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McCain Won't Excite Conservatives, Says Former Liberal
News from Agape Press ^ | 1/3/07 | Chad Groening

Posted on 01/06/2007 7:31:11 AM PST by Antoninus

(AgapePress) - An author and self-professed former liberal says he doesn't think Arizona Senator John McCain is going to excite conservatives as the 2008 "presidential sweepstakes" kick into high gear. He believes there are a couple of alternatives who might be more attractive to the conservative voting bloc.

Political analyst Keith Thompson is the author of Leaving the Left: Moments in the News That Made Me Ashamed to Be a Liberal. He says while John McCain remains the nominal frontrunner at this very early stage of the process, the Arizona senator has had a bad track record with conservatives, particularly on the border issue and judicial nominees. Thompson contends the McCain, were he to run, would even have to compete for the moderate Republican vote.

"Guest what? [Former New York City Mayor] Rudy Giuliani is looking at getting in the race, too," the author observes. "So those two guys split that moderate [voting bloc], which is not the predominant voice in the Republican Party anyway."

Thompson describes McCain's support in the GOP as "a mile wide but an inch deep." Among the factors that would count against the Arizona senator among Republican conservatives, says the author, are "his attempts to curry favor with religious conservatives after spending so much of his career dissing those voters, ... actually serving as a thorn in the sides of the conservatives on judicial nominations, and favoring this open borders amnesty approach."

So Thompson says even a longshot like California Congressman Duncan Hunter could cash in on the conservative GOP support. And while he believes Hunter is "good on the issues" and a "credible, strong guy," he says questions still remain.

"How he'll actually play [among voters is unknown]," he concedes. "There are so many factors [that come into play]." Hunter, he says, needs to be able to raise money and avoid verbal gaffes on the campaign trail.

According to Thompson, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney remains another "McCain alternative," even though some evangelicals have a problem with his well-documented flip-flopping on hot-button issues like abortion and same-sex "marriage."


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; duncanhunter; election2008; giuliani; mccain; presidentialrace; romney
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To: Antoninus
Political analyst Keith Thompson is the author of Leaving the Left: Moments in the News That Made Me Ashamed to Be a Liberal.

Bump

61 posted on 01/06/2007 3:46:50 PM PST by lowbridge ("I wonder if he's in touch with the critics out there, like Matt Damon, the actor" -Chris Matthews)
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To: ClaireSolt
The post made by you did not imply anything about the man's health. The post implied his face looked deformed due to surgery he had to have because of the cancer.

I pray you never go through such sickness..especially with the attitude you have.
62 posted on 01/06/2007 6:34:08 PM PST by Paige ("Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." --George Washington)
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To: Antoninus
Hunter, he says, needs to be able to raise money and avoid verbal gaffes on the campaign trail.

Seems like liberals can make all the verbal gaffes they want, but if a Republican does it, he's the most stupid person in the world.

63 posted on 01/06/2007 10:03:29 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: kots
We have only McCain, Romney and Guliani. I don't know much about Hunter or Brownback, though.

Why is everyone assuming that those three are the only ones from which we'll be able to choose for 2008? If I remember correctly, we were into 1999 before George W. Bush became a household word. There's still time.

64 posted on 01/06/2007 10:06:52 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: Paige

Shove it. Your are the one with the wrong attitude. My post had nothing to do with you, as I have no idea who you are. Do not feel free to project and misinterpret what I say. And stop thinking you are the only one in the world with problems.


65 posted on 01/07/2007 6:08:18 AM PST by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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To: kots
"I actually like Guliani. He has been a true conservative and a strong leader in NYC..."

Giuliani is further to the left than both Hillary Clinton and Karl Marx. He's a cross-dressing cheerleader for the homosexual agenda, gun-grabbing socialists and the partial birth abortionists. He's also a lobbyist for La Raza and a champion of amnesty for all 75 million illegal aliens in our country today.

66 posted on 01/07/2007 6:23:47 AM PST by Godebert
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To: ClaireSolt
Your vulgarity and lack of articulation proves my point. This reminds me of Liberals I run into on a daily basis who are foul, nasty, uneducated and full of the me me me attitude.
BTW, I am truly Blessed. Because I called you on your insipid little post doesn't mean I have problems. Now back to other stuff that matters.
67 posted on 01/07/2007 7:47:46 AM PST by Paige ("Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." --George Washington)
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To: Antoninus

McCain is, of course, unacceptable.


68 posted on 01/07/2007 2:45:06 PM PST by Czar ( StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: driftless2
However I don't believe Republicans on this forum and other conservative areas understand how popular McCain is with the so-called independent voter. He is very popular with them.

So called independant voters are not allowed to vote in Republican primaries in most states. Registered Republicans choose the nominee, not independants so McCain's popularity with them is meaningless unless they are fired up enough to re-register in order to vote in the primary. Somehow, I doubt they care that much.

Biased MSM polls showing him to be the frontrunner are just MSM blather because they are deliberately ignoring how candidates are really chosen in order to hype a candidate who can't win the primaries because his "base" doesn't exist. There is no "Independant" party and they don't nominate candidates.

69 posted on 01/07/2007 4:56:09 PM PST by Valpal1 (Social vs fiscal conservtism? Sorry, I'm not voting my wallet over the broken bodies of the innocent)
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To: DustyMoment

"Based on his voting record, he has climbed into bed with the liberals too many times and voted in opposition to the GOP's position to a number of issues. I don't see a solid conservative in Hunter; only another "let's-all-get-along" conservative like Bush. BTDT!"

Would you care to give some facts to back up what you say, rather than just editorializing. You will convince a lot more people that way.


70 posted on 01/07/2007 7:03:36 PM PST by mjaneangels@aolcom
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To: Antoninus
The Real McCain

SEN. JOHN McCAIN: THE ULTIMATE "RHINESTONE HERO"

SEN. JOHN McCAIN: THE ULTIMATE "RHINESTONE HERO" Part II

John McCain Gets Soros Cash

John McCain Is No Hero

U.S. Sen. John McCain is no War Hero

John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate

JOHN MCCAIN, WARTS AND ALL

John McCain, you treasonous bastard, I challenge you or any of your traitorous cohorts... (thread by Jim Robinson)

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

John McCain's Skeleton Closet

A number of articles on McCain. (some the same as above)

McCain/Soros by Rabbi Areyh Spero

Soros' "Reform" (an article about Soros‘ instrumental hand in McCain/Feingold)

Not Child‘s Play [McCain/Schumer bill could effect FR?]

McCain's Letter (McCain aligns with Global Enviro activists)

McCain Looked into Caucusing with Democrats

71 posted on 01/08/2007 1:39:07 AM PST by TigersEye (This post is a coded message of the VRWC.)
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To: mjaneangels@aolcom

See my post #59.


72 posted on 01/08/2007 4:54:23 AM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: kjo

A third party vote is like peeing in your pants when it's really cold. It may give you a warm feeling at first, but in the long run it wont help.

The GOP just needs an overhaul.


73 posted on 01/08/2007 5:06:55 AM PST by PolishProud (A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants)
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To: Valpal1
"independent"

Your argument might be valid about indies, but you forget that McCain is also popular among a large percentage of Republicans. Those people want a winner. Despite the animosity many conservative Republicans feel towards McCain or Giuliani, they are the too most popular Republicans in the country at large. And they are also the most well-known. Winning the presidency means not just getting the conservative Republican vote, it also means getting many moderate or nonideological Pubbies.

The fact is that most voters of either major party are not wrapped up in current events or ideologies like the ones on this forum or other conservative forums. Conservative Republicans will just have to face facts: winning in 2008 might come down to McCain, Giuliani, or defeat.

74 posted on 01/08/2007 12:34:07 PM PST by driftless2
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To: driftless2
you forget that McCain is also popular among a large percentage of Republicans.

I disagree with the validity of this assessment. He is not popular with a large percentage of Republicans (especially those who turn out for primaries) or he would have won the nomination when he ran in 2000. He lost then for the same reasons he won't win the 2008 nomination. He is disliked and distrusted by too many in the base, and he will be 73 in '08. McCain's time came and went eight years ago.

75 posted on 01/08/2007 12:59:09 PM PST by Valpal1 (Social vs fiscal conservtism? Sorry, I'm not voting my wallet over the broken bodies of the innocent)
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To: SolidForce

I don't think we have to worry about Hillary, I think she will not run, and instead lobby for Senate Majority Leader.

Obama is simply not ready.

The guy we should be worried about is Bill Richardson.


76 posted on 01/08/2007 1:02:44 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Valpal1
"came and went"

We'll see. I liked Bush over McCain in 2000, and I do not rue my choice. However McCain was very popular for a time with many Republicans. Remember Reagan didn't win the nomination in 1976, although it can be argued that no candidate can defeat a sitting president. His age didn't hurt him in 1980. Who are the other choices that will excite the voters? No one but McCain or Giuliani. I'm not saying it'll be McCain (I'm not a fan), but it might come down to him or Rudy if Republicans want to keep the White House. I'm afraid the present list of faceless conservative Republican candidates (Romney etal) will not be able to defeat Hillary or Obama in 2008.

77 posted on 01/08/2007 1:10:20 PM PST by driftless2
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To: Antoninus

Well, McCain is going to make alot of people mad because of his backstabbing history.


78 posted on 01/08/2007 1:12:16 PM PST by KC_Conspirator
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To: driftless2

In '76 Ford lost to the more conservatively perceived Carter. Had the dumb RINO's that worked to preserve Ford over Reagan not done so, Reagan would have beat Carter and saved us what in my opinion was the WORST administration of the 20th century. Most of our terrorist problems stem from Carter's Iranian fiasco. Had the Shah remained in power, Saddam would have lost the Iran-Iraq war (and we would have been in the Iranian camp instead) and he probably would have been assasinated with Iranian assistance long before he conceived of gassing the Kurds or any of his other WMD programs.

Reagan won in the 1980's in spite of his age because of his conservative base in both the Republican and Democratic parties (back when there were still social conservatives in the Dem party, not sure there are any more).

You moderates are so convinced it's the conservatives that need to compromise in order to win. Of course the only times the Republicans have actually is with conservative candidates like Reagan and GWB so why you think we conservatives are the problem is beyond me.

Guliani excites nobody but the NY DC corridor powerbrokers and the faux glitterati intellengtsia set. But they don't win elections, they lose them.


79 posted on 01/08/2007 3:32:42 PM PST by Valpal1 (Social vs fiscal conservtism? Sorry, I'm not voting my wallet over the broken bodies of the innocent)
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