Liberals, Don't Be Afraid if This Guy Wins: Kristol

A McCain win isn't the worst thing for liberalism
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 3, 2008 7:56 AM CST
Liberals, Don't Be Afraid if This Guy Wins: Kristol
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves after speaking at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

OK, so John McCain isn't likely to win, admits Bill Kristol in the New York Times. But if he does, here are things liberals could cheer (if they're not heading for the Canadian border).

  • Shouldn’t liberals love it when the underdog pulls it off? “A McCain upset victory would be a classic liberal happy ending.”
  • The establishment loves Barack Obama, and the establishment taking a hard lump should bring smiles to liberal faces.

  • A McCain win would mean Americans were voting about the future, rather than “merely voting on the basis of their resentment at the past performance of George W. Bush.”
  • McCain is a terror to tyrants. Sending him to the White House would be a victory for freedom, supposedly liberals’ most cherished cause.
  • Untrammeled liberal dominance tends to end badly. Can anyone say Newt Gingrich?
(More Election 2008 stories.)

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