The Trouble With McCain

Wall Street Journal ^ | January 16, 2008 | Jay Cost

[america4vr]

After his win in New Hampshire, many came to view John McCain as the Republican front-runner. I thought this talk was a bit hasty even before Mitt Romney's victory in Michigan. Who knows how the Michigan results will influence South Carolina and the rest of the nation?

There is another reason I am hesitant about this bandwagon. I think that the problem that nearly destroyed Mr. McCain's candidacy last summer is still there--and it could yet do him in. The problem? Conservative leaders do not care for his candidacy.

Before I get into this, I need to clarify a common misconception. Many people wrongly assume that average voters are as ideological as party leaders (broadly defined to include elected party members, prominent personalities in the party, and ideologues on op-ed pages and in opinion journals). They are not. In fact, the highest estimate I have seen for the percentage of the public that thinks ideologically is 30%. And many of those people think in an effectively ideological manner--e.g., they use the information they get from trusted opinion makers to formulate opinions on interrelated issues.

This means that Mr. McCain is probably more acceptable to rank-and-file Republicans than we might initially think. For instance, according to the New Hampshire exit poll, Mr. McCain won voters who identified themselves as "somewhat conservative," 38% to 35%. Mr. Romney won those who identified themselves as "very conservative," 43% to 18%. These results are consistent with the previous paragraph. Mr. Romney won the strong ideologues. Mr. McCain won the weak ideologues.

Mr. McCain's problem has more to do with conservative leaders than the rank and file. You probably have picked up on this impressionistically. National Review endorsed Mr. Romney. Rush Limbaugh has been openly critical of Mr. McCain's candidacy.

[golfisnr1]

I wasn’t aware that I was a conservative leader.

[Ancient Drive]

The Trouble With McCain:

He is being propped up by the MSM. When the time comes, the MSM will tear him up to place a Democrat in the White House.

[cowdog77]

I’ve never cared for McCain, his temper tantrums, or his views. I’m glad he served in Viet Nam but he makes a lousy politician. He’s got too many character flaws...and I DON’T LIKE HIS TAKE ON AMNESTY !

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Mr. McCain's problem has more to do with conservative leaders than the rank and file. You probably have picked up on this impressionistically.

No actually I didn't Jay. Mr. McCain has a record and any conservative who sees it most likely won't be very impressed.

[marron]

He puts his finger on the GOP’s eternal problem. Its rank and file members get their information and opinion from the main-stream-media, which is to say, the GOP and its positions and candidates are forever being defined by the DNC. Its doubtful that the great mass of Repubs ever get information that isn’t filtered and massaged by DNC hacks pretending to be journalists.

Its always been this way for as long as I remember, this isn’t anything new, and its a sign of incompetence that after decades of complaining about it the GOP has never done anything about it. We dance for joy that we get a couple hours a week on the radio, while the DNC operates all but maybe one or two newspapers, and almost every TV news outlet, and effectively monopolizes the entertainment media. Add to that DNC control of the public school system, and its a complete shock there are any of us left.

You can’t wage an effective information campaign when you must forever borrow your enemy’s microphone to do it.

[OB1kNOb]

The Trouble With McCain ...is he's not a conservative.

There. Finished the sentence for them

[Rumierules]

Mr. McCain has a record and any conservative who sees it most likely won’t be very impressed.
_________________________________________________

Rank and file Republicans probably don’t bother to “see” his record. If they do, then they are not impacted much because, for example, they don’t know much about CFR for the Judicial nomination process.

[Rumierules]

for = or

[Reaganwuzthebest]

For those who haven’t noticed we can’t count on the media to tell them. The Wall St. Journal would love to have McCain since he’ll fill their amnesty dreams and open the borders to millions more so that’s the last paper that’ll say what a flaming liberal he really is.

[stevem]

There is another reason I am hesitant about this bandwagon. I think that the problem that nearly destroyed Mr. McCain's candidacy last summer is still there--and it could yet do him in. The problem? Conservative leaders do not care for his candidacy.

If this were McCain's only problem he would have a lock on the nomination. Great Caesar's Ghost! He's been a virtual Democrat on the most salient issues since 1999. I don't think an "open borders" Republican has any chance ever of taking the Oath of Office.

I don't think you can stick your thumb in the eyes of all those people you need to get elected, then expect them to support you when you need them the most.

The only thing a McCain or Huckabee or Giuliani final nomination is good for is providing a guaranty of a Democrat president this trip AND lots more Democrats in the House and Senate.

Trying to reason out a McCain run in the big show causes me to blink and stare. That's about as far as it goes. I think McCain could do the Republican Party a huge favor by retiring and becoming a hermit in the Canadian Rockies.

[AuntB]

I was just listening to Jeff Katz (1110 Am WBT) in SC interviewing McCain. McCain is STILL insisting on his comprehensive amnesty and plainly said WE don’t know what we’re talking about and that MOST people and ALL experts want the plan he’s been pushing. I hope the people of SC are paying attention.

---

It is legend about McCains temperment. Has every forgotten how he cursed Cornyn out last spring? He has no business in the senate much less the white house.

Every year, the congressional staffers vote for congressmen. Here’s what McCain earns from those who have to work around him.

Show Horse

1. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

2. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

3. Joseph Biden (D-Del.)

Getting votes from both sides, the New Yorker is the subject of the old joke: The most dangerous place in DC is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera.

Hottest Temper

1. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)

2. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

3. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)

Stevens, known for wearing an Incredible Hulk tie to intimidate friend and foe, and McCain, known to snap at staff when the cameras are off,

Worst Follower

1. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.)

2. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

3. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.)

Chafee’s the most liberal member of the GOP. Close behind are McCain, a little less of a maverick as 2008 nears, and Lieberman, a Bush ally on the Iraq war,

So every election year we survey top aides on both sides of the aisle—administrative assistants, press secretaries, legislative directors, and chiefs of committee staffs—to get their up-close and personal, and anonymous, views.

This year, we sent out some 1,700 ballots and received back a nearly identical number of Democratic and Republican responses. For each we donate $1 to a charity: So Others Might Eat or the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs.

Our survey shows that while there may be lots of partisan backbiting among the senators and House members, their staffers seem far more capable of putting politics aside and making honest judgments. 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.

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1666.html

[seoul62]

I admire his service to his country and his courage in the hanoi hilton, but he comes across as old news and a meanie./Just Asking - seoul62.......

[Racer1]

The problem with McCain is he openly supported and help construct and tried to impose the amnesty bill. Not to mention conspiring with Ted Kennedy.

[E. Cartman]

I admire his service to his country and his courage in the hanoi hilton, but he comes across as old news and a meanie./Just Asking - seoul62.......

Agree with you wholeheartedly about his former service. But, he can't continue riding that horse forever. So, in honor of his military service, we'll give him a parade before we shave his head, strip him naked and leave him in a padded cell to spend his remaining days gumming bowls full of cold oatmeal.

[seoul62]

Wow, you are pretty funny and equally wicked with your words. Check this video on you tube: Beef In Stratford, I would like to see her rag on McCain and Huckabee and the What? on the defeatocrats side./Just Asking - seoul62......

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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NEVER FORGET

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With the Congressional backing of friend Sen. JOHN McCAIN:

Sen. KERRY / Communist Vietnamese Killing Off Christians in Central Highlands...

http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/675016/posts

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NEVER FORGET

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