Posted on 02/08/2008 11:59:58 AM PST by indcons
John McCain has retained the services of a conservative public relations firm to assist with right-wing outreach.
Shirley & Banister, well-connected in both conservative and mainstream media circles, have been helping McCain for a few weeks now placing surrogates on TV and in news stories. They also helped craft an open letter sent out earlier this week signed by five longtime "Reaganauts" -- Craig Shirely, Frank Donatelli, Jack Kemp, Dick Allen and Peter Hannaford -- urging their fellow followers of the Gipper get on board.
The firm is led by Shirley and Diana Banister. Shirley is longtime conservative consultant who is coming out with his second book on Reagan this summer. Banister worked in the GOP vineyards in Orange County and later the Dole and Buchanan campaigns.
Part of their task will be countering the anti-McCain assault from conservative talk show hosts.
Shirley, who accompanied McCain to CPAC yesterday, said the open letter he and the other "Reaganauts" issued has already caused a stir.
"Sean Hannity read it on the air [Wednesday] and dismisseed the five of us as 'pseudo-conservatives' who knew nothing about Ronald Reagan," Shirley said.
"I'd say between the five of us, we have probably put 200 years or more into the movement and Reaganism -- and all spent considerable personal time with the Gipper and working for him."
Hannity, Rush, Ingraham and crew don't have a clue. As soon as they endorsed Romney, I knew they were quasi-conservatives, more comfortable with their limos and gucchis than their principles.
Romney, The Father of Gay Marriage, is as conservative as a Hillary/Nancy/Helen clone....and just as 'beautiful'
YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
That is not going to get my vote.
McCain should feel comfortable "talking shop" with them then.
First explain Juan Hernandez.
So funny! He used the liberal MSM and the Dim Party to trash and obstuct us, the President, VP, Iraq mission, and the DOD for the last 8 years, for free.
Now he has to pay cash for his lies.
“I think we are going to get so sick of the stretched out term ‘Conservative’ that we are going to consult a thesaurus and a liguistics expert to come up with another word for it.”
I made this point yesterday on a thread that the word “conservative” has become the political equivilent of the word “rich”.
People hear it and get all worked up until they realize what the speaker means by it.
Same with “secure the borders” that’s a eupaimism for amnesty. If McCain wants to “secure the borders” I want to hear him say that he’s gonna build the fence.
Close. George Soros has deep pockets too.
Reagan was surrounded by liberals. Mike Deaver was as liberal as a Republican can be, and he was a very important policy adviser. I don't think Reagan was great because he was so conservative; I think he was great because he had such great character and such wonderful leadership skills.
These old political hacks who happened to know Reagan endorsing McCain are meaningless. More evidence that McCain doesn't understand his own party.
Are they passing out the ice for US to put on it???
What a player, its all a game to him.
Fred wouldn’t need to hire a conservative PR firm.
OMH...If one needs to hire someone to cast themselves as a conservative, that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
Yeah but was he legal?
so you are right and everyone else is wrong?? I don’t think you have been objective.
I heard Laura introduce Mitt as “the conservative’s conservative, and I BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
SO THE RADIO CIRCUIT IS WRONG, AND MCPAIN IS A REAL CONSERVATIVE???? LOLOL
I LOVE MITT, CAN’T WAIT, I’M GONNA SAVE MY MONEY TO HELP HIM IN 2012.
Invoking the name “Reagan” has become as tired as invoking “Viet Nam”
It can't be too expensive to secretly switch out Hannity's teleprompter - it's not like Sean would realize the difference if he started parroting pro-McCain rhetoric.
I’m surprised he didn’t burst into fire...
If he wants to learn about how conservatives feel then maybe he should listen to his answering machine in his office. Everything through his office is answering machine and I don’t believe he has a live person one that works for him.
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