Thursday, February 07, 2008
|
|
Mr. McCain Comes to CPAC
|
|
Posted by:
Mary Katharine Ham at
3:07 PM
|
I was in the lobby when he entered the building, to a sea of McCain posters and young people cheering. He came through the crowd and greeted a few folks, trailed by plenty of media.
Next to me, an infant bawled. Ahhh, metaphors.
George Allen is intro-ing Coburn to intro McCain at the moment. There was word McCain would use a Reagan video to introduce him, but that looks to have been a rumor.
Coburn on McCain: "He doesn't always tell us what we want to hear, but what he does tell us, we can trust him to believe and do."
Red State has the text of the speech.
On immigration: A few murmurs and boos, Mac quiets the crowd and then waits while his supporters pipe up with cheers and then notes, "My position, which obviously still provokes opposition."
"I have pledged that it would be among my highest priorities to secure the borders first."
Big cheers.
"I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep."
Update: He's moved onto the war, taking a big whack at Democrats over FISA law, to big applause.
Update: "I will not sign a bill with earmarks in it. Any earmarks in it. And, I can assure you, Sen. Coburn will hold me to it."
I gotta admit, that kind of promise makes my heart sing.
Update: "I will start by making the Bush tax cuts permanent."
Big applause on that one. He's hitting the right notes, I must say, confronting his problems head-on and ginning up some excitement over protecting the country against the likes of Hillary and Obama. It's not a hugely memorable speech, but a solid one, I think.
Update: Stubborn John: "I am convinced that if my judgment is in error, I will reconsider."
The passage about being deprived of liberty and fighting for liberty as a result was very good. Not overdone with the POW references, but poignant and respectful.
The end was very strong, about being his nation's "imperfect servant," and having made many mistakes that "you can attest to, but need not." Ha. Such is the magic of McCain that his transgressions are often too obvious to dance around, so he goes ahead and addresses them outright, as he did with his conspicuous absences from CPAC and various disagreements with the base.
The only part that didn't ring true was that he's always respected the positions of the base. Respected our ignorant, nativist positions, that is. Ha. Other than that, I enjoyed much of it.
|
|
|
Many of the youth do not know of his participation in the banking scandal that destroyed the fortunes and retirement funds of many people 20 years ago. I forgive him, but his trust is destroyed. |
|
why McCain is a nut, and has no business in the GOP, much less the Whitehouse!
The DEMs will eat his lunch!.....He's a NUT! |
|
One speech is meaningless.
Nearly the same stump speech he gave early in the Primary Race, before running to the left in NH.
Scheming just to find a so-called 'winner' for the General Election, is always a deeply misguided endeavor.
Ignoring glaring weaknesses in a Candidate, hoping to fabricate a WIN, usually proves self destructive.
Candidates need substance, serious vision, and a sincere representation of the beliefs of potential supporters, which is now decidedly lacking for Republicans.
Mr. Obama's youth, articulation, energy, class, VS. an aging, bitter, dishonest, Washington Beltway Insider of 3 Decades...
YIKES.
Straight Talk?
Let's get the Man who is the REAL AUTHOR of the SURGE to be Commander and Chief in the GWOT!
Can we give this HERO the Nomination?
DRAFT...
General David Howell Petraeus |
|
|
If Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul combined win 60% of the remaining delegates, they will have to have a "brokered convention". Ron paul is good for about 2% so Huckabee would need to get 58%. It can be done. Go Huck! Stop McCain! |
|
Completely taking a 180 on Constitutionally protected speech.
McCain ran CFR through Congress, getting it passed in 2002.
McCain sued the FEC in 2005 to force them to consider regulating speech on the internet (losing when the FEC Commissioners voted to give the internet an expemption).
2009 - McCain gets to pock new FEC Commissioners?
Hmm, do you think he'll back down, not try to continue his assault on free speech that he's run for 6 years now and will reverse himself?
Is that the sort of person he is?
Or will he continue to do significant damage to the Constitution; moreso with the power of the Presidency?
I'll vote for the lesser of two evils, but McCain isn't looking "lesser".
If I'm posed with either some damage to the military, and a tax hike; or significant lasting damage to the Constitution... we've had Democratic Presidents before. We've never let anyone arbitrarily revoke a Constitutionally protected freedom and then praised him and elected him to a higher office for his actions. |
|
|
We all need to support John McCain, but he needs to stop pandering to the left with Amensty bills and condemning tax cuts because the "rich" don't already pay enough. McCain can't win without conservatives giving full support. That's not going to happen with one speech at CPAC. He'll need to take tangible action by having his campaign make a list of tangible policy positions he's going to take on immigration, campaign finance/political speech, and detention of enemy combatants. |
|
|
A concerted effort needs to be made in Pennsylvania to get Rick Santorum back in public office. |
|
Question was asked about his advice for true conservative options since we face poor choices for leadership in November. Answer was that the presidential race is to be kept in perspective and the conservative effort must be reinforced in every aspect of American society and a every opportunity.
Keep your eye on the task at hand...at the grassroots level is where the leadership of God loving conservatives is nurtured. |
|
I was not at all behind McCain but this speech was one of the best and is making me reconsider.
I don't consider McCain an out-and-out liar even if I detest some of his past stands on policy so I'm inclined to believe he is honestly trying to make amends with conservatives.
It was the only way he could go if he actually wants to win in November.
Maybe we should give McCain the benefit of the doubt. He's certainly NOT Obama or Hillary.
|
|
My thoughts have always been that the far right and the far left are all the same bitter haters of decency, this country I love, and were willing to spread their bile when ever they could. As I read through the blog, I found that my thoughts were true.
McCain is a patriot. Yes, he voted against the tax cuts but why? Well, he shouted to the roof tops at the time; tax cuts are good but we must stop spending or our debt will climb. He, of course, was right; so right that the American people were driven to vote in a Congress they thought(I believe wrongly) would cut spending. Immigration - name all the congressional people and leaders in the administration who tried to do anything about illegal immigration. I'll wait!!! The answer is none - well, unless you count Reagan's full amnesty grant. Okay, the bill was imperfect. This honorable man says he heard what we said and agrees to secure the borders. The list goes on and on of his committment to this country, his voting record over 25 years, and his personal honor.
6-7 Supreme Court justices are 70 and above so all you "principled conservatives" you go ahead and stay home. Be sure to put flaming liberals in the White House so they can take care of you from the cradle to the grave, make us unsafe, and fill the high court with lots of liberal judges. You will be choking for years unnumbered on your self important righteousness and you will be able to take all the credit for it because you, not McCain, will be responsible. To this Republican of 45 years, it is disapointing, disgusting and downright stupid.
|
|
Reine,
You coudn't be more wrong about conservatives being haters. That's old propaganda from the left and the middle, a product of the tired old poltics of identity politics. Conservatives believe in policies that protect the liberties of free enterprise, small government, strong defense and strong traditional family morals. Moving to the middle, as McCain has done, is merely to try and expand the tent by appeasing misguided moderates who will continue to lead us down the primrose path. We are headed down the road of France, a decadent society burdened with misguided utopia idealism and government policies of socialism. McCain has a single mandate from conservatives on national defense, which is the only reason he has locked up the nomination. A foreign policy of appeasement and being well-liked, disguised under the buzz phrase "respect in the international community". Nationalized health care is the latest pander from the left, and seductive for moderates. |
|
|
Those calling for conservatives to get behind Huckabee are misguided. Huckabee lost to Romney among conservatives, votes and delegates. McCain is the nominee, and an argument about southern red states voting for Huckabee is meaningless. Huckabee's blocking campaign merely split the conservative vote in the South, and South Carolina is the final mandate that Huckabee's candidacy is a dead and empty campaign. Huckabee's footnote is already written, and will not be for his folksy humor. It will be for his bigoted comment about LDS'ers believing that the devil and Jesus are brothers. His only support was amoung those who were turned on by this comment. From here, McCain's campaign merely patronizes him and throw him under the bus. McCain will win the South, and his VP will have to appeal to all 3 legs of the conservative stool. Huckabee, like McCain, is a one-legged stool. 3 legs are neaded, as well as popularity in Florida and the purple states. At this point, Huckabee is lost and empty baggage going from one airport to the next, no longer a side show, a dead show. Huckabee's sham campaign which divided the conservative base is something I'm delighted to see is dead in the water. |
|
One thing I noticed... McCain ends his speech to CPAC with the phrase "God bless you." He not once said "God Bless America."
He asks "is to judge my record as a whole, and accept that I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep." He has a record of failure as a senator. He is a failure as a leader. His immigration bill (McCain/Kennedy) would have destroyed the United States of America that many millions of conservatives grew-up loving by sacraficing our national sovereignty. His election reform bill (McCain/Feingold) was a half-hearted attempt to impose some kind on ethics reform that has failed to bring about the change voters had been promised by John McCain himself. His support for the Keating Group of crooks is well documented.
Then there is McCain's SB1003 (requiring the relocation of Navajo indians away from ancestral lands) that has been stuck since June 2006.
Then there was MCCAIN-EDWARDS-KENNEDY PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS that has not delivered what the voters expected.
Every time McCain compromises, the conservative voters are screwed. And the USA is then screwed.
That is McCain's record. that is why I will not vote for him. And I shall fight against he, Huckabee, and RNC.
|
|
|
It was a good speech & when he makes promises, he delivers. The far right will never be happy &, personally, I wouldn't vote for any of them because they seem to be a group of haters, like the far left. |
|
35,
It's time to cease party rancor and spin. I am heartened by the emergence of Romney as the new leader of the future of conservatives. At the same time, our veterans are part of us and want McCain to be the nominee. Dispite the misguided social and economic moderates, it's time to get behind our veterans and support McCain in the war on terror. McCain is now our nominee, let us heal and support him. |
|
|
I erred in my comment above, where I meant to say that veterans are McCain's only leg of support among the proverbial 3-legged stool of conservatism. Again, as such, both he and his fellow veterans deserve our support. |
|
|
Politico is reporting that the only reason there were any cheers at all for McCain was because CPAC filled it's main hall with McCain staffers and a McCain rent-a-mob. None of the conservatives there were cheering for him! |
|
|
Romney set the state for McCain. Romney is the future of the conservative movement. McCain has a one-legged mandate from the proverbial three-legged stool, and that is to win the war. Romney put the good of the country above political rancor and ambition, and deferred to our veterans voice for McCain. While this defaults the nomination to the choice of the moderates, for the good of the country, economic and social conservatives need to unite behind John McCain to win the war. McCain says he will reduce the size of goverment, fight jihadism to the death, appoint conservative judged like Alito, and secure our borders. While McCain is both uninspiring and disappointing to economic and social conservatives, both he and all our veterans deserve our support. |
|
It was a good speech; however, it was still just a speech. McCain did do a lot of highlighting of his few conservative tendencies. The problem is there is nothing beyond that; indeed, there is a decades-long trail of liberal wreckage behind him that hasn't been cleaned up.
I'm probably going to take a few days off national politics, then decide which 'Rat is weaker because that primary is going to be the only game in my town, and boy is it going to be a game. The proxies are already on the airwaves hammering away. |
|
I am w/ Austin. At least if Clinton goes in the Republicans will fight against her policies. Whereas if a Democrat in Republican's clothing (McCain) goes in, then the Legislature will not stand up to him and go right along.
And that will be the worse thing that can happen. It would be like one big liberal party that is growing gov't more and more.
As far as "what would you have him do?", At this point he is going to run, but w/o the support of a lot of fellow Conservatives. It is not as much blaming it all on McCain, but also blaming the people that supported him. THOSE are the people that we do not want in our party and since it seems thhis party is over run w/ them, then I think a new party for us Conservatives needs to be established.
|
|
|
Romney set the tone, which is Romney's brightest moment, setting the state for McCain. McCain's only party mandate is to win the war. He will never carry the conservative banner in the future. However, without bitterness or resentment, he deserves our full support for the defense of this county. Romney has taken the high ground, and deferred to our veterans who make up the only leg of the proverbial 3-legged stool. National security is more important than one election cycle where the moderates rule the day. As Bob Novak so presciently proclaimed, McCain was simply the default candidate as the last man standing. In the process, Romney finally found his voice in defeat, which will be a victory for conservativism and it's future. We now have a worthy leader for the future. In the present, John McCain deserves our support to win the war. He says he will now secure the borders, make the tax cuts permanent, and reduce the sice of the federal government. He says he will nominate conservative judges like Alito and Roberts. The process has played out, and Huckabee is an unattractive footnote. Conservatives need to unite and support John McCain, without bitterness or resentment. |
|
|
I expect you to think like a mature adult, and realize that by not voting for McCain, you're bringing about a much worse result for America. If you can't put your petty differences with him aside and do what's right for America, then I can only hope there are others out there who can think much more logically than yourself. |
|
|
Romney stepped down. What would you have McCain do? Not say anything..? You can shout all you want about sheep and what not, but thats not going to change the fact that McCain will be the nominee. I believe that our country is far better served by a McCain presidency, than surrendering the presidency to a Democrat who will invariably reek havoc on our military, our economy, and our values. We all know that Romney will be back in 2012, and we'll all be right here to support him. But right now its time for us to dry our tears, and face reality. |
|
|
No bigsheep, a speech is not enough. Anybody can stand in front of a group of people, and lie his a** off. Ask Bill Clinton. He's done it for years. I listed my problems above. I don't care what he says now, I look at what he did for 8 years when he was 'safe' from voters. He's never been held accountable; there is no reason for him to keep any promises once he is safe in office. He has no loyalty to the party so he doesn't care what happens to the GOP prospects in 2012 and beyond. You want a verbal massage for the next 9 months, go ahead. Buy it like beachfront property in New Mexico. But speaking for myself, I DON'T BELIEVE A WORD OF IT. |
|
|
PREACH TO TH EILLEGAL'S. YOU WILLNOT GET MY VOTE!! I WILL FOLLOW THE LOCAL RACES AND VOTE BUT WILL NEVER CHECK A MCCAIN BOX. GO LIE TO THE SHEEP. WE IN THE REAL WORLD DON'T FORGET. WERE LOSING JOBS EVERYDAY TO ILLEGAL'S IT'S BAD OUT HERE IN CONSTRUCTION!!!!!!!! BUT BEING A LIFE TIME POLITICIAN YOU WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT WITH YOUR WIFE'S MILLIONS. YOU GO STICK UP FOR THEM YOU HAVE NO VOTE HERE. |
|
By the way, am I the only one who's noticed that McCain says he'll close the borders first? People cheer for that but don't ever ask, "But what about amnesty. That's what we objected to so strenuously."
In all his promises (which, of course we can't trust him to keep), he never promises to forego amnesty for illegals.
Whatever your religion, it's time to pray for America. |
|
|
No matter how much makeup you put on a pig, it's still a pig! The man is not a man of character. Whatever happened to character in a President? And in a First Lady? I can think of fewer examples of lack of character and integrity than John and Cindy McCain. I, too, am horrified that we would honor their dishonesty, their pride, their complete lack of integrity with the highest position in our land. A very, very sad day for American. I will pray that Romney can salvage what is left in 2012! |
|
MKH, I'm glad you're excited by all the lovely things that McCain is saying but how exactly do you plan to hold him to those promises.
McCain's signature style for 8 years was to oppose the conservative agenda in a big, and obnoxiously personal way as possible. He has not ever been held to account. After the drubbing he took with the Shamnesty bill, his response was to hire a big amnesty supporter to his campaign. If you vote for this man, you will have no hold on him once he's in office. He's 72, this is his last round up. You can't impeach him for breaking promises. Rewarding someone who betrays you with no accountability and a promotion is not going to inspire them to change how they do things. McCain has no incentive to keep promises; he had no loyalty to the GOP for 8 years, yet you expect him to have some during his last election.
All issues aside, there is no reason to trust this man, because he has no reason to keep any assurance that he gives, nor will there be any consequences to him personally if he breaks.
Let me put another way MKH. Would you spend 15 hours in an elevator, alone with Bill Clinton, if he promised he would behave himself? No, I'm not smiling or joking as I write this. I'm dead serious. |
|
|
Terrific day for the Republican Party...though with comments like these I think Paul might benefit from a small bump. |
|
|
members of the Stupid party. McCain does have an "R" after his name, so you need to support him at all costs. You're going to get your a..es kicked this November. |
|
|
|