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.
McCain would never take money from soros after all he was the guy behind campaign fiance reform
< / sarcasm >
Yeah, you are right about that. Constitution party. Or some other decent alternative. I only said I'd vote dhimmi out of frustration at the thought of the Republicans nominating McStain. I really don't think it's going to happen. And on the outside chance it does, like you say, there are principled alternatives to vote and work for, even if those alternatives don't have much of a chance.
I find it curious though that the major organization set up to defeat Gulliani, to keep him from running or getting support, ended up folding and most of the leaders now support him.
You know, a guy can be wrong on choice but be right on limited government meaning no support for abortion. I don' know, but I know that a good limited-government law-and-order tough on terror leader would be a pretty good thing even if they personally were wrong on social issues.
At this point I'm keeping an open mind, and looking for some sign that I don't have to feel like crap every two years and see a country split in two or three and speaking different languages both literally and figuratively.
Please keep the leader of the Gang of 14 Turncoat out of Florida!!!!!!!
He is too much of a narcissist to realize the damage to the GOP he has caused. There is absolutely no way I'd ever vote for him.
"So who did you have in mind for 2008 then?"(ShawTaylor)
Tancredo. No more wimps.
McCain is hated by hardcore conservatives and liberals alike. Neither base will vote for him.
Republicans need an actual conservative candidate. When will these idiots learn that you don't have to hide or disguise your conservatism like you do with liberalism.
Sure, you forfeit the northeast and west coast, but it's middle America that wins you a general election. You don't need to appeal to northeast or west coast liberals.
Me too. I would prefer someone with the wrong principles to someone devoid of any.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: THE ULTIMATE "RHINESTONE HERO" Part II
U.S. Sen. John McCain is no War Hero
John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate
John McCain, you treasonous bastard, I challenge you or any of your traitorous cohorts...
McCain Is Booed by Labor Activists
McCain Rides to Kerry's Rescue: "John Kerry is Not Weak on Defense" (Today Show alert)
John McCain SCREAMS AT 9/11 FSA MEMBERS FOR OPPOSING HIS BILL TO GIVE AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS
Agreed. If necessary, we should destroy the Republican Party to prevent him from becoming president.
"As a conservative, I would rather see Hillary Clinton as President than John McCain. Hillary would represent 4-8 years of policy I hate. McCain would mean there is no longer a party for me to belong too."
Apparently so did millions of Conservatives this past election.
I'm willing to make a bet with anyone. If McCain decides to throw his hat in the ring, then this will be the first time in history the MSM attack machine will go after candidates in Republican primaries to clear the way for a certain Republican candidate. Anyone who goes up against McCain in the primaries must have a squeaky clean past, or it will come out in the primaries.
Hope you're right. The Bobsy Twins were the ones I was thinking of. You don't think either might make a move to switch to Dem?
At least there is one certain thing in this life; Republicans never learn!
To the point of delusions of grandeur, IOW - megalomania. But wait. Is it just the GOP rank and file unhappy with these trial balloon candidates? If the blue bloods decide he is their man, we will be treated to all the Pubbie hacks that live here endlessly telling us to forget principle, because if we don't vote for him we will be voting for xxxxxxxxx (insert your own bogeyman). Instead of giving us strong, principled candidates to enthusiastically support we are constantly told support this Big Government quisling that will give us our version of Big Government instead of the another sample with a different flavor. Please just find someone in this country that will get Government out of my sight, out of schools, out of businesses, out of bedrooms, out of Churches, out of charitable apparatus, out of Rod and Gun clubs and out of my wallet.
IMNSHO, CFR has made this man a non starter for any consideration .
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