Posted on 08/04/2008 7:26:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
ELKO - The Nevada sky was clear and blue for the first time in weeks Saturday over the Nisbet Cabin in Lamoille, but the festivities on the ground were decidedly red as the Elko County Republican Central Committee held its annual steak fry with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on hand to stump for presidential candidate John McCain.
I've known John McCain for over 20 years, said Hatch, the senior senator from Utah now in his 32nd year in the Senate. We all know his story, his service to his country, the price he paid. I've seen him stand up to the whole Senate.
Hatch urged the dozens of local Republicans in attendance to unite behind McCain, and he specifically asked Texas Rep. Ron Paul supporters who believe they've been disenfranchised by the state Republican Party to unite under one candidate.
Hatch said McCain was tough and is a true, blue conservative in most ways, and he believes McCain can fulfill his promise to balance a federal budget deficit - expected to hit $10 trillion in a year - by 2013.
Hatch also said McCain was adamantly opposed to earmarks, also known as pork barrel spending, and conceded the national Republican Party has lost its way or at least people think we did.
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He said there has never been a fiscally conservative majority in the Senate during the more than three decades he has served. There's always been eight to 10 liberal Republican senators hwo have prevented a supermajority of 60 votes required to pass sound fiscal policy.
Also on hand was Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who very well could face off for the second time against a surging Jill Derby, the former leader of the Nevada Democratic Party.
I feel fortunate to know Dean Heller, said Hatch. He's a good addition (to the House of Representatives), a tough guy and I'm really proud of him.
But it was McCain's bid for the White House that brought Hatch to Lamoille.
With McCain, what you see is what you get, he said. The former war hero and Senate maverick would reduce taxes, maintain a strong military, and not allow profligate spending, said Hatch.
Hatch credited McCain with the idea of the military surge in Iraq, which has resulted in less violence in the country. He's a true hero, he said of the man who spent seven years in the notorious North Vietnam prisoner of war camp dubbed the Hanoi Hilton.
McCain, said Hatch, would spur economic growth by cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent.
If Congress approves the tax burden decrease, he said America could out-compete any country in the world.
Hatch said McCain's opponent, Barack Obama, D-Ill., was a nice person and a good speaker, intelligent and glib, but nobody knows what he stands for.
The Utah senator said an Obama presidency would result in higher taxes and liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices who would legislate from the bench. He noted six of the nine judges are more than 70 years old, and at least three of the more conservative justices are expected to retire and would be replaced by the next president.
Strict constructionists who adhere to the Constitution are the type of justices the high court requires, he indicated, not activist judges who make law rather than follow it.
According to Hatch, McCain has a huge advantage over Obama when it comes to foreign affairs. On Democrats in general, Hatch said, They want us to become the new France. I don't want us to become the new France, although I like France and its people.
People know he'll do what he say's he'll do, said Hatch of McCain, and that includes how the nation fights the war on terror, state's rights, and conservative spending.
While Ron Paul supporters are upset with Nevada's Republican leadership over what they consider improper and even illegal suspension of the state convention earlier this year and the cancellation of a second attempt to convene, Hatch implored the Texas congressman's supporters to get behind McCain.
The outcome of the election depends on that support, he said.
Ron Paul is one of my friends, Hatch said. He's one tough guy, but those supporting Ron have to get behind McCain. Every vote counts.
Later in his speech, Hatch made another plea: Ron (Paul) won't win the nomination. All he can do is hurt McCain and help elect Obama.
Acknowledging Obama has widespread support and that Democrats are geared up, Hatch believes undecided voters will choose McCain.
He also advised attendees not to fret over McCain's age - he'll turn 72 Aug. 29. John's mother is tougher than he is and she's 96 years old.
On local issues, McCain as a senator from the West understands mining and agriculture, said Hatch, and he would protect those interests that he said are so vital to the nation.
Agreed. McCain was between a rock and a hard place, though. He really didn’t get enough motivated delegates in places like Nevada. If the Nevada state convention was run fairly, Ron Paul would certainly have picked up a majority of the delegates, although they would have been bound by whatever rules. As it stands now, I don’t know what is going to happen regarding the Nevada delegation. I assume there’s going to be a credentials fight at the convention.
The GOP and McCain have been pulling a wide variety of sleazy tricks to try to prevent dedicated Ron Paul people from becoming delegates. Other Ron Paul supporters have been watching this process and getting less and less likely to support McCain because of the mistreatment by the various state parties.
Fine, McCain, do everything in your power to make sure that Ron Paul supporters don’t get to be delegates. I know that if half the delegates were Ron Paul supporters and were bound to support McCain, there would still be pretty interesting “Ron Paul” chants from the convention floor. That’s not something that McCain would’ve liked.
On the other hand, can McCain do without votes from Ron Paul supporters?
You know, Ron Paul got 22% in Lancaster County. Roughly 20% overall in the strongly Republican South Central region with Harrisburg, Lancaster, York. McCain (or the various State Parties) have upset quite a large number of Conservative Republican Voters in Pennsylvania.
I guess Pennsylvania isn’t in play this year.
Reading this, it appears that Hatch thinks the Republicans were acting as Republicans should.
It's obvious that conservative ideals aren't a valued part of the Republican Party.
rs385...
can you post to me, by private freepmail, the HTML code for that Juan McCain/Sombrero template? Then I can track McCain articles over here, when you guys are sleeping in the US , I will take a look during our daytime here in Asia and post; that way we can have a seemless 24\7 tag team truth squad on McCain going on FR. Thanks.
Seriously, did you have a girlfriend back in the day cheat on you with a pot smoker or something? Your anti-pot crusade on FR is downright bizzare.
Marijuana was popularized in the 1960’s and great tool to help indoctrinate young waisted minds. That means going with the flow or to the left or liberal mindset back then. What % of potheads in the 1960’s were Republicans?
Most people love to self medicate with this drug and continue to think is harmless, but is it?
Most of the seeds now producing marijuana are either grown Hydroponically or a by-product relative to the process which means the THC levels are extremely higher than in the 1960’s. THC can be as high as 28% according to the DEA.
This drug is not your fathers Oldsmobile This drug is capable of turning our entire nation into the Jerry Springer show if it hasn't already. I don't like to see our country that dysfunctional.
Sorry
I’d hate to see your music collection.
I agree with Hatch here.
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