Loading ...Panamanian-Born Arizona Senator, Señor John McCain, Has Alienated His Conservative Base
The Washington Post‘s L. Brent Bozell poses the question:
From the Right, He Looks Too Blue
Think real conservatives will vote for John McCain? Don’t count on itThe conservative talk-show community? Don’t mind them — they’re irrelevant.
This message from John McCain surrogates and other members of the political class is filling the airwaves and op-ed pages. In the Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard Executive Editor Fred Barnes recently wrote that McCain needn’t worry that conservatives are uncomfortable with his candidacy, because “while they love to grumble and grouse, conservatives tend to be loyal Republicans who wind up voting for their party’s candidate.”
In the same pages, novelist Mark Helprin, a former adviser to Robert J. Dole’s presidential campaign, savaged conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin for daring to speak out against McCain. “Rather than playing recklessly with electoral politics by sabotaging their own party,” he wrote, “each of these compulsive talkers might be a tad less self-righteous, look to the long run, discipline himself, suck it up, and be a man.”
I know the conservative movement. I’ve been in the trenches fighting for an alphabet soup of conservative causes for 30 years. I’ve raised hundreds of millions of dollars for it. And I earnestly hope that McCain isn’t listening to the advice he’s getting from these folks. Their thinking betrays a fundamental misreading of the conservative pulse in America today.
Conservative leaders, particularly those in talk radio, cannot and will not be silent. They will not betray their principles and their audiences. Tens of millions of activists turn to them for guidance. These activists could be, and need to be, McCain’s ground troops, but unless and until conservatives believe him — and believe in him — they will not work for his election. McCain may have the Beltway crowd in his corner, but grass-roots conservatives aren’t sold.
Yet through his surrogates, McCain is attacking these leaders. This is beyond folly. It is political suicide. …”
Hmm. “Political suicide”. Imagine that…
See, I have a friend who works for the McCain Campaign and he tells me the same thing. He tells me Señor McCain of both Panama and Arizona doesn’t even understand the importance of communicating with “wannabe” volunteers who go to his website and fill out the form to make themselves available to help him win. Not even an auto-generated response. It would be surprising if we weren’t talking about a 70-Plus year old Republican here. After all, the “Internet is a tewell of da’ debil” to guys like these. “Probably nothin’ but a bunch of pedophiles anyway”, he must be thinking. Yet another example of “political suicide” by the McCain Camp.
Of course, there’s chaos and disrespect. There’s nothing worse than a liberal in “conservative clothing” (Señor McCain), or the opposite in (so-called) “former” Republican activist and Wal-Mart Director Sir Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton. “RINO”… “DINO”… what is REALLY the difference anyway?
The funny thing is, the damage has already been done in regards to “Panama John’s” campaign. He’s damned if he does pander to the far-right, “WorldNetDaily” brand of wacko and he’s damned if he doesn’t. Should he veer any further to the right to appease the “Bring On Armagheddon!!!” crowd, he’ll lose his liberal voters in a SNAP.
This guy has ventured into quicksand and one can only hope Sir Hillary leans over to lend him a helping hand. An “analogical visual”, to be clear, but I think you MIGHT get my point…
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H/T to MemeOrandum…
See Also: Shakesville; Townhall (Right); The Carpetbagger Report
McCain isn’t the one y’all have to worry about starting Armageddon anyway…considering he’ll probably be running against the anti-christ Obama.
I heard that about half (14/29) of the states the anti-christ Obama “won” are traditional RED STATES. Hillary is at about (3/14). If you just look at who won in states that are likely to go Democrat in the general election, and their potential electoral votes, Hillary gives the Dem’s the best chance of winning.
Obama (the anti-christ) is still nothing but Smoke and Mirrors, empty rhetoric with no plan or vision.
If you go to his web site, try to find an American Flag there, or any other traditional icons that symbolize the USA. It ain’t happenin’ over at the Obama camp.
ANYBODY BUT OBAMA !
Found your blog from “But I am a Liberal!”
http://butiamaliberal.blogspot.com/
I’m probably coming from a different political perspective than “F&B” but I largely agree with the comments. Obama is winning a lot of primaries and caucuses in southern states that will not go to the Democratic Party in the next presidential election cycle. These states will go to the Republicans.
The key states in the general election are the purple or swing states. Very few people who follow these matters expect California or New York to go red nor do they expect any of the “solid south” to go blue. We are watching places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, etc.
The op-ed cited makes some comments that do not mesh with my understanding of talk-radio. This one in particular:
“Conservative leaders, particularly those in talk radio, cannot and will not be silent. They will not betray their principles and their audiences.”
I don’t lend talk radio, especially conservative talk radio, much credence. It’s entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. I feel the same way about people like John Stewart and Michael Moore only they are entertainers for the left. Anyone who constructs their political analyses based on the rants of any of these windbags is a moron. I have confidence that most Americans—at least the ones that I know, “real conservative” or not—are intelligent enough to choose among competing candidates and pick the candidate that best expresses their policy positions or ideological disposition. When the choice is between Clinton/Obama and McCain.
As far as the comments about dissing volunteers. That surely is political suicide. But Bozell is putting way too much emphasis on talk radio. I realize Rush still has a lot of listeners as does Hannity but with the proliferation of the Internet, blogs, etc. (especially among the 18-25 demographic) talk radio is not nearly the force that it once was back in the 1980s.
Yep, havin lots of flags around shows you have nothin but sure-fire, hard core patriots on your side and sure as hell, only honest men wear those pins – men you can trust, like John Wayne and Rambo.
Patriotism or not, Capt Fogg, it does indicate where a person’s priorities are. If “Love of Country” were high on the anti-christ Obama’s list, you can bet his web site would show some indication of that.
Jon Stweart and Michael Moore are just a couple of windbags?
are you aware that Michael Moore has actually saved people’s lives by fighting corporate beaurocrats, and documented it? – that’s not mere ‘entertainment’.
F&B judging his fellow man’s ‘love of country’, what else is new?
I realize most liberal blogs has been swayed by the Obama revival show. I am a libertarian but I do not share this view and see something more
problematic. I hate that…Obama runs his rallys like a revival meeting (for black appeal)..where woman faint in the 3rd row..just within camera range so Obama (the messiah) can offer water…I realize many fools think of him as the 2nd coming.even liberals have been fooled by the hype and the pundits all
weighing in so biased…. but I find you cannot be the little black boy from humble beginnings, with his black granny in a hut and his white
granny struggling to bring him with the lineage that he posesses. who is Obama trying to fool, with
lineage like he has.You cannot be anything but ESTABLISHMENT-STATUS-QUO and ENTITLED INNER CIRCLE of PEDIGREED BLUEBLOODS. who only
went to the best colleges and HE DID.
I heard pundits on msnbc say oh just about anyone could have some presidents in their family..oh pleez! I defy you…Try looking up yours..you
probably won’t find any presidents Obama has 6 presidents (both Bush’s included) 1 VP- 2 supreme court justices-2 congressmen,3 governors 1uk
prime minister-a few of nobility. some industrialists John Pierpont Morgan,John Hinckley the would be assasin,ALEXANDER BRITTON HUME(fox news)
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?????
Don’t be fooled Obama claims Clinton is the establishment, YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING YOU WANT TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU, BUT IF YOU HAVE
NOTHING TO BACK IT UP WITH ABOUT WHO YOU ARE …THAT YOU SAY YOU ARE…WELL THEN…THAT IS JUST PROPAGANDA ..sort of like the kind
Bush uses (Clean air act- just the opposite of what it says it is)
but Clinton has records of things she has fought against like the status quo and the establishment since she was young in politics.it is even on
film….(so Obama camp attacks her achievements and tears her apart as a person, which is completely unfair…as he has nothing to show for
himself) ..
The part that really irks me is the corporate press and pundits sway everyone against Clinton and Bill Clinton a well loved president why?? and the
press and pundits are helping??? I say it is because republicans have always hated him, they tried for 4 + years to get him out of office..Clinton is
their worst nightmare..they finally got him for lying about personal things…but democrats loved Bill Clinton and
Hillary for the most part and …this wreaks republican spin……
It is the corporate press pushing the hate! .the one who really is Establishment & the status-quo, but says he isn’t wow!! with his lineage
definatelyObama …….and his backers boring John Kerry has 13 presidents to include even queen of england ll in his line another blueblood plus
many,many many more and Richardson has 6 presidents etc another blueblood…….look them up on wargsdotcom…they are the INNER CIRCLE of
ENTITLED PEDIGREED BLUEBLOODS and we should all look at how we are all being fooled to thinking we
by words and that we actually have a choice, when it is seems multiple choice among the chosen ones of their inner circle of ENTITLEMENT and old
Establishment Status-Quo personified..is what we are actally getting. WE should be more careful of false promises and hopes as Bush has done for 8
years with no delivery
You may not wish to hear it but Hillary is basically the outsider, and not one of the entitled ones……….but they are painting her as though she
were….the only connection she has to a president is being married to him and she is no more a washingtoin insider than Obama is????
At one time none of us liberals trusted the press as it was pro-Bush, now most pundits are overtly for Obama…ever wonder about that???…now the
same corporate press that was republican is now for Obama..WHY???? that would scare me. The spin is staggering. Do remember one thing.
John Kerry, Chris Dodd,Tom Daschle,Ben Nelson all endorsers of Obama also nonendorser Biden, John Edwards all voted same as Clinton they had
intelligent reports and voted just as senator Clinton did on Iraq war in 2002. Obama wasn’t even a US senator til Jan of 2005, and in his book
audacity of hope said if he were a senator and if he had intell reports he may have changed his mind as well…all hype and lies to get
elected…Shouldn’t we all be concerned with the propaganda we are all spoon fed?? what is this inner circle with secret bilderberg meetings.
shouldn’t people wonder if we are being told the truth about anything, and how conditioned are we to believing everything we are told…..even polls
are skewed Zogby is an Obama endorser….I don’t believe the polls anymore. And the news is not the news anymore…there is no more reporting
what really is…………..now it is paid sponsored pundits telling you what they want you to believe….so be a bit wary that they all favor Obama….
MSNBC is owned by General Electric…a government contractor at present. Wall St Journal poll…wow Rupert Murdoch owns that one. Think about it
, we all railed agaist the press now they are favoriing your candidate….strange to say the least
wow! kick ass Susan.
couldn’t hadn’t said, or thought it better, myself.
the one thing you touched on that still annoys me a bit is this ‘blueblood’ business. even as jaded and cynical as i am, i still can’t believe it sometimes. we’ve got ourselves in quite a tight spot.
top 2 American criminals: kissinger, david rockefeller