Video: McCain’s new ad, “Not Easy”
posted at 12:55 pm on December 19, 2007 by Bryan
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Sen. John McCain’s campaign is a study in how to turn a negative into a positive. Conservatives don’t trust him because of betrayals like McCain-Feingold, the Gang of 14, his easy relationship with the MSM, etc. But conservatives who support the war in Iraq do appreciate McCain’s stalwart support of President Bush in the 2004 election and his support of the war itself both before and after that. This ad turns Maverick Who Is Sometimes Right but Often Annoyingly Wrong into Washington’s Gladiator Who Leads Despite Opposition from All Sides. Statesman and Uber Maverick, in other words, and your plausible second choice when the other guys destroy each other. The shot of McCain with Reagan ties him to fundamental conservatism if not fundamental religion, a subtle play to conservatives, independents and even the “Reagan Democrats.” Since McCain has ceded Iowa to the “agents of intolerance,” this ad is playing in New Hampshire. McCain’s currently running a strong second (according to Rasmussen) there and gaining on Romney.
Update (AP): A consolation for Mitt — he’s back within one of Huckabee in Iowa. That’s an 11-point drop for Huck in less than a week.
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Annoyingly Wrong
Kini on December 19, 2007 at 1:02 PM
John McCain was right about the surge, and is a true patriot.
But I will never get the image of him cavorting with Ted Kennedy on the Immigration Bill and trying to railroad Amnesty for Illegals down our throats in the dead of night without even wanting a DEBATE on the Senate floor.
He was disgraceful on that issue, and by joining inthe chorus of leftists calling us xenophobes he was INSULTING to the Republican base which wants our laws enforced.
Im sorry, but all the touchy-feely ads in the world will never wash away the bitter taste of that shameless performance.
Always Right on December 19, 2007 at 1:04 PM
The underlying numbers in the Rasmussen poll aren’t good for Huckabee:
You have to wonder if it’s a case of people starting to rethink their earlier support once they hear about his record.
Slublog on December 19, 2007 at 1:04 PM
Alright! Time to focus on John McCain. Just for funzies, we could dust off the old Keating 5 scandal and really see what he’s done right for America.
RushBaby on December 19, 2007 at 1:07 PM
McCain was right on Iraq, but one of these days the war in Iraq will be over.
And we will be left with all the other issues that McCain has deserted the conservatives on.
Labamigo on December 19, 2007 at 1:07 PM
Okay…I swear there was Rasmussen Iowa poll information up there earlier.
Slublog on December 19, 2007 at 1:09 PM
Good ad.
I still won’t vote for him in the primary.
thirteen28 on December 19, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Like others have said I have tremendous respect and gratitude for Senator McCain’s service, but cannot support him in the primaries because of immigration.
Limerick on December 19, 2007 at 1:14 PM
The war on radical Islam, not to mention dealing with the powers (Russia, China) triangulating against the US, will be going on for at least a generation, and he is not a bad guy to have in the national security driver’s seat. Especially since that is the most important role of a President, along with appointment of Supreme Court judges, and spending, which McCain would also be good on.
I’m not really an immigration hardliner, but I understand conservative frustration with it and him. I also personally don’t like McCain’s nanny-state impulses (congressional hearings on ML Baseball?!)
But he would prosecute this war like few chief executives, and probably convince at least a few on the left to stop whining about it so much. That’s a relevant upside, especially because he’s probably got the most cross-over appeal and could trounce Hillary, and maybe Obama.
BillINDC on December 19, 2007 at 1:15 PM
Thank God. Well, not God, but you know what I mean.
Enrique on December 19, 2007 at 1:22 PM
A very significant portion of the WOT is having secure borders, in fact, his position invites attacks on the homeland. He fails the WOT test.
a capella on December 19, 2007 at 1:25 PM
Who said HotAir was not a nationally influential blog? I would like to believe that we are — finally! — witnessing the inevitability of the HotAir franchise, and their drumbeat of negative, but accurate, reporting on the developing Christian Theocracy that is the Huckster campaign.
Jaibones on December 19, 2007 at 1:46 PM
Thank God, indeed.
Jaibones on December 19, 2007 at 1:47 PM
This is a good point, which is why I’d think the right would need to extract some promises from him on enforcement and walling off the border first, before he talks about his amnesty-light, etc.
BillINDC on December 19, 2007 at 1:53 PM
Go Fred.
Griz on December 19, 2007 at 1:57 PM
“A month is a very long time, in campaigning terms, to stay atop the Hill. From my perspective, Huck isn’t standing atop because he rolled the others off, he crawled up the other side while McCain, Romney and Giuliani were in the midst of trying to throw each other down the other side.
It won’t be long that those three, and Fred, rush the top and I’ll predict that, if not by Iowa then shortly thereafter, Huck’s gonna be a bloody dripping lump at the bottom of the hill and whining, to boot, about how he got there.
Dusty on December 2, 2007 at 4:42 PM”
It’s not taking as long as I thought.
Dusty on December 19, 2007 at 2:04 PM
The key question is “What do his supporters who backed his surge do when they sense the inevitable?” I gotta think Fred should be the beneficiary, even if he isn’t a regular church goer.
a capella on December 19, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Between his condescension to the base, his support of shamnesty, his attack on the 1st Amendment (McCain/Feingold, etc., I could never vote for him in the primary.
jdawg on December 19, 2007 at 2:49 PM
I have lot of respect for John McCain. I would like to see him perhaps as Secretary of Defense. There are numerous reasons I can not support him as president.
deepdiver on December 19, 2007 at 9:51 PM
John McCain was right about Iraq because he knows his stuff on military matters.
John McCain also knows his stuff on foreign policy matters. Did you all see his comments about Putin and Putin’s wrongly getting the time “Man of the Year” award instead of General Petraeus?
Knowledge of military matters and foreign policy will always be critical to have in the President.
Phil Byler on December 19, 2007 at 9:55 PM
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