George Will Throws in the Towel
In a move that is sure to go over like a lead balloon with the conservative electorate, George Will has preemptively conceded the White House to a second Obama term. Politico, which obtained an advance copy of Will's Sunday column, provides the following excerpt:
Romney and Rick Santorum … are conservatives, although of strikingly different stripes. Neither, however, seems likely to be elected … If either is nominated, conservatives should vote for him...
“[T]here would come a point when … conservatives turn their energies to a goal much more attainable than … electing Romney or Santorum president. It is the goal of retaining control of the House and winning control of the Senate… [C]onservatives this year should have as their primary goal making sure Republicans wield all the gavels in Congress in 2013.
Is George Will simply being pragmatic here? Or do his words represent a gratuitous—and injurious—blow to Republican morale? Mark Bill Kristol down as concluding the latter.
Rarely has an intelligent man been so wrong.
By every objective measure, the GOP has a reasonable chance to defeat President Obama—probably between 1-in-3 and 1-in-2. Given this opportunity, it would be crazy not to do everything one can to effectuate an outcome so devoutly to be desired. This doesn't mean falling in line early behind an inevitable nominee or suppressing criticism of the likely nominee....
If you think the country's in decent shape, go for control of Congress. If you think it's the mid-1990s again, go for control of Congress. If you're fatalistic about American decline abroad and the end of limited, constitutional government at home, go for control of Congress. If current trends don't deeply alarm you, or if you think alarm is futile because the rot is too deep, the decline too long-standing, the problems too un-fixable—then, go for control of Congress. Try to limit the damage and slow the collapse.
But if you reject such fatalism as a failure of nerve, and such declinism as a failure of understanding—and conservatives should—then do everything you can to win the White House. Perhaps always, but certainly in 2012—there is no substitute for victory.
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
I just don't understand this mindset. We CAN win, and we must keep fighting. George Will, and you too Delingpole, need to find your backbones!
Jun '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Will's erudition on philosophical matters is unmatched, but he's not a pollster. I doubt Michael Barone and Dick Morris share his pessimism.
Jun '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
I have some spares I can lend them.
Mar '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
billy
End the filibuster rule.
Easily said; will not be done in this generation.
For all the constant griping from whichever party has the Senate, there is an opportunity every 2 years for the filibuster to be constitutionally rescinded with a simple majority. Yet it has not happened, and it won't anytime soon. Politicians are too scared of the consquences.
My take is that Obamacare won't be repealed (barring a Supreme Court declaration that it is unconstitutional) until there is bipartisan outrage over the law. Sadly, today most of the outrage seems to be limited to one side of the aisle. But that day will come, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Jul '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
I am with William Kristol, who has previously observed that a presidential election is a terrible thing to waste. There is no substitute for victory! There is also no lack of things to beat this Administration over the head with. Let's get with it.
I am also with Paul Rahe, Romney needs to learn to finish every speech with Obamacare delenda est.
Apr '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Mendel
billy
End the filibuster rule.
Easily said; will not be done in this generation.
For all the constant griping from whichever party has the Senate, there is an opportunity every 2 years for the filibuster to be constitutionally rescinded with a simple majority. Yet it has not happened, and it won't anytime soon. Politicians are too scared of the consquences.
My take is that Obamacare won't be repealed (barring a Supreme Court declaration that it is unconstitutional) until there is bipartisan outrage over the law. Sadly, today most of the outrage seems to be limited to one side of the aisle. But that day will come, hopefully sooner rather than later. · 1 minute ago
I understand your point, but Obamacare may be, may be, different. When has such a major piece of legislation been passed on a wholly partisan basis, that was also so unpopular with the public?
Mar '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
billy
I understand your point, but Obamacare may be, may be, different. When has such a major piece of legislation been passed on a wholly partisan basis, that was also so unpopular with the public?
We can only hope and pray. My secret wish is that the Department of Health manages to announce even more inane regulations between now and Election Day to remind the rest of the inattentive public how horrible the bill is. But I'll admit to a deep pessimism as well.
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
I actually really hope this election doesn't just come down to gas prices. There are much bigger albatrosses to hang around Obama's neck, and I'd hate to see the punditry churn out column after column about how the election was merely a populist reaction to prices at the pump and not any sort of repudiation on ObamaCare, Obama's assault on religious liberty, his class warfare, his failed stimuli, his thuggery on display w/Solyndra, LightSquared, etc.
But we take what we can get, I guess.
Apr '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Diane Ellis, Ed.
...and I'd hate to see the punditry churn out column after column about how the election was merely a populist reaction to prices at the pump and not any sort of repudiation on ObamaCare, Obama's assault on religious liberty, his class warfare, his failed stimuli, his thuggery on display w/Solyndra, LightSquared, etc.
But we take what we can get, I guess. · 2 minutes ago
In '84 the punditry class saw Reagan win 49 states and came to the logical conclusion that it wasn't a mandate because well...Reagan was just so likable and the vote wasn't any sort of referendum on his policies.
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
billy
Diane Ellis, Ed.
...and I'd hate to see the punditry churn out column after column about how the election was merely a populist reaction to prices at the pump and not any sort of repudiation on ObamaCare, Obama's assault on religious liberty, his class warfare, his failed stimuli, his thuggery on display w/Solyndra, LightSquared, etc.
But we take what we can get, I guess. · 2 minutes ago
In '84 the punditry class saw Reagan win 49 states and came to the logical conclusion that it wasn't a mandate because well...Reagan was just so likable and the vote wasn't any sort of referendum on his policies. · 2 minutes ago
In other words, they'll say what they'll say regardless of the facts. You're almost certainly right about that one!
Aug '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Watching the Obama administration's performances over the last month, It seems to me it should be easy to boot this man from office. I'm almost convinced that even Mitt Romney could do it. Though I still cannot convince myself to vote for the man.
Mar '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
George Will is smart enough to know better than to cave at this early stage, so he must have a case of the vapors, or he is getting lazy. For Pete's sake, how much effort does it take to visit the Gallup website and review the state of previous elections at a similar date? We look back on Reagan's defeat of Carter in 198o as though it were always a foregone conclusion. But Carter had a 25-point lead on RR at this same time that year! Similarly, in 1992 Bush had a 20-point lead over Clinton/Perot. There are myriad other examples of early polling being way off the final mark. Everybody should take a deep breath. And no matter how far from perfect Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum might be, keep in mind how much damage Barack Obama might do with another four years. It is a fight worth fighting right up until election day and I'm staying in that fight.
Mar '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
As Mrs Thatcher might say, "This is no time to go wobbly" Mr Delingpole.
One only has to look at the UK under Mr Cameron to see the folly of "reculer pour mieux sauter." (I had to look that up).
Sep '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Obama reelection shares on intrade are selling for $5.99. Romney as GOP nominee shares are selling for $8.30.
I expect George Will to "turn his energies" away from the primary race from here on out. Of course he won't, because his job is to bloviate.
Aug '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Will is looking like the perfect useful idiot for his own milieu, the mainstream press.
While he has maintained a modicum of propriety, the world around has sunk into depths of mendacity and manipulation.
The WaPo doesn't exactly demand quite the respect it once did. And the group that he squawks with on the Sunday morning shows ...who are they talking to ?
Will's audience is alot smaller than any of us can guess.
We haven't had a convention yet. The media continues to narrate the GOP acrobatics or arthritics, whatever. But the narration is a canard, they are working to derail the train and act as if there was no collision.
Aug '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
~Paules
I have some spares I can lend them. · 1 hour ago
Right on Paules !! Breitbart's not buried yet and we are trying to match the right bowtie to the candy striped pinpoint oxford ?
Oct '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
This is disappointing. I expect better analysis from Will. He's done conservatism no favors with this column, maybe he doesn't see that as his roll. I have no idea what's driving him. Did he seriously think Perry would give us a better chance?
Feb '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Yep. We disagree; obviously we just don't understand.
Seems to me that there are two main lines you either ignore or dismiss:
Jul '10
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Will is wrong. He's not a fool, a wolf in sheep's clothing, or a defeatist.
He's wrong. It is a mistake to concede good ground. There are plenty of likely outcomes to the 2012 race and many of them favor Barry, but nowhere near all of them do.
The man is the President of the United States. He also happens to be holding his first real job. His performance has been, at best, dubious. Why presume that he will be re-hired?
Aug '11
Re: George Will Throws in the Towel
Although I am still not terribly enamored of the choices, I will vote for the nominee because it is just that important. Not only that, I have decided to run for Republican Committeewoman in my county as well as hope to be elected as a delegate to our state convention. I may not succeed but will do whatever it takes to make sure we are able to put forward the best candidate in November. It's time to get off the fence and move forward or we will surely lose this thing as Will has already conceded.