AZ-Sen. 2010: Hayworth Casts McCain As DC Insider (J.D. says McCain's record "is Obama-like")

National Journal ^ | 2010-02-19 | Reid Wilson

[rabscuttle385]

Ex-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) is grateful his primary rival, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), is getting endorsements from prominent DC conservatives. It allows Hayworth to cast the race as Beltway power versus the grassroots, he said in an interview today.

"You can expect a steady stream of the Washington establishment to endorse John McCain. So here's the way the race breaks down: It's John McCain and the Washington establishment versus we the people," Hayworth said.

"We have profound policy differences that we solve through the political process, but with all due respect, I think it's indicative of John just having been there too long," he added.

Meanwhile, Hayworth said, McCain's efforts to cast himself as the fiscal conservative in the race are misplaced, given votes in favor of bailout legislation and his support for comprehensive immigration reform.

"John McCain of all people can't really claim the mantle of the fiscal conservative," Hayworth said. Instead, McCain's record "is Obama-like."

In DC to sit on a panel at CPAC, Hayworth is optimistic about his insurgent campaign against McCain. He lost his seat in '06 to Rep. Harry Mitchell (D), and McCain's team has argued a Hayworth candidacy would put McCain's seat in jeopardy.

But Hayworth says McCain's early assault on his candidacy has led to a backlash. McCain has already launched radio ads attacking Hayworth by name -- including ads that ran on KFYI, the Phoenix radio station on which Hayworth hosted a show until last month. Hayworth called the ads "fiction."

"I think really led to a backlash. People said, 'Hey, wait a minute, there's John McCain going after a conservative. Why, he never ran this way against Barack Obama,'" Hayworth said.

"For whatever reason, team McCain is bragging about running some sort of scorched earth campaign against me," he said. "Politically, the one-word term is threatened, and I can see why since I've been out of the trail."

On Friday, McCain's campaign launched another broadside, knocking Hayworth for failing to reach a publicly-stated goal of $100K during a "money bomb," and for having to defend himself for previous ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

"It is clear that Mr. Hayworth has failed to galvanize support for his campaign, just as he failed to hold his solidly Republican U.S. House seat in 2006," McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers said in a statement.

Hayworth said he is ready for attacks on his Abramoff ties, and that McCain has his own skeletons in the closet.

"I would appeal to John's deeply held sense of honor. He knows that's false, and it doesn't help him," Hayworth said. "If he insists on staying in the muck and mire, I can answer the 2 words he's been bandying about with two words of my own: Charlie Keating."

McCain was implicated in the scandal surrounding the AZ developer. He was one of 5 senators given a slap on the wrist.

[200 Motels]

Not so much a fan of McCain as I am an enemy of JD, the man is a doofus, ask anyone that has met him.

I have a vote in this, and, McCain is 21 points up on JD, we know better than to put a nutcase into office.

[Defiant]

I don’t think there is a bigger doofus on the Republican side than McCain. You seem to have a personal problem with of some kind with Hayworth. So be it. I’ll take him over McCain any day of the week.

[elk]

It's interesting that the newbie September 1, 2009 poster "Motel" has such a sore spot against Hayworth.

The ONLY reason I stay in the Repub-RINO party, is to be able to vote in primaries against political snakes like McCain.

On social issues, I think Scott Brown stinks, but he is MILES away from Coakley's little perch on the Leftist cutting edge. So, if Hayworth has warts (which FReepers are doing a great job of explaining), they sure beat the MORAL CANCER which infects McCain.

And, at the risk of being tarred and feathered, I can't help but think, until I hear facts otherwise, that Palin's support of McCain compromises her character and judgment in my eyes.

Who am I? A middle class nobody.

[200 Motels]

Isn’t it great that we can both have opinions?

I have a vote too.

Not a personal problem with JD, just years of experience with him to know that he is not the guy I want.

[200 Motels]

Its interesting that instead of respecting my opinion, you have to pull up my date of entry to FR.

Argue the point, not the poster, that is sloppy work on your part. You were a “newbie” once too, so knock it off and stick to the point.

[ROTB]

Besides being incorrect, I never remember a candidate making fun of an opponent’s fund raising. This just shows again what a snide, spiteful, vengeful and mean spirited little weasel Juan McCain is.

***********************************

Amen. Selling out for $$ is the easiest thing to do.

[elk]

I'm not at "work," here, such as trolling, provacteuring, etc., (not that I'm expliciting accusing you of these things).

I do think it is valid to take into account the "credentials," limited as they are, in such as place as FreeRepublic. Your short tenure on FreeRepublic MIGHT be indicative of trolling, or pehaps that other poster was right in wondering if you were just Megan (sp?) McCain in disguise.

I didn't tell you to "knock it off" -- I implied you might be a troll.

You're the one tossing insults, and I note you didn't respond to my points at all.

Finally, if you represent the quality of dissent against Hayworth, I harbor hope that McCain will indeed be defeated afterall.

[mkjessup]

On Friday, McCain's campaign launched another broadside, knocking Hayworth for failing to reach a publicly-stated goal of $100K during a "money bomb"...
I'm waiting for McCain to openly attack FR and FReepers.
Mark my words.
This is war, and J.D. is right: "It's John McCain and the Washington establishment versus we the people."

McStain will eventually get around to attacking FR, he will denounce us and call us extremists, and as for the 'money bomb', it doesn't matter if J.D. did or did not meet the goal, sometimes that happens BUT: for McStain's campaign to focus on that (of all things) only confirms what we already know, the senile sonuvabitch is running scared as Hell, and well he should be.

I'll make a prediction right now: J.D. Hayworth wins the GOP primary in August by a 2 to 1 vote margin.

Unless McCain convinces his pals at ACORN to come to Arizona to stuff the ballot boxes.

[mkjessup]

Why would any right minded person that votes want ANYTHING to do with voting for ANY democrat regardless of how the republicans campaign against one another?
What makes you so sure McCain is a Republican?

McCain is a 'Republican' in the same way that Arlen Specter was a 'Republican'. He'll stay in the GOP just to throw wrenches into the machinery of conservatism. As for how any right minded person would vote Democrat?

If the Democrat were someone like Zell Miller, I'd throw the lever for that man in a heartbeat if he were running for any elective office again. He puts Country above party as well we should.

[bayliving]

What makes you so sure McCain is a Republican?

Good point.

[AuntB]

“It is all true.

McCain is an asset to my state, JD is an embarrassment, he was voted “dim bulb” by his cohorts in the (republican) congress”

Oh, blah, blah, blah....prove that statment, I can’t even address the rest of your post it is so ‘off’.

Now, MCCAIN, ACTUALLY did get those kinds of votes from Congressional staffers....

” It wasn’t unusual for aides in both parties to name one of their own as “spineless” or give the “workhorse” nod to someone across the aisle. “

Worst Follower 2. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Show Horse 2. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Hottest Temper 2. John McCain (R-Ariz.) known to snap at staff when the cameras are off
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/m

[AuntB]

I was looking for our FR polls from over the years. I can’t seem to find them anywhere. There were many polls about McCain, and we don’t like him any better now than we did then.
Anyone know where I find the old polls?

[AuntB]

“What are the U.S. Army and U.S. Department of Defense doing in the list of top donors? What am I missing here? How and why would these entities be giving to any candidates?”

Your tax dollars at work, Darlin’! During our battles for land rights we found the same. It was amazing how much the US Forest service pacs gave to the extreme enviro groups/candidates.

We’re being destroyed from within our own government.And we’re paying for it.

[greyfoxx39]

Note: The Arizona Republic is in McCain's back pocket along with most of the Arizona State-run media.

Did McCain Torpedo JD Hayworth?

UPDATED: Text of 'Blackmail' E-mail Included

Posted by Brian Faughnan (Profile)

Monday, October 12th at 10:16AM EDT

Former Congressman JD Hayworth is reportedly considering a primary challenge to John McCain. In explaining his rationale recently, he made a serious allegation about McCain’s loyalty to party:

Hayworth charged that in 2005 Salter tried to “blackmail” him into stopping his public criticism of McCain’s comprehensive immigration-reform bill. Hayworth said his chief of staff got an e-mail from Salter indicating that McCain might retaliate by commenting in the media about Hayworth’s links to the then-unfolding Jack Abramoff lobbyist corruption scandal.

Hayworth further suggested that Salter was responsible for planting false information in the Washington Times that said Hayworth was the “target” of an Abramoff-related Justice Department investigation. The Abramoff scandal helped Democrat Harry Mitchell upset Hayworth in 2006.

“Now do I know for a fact that Mark Salter was that unnamed source? No, I don’t,” Hayworth told his listeners. “But could a reasonable person connect the dots after, to be polite you could call it a threat, to be more realistic you could call it a threat of blackmail, in that memorandum?”

 

 

 

Sater denies the charge, but both he and McCain have been known for a shoot-from-the-hip style, and a willingness to alienate GOP colleagues. McCain in particular has been prone to explode when dealing with Republican opponents of his immigration reform ideas. Would it really be a surprise if the man who considered a party switch in 2001, and who contemplated becoming Kerry’s vice presidential candidate in 2004, and who attacked Republican colleagues over immigration - had also threatened a Republican colleague over it?

Hayworth was a solid conservative who held a GOP-leaning seat for 12 years. He was ultimately cleared by the Department of Justice in December, 2007 - slightly more than a year after he was defeated for re-election, largely because of questions regarding his supposed ‘links’ to Abramoff.

If McCain contributed to that narrow loss, he ought to answer for it.

Update: It’s come to my attention that JD Hayworth has previously published the text of the E-mail his Chief of Staff received from McCain aide Mark Salter. Judge for yourself if McCain was trying to blackmail Hayworth:

As you can guess, much consternation over here about your boss’s quick attack on a bill [ the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty Bill] we’ve been working on for months, in the most arduous discussions, and we think, managed to arrive at a very good product with a broad constituency behind it, not to mention three of your boss’ delegation members.

Obviously, the attack occurred before anyone has even seen the bill. At best, it was discourteous, and we took it quite personally.

FYI: We’ve been inundated with press requests to comment on your boss’s Abrahamoff, sky box, etc. situation. We’ve refused them. I think you should be prepared for that to change.

Salter says after he sent this E-mail, he got an angry E-mail back and ‘that was the end of it.’ A news search shows that stories about Hayworth and Abramoff increased significantly after this point, but that doesn’t prove anything.

http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/10/12/did-mccain-torpedo-jd-hayworth/

Read the following link for a good description of how JD was robbed.

http://www.espressopundit.com/2008/03/post-1.html

The cost of prosecutors ignoring the "basic rules of fairness" is even higher when the target is an elected official and his opponents suddenly perceive him a vulnerable.  The classic example is JD Hayworth

For an example of how it works, lets start with this March 2006 Republic article.

The national Democratic Party is shopping for a big name to oppose Rep. J.D. Hayworth in Arizona's 5th Congressional District this fall, suggesting that the six-term Republican is vulnerable in the wake of a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal to which he has been linked.

"Linked" is such a great word.  The word allows the media to claim a connection without actually saying that the elected official is being "investigated" or being "charged."  As Kevin Bacon will tell you, there is no way to claim that you are not "linked" to something. 

The article makes it clear that the Democratic Party recruited Mitchell because of the "linkage" and the subsequent story. 

Hayworth's Chief of Staff was adamant from the beginning that there was no truth to the story.

Eule said Hayworth never has been contacted by investigators, and Eule dismissed the Times story as "totally wrong."

He also had a prediction.

"By the time the election comes around, it will be proved that what Mr. Hayworth said is correct, that he did nothing wrong, that the charges are bogus," Eule said.

J.D. Hayworth is a Hard-Core Conservative.
Click here for explanation of political philosophy.
Click here for VoteMatch quiz.

 

JD on the issues

Hat tip to Mountain Woman for part of this information.

[stephenjohnbanker]

TROLL

[MountainWoman]

Hat Tip back, FRiend. ;)

[greyfoxx39]

I do think it is valid to take into account the "credentials," limited as they are, in such as place as FreeRepublic. Your short tenure on FreeRepublic MIGHT be indicative of trolling, or pehaps that other poster was right in wondering if you were just Megan (sp?) McCain in disguise. I didn't tell you to "knock it off" -- I implied you might be a troll.

You're the one tossing insults, and I note you didn't respond to my points at all.

Finally, if you represent the quality of dissent against Hayworth, I harbor hope that McCain will indeed be defeated afterall.

NOTE: Interesting that 200 motels posts seven defamatory posts about JD, with not ONE single reference or link.

n00b or retread put up or shut up! Prove your points.

[Defiant]

Isn’t it great that we can both have opinions?

Yeah, well, you know what they say about opinions. Sometimes, that saying is true.

When McCain was running for President, there were some of us who constantly had to argue with people that they needed to vote for him, not because he wasn't a backstabbing, unstable liberal bastard, but because the other guy was so much worse. In the GOP primary for Arizona Senate, McCain is The Other Guy.

[Luke21]

Medved is a lefty wackjob. Not surprised. He’s a P.C. loving creep.

[Luke21]

I get to vote too, and against your Democrat.