Posted on 04/24/2008 2:25:21 PM PDT by The_Republican
Having regained some force in Pennsylvania, the tornado of insult and innuendo that is the Democratic Party’s nomination fight will now touch down in four more states. But while Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama regroup this week, John McCain is off doing something that, while lacking the same kind of drama, has a significance of its own. Mr. McCain and his advisers decided this week to embark on a tour of some of the places that symbolize the fragility of America’s promise, even if they aren’t the kind of places that Republicans often go: Selma, Ala.; Youngstown, Ohio; New Orleans; Inez, Ky., the Appalachian town where Lyndon Johnson once touted his War on Poverty.
There’s plenty of political artifice here, of course, and Democrats have been quick to deride the tour as a cynical publicity stunt. In a blast e-mail, the Democratic National Committee pointed out, for instance, that Youngstown is far better off today for having received the kind of congressional earmarks that Mr. McCain has vowed to veto if he becomes president. (Now there’s an interesting strategy for the fall: “Vote Democrat, the Party of Pork.”) But Mr. McCain’s hard-luck tour should not be so blithely dismissed, if for no other reason that it may reveal something about his theory of the electorate that presages a break with his party’s recent past.
Although it seems like it was about 100 years ago, you’ll recall that George W. Bush ran as a “compassionate conservative” in 2000, hoping to blunt the Democratic advantage among some suburban voters. But then came the stark blue and red electoral map that seemed to illustrate American’s hardened cultural divisions, followed closely by the standoff in Florida, and by the time they finally captured Washington.......
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
The middle? If McCain is the middle, then I’m tipping off the right end of the spectrum. McCain is center left. He isn’t even on the right side of the spectrum, but then a large portion of the RP is right there with him, and they don’t have a clue.
You need a new compass or GPS system. Your co-ordinate system is all messed up.
Tell you what, I’ll put my co-oridnate system up against John’s any day of the week.
If he’s going to stiffle conservative thought, then he’s off the reservation.
Right on brother! The Kool-Aid Krowd will take major issue with you however. Unfortunately Jim’s forum has become a sounding board for the left leaning GOP.
He is allowing honest debate. I say take it to the folks who haven’t a clue, and see what gells.
Like my tagline?
It includes an example of what will become the norm from 2009 to 2017 if my friends don’t wake up.
Stifle thought? You must be joking.
Oh, I don't think so... I know DoughtyOne uses the same brand as me... Calibrated perfectly to Reagan Conservatism, and mine shows exactly the same thing.
McCain doesn’t have a clue. He went to Youngstown and told people they’re “jobs aren’t coming back”, and did so sanctimoniously, as if his support for “free” trade and open borders isn’t much the cause of that situation.
I’m sure the MSM would love McCain to hurry up and actually lock down a guaranteed first round ballot win so they can start unleashing the real dirt. Alas, for them, I don’t think he can do it any longer. Much of his delegate count is made up of unpledged delegates that are free to change their first ballot vote if he explodes before the convention.
With all due respect, what is a campaign commercial if not an expression of thought? This commercial was exposing the conservative view of Obama and other Democrats cozying up with Wright.
McCain got the add pulled. Don’t you vew that as stiffling Conservative thought. It sure isn’t allowing it to be expressed or per chance be adopted by others who find those connections to Wright to be problematic.
Sadly, I do have to agree with it. You’re talking to a guy who spend the last 40 years thinking the RP got it, only to find out it never did truly get it.
So yes, your tagline is an acknowledgement that I must support.
He is an arrogant leftist bastard.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Yeah, the middle between Teddy Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi.
I agree, and here’s to that explosion. May it come sooner rather than later! Now is fine, but I’d actually prefer about ten days before the convention.
The stench up there is going to be terrible.
If a Campaign doesn’t think that kind of commercial helps them they have a right to complain about it. You are the one who is stifling thoughts.
Sean Hannity is loud mouth McCain Basher. What do you think would happen if ran for office? He would not win even a Republican Primary for Congress, much less higher office.
You can’t run as angry basher EVEN IF YOUR ARGUMENT IS JUSTIFIED, and hope to form a Majority coalition. No one likes angry aholes. However, concepts of WINNING and MAJORITY are foreign to you.
Thanks Roamer_1. You nailed it.
Even when Reagan didn’t quite hit the mark, he was a lover of the United States, and understood that Conservatism was the only way to make sure it’s founding principles remained in tact.
Reagan had some terrible things to confront in his day. Focusing on them, he may have let some things slip through that I wouldn’t have.
If he were here with us today, I don’t have one doubt in my mind that he would be supporting sovereignty and sacred borders until his dying breath.
I’ll take a cup of that any day.
To be fair, that's only one of McCain's problems.
He can’t appeal to them?
What John says he is won’t matter. What will matter is that everything he does will be blamed on Conservatives, as the media labels him that way for the next eight years.
A man who has very little to actually connect him to us, will none the less cost us dearly as he screws up time after time in our name.
John still claims he’s a Conservative. I’ve seen him do it in the last few weeks. And the media loves to label him that way.
My coordinates are the same as yours.
I’m not drinking the kool-aid - or taking the poison pill!
I do like your tag-line - do you like mine?
Come the general election, McCain will be toast. The press and the “moderates” he panders to will elect the Democrat. McCain is more critical of us conservatives than he is of the most ardent leftists.
How very McCain of you!
I have no doubt that party-over-principle Republicans would endorse a "REPUBLICAN" Kerry/Lieberman ticket if the only other major-party alternative was an Obama/Gore Democrat ticket. "Lesser evil", and the need to "win" would be the rallying calls, and we would similarly be lambasted for our stubborn refusal to be "pragmatic".
Absolutely. McCain in the Membrane!!! Its time for Raining McCain Girls to steal that Red-Hot-Chilli Peppers song!!! LOL!
Go McCain! Win! Win the War! Kill Spending! Stop Waste!
Meanwhile, Ovary-Nazis can rot in hell.
You bet I do. Are you single? LOL, I’m not. Just kidding.
I like seeing women with a good head on their shoulders.
I too think folks are forgetting what the press is going to do to McCain. Good luck John. He’s going to be torn to shreds in ways we haven’t seen before IMO. Those who defended him here are going to want ot crawl into a hole and pull a rock in after them by the time the press is done.
I wish I could defend John. Instead I’ll just back and say, “We told you so, and you were too smart to listen. Drink up!”
I agree with your comments/comparisons, and I welcome seeing others make them. Good call.
We're veering terribly close to real issues here.
One of many problems with McCain is his irrational thinking.
I've seen video of McCain talking about McCain/Feingold. He said he saw the corrupting influence of of money in Congress.
Did McCain report or stop the likely illegal corruption? No. Instead he decided he had to get the money out of politics.
Did McCain get the money out of politics? No. Did McCain do what Congress does best and apply a 90%, 95% or even 99% tax on contributions that would would get money out of politics? No.
McCain decided that the best way to get money out of politics was to take away portions of our civil right to free political speech. We can't say his name in opposition advertisements 60 days before an election.
I have a real problem with McCain who thinks that the answer to a corrupt Congress is to take away my civil right to free political speech.
Sshhh........527s. Don’t let anyone know I told you about it.
Hey, I've got one of those, too. Had it since, oh, 1979 or so.
The "party before ideology" crowd just can't accept that John McCain made a 90-degree turn to port and just kept on going. The one place that the GOP candidate's compass never, ever points is... to the right.
Thanks! I’m married - 34 years this fall. I’m just glad to see there are still people around here that are thinking this thing through long term. I’m with whoever said up-thread that they hoped he had a melt-down before the convention.
Oh please, please make it so.
Absolutely.
I’ll take a cup of that any day.
Me too! Cheers!
So in the place of my civil right to free political speech, I can jump through a bunch of legal hoops and maybe I'll be allowed to speak?
How generous of you and Mr McCain!
Oh believe me....you had to do the same before....
Then why was McCain/Feingold necessary, and why are the press exempt from McCain/Feingold?
What does your tagline mean?
Just make them own their hate attack - I am whoever and I approve this message. Would it be better if individuals are paying millions to individual candidates? There were limits before, only now they are tighter. It is a slippery slope and I understand that, but if it is truly unconstitutional, people need to challenge it and take it to SC.
Hillary’s gender is exciting ladies.
OK. Then, if McCain really wasn't compromising our free speech rights, then he must've been lying about getting the money out of politics.
Which one is it?
And what was his motivation behind McCain-Kennedy? To get us all stirred up about illegal aliens so that we could stop Congress when he couldn't?
Face it. John McCain is not a conservative. He might've been once, but he is no longer.
Instead, he is a creature of Washington. If he wins, Washington wins. Just like if Obama or Clinton wins, Washington wins.
Whichever of three is elected, government is going to expand...and undertake even more stupid programs and leach away more of our freedoms.
And we lose.
McCain may be the worst GOP candidate since Benjamin Harrison. Still, though, he'll probably win...
What are you talking about? Getting money out of politics? Thats like getting white out of milk.
Reducing influence and it has.
For example, he himself has to go to public financing because unlike in the past, he can’t go and ask deep-pockets, 50K each or something like that.
Hildabeast is all tapped out by her 4,600 per pop donors. Now they are claiming she got 50K new donors in 24 HRs. I don’t buy it. They probably found a way to launder money through internet. Couple of years from now President Hillary would be answering questions and blaming Right Wing for laundering money today. I digress.
Small donations or public financing looks like the wave of the future.
If John McCain wins Al Qaida loses. You won’t see them dancing in streets of Baghdad. Lobbyist would lose too. Pigs eating at Public trough would choke to death as well.
NONE OF WHICH WOULD HAPPEN IF OBAMA OR HILLARY WIN.
Face it, you have to deny reality to EQUATE all three of them. You have let your anger get better off you. You want him to lose so bad that you have to find some justification, any justification, whether its reality based or not.
Local and state governments are hardly equipped to handle multi-state national disasters.
Why not? The recovery in Mississippi was right on track while all the attention is given to NOLA. Besides, what is the President going to do, hold up a big wind screen?
There is only 2 things in the middle (of the road), yellow stripes and dead skunks!
Burn down the RNC’s big tent!
Louisiana in particular suffered devastating damage beyond the capacity of a state and/or local government to provide all the necessary action. The fact is MS is still rebuilding to this day.
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