McCain: Fight Or Flee

The way I see it - McCain was deciding to fight or flee the GOP here. He decided to stay because with Jeffords jumping, he lost leverage with the Dems in terms of seniority, assignments, etc. As an Indie, with the Dems in control, he could have got what he wanted. His value went down when Jeffords jumped.

Instead he has re-made himself into a populist - unless he gets the WH, of course. Then he gets to play dear old John with a grudge against the GOP at worst, or a populist, at best. No wonder he and the Huckster get along so well.

Some Republican president would all that make. John McCain - a man unto and out for himself.

Better than even money he leaves the party if rejected as the nominee. It's St. John's way, or nothing. We've all seen that. His bad temperament would make him too pissed to ever stay. Interesting that two populists just happened to team up to try and take down the conservatives, wouldn't you say?

Comments

[Sara]

I just posted on this and my own speculation is that he knew that Hillary was the presumptive Dem. presidential nominee, so switching to dem. would dash any chance he had at getting the nomination. And as an Independent there would be little to no chance at all of him winning the White House.

[Gawdfather]

Jesus. A story from March of last year that McCain shot down at the time. As did Power Line: http://powerlineblog.com/archives/017188.php

Romney is so desperate that he gets his minion, Matt Rhodes, to get his close buddy, Drudge, to link to it, just like the "gook" story that was 8 years old. That link didn't cause a stir, so Rhodes and Drudge are spitballing this other old, discredited story, to see if it sticks. Pathetic.

[Cindi]

The stories do not have to stick. McCain is not fit for the job, end of story.

[seekeronos]

Ditto Cindi.

Even if he apologized for his use of that racist term, he will always be remembered for it by the Asian community.

Just as George Allen may never live down "Macaca".

The important difference between a McCain and an Allen though, lies not with their unfortunate bout with "diarrhea of the mouth", but the overall qualification they have personally, as well as their fidelity to the core principles of conservatism. In that, McCain has failed immeasurably, and perhaps in the eyes of some, unforgivably so.

Allen might be able to recover from his Macaca foolishness in a few more election cycles, especially if he maintains his conservative bonafides; whereas McCain will be remembered as a rebellious, crotchety old geezer who was willing gore anyone foolhardy enough to get in his path.

In short, he wants to be the GOP version of Hillary, but not being completely liberal, he misses that mark too.

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." --- Revelation 3:15-16

[Peg C.]

I am very seriously considering leaving the Republican party myself thought not for any of McCain's reasons or policies. I was a lefty Dem all my life until 1998, the finger-wagging, the utter betrayal of and then by the feminists (IOW the utter collusion between women and the Philanderer/Abuser-in-Chief), and all the rest of it. I'm not sure where I'll go, since I have very serious issues with big L Libertarians and the American Conservative Party seems to be small and full of cranks.

I know memories are short, but in my defense I was a Dem the last time the Republicans faced such a wilderness. Any Republican misery was joy to me. Now both parties look utterly pathetic. I need a party that will fight for true, conservative principles. Fred was my man and I'm a voter without a candidate. I will never, ever vote for Hillary or Obama, but while Hillary would galvanize Republicans (though perhaps not all conservatives) to vote for McCain, Obama will severely depress the Republican vote. A lot of us won't vote for either McCain or Obama. (And there's your reason for why the NYT endorsed both.)

[What's Going On Here?]

It's very sobering that we will be choosing between two candidates that are competing completely for personal aggrandizement and pure power.

Danger? Danger. Danger!

Whenever someone rings the alarm lots of cooler heads come out to explain history, and tell us to pipe down...we've been through worse.

But maybe this time is different. It is a dangerous World. We are dealing with the downside of globalism and entitlement programs. We have technology capable of removing all pretense of privacy and freedom.

This could be our perfect storm.

[Fred Beloit]

"...the American Conservative Party seems to be small and full of cranks."

I would never want to join a party so low that they would accept someone like me as a member.

[Fred Beloit]

Seriously, though, I am out of action until the real presidential election. Live in Florida, where Romney lost, though not by much. It is now up to you folks in states yet to vote to dump John.

[Peg C.]

LOL, Fred; didn't Groucho coin that? You are right, though - now is the time to put up or shut up. Up to now this household has been determined to vote for Fred on 2/5 as protest votes. Now we're committed to Romney. Mark Levin convinced me.

[CitizenLiberty]

When the evangelicals and neocons began to dismantle the GOP in the '80s, I said "So long. Call me when the Constitution becomes important again." Finally, in 2007 a Republican did show up amid all the RINOs. So I returned, only to discover that the first truly Republican candidate since Goldwater was despised by the media, the insider establishment, and the fearful--just like Goldwater. In short, RINOs and lovers of the corporate State really don't want a Republican that listens to conservative ideology.

Though McCain claims "outsider and maverick" labels, he's been part of the establishment all his adult life: Born on a naval base as the son and grandson of admirals, lived on a military bases his entire childhood, went to the Naval Academy, served a full military career, immediately ran for congress in '82 after retiring, moved on to the Senate in '86, and has been there ever since. So McCain has been a paid employee of the US government for 54 years and grew up in an elite military family before that. You can't get any more 'establishment' than John McCain.

So what if the likely GOP nominee believes in restraints on free speech, higher taxation, bigger government, open borders, and 100-year U.S. armies of occupation everywhere from Albania to Zimbabwe? Romney believes in those things too — at least, he does when he's in a room full of people that want him to.

In stark contrast, Dr. Ron Paul is the private sector candidate, for all those productive Americans who are sick and tired of foreign wars, Federal Reserve bubbles, the police state, and excessive taxes. Only Dr. Paul speaks the language--and walks the talk--of conservatives who believe in freedom, peace, and prosperity.

Thus, as 'Paultards' or 'Paulbots', we will support, cheer, and donate to the message of freedom, peace and prosperity. This cause is worth all we can give it.

[Fred Beloit]

Yes, Peg C., Groucho's the one. And now I have to say, as he did, "Hello, I must be going."

[tk]

You people are nuts. McCain would not be my choice but I live in Arizona where we have the second largest population of Mormons in the country and they are dangerous. So the choice for me is Clinton, Romney, Oboma or McCain. I vote tomorrow and I am going with Oboma. If Clinton gets the nomination I will vote for the republican who ever that is. This election shows the USA is in the dumps. Thanks Bush.

[Peg C.]

I work with anti-Mormon bigots. They are all liberals.

[Wahoo Willie]

"I work with anti-Mormon bigots. They are all liberals."

Peg, You'll find that the worst bigots are liberals

[seekeronos]

CitizenLiberty -

I think you might find that Paul's ideas won't get him elected this round. He simply doesn't have the ear of the established media and the GOP power structure to even let him have a chance.

That and the evil aura of "kookiness" that surrounds him, in part due to perceived eccentricity of Dr. Paul, and the perhaps in part due to the extreme zeal of his most devoted followers.

But one good thing that may come of his run might be a re-awakening of what true conservatism is, especially once the Republic (should we somehow manage to keep it any under of the other candidates who wish to move us further left and further into Bismarckian/Prussian statism) emerges from the darkness of the next four to eight years.

Dr. Paul probably will not live to see this, but perhaps the *core* of his ideas - a nation governed by a small government that honours the Constitution - balanced by the sagacity and wisdom of a few elder statesmen and perhaps energized by the younger Republicans awakened to those ideals - will regain the helm of this ship of the states, and restore the liberties granted us by the Constitution to the states and to the American People.

Realize, CL, that Dr. Paul's candidacy is beyond any hope of success, and along with Rev. Gov. Huckabee, serves only to detract from the only other candidate in the GOP nominating process: Mitt Romney.

Mitt, while not without some potentially damaging faults, is far and away better than the damage almost certain to result from a McCain nomination, and certainly better than either of the two potential Democratic nominees.

Please reason with yourself and your loved ones on this, and consider voting for Mitt Romney in your state's GOP primary.

[tally]

Why, oh why, didn't you guys back Duncan Hunter, Thompson, or someone with a higher conservative rating than McCain? Romney is not a conservative, the plot hasn't worked. So bascially, we have two moderates to choose from. We have one who will be good with war & terror matters and one who will be good with economics. Take your pick.

[WAHOO WILLIE SEZ:]

"Allen might be able to recover from his Macaca foolishness in a few more election cycles"

Or he could switch parties to the one with the Klan Koo Koo dude.