Jan 22 2008
We Can Get Strong National Defense And The Ability To Work Across Party Lines Without McCain
I will be repeating myself until next Tuesday, I can tell. But the nation can get strength on national defense (a McCain plus) and moderation on Immigration (a McCain plus for electability) in Rudy Giuliani without giving up ground to the dems on a host of other issues. Robert Tracinski makes the case well today on RCP:
The voters who support McCain over Giuliani are making a dangerously short-sighted trade. McCain is a suicidal choice for Republicans, because on every issue other than the war, he stands for capitulation to the left.
There are three big domestic issues that will be decided by the 2008 election: socialized medicine, higher taxes, and global warming regulations. The Democrats are in favor of all three–and John McCain won’t stop them.
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On health care, McCain has attacked pharmaceutical companies as “bad guys” who are using corrupt political influence to profit at the expense of the little guy–campaign rhetoric borrowed straight from one of John Edwards’s “two Americas” tirades.
… a Republican president would also have to fight in Congress for the extension of President Bush’s tax cuts, which are set to begin expiring in 2009 and 2010. A failure to extend these tax cuts (or to make them permanent) would mean a massive de facto tax increase. Yet McCain was opposed to the Bush tax cuts when they were first passed.
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McCain has been an active promoter of the global warming hysteria–for which he has been lauded by radical environmentalists–and he is a co-sponsor of a leftist scheme for energy rationing.
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No matter what happens, there is likely to be a huge debate in the coming years over global warming–whether it’s really happening, whether it’s actually caused by human beings, and what to do about it. But if the Republicans nominate McCain, that political debate will be over, and Al Gore and the left will have won it–thanks to John McCain.
Al Gore being deemed right?! Oh the humanity! I’ll add two more: closing down GITMO and giving al-Qaeda terrorists Constitutional Rights in our Courts, and the ban on embryonic stem cell research. We don’t need to accept McCain’s weaknesses to gain his strengths. He is not the only pro-war candidate who will stop the Dems from handing Bin Laden victory.
To my fellow conservative independents who want to find some common ground and get over the hyper-partisan wars. We have democrat candidate options to chose from. We need a strong centrist conservative like George Bush who can hold the line where needed and progress the cause when the opportunities arise. That is not McCain. McCain wants to roll back much of Bush’s progress. Rudy will build in that progress, not gut it.
Many are under estimating how much Bush will be planting an IED under the anti-war Iraq bus when we successfully put in place a Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq this summer or fall to replace the UN authorization.
The Dems have already kicked the Nutroots in the head and thrown them to the curb in the primaries (Dennis K got a massive 5 votes in Nevada).
Obama last night during the debate picked up Harry Reid’s exact mantra of needing veto proof majorities in both houses and a dem in the WH to cram through the legislation on their agenda.
Since I will vote for any Republican who gets the nomination,
well except for Ron Paul, here’s what I’m thinking about
John McCain. It’s either going to be him or Romney,
sez recent national polls. So if it’s McCain, it becomes all
the more important to have Republican majorities in both
houses of the Congress, so that global worming foolishness
gets stopped in it’s tracks.
Point is, I’ll vote Republican even if it’s Huckabeee,
thankfully it won’t be, but even if…..
So all those I’d rather see Obama than McCain RINOs
and that is a new usage of that word, had better reconsider
their second of defiance, before the election.
Dave
Right now it looks like whoever is the candidate on the Rep side they are not very likely at all to have any kind of coat tails in the down ticket stuff.
We have many more seats up for re election than the Dems and plus to add to that a string of heading near a dozen retirements to add to that front.
The best hope is that the Dems have to spread their resources thin to try to work that many races.
Plus the nutroots are planning to run their own slate of ‘progressive’ candidates against the dems and open seats which could also stir the pot.
Bloomberg is wishy washing around and even Ralph Nader was heard from yesterday.
We live in interesting times.
Well I am a Huckabee supporter but I have made it no secret that McCain ismy second choice. In fact it appears to me that is where Huckabee people will go.
My question is this? Can Rudy get elected? Let us put aside the issue of the my fellow social conservatives revolting in which I will do my small part to try to stop.
However I am looking at polls in New York showing McCain tied or ahead of RUDY!!!! Same in New Jersey. One appeal of Rudy was he could put these Northern States into play. I suppose I am wondering how he can do that if he has McCain nipping at his feet in his own state and right across the border.
Look at the RCP full poll history on NJ and Rudy was so far ahead they quit polling in Oct since he was up from 40 -60% depending on the poll.
Now for Mc to have really covered that gap the guy would have to single handily perfected nuclear fusion.
What you are seeing is Rudy out of sight and mind because of his strategy and Mc getting poll bounces and maybe even a few Dems in NJ lying to people in the polls.
But we know the Dems in NJ would never stoop to anything crooked like that don’t we.
AJ, it looks like you’ve stepped back from your insanity of yesterday (MDS), if only slightly. It looks like in your absense of finding reasons to support Guiliani, you have taken to attacking McCain. I guess when your guy is pro-abortion and has a fiscal record in NYC like Guiliani (try reading the NY Post for details) you do what you have to do. I think Guiliani is a strong leader and strong on defense and would have no problem voting for him, with his baggage. I also saw your linked article on importation of drugs. Please explain to me why the conservative position is to ban free trade, which is what this ban does. Pharma sell drugs to a market that is 10% of the US and the excess of that is reimported. To think that such a small portion of these sales impacts drug prices is crazy. The true conservative position is to tell pharma companies to get off of corporate welfare, decide whether they want to sell in Canada or not and not rely on the US gov’t to protect their US markets from the business decision they make with regard to Canada. Your solution is corporate welfare.
Gitmo and detainees are secondary issues to the overall GWOT. I think the US has the right to do what they are doing but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs thinks Gitmo should be closed. I disagree but I doubt he is a crypto-Hillary.
You made a foolish statement yesterday that there was no difference between McCain and the Ds. Idiotic. Pathetic and totally destroying any credibility which you have. All R candidates have worts, some more than others. By over-emphasizing these in relation to their strengths ( and by the way, offending those who have supported them along the way) all you are doing the heavy lifting for the Ds.
I share your frustrations concerning the incompetency of the Guiliani campaign (not the Thompson as he and McCain are interchangable when you look at their votes, not their rhetoric). Don’t take your frustrations out on someone with a 82%ACU rating. I would begrudingly support Romney though his actual record shows him to be a lot more liberal than he states (who has delivered universal gov’t mandated healthcare coverage in his state). American will not trust Mitt Romney and the candidate with the best resume doesn’t always win.
The conservative movement has done nothing but thoroughly embarrassed itself this election. It is no different that its counterpart on the left. America is sick of this all or nothing mentality. Be for whomever you want but do it rationally.
I like Guliani. Sent money to his campaign. But, he doesn’t have a snowballs chance at winning now. NYC politics very different from national and other state politics. One hand washes the other in NY. Nobody really cares as long as things get done. FL, has a lot of NYC transplants—at least, certain areas. He’s having a tough time there as well.
I give you “Kerik” as an example. Kerik did a great job for the city and for the Rudy. Together, they accomplished a lot. But, Kerik also had a “lot” of things on the side. Rudy didn’t care. None of that stuff matters in NYC politics because its just part and parcel of doing everyday business in nyc. So, Guliani offers him up for HLS director…and look what happens when they start checking—bones start flying out of the closets.
It won’t be Rudy himself that brings this down. First, whoever is advising his campaign is just NUTs, unless their plan was to just stay out of the way. 2nd, there’s a plethora of people “around” Rudy, who’ve worked closely with him, etc., who support him, who have enough skeletons in their closet to last for the next presidential term. 3rd, the rest of the country is NOT NYC, does not have the same problems of NYC nor are interested in NYC style politics and solutions to those problems that they do share in common.
I think you are absolutely right, that you can depend on Rudy to be an independent voice/power in our gov moreso than other legislative insider candidates. The one thing McCain has going for him is being known as a “Maverick”. While I’m sure some people (mainly liberal minded people) would like to see congress take control or power over the office of the president, most people are frightened of such a prospect and what it could do to our nation. And it is in this they fear McCain….because he is a long time legislative insider…who would bring his connections there, etc., into the office.
However, McCain is also a Maverick in that regard, and it seems more people are seeing him in “that” light right now (smart by his campaign), than they are as status quo.
Hillary or Obama would be a disaster. Not just for the RNC. For our nation and for the Executive branch of gov. by giving away the authority of the presidents office to overseas/international bodies as well as to congress. At that point, with the office of the president no longer an independent branch wielding authority, they could then go after the judicial branch to take power from then and make it one big liberal fantasy come true. Truth be told..that would be the “only” way they’d ever get some of their policies enacted.
The way I see it, the realistic choices for the Republican party for President are McCain and Rudy. I do NOT want McCain but he is electable by having enough Independent and crossover Democrats voting for him, particularly if Hillary beats Obama for the Dem nomination.
Romney would not likely get much Independent support and so would never win a general election.
We need to support Rudy because the alternative is McCain or a Democrat for President.
Go Rudy!
The Question: Which of our candidates is most hated by the MSM?
You answer that question and it puts you where I live.
We need to support Rudy because the alternative is McCain or a Democrat for President.
Yep. Just the facts, mam.
I am just so glad that AJ and the Anchoress can do a pretty good job of making sense of it all. At times, the Anchoress puts up a post that just goes beyond good, and today is such a day. All go over and read a few home truths laid out as only she can do.
You know how they called Reagan “The Gipper”? I was just looking at Flopping Aces and they have a picture of Fred that brought to mind a different name … The Grouper.
Right on target AJ.You hit the “bullseye”.
Don’t forget, the Mayor went to work in a town recently led by David Dinkins.
The Mayor cleaned up Dodge. In the face of entrenched bureaucracy.
Notice, the Mayor doesn’t talk “Change”. Doesn’t need to. He’d done it. Name any other candidate with his executive experience. McCain? Lotsa good ideas. Just ask him about that McCain-Feingold thingy.
Like I said…I like Rudy. But, he ain’t got a chance to win at this point. He’s already given up too much ground.
Good points all. I like both Mitt & Rudy, and think both would be a good president and uphold much of conservative core issues, unlike McCain.
Rich – Rudy impressed me as mayor before 9-11. The city was a dirty, crime-ridden mess in financial straits, and he turned it around. Truly amazing, and then 9-11 showed his mettle in disaster crisis. As for reimportation of drugs – Canada has price controls, artificially keeping the prices way low. Reimporting their drugs essentially means using their price controls over our market — stupid and harmful.
Back to Rudy, he really has run a terrible campaign and now it’s down to a must win in Florida. Even if he somehow manages to come all the way back and win the nomination, he may have too much baggage to win the election. I previously didn’t think this was the case, but it could be a frenzy with the Clintonistas and their ruthless apparachiks and a voracious liberal media.
I’m going to second that recommendation to go over
to http://theanchoressonline.com and read that article about
“The perfect candidate”. Wooo! I’m posting it at my own
favorite conservative website and I urge everybody else to
do so as well.
A smackdown with class.
Actually I just went back and re-read that speech,
she calls it GOP – Meet the Woodshed
I think it just might be the best speech of this election.
Dave M — many have been blathering the same thing for a l-o-n-g time now. This isn’t new nor is it correct. Rush is speaking as a conservative. Of the 2 parties, only the GOP incorporates conservative principles into its platform. So as conservatives first, repubs second, Rush & Hannity and the Great One and others are speaking out to try to have their party nominate a candidate who upholds as many of those principles as possible. This is the primary season — this is when you press your case. Of the GOP candidates, clearly & obviously — to anyone who scrutinizes their total record, not just campaign pandering — Huck & McCain are not conservative save for a couple issues.
If Democrats couldn’t get along with Bush , who was hardly strident about anything and was more than willing to compromise on just about anything , then they’re not going to get along with anyone. Which should surprise none of us.
When have you ever talked to a Leftist on-line where he was willing to see things your way or criticize ANYONE from his own side?