THE DIRTY TRICKS HAVE BEGUN IN SC
I know I sound like a broken record, but I still want to know who started all the "hate" against John McCain and why they think it is something Reagan would have approved. There are some fascinating polling numbers out of South Carolina. In my mind SC is one of the litmus tests for McCain, because of the hyper-active anti-immigration activity. Next, check out the WPost national numbers. In many ways these numbers reflect Richard Baehr's column in the American Thinker, which states what I am coming to believe, that only McCain can beat Obama.
"...I know John McCain does not go down easily among many conservatives. But with Barack Obama looking like the victor among Democrats, his party needs the Arizona Senator at the top of the ticket. Conservatives may decry his support of campaign finance reform (a mistake to be sure -- it simply moved the money around to new vehicles, but with less disclosure of contributors), his opposition to the size of the Bush tax cuts, his support for the Bush immigration plan, his embrace of global warming fears. But this is the reality ten months before the November election: if the Republicans nominate anyone other than John McCain, they are doomed to defeat against Barack Obama, maybe even a decisive defeat. McCain on the other hand, has a real shot at winning against Obama….”
What do Conservatives hate him so much? True he isn't "pure". True he does not pander to them. He also ignored them most of the time, or openly defies them. But the irrational hatred many conservative multi-millionaire pundits have is strange to the point the it is irrational. It is also bordering on the point of a conservative group think version of mental illness!
I think the real problem is the fact that someone has opened the flood-gate and basically given conservatives (and I differentiate from Republicans) permission to literally destroy elected officials who do not do exactly as they demand. I think it all started with that horrid epitaph "RINO" and their deportment has worsened from that point forward. Sally Vee sent me a clip from a Michael Medved commentary decrying the "RINO" label and how it has the potential to destroy the GOP. The Republican Party has never been an ideological party. Somehow today's conservatives had slipped a cog and are making things up inside their heads. If they do not cease, they will destroy the GOP and we will be a minority party once again. Perhaps that wouldn't be a bad idea, of the Conservatives Who Aren't Republicans would get the heck out of Dodge. Then perhaps we could rebuild.
Last week I mentioned the "Truth Squad" John McCain had put together in South Carolina to go after dirty tricks like the ones that destroyed his 2000 Presidential Campaign. It looks like McCain was right on the target with this one. According to the Palmetto Scoop, the dirty tricks may already have begun.
The Palmetto Scoop:
"...they are already receiving reports of “push polls, attack pieces and other malicious campaign practices. An e-mail sent to supporters cautions that they do not yet have conclusive proof, but that individuals should be aware of possible smear tactics...."
Brad Warthen, of The State, reports much the same information. "...This morning, right after I got up to do a phone interview with C-SPAN about our endorsement of Sen. McCain, I saw this overnight e-mail from the McCain campaign:
Tonight, volunteers making telephone calls for the McCain campaign report that some voters recently received negative information about Senator McCain. While we do not yet have conclusive proof, we are concerned that this may be the beginning of a smear campaign.
If you receive any malicious messages, letters, phone calls, e-mails, fliers or any other form of "negative" information about John McCain, please contact our McCain Truth Hotline directly at 803.477.6987 or email us at southcarolina@johnmccain.com as quickly as possible. (Note: If the attack is made over the telephone, either by a caller or by a recorded message, please save the recording and take note of the CALLER ID phone number for use as evidence of these unethical and possibly illegal campaign tactics.)
Thank you for helping protect Senator McCain from false attacks during these last days leading up to our January 19 Republican Primary.
I certainly hope that this is a case of the McCain folks overreacting out of their perfectly understandable sensitivity -- which is base in bitter experience. What happened in 2000 wasn't just a painful experience for one man and his family -- it's widely believed to have given the S.C. primary to Bush (which, if it did, is in itself a dark stain on the honor of S.C. voters). If that analysis is correct, those vicious whispers had a profound effect on U.S. history...."
I think all of this began after The State endorsed McCain the other day. Then today he was endorsed by the Greenville News. Tonight, volunteers making telephone calls for the McCain campaign report that some voters recently received negative information about Senator McCain. While we do not yet have conclusive proof, we are concerned that this may be the beginning of a smear campaign.
If you receive any malicious messages, letters, phone calls, e-mails, fliers or any other form of "negative" information about John McCain, please contact our McCain Truth Hotline directly at 803.477.6987 or email us at southcarolina@johnmccain.com as quickly as possible. (Note: If the attack is made over the telephone, either by a caller or by a recorded message, please save the recording and take note of the CALLER ID phone number for use as evidence of these unethical and possibly illegal campaign tactics.)
Thank you for helping protect Senator McCain from false attacks during these last days leading up to our January 19 Republican Primary.
I certainly hope that this is a case of the McCain folks overreacting out of their perfectly understandable sensitivity -- which is base in bitter experience. What happened in 2000 wasn't just a painful experience for one man and his family -- it's widely believed to have given the S.C. primary to Bush (which, if it did, is in itself a dark stain on the honor of S.C. voters). If that analysis is correct, those vicious whispers had a profound effect on U.S. history...."
According to SC blogger Earl Capps, McCain is drawing large crowds.
"...The event lasted about 30 minutes and saw much of the GOP network of Dorchester County turn out for the event, as well as those who were clearly military veterans. While originally planning to do some Q&A with the audience, delays in traffic and the unexpected large turnout shortened the plans for the event and McCain and company were out the door, headed for their next stop.
Special thanks are due to the McCain campaign, who always makes sure us bloggers receive equal standing to traditional media representatives. This included their senior on-site staff, Rick Quinn and Trey Walker, but also B.J. Boling, who works to make sure we bloggers are kept well in the loop and invited to events.
If this is the kind of turnout he can muster with little notice in Summerville, while other candidates are meeting groups of dozens, it's clear to see that McCain's second South Carolina try is meeting with much better success than his 2000 bid..."
NYTimesSpecial thanks are due to the McCain campaign, who always makes sure us bloggers receive equal standing to traditional media representatives. This included their senior on-site staff, Rick Quinn and Trey Walker, but also B.J. Boling, who works to make sure we bloggers are kept well in the loop and invited to events.
If this is the kind of turnout he can muster with little notice in Summerville, while other candidates are meeting groups of dozens, it's clear to see that McCain's second South Carolina try is meeting with much better success than his 2000 bid..."
“…The findings underscored the extraordinary volatility in the
Republican race and suggested that the party is continuing to search
for a nominee whom it can rally around. Nearly three-quarters of
Republican primary voters said it was still too early for them to make
up their minds “for sure,” meaning that they could shift their
allegiances once again if one or more of Mr. McCain’s rivals breaks
through in the two Republican primaries coming up this week, in
Michigan and South Carolina….”
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