McCain Makes Headway With Conservative Wing

Wall Street Journal ^ | 2 February 2008 | ELIZABETH HOLMES

[shrinkermd]

Mr. McCain stepped up his attempts to court the Republican right, scoring a number of high-profile endorsements this week. Yesterday, he received the support of billionaire Steve Forbes as well as former Solicitor General Theodore Olson. Mr. Olson, who served as assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, represented President Bush in the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore.

The picture was a bit mixed earlier in the week when Mr. McCain got near-simultaneous endorsements from moderates California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York Mayor and rival Rudy Giuliani, causing some consternation among party conservatives. Some prominent pundits, including Laura Ingraham and former Sen. Rick Santorum, have decried his more liberal votes and come out in favor of Mr. Romney.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter went a step further, saying that if the race came down to Mr. McCain and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, she would rather see Mrs. Clinton elected.

Polls show Mr. McCain, who won contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, leading nationally by double digits, according to an average compiled by Real Clear Politics, a nonpartisan political-news Web site. The Arizona senator has about 34% of support, compared with 22% for Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who won Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada. The other contenders, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, have 20% and 5%, respectively.

...Polls, however, show it is an insurmountable barrier for many voters -- even more than Mr. McCain's age. In a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal survey1, 45% in Super Tuesday states said it would be harder for a Mormon to unite the country. That compares with only 35% who think it would be harder for someone over age 70. (Mr. McCain is 71).

[ricks_place]

Hillary or Obama would never appoint a conservative and constitutional judge. Every one of their appointments will be vetted by the ACLU, NARAL, and NAMBLA. Election 2008 may require a "Defensive" McCain vote even with the uncertainty of McCain judicial appointments.

[Beagle8U]

I know he did but the voters that walked away were mostly the blue collar gun voters.

Since the time that the NRA started endorsing candidates no Republican POTUS nominee has ever won without the NRA endorsement.

Gun voters are what won the congress in 94 and they are the reason Gore lost in 2000.

When the RATS went nuts with their anti-gun BS they lost a huge chunk of their base.

Those “Reagan Democrats” or swing voters will go back to the RATS every time Republicans run an anti-gun candidate.

Romney and Rooty had zero chance of being elected as a Republican the day they started running.

That single issue ( although there are others ) killed any chance they had.

Even Bill Clinton is on record admitting that.

[TAdams8591]

"WTF is going on with this MSM consipiracy to make it a Hill vs. McCain race??? I’m sick of the media’s manipulation."

I'm surprised at the WSJ. They made it so obvious. All the candidates are smiling in their drawings, BUT Mitt.

Now I know he's not the entire paper, but isn't John Fund against nominating McCain?