To Those Who Insist On Ideological Purity: Thanks for ObamaCare (Vanity)

Jim Davis

[Philo1962]

This is an open letter to those who refused to go out and vote for a RINO on Election Day 2008. You have just given us ObamaCare, which (if it is not stopped) will bankrupt America.

The final House vote tally was 219-211. All of the Republicans in the House of Representatives ― all of them, every last one of them, including all of the RINOs ― voted against this bill. In the Senate, John McCain (another RINO you refused to support in droves) is one of ObamaCare's most vigorous opponents. And all of the Republicans in the Senate ― all of them, every last one of them, including all of the RINOs ― voted against this bill. This confirms what I've been saying all along: that ANY Republican is better than ANY Democrat.

If we had won just four more House races in 2008, the final vote would have been 215-215 and the bill would have failed, despite the last-minute stab in the back by Bart Stupak and eight other Blue Dog Democrats.

In 2008, the ten closest House races were decided by an average margin of only 680 votes. For example, in VA-5 Democrat Tom Perriello defeated Republican Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. by only 745 votes. This means that if 2,730 more Republican votes had been tallied in four of these districts in 2008, ObamaCare would have failed in 2010.

And if he had been elected president, John McCain never would have signed this bill.

I'm not saying that we should support RINOs in the primaries. Every effort should be made in the primaries to nominate genuine conservative candidates, with true conservative positions on the issues. But once the die is cast in the primaries, and we're stuck with a RINO nominee, we need to go out and get that RINO elected. We need to donate to his campaign, man phone banks for him, hand out yard signs and bumper stickers for him, and walk the precincts for him.

Because as we have just been reminded, in a way that's too loud and too painful to ignore, ANY Republican is better than ANY Democrat.

I will be supporting Mark Kirk for United States Senate here in Illinois for this reason.

[Lady Heron]

No thanks. If the republicans wanted to win then they would excite their base....It is that simple.

You either know your party or you lose. Republican party is made up of a large group of people who do not go and vote when you do not give them a candidate that fits their convictions and the party heads wishing otherwise does not change moral fiber of a great majority of the base of the republicans. We have lost every presidential race where the candidate is a known rino....

Want to win republicans??? Don't want history repeating and repeating itself with rino loses????Put up a true conservative because nothing else excites your base and gets them to work for your cause....but hey, there is a reason repubicans have been labeled the stupid party.

Here is a clue....if Palen had not been added to the ticket I had planned not to vote. If Romney, Guilliani or any other liberal had won the primary I would have stayed home no matter who they would have put on the ticket with them....Next election you could not get me to go vote if a McCain wins no matter who they put with him....I am done with the party and their rinos and liberals....I have had enough and so have many in the base.

The party is in trouble because the base is fed up.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Frum is either a good Useful Idiot, or an agent provocateur. Or maybe a bit of both.”

I think Frum came out with his RINO message at exactly the right time. Those saying that RINOs will save us by negotiating better socialist bills with democrats, versus what democrats can pass all by themselves (all republicans and RINOs opposing them as now) are talking David Frum talk.

There is no 'them' with RINOs in charge. If you want RINOs, demand that current republicans start giving into democrats now. It's that simple. The Frum strategy.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

The “RINOs will save us” theme goes like “It was conservatives that elected Obama”. That is the David Frum theme. He just came out on all the liberal networks saying that “Republicans just had their biggest defeat in history on health reform by not working with democrats”. That is the RINO cry. To those believing the RINOs will save us, you might get your wish with Romney.

Worth saying again.

However, I think we need candidates who are not only well intentioned conservatives, but also competent. Consider appointees Chris Cox at the SEC and Rumsfeld at Sec. of Defense.

[PhilCollins]

I probably won’t vote for Kirk or Topinka. I don’t know about the secretary of state race. I might vote for the Constitution Party candidate, Gary Dunlap.

[Philo1962]

I believe Alexi is more liberal than Kirk on the issues overall ...

Yes, that is exactly my point. And that is reason enough to not only vote for Mark Kirk, but to support him through the campaign season. Kirk will be voting with conservatives on at least some issues. That's better than a Democrat from Chicago, who will never vote with us on any issue, and will inevitably soil the good name of Illinois once again with scandal. We can take control of the Senate this year, and Mark Kirk will vote for a Republican majority leader.

[PhilCollins]

I agree with Bill. I’ll choose a candidate, for the U.S. Senate race, in Oct. If I think that the race will be close, I’ll vote for Kirk, since I don’t want to help split the anti-liberal vote, helping Alexi win, with 48%-49% of the vote. If I think that the race won’t be close, I’ll vote for a candidate who usually agrees with me, probalby Eric Wallace.

[Impy]

Is Alexi worse, yes of course he is.

But Kirk adds something bad that a rat wouldn’t. A Republican face to liberal polices.

I’ll wait probably all the way til November before I decide if I’ll vote for Kirk, up till I’ve never not voted for the GOP nominee for anything. My biggest fear is I don’t want to be complicit when he’ll inevitably screw us over in the Senate on a major issue.

What do think about Topinka Philo? No one has given any reasons why it may be worthwhile to vote for her to stop the rat from winning the Comptroller’s race. I’d really like her to go away.

[Impy]

He’s a moron and a liar. It was completely the other way around.

If Obama wanted to compromise he could have easily gotten a few RINOs on board and passed it without trouble. Instead he started offering bribes to his fellow rats.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Exactly.

[Philo1962]

I would be the first to admit that we don’t have a lot of great choices here in Illinois as conservatives. But Reagan was right. The wise move is to reform the Republican Party, rather than start a new party. We have a slim chance (Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com rates it at about 10% chance) to take control of both the House and the Senate this year. We can’t do it without Mark Kirk.

There has been a lot of talk about the Republican Party co-opting the Tea Party. Since the Tea Party is so fragmented and has no central committee or authority, some co-opting is already going on. I suggest that the reverse would be better: the Tea Party co-opts the Republican Party.

That is our party, guys. That is the natural, traditional home of conservatives in the United States. Let’s take it back.

[Graybeard58]

We can’t do it without Mark Kirk.

So be it.

I voted for McCain, I will not ever vote for another liberal and Kirk is as liberal as they come.

Call me whatever comes to your mind, it won't change my vote.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”We have a slim chance (Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com rates it at about 10% chance) to take control of both the House and the Senate this year. “

I wouldnt get too frustrated over that. There still is 2012. A hypothetical total wipeout of democrats this year would give Obama the chance to turn the political landscape around against republicans in 2012 . Look at 1994 and 1996, and those congressional republicans then were in a much better situation than these now given history.

From a purely political standpoint, Obama’s worst nightmare is if Republicans gain enough seats to block everything, but democrats still look like they are responsible for everything. Want to win big in 2012? Keep Pelosi as Speaker in 2011 with a thin majority.

We have a huge national debt problem, imagine the voters demanding republicans 'fix' it. That would be a nightmare. You want voters demanding democrats fix it(it's theirs) , so republicans can oppose any new tax increases beyond the ones scheduled.

We need conservative third party candidates to keep republicans honest. You want a republican congress full of Michel Steele's ??? :) You get the idea.

[PhilCollins]

You said that the tea party should co-opt the republican party, but many Republicans are (like Rep. Kirk) pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay marriage, pro-tax increases, pro-spending increases, and pro-illegal alien.

[darkangel82]

Agreed. If we take it back, RINOs and their agenda go down the toilet.

[PhilCollins]

I didn’t vote for McCain, in 2008. If I thought that the race, in Illinois, would be close, I would have voted for him, since I didn’t want to help split the anti-Obama vote, helping Obama win Illinois’ 21 electoral votes, with 48%-49% of the state’s popular vote. In Oct. ‘08, I predicted that Obama would win about 60%, in Illinois, and I thought that McCain was too liberal. I voted for Chuck Baldwin, of the Constitution Party.

[Philo1962]

You said that the tea party should co-opt the republican party, but many Republicans are (like Rep. Kirk) pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay marriage, pro-tax increases, pro-spending increases, and pro-illegal alien.

That's why we need to take control of the Republican Party. If Tea Party Patriots had controlled the Republican Party in Illinois, Mark Kirk never would have won the nomination. Now we're stuck with him for six years. I can think of worse fates, such as being stuck with Senator Alexi Giannoulias for six years. (Nobody with a brain or a soul wants that.) But I can think of better candidates than Mark Kirk too.

If the weight and resources of the Illinois Republican Party had been thrown out there in support of a genuinely conservative candidate, we would have nominated a genuinely conservative candidate.

I know what you guys are thinking: that Kirk might pull an Arlen Specter on us (switching party to Democrat), or a Jim Jeffords (nominally independent, but caucusing with the Democrats). In a political climate like this, such a move by Mark Kirk would be ridiculous. But I have to admit, it's a remote possibility.

I'm a broad spectrum conservative. Occasionally a broad spectrum conservative will be betrayed by a Specter or a Jeffords. I realize that it's necessary both to take risks like this one, and to make a few compromises in order to get a majority in the House and the Senate. But that's the target we should be aiming for. Conservatives, plus the moderates for whom left-wing dogma is distasteful, form a solid majority in this country and in this state.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., President Teddy Roosevelt's son, was a staff officer in the 4th Infantry Division during the D-Day landings. He insisted on landing in the first wave, and was eventually the only general to do so. The division CO reluctantly approved his request, writing later that he didn't expect Roosevelt to come back alive.

Roosevelt was an old man by that time. He had arthritis from wounds sustained in World War I, and walked with a cane. He also had heart problems. But he went in with the first wave.

Roosevelt's combat team quickly learned that due to the strong currents in the English Channel, their group of landing craft had drifted far off course and they were landing more than a mile from the planned landing beach. They did not enjoy the full benefit of a pre-invasion shore bombardment, and the German bunkers they were facing were intact, undamaged and shooting back at Roosevelt's troops.

Roosevelt's response was, "We'll start the war from right here!" The old battle plan was abandoned. A new battle plan was constructed on the fly. Roosevelt sent recon patrols inland to find a way to outflank the bunker complex, and quickly won the beachhead.

Roosevelt won the Medal of Honor. A month later, his brave old heart finally gave out.

About 60 years later, Rumsfeld said of the war against Saddam Hussein, "We had to go to war with the army we had, not the army we wish we'd had." Conservatives must enter this conflict in 2010 "from right here," as Teddy Jr. would have done, and with the GOP nominees we have, rather than the ones we wish we had. We are not allowed a "do over," and we can't afford to wait until 2012.

But we need to take this party over. That's a task that unlike the 2010 election, is not on a strict timetable. If it comes to that, we need to ensure that Senator Mark Kirk has a strong and well-funded conservative challenger from the right, in the 2016 primary. I would prefer to reach a point where Senator Kirk sees the handwriting on the wall in 2012, and conceded the nomination to a more conservative candidate. But we have to get him elected, and then we have to put the handwriting on the wall for him to see. For now, I support him because I don't see a viable alternative.

[PhilCollins]

I agree that IL Republicans should have supported a conservative candidate. I walked five precincts for Judge Don Lowery.

[Philo1962]

From a purely political standpoint, Obama’s worst nightmare is if Republicans gain enough seats to block everything, but democrats still look like they are responsible for everything. Want to win big in 2012? Keep Pelosi as Speaker in 2011 with a thin majority.

Here's the best electoral strategy: try to take as many seats as possible. Try to take control of both the House and the Senate. At the very least, we need to try for victory; to give it 100% of our effort; and most importantly, to be seen by America that we are giving 100% of our effort. Let them see us "go for it." We can't be afraid to fall short.

Because even if we do fall short, we will leave Pelosi (and Reid's successor as Democratic majority leader in the Senate) with the slim majorities you suggest. In that case the GOP would "gain enough seats to block everything, but Democrats would still look like they are responsible for everything."

We have a huge national debt problem, imagine the voters demanding republicans 'fix' it. That would be a nightmare.

Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. We can embark on a gradual deficit reduction plan that ends up with a balanced budget in three or four years. It will end up being a program of deep spending cuts in non-essential government services, since we are conservatives and we believe in cutting taxes, not raising them.

You want voters demanding Democrats fix it (it's theirs), so Republicans can oppose any new tax increases beyond the ones scheduled.

Sooner or later, the inevitable goal (preferably sooner rather than later) is to take back the government, and then accept the responsibility for cleaning up the mess that the Democrats have made. That will require tough choices. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to take back the government first. After that, we need to keep reminding the American people that it was Democrats who got us into this mess, and we're the party that's going to clean up the mess.

[DoughtyOne]

The really sad thing is that you still don't realize that there was ideological purity in 2008.

I and others simply said, "No thanks."

John McCain's Whimsical World of Conservatism
Food for thought for the George Soros, Teressa Heinz Kerry, Tides Foundation et al  wing of the Republican Party.

1958/00/00 McCain graduates from Annapolis, 894th out of a class of 898.  McCain had conflicts with higher-ups, and he was disinclined to obey every rule.
1958/00/00 McCain loses the first of five aircraft he will lose over the period of his career as a Naval Pilot, contributing to him becoming a reverse Ace.  Poore states circa 1960.  Article here states 1958.  Ace McCain 
1960/00/00 McCain graduates from flight training.  He is required to do six arrested landings aboard the Training Aircraft Carrier, the USS Antietam, in the Gulf of Mexico to be certified.  He completes two.
1979/04/00 McCain meets Cindy Hensley.  She is 24, he is 42.  They start dating shortly thereafter. "I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. By the evening's end, I was in love."  Source: Dan Norwicki and Bill Muller LINK
1980/01/07 McCain officially ended cohabiting with Carol his first wife according to court documents.
1980/02/19 McCain sues Carol his first wife for divorce. Ronald and Nancy Reagan are not amused and rush to Carol's aid. Ed Meese and others step in to help Carol with jobs and lodging.
1980/03/06 McCain obtains marriage license to marry Cindy Hensley
1980/04/02 McCain's divorce to Carol is granted  (Carol does not contest this divorce, and doesn't enter into the procedings at all)
1980/05/17 McCain marries Cindy Hensley
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 side
1986/04/00 McCain's wife Cindy 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
1990/10/02 McCain votes to Confirm Justice David H. Souter from New Hampshire to be an Associate Justice on the SCOTUS Court
1993/01/13 McCain and John 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.
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.
1993/10/10 McCain co-sponsors an unsuccessful bill to cut off funding of United States troops in Somalia
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...
1995/09/07 McCain/Feingold first start pushing for and submitting bills for Campaign Finance Reform, and although it crashes and burns a number of times, they dogedly keep reintroducing revamped legislation for that purpose Feingold
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!
1999/04/02 McCain advocates sending our ground troops into the Balkins.
1999/08/19 McCain stated, "Certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade,"
2000/00/00 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' Open Society Institute, Teresa Heinz Kerry's Tides Foundation, several other non-profits.  CapnsQtrs  Malkin WND  Contains information on Juan Hernandez and numerous McCain Campaign staff from 2000, that found potitions at the Reform Institute  Contains information on who funded McCain's efforts on Campaign Finance Reform, Comprehansive Immigration Reform and a number of Global Warming bills listed in this timeline
2001/05/15 McCain introduces the Gun Show Loophole bill S890, with Carper, Lieberman, DeWine, Clinton, and Schumer co/sponsoring. Analysis
2001/05/25 McCain defends Jeffords for switching parties and caucusing with the Democrats, saying the Republican party treated him and others unfairly, who wouldn't tow the party line.  This remained true to form for McCain as he had been shooting his mouth off at the expense of the Bush administration on just about any public forum he could claw his way into since Bush had secured the White House in December of 2000.  McCain was very bitter that Bush had bested him in the primaries of 2000, and he determined to take his pound of flesh from the Bush administration at every opportunity.  See also Peak Maverick and other here.
2002/03/27 McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform is enacted, becomes law 2003 01 01
2003/03/18 McCain takes the floor of the Senate to speak out against Bush tax cuts.
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) it falls short in the Senate vote on this day  Thomas  Bill S139  LINK
2003/10/30 McCain Lieberman bill is addressed by Kit Bond
2004/03/10 McCain states he would entertain an offer to be John Kerry's Vice-President, but doesn't see a realistic scenario where he would be asked.  Later denies he would leave the Republican party.  YouTube
2004/03/18 McCain Defends John Kerry on Defense matters
2004/03/30 McCain joins Lieberman again, this time to introduce another Climate Warming bill with ten Democrat and ten Repbulican cosigners.
2004/04/02 McCain states, "I believe my party has gone astray, I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy, but I also feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principles I articulated before."
2006/04/04 McCain offers anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona. Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain’s job offer. “I’ll take it!” one man shouted. McCain supporting guest worker program
2004/06/04 McCain signs letter with 58 Senators, "We write to urge you (President Bush) 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  LINK2
2005/00/00 McCain resigns from the Reform Institute he founded with George Soros.  His top advisors remain on the Reform Institute payroll, making big dollars.
2005/01/12 McCain introduces a bill (S1033) on the floor of the Senate, during the first session of the 109th Congress.  It's co-authors are Ted Kennedy, Brownbeck, Lieberman, Graham, and Salazar.  The bill among other things, initiates a study (Section 1004) on how to set up a system where U.S. health insurers can become bi-national, providing health insurance to U.S. and Mexican citizens.  McCain was trying to set up a road to health care for Mexican nationals. Is this more infrastructure being 'harmonized' in the effort to establish a one hemispheric entity, the North American Union?  One must ponder, Is John MeCain our Senator, a Mexican Senator ruling from our side of the border, or a representative of the United Nations assigned to relegate the United States to a nation whose citizens have absolutely no way to affect the laws they are subject to?  If we're just part of the North American Union, what real sovereignty will we have?  What ability will we have to demand our laws be changed, if two other nations want those laws because they favor them?
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
2005/05/24 McCain joins 13 other Republican and Democrat Senators to form the Gang of 14, foolishly opting to preserve an undemocratic Senate rule instead of following the Constitution and historical precedent.  Analysis1  Analysis2  Analysis3
2006/02/20 McCain addresses immigration reform ralley of mixed group including SEIU and ACORN(in support of immigration reform bill) by saying, "What makes America special is what's in this room tonight." additional video
2006/03/30 McCain makes a lengthy statement on the floor of the United States Senate, addressing immigration reform, lauding the illegal alien with sympathetic stories, insulting U.S. workers, and focusing on those who die coming across the border.  He fails to call for repatriation, or national guard troops on the border.  Within weeks President Bush announces he will send 6,000 nation guard troops to the border.
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..."
2006/12/01 McCain writes letter to the incoming defense secretary Robert Gates stating Airbus Government subsidy issue "may risk eliminating competition before bids are submitted,..." The Air Force changed the criteria four days later, eliminating subsidy consideration.  As of 2008/03/11, top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than five years.  Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain's campaign. A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain's national finance chairman.
2007/02/05 McCain joins Joseph Lieberman to introduce the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act.  See related energy tax analysis here 2008/01/10
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 McCain's Gitmo problem, close the base, grant some Geneva Convention status reserved for lawful combatants, 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.
2007/12/17 McCain gets the Boston Globe's endorsement in the Republican Primaries
2008/01/10 McCain Lieberman energy tax is addressed in National Review.  Intoduced here 2007/02/05
2008/01/16 McCain's Top 10 Class-Warfare Arguments Against Tax Cuts Human Events touches on them all here.  He's sounding like a Democrat again...
2008/01/25 McCain gets the New York Times' endorsement in the Republican Primaries
2008/01/25 McCain and Hillary share a lot of political views says Bill Clinton.  No comment from the McCain camp.  YouTube
2008/02/03 McCain gets the Los Angeles Times' endorsement in the Republican Primaries
2008/03/00 McCain makes his first attempt to tell a state (North Carolina) Republican Party what to do.  The RNC joins him.  (North Caroline tells him to pond sand)
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 McCain speech to the World Affairs Council, Europe may get veto power over some of our foreign policy...
2008/03/26 McCains, John and Cindy telegraph support for the independent state of Kosovo.  Cliff Kincaid at AIM comments...
2008/04/08 McCain casts last Senate vote during his Presidential Campaign.  By the EOBD 06/30/08, he has missed 373 votes or 61.8% of the Senate votes in the 110th Congress.  His has cast one vote since 03/14/08.  It was on April 8th.  LINK
2008/05/09 McCain's interview with O'Reilly... I won't drill in ANWR... it's pretty... I'm an environmentalist.  (note: there's a good chance he may have an environMental disorder)
2008/05/12 McCain Joins the Goreball Worming Cult, sounding more like Al Gore every day...  McCain's Oregon add Video
2008/05/13 McCain takes an Environmental walk, with the leader of the Cascade Land Conservancy... (another series of fruit loop moments)
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
2008/06/18 McCain joins Barack Obama today in signing on to sponsor Joseph Bidens Global HIV/AIDS bill.  This monstrosity would cost the U.S. in excess of $50 Billion dollars of taxpayer money  S.2731
2008/06/21 McCain and Obama are to address open borders group in Los Angeles on July 18th, 2008, Communists and worst of U.S. Illeagal Alien appologist groups...  It was announced on this date.
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.  As of this date, Conservatives know they won't have one.
2008/07/03 McCain Allies Find Financing Loopholes, Governors' Fund Recruits Big Donors; Bid to Catch Obama  LINK  Another do as I say, not as I do moment.  Well, a long series of moments over time would be more like it.
2008/07/16 McCain and Obama's cosponsored (Joe Biden Originated) Global HIV/AIDS bill passes the Senate in a vote of 80 to 16.  It now has to go back to the House for reconsiliation.  Bush actively lobbied for this $50 billion dollar monstrosity.  S.2731
2008/08/25 McCain offers $50 dollars an hour to Americans who will pick lettuce. Audience members immediately raise their hands, and McCain gets snippy.  He says, "You must work all season, and you can't do it!", insulting the American workers.  Mark Levin covers it on his show.  LINK
2008/10/10 McCain states Obama is a decent person and you don't need to be scared of him being president. Video1  Tells folks to be respectful of Obama. He respects Okama and his accomplishments. Video2
2008/11/20 McCain supports Barack Obama's pick of Gov. Janet Napolitano as director of homeland security
2009/04/28 McCain states he could understand why Spector would change parties, being behind in the primary race.  What does this bode for McCain in 2010?  If he's understands so well, is he willing to switch parties?
2009/07/01 McCain's camp gets skewered by Tammy Bruce in her commentary titled, "McCain's Camp Praises Sanford and Trashes Palin?"
2009/07/12 McCain plans to lead an effort to reverse the decision in committee that would add $1.7 billion for 12 additional F-22s next year. 
2009/07/13 McCain, in an unusual alliance with the Obama administration, moved Monday to eliminate $1.75 billion recently inserted into the proposed 2010 defense budget for more (F22) fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.
2009/07/14 McCain backs Obama on F-22 cuts, but advocates vow fight
2009/07/21 McCain gives credit to President Obama for standing firm, on cutting F22 funding
2009/09/24 McCain Palin break on F-22 cuts
2009/10/21 McCain says, “I haven’t looked at him that carefully because I haven’t been around,” regarding Arpaio’s well-publicized exploits in the Phoenix area, when asked what he thought of him. However McCain had known enough about Arpaio around 2004 to back Mesa police Cmdr. Dan Saban over him.
2009/10/25 McCain defends Obama against Cheney's comments on his Afghanistan dithering, calls for unity with president
2009/11/18 McCain defends campaign staff against Palin
2009/12/02 McCain criticizes Obama for proposal to cut Medicare to fund health care, but fourteen months ago... this.
2009/12/06 McCain defends Palin while referring to her as irrelevent, then lauds her work
2010/01/10 McCain Strategist Schmidt trashes Palin, says McCain had planned to name Lieberman as his VP choice in 2008
2010/01/20 McCain coopts Palin for his own purposes.
2010/01/21 McCain and Brown meet, McCain's office... coopting alert
2010/01/21 McCain/Feingold Finance Reform takes big hit from SCOTUS, as Conservatives had first predicted Malkin
2010/01/22 McCain coopts Brown for his own purposes. Conservatives: Beware of McCain Regression Syndrome
2010/01/23 McCain's PAC supports California's former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina for U. S. Senate, likes Jessie Jackson and gender politics.
2010/01/26 McCain, U.S. Supreme Court overturns bulk of McCain/Feingold Act (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
2010/01/26 McCain, Bayh team up on spending freeze bill to back Obama, and to grant him line item veto.
2010/02/03 McCain introduces the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010.  Bill S3002.  The U.S. Government and the pharmaceutical industry have been trying for decades to clamp down on dietary supplements, to protect people from God knows what, to reduce competition with their medications, and also to gain market share in this arena.
2010/03/24 McCain joins other Senators to form a caucus on Global Internet Freedom.  While sounding rather benign, McCain's past inability to see things clearly, causes concern regarding any effort he decides to become a part of, especially if it's as important as a tool of freedom of speech.  One can only wonder if this will come back to haunt us like so many other things he's become involved in have.
2010/03/25 McCain calls for civility in debate over the Health Care bill, echos Democrats call for peace.  RNC head Steele refuses to buy in.
2010/03/26 McCain is taken to task by Andrew C. McCarthy in a commentary titled, "the Mark of McCain".  It seems McCain offered (and Graham was involved too) an amendment that had terrible ramifications, in all likelihood leading to the release of Mohamedou Slahi, one of the 9/11 plotters.  Read the detailed summary at the link.
2010/03/26 McCain, even the L.A. Times has his number.  They herald his movement to the right (during re-election bid).  They also touch on how McCain coopted (my term, not theirs) Palin and Brown for his benefit.
2010/03/26 McCain appears with Palin on FoxNews' "On the Record", with Greta Van Susteren.  Among other things, Palin states, "I support his position on immigration."
2010/03/27 McCain calls in his favors from Palin, and she spends the day lavishing praise on him at appearances.

v 2010/03/31

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Here's the best electoral strategy: try to take as many seats as possible. Try to take control of both the House and the Senate. “

I still think that this is not the election to load up on RINOs. This could be the most favorable environment anti-democrats will see for a while. Conservative independents will caucus with republicans, not democrats(if it is required to go with them) . I still remember Bush campaigning for Spector against Toomey in 2004. He was thinking purely the numbers game and by 2006 he didn't even want to count them they were so bad.

Democrats are the ones in trouble this year, they need the Leibermans and the Spectors to bail the democrat sinking ship.(oddly enough they are shooting their moderates)