Republicans:
“However, I am consistently asked why I would want to stay in a party that has members so angry about my involvement. It’s as simple as this: I idealistically believe in the Republican Party, and I also have an emotional connection to it. But if the party continues to demand that people leave, I guarantee you that they will. If you tell people there is no place for them, they aren’t going to fight for their right to stay. They are going to rush into the open arms of the other team.”
So essentially, she’s going to hang around the party for a long time, which is terribly bad news for Republicans. Whether one likes it or not, she is noticed by people and the MSM will exploit that division for all its worth.
Personally I loved the part about being emotionally attached, since Meghan’s first decision to join the Republican Party was when her daddy ran for the Oval Office last year. And if moderates want to leave, I have no issues with that. They won’t find much room in the leftist Democratic Party either.
Roxanne,
“In fact, the group that is about a half-generation below Meghan and Cassy is the generation that will bring the conservative movement forward, based on hard-core conservative principles.”
Those same youngsters who voted 70% for Obama last year? The ones who were cheering hysterically and in tears of joy because the Dear Leader was elected? They’re not really all that conservative.
“Those who have grown up with divorce, drug use, and casual sex can see the harm of the liberal lifestyle. They know that this “cool, hip” b.s. just ends up hurting other people (and, often, the people who are all cool and hip).”
Not really. Most of the stuff you listed may be harmful, but most people into all that garbage want more government support, not less. And the Millenials do believe in the hip and the cool (which is why they flock in droves to watch Jon Stewart every night).
“One of the great myths is that people retain the same political ideology that they had in college. In reality, older people are more conservative because they grow up, see what reality is like, and have to pay a few bills. (Oh, wait, that might be Meghan’s issue.)”
That’s predicated on a couple of things. First of all, most of them have been spoonfed leftist crap their entire lives (the Millenials are the first generation to be educated from the cradle by the leftists currently running the educational system), so I don’t really see them growing up all that much, though they will have to.
Secondly, this generation has been told their entire lives that they’re special and that they shouldn’t settle for anything less than the absolute best. They are right all the time. When you have both genders thinking that way going into marriage, it’s a train wreck waiting to happen. It’ll be really interesting to see what the divorce rate climbs up to when these people start marrying in droves (assuming they do so; don’t forget the idea of just living together).
Thirdly, most of these kids are so self-centered that they have no clue what’s going on around them most of the time. As long as they get what they want (no matter what the cost, because you know, they’re special), they’re happy. If you think I’m kidding, look up an LA Times piece that was up several months ago about “funemployment.”
Mat,
You’ve obviously missed the part of American wherein a bunch of teenagers are doing things like starting abstinence movements in their schools. It’s kind of hard for them to vote, though, because they are only 15 years old.
Obviously.
Roxanne,
And exactly how many are doing this? I guarantee they are in the minority. I see them every day on campus where I work. They’re doing exactly the opposite. You need to broaden your perspectives a little bit and look at the big picture.
Radshaw says: meghan why don’t you out to an alley in California and strip naked……..sorry allah you beta male you
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