Posted on 11/10/2006 2:07:19 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
His party may have taken "a thumpin'," in the words of President Bush, but ABC News has learned that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his political team have decided it's full steam ahead for his 2008 presidential campaign. Although no absolute, final decision has been made, sources close to McCain say on Wednesday in Phoenix, he and a half dozen of his top aides huddled and decided to proceed more formally with his quest for the White House.
A presidential exploratory committee will be set up this month — perhaps as early as next week.
McCain's official, final decision will likely not come until after the Christmas holidays, when he will talk to his wife, Cindy, and his children.
Among his seven children, Jimmy is at boot camp at Camp Pendleton; Jack is at the Naval Academy; and daughter Megan is in her senior year at Columbia University.
In the meantime, McCain's team is exploring office space in Virginia, hiring staff and building infrastructure in key early-primary states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Strategy Could Target Swing Voters, Bipartisan Issues
Despite Republican losses of the House and Senate, McCain sees encouraging signs for his personal quest.
Independent voters were the key swing voters in this election, going overwhelmingly for Democrats.
Republicans will want to focus on winning them back, and according to polls, McCain is more popular with them than he is with conservative Republicans.
In exit polls, Republican voters expressed disappointment with their party on the issues of fiscal restraint and government ethics, issues McCain has tried to make his signature.
"A lot of people look at the Republican Congress and say the problem is they only took half measures of which McCain wanted to do in full measure," said former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, who worked on the 2004 campaign.
He said McCain had been a "leader for years" in those areas.
"All the relevant issues in the Congress now — spending reform, ethics reform — are issues that John McCain has been talking about for a long time," he said.
Why would McCain start his campaign so early?
For one reason, the race is wide open — with no president or vice president running for the first time in 80 years.
Already Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa have announced their intentions.
The race also looks to be expensive. In 2004, President Bush spent more than $345 million on his campaign.
Though he's considered his party's front-runner, McCain faces some considerable hurdles.
Having turned 70 in August, he would be the oldest U.S. president to get elected. And he faces at least one strong challenger within the party, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and others in the seemingly ascendant Democratic Party, such as Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Moreover, McCain has yet to resolve the problems he's had with the Republican Party's conservative base.
"He has a problem with pro-lifers on judges, he … became very hostile to the Second Amendment community and supportive of gun control. He has a problem with the economic conservatives because he's been bad on taxes for six years now," said longtime critic Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, which includes individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes.
"Conservatives who care about the tax issue are very concerned that he opposed Bush's tax cuts," Norquist said.
McCain has tried to combat that with goodwill. He appeared at 346 events for Republican candidates this election cycle and was said to be the most requested speaker for GOP candidates.
"He's built a base across the country, and unlike [in] 2000, John McCain will run a 50-state strategy," McKinnon said.
While emphasizing more bipartisan issues such as campaign finance reform and a patients' bill of rights early in the Bush presidency, McCain has more recently strongly supported the war in Iraq.
He may very well be the only serious presidential contender calling for more troops to go to Iraq.
While he opposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, he supported such an effort in his state — an effort that failed.
McCain has also attempted to reach out to conservative evangelical leaders, as he did with the Rev. Jerry Falwell earlier this year.
Appealing to those conservatives while keeping the independents so important to his party's 2008 hopes may pose a considerable challenge.
He will be 72 in 2008. Too old for the Presidency. Just old enough that he will be darling of the press. Because he is sooo beatable.
I will vote against McCain.
For all his years in politics McCain is still hopelesssly naive. He honestly thinks the Dems won't use the nuclear option because the Pubbies didn't. Guess again. The Dems will use it at the first opportunity and the presstitutes will support it. So much for your precedent, McCain.
After his opposition to his party's president for 6 years, McCain is delusional if he thinks the Republican primary voters will vote for him. I despise McCain.
Head for the hills.
I am looking for acerage as far from cities as possible.
Hillary will win. We just dont have to worry about if any more.
If MCcain runs, we have already lost.
Mccain enjoys his status as media darling. If he runs
for pres they will turn on him
I am deadly serious.
Peace
Is it that time of year already?? Isn't it a little early for McCampaigns, annual, "I'm thinking of running for president" speeches??
I will vote for any Republican nominee in the general election against any democrat nominee. I can't stand McCain or Rudy but when push comes to shove either of them is preferable to Hillary or Gore or Kerry or any other democrat.
I will not vote for McCain. No way, no how.
"Unbelievable. With this kind of attitude from people on our side, she really isn't going to be stopped. I have put a big target on myself. Where do I hide?" - doug from upland
Just dedicate your talents to denying McCain the GOP nomination. You can do it!
I would re-register as a Republican just to vote against McStain in the primaries.
Georgia's Sonny Perdue was mentioned in an earlier thread, not without his flaws but a whole lot better that McCain or Rudy.
Hewwo? Someone heah cawwed fo me; Ewmeh Fudd?
Weww, what can I do to hewp aww of you peopo? Have you got a wabbit pwobwem? Maybe a pwague of siwwy ducks?
I know just the thing fo 'em! Hehehehe.
What? You say you have a pwobwem with a wascawwly WINO? Boy, I donno, fewwas; WINOs can get vewy, vewy cwanky when they get agitated. This job's going to cost you extwa.
"Sonny Perdue ?"
"Never even heard of him before."
He's the Governor of Georgia.
This is a comprehensive list:
http://www.answers.com/topic/sonny-perdue
I would never want to see Hillary as President. Perhaps you need to do some real study on this woman before you conclude such a thing. I am serious.
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