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Carney: 'I'm definitely not switching' parties (Blue Dog Dem courted by McCain)
The Times-Tribune (Scranton PA) ^ | 1/10/10 | Borys Krawczeniuk

Posted on 01/01/2010 7:09:08 AM PST by Born Conservative

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Carney said Tuesday he never did anything to encourage a national Republican committee's overtures last week to get him to switch parties.

"No, not at all," Carney said. "Certainly not." The request was all the Republicans' idea, Carney said.

The overtures included phone calls to Carney two days before Christmas by Arizona Sen. John McCain, the office of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close friend of McCain, and Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC supports the party's House candidates.

"I'm definitely not switching," Carney said.

His statement was more definitive than a statement issued by his office last Wednesday. The statement quoted him saying he had "no plans to change parties."

Carney, a Naval Reserve commander, said Republicans probably chose McCain, a former Navy admiral, to call him because of the Navy connection.

"There may be something there," he said. "They see that I vote fairly often very moderately and on issues of national security I will vote against my committee chair and things like that. And they felt that 'Perhaps Carney is one we could get.'"

Carney said he was in his Clarks Summit congressional office when Sessions called his private cell phone. As he listened to Sessions' pitch to switch, McCain called the cell phone and left a message, which he returned. Graham's office left a message, too. Carney said he never returned Graham's call and never heard again from his office.

"I was very surprised that within an hour, hour and a half of the phone call (from McCain) that there was a breaking story nationally," he said.

At the time, national Republicans were mounting a push on Democratic congressmen they might woo into switching.

The call came two days after Republican Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk announced he would run for the seat and days after NRCC officials met with former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino, who is considering a run.

Carney said he found the timing "interesting," but deflected a question about whether Republicans are struggling to find a legitimate candidate to challenge him.

"I'm not sure if that's the case or not," he said. "I take every challenge seriously. So no matter who announces and who runs, we're going to work very, very hard to represent the people of the 10th district and we'll do so in a bipartisan way."

Earlier efforts to reach an NRCC spokesman were unsuccessful.


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: 111th; chriscarney; mccain; nrcc
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1 posted on 01/01/2010 7:09:08 AM PST by Born Conservative
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To: Born Conservative

Rahm showed him the photos!


2 posted on 01/01/2010 7:12:12 AM PST by Dr. Ursus
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To: Born Conservative

The Demmed, musta really *bedazzled* him in the last week or so..... >Bo)

What do you suppose, is the rate of inflation on 30 pieces of silver over the last 2,000 years?


3 posted on 01/01/2010 7:12:57 AM PST by DGHoodini (Iran Azadi!)
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To: Born Conservative

Is this an attempt by RINOs to solidify their power by pulling more RINOs into the GOP?


4 posted on 01/01/2010 7:13:26 AM PST by wolfpat (Moderate=Clueless)
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To: DGHoodini

CORRECTION: 1,967 years.


5 posted on 01/01/2010 7:14:36 AM PST by DGHoodini (Iran Azadi!)
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To: DGHoodini

CORRECTION AGAIN: 1,977 years! %oP


6 posted on 01/01/2010 7:16:15 AM PST by DGHoodini (Iran Azadi!)
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To: rabscuttle385

ping.


7 posted on 01/01/2010 7:17:43 AM PST by BufordP ("I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market ..." --George "Hoover" Bush)
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To: Born Conservative

Why would the Republican Party want another RHINO??


8 posted on 01/01/2010 7:17:51 AM PST by MrLee (Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalyim!! God bless Eretz Israel.)
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To: wolfpat
It seems like a very ham-fisted way of sounding out possible defectors. Three phone calls all at once, a leaked "story,"... talk about subtle...

I think it's fine the GOP is seeking conversions but shouldn't it be done discretely?

9 posted on 01/01/2010 7:20:22 AM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: MrLee

“Why would the Republican Party want another RHINO??”

To drive out the rest of the conservatives.

Remember, McCain is the guy who considered changing his tag to “D” not too many years ago. But why bother when you can destroy the GOP instead.


10 posted on 01/01/2010 7:24:10 AM PST by AuntB (If Al Qaeda grew drugs & burned our forests instead of armed Mexican Cartels would anyone notice?)
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To: hinckley buzzard

I think it’s fine the GOP is seeking conversions but shouldn’t it be done discretely?

###

I think someone should discretely ask McCain and Graham to switch to the GOP.


11 posted on 01/01/2010 7:28:30 AM PST by reaganbooster (The democrat party symbol should be the grim reaper instead of the donkey.)
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To: Born Conservative

“Carney, a Naval Reserve commander, said Republicans probably chose McCain, a former Navy admiral, to call him because of the Navy connection.”

Senator John McCain was a Navy CAPTAIN. Who made this HUGE mistake in rank, Carney or the reporter?

Big bump up in rank there.


12 posted on 01/01/2010 7:29:16 AM PST by GOPsterinMA (Never bring a snowball to a gun fight.)
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To: Dr. Ursus; Born Conservative; hinckley buzzard
Rahm showed him the photos!

Eggzactly!!! No doubt many blue dogs have awakened with Rahm's dead fish eyes in their bed to scare the backbone out of them. He did his homework on these blue dogs before he started courting them to run and knows all of their deep dark secrets.

There are no perfect people, but the GOP needs to be choosey in who they back in the next election and not get caught flat-footed with folks who are terrified of their own worst history being made public.

This next congressional election is for all the marbles and the GOP needs to compete like our very lives are at stake - because they are!
13 posted on 01/01/2010 7:30:57 AM PST by demkicker (Helping Democrats Become Extinct)
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To: GOPsterinMA

“Senator John McCain was a Navy CAPTAIN. Who made this HUGE mistake in rank, Carney or the reporter”?

...probably the reporter. Time to paint McCain as even more than he is because he helps the dems so much! ~sarc


14 posted on 01/01/2010 7:32:52 AM PST by albie
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To: Born Conservative

Fine. Then just vote the MF out next November. Son’t need another RINO in the party anyway.


15 posted on 01/01/2010 7:36:29 AM PST by technically right
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To: Born Conservative
Keep McLame away......he will turn them all away!!

The man is a political disgrace!!

Cancel McCain

16 posted on 01/01/2010 7:37:43 AM PST by PALIN SMITH (Show them our respectable contempt!)
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To: Born Conservative

Below is from George Washington’s Farewell Address!

Warns against the party system.

“It serves to distract the Public Councils, and
enfeeble the Public Administration.... agitates
the Community with ill-founded jealousies and
false alarms; kindles the animosity of one....
against another....

it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption.
thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected
to the policy and will of another.”


17 posted on 01/01/2010 7:45:44 AM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran ((B.?) Hussein (Obama?Soetoro?Dunham?) Change America Will Die From.)
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To: albie

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

True!


18 posted on 01/01/2010 7:46:20 AM PST by GOPsterinMA (Never bring a snowball to a gun fight.)
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To: Born Conservative
If Carney(D) knew anything he wouldnt even BE A DEMOCRAT...
He would have left the democrat party a decade ago..
19 posted on 01/01/2010 7:53:05 AM PST by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole....)
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To: Born Conservative
...McCain, a former Navy admiral,

Oh yes. Admiral McCain. Didn't his aircraft carrier get shot down over Vietnam or something?

20 posted on 01/01/2010 7:57:34 AM PST by SeeSharp
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