Those of you watching the ups and downs of the Republican presidential race will want to take note: Arizona Sen. John McCain is taking hits and may be down for the count.
McCain's poll numbers have been sagging for some weeks now and his fundraising is also lagging behind other GOP hopefuls. As a result, McCain is cutting at least 50 staff positions.
Not so many months ago, McCain was a GOP golden boy, a refreshing alternative to George W. Bush and his Republican rivals. Tough and outspoken, the former pilot and POW was considered a front runner for the 2008 Republican nomination.
It was too good to last. McCain has been hurt by his continued support for the Iraq war and by his support for the comprehensive immigration reform plan, a plan supported by the president but wildly unpopular among the right-wing portion of the Republican Party.
AltTulsa's take: McCain is not yet toast, but he's close. The red-meat conservatives are in an uproar over McCain's support for the immigration bill and we don't think they will forget between now and the primary season.
Next up for the GOP: Paging Dr. Fred! Paging Dr. Fred! Will Dr. Thompson please report to the Right Wing of the GOP Ward and help save this party.
12 comments:
Thompson shot himself in the foot the other day by making anti-Cuban-American comments. Oops. They are an important and powerful group within the GOP. So Thompson may not be the dreamboat that Chris Matthews and other swooners had hoped.
More about Thompson's remarks, and the GOP vis-a-vis the Hispanic vote---
GOP faces tension with Hispanic vote from the Miami Herald.
Excellent, excellent. The funny thing is that the Repubs won't be able to stop feeding the beast they have nurtured over the last two decades, so they are headed for the reef on this one. Bon voyage.
McCain is not yet toast, but he's close. The red-meat conservatives are in an uproar over McCain's support for the immigration bill and we don't think they will forget between now and the primary season.
You're darn right we won't--but the immigration bill was only the latest manifestation of Mr. McCain's problems. We "red-meat conservatives" (a term I rather like, actually) have disliked Mr. McCain's stances on a number of issues and much about his attitude for a long, long time. He never really had a chance; he just thought his fiscal hawk status and admirable war record would be enough to get elected.
But us ignernt ol' rednecks ain't gonna let that happen.
Dan, which candidate do you feel is the frontrunner for the "red-meat conservative" vote at present?
Hmmm--actually, I expected my comment to be ignored, so it's been a few days since I looked.
Despite "anonymous's" comments, unless and until something truly awful surfaces about Fred Thompson (always a possibility in the political world), in my opinion, it's his race to lose, at least as far as the "red-meat conservatives" are concerned. Not that he's perfect, mind you, but for us, he's light-years ahead of Giuliani (too much of a social liberal, probably can't be counted on to nominate constructionist judges, enforce the borders, etc), McCain (complete nut case and basically indistinguishable from a fiscally conservative Democrat), Romney (conservative-come-lately, may not be able to count on him, and, for cryin' out loud, he's a cultist), and the pack of also-rans (probably not enough name recognition to actually win).
Most of us also like Duncan Hunter, but don't think he has much of a chance. Might be a good choice for VEEP. Same with Huckabee, though he's too soft on illegal immigration.
Thanks for asking the question. I didn't think anyone would be interested.
Thank you.
Possible deal-killer: Thompson lobbied for a pro-abortion group, according to the L.A. Times.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-warvote7jul07,0,7948431.story?coll=la-home-center
Sorry, I got that link wrong. it is http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-thompson7jul07,0,54260.story?coll=la-politics-campaign
Thompson denies it.
Anon: We saw the LA Times report as well. The more the right learns about Thompson, the more this love affair appears headed for trouble.
I realize that a Mormon would be considered a "cultist" from an evangelical perspective. But speaking strictly from personal experience, they seem to be fine people.
Thompson as described on the Nixon tapes
This cannot help him much if it filters into the public consciousness.
Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said:
"My assessment is that at this moment in time it is Fred Thompson's race to lose. It may be a convergence of the right man, in the right place and at the right time. I have never seen anything like this grassroots swell for Thompson. I'm not speaking for Southern Baptists but I do believe I have my hand on the pulse of Southern Baptists and I think I know where the consensus is."
"He has an ability to connect with people. He comes from small town America where he can appeal to NASCAR dads, Security moms, and Reagan Democrats."
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Digby: I have long said that the Christian Right is not in the business of religion at all. They are in the business of politics. That's why you are hearing the arguments of a political strategist coming out of the mouth of the head of the Southern Baptist convention. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing more about how these deeply moral, conservative spiritual leaders choose presidents on the basis of "electability." It's very inspiring.
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