Posted on 02/06/2008 10:46:00 AM PST by Froufrou
Republican John McCain, buoyed by Super Tuesday wins that pushed him closer to the nomination, told his conservative critics Wednesday to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree.
"I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar.
Reinforced by Tuesday's returns as the front-runner in the Republican race for president, the Arizona senator took a break from campaigning to return to Washington, where he planned to speak to a gathering of conservatives Thursday.
"I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," McCain said.
He was talking about well-known talk radio figures and commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, some of whom are talking about boycotting McCain's candidacy if he captures the nomination.
"I think they've made their case against me pretty eloquently, and I think the majority of Republicans across the board have stated their view," McCain said.
He said he has no plans to reach out personally to Limbaugh, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson or others but would let his message speak for him
"Our message will be that we all share common principles, common conservative principles, and we should coalesce around those issues in which we are in agreement and I hope respectfully disagree on a few specific issues there's disagreement on," McCain said.
Dobson released a statement Tuesday saying: "I am convinced Senator McCain is not a conservative, and in fact has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are." Conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter has said she'd vote and campaign for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton if McCain is the GOP nominee. Limbaugh has said a McCain nomination would destroy the Republican party.
Some conservatives object to McCain's positions on immigration and campaign finance reform, among other issues. They consider his immigration proposals equivalent to amnesty and his efforts to limit money in politics a violation of free speech. On those issues, McCain joined with liberal Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Russell Feingold, respectively.
McCain defended his efforts to reach beyond the Republican party.
"One thing I'm convinced of, without a doubt, is that conservatives are glad when Joe Lieberman and I worked together in establishing the 9/11 Commission and then moved and got many of their recommendations into law," McCain said.
Sen. Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee who now is an independent from Connecticut, has been campaigning with McCain and appeared with him at the news conference.
McCain said he would return to campaigning Thursday, because "I think we've got to try to wrap this thing up as quickly as possible." There are GOP contests Saturday in Louisiana and Kansas and Tuesday in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
He took a break from campaigning to return Wednesday to Congress, where the Senate was voting on a $200 billion economic aid package aimed at avoiding a recession.
Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, still locked in a tight struggle, also were returning to the Senate.
On the campaign trail, McCain has promised he will offer specific proposals to help the economy recover.
The issue is important for McCain, because rival Mitt Romney has attacked his economic qualifications. But on Tuesday, McCain had an advantage among voters who said the economy was their top concern.
"I think every day that goes by and Congress does not act on a stimulus package, I think is not helpful," McCain said. "If I had written that package, it would've been somewhat different, but we need to send a signal to the markets and the American economy that we're trying to do some things in their behalf."
McCain has won more than twice as many delegates as either Romney or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But after victories in the West for Romney and in the South for Huckabee, the two rivals insisted they would stay in the race.
I just made use of their self-addressed postage-paid envelope to tell them that very thing today.
Stole it from Rush fair and square.
Critics on the Right to McCain: bite me.
McCain is the best conservative there is, when he needs their votes.
This guy has been inside the beltway for so long that he does not get it — nor will he ever get it. He spit in our faces and then ridiculed us for objecting to his rancid expectoration. And now, his word for us is: Get over it.
No, Senator Backstab. We won’t be getting over your betrayal of us any more than you’ll make it to November without pulling a Captain Queeg and showing he entire world that you’re a schizophrenic sociopath.
That's a fine, but self-defeating idea. If the "conservatives" went off to form their own party, it would be a minority party for decades to come.
While I commend you for your demeanor, I want to point out that I gave Thompson about 4 times as much as I gave Hunter, and yet I got a recorded “thank you” call from Hunter.
I think a live person would have delivered it to me, had I been home at the time the call was made!
“Staying at home will only help the political left at every political level become even more powerful throughout the U.S.!”
You’re making too much sense for the so-called “principled conservatives” on this thread. Knock it off, will you? (I’m sure those same people LOVED the 8 years of Clinton we got as a result of their antics in 1992.)
I can’t stand McCain either, but I will definitely vote for him over Obama or Hillary. In my mind, half a loaf is better than none, and his record on abortion (meaning the votes he ACTUALLY CAST on judges) is better than either of Hillary or Obama.
DID ANYONE FROM THE PRESS CHALLENGE THIS LIE? THE MAJORITY VOTED AGAINST MCLAME.
>”I think they’ve made their case against me pretty eloquently, and I think the majority of Republicans across the board have stated their view,” McCain said.<
Defending his efforts, even John McCain admits that he does in fact suck!
I’m as calm as can be and calm enough to write in Duncan Hunter.
My response is not fit to print.
One thing I did, in response to a RNC solicitation for money yesterday, told them to take a hike. Let the donations dry up to the RNC and just maybe they’ll start to take notice. Send your donations instead to the candidate(s) of your choice.
He can't even be gracious. Well Senator, I got a message for you - SC**W YOU! And that goes to all of the McCainiac supporters! I will never, never vote for you. And if you are the nominee, than I don't vote. I'm sick and tired of these establishment GOPers telling me to hold my nose, crawl over glass, etc. I see and hear it starting at the county level, the state level, to the national level. No more money from me, no more votes from me.
Love it!
:^)
Rush knows that if he caves in to McCain he will lose HIS base of supporters. McCain will destroy the Reagan/Bush/Rove Revolution, and Rush has more smarts than to hitch his wagon to this burned-out rino.
No way will I vote for this waffling RINO. But what disturbs me even more is how did he get in a position that he’s the likely nominee. Conservatives are failing at getting their message out. I fear for our country.
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