Posted on 05/11/2008 4:13:06 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) - While John McCain is practically assured the Republican presidential nomination, many party members are having a hard time accepting him -- and showing it with symbolic votes against him in primary contests.
The Republican nomination battle has been all but decided for over two months. Still, some Republicans used the April 22 Pennsylvania primary and last week's votes in Indiana and North Carolina to register their unhappiness with the de facto victor.
Some vote for libertarian Texan Ron Paul, who has refused to quit the race and has racked up more than one million votes, according to his campaign.
Other Republicans keep voting for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas -- both markedly more conservative than McCain -- although both have long since dropped out of the race and endorsed him.
As many as 25 percent of Republican voters want a different candidate to represent their party in the November 4 presidential election. In Pennsylvania, 27 percent opted for Huckabee or Paul; in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6, McCain opponents earned 23 percent of the vote.
The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper, calculated that McCain had garnered no more than 45 percent of the Republican vote since January.
McCain's reputation as a party maverick and a compromising moderate has left the party's most conservative and ideological members disgruntled.
He focused this week on winning their backing, delivering a major speech on legal issues and promising to nominate conservative justices to any possible new Supreme Court vacancies, as President George W. Bush has done.
"I have my own standards of judicial ability, experience, philosophy, and temperament," McCain said.
"And Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito meet those standards in every respect. They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me," he said, pointing to Bush appointees.
Even so, McCain carefully avoided mentioning thorny subjects like abortion and homosexual unions, on which he has staked out much more moderate positions than members of the party's religious right.
On Thursday, McCain vigorously denied voting in the 2000 presidential elections against Bush, his main rival during the Republican primaries that year.
Popular liberal pundit and Internet blogger Ariana Huffington had published a report that shortly after the election, McCain revealed during a dinner that he did not vote for his party's nominee.
"I voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004," the Republican candidate insisted on Fox News. "And not only that, far more important than a vote, I campaigned everywhere in America for him."
While such defenses might help the Arizona senator woo the most conservative Republicans, it carries great risks.
A Wall Street Journal opinion poll last week showed only 27 percent of Americans approved of Bush's performance. And 43 percent said they worried that McCain "will be too closely aligned with the Bush agenda" -- a worry Democrats are already moving to exploit.
That spells trouble for McCain with the potential swing centrist voters McCain needs to defeat his Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama or Senator Hillary Clinton.
Let’s not start thinking reagan was perfect. He wasn’t. He was merely the best president in the last 50 years or more. Probably more. That’s pretty darn good, but not perfect, and there no reason why we can’t have another one as good or better.
Source: http://www.carboncoalition.org/images/action/McCain.jpg
“So you are willing to see two more Ginsburgs or worse, in a permanent life long position, when those positions could go to conservative judges.”
Dems will keep the Senate. Your boy LOVES to work with Dems, and pi$$ all over conservatives and the Constitution. The esteemed senior Senator from Massachussetts will be picking McBackstabbers’ judges and if you don’t know that, you don’t pay close enough attention.
Is it really? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. If it is I will stop using it.
People who are willing to do this to our country to teach Republicans a lesson, amaze me.
God help us all.
Ill have no part in it!
In short, it is part of America, and our laws should apply there.
I'd also like to see a crackdown on "Sanctuary cities". Either uphold US law, or get not one dime for anything from the general coffers. Just because someone governs a town of a few million does not make them or their 'personal fiefdom' immune to the law of the land.
Actually, there is so much not to like, from his stance on energy, to the border, to illegal invaders, to the First Amendment, and his stance on the Second Amendment (27% pro, GOA 'F-'--just about as bad as Hillary or Obama), that I wish he had run as a Democrat so I could vote against him...
No, but we can't give Obama and the Democrats an opportunity to reload the courts. All four liberal judges are seriously old. Two are ready to jump ship now. Just one term of Obama and will will have 4 youthful Ruth Bater Ginsburgs. With a McCain presidency, they will still be scared to retire, although a couple may not have much choice. McCain won't be able to get a conservative judge on the court unless the GOP makes some serious pickups in the Senate (doubtful). But McCain could get some moderate Kennedy /O'Conner types or perhaps a stealth conservative through. McCain will not be able to stack the court, but he will be able to stop the liberals from reloading it with youth. Currently each liberal judge is 15 years older than a corresponding conservative judge. We have huge age advantage, but just ONE DEMOCRATIC TERM with a Democratic Senate will change that.
It may be a fake (I haven't done enough digging, perhaps), but it's hard to think it's a fake when the Carbon Coalition website itself once featured McCain autographing one of those signs back in 2003.
You will see that the link goes to a page that has changed, but check the properties of the image itself - it's still being hosted from the Carbon Coalition site.
“Mm-hmm. Several extremely new conservatives to FReeperland that are backing McBackstabber.”
I agree. I check sometimes to see when they joined. Think we have some Obama and Clinton people and some McCain RINOs. They are wasting their time to try to change the minds of Freepers. Liberal McCain doesn’t get a vote from me and I’m a Republican Party worker.
“No, but I would suggest you get some meds. I do not believe we have ever posted to each other newer newbie. You are destined to go back to DU or wherever you spawned. You are not even clever.”
I’ve noticed these Obama/Clinton/liberal McCainites get nasty immediately, so they are easy to spot. If it’s a nasty reponse, I check their date and there it is - newbie.
“Obama/Clinton/liberal McCainites”
Disgruntled, HA!
I'm no longer a Republican...I'm looking for a Conservative party.
“He needs all the moderates he can get since no Conservative is voting for him.”
I’m a conservative and he’s got my full support. Unlike Obama, McCain is correct on government spending, Iraq, drilling off the Gulf of Mexico, opposition to Kyoto, Iran, unfair internet taxes, military spending, ect...
Yeah, I quit too. Screw McCain and the Republican Party: they make me sick. I will decide candidate by candidate on this go around and will probably leave sections blank.
Well, I don’t count on the VP overruling John much. I know it may help in four or eight, but I don’t see much value in it.
Thanks for the comments. I can understand why you would see that as a positive, but I’m not sure it holds much real value.
I’m not ignoring any facts. I know who McCain is.
Again, I’m not gonna defend McCain and for good reason. I don’t support him and should he become POTUS I have no expectations that he will do a good job by my conservative standards.
You see no difference between McCain and Hillary or Obama. Gotcha!
Just another interchangeable Team Juan shill, vastly overpaid no matter what his actual salary might have been. No loss whatsoever. ;)
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