And it's up to us to show McCain that it's really the other way around.
Remember:
Posted on 03/24/2008 8:15:56 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
WASHINGTON - Senator John McCain never fails to call himself a conservative Republican as he campaigns as his party’s presumptive presidential nominee. He often adds that he was a “foot soldier” in the Reagan revolution and that he believes in the bedrock conservative principles of small government, low taxes and the rights of the unborn.
What Mr. McCain almost never mentions are two extraordinary moments in his political past that are at odds with the candidate of the present: His discussions in 2001 with Democrats about leaving the Republican Party , and his conversations in 2004 with Senator John Kerry about becoming Mr. Kerry’s running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket.
There are wildly divergent versions of both episodes, depending on whether Democrats or Mr. McCain and his advisers are telling the story. The Democrats, including Mr. Kerry, say that not only did Mr. McCain express interest but that it was his camp that initially reached out to them. Mr. McCain and his aides counter that in both cases the Democrats were the suitors and Mr. McCain the unwilling bride.
Either way, the episodes shed light on a bitter period in Mr. McCain’s life after the 2000 presidential election, when he was, at least in policy terms, drifting away from his own party. They also offer a glimpse into his psychological makeup and the difficulties in putting a label on his political ideology over many years in the Senate.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
As opposed to the times that he got drunk and went home with them?
Well of course the Slimes has no political motive behind this story; none at all.
I suspect that the NYT is trying to separate McCain from the conservatives, but the problem that they have not yet considered, apparently, is that it cuts both ways.
There are probably a lot of independents who will be attracted to McCain by this story.
NY Slimes aside, it explains a lot about McCain’s actions the last eight years or so.
Just like Algore, McCain thinks the presedency was “stolen” from him in 00 and that he now “deserves” it.
Well, Elisabeth Bumiller is one of the worst rats working at the NY Times.
On the other hand, I believe this story is largely true. McCain did toy with leaving the party, and he does hate the base. He loses no opportunity to work with people like Feingold and Kennedy. And if he is elected, it will only get worse, as there will no longer be any restraints on him.
Maybe the best solution would be, since Hildabeast and Mohammed Hussein Osama are destroying each other, if McCain went to Denver and got the Democrat nomination, with Kucinich as his running mate.
Then the Republican convention could start all over, and maybe come up with a decent candidate next time.
The comments section of this article are summer of ‘07 and mention Guiliani? We talking re-treads or what?
Still, it calls into question is McCain the best this party can offer? Is Romney? Is Huckabee? Where are the true-blues? Why aren’t they at the forefront? What is exactly going on in this party?
Can we get him to switch now, and then get a conservative to run against him?
Well I guess I can never run for office as a Republican now because I would have to admit I was a Democrat 25 years ago.
I have been asking myself those same questions!!
Fred Thompson Back to Playing Prez on TV
Failed GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson says he will be going back to his old day job, playing pols on TV. William Morris announced that they've signed big Fred to do TV and movie roles.
Before he tried to make it as an actual president (after being a real Senator from Tennessee), he spent years playing big-shot pols and most recently the District Attorney on "Law & Order." Of course, there's still buzz that could be cast in the role of Veep for John McCain.
Of course this is a political “HIT PIECE” because the MSM has to do something while Hillary and Obama rip each other to shreds.
Also, I am not a McCain fan, but once again without a doubt, this is a “POLITICAL HIT PIECE” of hyperbole and most likely wishful thinking.
The Democrats have NO one worth looking at and we had several good choices but ended up with McCain.
>Still, it calls into question is McCain the best this party can offer? Is Romney? Is Huckabee? Where are the true-blues? Why aren’t they at the forefront? What is exactly going on in this party?<
The Democratic and Republican Parties have become merely opposite wings of the same bird, and it’s the American people who are getting the bird as our elected officials serve their corporate masters and the special interest groups that dominate both parties.
Lou Dobbs
I am in no way a big fan of McCain, but you made mention that after 2000 McCain drifted away from what had been basic Republican policy. Can’t you say that that George Bush has done the same thing as President in many ways. As for McCain’s flirting with becoming a Democrat, I believe the story has substance, but to what degree and who’s telling it is another matter. All these senators on both sides have huge egos (that’s what keeps them there). I think that conservatives should have a more pragmatic view when it comes to the virtue of loyalty-—they’ve been too idealistic-—because that’s what this whole issue is about. I think there’s been a tendency on the the Right that when a Republican politician has strayed from the path of “Reagan conservatism”-—especially if they’ve loudly proclaimed that viewpoint in the past—that the Right wrings its hands and mutters “what a shame”, instead of realizing all these guys are basically egotists whose feet have to be held to the fire by the base, and if they stray they might be up ffor an electoral spanking.
I think McCain basically knows he has the average Republican by the shorties. For all his strayings and flirtings with the Democrats on policy, we know he is not a socialist as Hillary and Obama are. SO WE”RE STUCK WITH HIM.
It's become the RINO wing of the Democrat Party. And the only way we're going to get rid of it is by not rewarding these liberal sellouts with our votes just because they have that magical 'R' by their names.
And it's up to us to show McCain that it's really the other way around.
Remember:
He’s done more than flirt. I’m wondering if he doesn’t sometimes go by the name “Kristen”, except he sells himself for less than she does.
What is exactly going on in this party?
Most people are semi-comfortable in their lives, and are easily distracting by shiny objects. These people are easily lead by the MSM, and vote accordingly. They were told that Fred was too old and just an actor. They were told, well nothing, about Duncan Hunter. They were told that McCain was the candidate of choice, and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If only most were like our members here, then we’d have a quality candidate. Instead, we have John McCain.
“...whose feet have to be held to the fire by the base, and if they stray they might be up ffor an electoral spanking.”
That only works if they actually get an electoral spanking. Of course, if a poster on this forum advocates holding McCain accountable for his actions by not voting for him (which is the ONLY way to hold him accountable) that poster gets called childish, a traitor to the troops, a closet DU activist and worse.
As long as Republican voters are more afraid of the Democrats than they are disgusted with the Republicans, we will never again have a conservative President.
We have at least one other within the party about to bolt and run under some other banner such as the CP. Good riddance if they can’t work within the party.
..and there are more inependents than registered repubs.
I’m really sorry I didn’t know more about Duncan Hunter. It’s like he was a non-entity only when I was pay half-attention to the whole primary race.
I really don’t know how strong the feeling is among conservatives to possibly sit out this election out. The whole Republican primary season has been a zoo. Conservatives were never really happy with anyone who put himself in the race. Romney was looking better. Giuliani flopped (never really had a chance nationally). Then in comes Huck a Doodle as the golden boy of the evangelicals (many of whom do have a problem with Mormonism, even if they won’t admit it) who mucked up the process even further. McCain is and has been part of the party Establishment, and that estbalishment is not conservative or as conservative any longer. Tactically, if he wins the White House, how can conservatives hold his feet to the fire. I still believe McCain has conservatives over the barrel at this point. It could change but I don’t see it yet.
Why wouldn’t McCain have considered a switch to the Democratic Party after the 2000 primary?
In runup to SC’s vote, the R’s were calling his child a black bastard and his wife a drug addict. Even if McCain still doesn’t understand the difference between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, Sen. McCain has shown a unique talent for flip-flopping on a variety of important political issues.
A freeper posted that McCain might change parties if he wins the election.
I agree with you in so far as Republicans not afraid enough of a Democrat in power. I pretty much know what the ideological purity of conservativsm basically consists of, but I am more scared of having a flamboyant, flagrant socialist in power than anything else. I don’t see sitting out the election as a viable option at this juncture even though I am not delighted with the choice we have.
The bottom line is that if the demand were there, we’d have a Conservative candidate. We didn’t even have close to one. Now, you do the best with what you have and just STOP WHINING about what SHOULD have been...that serves NO purpose.
The best thing we can do is make it clear what we expect from McCain and HOLD HIM TO IT. The time for talking and debating is OVER...it’s over. Man up and do what you have to do. All this sissy whining is so unbecoming.
Sounds good, except I couldn't go along with this until there is a Dem candidate that doesn't scare the crap out of me.
Who’s whining? Not me, I pray daily for this country. I work outside in the real world and actually spread the word instead of whine.
There are many who are doing the same thing and we certainly are not whining.
As for the bottom line, worry about yourself.
A bit defensive..not surprising.
A bit defensive..not surprising.
What happen in 1994 is the Country Club Republicans feather beds got pushed aside. Rush went down to try and train the new elected GOP to change their ways. The old guard has been trying to reestablish the old days again. McCain is one of the old guard. There was no real selection this time. Only Romney had enough money to be his own man if he made that choice. I would have voted for Romney but “Trust but Verify”.
No, McCain has done a fine job of doing that on his own.
I understand your position. It is unfortunately what is going to allow the Republicans to continue to drift ever leftward. As long as conservatives vote out of fear instead of principle, they are telling the Republican Party that they will accept any candidate the party puts up, however liberal, however anathema to conservative values that candidate is.
My prediction - If McCain is elected, he will switch to an Independent (if that is even possible for a sitting president to do).
by independents you mean democrats that don't like to be called democrats
Well that’s a shock. McCain thought about being a democrat.
He’s tried his hardest to be loved by the dems, -
he was against tax cuts “for the rich”, now he’s for them
-against border control, now he’s for control
-believes in global warming and is willing to support “tax legislation” in order to do “something” based on junk science
-state’s he’s an environmentalist and refuses to allow drilling in ANWAR
-probably has more skeletons in the closet than John Wayne Gacy.... figuratively speaking, with Keating 5 etc....
This election is all about who controls congress and the senate.
I suspect that the NYT is trying to separate McCain from the conservatives
mccain separted himself form conservatives and conservatives have seperated from him.
I suspect that McCain was told by Soros et.al. to stay in the Republican party because he could cause much more trouble from the inside than he could by becoming another Democrat. JMO.
I am a grown man and am working on my 2nd combat tour, I am not scared of boogie men/women lol.If he wins I want these so called conservatives here to try to figure out a way that he does not run in 2012. the party needs to be purged or we as conservatives need to build up another party, maybe Conservative Party.
I think you're in for a surprise in the unlikely event that McCain is elected.
Really pleased to see you posting again on a McCain thread, General MurryMom, OUR FIRST FEMALE FIGHTER PILOT IN THE U.S. ARMED SERVICES.
That wouldn't have a thing to do with the Republican party having so many like you and so few conservatives who are now swelling the ranks of the Independents.
It would have raised the median IQ of both parties.
If he is, then it really is time to start building a bomb shelter and squirrel away provisions.
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