Posted on 01/06/2007 7:31:11 AM PST by Antoninus
(AgapePress) - An author and self-professed former liberal says he doesn't think Arizona Senator John McCain is going to excite conservatives as the 2008 "presidential sweepstakes" kick into high gear. He believes there are a couple of alternatives who might be more attractive to the conservative voting bloc.
Political analyst Keith Thompson is the author of Leaving the Left: Moments in the News That Made Me Ashamed to Be a Liberal. He says while John McCain remains the nominal frontrunner at this very early stage of the process, the Arizona senator has had a bad track record with conservatives, particularly on the border issue and judicial nominees. Thompson contends the McCain, were he to run, would even have to compete for the moderate Republican vote.
"Guest what? [Former New York City Mayor] Rudy Giuliani is looking at getting in the race, too," the author observes. "So those two guys split that moderate [voting bloc], which is not the predominant voice in the Republican Party anyway."
Thompson describes McCain's support in the GOP as "a mile wide but an inch deep." Among the factors that would count against the Arizona senator among Republican conservatives, says the author, are "his attempts to curry favor with religious conservatives after spending so much of his career dissing those voters, ... actually serving as a thorn in the sides of the conservatives on judicial nominations, and favoring this open borders amnesty approach."
So Thompson says even a longshot like California Congressman Duncan Hunter could cash in on the conservative GOP support. And while he believes Hunter is "good on the issues" and a "credible, strong guy," he says questions still remain.
"How he'll actually play [among voters is unknown]," he concedes. "There are so many factors [that come into play]." Hunter, he says, needs to be able to raise money and avoid verbal gaffes on the campaign trail.
According to Thompson, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney remains another "McCain alternative," even though some evangelicals have a problem with his well-documented flip-flopping on hot-button issues like abortion and same-sex "marriage."
McCain's support has two measures: inside the GOP leadership, which is high because the party has been hijacked by RINOs from the congress to the party organizational leadership to the President.
Among actual voters, however, he doesn't stand a chance. Liberal independents and party-line zombies will vote for him, that's about it.
The MSM can tout, push and pull McCain all they like, I don't see him survivng the primaries. He is a liberal wrapped in a Republican mantel (AKA RINO) and is as detestable a candidate as John Kerry.
After looking at Hunter's record, I'm not convinced that he is a better choice. Romney is a possibility as long as all the MSM have against him is his Mormon religion.
But, in all reality, I'm not sure that we have seen a strong likely candidate showing up in the beauty contest, yet.
It would be interesting to see Gore vs. Giuliani in 2008.
Take a look at the Constitution Party; I'm going to. They believe in the Constitution as it was written. They believe in state sovereignty, and low taxes. They believe in the original principles of the Declaration of Independence.
I know they can't win, but I'll vote for them before I vote for McCain.
If it's a choice between McCain and Hillary: liberals and the Dem pimp media win.
I find your statement about his face rather offensive; since, I had a battle with liver and cervical cancer a few years ago.
Sometimes one has to do what one has to do in order to live.
As for McCain, I've never been impressed with his Political Ideologies.
Says who? The liberal media. I refuse to accept their word about who is the leading Republican candidate.
It's 12:24 and time to take your medication.
Rudy has never EVER been or done anything even remotely "Conservative". The guy's a freaking LIBERAL, period - end - stop.
And as to Rudy and immigration - you're wacky. He'd have all of Mexico here. He's the absolute WORSE on that issue!
Should be:
McCain Gets Conservatives WORKED UP
I hear ye. McLame has got to go.
I just want to know if he is healthy, and I don't care if that offends you.
I agree and I'm sure so do many conservatives. I'm not a big McCain fan, but when it comes down to him or Hillary, well, there is no choice. However I don't believe Republicans on this forum and other conservative areas understand how popular McCain is with the so-called independent voter. He is very popular with them. Even many hard-core Dems, like my lawyer daughter-in-law, would vote for McCain. I realize that's not a good reason to vote for McCain, but unfortunately it may come down to either McCain or Hillary. And again there is no choice.
Well, you backed me down. I went back and looked at his record on a number of different sites and couldn't find the record I originally saw that made me form my original opinion. I know it was his record, but the information this time around came up differently - I can't explain it. Anyway, I am left to agree that he may be a viable candidate, after all.
Thanks for making me take a second look.
DRAFT NEWT don't ask, just DRAFT NEWT
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