Posted on 02/17/2008 9:08:26 AM PST by jdm
** EXCERPT **
(CNN) — Likely GOP nominee John McCain said Sunday that beating an energized Democratic party in a fall election fight would be “an uphill battle all the way.”
The Arizona senator told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week that he “can out-campaign them, and I can out-debate them, and I can out-perform them” but conceded that he had his work cut out for him in the months ahead.
“…We've got to reunite the party, and we've got to re-energize the party. And I'm prepared to do that. We've got plenty of time. But I won't waste a day,” said McCain.
The Arizona senator, who is close to capturing the number of delegates required to claim the Republican nomination, has struggled to win over much of the GOP’s conservative base. But party leaders have begun to rally to his side: Monday, he is scheduled to receive the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush.
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
I am going to be waiting, I am also going to hear crickets chirping.
You will never be able to back up your claim. Thats one of the problems with McCainiacs.
Hey turkey, I would vote for Ron Paul before I would ever vote for McLame. At least Paul respects the Constitution.
As Juan would say, adios amigo! I am also sure McCain’s fellow traitor, Juan Hernandez, agent of the Mexican government, would be applauding right along with his buddy Juan McCain.
I hope Paul runs third party, I would proudly vote for him against global traitor McCain.
There is also a coherent principled case against McCain, but it is an extremist one, far too extremist to be part of the mainstream of either Republican or American politics. I am thinking of nativist Buchanan types who are for protection and zero immigration yesterday, legal or not, who are fundamentally committed to Malthusian economics. I think that is an intellectual error, but there is a coherent ideological position there. It just has consequences mainstream conservatives are not willing to embrace (like, we aren't at war with Islam, but we are at war with Mexico; like, George Bush is a traitor; and similar extremist nonsense).
And there is a clear pragmatic case for supporting McCain as better than Obama, which can be summed up very easily - name one issue of interest to conservatives on which Obama is to McCain's right. Can't be done, and to me that makes it all dirt simple.
I think the first sometimes piggybacks on unstated instances of the second, avoiding spelling things out because of where they lead. I don't think most in the first camp are honestly in the second - they just have a visceral dislike for the man personally, for his long standing unwillingness to kowtow. Personally, I consider it among his best personal traits - kowtows are for pussies, not to put too fine a point on it. Some of that also goes back to the 2000 primary fight, when people deliberately tried to convince themselves there was some huge ideological difference between Bush and McCain.
In fact there isn't.
On your last point, people conveniently overlook that McCain was working for Bush's policy and top legislative priority, when he incurred the grassroots wrath over immigration. There isn't a dimes difference between them on the subject. The party base left them on the issue, not the other way around - the party stood for the same policy mix clear back to Reagan, and it is the base that moved out from under them, not the reverse.
That may be many things, but Republican apostasy it is not. It was simply supporting the position of his president. If we were smart we'd accept victory on the subject of border first and move on. If instead we try to make it a litmus test for all future republican candidates for anything, then we will simply rule more than half the party out, and exile ourselves indefinitely. At least half the party supported the pres on it. If they are all out of court because of it, then there isn't a party left.
In politics, when you win on policy you should pocket it and stop fighting on politics on the same point. It lets others come to you. Instead trying to ruin forever anyone who ever opposed you on anything, does not make them fear you or need you. It just makes you impossible to work with and not worth trying, and makes people run from your policy positions. This is doubly so if you then don't even reward those who supported your preferences in the primaries. I mean, none of the red meat anti-immigration candidates got out of single digits. Not a way to reward going with the grassroots against the pres on the subject.
How concerned can McCain be on security if he disagrees with you on immigration? Fully capable. Bush was and is. McCain would be, too. The only real difference between them on the subject is that McCain was for the go large solutions earlier, listening to and articulating the army brass preferences, against the sec def and go light types - which was the right call, and one that would have saved us several years of political grief. Though to be fair to Bush, also a tough call for anyone but a professional officer.
Yeah, I am Marilyn Monroe and I back John F. Kennedy.
You are a McCain troll.
Welcome to FR, McCainiac. If you were a true conservative, McCain would be a laughingstock to you.
Hey, McCain and his buddy Fat Teddy, think you are a freaking joke. But then, so do I.
I was for Hunter, then Fred, then Romney. I don’t go any farther down the road.
The only person left that respects the Constitution is Paul.
McCain, has no respect for the US Constitution, and would seek to change it, as he has already proved that he would do.
Go for it sucker. You will be sorry. Now quit trying to sell your global pig in a poke. He is a total joke.
Bye now.
I agree.
LLS
LLS
Whatever.
McCain troll hey? who are you trolling for ? Does the thought of mccain winning make your head spin and ur mouth slobber and ur eyes pop out?
I think that she’s coming around. I’m saving her a bumper sticker and a yard sign.
Why is everybody mad at him for only saying the obvious?
Uphill until the election and then the cliff.
Hang on to those yard signs and bumper stickers, you may find another sucker thats wants to defile their lawn, I don’t put crap in my lawn!
See. We’ve almost got her convinced!
I have mine ordered !
Yeah, a McCain yard troll. All he needs is a red hat. But then, comparing a friendly yard gnome to McCain, is a slam to all of the world population of gnomes. At least THEY are friendly, and have yet to buy into GOREbal warming.
Are you ann coulter? Lmao!
Yeah, I am. Are you John McCain?
People just hate a weasle.. the Az. weaster is toast..
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