GOP platform backs off pet issues to help McCain

Associated Press ^ | 8/27/2008 | MARTIGA LOHN

[rob777]

MINNEAPOLIS - Republicans are putting John McCain's campaign priorities above some of their pet issues, including drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and denying citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Members of the GOP platform committee voted Wednesday to stick with an energy plank that doesn't mention drilling in the refuge, saying it would only highlight an area where they differ with the Arizona senator. McCain opposes drilling in that protected land, and some committee members said they would rather bring him around on the issue once he's in the White House than widen their disagreement now.

[rob777]

He has not even got elected yet he is already moving the party leftward.

[jagusafr]

How the hell did we end up here? Argh.

Colonel, USAFR

[cripplecreek]

Cowards.

[djsherin]

So this is the guy I “have” to vote for? Is this really where we are as a party and a country?

The GOP can fall in a well and drown at this point. I’m getting fed up with this.

[oneamericanvoice]

How is putting hot button issues on the backburner in order to keep the White House moving the party leftward?

[Navy Patriot]

McCain is bound and determined to lose this election despite fate anointing him the luckiest candidate ever.

[oneamericanvoice]

They aren’t cowards. They realize that all eyes must be on the prize, which is the White House. Then you can take up those fights again.

[cripplecreek]

How is putting hot button issues on the backburner in order to keep the White House moving the party leftward?

If he weren't a liberal they wouldn't have to.

[djsherin]

ping

[cripplecreek]

Yes they’re cowards.

[goldstategop]

No wonder Americans think little of the GOP! Its sold out its conservative principles to get votes from a squishy middle that doesn't exist!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[cripplecreek]

I don’t expect much from people who lick the boots of angry clinton voters.

[oneamericanvoice]

Your choice is staying home, which is a vote for Obama. McCain isn’t my first choice, but he is correct on the courts and the war. The Party must be unified in the fight to keep the White House, and now is not the time to fight those battles. Once we have the victory, those issues will be brought up again. The country and the party are just fine, in general.

*note: I know you’re all going to pile on now.

[oneamericanvoice]

Not true. Strategy is such a wonderful study.

[cripplecreek]

If a conservative were running they wouldn’t have to cave to liberal pressure like cowards.
Tell yourself what you have to but you know strategy isn’t the word to use here.

[cripplecreek]

If a conservative were running they wouldn’t have to cave to liberal pressure like cowards.
Tell yourself what you have to but you know strategy isn’t the word to use here.

[rabscuttle385]

Thanks to djsherin for the ping!

The Just Say No to Juan McCain Ping List. "It's like traveling around with a circus." —Lindsey Graham, on McCain's campaign To join: FReepmail rabscuttle385 to subscribe or to unsubscribe from this ping list. This can be a very high-volume ping list at times. This list is pinged by rabscuttle385 and AmericanInTokyo. Take care to check the "mccainlist", "mccaintruthfile", "mcbama", "mcqueeg", and "mccain" keyword search links for related threads, since we can not possibly ping you to every relevant article that is posted. To flag a relevant thread, please add the keywords "mccainlist" and "mccaintruthfile". Republican Commissar’s Warning: By joining this ping list, you may be subjected to the irrational rants and ramblings of McCainiacs, of "moderate" Republicans, of deeply confused conservatives resigned to voting for the lesser of two Democrats, and of countless trolls who simply want to meet a new overlord. Per FR posting guidelines, we kindly ask that you be civil and polite in your comings and goings. Bonus points for being optimistic and in good cheer.

[oneamericanvoice]

How is he “bound and determined to lose”? He was great at Saddleback. The Rapid Response team has done their job fantastically.

Have you volunteered?

[djsherin]

My choice isn’t staying home actually. I said nothing about who I’m going to vote for. At this point all I know is that I’m NOT voting for Obama. I haven’t ruled out McCain yet. But he’s not giving me much reason to vote for him.

And a vote for a third party or not voting is NOT a vote for Obama. It helps neither McCain nor Obama. A vote for Obama helps Obama. I’m not planning on doing that.

***Once we have the victory...***

What victory?

The only reason we’re “piling on” is because we (or I at least) disagree with what you’ve said. It doesn’t have to be disrespectful and I hope I haven’t come off that way.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Members of the GOP platform committee voted Wednesday to stick with an energy plank that doesn’t mention drilling in the refuge

Shortsighted and stupid, especially considering the public’s view on drilling.

Then again, just what I have come to expect from the Republican party.

[oneamericanvoice]

Yes they’re cowards. Your opinion. And your political resume is what?

[rob777]

"How is putting hot button issues on the backburner in order to keep the White House moving the party leftward?"


Once you compromise, it is likely that you will continue to do so. This happened in the 2000 Platform when the plank calling for abolishing the Department of Education was removed to suit the desire of Bush to be the "Education President". Not only did this compromise never make it back onto the "front burner", but we expanded federal involvement in education under Bush at a rate rivaling any Democrat. In our desire to secure political office for people with an "R" after their name we fail to learn from history.

[LaurenD]

“They aren’t cowards. They realize that all eyes must be on the prize, which is the White House. Then you can take up those fights again.”

Based on McCains history, I have little confidence he can be influenced once elected President.

I guess if one is to have a rebellious child, mine is the type to have. He just started 9th grade and started Jr. AFROTC. Comes home today and says “the colonel and I have been talking and there are a lot more differences between McCain and Obama than I think you realize. Besides, it is going to be so cool to have a President that was once a POW because no matter what else can be said about him, he obviously loves his country”.

So I replied “well, he certainly must have once, I’m just not so sure he still does”.

My word, my kids are to the right of me. I’m more conservative than my parents. At-least he’s coming home and telling me how wrong I am not supporting more strongly the Republican........LOL. It could be so much worse and his liberal teachers have zero impact on him except to make him better able to counter their positions.

[Crazieman]

What good is freedom abroad when it is destroyed at home?

We cannot vote for McCain. My tagline. He is more dangerous than Obama.

We have pseudoconservatives accepting him, the party embracing him, moving leftward. Everything I’ve predicted since this stupid thing even started.

The idiot pseudoconservatives on FR screamed at me as if I was some sort of Obama supporter.

I’m starting to hate some of the people on FR, unfortunately. I didn’t realize how many leftists and noncritical thinkers we had.

[oneamericanvoice]

I think this ping list should be renamed “Republicans for Obama” or something more pithy. It’s a shame when people only have one issue. I fought McCain on the immigration issue. However, I’ll vote for him because I know that he is correct on the courts and the war, and would rather fight him than allowing Obama to give the Democrats a foothold. Obama would be far worse on every issue.

[cripplecreek]

And your political resume is what?

I'm a voter and a taxpayer. If the GOP can't support their own platform they can pound sand. Maybe they should just encourage people to vote for Obama and hope to convince him later.

[Crazieman]

I think you should be renamed as part of the Pseudoconservatives for Killing America team.

Leftists are not welcome at FR. Go support Obama and his bedmate McBama elsewhere.

[djsherin]

It’s not just the immigration issue. McCain has a history of forgetting who his base is.

[oneamericanvoice]

Ronald Reagan is dead. You can tell yourself otherwise, but the fact stands. There will never be another one. He wouldn’t even be good to all conservatives. Reagan would do the same. This has nothing to do with conservative. It has to do with defeating the Dems. If strategy isn’t the word, what is?

[mountainbunny]

I think this ping list should be renamed “Republicans for Obama” or something more pithy. It’s a shame when people only have one issue. I fought McCain on the immigration issue.

I don't have one issue. I have about a dozen.

Man50D's post from yesterday pretty much says it all:

John McCain's Whimsical World of Conservatism at post #43.

[Crazieman]

Defeating a dem with a dem.

Thats a great strategy! You’re a freakin’ genius.

[Navy Patriot]

How is he “bound and determined to lose”?

Every time he gets a gift from anywhere, he twists the knife he put in the back of conservatives.

[cripplecreek]

Sure sounds to me like they’re saying it doesn’t matter who we vote for. We can always hope to change their mind later.

[whatisthetruth]

McCain-Lieberman 08

[Navy Patriot]

It has to do with defeating the Dems. If strategy isn’t the word, what is?

For you, it would be "tactic".

[CottonBall]

He has not even got elected yet he is already moving the party leftward.

No kidding. Those that think they can somehow 'change' him after he's in office are dreaming. They'll be the ones changed.

[CottonBall]

Republicans are putting John McCain's campaign priorities above some of their pet issues, including drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and denying citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Goes to show the GOP needs a complete overhaul. If they are willing to discard principles so easily in order to win - they're no different than the other party.

[LadyNavyVet]

“Defeating a dem with a dem.”

Yep, there is no doubt in my mind that if Hillary, or for that matter, Obama changed parties and ran on the Republican ticket next time there would be pseudoconservatives on this forum screeching at us to vote for them. To too many here, it’s all about the saintly “R” team beating the dastardly “D” team, and they don’t think or care about anything more than that.

[CottonBall]

How is putting hot button issues on the backburner in order to keep the White House moving the party leftward?

If he weren't a liberal they wouldn't have to.

Excellent succint response, cc. There is nothing left for me to add.

[oneamericanvoice]

What good is freedom abroad when it is destroyed at home? What freedom have you lost? Which do you think will take more of your freedoms, Obama or McCain? We cannot vote for McCain. My tagline. He is more dangerous than Obama. Are you a troll, lurker, or just silly? Obama is the most far Left Senator in the Senate with ties to terrorists and corrupt figures. McCain is 180 from that. We have pseudoconservatives accepting him, the party embracing him, moving leftward. Everything I’ve predicted since this stupid thing even started. So unless someone agrees with you they must be a pseudoconservative. If you are so psychic then you must know how wrong you are about Obama. Try connecting the dots rather than ESP. The idiot pseudoconservatives on FR screamed at me as if I was some sort of Obama supporter. Yet you keep coming back. Why is that? "Idiot pseudoconservatives"? Hmmm. Well, you might be getting screamed at because you are so nasty. As for the question of support for Obama, there's a great saying, "If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." I’m starting to hate some of the people on FR, unfortunately. There's the door.... I didn’t realize how many leftists and noncritical thinkers we had.>/i> The only leftists are the trolls that wander in on their way to Daily Kos or Huffington Post. Every heard of them? There are alot of folks that don't critical think. Dennis Prager would be upset with you. You can borrow my mirror though.

[Yosemitest]

My love for country can NOT TOLERATE McCain!

"McCAIN and SOROS: The Dream Ticket"

"John McCain and War"

" Rush to Saunders and Brooks: McCain's Liberalism Is the Problem"

"McCain, Judicial Nominations, Sleeves, and Warts "

With McCain as our nominee, who needs enemies?

When the GOP or McCain ask for money to support McCain, print and send them one of these.

"But we STILL have people here
trying to convince us
it would be better than voting for Obama"

Vote Bob Barr.

[Osage Orange]

Bob Barr is a loon.........

[djsherin]

***”If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”***

The same can be said of McCain... in fact that’s mostly where I’ve heard this saying.

[Crazieman]

John McCain's Whimsical World of Conservatism
Food for thought for the Hillary Clinton Wing of the GOP

1982/00/00 McCain enters Congress, with his family accepts first of nine trips some aboard Keating's leer jet, three of which include stayovers at Keating's Caribbean resort (goes unreported for up to 7 years)
1983/09/28 McCain joins 26 other Republicans to vote with the Majority Party Congressional Democrats to demand U.S. Troops exit Lebanon, winds up on the losing
1983/09/28 Cindy McCain and her father invest $359,100 in a Charles Keating strip mall
1987/00/00 McCain has received $112,000 by this time for Congressional and Senate campaigns, from Charles Keating, his relatives, and his employees, the largest amount to any Keating 5 member
1987/04/02 McCain joins four Democrats to intercede on behalf of his S&L Owner friend Keating with Ed Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and also banking regulators (2 meetings)
1988/02/11 McCain votes to affirm Anthony Kennedy as a justice for the SCOTUS

1989/00/00 McCain discloses Keating trips as his involvement in the S&L scandal breaks, reimbursing $13,433.00 with no repercussions as late as seven years after the fact
1993/10/10 McCain co-sponsors an unsuccessful bill to cut off funding of United States troops in Somalia
1993/08/10 McCain joins the Democrats and most Republicans voting to confirm Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the worst justice on the court today. Three Republicans vote Nay.
1993/01/13 McCain and Kerry release the Select Committee report urging the MIA issue be put to rest so that Vietnam could be granted normalized relations with the U.S., over objections by MIA family and veterans groups. Video1 Video2 ( I do not endorse all of the information presented in video1 here. The video does touch on a number of topics, and I think most are germane ) If I could have found video that contained most of this information without touching on McCain's POW experience I would have posted it instead. Still, there are parts of McCain's POW experience that are troubling. I'd just rather not go there. Video2 shows how one MIA family rep is treated, confirming some of the reports in Video1.
1994/07/24 McCain joins with the Democrats to confirm nominee Stephen Breyer to be an Associate Justice on the SCOTUS. Nine Senators voted Nay...
1997/00/00 McCain leads the opposition to the Coats Amendment, preventing government funded fetal tissue research ( derived from "a legal act" [abortion] ) Amendment defeated!
1999/08/19 McCain stated, ""Certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade,"
John McCain: George Soros' Useful Idiot? McCain joins Democrat Russ Feingold to introduce Campaign Finance Reform, an effort funded by George Soros Article
2000/00/00 McCain was the keynote speaker at the ultra-liberal Philadelphia convention sponsored by George Soros while John F. Kerry keynoted at another Soros event on the same day...
2000/11/20 McCain participates in the production of a gun control spot for Oregon's Proposition Five. (Circa this date, prior to the November election.) Article
2001/00/00 McCain founded the Reform Institute funded by George Soros
2001/05/15 McCain introduces the Gun Show Loophole bill S890, with Carper, Lieberman, DeWine, Clinton, and Schumer co/sponsoring Analysis
2003/03/19 McCain joins Democrats to vote against drilling in ANWR
2003/10/30 McCain joins Lieberman again, this time to introduce the Climate Stewardship Act (Gorebal worming et al) Thomas Bill S139
2004/06/04 McCain signs letter with 58 Senators, "We write to urge you to expand the current federal policy concerning embryonic stem cell research."
2004/08/05 McCain announces he deplores the Swift Boat adds against Senator John Kerry, and asks the White House to refute them
2005/00/00 McCain resigns from the Reform Institute he founded with Communist billionaire George Soros
2005/01/28 McCain declares, "I want us in the ICC (International Criminal Court)", but I would like to see more safeguards first
2005/05/12 McCain joins Ted Kennedy to introduce McCain/Kennedy immigration legislation that would wind up making illegal immigrants citizens
2006/04/28 McCain states, "I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected that has become corrupt."
2006/09/06 McCain joins Dole to write op-ed for the Washington Post, states in part, "We should publicly remind Khartoum that the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes..."
2007/02/17 McCain states he will close Guantanamo Bay terrorist detainment center on his first day in office video (same as date link on the left)
2007/03/22 McCain gets the pledged support of Chuck and Sue Cobb, Jeb Bush's Florida Director of the Free Trade of the Americas Agreement effort
2007/06/00 McCain joins Baldwin, Shays and Meehan to file an amicus brief against the Wisconsin Right to Life organization brief The wrong side of a pro-life issue, helping pro-abort Feingold
2007/06/18 McCains Gitmo problem, close the base, grant Geneva Convention status, stop water boarding...
2007/10/25 McCain still wants us to sign the L.O.S.T. treaty in time, but does have concerns over sovereignty issues.
2008/03/00 McCain makes his first attempt to tell a state (North Carolina) Republican Party what to do. The RNC joins him.
2008/03/24 McCain hires Meg Whiteman to cochair his Presidential campaign. Whiteman is another wishy washy at best Independent, who has donated to leftist candidates and still doesn't have a clue what side to come down on with regard to illegal immigration. She is leaning toward running for Governor in California and being courted by it's Republican leadership. Links to CalCowGirl's comments regarding Whiteman's donations. Article above.
2008/03/26 McCains speech to the World Affairs Council, Europe may get veto power over some of our foreign policy...
2008/04/08 McCain casts last Senate vote during his Presidential Campaign. By the EOBD 06/24/08, he has missed 367 votes or 61.4% of the Senate votes in the 110th Congress. His last vote before the one he cast on April 8 was cast on 03/14/08. Link
2008/05/09 McCains interview with O'Reilly... I won't drill in ANWR... it's pretty... I'm an environmentalist.
2008/05/12 McCain Joins the Goreball Worming Cult, sounding more like Al Gore every day... McCain's Oregon add Video
2008/05/13 2008/05/13 McCain takes an Environmental walk, with the leader of the Cascade Land Conservancy
2008/05/15 2008/05/15 McCain states he will appoint Democrats to his administration, during a Republican teleconference and during a Columbus stump speech
2008/05/27 McCain announces support for severe cutbacks on our nuclear weapons, withdrawing battlefield nukes from Europe and giving our nuclear waste to an international body
2008/06/04 McCain states, "I disagreed strongly with the Bush administration's mismanagement of the war in Iraq."
2008/06/14 McCain tells Clinton supporters they should back him because he voted for Ginsberg and Breyer Said this to Conservatives on 2008/05/07
2008/06/21 It is announced McCain and Obama will address open borders group in Los Angeles on July 18th, 2008, Communists and worst of U.S. Illegal Alien apologist groups...
2008/06/21 McCain and team realize he has so little credibility on judicial appointments, that they announce he will let Fred Thompson vet his judges. That's 06/21/08's version of truth...
2008/06/28 McCain declares, "I will make comprehensive immigration reform my “top priority,” during my first 100 days in office. He assures Latino leaders that they will have an ally in the White House

[CottonBall]

Your opinion. And your political resume is what?

I notice the McCain supporters become insulting after a very short time (just like the Dems). Must be because the reasons and arguments for voting for their liberal candidate don't last very long.

[CottonBall]

McCain is more dangerous than Obama. His R makes the socialism OK. FR is pure evidence

Your tagline sums up the problem. Like you said, many here are falling for it. Now, it's fine to discard conservative principles just to get a liberal(R) in office. That's not exactly having values and doing what's right.

I am also getting pretty fed up here with the McAmnesty-pushers. If this continues, it'll be as bad as it was when we were forced to pretend to like Bush's spending and amnesty agenda or be banned.

As the party moves left, so does FR, so it seems.

[CottonBall]

I think this ping list should be renamed “Republicans for Obama” or something more pithy.

Unless you failed logic101, not voting for one candidate is not the same thing as supporting the other. It's typically the libs that use illogical thinking, threats, intimidation, and insults to get people to vote for their candidate. You McCainiacs are no different. However, conservatives don't respond well to threats and are capable of logical thinking - so your snide comments don't work here. In fact, they probbably more likely solidify people's stance. Flies, honey, and all that.

[CottonBall]

Maybe they should just encourage people to vote for Obama and hope to convince him later.

Once again, cc, you have the perfect succint answer. (I'll be borrowing that one, if you don't mind ;)

[cripplecreek]

It’s basically what they’re telling us. That the party platform doesn’t matter as long as we win.

[CottonBall]

As the party moves left, so does FR, so it seems.

ps. I am pretty sad about this, given that FR is my main source of news and info. I'd hate to voluntarily depart again. I was hoping that after the strong stance taken by TPTB during the primaries to back conservatism, this wouldn't happen. Not that I'm saying it really is yet - open discussion and exchange of ideas is truly important. I'm just disappointed at the supposed huge number of posters that all of a sudden back a candidate they couldn't stomach 6 months ago. The change in the party as the election wears on - and here - will be interesting. To say the least.