Posted on 04/23/2009 9:16:57 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
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That's why the primary campaign for Republican John McCain's Arizona Senate seat comes as a welcomed popcorn-watching nail-biter that many conservatives including me are looking forward to. It's not that I want to see the incumbent, more senior McCain taken down a few pegs by another Republican. Despite his transparently moderate leanings that gave me great pause during the presidential election, he was still to the far-right of candidate-turned-President Barack Obama, and as result was the more palatable. Moderation aside, folks like McCain are one of the reasons the Republican Party is attractive to more than one viewpoint. So is his much more conservative challenger Chris Simcox, who formally announces his intent to run today (and someone I would likely be more inclined to support if I lived in Arizona.)
Putting bitterness, sniping and what's sure to be some campaign nastiness on the back-burner for the movement, this race does two things: 1) Reinvigorates a much needed debate on real conservatism (fiscal, social and civic), highlighting what many constituents in Arizona and otherwise expect of the leaders they've elected to send to Washington. 2) Set the tone for how the Republican party will forge ahead with what could be a rising tide within its ranks. What will that mean in forging ahead to deal with the Democratic majorities? Will there will be lessons learned by supporting conservative ideals in a new package, or moderate ideals in an old(er) one?
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
NOW is the time to take McCain out, when he is not the alternative to a worse socialist. In fact, 2010 is the tiem to go after every single rino in office! Until the obsequious rinos are made to fear the conservative voters again, they will continue to snuggle with the democrat marxists in Washington, and McCain is the worst of the rotting bunch!
Wow. We finally agree on something.
Its time for him to go period.
Supporting RINOs and “reaching across the aisle for the sake of bipartisanship” is PRECISELY what got the GOP into this mess, in the first place!
We need to elect true conservative candidates with some balls, and the two Republicans who happen to have the most balls are women: Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann!
Better a rabbble rouser than a roll over and let democrats scratch his belly RINO.
And Chris Simcox is also the type of person we need in the Senate!
McCain is the self-described party maverick. He is not moderate compared to most of the party. McCain-Kennedy, McCain Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, etc. were bills that the majority of Reps couldn't support. If we have an opportunity to get a real conservative in the Senate in place of McCain, we should do it.
Buh-Bye, McCain. Let your humiliating defeat be a strong message to that RINO sized daughter of yours- get out!
mcpain is lame. During this time of democratic control of both houses, it is more important than ever to get the most right leaning conservative in there to help balance out the mess the liberals are making. now of all times is when we need teh strongest conservatives. we have to battle obama, pelosi, frank the the rest of them leftist scum. you want to send in a strong conservative, or a losser RINO?
it is a little scary but true that for years the only republican i could stand was john mccain. his service to his country impressed the hell out of me. i have been registered as a democrat since the age of 18. i was never a rabid dem but i pretty much thought “republican” was a horrible name to call someone. i did not agree with many of the “wacko” repub ideas. (don’t flame me, i was young).then one day i started paying attention. listening to people. pondering the actually conservative philosophy. and noticing how the dem words did not match the liberal deeds. i read the constitution, biographies of the founding fathers, and the bible. i decided that i liked john mccain even more, and HOLY COW i agree with him on many things. and then i found that i am actually a conservative at heart. hubbymayhem is thrilled, he has long told me to come to the dark side and im glad i did (the chocolate is better here).
It’s better than McCain is at least challenged and forced to defend himself amongst Republicans. And it is an interesting counterpoint to Liebermans’ primary loss in 2006.
Dunno how Simcox will poll. He’s not ‘mainstream’ and will probably be underfunded.
I assume you mean that you're worried that only one Dem will file for the Senate nomination, hence no Dem primary. If that's the case then someone needs to be found who will at least file and make a token run, if only to keep the nomination processes honest.
The same is true for PA where Senator Specter is being challenged by Toomey.
funding: I will bet that Simcox gets campaign cash from all over the country once he gets the publicity that he is running against McCain.
I'm no fan of McCain, but I have to disagree with you right there. Our own Benedict Arlen deserves the honor more.
But I also see your point: Whereas McCain votes with us most of the time and delights in stabbing us in the back on important issues (CFR, amnesty), Arlen votes against us most of the time and delights in an occasional pleasant surprise (such as helping great supreme court nominees get confirmed like Clarence Thomas).
2010 is time to retire them both.
We need someone with the exact same views that hasn't had as much press on the issue.
AZ has open primaries and that will kill Simcox’s chances.
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