The Instapundit Surprise
By Captain Ed on National Politics
Captain's Quarters
Earlier this week, Glenn Reynolds posted a "pre-mortem" analysis on the GOP and why they may have trouble motivating voters to the polls. Many criticized Glenn for engaging in defeatism (and not just Glenn), but many do not realize that Glenn has never been much of a Republican. He's more a thinking Libertarian -- what Jon Henke calls neo-Libertarians -- who has voted with the GOP because of their strong national-security stance. I've been reading Glenn for years and understood that, but can also understand those who lacked that context for their reactions to his long post.
Those who faulted him for his early analysis might want to take a look at Glenn's latest on the subject. He voted through an early-voting effort in Tennessee, and of course the big race for Volunteers is the election to replace the retiring Bill Frist. Glenn had interviewed Harold Ford and offered praise for him as a solid moderate ... but in the end, Ford couldn't close the sale:
That's pretty much how it was in my mind, too. I liked
Harold Ford, Jr. when we interviewed him, and I wouldn't
shed any tears if he were elected; he'd raise the caliber
of the Democrats in the Senate. But when push came to
shove, I voted for Corker. I liked him, too, and
ultimately the combination of Ford's "F" rating on gun
rights and the sleazy "outing" behavior of the Democrats
was such that I just felt I had to vote Republican in this
race. (In our interview, Corker said he'd look favorably
on federal legislation to require states to recognize each
others' gun-carry permits.)
As I mentioned before, the Republicans don't really
deserve my vote -- though as Bob Corker hasn't been in
Washington that's not really his fault -- but nonetheless
the Democrats have blown it again. Not long ago I was
thinking that a Democratic majority in Congress wouldn't
be so bad; but the sexual McCarthyism from the pro-outing
crowd, coupled with the Dems' steadfast refusal to offer
anything useful on national security, has convinced me
that they just don't deserve a victory with those tactics.
That's not Ford's fault, either, really. But I just don't
think the Democrats are ready for a majority right now.
We'll see how many other voters agree.
Interesting. Glenn really seemed ready to go for a change in Congressional leadership, but in his case the Democrats pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. Given Glenn's lack of partisan bearing -- he voted for Democrat Phil Bredesen for Governor -- that might signal a general reconsideration about the direction of this race. At the very least, it shows that Glenn's analysis was meant in the proper spirit.
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