D.R. Irvin: Why one Republican is not supporting John McCain

With much anxiety, I have decided that this conservative will not be voting for John McCain in the upcoming general election. Many of my friends and fellow conservatives' were wondering when I would write again to the H-D and wondering of my endorsements.

John McCain for the last 10 years or more has stuck a knife in the backs of conservatives working and boasting about working across the aisle with the Democrats rather than in his own party, standing up for the principles and ideas in our platform.

Voting against tax cuts, voting for amnesty, criticizing George Bush and the war effort and undermining the president on a daily basis for his own gain.

McCain is certainly a war hero, and I honor his service, but that does not make him the leader of the conservative party. McCain only received the nomination due to independents in the early primaries who are really Democrats voting with Democrats who in those states could cross parties to hand us John McCain.

Thank you, Florida and New Hampshire.

The Republican Party won 49 states with Ronald Reagan because we articulated our ideas and ideals: tax cuts, smaller government, cutting spending, self reliance and, of course, our national defense. If we in the Republican Party continue to allow ourselves and our beliefs to be watered down for the sake of the party, we will become a party of the Democrats, whose wing supports everything from gay rights, gay marriage, abortion on demand and a socialist country patterned after Europe.

John and Cindy McCain of the beer fortune do not represent me, so I can not support him, even knowing that will bring us the danger of a President Barack Obama. Yes, McCain is the better of two evils, but the long-term effects of a John McCain could ruin the conservative movement.

But I do remind myself that it was a Democratic Congress and, you guessed it, Jimmy Carter of 1980 who gagged the American people that brought us the greatest president of all -- Ronald Wilson Reagan -- and the greatest hope for the American people.

The Republicans now must work from the ground up, electing and working hard in primaries to rid ourselves of the John McCains, John Warners, the Olympia Snows, Chuck Haggles and Lindsey Gramnastys of the world. These are true RINO's (Republican in Name Only).

Let's get started!

D.R. Irvin is a Huntington resident.