McCain navigating delicate terrain in quest for ‘08 nomination
Apparently others have noted
the McCain/evangelical thawing of relations as he seeks the Republican nomination in ‘08:
When I asked McCain, in between his speeches to the Brussels Forum here, if the criticism bothered him, he answered quietly, “Oh, yeah.” He says liberals need to understand that he’s not a man of the left, or even the center. “I haven’t changed. My record is the same on all issues, which is that of a conservative Republican. Not a liberal Republican, not a moderate Republican.” But in the next breath, he lists all the positions he has taken that have made him the darling of centrist Republicans and Democrats, from torture to ethics reform to climate change.
But even when trying to convince you he is a conservative Republican, McCain finishes by reminding you of all the issues he is well left of center on. Why not remind us you support making illegal immigrants citizens? Maybe you could tell us how you gutted the Constitution by limiting free speech rights with Campaign Finance “Deform” which only strengthened fringe groups like MoveOn.org?
McCain just strikes me as a conflicted candidate. He has a carefully cultivated centrist image that the media loves because McCain relishes poking conservatives and the President in the eye with sharp sticks on many issues. This obviously raises conservatives’ hackles and is a major obstacle for someone seeking the Republican nomination. Now McCain is in a delicate dance because he must extend an olive branch to conservatives while still trying to keep the “moral high ground” with his media and leftist friends. Only time will tell if this works or not.
Archived in: Campaign Finance, Conservatives, Constitution, Democrats, Free Speech, Liberals, RepublicansMay 3, 2006 at 12:24 am | Trackback
7 comments
McCains tactics won’t work. Too many republicans will vote for anyone but him. Looks like he’s helping the Republicans lose the entire congress this fall.
Why on earth would you be angry about 527s? The Swift Boat Veterans put Bush in office for his second term.
Basically, the 527 provision allowed a small handful of wealthy donors to found a “grassroots” group that could spew lies on behalf of Bush, all the while letting him remain above reproach.
Anybody who thinks that money is speech should try this experiment. Go to the store and buy $1oo worth of groceries. Next week, go to the store, put your $1oo worth of groceries on the check stand and try to talk the cashier into letting you take them home. That’s the difference between money and speech. Money is a medium of exchange. Speech is a medium of communication. Just ask Jack Abramoff.
Your point seems obvious enough, Randy, but unfortunately there’s 40 years of Supreme Court precedent running against you. Remember, the 1st amendment isn’t just speech, it’s “association” too.
Actually, money does represent speech in election campaigns. This is especially true in presidential runs where costs are continually rising. Don’t believe me? Ask Hillary why her PAC is raising colossal sums.
“Maybe you could tell us how you gutted the Constitution by limiting free speech rights with Campaign Finance “Deform” which only strengthened fringe groups like MoveOn.org”
Since when is an organization with over 3 million members considered a “fringe group”?
“Since when is an organization with over 3 million members considered a “fringe group”?”
To my knowledge, there is no size limit on being a fringe group.