Depending on who you ask, Atlantic contributor and blogger Andrew Sullivan may or may not be a real conservative, but this type of dialogue is, nevertheless, very important for the conservative movement.
Sullivan:
9. Less debt. Yes, Obama will raise taxes on those earning over a quarter of a million. And he will spend on healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan and the environment. But so will McCain. He plans more spending on health, the environment and won’t touch defense of entitlements. And his refusal to touch taxes means an extra $4 trillion in debt over the massive increase presided over by Bush. And the CBO estimates that McCain’s plans will add more to the debt over four years than Obama’s. Fiscal conservatives have a clear choice.
Poulos:
And just think what would happen if McCain got his way on Treasury / home spending. My bigger concern is that Republicans will be more inclined to do everything they can to curb spending with an Obama president than a McCain president. Congressional Republicans have a pretty fat lump of shame to their name after the spend-a-thon of the past 8 years. Of course, McCain has railed against "drunken sailor" expenditures for some time. But I doubt he’d be able to find a better way to face The Tab that Ate America than throwing money at it. The counterargument here is that all spending will be what it already is now — hopelessly enormous. The main concern on the right with Obama spending isn’t the amount so much as the programs that get it. Ironically, this may be such a powerful — and justified — concern that fiscal responsibility will be better mobilized in opposition.
Conservative reason to vote for Obama? Maybe