Republican base energised ahead of midterm polls

Financial Times ^ | 2010-08-06 | Edward Luce

[rabscuttle385]

(snip)

Until recently, Mr Graham was known as the most moderate Republican senator on immigration – his friend, John McCain, having abandoned that post in his fight to retain the nomination for his Arizona Senate seat. Mr McCain is on track to fend off the challenge later this month from J.D. Hayworth, a former talk radio host, whose campaign has focused entirely on immigration.

Helping Mr McCain may also partly explain Mr Graham’s uncharacteristic change of tune.

“If Senator McCain hadn’t moved to the right on immigration, he would probably be facing a battle for his political life right now,” says David Frum, a prominent conservative blogger.

(snip)

In an interview with Mother Jones, a current affairs website, Bob Inglis, a congressman from South Carolina who lost the nomination to a Tea Party challenger last month, depicts a party whose grassroots is veering towards nativism.

Mr Inglis has a solidly conservative voting record. But he was targeted earlier this year after urging fellow Republicans to pay less heed to Glenn Beck, the extremist talk radio conservative.

“They say, ‘Bob, what don’t you get?”, Mr Inglis said of a meeting with a group of Tea Party supporters. “‘Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Healthcare is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.’”

The Republican party no longer has much space for people such as Mr Inglis unless – like Mr McCain – they perform a U-turn.

(snip)

[ABQHispConservative]

Inglis still whining about his loss? I’m happy he got spanked. Looks like he felt it was his right to be in Congress.

[TitansAFC]

Geez. Even his best friends admit he's lying.........

[calex59]

He couldn’t have been very conservative if he doesn’t think Bozo is a communist.

[Yet_Again]

Glenn Beck, the extremist talk radio conservative.

There's really no point in trying to have a conversation with anyone who thinks Glenn Beck is an extremist.

[dalebert]

lol the tea party isnt but plenty of liberals are.

[OrangeHoof]

"They say, 'Bob, what don’t you get?", Mr Inglis said of a meeting with a group of Tea Party supporters. "'Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Healthcare is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'"

So, where are they wrong, Bob?

[cubreporter]

isn’t it funny how the left calls everyone who doesn’t agree with them racists??? I hope they keep going because now it is getting funnier and funnier and is EXPECTED. Amazing but predictable. :)

[CynicalBear]

Who are these idiots who believe McCain?? Haven’t they learned by now that he does this every time then goes back to the left after election day?? Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

[Signalman]

Who are these idiots who believe McCain?? Haven’t they learned by now that he does this every time then goes back to the left after election day?? Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

That's what I'm thinking. Surely, the GOP voters of AZ are intelligent enough to know that political expedience is the reason why McCain has veered to the right on immigration.

[Iron Munro]

It is too bad that at the state and national levels the Republican party is usually the only viable alternative to the Stalinistas lying liberals of the democrat party.
.

[VRWC For Truth]

The GELDING OLD Party is DEAD if McTRAITOR is back in DC in 2011. AZ, please send this POS to the pasture this month!

[izzatzo]

“Who are these idiots who believe McCain??”

I hate to say it; but, if Arizona voters do re-elect McCain this go-around, they will have to be compared to Charlie Brown in “Peanuts” and Nancy and the football, i.e., Nancy teeing up the football for Charlie and pulling it away when he tries to kick it, thereby missing the ball and falling on his backside. Obviously, McCain is Nancy, the voters are Charlie Brown, and the campaign/election is the football.

[freespirited]

Mr Inglis has a solidly conservative voting record.

LOL. Am not surprised this rag considers someone who supported TARP and globull warming to be a solid conservative.

[lquist1]

“Who are these idiots who believe McCain??”

I know I’m going to get laughed off this thread for saying this, but I actually think maybe Mccain is somewhat serious this time.

First off, I’m not an AZ voter, and if I were, I’d definitely vote for Hayworth. But I’m thinking that maybe Mccain learned some lesson from the 08 campaign, like the fact that he couldn’t count on the media being his friends, especially when he went up against their favored candidate.

Also, the fact that he selected Sarah Palin as his VP candidate (who most agree is a solid conservative) shows that he is not a complete RINO on everything. He has, after all, consistently opposed pork barrel spending and he’s always been pro-life(although he has never been very vocal on the issue).

He has committed some serious sins, like Mccain-Feingold. And he was a co-sponsor of climate change legislation and amnesty before his “conversion” on those issues, so obviously I’m still skeptical, but this year he has staked out some very firm positions-especially opposing amnesty.

Given the way the people of AZ feel about the immigration issue these days, it seems highly unlikely to me that Mccain will reverse course again and embrace amnesty.

So bottom line-all things being equal, I’d definitely rather have Hayworth, but I think I can tolerate Mccain being re-elected. I would say there are far worse RINOS we need to work against-like Mike Castle in DE for example.