Posted on 02/11/2008 8:42:59 PM PST by Dane
GOP goon squad can’t rattle McCain DL-Online Published Saturday, February 09, 2008 It’s been a kind of perverse pleasure to watch Sen. John McCain overcome the vitriol of talk radio’s conservative goon squad. Despite vicious daily broadsides from Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham (and their sycophants on regional and local talk radio), McCain emerged Tuesday as the front-runner among Republican candidates for president.
On Thursday, the senator’s only credible competition, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, suspended his campaign, effectively handing the nomination to McCain.
So much for the influence of the talkers with the base of Republican voters.
In responding to questions about the attacks from talk radio’s allegedly conservative voices, the senator was gracious and even extended an olive branch.
But why should he? Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, Ingraham and small-fry talkers taking their agenda from the big-time four have been so unflinchingly critical of McCain that the senator owes them nothing. His campaign, which a few months ago seemed ready for last rites, has been a resurrection story for the political history books. After his multi-state win in every part of the nation on Tuesday, he all but secured the Republican nomination.
And he did it without the help of the right-wing talkers. Indeed, he accomplished his comeback while fighting the blowhards’ headwind.
The radio attacks on McCain were not merely disagreements about policy. They went after him personally and politically. They charged that his conservative credentials are phony, although a perusal of his long Senate record reveals McCain is one of the most consistently conservative senators ever to serve. They ripped him up and down because he’s had the courage to stake out his own positions on immigration and campaign finance reform. Because of those apostasies, and the fact that he has refused to kiss their rings, the talkers tried to do him in.
And failed.
Ingraham went so far as to say that if McCain is the Republican nominee, she will vote for the Democrat, even if it’s Hillary Clinton. Well, she apparently made a decision that’s akin to packing up her Barbie dolls and going home because she didn’t get her way.
What seems to be going on here is a serious nationwide repudiation of the far right — at least as it’s represented by talk radio’s bile. The righty bloviators can’t stomach a candidate who is independent of their dogma — who doesn’t dance when they play the tune. They can’t accept that maybe their time as high priests and priestesses of the conservative agenda is coming to an end.
Whether liberal Democrat, conservative Republican or independent thinker, one can admire McCain’s genuine maverick status. The Vietnam War hero has cultivated a streak of contrariness that has served him well in the U.S. Senate and now is serving him admirably as he seeks the presidency. The fact that he won’t be intimidated by the overblown, self-important egos on talk radio makes him all the more attractive to American voters. — The Forum
Yes, there is no difference between the three, but it will be easier to fight it if the Dems control the WH. And I won't be complicit in the election of any of them. Amnesty will destroy this country as we know it. Once done, it cannot be undone. We must make the issue relevant in this election any way we can. It is an issue that transcends partisan politics.
He has betrayed the Conservative cause in no uncertain terms, yet he claims the mantle of Conservatism. There is no opinion necessary. It is apparent and inarguable. No one has done more to damage what we are, or at least no one on the Republican side of the isle.
His betrayal of his political brothers is ignoble and indecent. He is a traitorous bastard of the highest order. His word is no good. He is without honor.
You can call him moderate, or liberal......everything else is pure and simple lie.
I will call him what he is.
Members of the Anti-Immigrant Jihadi Suicide Voters Brigades?
Step one is for Huckabee to get enough votes to stop McCain from winning before the convention. In the process he will also show that McCain can't even win one-on-one against a second-tier candidate.
If the Democrats' nomination process gets ugly, 2008 should be an election the Republicans can win. To do that, though, they need to appoint a common-sense conservative candidate who will win over some moderates(*) without drawing in Democrat voters.
(*) Convince the moderates that Republicans aren't evil, such that they don't vote Democrat in the Congressional races.
McCain really is the worst of all possible worlds. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about his schedule to know what combination of roadblocks would best push him into meltdown mode.
Wrong, Navy Patriot
Conservatives, I mean MOVEMENT conservatives (and I’m NOT referring to RINOs or anyone backing McCain or Huckabee) have any number of choices:
1) Pull the lever for Psycho McCain
2) Don’t vote for President but vote solidly conservative for those conservatives running for the House like Lou Barletta in PA
3) Write in someone
4) Vote for the Dem to really stick a fork in Psycho McCain ala Ann Coulter!
5) Vote third party of their choice
Did Reagan betray Conservatism when he gave Amenesty to illegal immigrants?
Was he a Traitor too?
Bush tried to do the same.
Does that make him a Traitor?
Why?
This is why I elected Republicans, so that they can reverse some very stupid laws. What did they do with that power which we granted them?
Of course laws can be undone!
A vote for McCain is a throwaway vote.
Yeah, I wonder when it will finally occur to the geniuses on our side that by withholding our votes, we do exactly what the Republican establishment wants us to do.”
Any “Republican” establishment that wants me to not vote is a RINO establishment.
They want to shut out the Conservative voice and cuddle up to their buddies on the left.”
Isn’t McCain part of this “Republican” establishment that wants to ‘’cuddle up to their buddies on the left.”?
McCain prevented the Republicans from bypassing unconstitutional judicial filibusters when--absent his betrayal--they would have had the votes to do so. That he allowed Bush to pick a couple of good justices which he could have done anyway doesn't make up for the dozens of nominations that were thrown under the bus (many of which still haven't been acted upon).
Marie2
Most conservatives I know would never do that. If McCain is truly a war hero, he deserves respect for that as much as Lantos deserved respect for staying alive in a WWII death camp. However, their records as elected officials in D.C. are awful. I look at a pol based on his/her voting record and what kind of legislation they’ve authored and/or backed.
oh no...Reagan can do no wrong for he is the One. Must bow and pray to Reagan!
Could you list some times when McCain voted for our side, in cases where it actually made a difference? It's easy for Congresscritters to game ACU ratings by making sure they vote the right way on issues where their vote doesn't matter. But when things did matter, how reliable has McCain been?
Nuclear Option or as President Bush would pronounce it, “New-killer Option”, would have destroyed an institution that protects us from future abuse, espcially that now its Pubs who are in Minority.
What great vision! What great foresight!
Its his BRILLIANCE that he made it possible for President Busth to appoint conservative judges, as well as preserving an old institution/tradition in Senate that PROTECTS US from Liberal abuses today AND gives us an opportunity to fight back against liberal Majority.
For that tremendous achivement alone he deserves a standing ovation!!!
Let me get this strait:
McCain prevented the Republicans from bypassing unconstitutional judicial filibusters...
However many millions it is, it is that many millions too many. NO amnesty, ever.
we may want to filibuster radical liberal justices that a future democrat president nominates.
I think it was slant eyed goons.
Regards
Dont you hate when you take the time to write out a long thoughtful, thorough blue ribbon post, and someone responds with a single sentence like ... hey You forgot to mention that another “Pro” is his Pro-Life position.
I think it was slant eyed goons.
Regards
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