Bill Kristol, still fantasizing about Iraq, while seeing which way the wind blows:
Quote:
In any case, with the battle against Hillary Clinton behind him, everything seems to be going swimmingly for Obama. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign dog-paddles along. And almost every Republican I’ve talked to is alarmed that the McCain campaign doesn’t seem up to the task of electing John McCain.
Shortcomings by John McCain's campaign in the art of politics are alienating two organizations of Christian conservatives. James Dobson's Focus on the Family is estranged following the failure of Dobson and McCain to talk out their differences. Evangelicals who follow the Rev. John Hagee resent his disavowal by McCain.
The evangelicals are not an isolated problem for the Republican candidate. Enthusiasm for McCain inside the Republican coalition is in short supply. During the four months since McCain clinched the nomination, he has not satisfied conservatives who oppose his positions on global warming, campaign finance reform, immigration, domestic oil drilling and how to ban same-sex marriages.
John McCain is relevant only in so far as he is not Barack Obama. The Senator from Arizona is incapable of energizing his party, brings no new people to the polls, and has a personality that is best kept under wraps. And while his strong suite is experience, especially on military matters, it was gained almost entirely in Washington, a city that 80% of Americans now believe has miserably misled and mismanaged the nation.
Since McCain has become the presumptive nominee, I have spoken at more than two dozen Republican gatherings. The sentiment everywhere can best be summarized in the words of one of the activists, "No matter who wins in November, we lose."
Two years after he resigned from the House, former Republican leader Tom DeLay says conservatives haven't bottomed out from their 2006 election losses, Democrats are "cleaning their clock," and it will take years before the Republican Party can compete with the operation Democrats have built.
"The conservatives refuse to accept that the left is cleaning their clock, and until you hit some bottom, wherever that is, to where it says, 'Well, maybe we ought to do something different,' little or nothing's going to change," Mr. DeLay told editors and reporters at The Washington Times last week.
After a decade of political dominance, the Texas GOP is opening its party convention in Houston this week with a troubling prospect: Grumpy Republicans may not turn out to vote this fall.
As the architect of Ohio's ballot measure against gay marriage, Phil Burress helped draw thousands of conservative voters to the polls in 2004, most of whom also cast ballots to reelect President Bush. So Burress was not surprised when two high-level staffers from John McCain's campaign dropped by his office, asking for his help this fall.
What surprised Burress was how badly the meeting went. He says he tried but failed to make the McCain team understand how much work remained to overcome the skepticism of social conservatives. Burress ended up cutting off the campaign officials as they spoke. "He doesn't want to associate with us," Burress now says of McCain, "and we don't want to associate with him."
There's an Allan J Lichtman commentary (Professor of History, American University):
Quote:
During the Bush years, conservatives have built the biggest, most expensive, and most intrusive national government in the history of the Republic. Despite their disdain for social engineering by government, the Bush administration has undertaken in Iraq the most daunting and expensive social engineering project since the Reconstruction of the South. According to the Keys to the White House, conservative disarray is reflected in Republican midterm election losses, a lack of positive domestic accomplishments, setbacks abroad, and the failure to find an inspirational nominee.
"I think we've got a world of problems," said one Republican strategist with extensive experience in presidential campaigns. He said this came home to him with a thud when he watched Obama and McCain give speeches last Tuesday, with the Democrat speaking before "20,000 screaming fans, while John McCain looked every bit of his 72 years" in a speech televised from New Orleans. This Republican cited the liberal blogger Atrios' description of McCain's speech with a green backdrop that made McCain "look like the cottage cheese in a lime Jell-O salad."
The overall impression is that things aren't going perfectly well in Republicanland.
Bill Kristol, still fantasizing about Iraq, while seeing which way the wind blows:
Quote:
In any case, with the battle against Hillary Clinton behind him, everything seems to be going swimmingly for Obama. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign dog-paddles along. And almost every Republican I’ve talked to is alarmed that the McCain campaign doesn’t seem up to the task of electing John McCain.
Shortcomings by John McCain's campaign in the art of politics are alienating two organizations of Christian conservatives. James Dobson's Focus on the Family is estranged following the failure of Dobson and McCain to talk out their differences. Evangelicals who follow the Rev. John Hagee resent his disavowal by McCain.
The evangelicals are not an isolated problem for the Republican candidate. Enthusiasm for McCain inside the Republican coalition is in short supply. During the four months since McCain clinched the nomination, he has not satisfied conservatives who oppose his positions on global warming, campaign finance reform, immigration, domestic oil drilling and how to ban same-sex marriages.
John McCain is relevant only in so far as he is not Barack Obama. The Senator from Arizona is incapable of energizing his party, brings no new people to the polls, and has a personality that is best kept under wraps. And while his strong suite is experience, especially on military matters, it was gained almost entirely in Washington, a city that 80% of Americans now believe has miserably misled and mismanaged the nation.
Since McCain has become the presumptive nominee, I have spoken at more than two dozen Republican gatherings. The sentiment everywhere can best be summarized in the words of one of the activists, "No matter who wins in November, we lose."
Two years after he resigned from the House, former Republican leader Tom DeLay says conservatives haven't bottomed out from their 2006 election losses, Democrats are "cleaning their clock," and it will take years before the Republican Party can compete with the operation Democrats have built.
"The conservatives refuse to accept that the left is cleaning their clock, and until you hit some bottom, wherever that is, to where it says, 'Well, maybe we ought to do something different,' little or nothing's going to change," Mr. DeLay told editors and reporters at The Washington Times last week.
After a decade of political dominance, the Texas GOP is opening its party convention in Houston this week with a troubling prospect: Grumpy Republicans may not turn out to vote this fall.
As the architect of Ohio's ballot measure against gay marriage, Phil Burress helped draw thousands of conservative voters to the polls in 2004, most of whom also cast ballots to reelect President Bush. So Burress was not surprised when two high-level staffers from John McCain's campaign dropped by his office, asking for his help this fall.
What surprised Burress was how badly the meeting went. He says he tried but failed to make the McCain team understand how much work remained to overcome the skepticism of social conservatives. Burress ended up cutting off the campaign officials as they spoke. "He doesn't want to associate with us," Burress now says of McCain, "and we don't want to associate with him."
There's an Allan J Lichtman commentary (Professor of History, American University):
Quote:
During the Bush years, conservatives have built the biggest, most expensive, and most intrusive national government in the history of the Republic. Despite their disdain for social engineering by government, the Bush administration has undertaken in Iraq the most daunting and expensive social engineering project since the Reconstruction of the South. According to the Keys to the White House, conservative disarray is reflected in Republican midterm election losses, a lack of positive domestic accomplishments, setbacks abroad, and the failure to find an inspirational nominee.
"I think we've got a world of problems," said one Republican strategist with extensive experience in presidential campaigns. He said this came home to him with a thud when he watched Obama and McCain give speeches last Tuesday, with the Democrat speaking before "20,000 screaming fans, while John McCain looked every bit of his 72 years" in a speech televised from New Orleans. This Republican cited the liberal blogger Atrios' description of McCain's speech with a green backdrop that made McCain "look like the cottage cheese in a lime Jell-O salad."
The overall impression is that things aren't going perfectly well in Republicanland.
Bill Kristol, still fantasizing about Iraq, while seeing which way the wind blows:
Quote:
In any case, with the battle against Hillary Clinton behind him, everything seems to be going swimmingly for Obama. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign dog-paddles along. And almost every Republican I’ve talked to is alarmed that the McCain campaign doesn’t seem up to the task of electing John McCain.
Shortcomings by John McCain's campaign in the art of politics are alienating two organizations of Christian conservatives. James Dobson's Focus on the Family is estranged following the failure of Dobson and McCain to talk out their differences. Evangelicals who follow the Rev. John Hagee resent his disavowal by McCain.
The evangelicals are not an isolated problem for the Republican candidate. Enthusiasm for McCain inside the Republican coalition is in short supply. During the four months since McCain clinched the nomination, he has not satisfied conservatives who oppose his positions on global warming, campaign finance reform, immigration, domestic oil drilling and how to ban same-sex marriages.
John McCain is relevant only in so far as he is not Barack Obama. The Senator from Arizona is incapable of energizing his party, brings no new people to the polls, and has a personality that is best kept under wraps. And while his strong suite is experience, especially on military matters, it was gained almost entirely in Washington, a city that 80% of Americans now believe has miserably misled and mismanaged the nation.
Since McCain has become the presumptive nominee, I have spoken at more than two dozen Republican gatherings. The sentiment everywhere can best be summarized in the words of one of the activists, "No matter who wins in November, we lose."
Two years after he resigned from the House, former Republican leader Tom DeLay says conservatives haven't bottomed out from their 2006 election losses, Democrats are "cleaning their clock," and it will take years before the Republican Party can compete with the operation Democrats have built.
"The conservatives refuse to accept that the left is cleaning their clock, and until you hit some bottom, wherever that is, to where it says, 'Well, maybe we ought to do something different,' little or nothing's going to change," Mr. DeLay told editors and reporters at The Washington Times last week.
After a decade of political dominance, the Texas GOP is opening its party convention in Houston this week with a troubling prospect: Grumpy Republicans may not turn out to vote this fall.
As the architect of Ohio's ballot measure against gay marriage, Phil Burress helped draw thousands of conservative voters to the polls in 2004, most of whom also cast ballots to reelect President Bush. So Burress was not surprised when two high-level staffers from John McCain's campaign dropped by his office, asking for his help this fall.
What surprised Burress was how badly the meeting went. He says he tried but failed to make the McCain team understand how much work remained to overcome the skepticism of social conservatives. Burress ended up cutting off the campaign officials as they spoke. "He doesn't want to associate with us," Burress now says of McCain, "and we don't want to associate with him."
There's an Allan J Lichtman commentary (Professor of History, American University):
Quote:
During the Bush years, conservatives have built the biggest, most expensive, and most intrusive national government in the history of the Republic. Despite their disdain for social engineering by government, the Bush administration has undertaken in Iraq the most daunting and expensive social engineering project since the Reconstruction of the South. According to the Keys to the White House, conservative disarray is reflected in Republican midterm election losses, a lack of positive domestic accomplishments, setbacks abroad, and the failure to find an inspirational nominee.
"I think we've got a world of problems," said one Republican strategist with extensive experience in presidential campaigns. He said this came home to him with a thud when he watched Obama and McCain give speeches last Tuesday, with the Democrat speaking before "20,000 screaming fans, while John McCain looked every bit of his 72 years" in a speech televised from New Orleans. This Republican cited the liberal blogger Atrios' description of McCain's speech with a green backdrop that made McCain "look like the cottage cheese in a lime Jell-O salad."
The overall impression is that things aren't going perfectly well in Republicanland.
Is it your position that you doubt the GOP is worried about McCain's chances?
Or are you disdainful or indifferent to the article you posted?
the shrug is a resignation that if all Sammitch is going to do is to quote and quote in an attempt to deflect and to bump the topic to the next page, i can do it as well.
Soviets.. traitors, militants... commies.... appeasers...Islamists....reds....anti-Amercans...etc. etc.
Ah so many idiotic insults, so little time...
No. Adult Democrats vote for the candidate that best reflects their views, not run to the candidate that isn't the guy that beat the one they wanted to win. They don't run to the guy having a platform that is 360 degrees the opposite of the candidate they were enthusiastically supporting supposedly because of her views.
Nubnuts.
...
At least for me there is something more than just robotically voting my party Whomod. To say McCain is 360 degrees the opposite of Hillary is exageration on your part. He's a moderate republican that has faced alot of scorn from a chunk of his party for not being conservative enough. He has a long record that reassures me that he'll be a good leader. While Obama is smart enough I just need to see more. If he was truly running against Bush, being smart would be enough. That's not the case though.
It may be different for a passionate Obama supporter but when I see his foriegn policy evolve during the course of a campaign...it worries me.
The difference is that Obama talks about MLK and JFK in a historical context.
McCain talks about the 1970's as if it's recent events, fresh on everyone's mind.
Geez, doc, split hairs much?
Both candidates are comparing and contrasting current events and/or candidates to past eras and candidates, in an effort to illustrate their positions and/or qualifications.
...McCain reminding everyone just how old he is by trying to attack obama by referencing the 1970's...
That's a pretty silly charge, given Obama and his acolytes running around referencing JFK and the 1960s.
The difference is that Obama talks about MLK and JFK in a historical context.
McCain talks about the 1970's as if it's recent events, fresh on everyone's mind.
McCain says bringing the troops home from Iraq is "not too important"
Keep it up Johnny!!! We need more glib dismissal of an unpopular war like that.
and a Schoolhouse Rock style cartoon parody that answers why McCain 2008 is different from McCain 2000.
UPDATE: Harry Reid just weighed in...
Quote:
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to Senator John McCain’s comment this morning that it is “not too important” when our troops can redeploy from Iraq:
“McCain’s statement today that withdrawing troops doesn’t matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course – Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war.”
"100 Year's McCain" just reaffirmed that position. You run with that John!
...McCain reminding everyone just how old he is by trying to attack obama by referencing the 1970's...
That's a pretty silly charge, given Obama and his acolytes running around referencing JFK and the 1960s.
The difference is that Obama talks about MLK and JFK in a historical context.
McCain talks about the 1970's as if it's recent events, fresh on everyone's mind.
McCain says bringing the troops home from Iraq is "not too important"
Keep it up Johnny!!! We need more glib dismissal of an unpopular war like that.
and a Schoolhouse Rock style cartoon parody that answers why McCain 2008 is different from McCain 2000.
UPDATE: Harry Reid just weighed in...
Quote:
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to Senator John McCain’s comment this morning that it is “not too important” when our troops can redeploy from Iraq:
“McCain’s statement today that withdrawing troops doesn’t matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course – Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war.”
"100 Year's McCain" just reaffirmed that position. You run with that John!
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...[youtube][/youtube]... ...fucking neocons... ...please notice me... [youtube]olbermann is a golden god[/youtube]... ...lame duck smirking chimp... ...fuck, I hate myself... ...agree with me! please?... ...
...McCain reminding everyone just how old he is by trying to attack obama by referencing the 1970's...
That's a pretty silly charge, given Obama and his acolytes running around referencing JFK and the 1960s.
The difference is that Obama talks about MLK and JFK in a historical context.
McCain talks about the 1970's as if it's recent events, fresh on everyone's mind.
McCain says bringing the troops home from Iraq is "not too important"
Keep it up Johnny!!! We need more glib dismissal of an unpopular war like that.
and a Schoolhouse Rock style cartoon parody that answers why McCain 2008 is different from McCain 2000.
UPDATE: Harry Reid just weighed in...
Quote:
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to Senator John McCain’s comment this morning that it is “not too important” when our troops can redeploy from Iraq:
“McCain’s statement today that withdrawing troops doesn’t matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course – Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war.”
"100 Year's McCain" just reaffirmed that position. You run with that John!
The DNC released an ad from this mornings comment by John McCain.
This really is a different campaign than past ones. everything from responses by the candidates themselves to rebuttals and ads are being released within hours.
You know things are bad when even FOX feels the need to correct a lie from McCain:
Fox News' Shepard Smith:
Quote:
"I reported at the top of this hour that the campaign had told us at Fox News that the audience would be made up of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. We have now received a clarification from the campaign and I feel I should pass it along to you. The McCain campaign distributed tickets to supporters, Mayor Bloomberg, who of course is a registered Republican, and other independent groups." - Fox News, 6/12/08
4 MORE YEARS!!!!! (of manufactured news and lies)
Governor Howard Dean responds to the news:
Quote:
"Once again John McCain's campaign is trying to mislead the American people. Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters. If Senator McCain likes to brag so much about running a transparent campaign, why is he copying the Bush campaign model by stacking this event with his prescreened supporters? If that is John McCain's idea of straight talk, the American people are in for a long and disappointing campaign season."
Yeah, so basically FOX was duped into giving McCain an hour of free air time to campaign. Or, maybe FOX knew it all along, and since they couldn't legally donate an hour of free air time to help the Republican presidential candidate, they nudge-nudge-wink-wink were "tricked" by McCain into doing it. Oh no, not the briar patch!
"Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters."
This is incredibly ironic, coming from Howard Dean of all people. Whose own rhetoric is among the most scorched-earth that I've heard.
And who said plainly that he hates Republicans.
And who alleged Bush knew in advance about 9-11, and let it happen.
Seven years of Bush-style rhetoric is largely in response to seven years of lying partisan Democrat slander and cheap stunts, of which Dean is among the worst offenders.
One of the more restrained and ironically more incendiary and moving Special Comments by Kieth Olbermann. He provides context to McCain's comments which McCain claims were taken out of context.
This is the type of stuff that'll make Rex start attacking peoples families because acknowledging the troops is apparently disrespecting them in his twisted mind.
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