Posted on 02/06/2008 10:46:00 AM PST by Froufrou
Republican John McCain, buoyed by Super Tuesday wins that pushed him closer to the nomination, told his conservative critics Wednesday to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree.
"I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar.
Reinforced by Tuesday's returns as the front-runner in the Republican race for president, the Arizona senator took a break from campaigning to return to Washington, where he planned to speak to a gathering of conservatives Thursday.
"I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," McCain said.
He was talking about well-known talk radio figures and commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, some of whom are talking about boycotting McCain's candidacy if he captures the nomination.
"I think they've made their case against me pretty eloquently, and I think the majority of Republicans across the board have stated their view," McCain said.
He said he has no plans to reach out personally to Limbaugh, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson or others but would let his message speak for him
"Our message will be that we all share common principles, common conservative principles, and we should coalesce around those issues in which we are in agreement and I hope respectfully disagree on a few specific issues there's disagreement on," McCain said.
Dobson released a statement Tuesday saying: "I am convinced Senator McCain is not a conservative, and in fact has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are." Conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter has said she'd vote and campaign for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton if McCain is the GOP nominee. Limbaugh has said a McCain nomination would destroy the Republican party.
Some conservatives object to McCain's positions on immigration and campaign finance reform, among other issues. They consider his immigration proposals equivalent to amnesty and his efforts to limit money in politics a violation of free speech. On those issues, McCain joined with liberal Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Russell Feingold, respectively.
McCain defended his efforts to reach beyond the Republican party.
"One thing I'm convinced of, without a doubt, is that conservatives are glad when Joe Lieberman and I worked together in establishing the 9/11 Commission and then moved and got many of their recommendations into law," McCain said.
Sen. Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee who now is an independent from Connecticut, has been campaigning with McCain and appeared with him at the news conference.
McCain said he would return to campaigning Thursday, because "I think we've got to try to wrap this thing up as quickly as possible." There are GOP contests Saturday in Louisiana and Kansas and Tuesday in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
He took a break from campaigning to return Wednesday to Congress, where the Senate was voting on a $200 billion economic aid package aimed at avoiding a recession.
Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, still locked in a tight struggle, also were returning to the Senate.
On the campaign trail, McCain has promised he will offer specific proposals to help the economy recover.
The issue is important for McCain, because rival Mitt Romney has attacked his economic qualifications. But on Tuesday, McCain had an advantage among voters who said the economy was their top concern.
"I think every day that goes by and Congress does not act on a stimulus package, I think is not helpful," McCain said. "If I had written that package, it would've been somewhat different, but we need to send a signal to the markets and the American economy that we're trying to do some things in their behalf."
McCain has won more than twice as many delegates as either Romney or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But after victories in the West for Romney and in the South for Huckabee, the two rivals insisted they would stay in the race.
Calm this!
This is for you juan mcamnesty:
Screw you mchandgrenade... I despise you more than you despise us Conservatives. I would not pee on you if you were on fire.
LLS
The alternatives are Hillary or Obama. Ill take my chances with the republicans. We need to unite in order to protect our senate and house seats.
McCain should calm down. He resorts to hysterical rages and obscenities. He talks to himself and has difficulty comprehending simple questions. Anyone who witnessed the debate could see he lacked mental alertness. Because of his poor mental and physical health, he should quit the race.
Without the military, John McCain ceases to exist... or at least that was the case before he became Senator McRaza. Still, I suppose he'll lip-service the military to whatever extent he needs them; beyond that, I wouldn't expect anything more out of him than what he's done since he decided to become a dinner theater Julius Caesar. The 'rats will let the swords rust in their sheaths (or maybe beat them into carbon credits) before they allow the military anything more than meals on wheels missions, and badly funded ones at that. Advantage goes to McCain; he doesn't reflexively spit anyone who wears the uniform.
Yet. He's "grown" - to use the MSM term - in so many other areas that I wouldn't trust him from one day to the next (the McCaniacs apparently can see the specks in Mitt Romney's eye but not the logs in John McCain's... that is human nature for you).
Since the whole equation involves more than the military, I still can't vote for him.
Mr. niteowl77
Not getting my vote. Kook,.
thanks, and since the next POTUS may very well damage or destroy the very things I hold most dear, I may not vote for him either. Better to be hurt by someone I oppose than by someone I supported.
“I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there’s areas we can agree on,” McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar.”
I shouldn’t have to look high and low for “areas upon which to agree with my partys’ nominee.
We should start a petiton to draft Romney to run as a Conservative,Independent third party, I have ny check ready.
You are wrong and just as abrasive and arrogant as that POS mcamnesty. I KNOW that I have done a tremendous amount, both financially and in person (over a lifetime of fighting for Conservative causes), to elect Conservative Republicans. I went to Dade County in 2000. I supported GHWB to to full amount allowed... I did so for W... I worked for Reagan twice in both campaigns. I gave 2300.00 to Fred. Up until 2007 I donated thousands of dollars per year to the RNC (over the last decade). What have you done other than spew venom and accuse anti-mcamnesty Conservatives of things you have no idea about?
LLS
Pesonally I will not be sitting out the election and will in fact be doing my best to keep from loosing the Senate or House, they can however have the Presidency, cannot support this man.
It would be great if such a party got on the ballot of each State where a Conservative could win. Then that party could nominate Romney or, if he refused, another Conservative.
LOL! I wouldn't want to get on your bad side! You're mean! LOL!!!
I’m very calm, Senator McCain.
I will calmly go to vote come November.
I just won’t be voting for President this time around.
You get the same level of support from me as a Conservative you’ve given us.
Now, curse me in a fit of rage, you megalomaniac.....
That is the only way I can ever vote for McCain. But I don’t think Fred will take a VP slot. He loses a lot of income by staying in politics. Unless he can effect the policy more than the average VP, I don’t seem him doing it.
Indisputable vulcan logic.
Up yours McCain.
Those are all good ones, thank you.
Talk to the finger, Johnny.
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