"The thought of McCain being president sends a cold chill down my spine," Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), also a senior member of the Appropriations panel, told the Boston Globe recently. "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
Feb 1/2008
Today:
"I am supporting John McCain for the Republican nomination for President."
Feb 8/2008
Next week:
Expect him to stump for McCain, with a wool sweater, lest he catch a chill.
3 comments:
The nuts on the far right of the Republican party may be stomping around like insolent children right now, but by election day, 90% will cast a vote for McCain - and some of them might even enjoy doing so. I don't care what Rush Limbaugh says; once the Republicans realize the political consequences for their party (and movement) of having a Dem-controlled House, Senate and Presidency (and if the Dems win the Whitehouse, the judiciary can go on that list too), they'll come out in force for McCain.
What's going on in the Republican party in the U.S. actually reminds me of the CPC nomination for my riding in which I recently took part. I was supporting a moderate young businessman who was up against an old-school provincial Tory and a pro-lifer. After the first ballot, my moderate guy was in first, with the old-school provincial Tory in second and the pro-lifer in third. The pro-lifer was knocked off and threw his support behind the old-school Tory. On the final ballot, the old-school Tory defeated the guy I was supporting by a heartbreaking 4 votes. Many of the friends with whom I was attending the event (also supporters of the young moderate businessman) swore that they would never vote for this Tory good-old-boy who won the nom. Now, not only do most of them support him, a few are even working for him.
Many in the GOP are mad now, but they just need a good burping, a diaper change, and a nappytime, and they'll be good as new.
So, long story short, never discount the Republicans' ability to rabidly rally to a candidate - or the Democrats' ability to absolutely destroy themselves when they should be on autopilot to the presidency, for that matter.
daniel
The good news, this is the first time in 30 years that the wingnuts didn't get "their man", relegated to the sidelines, McCain will appease somewhat, but really on his own terms.
The loud mouths have proved largely irrelevant, and are now being exposed for the mean-spirited juveniles that they are. If these people continue on their crusade, they just look silly.
I too am glad to see the wingnuts not getting their chosen candidate. One of the problems in the 70s and 80s is despite the fact more Americans are moderates rather than Conservatives or Liberals, both parties choose conservatives and liberals. The Democrats off course learned to stop choosing Liberals after getting crushed in 1972, 1980, 1984, and 1988 with liberal candidates. However, the Republican success with conservative candidates has given many the false impression they can win with them. I would argue there are more conservatives than liberals in the United States, but more moderates than either so running a hardcore conservative will only work when you have a hardcore liberal. Some claim McCain is abandoning the party of Reagan, but not all of Reagan's ideas were hard right. One can be for tax cuts and smaller government without being considered hard right and never mind Reagan was leader during the Cold War, so his more hawkish stances made more sense then than they do now.
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