Posted on 02/08/2008 1:58:52 AM PST by VU4G10
A good conservative speech, no matter how stirring, will not solve the problems that grass-roots conservatives have with Sen. John McCain, Richard A. Viguerie, America's leading conservative direct-mail guru, said Thursday.
Viguerie made his comments in response to John McCain’s address Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Prior to McCain’s speech, various news reports suggested that the speech gave the Arizona senator a chance to make amends with conservatives and bring them on board his bandwagon.
“Rhetoric isn’t enough,” Viguerie said. “To get the enthusiastic support of conservatives – support he must have, to win – Senator McCain must make his case with deeds, not just words.”
That’s not just because of McCain’s recent record on important issues, Viguerie said. It’s also because of the record of the Republican Party itself.
“From Eisenhower to Nixon to both Bushes, conservatives have heard conservative rhetoric from Republican presidential candidates. Each time, they were disappointed – even betrayed – by the people and the party they had trusted.
“After the last eight or 10 years, in which Republican leaders were elected with conservative votes, but then betrayed conservative principles, grassroots conservatives are not so willing to take John McCain at his word. He is an honorable man, but, given the record of the Republican Party and given his own record, conservative rhetoric is not enough to convince people.
“Conservatives will not be so trusting this time.
“Senator McCain must surround himself with conservatives in policy positions, so that conservatives know what sort of people will make key decisions in a McCain Administration. He must have a number of Sister Souljah moments with the Washington establishment liberals who consider him their favorite Republican. He must make conservatives cheer for him every night when they watch the news on TV – not just when they hear him give a good speech.”
Viguerie said that McCain has “only a few weeks” to “bring conservatives up to a comfort level with him. If he is to do it, in the words of Macbeth, ‘’twere well it were done quickly.’
“In 1992, George H.W. Bush waited until the Republican Convention to reach out to conservatives, giving Pat Buchanan a major place on the program and so on. It didn’t work. The media savaged Bush for pandering to conservatives, and conservatives saw it as too little, too late.”
If McCain does not act soon, “conservatives will start writing off the presidential race,” Viguerie said. “Yes, most – not all – will vote for him, if he is the Republican nominee. But they will not make telephone calls, send out e-mails and postcards, go door to door, contribute money, and do all the hard work that makes victory possible in November.”
BTW and Off Topic..is it true that the name "Barrack" means or translates to something like persecutor of Hewbrews?
prisoner6
prisoner6
They wouldn’t attack one of their own, would they? :)
I don't know about you but I'm ordering popcorn by the case....it's going to be fun watching the media pull the wings off John Dole.
You and the rest will get an education this November. We may not know where the votes are but we will be sure where they are not.
Bush would have signed McCain/Kennedy.
Bush has been a good President with some flaws. McCain will cut spending, make tax cuts permanent, stop the Clintons from ever getting power again,go after Bin Laden, he's always voted Pro-Life. Thats the most I can ask. Pressure on Congress will have to used in the other areas where we disagreed with Bush. By the way if the court tips right, which it should, or even a moderate judge replaces Ginsberg, McCain/Feingold could be overturned along with Roe vs. Wade.
Mccain will make that up on Indy's and Democrats that wont vote for Hillary or Obama and they are out there. Why would Conservatives want to lose power in the Party or concede it?
Bush has been really good socially,with judges, tax wise and with the war. He has bad on spending and immigration.
McCain will be bad on immigration, good on taxes, good on spending, good on the war. He will be decent on judges and social issues.
Hillary or Obama will be bad on judges, bad on spending, bad on the war, bad on illegals, bad on taxes and bad socially.
If McCain nominates one Conservative judge or even a moderate we could see McCain/Feingold and Roe vs. Wade overturned.
he's not perfect but he's the best we have. We can try harder in 2012.
I expect that for the next few years at least, I’ll be making plenty of telephone calls, sending e-mails and faxes....NOT FOR McCain.... but AGAINST his, Hucks, or the Dem candidate’s SHAMNESTY agenda.
For all intents and purposes, it appears that the bipartisan/globalist CFR/OBL has won this battle for POTUS, but we must NOT let up...we must win the war against their agenda. The sovereignty and security of our country depends on it.
A self promoter that believe his own self promoting spin. Just looking for some money to be sent his way.
That is correct his amnesty supporting base will keep him under control.
Righht, I get it.
I know, and I've posted many times, that trucons have the ability to destroy the Republican nominee.
At 15% of the party (at most), though, there are not enough of them to either set policy or demand results.
Hence the observation that they have been "betrayed" by the party.
It's a funny definition of betrayal. Reagan, HW, and W have done exactly what they promised to do - no more, no less.
It's true that Rove came up with the idea of allowing Evangelicals to believe that something was going to change, and they bought it hook, line, and sinker - but Bush himself never lied to them.
Any elected Republican knows very well that as soon as he gives anything tangible to trucons that the extra trucon votes he gets are more than offset by anti-trucon defections.
The trucons real problem which prevents them from increasing their influence is exactly that - they create anti-trucons faster than they create trucons.
If they can't change that, they are headed for oblivion, of course after they destroy the GOP in a fit of pique.
Reagan Democrats especially loathe and fear trucons. It's worth a study of the master to understand how he managed to win them and keep them on board.
LOL
That is a joke! It is a joke?
Well McLame has spent years making it possible, all they need to do is walk across the southern border.
McCain is banking on conservatives staying on the GOP plantation, while grumbling about it. His constituency is the Independents, and he can’t afford to alienate them by appearing conservative...the maverick image, you know.
He is already being attacked by the likes of the Leftist, Jack McCafferty on CNN for even giving the CPAC speech yesterday, so the msm will be dismembering him by Monday. He has no chance of winning this election.
I've never seen that show (or much else that appears on the broadcast networks for that matter). It's been my experience that none of what the broadcast networks offer is worthy my time. I prefer to look to history as a good indicator of what the future holds, since history so often repeats itself.
If you review history, every time we've had a POTUS that is perceived as weak, those who wish to test the resolve of the USA usually do so in short order. It will be no different this time when Obama is elected POTUS.
With Obama in the Whitehouse there will be quite a cast of characters that will test him early on. That list will include, but will not be limited to, AQ, the Mullahs in Iran, Pootie, the Chi-Coms, and the Norks......just to name a few......
FWIW, I DO NOT expect any challenges of any merit coming from the spineless weasels that call themselves "Republicans" in Congress....paraphrasing Mae West: "Hang on, boys, the next four years are going to be a bumpy ride".....
As will I.
I heard some pundit on the radio yesterday saying Conservatives will come around and vote McInsane, he doesn't know us very well.
Laura is right, as usual. McCain now has zero incentive to make nice with conservatives. He'll only do so when his campaign is ten miles deep in horse crap like Christie Todd Whitman was in 1993 which forced her to throw a Hail Mary in the form of a huge tax cut.
Absolutely! Mooslimbs attack and kill other Mooslimbs with amazing regularity, all for the "sake of Islam".....
I think, and have thought for a long time, that their cells are already here, waiting for the right moment. Remember the AQ patches showing the twin towers attack that were found several years ago near the Mexican border?
At this point in time I am very glad I live in rural Tennessee and not the DC, New York, LA, San Francisco or Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or any of the other major metro areas that will be subject to attack in the spring of '09......
Well, he's missed all eight Senate roll calls this year, including the recent stimulus package vote -- you know, the one he was going to be present for, before he wasn't.
I doubt you'll see much of him in the Senate this year, except for some meaningless grandstanding. After all, he wouldn't want to alienate either of the both ends he's playing against the middle -- until after the general election, of course, when he'll return to the Senate to wreak his revenge on all of us who wouldn't play the RINO game.
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