Free Republic

(snip) The Tucson paper's editorial board noted that he represents a border state affected by Washington's inaction. "Yes. Yes. I do. But so does the senator from New Mexico and the senators from California and all the border states all along. But it seems to me that the proposal should come, it's the obligation of the president of the United States to come forward with what he thinks is a proposal and then maybe we can all work together and get it resolved," he said. "So what have I done?" he added. "Not enough."Still, McCain said he expects to hold...

By Laura Meckler So what exactly happened when the chairman of the Republican National Committee met with immigration activists Wednesday? According to a news release put out by the activists, he said he would try and recruit Republican support for comprehensive immigration legislation. The RNC says he made no such commitment. The immigration activist who led the meeting said he did, but then backpedaled after being signaled by a staffer that he may have gone too far.

U.S. Sen. John McCain is blasting his challenger J.D. Hayworth, saying he’s mischaracterized his record to score political points in the wake of the murder of a Douglas rancher over the weekend. Former Congressman Hayworth is blasting back, meanwhile, saying McCain’s record on immigration is out of step with what Arizona wants. Speaking on a Phoenix broadcast station about the case of Robert Krentz, who was believed to have been shot and killed by an illegal immigrant, Hayworth said he has long advocated for a military presence on the border while McCain worked on an “amnesty bill” with former U.S....

John McCain spent more in the last three months than he did the entire 2004 cycle. His campaign announced Wednesday that it raised $2.2 million this quarter and now has $4.5 million cash on hand. The Arizona senator came into 2010 with $5.05 million banked, which means he's spent $2.75 million in the last three months. In 2004, McCain ran unopposed in the GOP primary and spent $2.1 million defeating a poorly funded Democratic opponent in the general. J.D. Hayworth, McCain's primary challenger, hasn't yet released his numbers but a spokesman said they were "pleased" with the figures.

(snip) Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer joined U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in calling for federal officials to send more National Guard troops to the Mexican border. "The federal government must do all it can within its power to curb this violence and protect its citizens from criminals coming across the border from Mexico," McCain wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a former Arizona governor. (snip)

Seeing my father reunited with Sarah Palin this weekend reminded voters of what might have been and presented an energizing glimpse of the future of conservative politics. My father formally kicked off his Senate reelection seat this weekend, and once again Sarah Palin was by his side. Although I did make it home, unfortunately I couldn’t get back in time for the rally in Tucson because of a previously scheduled speech in Washington. Soon after I landed, I was immediately swept back into to the 2008 campaign fever, which for the most part feels like a lifetime ago. Fresh off...

Sarah Palin and John McCain appearing on Greta NOW on the FNC!

Tea Party Favorite Heads to Arizona to Help Running Mate Battle a Primary Challenge From Immigration Foe Hayworth. BY TAMARA AUDI PHOENIX—Like many of his fellow Tea Party activists, Lee Earle adores former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. But when Ms. Palin shows up at a pair of rallies in Arizona on Friday and Saturday, he won't be attending. That's because Ms. Palin is coming to stump for her former running mate, Sen. John McCain. Mr. Earle is backing J.D. Hayworth, Mr. McCain's challenger in the Republican primary on Aug. 24. Mr. Hayworth, a former congressman and talk-radio host, has become...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he is not abandoning negotiations on a comprehensive energy and climate bill even as he warns of partisan gridlock following the Democrats' push this week to pass health care reform. "It's going to make it very difficult to do anything complicated and controversial," Graham told reporters yesterday. "I'm still committed to trying to roll out a vision of how you can price carbon and make it business-friendly. We're still going to do that. ... But the truth of the matter is, I think you're going to find most of our colleagues around here risk adverse."...

MANISTEE, Mich./WACO, Texas/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some Tea Partiers say they can pinpoint the precise moment when they made it clear to the Republican Party they had no intention of being its lapdog. On a bright, brisk afternoon in mid-February, with snow still thick on the ground from storms that had battered Washington the week before, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele met with more than 50 members of the Tea Party, the Twitter Age conservative movement that is reshaping the U.S. political landscape. Steele, RNC chairman since January 2009, had invited them to the plush Capitol Hill Club, built as...

Longtime incumbent John McCain now leads conservative challenger J.D. Hayworth by just seven points in Arizona’s hotly contested Republican Senate Primary race. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Arizona GOP Primary voters shows McCain ahead 48% to 41%. Three percent (3%) favor another candidate, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. Following the announcement that Sarah Palin would campaign for his reelection, McCain opened up a 53% to 31% lead over Hayworth in January. The two men were in a near tie in November. But now Hayworth, a former congressman turned popular local talk radio host, is a formal...

This weekend, dozens of Southern Californians plan to march in Washington for immigration reform, joining thousands of activists from around the country. Today, a different group of Southern Californians – members of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce – heard from a U.S. senator who took a lot of political heat for his efforts at immigration reform. The question arose at lunch during the Chamber’s annual lobbying trip to Washington. What did Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona think the U.S. should do about the “flood of immigrants” “running over” California? McCain cosponsored the last major immigration reform bill with...

PHOENIX (AP) — John McCain and Sarah Palin are scheduled to campaign together in Arizona next week for the first time since they conceded the presidential election in Phoenix in 2008. Palin and McCain will be at a rally and picnic in Tucson on March 26, followed the next day by a rally in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.

Link only, per FR posting rules

NASHUA – Health care reform and government spending were on the minds of those who turned out for a town hall meeting with Sen. John McCain, who was visiting New Hampshire to support U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte. Ayotte, a Republican and Nashua native, is seeking the seat Sen. Judd Gregg will vacate at the end of this term. (snip) McCain called the Democrats’ health care legislation a “train wreck” that is “full of budget gimmicks and full of assumptions that can’t be realized.” McCain also criticized Democrats for adding trillions to the national deficit, which he said would increase...

The tea party movement exploded onto the political scene in 2009 as a backlash to the agenda pushed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, but a little more than a year later, a POLITICO survey found tea party activists unhappy with many of the biggest names in the Republican Party. And that could complicate GOP plans to harness the energy of the tea parties as they head into the November midterm elections with hopes of rearranging the balance of power in Washington. In a survey of more than three dozen grass-roots tea party leaders from 29 states, the party’s...

Sen. John McCain's campaign is calling on his primary challenger to disavow the backing of an anti-illegal immigration group that permits the use of terms such as "wetbacks" and "pepper bellies" – derisive epithets sometimes used for immigrants – on its website. "Let's be clear: Congressman [J.D.] Hayworth's continued flirtation with extreme groups that condone racism only opens the door for liberals to falsely paint all opponents of illegal immigration as bigots. Congressman Hayworth should immediately disavow this group’s support and commit to never again associating himself with groups that accept this kind of hateful and counterproductive rhetoric," McCain campaign...

Jeb Bush is finally endorsing in the big GOP primary, but it's not the primary we've been waiting for. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) reelection campaign announced Wednesday that Bush will back him over former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). We'll continue to wait and see whether Bush feels the need to weigh into the GOP primary in his home state. At this point, though, he'd really just be piling on by endorsing Marco Rubio over Charlie Crist. Here's Bush's statement: "As we continue to face tough challenges both at home and abroad, America needs leaders like Senator John McCain in the...

When March 26, 2010 Time 5:30pm – 8:30pm Where Arizona Biltmore 2400 East Missouri Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85016 You are cordially invited to a reception and dinner with Governor Sarah Palin in support of the re-election of U.S. Senator John McCain on Friday, March 26th. For more information and to RSVP please click here. (snip) [Ed. Note: the following text is from the donation/RSVP Web page for the event.] Honorary Co-Chairs Senator Jon Kyl Congressman Jeff Flake Congressman Trent Franks Congressman John Shadegg Event Co-Chairs Vicki & Jim Click Anita & Ross Farnsworth Sharon & Dr. Oliver Harper Cathy &...

Until last night, when I watched the Republican debate, I had no idea how much John McCain dislikes me and just about everybody else but Rudy Giuliani, who if you believe The New York Times is a pretty good hater himself. As I watched McCain and Governor Romney go at it during the debate at the Reagan Library I was struck by the huge gap that separates McCain -- whose contempt for his fellow humans is patently obvious -- and my dad, Ronald Reagan, who had nothing but the deepest affection and respect for the American people. The feeling is...