Posted on 12/07/2006 4:53:28 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
Former GOP Senator Al D’Amato said Republicans will "race to the center” in 2008 to make up for losses in the 2006 elections, and Sen. John McCain will be the man to lead them there.
D’Amato, appearing Thursday on Fox News Channel, said the Republican Party was hurt in the elections by the "morass” in Iraq and the ineffectiveness of a GOP-controlled Congress to pass meaningful legislation.
He also said President Bush was damaged by the appearance that he didn’t do enough to help Hurricane Katrina victims, with the image of Bush "flying over” New Orleans in a helicopter viewed by Americans as showing he was "out of touch” with the tragedy.
D’Amato said McCain can help bring voters back to the party for the 2008 presidential elections.
"If we have someone who demonstrates strength and compassion, like a John McCain, if we stay away from issues which almost trivialize the political process, like gay marriage . . . that’s nonsense. We shouldn’t be about that.”
D’Amato said Republicans may not favor McCain now, as some polls indicate, but he predicted that will change during the upcoming presidential campaign.
"If you have a McCain candidacy, you are going to capture the middle,” D’Amato said. "We will have a more moderate Republican tone, tuition assistance, an immigration policy that deals with reality . . . and stay away from bashing gays.
"He’s going to be the nominee,” D’Amato said.
Harry told us that over 50 years ago. Nobody listened then, why would we expect them to now?
Not if I can help it.
Time for a third party.
Bullshit Al.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. - H. L. Mencken
[E]lections amount to no more than choosing between the scum that floats to the top of the barrel and the dregs that settle to the bottom. - L. Neil Smith
Giving power and money to Congress is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke
Compromise is: getting rid of your principles a little bit at a time. - Patrick Lear
He's not going to get my vote even if Hillary or Obama is the Dem nominee.
Yup, if that's the choice, we will.
If we "race to the center", we'll get our asses kicked again. The American people are not interested in electing Dem-lite candidates; they never have been. That strategy loses every time it's tried.
D'Amato's on the Sambuca again, I see.
Rudy DOES support killing babies. Hard to get around that one...
The GOP will have to appeal to the majority of voters in order to win. It is not rocket science.
Al "Pothole" D'Amato blew his one chance at immortality when he got faked out of presenting his Vince Foster investigation. Of course, the MSM was helping Clinton by running the OJ Story 24-7 for months on end.
Clinton's DOJ also had Al's brother by the short hairs at the time. Too bad. Al's investigators had it figured out pretty well
Not this American
I'm a patriot and will therefore vote for the GOP nominee against Hillary.
Then it will be Hillary, plain and simple.
If John McCain is on the Republican primary ballot in 2008 I will take a chair and sit all night in front of my polling place to make sure I am the first one there to cast a vote against him.
Humorous article. The 'race to the center' means run to the left in reality. It didn't work for McCain before why should it work now?
Not my choice, but after a year of Nancy, Dodd, et al, he will look better. And with the choice between him or Hillary or Obama or ALGORE or the Breck girl; well it would get a lot easier to hold my nose and vote for him.
is there bad blood between D'Amato and Giuliana? RG is another 'moderate' Republican who has at least an equal chance to McCain, maybe better. Just interesting he didn't go in favor of another NYer.
McCain's name plays well with the media and that's about it.
"The center" is a mythical political concept, running to the middle where there are no voters ain't going to win elections.
The undecided, non-partisan voters aren't really "middle of the road". They, instead, are people who are persuadable to either side and not firmly committed to either one. That's why Reagan was so politically successful, he was able to communicate his clear vision to the persuadables. He didn't "move to the center", he spoke to the center.
Wishy-washiness or liberal-lite isn't the center , isn't "middle of the road" and is a sure loser in the general election. Why would a persuadable voter choose a me-too liberal like McCain when a clear Democrat liberal is giving clear liberal rhetoric? They wouldn't.
If the GOP nominates Mr. McCain, they'll lose for sure in 2008, the scheme to move to the center is a plan which has failed before and will fail in the future.
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