I guess you conservatives are stuck with Thompson, his pro-abortion lobbying history and his trophy wife!

Well, I’m more conservative than liberal, though moderate (I’m no far righty, obviously, and I even will make concessions to the lefties where it is practical, given the alternatives — such as with Medicare for everyone). Our “center” in the eyes of the liberal media and others (including so many on this site) is shifted well to the left of true center. It makes most true centrists or moderates appear and be accused of being righties. GOP is the lesser evil, conservatives do less harm than liberals have done since the 1930s (welfare state, federal explosion in place of constitutional federalism) and especially since the 1960s (bad changes in and out of government). Conservatives at least are less likely to do us harm. Etc. Typical age-and-maturity-and-wisdom right-shifting, same as when adults outgrow their strong liberalism and radicalism when they didn’t know better. (If you’re well into adult years and liberal, I take you seriously if you’re not merely regurgitating mantras or wanting a return to 1950s-1960s Northeast elitist government fiefdoms and naive, terrible social programs. My friend in DC is a near-vegan, PETA member and animal rights activist, GLBT supporter and activist, pacifist, self-professed radical, and “provincial Northeastern intellectual snob,” to quote her specifically. She likes Kucinich, thinks Hillary has gone too far to the right, and is mulling Obama.)

Nobody I know has accused McCain, literally, as being “liberal” or “a liberal,” but McCain is hardly a real conservative and (this is not as important to me but is on my radar screen because of “GOP = lesser evil, don’t destroy the defense it provides”) he’s also been often intentionally defiant toward GOP positions on various issues, and has been long before he was seeking the Presidency — often siding with Democrats. It may be an ego problem, trying to get attention drawn to himself, which perhaps was due to presidential aspirations several years ago.

I guess you conservatives are stuck with Thompson, his pro-abortion lobbying history and his trophy wife!

> If I were going to vote Republican I would
> probably vote for McCain

Voila’!

that one of the reasons that the Republican party is going to quickly become irrelevent is that they just could not stop spending.

If people want pork barreling, big spending politicians, they can alway vote Democratic.

Correct again!

The GOP Old Guard gave us Bob Dole in 1996 against what would and should have been a doomed Bill Clinton, respected by nobody decent or normal after the health care and other outrages.

The Republicans in Washington have been perfectly happy with Big Government, a federal government far too large, that intrudes illegitimately into what should only be state and local affairs (constitutionally as well as logically and sensibly), that amasses far too much power and influence, which (as we’ve long seen with Democrats, and as we saw recently with Republicans, which along with Iraq was the reason for the 2006 election results) often are for sale.

And while we’re subdued about the borrowing rather than spending that the GOP likes to do (hiding the bad things, postponing them for future politicians and generations to worry about, just as with Social Security and Medicare), simply because the Democratic spending and activities will usually be worse, we don’t like the deficits that accompany the too-large spending.

Does anyone miss the irony of Mr Porkbuster having financial troubles with his campaign.

Maybe he should ask Keating’s son or grandson for some extra cash.

Are you arguing that McCain is faiing in the Republican primary race because he is not liberal enough?

This is, after all, “The Liberal Voice,” were there truth in advertising.

He is failing because he has never demonstrated any conservative political instincts and does not really believe in anything that conservatives actually believe in.

His being one of the author’s of McCain-McFeingold, his backslapping with Senator Kennedy, nad his temper did much to destroy any credbility that he had.

Absolutely. Even those of us who are moderate, non-liberal (though hardly mushy about our positions, unlike those with less substance) can immediately say McCain is hardly a conservative, nor is he anything close to being a standard, or serious, Republican.

He’s a wacky Western version of Arlen Specter [gag].

McCain-Feingold, an attack on the (real) First Amendment, disqualified McCain completely.

To many Americans before that, there was Keating Five.

It’s no surprise that McCain has had the RINO label affixed to him time after time after time.

As to the photo at the start of this thread and the comments related to it: Hardly anyone has seen this photo before, and Bush-bashing is stupid here. I’m surprised Shaun, who is our pathological (or merely pathetic?) repetitive Bush-basher-given-any-excuse-no-matter-how-nonsensical had found and misused this photo before.

The only intelligent remark about this photo is that it’s remarkable how both individuals, who are weak and who are flawed, are going down fast as the 2008 elections are approaching. But even then, the depth and rapidity of Bush’s fall is more surprising to intelligent people than McCain’s. (We knew both would go down, but this far and this fast was never known.)

He’s no longer a maverick…and the conservatives never really trusted him…and whammo, no more McCain.

I’d be surprised if it’s the war. Whoever wins the Republican nomination will definitely support the war in some context, whether it be “We went in for all the right reasons, but poor management screwed us” or “We went in for all the right reasons with good plans, but the Iraqis just didn’t want to work as hard as we did.” Combine that with a strong support for not withdrawing at all, or at the least not withdrawing “as much” or “as fast” as the Democrats, and you’ll wind up with a candidate that appears sufficiently more hawkish than the Democratic nominee to keep the strong conservatives happy.

Yes, he’s reached out to the religious right, the same people he labelled as “the agents of intolerance” and hated having to do it to get the nomination. But, you can’t be all things to all people, and who he really is won’t fly with the Republican party. Just the picture of McCain standing with Kennedy is enough to sink him. He has the experience and has worked harder than anyone else with the other side. That’s just what the right can’t stand about him.

Hmmmm, Maybe we can find one where Fred Thompson is standing with his arm around Kennedy from their days together in the Senate, lol.

His support for limiting campaign speech is a big loser on the right.

Hahaha… I love this spin

that one of the reasons that the Republican party is going to quickly become irrelevent is that they just could not stop spending.

If people want pork barreling, big spending politicians, they can alway vote Democratic.

The only time that the Republicans ever tried to be fiscal conservatives was when Clinton was in office because it was easy for them to do it and it keep Clinton from starting any new entitlement programs.

If McCain can’t manage a campaign buget, why should Republicans vote for another Bush type spender?

Contrary to popular belief Republicans haven’t balked at one of theirs spending like a drunken sailor in at least 30 years.

Cutting spending is always talked up as a priority, but once in office no one seems to care when the sailor heads out on liberty.

There’s a lot of talk about John McCain’s presidential bid implosion.  Some are saying it’s because he’s not liberal enough, citing his ties to Bush a few years ago.  Others, in the same thread, are claiming he’s not con…

Does anyone miss the irony of Mr Porkbuster having financial troubles with his campaign. He is spending money like the drunken sailor instead of a fiscal conservative. If McCain can’t manage a campaign buget, why should Republicans vote for another Bush type spender?

“How did it happen? How did John McCain EVER fall so sharply off the tightrope that had made him a national favorite until the past few months?” (The Moderate Voice)…

I find it odd that the left of center Democrats want to tell McCain that they way to wina Republican primary is to act like a left of center Democrat.