What to do about McCain?

January 31, 2008 | me

[reaganaut1]

Many Freepers, including me, are disappointed that McCain will likely be the nominee. I'll vote for Romney on Super Tuesday.

If McCain wins the nomination, I will vote for him on the *hope* he will be less bad than Clinton or Obama would be. I see no reason to actively support him by contributing to or volunteering for his campaign. I think we should focus on congressional and gubernatorial campaigns, trying to hold the seats of real conservatives and maybe pick off a few vulnerable Democrats in what will likely be a Democratic year. Any suggestions?

I think McCain is leading because even most Republicans, not to mention the country, are not very conservative. We need to change the overall political climate before we can elect a true conservative. People are conservative for various reasons. To me, contributing the the Club for Growth (focusing on free-market policies) makes more sense than contributing to the national Republican party or especially the McCain campaign. Social conservatives have groups like Concerned Women for America. We also need to fight liberal bias in the schools and the media. There are lots of ways to promote conservatism other than participating in the presidential campaign, with the understanding that the payoff will not come in the near term.

[SRBConservative]

I definitely favor Romney over McCain, however my focus now is which one has the better shot at defeating Hillary or Obama. Yet I still can’t make up my mind on this dilemma...

So who do you all think really has the best shot, Mitt or McCain? (Sadly, that’s how I’ll be voting.)

[maclay]

I wish I was that optomistic. I could see McCain beating Obama, but the Clinton Machine could be more than he can chew. I certainly hope not, but #@*& in one hand and hope in the other, and see which one fills up first.

[cdnerds]

The republican own the Military vote.. John Kerry was a Traitor.. He betrayed his service, you cant use that with MCcain.. and Mccain was a POW for years... the man cant even lift his arms above shoulder height because of what hey did to him. What can the MSM do to hurt him? His marriage is good, he is war hero, no special interest groups, etc etc.. they going to come at him about the Ted Kennedy Bill? He will say “I was reaching across the isle to unit the country”... Right now the man is coated in oil as far as MSM goes.. they cant grab him... and if there were any REALLY bad things.. Romney with all his money, would have found it.

[cdnerds]

Hillary has never been tested one on one with someone. Its always under the cover of darkness or with people of the same ilk. People say we have baggage as republicans? OOH man.. just wait till the machine starts digging on Hillary.. LOL its going to be a field day.

[DannyTN]

"I will NOT vote for a Democrat come November! And this means regardless of whether he has a (D) or (R) after his name."

I'm really tempted to do likewise, but will probably vote for the lesser evil that's electable. And if Romney is the democrat with the (R) by his name, then I'll vote for the lesser evil democrat which in that case would have the (D) by their name.

[Fred]

Well made points. Take the battle to the field. I would include the US Senate seats.

We can take back congress in 2010.

[cdnerds]

no its was our candidates fault.. Fred TOTALLY messed up and we all know it.. he didnt have any fire in the belly until the final debate with him in it. Duncan Hunter.. was cool, but he just didnt have the man power. Mitt Romney is a good man.. but like I said before.. he seems Weak when he is attacked and he looks like a game show host. Dont even deny you couldnt see him hosting the Price is Right.

[Wuli]

“No the President is a role model”

no they aren’t and neither are celebrities of any sort, except to the weak

bill clinton is a womanizer, but what made him a bad president was his lying about it, and his bad policies

i don’t expect moral righteousness from a president, only their political support of policies favorable to the freedoms and values of the morally righteous

[reaganaut1]

I would not elect a Muslim either, because terrorists are disproportionately Muslim and because majority-Muslim countries treat non-Muslims are second-class citizens.

These are secular reasons, though. The Mormons don’t have such a record of mistreating other people, so why should I hold their religion against them?

[Fred]

Wise words. Alas, they are few and far between anymore on FR.

[ARE SOLE]

I cannot believe you would make such a messsed up statement. Why not keep crap like that to yourself? There are Mormon Freepers I’m sure. If you are Christian you should be ashamed.

[CDFingers]

What if the candidate's religion is Socialism?

I'll believe a Mormon who says that the role of government is to protect all religions, rather than a Socialist who won't admit but believes that government IS religion.

I'll go with the guy who doesn't take an active role in harassing Christianity over a socialist who does.

[backtothestreets]

"I think McCain is leading because even most Republicans, not to mention the country, are not very conservative."

I think that's likely a fair appraisal of the "conservative" community. I often see it illustrated in entitlements. Many conservatives of our time are not opposed to entitlements they receive. That said, I do think most of our population is much more "American" than either political party.

Most of our citizens have a entirely different view of our nation than the politicians. Where politicians look at reports cluttered with numbers to get an inkling of what is occurring in American society, most citizens need not look at numbers, but their own communities and lives.

Illegal immigration is a great example of these differing vantage points. Politicians, even "conservative" politicians, recite numbers to substantiate their positions for and against the illegal aliens. Most citizens have a frontline view of illegal immigration that is not dependent upon reports to substantiate. Unlike politicians, especially those politicians higher up in the parties, citizens live amid the impact of illegal immigration.

We saw these very different perspectives collide when the Senate tried to steamroll through Immigration Reform legislation. Although most of the nation might not be conservative, by the protests raised, a majority of the citizens showed themselves to be American.

I will have mixed feelings of disappointment and hope if McCain is the Republican nominee for President. The disappointment will be in that both the Democratic and Republican nominee will have very similar personal positions on illegal immigration. The hope will be that a new major political party will give sanctuary to Americans.

I am keenly aware that of the six remaining candidates for president the two parties have, half, all being US Senators, have decidedly soft approaches to illegal immigration. The other half, two former governors and a US Representative, all of which have served closer to the citizen level of life, have less accommodating views of illegal immigration.

This is a tinder box issue. If anything major concerning illegal immigration occurs in our nation between the primaries and the General Election, it could spark an American backlash against both parties. And as things are shaping up, neither party will be able to react as both will have nominees with political views that run afoul of typical American perspectives.

Unlike Republicans, I won't have to make a tough decision about McCain if he is the Republican nominee. I am an American first, foremost, and forever. I will cast my vote as such with a third party that best epitomizes the "American" perspective.

[stuartcr]

Thanks, I still vote for the man I believe in, but I also believe that what is supposed to happen, will.

[Wuli]

i would only add that gop conservatives need to get working yesterday for their gop conservative congressional candidates, and help elect a congress that can still block mcpain’s shamnesty

i would love to see a gop majority congress that stands in constant opposition to a mcpain potus

[Dante3]

McCain is not the lesser of two evils. He also has health baggage. Anyone who objectively watched yesterday’s debate could not help but wonder what is his mental state. He was smiling to himself, had a strange look in his eyes, glared, evaded questions. He has serious problems.

[DannyTN]

"These are secular reasons, though. The Mormons don’t have such a record of mistreating other people, so why should I hold their religion against them?"

Simply because it's a false religion and the President is a role model. If you believe all faiths are equal unless they are violent, then it probably won't make sense to you.

[LadyNavyVet]

You haven’t read up on John McCain. Consider this: It is public knowledge that McCain had reams of information about his time in Vietnam and what ultimately happened to the POW/MIAs who never made it home classified and sequestered at the Pentagon in the very early 90s. Bill Clinton, as POTUS, had access to all classified information for 8 years, and the Clintons had reason to assume that McCain would some day run against Hillary for the Presidency. The same people who took 800 FBI files would not be above looking at those files at the Pentagon and lifting some very ugly dirt to be leaked through a third party to the press.

Bill and Hill want back into the WH in the worst way, and they take no prisoners. They will be only too happy to destroy McCain if that what it takes to win the big prize. Whether she pulls the trigger will depend on what the polls look like in October. If the MSM has managed to knock McCain down to the point where the polls look good for Hillary, I think she’ll keep quiet. If not, I expect the nuclear option.

As for the military vote, that is, every year, a smaller and smaller percentage of the overall vote as the WWII generation dies off. And the Republicans don’t own it by any means. They don’t own the hispanic nor the black military vote. I suspect the female military vote swings either way. And minorities are ever increasing numbers in the military. At any rate, take away McCain’s war hero status and his advantage with the military goes away, too.

[CDFingers]

Right. If we get the wrong POTUS, then we might still measure success in the number of defeats that Congress deals out. It could set the tone for 2012.

[lightning]

I will NOT vote for McCain under any circumstances. In fact, I will probably vote for a Libertarian, and I don’t give a red rat’s ass whether the GOP sinks further.

I just cut up my GOP card that I have contributed to them for decades.

I’m outa’ here—trust me.