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Sunshine for McCain (Conservatives And Their Discontents)
Wall Street Journal ^ | 30 January 2008 | Editorial Staff

Posted on 01/30/2008 8:19:12 AM PST by shrinkermd

With his second victory in a row, Mr. McCain is now clearly the favorite for the nomination that eluded him in 2000 and that again seemed out of reach only three months ago. He turned back Mr. Romney thanks to the votes of seniors, veterans and self-described moderates and independents. He also did well in the Miami-Dade and Tampa strongholds of the state's popular Republicans who endorsed him, Senator Mel Martinez and Governor Charlie Crist. In Florida, the Republican establishment coalesced around the Senator like it never has before.

Mr. Romney nonetheless won narrowly among Republicans, and more broadly among conservatives, which at least gives him hope that he can be competitive next week. But it's notable that Mr. McCain won narrowly even among voters who said the most important issue was the economy, which Mr. Romney, the former businessman, had made his major focus.

The Florida result also showed once again that running against immigration, even illegal immigration, is the fool's gold of American politics. Mr. Romney won decisively among voters who considered it the most important issue, but that was too few voters to matter. Mr. McCain did well among Cuban-Americans and other Hispanics.

As for Mr. Giuliani, his distant third marks an amazing fall from what only weeks ago was a lead in the national polls. The former New York City mayor has been widely roasted for the strategic blunder of not fighting harder in earlier states. But in fact he did compete for a time in New Hampshire, only to see his fortunes fall amid negative reporting about his New York record and the revival of Mr. McCain.

... It is also no small irony that the mayor deemed too liberal by many social conservatives was the Republican candidate most reviled by the liberal press.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: election; handicaps; mccain
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To: shrinkermd

It looks like it will take a Huckabee endorsement of Romney(for VP spot?) before Super Tuesday to keep McCamnesty out.


21 posted on 01/30/2008 9:28:31 AM PST by DrewsDad (PIERCE the EARMARKS)
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To: shrinkermd

The Wall Street journal would have supported Lennin if there was a chance of getting Russian cheap labor. Economic conservatives are too focused on money to give a damm for the future of the country.


22 posted on 01/30/2008 9:32:44 AM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: shrinkermd

I would compare Huckabee to Perot in this case. Clinton won by dividing his opponents, so has McCain. Now think, how can McCain win the general election when most of his support will really vote Democrat, and conservatives will not support him in the campaign, and will only tepidly choose him on election day? And you know many will simply stay home, despite the fact that they are hurting themselves, and playing into Hillary’s hands. McCain = President Hillary.


23 posted on 01/30/2008 9:42:54 AM PST by Richard Axtell (Hillary "The President".... we aren't prepared for the damage she can and will do.)
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To: shrinkermd

“That leaves us with McCain. “

WHY IS THERE NO MCCAIN TRUTH FILES?

In truth, McCain is a more dangerous and RINO/liberal candidate than every other candidate except for Huckabee.

Maybe we should have left Rudy alone and gone after McCain from the get-go.


24 posted on 01/30/2008 10:05:24 AM PST by WOSG (RINO MCCAIN DOESNT FIT - VOTE FOR MITT - Another Conservative for Mitt!)
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To: DrewsDad

“It looks like it will take a Huckabee endorsement of Romney(for VP spot?) before Super Tuesday to keep McCamnesty out.”

Huckster has been a Godsend to McCain, I’ve said it from the beginning. Huckabee put all his efforts into anti-Romney robocalls that suppressed Romney, and Huckabee split the conservative vote with Romney.

Romney still won the FL conservative vote 40% to 22% McCain, but with Huckabee in enough got peeled off that McCain could win with the Moderates and pro-aborts.

I call it a ‘clusterhuck’. Huck is trying to become McCain’s VP. It is a vain and foolish attempt, but as long as Huck stays in and gets votes, there wotn be a ‘conservative wave’ to stop Mccain.

Maybe Romney could be desperate enough to Offer a Romney/ Huckabee ticket. They sure would be the odd couple, with that mormon thing, but we could get worse ... like - McCain/ Huckabee .... Arrrgh!


25 posted on 01/30/2008 10:10:20 AM PST by WOSG (RINO MCCAIN DOESNT FIT - VOTE FOR MITT - Another Conservative for Mitt!)
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To: Tzimisce

“I keep asking: who is voting for McCain?”

Exit polls in FL: Moderates, pro-aborts, secularists, people who oppose Bush, pro-amnesty hispanics/Cubans ... and OLD PEOPLE.


26 posted on 01/30/2008 10:11:56 AM PST by WOSG (RINO MCCAIN DOESNT FIT - VOTE FOR MITT - Another Conservative for Mitt!)
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To: DrewsDad

“It looks like it will take a Huckabee endorsement of Romney(for VP spot?)”

What are you trying to do? Take votes away from Romney?


27 posted on 01/30/2008 10:23:12 AM PST by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: GravityFree
The founding fathers knew that democracies have a very short lifetime and the political class is doing it’s best to turn America into a democracy.

???

28 posted on 01/30/2008 10:24:14 AM PST by cogitator
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To: shrinkermd

So will the hatred of Hil or the suspicion of Obama be enough for St.John to overcome the MSM, conservPubPurists altogether?? The MSM will crucify McCain no matter what. So Pubconservs are in a real crunch and bind. We cannot allow either of the Dem socialist pacifists to appoint SCOTUS jurists, Appeals et al, to disembody our military, to stop tax cuts et al. And then we cannot know if McCain won’t wussy out and love joining with those same socialists to stop any real Pubconserv agenda. It is a real bind. I will vote for Mitt in Ca. but know McCain will win overall there. Then in Nov., will my dislike of any Dem prevail over my conservcommonsense? Events themselves may judge my vote. I just cannot fathom any real American voting for the two Dem socialist pacifists! Even McCain is not that.


29 posted on 01/30/2008 10:49:00 AM PST by phillyfanatic ( tH)
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To: shrinkermd

McCain shall not get my vote. Not in the primary. Not in the general.


30 posted on 01/30/2008 11:05:47 AM PST by JamesP81 ("I am against "zero tolerance" policies. It is a crutch for idiots." --FReeper Tenacious 1)
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To: Cacique

“Economic conservatives are too focused on money to give a damm for the future of the country.”

Dont confuse economic conservatives with the cheap labor lobby.

Economic freedom has nothing to do with the cheap trick of gutting enforcement of our immigration law and giving amnesty to illegals.

Notably, John mcCain is *not* an economic conservative, and the more economically conservative Romney is the better guy on immigration.


31 posted on 01/30/2008 11:09:16 AM PST by WOSG (RINO MCCAIN DOESNT FIT - VOTE FOR MITT - Another Conservative for Mitt!)
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To: Cacique
Economic conservatives are too focused on money to give a damm for the future of the country.

Sadly, that's true. Also sadly is that social conservatives are too narrow focused to care about things like limited government. The various wings of the GOP seem to be wearing blinders these days.
32 posted on 01/30/2008 11:09:19 AM PST by JamesP81 ("I am against "zero tolerance" policies. It is a crutch for idiots." --FReeper Tenacious 1)
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To: o_zarkman44

“The election was rigged way back last year.

The MSM held a Presidential Draft. They prodded the candidates to start TWO YEARS or more early campaigning.
The MSM has put hundreds of millions of dollars in THEIR ADVERTISING bottom line already in this cycle and the BIG money hasn’t even been collected by the National committees yet.

The MSM manipulated the primary and caucus schedule, changing long standing tradition. In the frenzy, we have been had. The field is full of liberals and progressives. The true conservatives have been eliminated because the MSM has once again changed the definition of what a conservative is.
Once again, uninformed voters are being misled.”


Primary election dates are set by the Republican National Committee and each state’s party committee not by the MSM.
If the MSM had influence, its because the Republican National Committee allowed them to have influence.
Same with the Dems.


33 posted on 01/30/2008 11:11:18 AM PST by jamese777
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To: o_zarkman44

Never in my life have I felt a national election cycle has been fixed after ONE MONTH of actual state voting then now.

We are going to have to get REAL UGLY TO STOP MCCAIN.

___________

What you forget is that no state changed its rules to allow independents to vote- the same states that always do so, did this year. Here in SC, we hold Dem and GOP primaries on different days so, with the brawl going on in the uncivil war, I don’t think many Dems crossed to cause trouble in the GOP vote- they have problems of their own.

The real danger will come now that McCain is getting successful results by holding to the center and courting moderates and independents. He is not going to pretend to be a conservativde, he is going to actively flog the right to the enjoyment of his centrist friends and supporters.

The Clinton Modus operandii is to go where the popular winds blow. With Clinton, every once in a while, if a conservative issue has enough popular support, she will go for it (Like Bill did with NAFTA and welfare reform) but McCain gains from his supporters by thwarting conservative plans. He will be MORE dangerous then she will.

And remember McCain’s fabled temper. He remembers that we tried to end him and he will be coming after us.


34 posted on 01/30/2008 11:14:22 AM PST by awake-n-angry
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