Regarding The Kmiec Endorsement Of Obama

Given a piece he previously wrote for them, Powerline perhaps understandably takes exception to this endorsement of Obama by Republican and former Romney adviser Doug Kmiec. Kmiec has served two Republican Presidents. But what Powerline fails to note is that on several issues Kmiec mentioned as important to him in his previous Powerline piece, McCain is no different, or not much better than Obama - Guantanamo and the law as regards illegal immigration.

Some Right-side pundits have been making the case that conservatives need to back McCain because politics sometimes demands you take the best that you can get, without demanding a certain purity. Fair enough. But while I personally am not ready to endorse Obama over McCain, I can appreciate how some might see Obama as the preferred alternative in a practical sense.

Besides, some folks with experience might want to work in a Democratic White House, assuming there is one in 08, especially if they feel they won't be offered a job in a Republican one this time out.

All politics is local, if not personal, after all.

Comments

[whiteandblackmixed]

Potential job or no job, there will be countless others like Doug Kmiec to see through the smoke screens, Fox TV, and the sheer desperation to stop Obama's rise to the presidency. It has to happen sooner or later. Not even Limbaugh's "Hillpublicans" will suceed in making Hillary the nominee. Hey, wait a second, I thought it was Obama that the white men wanted to face McCain in the Fall. What's going on?

The Real Rev. Wright: The Footage Fox and the Other Networks Won't Show [VIDEO]
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/election08/80481

[seekeronos]

I thought you liked McCain, Doc. Now you are pulling for Obama?

The alternet video does put an interesting light on what Rev. Wright is saying. I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but it does put what he said into some context.

[docweasel]

Yeah, cherry-pick a couple of MINOR issues so you can dis the nominee of the party you nominally belong to.

The truth is, the guy is a disgruntled Romney supporter. Word is, McCain is not even CONSIDERING Romney as VP, and the Romney surrogates are very subtly doing whatever devious crap they can do to damage McCain, even if its some aide no one has ever heard of before endorsing Obama. They are also telling their donor list members NOT to send money to the McCain campaign.

Much like Hillary, Romney's hoping for a McCain loss so he can run again in 4 years. The guy's character is consistent, I'll give you that.

Don't tell me a major Romney lieutenant endorses a Democrat without Romney's tacit support and approval. And the reasons Dan gave are just pathetic and certainly do not trump the literally thousands of issues on which Obama is at odds with the Republicans, not to mention the loyalty and solidarity you're _supposed_ to share with fellow party members. This guy works for years trying to elect Romney, then jumps parties when the election comes? That's just bullshit. Its sour grapes. Of course, the media is complicit in trumpeting this endorsement by a non-important person just because it sticks a finger in McCain's eye.

More crap from the Romney bandwagon. God, I'm glad the R's jettisoned the guy on SuperTuesday.

[docweasel]

uh, is seek intimating that "whiteandblackmixed" is me? I know I'm not the only "doc" on the net, but wtf? I sign my posts and put my correct email and blog URL, and have never used any sock puppets other than 'dw' when I get too lazy to type it all in. If you are insinuating that, I kind of resent you'd think I'd be that much of an idiot.

[Terry Gain]

doc

You're thinking like a liberal- jumping to conclusions not merely on the basis of a dearth of evidence but a total absence of same.

There no evidence to assume Romney is behind Kmiec's irrational endorsement of Obama and there is no reason to assume Romney has lost his mind- like so many others.

[seekeronos]

My apologies, Doc, if indeed I am mistaken. I did write that as I was under the impression that w&bmixed (abbrev. out of laziness) was one of your sockpuppets.

I was under that impression as I perhaps recalled incorrectly that you had previously mentioned that you were either of mixed heritage or perhaps of something else; this was also shortly after Dan had banned you for carping on quite tirelessly about what an unfit candidate Mitt Romney was, as well as a general all-around nasty guy and poopy-head he was for having had the misfortune of being brought up as a Mormon.

Not that I really cared that much for Mitt (and in retrospect, he was only marginally better than McCain)... ideologically, I sway more toward Ron Paul's ideas, but seeing how he was utterly rejected by the Republican Machine™, I went after the next best and closest chance in Fred Thompson.

And FWIW, I though Alan Keyes had some rather swell ideas too, but the Republican Machine™ wouldn't hear nothing from that fine man either.

The Machine™ (and the media too, in hopes of propping up a seemingly defeatable opponent for Hillary) wanted McCain, and the Machine™ shall get McCain. For better or for worse.

I'm setting aside a monthly budget to grow my stockpile of ammo and canned/dryed food rations, just in case... regardless of who wins this charade of an electoral process this year, we are in for a heckuva ride for the next four years.

[tally]

what's practical about supporting someone who doesn't appear to love their country and hangs with radical racists? what's practical when the military is shambles and we are having castro at the white house dinner table? i don't care if all three of them are not that much apart on the issues (which is only true for a few), sometimes there's more than just issues, oh lets say like character. jchrist, is there not enough oxygen out there or something.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- Much like Hillary, Romney's hoping for a McCain loss so he can run again in 4 years. The guy's character is consistent, I'll give you that. --"

The guy was practically chomping at the bit to be the VP. And the man's been willing to drop booko bucks to secure a not-too-shabby 2nd place slot. If the GOP didn't run winner-take-all primaries, Romney would still be in the race, strictly by the delegate count. He wouldn't be the worst choice to shore up McCain's conservative credentials. The question is whether McCain wants to look overly conservative in a race with such a high independent voter turn-out.

[docweasel]

seek:
I've never used a sockpuppet. However, several people who blog at docweaselblog do use the same login and screenname "docweasel" to comment all over the place, so you may see differing opinions from the screenname "docweasel". 2 of us post here on Dan's site using the same login name, but I agree with almost everything they say so I don't duck the blame. I'm sure Dan's seen the differing IPs from different parts of the state on the same day.

Also seek, don't automatically assume someone of "mixed heritage" is half-black. That designation can take a lot of forms.

Also: Terry Gain: there was a post on Politico that said Romney is not on the short list of VP candidates. McCain can't stand him, his advisors see no upside to putting him on the ticket other than fundraising. Romney was only the default choice of conservatives, he won't bring significant conservative support just by dint of being on the ticket. Anyway, McCain's people claim conservatives are falling in line anyway, he doesn't even need a conservative, Hillary or Obama will take care of that.

He needs someone from a battle ground state to shore up the extra E.V.'s needed to put away the election. Tim Pawlenty gets a lot of mention, and was one of the earliest national McCain supporters. He's also seen as an up and comer. I still have high hopes he can convince Condi to join the ticket. I think she's a very sharp lady and would kick any Dem's ass in a debate, is not prone to gaffes and is eminently qualified, much more so than either Hillary or Obama.

Condi '16!

[IslamoLlama]

"-- Condi '16! --"

Yeah right. They're run Paris Hilton before they run Condi Rice. She's richer, whiter, and already gets the majority of air time on FOX.

[docweasel]

\"she\'s whiter\"

What the hell kind of racist crack is that? Exactly what makes her \"white\"? I\'m going to let you dig your own hole on that one, explaining why Condi Rice is not sufficiently \"black\".

You lefists stop at nothing to demean black conservatives, then crow about how few Republican blacks seek national office. I think the fact they get smeared as \"race traitors\" and \"Uncle Toms\", \"house n*****s\" and \"jemimas\" for having the audacity to hold differing opinions than what white liberals think they ought to have might have a little bit to do with it.

I\'m sure Dan will have no problem with your racist crack however. He has other standards on what constitutes an egregious comment.

[Thomas Jackson]

oBAMA IN 2008. lOOKS LIKE A REPEAT OF 1972 ALTHOUGH I HATE TO THINK OF MCCAIN WINNING. BUT HE'S SO LIKE NIXON. ITS JUST FUN TO SEE OBAMA DOING MCGOVERN OR IS IT ELMER GANTRY?

[Darth Malice]

Doc,if this is true then Romney must be shunned from here on out.I kinda wanted him for VP,but if this creepo Lt goes with Obama then Romney has some splaining to do.

[seekeronos]

I'm fairly confident that Mitt won't be among the first choices either; he might get a consolation prize of getting billeted as Secretary of Commerce or Secretary of Treasury though. I mean, the man is smart when it comes to managing money and markets.

While Pawlenty is no "Ron Paul Republican", he would be a fairly good bet for VP - he's young, he's motivated, he's ideologically "sound" (more in the neocon sense) and has been a long-time McCain supporter.

The other likely picks I think, would be Gov. Tom Crist of FL, or SC Gov. Mark Sanford. Both loyal neocons and McCainites.

[docweasel]

I don't know any "Tom" Crist, but our governor "Charlie" Christ would be a pretty good bet.

Actually, I don't think McCain will have any problem carrying Florida if Obama is, as it looks increasingly likely, the nominee. He's done about everything he could, with Samantha Powers and now Gen. McPeak, to alienate Jewish voters and supporters of Israel.

This goes with the much larger point that Obama is going to be a disaster in the general election. I think the Wright fiasco damaged him far more than the media is making out, because they want everyone to just forget about anything bad about their boyfriend.

Interesting poll that refutes all the "Obama hit a home run with his speech" happy talk:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/03/23/media-wrong-again-poll-finds-most-people-didnt-obamas-speech

Of those who knew about the controversy and the speech, we asked, “Taking all this into account, are you more or less likely to support Obama for president?”

Less likely (52%)
More likely (19%)
About the same (27%)
No opinion (2%) [...]

[T]he poll displays no numbers flattering to Obama. Most startling is that blacks by 56% to 31% said the speech made them less likely to vote for him. [...]

Democrats disapproved 48% to 28%, which looks sobering for Obama on first glance, but might portend otherwise. [...]

The disturbing numbers for Obama are the independent voters. By 56% to 13%, they said they’re less likely to vote for him because of the speech.

I expect Obama to get his ass handed to him as working class Dems, older women and Jews either cross to McCain or don't vote at all. This is a 50-50 country: you can't write off such huge chunks of the electorate and expect to win.

So-called "disgruntled conservatives" who may sit out the election because they don't like McCain are inconsequential when compared to the strength of over 60 women, Jewish voters, blue collar union whites, etc.

I think its going to be a defeat of epic proportions for the Dems, and down-ticket Democrats, especially in the South, are going to face a blood bath. We might be talking realignment here, and the end of the Dems as a NATIONAL party, although still ruling in conclaves on both coasts and in the N.E., the Republicans retake the Senate and make inroads on retaking the House, set up for '10 and '12.

I know everyone hates McCain! But it was a masterstroke to nominate him. The Republicans are perfectly situated to hold the White House, and I think only he could do it, alone of the field of '08ers

[Fred Beloit]

"The Real Rev. Wright: The Footage Fox and the Other Networks Won't Show [VIDEO]
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/election08/80481

I knew this crap was going to come, because though Wright's comments are full of hate, many Lefties find no fault with them. They agree with Wright. I didn't know it would come from someone who CLAIMS to be a McCain supporter. What a load!

[seekeronos]

"--- I don't know any "Tom" Crist, but our governor "Charlie" Christ would be a pretty good bet. ---"

My bad. Dunno how I made that mistake, but you got the idea of who I was talking about. :)

[seekeronos]

"--- I know everyone hates McCain! But it was a masterstroke to nominate him. The Republicans are perfectly situated to hold the White House, and I think only he could do it, alone of the field of '08ers ---"

Funny thing... I just sharing this same thought with Mrs. Seeker earlier this evening.

The Machine's choice of McCain was certainly genius.

McCain playing center (left a little here, right a little there) to pick up the wider belt of independents he generally has appealed to, as well as angry Dems who feel disenfranchised by the "Deanocracy" of dumping FL and MI, or disaffected Dems from the fallout of the Hillobama bloodbath (I don't see Hils pulling it off, and with more centrist Dems gravitating to Hils for the nutroots who gravitate to Obama, that will bring even more of the center-left vote into McCain's camp).

And Paleocons/non-Rockefeller conservatives will have to either get on the wagon grudgingly, or face either throwing their votes away on third party nobodies and not voting at all. The best we Paleo's can hope for from this point on is backing downticket congressional and state primaries to cultivate more real conservative leaders.