Jan 30 2008
Initial Talk Radio Reactions To McCain’s FL Win
Chris Corr (sp?) seems to have figured it all out this morning. He noted that McCain is the probable GOP nominee after his win in FL and really questioned those who would sit out and let Hillary become president. He also took Rush and Hannity to task for their demeaning comments about independents and those who reach out to us in order to create a governing coalition. While talk radio – initially this morning – is heading the warning not to continue to alienate natural (if imperfect allies) the ‘base’ is upset and still screaming “RINO”.
Laura was also interesting this morning and trying to moderate her comments. Sometimes her anger and frustration broke through, but she did recognize there is a force out there that supports McCain on earmarks, Iraq and (this stunned me) comprehensive immigration reform. She understands the civil war between the moderates and the amnesty hypochondriacs was becoming a losing effort and was damaging the conservative movement. She did make the comment it was time to determine which way the party was going, and whether the Reagan revolution was dead. I hate to tell her this, but that determination has been made as we can see in McCain’s continued rise.
I and many others (like The Anchoress, Harriet Miers, etc) are products of the Reagan Revolution. He brought moderates into the conservative fold. It was the ugly and demeaning actions of the far right which broke Reagan’s 11th commandment and broke the coalition. Former dems were not trusted. The impure were badgered and heckled. “RINO Traitors” was the call that told moderates Reagan’s welcoming message was gone and a new, angrier GOP had risen from his optimistic and open views.
Those who who became ugly and told their allies they were un-American, frauds, traitors for following El Presidente Jorge Bush (and McCain, Kyle and a bunch of other life long Republicans) are now stunned they have no allies. OK, sometimes it takes a 2×4 to the head to wake some people up. The answer to rebuilding Reagan’s coalition is to bury the egos and dump the hate and treat allies with respect. Learning to lose with class would be a critical element to rebuilding the coalition. Is the conservative community capable of this? We will know soon enough.
The dem party is in SERIOUS TROUBLE, bud. Book it!
ivehadit, can you elaborate on the part about the dem party being in serious trouble?
I have no plan to sit at home. That would be a very serious mistake. If McCain ends up winning the nomination, I will vote for him. His position on the war AND the fact that several USSC judges are retiring are more favorable than voting for Hillary or Obama.
Those guys that are thinking of staying at home need to think of those two reasons and come out to vote even for McCain.
I don’t think the GOP is in demise or anything else. I am so tired of hearing people say that. It is hyperbole.
Things change, and rearrange themselves from time to time. The Anchoress did a post in which she said she did not even think the current front runners would be on the top of the ticket. We shall see. But the thing to remember is that conservatives always say the party is in demise when they are not running it. But the truth is moderates have always been a part of the GOP.
I will vote for whoever wins the nomination. I am not going to act like one of those crybaby Democrats who swore they were robbed or cheated or whatever and then pout about the outcome. I am seeing some of that on the right and it is stupid.
Whippet……it is much more than policy differences. You had to be watching carefully but she has been putting a Bush jab at the end of her posts for years. Now she is as out of the closet as the NYT.
We have one President and this one belongs to us. You have to be feeling mighty spiteful to label your President’s last SOTU address that way.
The Anchoress seems to think that Rush might engineer and third party run if McCAin gets the nomination.
That guy is on an ego trip and the rest of us are just along for the ride.
So much for party loyalty etc. Now if the peasants do as they are told and vote for one of the other guys he might actually let the Republicans win. Otherwise, it will be 1992 all over again.
If conservatives put another Clinton in the White House, they are the RINOs, not McCain.
By “that guy” I mean Rush.
Man, some of you people are something else.
If you spent half as much time bashing liberals as you do bashing conservatives there might actually be some advancements made within the party.
What I hear is a bunch of spiteful people who feel like they got bullied on the playground because those nasty conservatives don’t like you. So what if Malkin doesn’t like Bush…it’s called free speech. You don’t like her and you let it be known all the time. I guess that makes all of you nastyright? Just like Malkin? Some of you act worse than I’ve seen Malkin act. But you don’t see it that way because she doesn’t like your ideas and your ideas are the only right ones. Sound familiar? You can trash her but she better not trash moderates!
The conservatives in the party didn’t want you? You also don’t want them. You repeat it over and over again. Some of you need to take a good long look in the mirror.
And Terryre you said you won’t “act like one of those crybaby Democrats who swore they were robbed or cheated or whatever and then pout about the outcome.” No, you’ll just be a moderate who does it.
Owl,
Yes, it may be more than policy differences with Malkin but that is her right. It’s not the same as the New York Times (except in their editorial section) because they are supposed to be reporting fact, not opinion. Malkin is a blogger and a pundit. It is and always will be her opinion that she is selling. And I personally am tired of listening to it. But I will defend her right to do it.
Once again, Whippet is spot on. I hear more angry & nasty talk against the so-called “purists” at this site than I do from the right. And the fact that the GOP has moved left isn’t because the base conservatives drove them left. I like Bush very much, but you cannot deny that some of his agenda moved the party left. That doesn’t mean they were all bad (I disliked some of them), but they were not conservative. No child left behind, medicare reform, huge spending bills, McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy & illegal immigration, Miers, and some others were decisively not conservative. What I heard from the pundits on the right was passion and frustration. Did some go over the edge? I didn’t hear it but I suppose some may have, although I think it’s obvious that it doesn’t take much for some here to be offended.
And now, the way the primary season has unfolded, it appears that the conservative base will have very little influence in their party. The natural and logical thing to do is to speak up and try to rally to prevent that outcome, to preserve your influence in the party for the good of the country. How can that be a bad thing? it’s still the primary season, there’s plenty of time to get behind the candidate for the general. But that candidate better show some respect for what used to be the GOP base.
The democrats are NOT united. Every one of their talking heads keep saying over and over…”we will come together in the fall, blah blah blah.” There is a serious divide in the party, imho. The hard Left is furious. The moderates will go for McCain. Many dislike the clintons intensely and she WILL be their nominee whether they like it or not, if ya know what I mean! 🙂
Oh really? Tonight on the CNN debate I heard that snotty little liberal Cooper ask the Republican nominees what they thought of Peggy Noonan’s statement that George Bush has sundered the party.
It was not a moderate that gave the snotty little liberal the quote.
And whippet one of the reasons I feel like I have been bullied is that I have been called a traitor for supporting Bush’s immigration plan. It seems to me that when it gets down to it the right can dish it out but they can not take it.
I will vote for Romney if he gets the nomination. You will not hear me threaten to stay home and pout. The same thing can not be said for Rush and company.
And Bush won the nomination. His no child left behind act has been successful. For years [every since Reagan ran for office] I have been hearing some on the right say that we should get rid of the education department altogether. But Reagan could not do that 25 years ago. Why blame Bush for trying to improve the education system?
The point is it is supposed to be a coalition. That means people are supposed to compromise. That does not mean some radio talk show hosts gets to tell everyone else what to do.
Ane whippet, when did I pout about any outcome? I am not the one having the hissy fit over a lost election. What is next? Is Rush going to demand a recount?
Thanks Wiley,
What I find sad is that these people who take the time to come here out of their busy days and obviously have a passion for politics and the country’s future spend more time complaining about feeling unwanted by their party instead of focusing on what’s important.
And what’s obvious here is that there are many people of slightly differing views that ultimately have one goal and that is a united party against Obama and Clinton. But the message is lost in their hatred for the “purists.”
I don’t agree with AJ on immigration or on the purity issue but I look forward to reading his blog every day. His posts on the Litvineko (I know you know who I mean even if I can’t spell it!) poisonings, the Plame case, the Iraq war updates and postings have been so informative. I don’t care that our beliefs part ways on a few issues. I would bet that most everyone here can find an awful lot of common ground on a lot of issues. The majority of purists, moderates and conservatives really aren’t that far apart from each other – just on a few issues but haven’t we always been that way?
The media NEEDS to split this party. The Democrats are race baiting each other, gender baiting each other and pulling so many dirty tricks that the media has to split the Republicans in order to give the Dems a fighting chance. It’s no different than in elections past. The easiest way to do that is to denegrate the most popular and well known talk radio and pundit talkers on the right. Have you EVER heard the media go after Olbermann, Chris Matthews or Air America, etc.? Why do you think that is?
Are we going to let outside forces destroy a great party from within? They’ve been slamming the Republicans for decades why would you believe them now?
Whippet:
Oh for heavens sake, I do not hate purists. And if the truth be told Michelle Malkin does not need any help from the media when it comes to splitting people up.
It is the purists who threaten to take their marbles and go home, it is the purists who say they would rather see a Democrat win than McCain, or for that matter Huckabee. I have not heard too many Republican centrists say they would not vote for someone like Romney.
Outside forces are not making Rush have a cow, he is doing that all by himself.
And btw, why was it ok for Fred Thompson to support McCain Feingold? Where were the charges that he was assaulting the Constitution when he supported McCain’s candidacy in 2000?
Why is it ok for Romney to be liberal enough to win a state wide election in Mass, but then completely transform himself for a national run while McCain’s positions must remain written in stone?
No, I am sorry. The right still has great sway in the party, the problem is they don’t like to share.
Presuming McCain is “our” choice, it will be incumbent on him to show some respect and reach out to the conservatives — e.g. pledge to make the tax cuts permanent; pledge to secure the borders; pledge to nominate well-qualified, constructionist judges; re-affirm traditional family values & pro-life; uphold 2nd amendment rights. Some of these are positions he has not always advocated, but has changed his rhetoric in the primary. Some people still need to be convinced, and he needs to do some convincing to win.
If it’s Obama, the MSM will rip McCain. If it’s HRC, it will be nasty all-around. Even the MSM is getting tired of the Clintons, I think. But in the end, I’m sure they’ll “circle the wagons” to elect their candidate.
[Yeah, AJ does a great job – wealth of very informative info. I especially found his insights on ESCR to be the best anywhere. Of course, I see a few things differently, as we all do.]
I think McCain said he would make the tax cuts permanent during the debate tonight.
But if he reaches out to conservatives, it would be nice if he did not draw back a nub.
those who threaten to sit out the election are pinheads and NOT, NOT, NOT patriots (IMHO) so don’t claim ever again to support the troops because you don’t.
Terrye,
Yeah, your’re right! The problem is you aren’t listening to yourself!
The right does have a lot of sway in the party and you can’t win without them and they can’t win without you!
You let a few talking heads decide how you feel about conservatives in the party? Call them purists? Michelle Malkin can go have a fit and not vote for a Republican if she wants! In my opinion it’s stupid but it’s her right and her opinion! And I think you need to listen to Rush talk instead of the media cherry-picking quotes about what he says…Don’t take what the media says as truth. Go to the sources, google the people involved, find out their agendas, right and left. It’s an eye-opening experience.
You don’t think conservatives have problems with some of Romney’s past positions? Of course they do. But as a Governor he is much closer to his constituents and he is accountable to all of them. The priorities of a State are more refined and specific to only that state. But McCain has a long history of documented voting records and he’s been pretty consistant with his views at a national level and they trend toward the liberal or are liberal. His experience is legislative and not executive governance. Big difference. There’s a reason America has voted very few senators in as Presidents. Presidents do what Governors do just on a bigger scale, and then a whole lot more!