Posted on 03/01/2008 3:04:41 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
John McCain could officially wrap up the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, and he'll celebrate in Atlanta on Thursday.
As the GOP establishment in Georgia begins to align behind the presumptive nominee, trouble still lingers among some conservative voters who doubt McCain's bona fides.
Those skeptical voters ultimately could determine McCain's fate. Do they stay home? Do they vote Democrat instead?
Tom Nesbitt is not sure what he's going to do. A retired postal worker from Turner County, the 66-year-old Republican voter said he's "disgusted" with his party in general and McCain in particular.
"I have not yet decided whether I will, at the last moment, vote for McCain, sit this one out or, out of complete disgust for the Republican Party's lack of consideration, vote for another candidate," Nesbitt said.
McCain, an Arizona senator, is expected to pass the delegate threshold to secure the nomination after Tuesday's primaries in Ohio and Texas. Although former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee remains in the race, McCain has a lock on the top slot on the ticket.
Huckabee won Georgia's Feb. 5 primary, in part because of his strength among evangelical voters, many of whom look at McCain with dismay.
Still, some say conservatives' ire toward McCain has been exaggerated and that he has been unfairly painted as a moderate or liberal by the media or by those who simply don't like him.
In Georgia, at least, it seems unlikely that apathy among conservatives toward McCain could trigger a Democratic victory. Georgia last went for a Democrat for president in 1992 and has been trending Republican ever since.
Besides history, McCain has other reasons for optimism in Georgia.
First is Thursday's $1,000-a-plate reception at the Westin Buckhead with host Gov. Sonny Perdue, who did not endorse a candidate in the primary. Joining Perdue on the host committee are nearly every top elected Republican in the state, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who also did not endorse in the primary, and House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), who backed McCain after first choice Rudy Giuilani dropped out.
McCain also has the support of Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss. The state's two Republican U.S. senators endorsed their Senate colleague late in the primary campaign, while most U.S. House members went for Huckabee or Mitt Romney. Chambliss is on the ballot in November, too, and it will benefit him to have a strong presidential candidate above him, so Chambliss will be expected to work to bring conservatives back into the GOP fold.
Alec Poitevint, who led McCain's Georgia campaign, said there's no question the GOP will unite behind McCain.
"Absolutely," Poitevint said, "he's a proven leader in a difficult time. And he's the right man to be president now, and I think our people in Georgia understand that."
The primary season is over, he said, and Republicans typically put aside their differences for the good of the party in November.
Shawn Davis, who led Huckabee's Georgia campaign, agrees.
Huckabee will eventually give way, Davis said, and the Arkansan's supporters will back the nominee.
"We believe to win in November it's imperative to have a conservative on the ticket," Davis said. "Once Governor Huckabee releases his 51 delegates to McCain, presumably after his last stand in Texas (on Tuesday), you will see all Georgia Republicans unite strongly behind John McCain."
Some conservatives' anger toward McCain lingers.
A recent report from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 78 percent of white, born-again Protestants voted for George W. Bush over Democrat John Kerry in 2004. But, wrote John Green, Pew's senior fellow in religion and American politics, McCain "may have some trouble achieving that level of support from white evangelicals given that a majority of them preferred other candidates in the primaries."
If the race is close, a drop in support from such a key component of the Republican base could be damaging.
Exit polls taken from the Georgia primary give McCain reason for concern. He lost badly to Huckabee, and in some cases to third-place finisher Romney, among those who identified themselves as either somewhat conservative or very conservative. Among Republican voters who said they chose a candidate who shares their values, McCain got 15 percent, compared with 51 percent for Huckabee and 31 percent for Romney.
Don Neunaber, a physical therapist in Lilburn, looks at his choices in November and is conflicted.
"I haven't yet decided whether I can vote for McCain," Neunaber said. Note the use of the word "can." It's not "whether I will vote" for McCain. It's "whether I can" vote for him. That difference indicates a deeper, more personal level of frustration.
Neunaber finds the choice excruciating.
"I am faced with a real dilemma as a Republican," he said. "I am stuck between adversaries."
Such strong feelings stem from a series of frustrations and perceived betrayals. Neunaber specifically mentioned McCain's support for the failed immigration bill that many conservatives considered amnesty for illegal immigrants.
In the face of loud and angry response from many voters, McCain backed off his support for the measure. But, Neunaber said, McCain later told a television interviewer that he would sign a similar bill if elected president.
"He's playing to conservatives, trying to move to the conservative side, but he's not that much of a conservative when it comes down to it," Neunaber said.
Others criticize McCain for his sponsorship of campaign finance reform they say stifles the political power of pro-family groups. Others, such as the powerful Club for Growth, don't like his economic policies.
Helen Slater of Marietta, a secretary at Lockheed Martin Corp., voted for Romney in the Feb. 5 Georgia primary. Romney dropped out shortly after finishing third here. Slater will vote for McCain in November.
"Although he certainly is not my choice for the Republican nominee, I still feel like he is the lesser of three evils," she said, noting that the other two "evils" would be Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Jim Beck, chairman of the Georgia Christian Coalition, said more and more Republicans displeased with McCain will come to the conclusion that McCain is the best option available to them.
"You're already seeing it," Beck said. "Based on our e-mail traffic, some Huckabee people are waiting (to publicly back McCain) out of respect for him. At the end of the day, you have to pick between imperfect people."
McCain was not Beck's first choice. That becomes less important in November, he said.
"Look at the alternative," he said.
Plus, Beck said, McCain could gain independents and moderates to offset any loss of conservatives.
"McCain offers appeal to swing voters that would not have been the case with Huckabee or Romney," Beck said.
In the end, however, "I don't think McCain will turn off the base," Beck said.
Nesbitt, the Turner County Republican, would disagree.
"I am totally disgusted with them all, and have decided to call myself an independent, and will think twice before ever voting Republican again," he said.
Perhaps, however the McCain folks are so passionate to get conservatives to fall in line behind their candidate that they loose their objectivity. While I only speak for myself, it seems to me that conservatives have excellent reasons for not supporting McCain. None of the comments on this thread in support of McCain address any of those reasons. The reason they cannot is b/c McCain doesn't care what we think. Thus McCain's supporters arguments revolve around the SCOTUS and the WOT. Fair enough, but I would counter how can you trust the man? Has he not betrayed us on virtually every major issue of the last decade? So McCain supporters, the problem you folks have is b/c of your candidate, not our positions. Instead of badgering us about our positions why don't you badger you candidate to improve his positions?
If we have to resort to fraud to win then we are in serious trouble. The dims are far better at stealing elections than we are. LOL :D)
Not to imply that you support McCain. It was more of a general comment.
“...The dims are far better at stealing elections than we are.”
I tend to believe they’re better at failing to steal elections.
Not for lack of trying, though.
That is what someone claimed he said. He has denied that.
No. He didn't deny it. He tried to weasel his way out of it by adding additional comments about Alito. And that "someone" was John Fund, not exactly a person that was out to get McCain.
If you don’t think the GOP manipulated the primary system to favor a moderate, it is my opinion that you are either very naive and/or extraordinarily ignorant.
Everything from open primaries, to the method of assigning delegates, and the timing of elections was targeted as a method for marginalizing conservatives and strengthening the “moderate’s” chances.
Many of these same activities have been part of achieving the objectives of McCain’s Reform Institute, including that oh-so-great McCain/Feingold legislation. And now, McCain wants to outlaw 527s.
These things should worry every citizen, except the communists who seem to be winning the war, thanks to the stupididy of the politicians and the electorate.
Good! And if McCain loses, you can go blame those moderates for not voting for him.
Or, you can blame the more obvious problem: the candidate.
“He tried to weasel his way out of it by adding additional comments about Alito.”
___________________________________________________________
If by “weasel(ing) his way out of it” you mean that he stated that:
1. He had no recollection of ever saying that,
2. That is not his position,
3. That he had stated on several other occasions that Alito is the kind of justice he would appoint.
Well, if that’s what you mean by “weasel(ing) his way out” then feel free to believe whatever you want.
From his website (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/b8529d0e-381e-4a29-9c39-6a57c7e182c9.htm)
John McCain believes that shaping the judiciary through the appointment power is one of the most important and solemn responsibilities a President has, and certainly one that has a profound and lasting impact. When he was running for President in 1999, he promised that, in appointing judges, he would not only insist on persons who were faithful to the Constitution, but persons who had a record that demonstrated that fidelity. A President should have confidence in the judicial philosophy of those he is appointing to the bench. That is why he strongly supported John Roberts and Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court and that is why he would seek men and women like them as his judicial appointees.
Now compare that to Obama & Hillary who both voted against Roberts & Alito.
“If you don’t think the GOP manipulated the primary system to favor a moderate, it is my opinion that you are either very naive and/or extraordinarily ignorant.”
__________________________________________________________
You say such nice things.
Whether a state primary is open or closed is a decision made by the state party, not by the GOP. Exactly what ‘manipulations’ are you referring to? It’s a pretty serious accusation. Do you have any evidence of manipulations or do you just like to make things up to support your arguments?
Claiming someone is “either very naive and/or extraordinarily ignorant” does nothing to strengthen your arguments.
“Good! And if McCain loses, you can go blame those moderates for not voting for him.
Or, you can blame the more obvious problem: the candidate.”
Here me now and believe me later.
It’s McCain now. That’s it. NO other choice.
I backed Fred as best I could. It’s done now.
WE failed, we failed to put conservatives into the election hopper because we got complacent and distracted, perhaps by the war and traitorous democrats.
I am going to use what I have now.
Even if it were a one eyed transvestite that is ONE issue more conservative then Obama/Hillary, I will vote against Obama/Hillary and the democrats with whatever I have.
So stay home and let neo-socialists run the country instead if you like.
The rest of us are going to fight that with whatever we got.
I will not hand ground over to those SOB traitors to our troops without a fight.
Uhh.... State GOP in conjunction with RNC = GOP. I'm not making "accusations," I'm stating fact--history. Do some research. Inquire how these changes were made--who was involved in promoting them. It's not a secret.
Claiming someone is “either very naive and/or extraordinarily ignorant” does nothing to strengthen your arguments.
I didn't mean it as an insult. If you prefer the word "uninformed" to "ignorant," that works for me, also.
Instead of badgering us about our positions why don't you badger you candidate to improve his positions?
When you blame others for your own, or your candidates flaws, you are behaving like a democrat. Conservatives, and if McCain is a Conservative this includes him, should look to their own flaws if they find they are not getting support from all areas of the party.
When McCain supporters blame Conservatives for their candidate's flaws, they are behaving like the liberal McCain is.
Voters selected McCain over other candidates. How do you think he ended up with so many delegates? Romney outspent him 8 to 1 in Fla and lost. Huckabee is still in but not getting the vote.
It is the way our election process works. BTW since you are in Virginia, guess you know that Sen George Allen endorsed McCain and he is very conservative; so did Ollie North.
McCain is the right man to lead this country...over 100 top military brass endorsed him including General Schwartzkopf. I think they know a little bit more about which candidate would make the best Commander in Chief.
Also, Ambassador John Bolton, who is aware of the consequences of our pulling out as Obama and Hillary propose..endorsed McCain too.
You are for censorship? are you into facism? I prefer to exercise my right to free speech and vote for a good man for commander in chief and will do everything in my power to see that Hillary and Obama lose.
So far I have recruited 8 votes locally for McCain and like you I am proud to vote for him as commander in chief; also, I like his rating as one of the biggest proponents of cutting pork and spending.
Between the Republicans in congress getting comfortable with being in power and scared off by the liberal media whenever they tried to do anything conservative they became part of the problem. Having a personally flawed leader, Gingrich, didn't help either.
McCain has a reputation for being against govt. waste. More and more conservatives will vote for McCain after they weigh the consquences of a Hillary or Obama presidency.
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