Posted on 02/06/2008 11:51:10 PM PST by calcowgirl
Presidential candidate John McCain's sweeping victories on Super Tuesday revealed what could be a post-partisanship era in politics.
Republican voters across the country turned away from the party's more conservative candidates and selected the Arizona senator again and again in primary contests from New York to California.
The ultraconservative radio talk show hosts, bloggers and newspaper columnists simply didn't resonate with the party's majority members - the soccer moms and NASCAR dads who never attend precinct meetings, but showed up on election day. Whether those high-profile opinion givers like it or not, McCain is their man.
Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., traveling with McCain from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, was asked whether McCain's success illustrated the Republican Party is far more mainstream than it has appeared during the past seven years.
"Perhaps. I hesitate to call it 'mainstream,' but yeah, that's probably right," Flake told the Tribune. "It certainly is more diverse than some people want to admit."
Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., also traveling with McCain, said McCain's single-day achievement indicated the GOP is a centrist party.
"It tells you that folks from the hard right kind of make their living by whipping things up," he said.
"And it also tells you that Republicans are pragmatic. They understand that there is kind of a core Republican philosophy. They want to see candidates with that philosophy win. They don't want to get behind some extreme candidate and lose the seat," Shadegg said.
McCain will have the opportunity to spell out his Republican philosophy today at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, as he continues his quest to lock up his party's nomination for November's general election.
(Excerpt) Read more at eastvalleytribune.com ...
He has been doing that with his voting record for years
yes but there is a structure to it.
“Mainstream”, eh? Riiiiiiiiiight.
Sounds like another McCain thumb in the eye to conservatives.
President George W. Bush did something I find horrifying - he does not uphold the laws of the United States, something he swore an oath to do, hand on a Bible.
If you have courage, then go to the following:
http://www.reforminstitute.org
This is a thinktank Senator John McCain set up so that far-left wingers like David Geffen, George Soros (Tides Foundation), and the Environmental Defense Fund, could donate tens of thousands of dollars to him without it becoming highly public.
There is nothing illegal about this 501 nonprofit organization. But the ideas that come out of it ought to scare the hell out of any redblooded American.
His outreach representative to Hispanics is Dr. Juan Hernandez, a former Mexican government official who wants to abolish the U.S.’s borders and sovereignty. McCain has publicly stated that he agrees with EVERYTHING Dr. Hernandez believes.
Abolishing our nation’s sovereignty is not something a President should do.
If you believe McCain would be a good president, then I suggest you look at my post at #46, and pay a visit to the Senator’s ultra-liberal think tank, the Reform Institute.
He obviously doesn’t think much of the Freedom of Speech and couldn’t give a rat’s fart about our nation’s sovereignty, as he isn’t just an open border guy but a NO BORDER AT ALL kind of guy.
Not the kind of President I’ll support.
The old Federalist Party, ie Hamilton, believed in a strong central government and so doesn’t the NEW Federalist party. They also believe in environmentalism and graduated taxation (ie “tax the rich”)- sort of, demonRAT party light.
http://www.geocities.com/new_federalists
The Constitution party (the old US Taxpayers Party), on the other hand, still looks good, although their stand on “foreign entanglements” gives me pause...
http://www.constitutionparty.com
and ideas are a terrible thing, right? We must all recite from Ann Coulter’s books right before we go to sleep every night and say Amen.
Did you hate Reagan?
In a radio address in 1977, he noted that apples were rotting on trees in New England because no Americans were willing to pick them. “It makes one wonder about the illegal alien fuss. Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won’t do?” Reagan asked. “One thing is certain in this hungry world; no regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters.”
The GOP is the party of Reagan.
well I don’t believe in a graduated tax at all and that was one reason I voted for Huckabee.
mcCain is also for a flat tax and kemp, Forbes and Rudy support him.
Q: Do you favor a flat tax? A: Sure, I’m for a flat tax. I’m for a tax system where average Americans can fill out their tax return on a postcard and send it in and not have the fear of an audit. But do you know why the tax code is 44,000 pages long? Do you know why it’s a nightmare, a chamber of horrors for average citizens and a cornucopia of good deals for the special interests? It’s because every time we pass a tax bill we add another special loophole and a special deal for the special interests.
Source: Republican Debate at Dartmouth College Oct 29, 1999
FORBES [to McCain]: Cutting the capital gains tax is key to a prosperous future. In New Hampshire you indicated support for a flat tax and I was wondering if you might put flesh on those bones and tell us what you have in mind for tax reform?
MCCAIN: I want to thank you for your efforts on behalf of a flat tax. I think we’ve got to eliminate the marriage penalty, the earnings test, raise the 15% tax bracket, put a level of $5 million on the inheritance tax. But this tax code is 44,000 pages long. It’s an abomination. It’s a cornucopia of good deals for the special interests and it’s a nightmare for American citizens. We’ve got to get rid of the special interest loopholes that are right in this tax code. That’s the first step in cleaning it up to reach your goal of a simplified tax system. I appreciate your efforts. But until the day arrives when we remove the influence of the special interests, we’re not going to be able to achieve your goal.
Source: (cross-ref. from Forbes) Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate Dec 7, 1999
I picked fruit in the San Juan Capistrano valley as a teenager. Up until the mid-70s lots of kids, between 10 - 18 years old would work on farms to harvest fruit and vegetables. Did you know that?
It was stopped, made illegal by Congress, all because of pressure from the farmworker’s union, primarily Hispanic.
Abortion has deprived this nation of 50 million native-born workers. What a horrible waste!
the destructive influence of all unions must be stopped. I know mcCain wants to end this control of the govt by unions just as Reagan said no to the air traffic controller union.
something interesting I have found:
Duncan Hunter: Unions built the middle class.
Fred Thompson: In a dynamic economy, some jobs lost and some gained.
Fred Thompson: Don’t use union dues for political purposes.
John McCain: Unions are monopolies; don’t compel people to join.
Mike Huckabee: Unions more prominent to fight high CEO salaries.
Mitt Romney: I believe in domestic supports for our agriculture industry.
Mitt Romney: Good unions train members; bad unions hurt their company.
Ron Paul: Right to organize; but no special benefits for unions.
WTF is a “Nascar Dad”? There is no way that these “McFundits” should be framing the debate. What differance would it make if Republicans win if Republican isn’t Republican. McCain Blows!
McCain won a majority of the Republican votes, even in RED states. The article is, unfortunately, accurate in that regard. McCain isn’t as hated as some of us FReepers wish.
NurdlyPeon: “In other words, the people who don’t pay any attention to politics. The people who just let the MSM feed them sound bytes and don’t do any research.”
Yes. Nevertheless, they vote. Depressing, isn’t it?
That base is playing a very dangerous game. While the primaries are the time to flex your muscle for a candidate that more matches your ideology, the general is a time to get with your team.
That faction of the team may well finally out themselves as not being really part of the team, but a bunch of all about me folks. And if McCain wins without them, then they have proven they aren't necessary to win. At that point, it's not a matter of whether the glass is half full or empty, but whether you even now have a glass.
But for a 100%er, it's better to be lonely in the woods than working to mold and shape what you've got.
A woman called Rush yesterday to complain about McCain. She introduced herself as someone who had been a die-hard Republican her whole life, and whose mother had been a GOP precinct boss. Rush never bothered to ask her what her involvement in the Republican party is, but did ask her who the Chairman of the RNC was. She didn't know that it was Mike Duncan. Instead of giving her an earful about not being more involved in the GOP, he gave her the red carpet treatment and made her his Conservative Poster Girl for the day. According to Rush, not knowing who Mike Duncan was, Mike Duncan's fault, not hers. For the last 16 years, Rush has been the Clinton's biggest critic, and for the last 8 years he has been preparing us for this fight to keep Hillary from getting back into the White House. In the last 3 weeks, he has morphed into one of her greatest weapons against us. Listening to his show is like watching a train wreck with people you care about on board. It's painful, but you can't avert your attention from it.
My family are typical fans, and together have more degrees than a thermometer. Their friends as well. They all pay attention.
People probably voted for McNutjob because they think he's to the right of Romney.
John Shadegg said that? Jeez...I used to like the guy.
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