G.O.P. -- Time to Hold Your Nose?

Mr. Right was enumerating John McCain's faults, conceding that he was an honorable man but condemning him for McCain-Feingold and other offenses against a certain conservative orthodoxy. Fred Thompson's withdrawal from the race had left Mr. Right in a gloomy temper. I remarked to him that he was down to two choices if he hoped to stop McCain, and he wasn't thrilled with either of him. He went on about Mitt Romney's willingness to say whatever he needed to get elected, while Rudolph Giuliani's flaws were presumably too many or too obvious to elaborate upon.

In light of reported comments from other quarters, it's worth noting that Mr. Right emphasized that, come November, he would most likely hold his nose and vote for whoever was the Republican nominee. Having said that, he wasn't willing to name a preference for the rest of the primary season. So I asked him if he thought the conservative establishment would rally around someone to stop McCain. He answered with unexpected certainty that McCain would be stopped. By whom, I asked? Romney was his answer.

He was also quick to dismiss any notion of a conservative third party movement. He predicted that there'd be no significant third-party candidacy, except maybe for "that idiot in New York," Mayor Bloomberg. So here was another self-styled free thinker in the grip of the American Bipolarchy. There's two reasons for someone like Mr. Right to keep voting for Republicans even when they offer him such disappointing choices. One is the simple desire that he shares with most voters to be on the winning team. The other, explaining his willingness to hold his nose if necessary, is the threat of the monolithic evil of the Other, the Democrats. He's as much in thrall to the Republicans due to fear of Democrats as the typical Democrat is enthralled by her fear of Republicans.

No one third party can break this spell. There has to be a third and a fourth party, and a split in the ranks of both great parties, before people will start to think differently. Therefore, no one movement with a particular political agenda can hope to break the Bipolarchy. The object must be to encourage dissension in all ranks for its own sake. To declare this agenda so blatantly is to risk distrust, but we only have everyone's best interests at heart. Whether people agree with us or not, we want everyone to be able to vote for a candidate without having to hold your nose.