Thursday, February 07, 2008

McCain is clear leader: now he must win over the right

The far right are becoming increasingly unhinged over the fact that John McCain is the most likely candidate to lead the Republicans into the next election.

Rush Limbaugh, the radio talkshow host who has emerged as the McCain-basher-in-chief, was back on the offensive within hours of the polls closing on Super Tuesday. On his website and in his radio broadcasts to 612 stations across the US, he criticised McCain for his allegedly anti-conservative positions on issues from immigration to tax cuts, and hinted that he might consider voting for the Democratic candidate in November.

"One question I asked myself: if down the road you think that the election of Obama, Hillary, or McCain is going to result in very bad things happening to the country, who would you rather get the blame for it?" he said.

However, polls show that most people voting for McCain describe themselves as "regular Republicans".

Analysis by the Associated Press of voters in 16 of the 22 Super Tuesday states found that 40% of those describing themselves as "regular Republicans" opted for McCain. That was notably more than either Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee.

So, it would appear that the views of Limbaugh, Malkin and Coulter don't actually represent the views of people who describe themselves as "regular Republicans".

And what is their complaint against McCain?
Opponents dislike in particular his cross-party work with Ted Kennedy and the independent former Democrat Joe Lieberman, his pursuit of party finance reform and his backing for Bush's bill to legalise many of the 12 million undocumented immigrants.
So, the very people who constantly call on the Democrats to engage in bipartisan politics, loathe one of their own - or actually state that, by doing so he cannot be one of their own, - when a Republican engages in the very action that they repeatedly call for from Democrats.

Their hypocrisy knows no bounds....

Click title for full article.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

his backing for Bush's bill to legalise many of the 12 million undocumented immigrants

It's not just the "far right" who has a problem with this particular issue, and is in fact probably the prime misgiving that many have with him.

Kel said...

Well, Bush himself ain't no Liberal and it was HIS bill, so you have to be further to the right than Bush to oppose it. That makes you "far right" in my book.

Unknown said...

Well, Bush himself ain't no Liberal and it was HIS bill, so you have to be further to the right than Bush to oppose it.

Such comments only serve to shine an even bigger spotlight on your already obvious ignorance of the complexities many of our political issues. While it might be convenient and simplistic to place things in simple categories when you're looking at something from a few thousand miles away, life isn't black and white and this isn't an issue that fits neatly inside some labeled box.

Kel said...

Ah, the "you'd have to be here to fully understand the issue" non argument.

I have already pointed out elsewhere that immigration is the subject that most incenses Malkin and co.

Most of the people voting for McCain describe themselves as "regular Republicans". They appear able to see beyond the immigration question in a way that Malkin, Limbaugh and others are not. That is why I say they are "far right".

Unknown said...

Most of the people voting for McCain describe themselves as "regular Republicans". They appear able to see beyond the immigration question

I believe in enforcing our immigration laws and stemming the flow of illegal immigration across our borders before dealing with the question of those who are already here. I will most likely vote for McCain who did not previously support that view. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. How does that jive with your view that if one believes in enforcing our immigration laws that one must be "far right"?

Kel said...

How does that jive with your view that if one believes in enforcing our immigration laws that one must be "far right"?

I have never said that wanting to enforce immigration laws means that one must be "far right", where did you get that from? Or are you manufacturing strawman arguments now?

I have said that Malkin, Limbaugh and others are obsessed with this issue and "regular Republicans" appear able to see beyond it.