Posted on 01/27/2010 11:45:56 AM PST by Maelstorm
Sen. John McCain’s Republican primary opponent may have spoken at Tea Party rallies, but that doesn’t mean he automatically has the support of the conservative grassroots groups in his quest to unseat the 2008 Republican presidential candidate.
Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth left his Phoenix talk radio show last week to challenge McCain for the Republican nomination to be Arizona’s senator. Even though Hayworth will likely market himself as the conservative alternative in the race — and draw some Tea Party supporters angry with McCain — not all groups are immediately putting their full resources towards him.
On Monday, when Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks released their list of more than 65 congressional races across the country with candidates they either support or want defeated, the Arizona Senate race was noticeably absent.
Matt Kibbe, president and chief executive of FreedomWorks in Washington, D.C., said the group isn’t targeting McCain because there are “some places where you can sort of make that difference and other places where you stay out.”
“John McCain has stepped up on health care and even cap and trade, which he has a very mixed history on. He’s … stepped up, and I think people respect that,” Kibbe said.
Lisa Miller of Alexandria, Va., who formed Tea Party WDC, said she’s unsure whether Tea Party groups will back Hayworth because he “waited for a fairly long time period before jumping in” the race.
“[McCain] would be a real challenge to overcome, but I don’t think it’s impossible,” she said of Hayworth’s chances.
Miller, who said she’d like to see McCain challenged, said she sent Hayworth, who was a sportscaster before turning to politics, an email telling him to “either declare or let someone else step forward.”
“We don’t want to allow any incumbent that has voted for tax and spending to go unchallenged on a primary level. Not a one. And that includes not only our party, but the Democratic Party,” Miller said.
Mark Meckler, national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, said “the movement is there” for Hayworth, who came into Congress with the 1994 Republican Revolution and was defeated for re-election in 2006.
“Lots of people know who J.D. is, and I think he speaks to the movement,” he said.
Meckler said “people are challenging the establishment because they don’t like the way the establishment candidates have behaved.”
Among issues that Hayworth and Arizona Tea Party groups have criticized McCain for is his stance on immigration and support for a guest worker program.
“John McCain, I know, is behaving in a way that a lot people who consider themselves Republicans or conservatives don’t like,” Meckler said. “And you know, he’s the maverick. And hey — we like that — we’re mavericks too. But a lot of people don’t like his voting record.”
Joni Dahlstrom, president of Verde Valley Republican Women Federated and state coordinator for last April’s tea party events in Arizona, said that she’s not completely convinced that Hayworth is the Tea Party’s candidate of choice yet. She said Hayworth “better get on it” if he’s serious about a challenge. Dahlstrom also said she’s concerned that Hayworth “is another establishment guy, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
“I will not vote for or support McCain,” Dahlstrom said. “I’ll write in my dog first.”
Representatives for McCain did not immediately return a reporter’s request for comment.
Tapping into Tea Party resentment of McCain is something the campaign will have to do, Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose said.
“There is no question when you look at intensity of the support, J.D. Hayworth has it, Senator McCain does not,” he said.
In comparing Hayworth to McCain, Rose said “their records on taxes are black and white,” as “J.D. Hayworth has been a consistent conservative on reducing taxes and Senator McCain has famously flipped-flopped.”
Counting on Tea Party support, Rose said, factored into convincing Hayworth to jump into the race.
“We’re going to actively seek it, we hope for it, we want to earn their support, earn their passion…. and they will absolutely have a seat at the table and be critical to success in Arizona.”
J. D. Hayworth stands head and shoulders above that amnesty giving little mutt John McCain. I don’t know what you are talking about, but whatever it is I don’t think it makes sense.
Here in Montana Conrad Burns lost his seat because the slimey Democrats hammered him about Abramov. They never mentioned that lots of legislators, Democrats and Republican, got money from from Abramov.
There is a Democratic creep named MacDonld running right now to unseat Denny Rheberg, the Republican Congressman. MacDonald was the head of the Democratic Party when Conrad was running. After they stole the race and got John Tester elected, MacDonald claimed that Burns was going to be indicted momentarily.
He said that to me during a series of Emails we exchanged. I had pointed out to him that Conrad Burns had not even been indicted for anything. The last message he sent me stated emphatically that Burns would be indicted within the next two days, convicted and sent to jail.
A couple of days later, on about page eight in the Missoulian, it was announced that the Burns investigation found no evidence of wrong doing by Burns. He was exonerated
So I would suggest that you bring some proof that J.D. Hayworth did anything wrong before you start bad mouthing him. John McCain is a disgrace to his office. He couldn’t shine J.D. Hayworht’s shoes.
“And then he got acerbic: Cheney, he says, “believes that waterboarding doesn’t fall under the Geneva Conventions and that it’s not a form of torture. But you know, it goes back to the Spanish Inquisition.”
Yesterday on Fox News, McCain reiterated that waterboarding is “not a new technique, and it is certainly torture.” “You hear it from al Qaeda operatives that when we torture people and it becomes public, then it helps them recruit,” he said.
Watch it here:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/22/mccain-cheney-torture/
This fool must go.
Most aptly put JR!
Maybe. But the Tea Party is unanimous in its primary goal of ousting the incumbents who created this mess! That's the entire purpose of the TEA Party!!
And RINO McCain bears s lion's share of the responsibility.
Down with McCain!! Just vote them out in 2010!!
Rebellion is brewing!!
Afraid to read this thread. Bummed out by the Palin haters who appear on every McCain post.
I did join the Hayworth group on Facebook and would vote for him if I were in Arizona.
Armey does not represent the Tea Party movement.
Exactly .......... and that's what we need!
Armey’s group is just one of thousands of like-minded groups in the Tea Party movement. He has a lot of followers but his voice is just one of millions. I am thankful he is part of us.
This should be a no-brainer for the Tea Partiers. McCain needs to go post-haste, and the sooner J.D. can knock him out, the better!
Throw all the Bums Out, we need a better quality of crook.
Pray for America and Gov Palin
Keating 5
“Hayworth voted blindly with his party.”
Balderdash!
He opposed Bush/McCain Amnesty. THAT is what this is ALL about. Those backing McCain want amnesty. The large majority of America, does not.
As for Dick Armey....same thing...he’s an open border rino!
Tea Partiers, Armey is using you!
His record and words are the evidence. Not the GOP hype.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2438455/posts?page=12#12
Know what I remember most about Dick Armey? It was just before the NAFTA vote, early ‘90’s. There was a round table discussion including Milton Friedman on Cspan. Friedman was Armey’s teacher at one time. Too bad he didn’t listen. Armey was pushing NAFTA (and any other lopsided trade deal around), Friedman was not. Friedman said, “Nafta is NOT free trade, it is managed trade”.
His record on Immigration...NOT good.
http://profiles.numbersusa.com/improfile.php3?DistSend=TX&VIPID=915
First, conservatives don’t want “a true outsider” per se. The want a true CONSERVATIVE.
And McCain, although he is conservative on some issues, has infuriated actual conservatives on many issues, including amnesty, Gore-bal warming, opposition to tax cuts. Perhaps worse, he seems (IMO) to take glee in “crossing the aisle” LEFTWARD, but only rarely seems to relish attacking the left. (To his credit, he’s done so this past year, but who hasn’t?)
For all Hayworth’s possible flaws, many feel it is time to send McCain into an honorable retirement. And primaries are the place to do it.
MY thoughts exactly! He's a loose cannon and not to be trusted, IMO.
We get rid of the deadwood. If JD doesn't work out, flush him out with the next election . . .and we keep flushing until we get the right guy in. Keeping in incumbents is saying you're happy with the way things are.
Thank you.
A reliable conservative is all we’re looking for and JD Hayworth fits that need!
BUMP!
Screw FreedomWorks, Screw Armey, and screw McCain.
This is a conservative site - go some place else!
Why McCain should not be re-elected? In a word. Illegal Immigration Supporter. We also suspect he is a gay rights supporter. Since this would likely be his last 6-year term, there would be NO constraints on this maverick whose lackluster campaign gave us the current WH occupant. Together with Graham of S. Carolina they will cause havoc for the party and the nation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.