Posted on 04/05/2006 6:07:26 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Expected to run for president in 2008, the longtime maverick is courting social conservatives.
WASHINGTON - It's only April 2006, but John McCain isn't wasting any time in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes.
For months, the Republican from Arizona has been blitzing the country, meeting with donors, lending his star power to Republican candidates, building his political team, and courting constituencies who spurned him in 2000. And as a sitting senator with his name on controversial immigration legislation, he's faced some boos.
As the early front-runner for the GOP nomination, Senator McCain is no longer the outsider, nipping at the heels of his party's anointed presidential successor. He's the main show. The question is, can he maintain his image as a straight-talking maverick, with broad appeal to independents and some Democrats, even as he reaches out to religious conservatives and raises hackles on both the left and right with moves that his critics call "unprincipled"?
His speech on May 12 at Liberty University, at the behest of religious leader Jerry Falwell - whom McCain once called one of the "agents of intolerance" - has raised eyebrows.
"It seems what McCain is doing is the classic move that Richard Nixon patented - run right during the primaries, then run center for the general," says Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. "He's doing what he has to do. To a purist it doesn't smell right, but find me someone who hasn't done that who won."
When McCain touches down in New Hampshire for campaign-style events on Friday and Saturday, it will be a homecoming of sorts. In the 2000 primary, McCain trounced George W. Bush by 19 points, and his New Hampshire team is ready to pick up where it left off. Ditto for South Carolina, where he lost to the future president in 2000, amid hardball tactics, but where his backing by the popular Lindsey Graham, now a senator, is key.
Now McCain is angling to be Bush's heir apparent. He is wooing the president's financial backers, with some success, and has already signed on Bush's media man, Mark McKinnon. For now, observers say, both camps are still eyeing each other, but if McCain continues to show strength in polls of likely GOP primary voters, he will be hard to refuse, analysts say. Social conservatives: not convinced
The camp that may be the hardest to woo is the social conservatives. In interviews, leaders speak of McCain in the harshest of terms, with no hope of redemption.
"Everybody understands, he hates the Christian right. That's a real problem," says Paul Weyrich, head of the Free Congress Foundation. Mr. Weyrich dismisses the Falwell speech invitation as just a "personal patchup."
"He wants to remake the Republican Party into pre-Reagan times," Weyrich continues. "Republicans traditionally stood for limited government, free enterprise, and a strong national defense. We added a fourth leg to that stool, which was traditional American values. And he wants to get rid of that."
But Weyrich agrees that as long as the social conservatives don't have a strong presidential hopeful of their own, it will be hard to "beat somebody with nobody."
Lou Sheldon, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, also sees trouble in a McCain candidacy. When asked about McCain's effort to build bridges to social conservatives, Mr. Sheldon replied: "I don't see bridges, I see road blocks."
Sheldon is disappointed by McCain's position on gay marriage, in not fully embracing efforts to get a ban in Arizona, as well as the campaign-finance reform law that McCain sponsored and which religious conservatives oppose, saying it hinders their advocacy efforts.
Among rank-and- file social conservatives, McCain may fare better than among their leaders, analysts say. In South Carolina, which will again hold a key early primary in 2008, McCain could do well among GOP primary voters, says Jim Guth, an expert on the religious right at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
"On the whole, despite some opinion in the national media to contrary, South Carolina Republicans have been generally pretty pragmatic," says Professor Guth. "They've usually supported the front- runner, establishment candidate. If McCain looks like a likely winner and enough important state officials are signed on, I don't see even the religious right mounting a major effort against him. There really isn't anybody out there at this point that they'll be deliriously supportive of." How loyal to President Bush?
Throughout Bush's presidency, McCain has behaved in turns both loyally when the chips are down (see Iraq and Dubai ports) and as a critic (see torture).
Whether intentionally or not, he has set himself up potentially to capture a wide swath of the GOP, and then some, analysts say. And as corruption scandals in the GOP whet voters' appetites for integrity in public leaders, that's another card McCain can try to play, they add.
"At the moment, McCain fits the bill of the type of candidate Republicans are looking for, in light of what's happening to the Bush presidency," says Dick Bennett, head of American Research Group polling firm. "He can be a conservative Republican to conservative Republicans, he can be more moderate to independent voters, because of the straight-talk aspect. He fits the profile of what different voters want."
OK, someone tell me where he is pitching "right"?
"run right during the primaries, then run center for the general,"
Anyone still buy that crap? With McStain's track record?
I live in Iowa. We do not take well to folks like John. We will bury him here.
Pitching right?
geez.....
To do it, you have to have credibility with the Base so they don't abandon you in the general election when you move to the center. McCain can't pull that off.
Note oversampling of Dem-o-rats, as usual in poll from "American Research Group"
Do you favor or oppose the United States House of Representatives voting to impeach President George W. Bush?
3/15/06 Favor Oppose Undecided
All Adults 42% 49% 9%
Voters 43% 50% 7%
Republicans (33%) 18% 80% 2%
Democrats (37%) 61% 30% 9%
Independents (30%) 47% 40% 13%
I wish I lived in Arizona so I could start to RECALL McKennedy NOW!! Not wait til voting time and he "shifts"..
Same here in Ohio.He is way too greasy for us too.
""Everybody understands, he hates the Christian right. That's a real problem," says Paul Weyrich, head of the Free Congress Foundation. Mr. Weyrich dismisses the Falwell speech invitation as just a "personal patchup."
"He wants to remake the Republican Party into pre-Reagan times," Weyrich continues. "Republicans traditionally stood for limited government, free enterprise, and a strong national defense. We added a fourth leg to that stool, which was traditional American values. And he wants to get rid of that."
Weyrich sure didn't sugar coat it.
If what McPain has done up to this point is considered by the lame stream media left as pitching to the right, you can't imagine how he'd run as a POTUS!!!
Lots of irony in this one.
Feldmann also contributes to a lot of Jewish rags too and is pretty left on a lot of stuff
but on lefty Jewish rags she gets pilloried for being a Conservative and supporting Bush-Cheney's worldview of morality in foreign policy
but she must be smoking something if she sees McCainiac as veering right....he'll veer any direction his ball bearings roll when he drops them
Forget it. The Right is never going to buy it, our memories are simply not that short.
You've survived...lol
Good Luck!
Where do people like this Dick get their salaries? Who pays for the American Research Group?
The only bill that Mclame fits is in a duck.............Jeez these folks are desperate to get the wacko on the ballott. I'll vote for Perot or myself as a write in..............
I'm not sure.
I think it's like when they say Hillary is moving right.
Not actually true according to record and most rhetoric, BUT denying one or two opportunities to bash the President/Republicans/Christians/Conservatives suddenly apparently means you are a member of the vast right wing conspiracy.
Basically this reads as a McCain release from his HQ's gushing about how he's managed to triangulate himself into the W.H.
I'm not impressed.
McCain has problems with every branch of the Republican base EXCEPT Liberal Republicans.
He wasn't an ally on tax cuts.
He hasn't been supportive in this war. He's sought to protect terrorists and remove Rummy.
He hasn't been loyal, if that important to you. And it is to many to varying degrees. Whether bashing "his" party or allowing Kerry to court him for VP in 2004.
He's screwed himself with conservatives that want control of the borders.
He's been disrepectful to our military and trashed the Swiftees.
CFR anyone?
On the ONE issue that virtually EVERY member of this base is invested in, the Courts, he sabotages ending the filibuster.
This is a puff piece, undeniable since it seems to target "social conservatives" as his obstacle. Generally only Rockefellar Republicans and Liberals fixate on social conservatives as impediments. They are incapable of seeing that it's more than Christians that have a right to consider this man an enemy to their causes.
Sorry John, few are buying your new found conservatism, go join Hillary and her 20% base support, you are all done.
I think he makes conservative and libertarian-leaning voters seasick.
And that's all I have to say about that.
"This fellow claims he’s the new Ronald Reagan. Well, let me tell you something: I knew Ronald Reagan. He was a friend of mine, and MSM bootlicker…you’re no Ronald Reagan."
So, he wants to be a "pre-Reagan" Republican. If that meant Goldwater, I'd be there for him. So far, I'd say that McCain is no Goldwater.
If he was really a limited government conservative, I could overlook the fact that he hates the "Christian Right", which is to say, me.
But again and again he has shown himself to be unprincipled.
I won't forgive him for McCain Feingold. I won't forgive him for trashing the Swiftboat Vets. I won't forget the fact that he is borderline crazy.
So, to whoever is listening, I highly recommend that he not be pushed forward as the party's nominee. Under most circumstances, I would bite the bullet and support even a GOP candidate I dislike, figuring he is better than the alternative. Not this time. I won't vote for McCain under any circumstance.
McCain's too self-serving for my taste, but there's a silver lining if he gets the nomination. For years, the Left has hailed McCain as a maverick, a moderate, a populist, etc. I can't wait to hear them start calling him Hitler.
Us Hoosiers dislike McCain almost as much as we dislike our governor.
McCain reminds me of a person who shows up for church, twice a year, at Easter and Christmas. Nice gesture but why bother?
Don't blame McCain. He's getting plenty of help from his own party.
I predict that if he gets the nomination for the Republicain party then most of the people here will not only support him, but will be calling those who don't--Traitors!
"He can be a conservative Republican to conservative Republicans, he can be more moderate to independent voters, because of the straight-talk aspect. He fits the profile of what different voters want."
I don't think voters want a chamaeleon.
And any "drift to the right" visions by the left-wing, anti-American Christian Science Monitor has to be taken with a grain of salt - make that a gram of salt.
Maybe. And at one level, I couldn't blame them. But for the record, I'll sit home first. I'll write in my own name. I won't vote for McCain under any circumstance.
There is a list of candidates that are too squishy, too "moderate", too (shall we say) flexible in their principles to ever be a good president, and I wouldn't be happy pulling the lever for any of them. But rather than see a Dem win, I'd vote for them.
Not McCain. I know the party movers and shakers may figure that, if he's the nominee, people like me have no choice but to vote the party line. I'm trying to let anyone know who's interested that that logic would work on me for almost anyone else. But don't push it by putting up McCain.
There is no way I will vote for McCain for anything.
Secure the borders.
"Rightward Pitch"? "Rightward Pitch"?!?!? You have got to be kidding me. I was born at night, but not last night. McCain is a RINO. Lemme spell that out for you, McCain is a R-I-N-O.
Forgedabodit John, we already nu yew.
Same here! I will write my own name in before I would vote for McLame-McPain-McVain-McKennedy-Captain Queeg (I love this last one).
"Senator McCain is no longer the outsider, nipping at the heels of his party's anointed presidential successor. He's the main show. "
Main show? He's a poor road show, at best, that will be short lived. If this is the best GOP has to offer for 2008, we're ALL in trouble.
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