National Poll: McCain gets a big bounce
posted at 5:13 pm on January 11, 2008 by Bryan
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
John McCain’s victory in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary appears to be paying off.
The senator from Arizona is the front-runner in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the first national poll taken after the New Hampshire primary.
McCain has the support of 34 percent of registered Republicans in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey out Friday. That’s a 21-point jump from the last CNN/Opinion Research poll, taken in December, well before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary earlier this month.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa Republican caucuses, is in second place in the new survey, with 21 percent of those registered Republicans polled supporting him for the GOP nomination.
Rudy Giuliani follows with 18 percent, a drop of six points from the December poll, when the former New York City mayor was the front-runner.
“Only McCain gained support among Republicans nationally. McCain’s now the clear Republican front-runner,” said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst.
34-21-18-14-6 (Romney and Fred making up fourth and fifth respectively) — double-digits for McCain. McCain is also ahead in South Carolina’s most recent Rasmussen poll, though that poll was snapped before the debate. Huck leads the averages, but none of those polls reflect post-debate shifts either.
Is McCain now the presumptive nominee? Are we looking at a McCain-Huckabee ticket? How many times will we have to beat back shamnesty if he’s elected (never mind if the Democrats win)? Am I the only conservative who’s getting punchy from being more concerned with stopping potential nominees than with coalescing around one and supporting him?
Is the racial feeding frenzy that’s consuming the Billary-Obama race our only hope now?
Update: Did I mention racial overtones on the Dem side?
She is staking out policy ground slightly to the left of Obama on domestic issues, and noticeably won the votes of those on lower incomes and without college degrees. In the words of that Clinton adviser: “If you have a social need, you’re with Hillary. If you want Obama to be your imaginary hip black friend and you’re young and you have no social needs, then he’s cool.“
All together now, “Imagine if a Republican adviser had said this.”
Meanwhile, outside the McCain campaign on our side, Rudy insists he has cash on hand even while his top staffers are going without pay and he’s cratering in Florida, which was his big stand state. Guess who is leading in Florida now? The same guy who’s bouncing nationally.
Update: From the CNN story linked above, some good news, sort of.
Early victories appear to have boosted Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the Democratic nomination battle, with Clinton the choice of nearly half of registered Democrats nationwide.
Clinton is at 49 percent in the new poll, up nine points from the December survey, with Obama at 36 percent, which is a six-point gain from his December standing.
A McCain-Clinton race in November might be in our future. I’ll try to contain my excitement.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3
MB4, one poster I had you in mind when I wrote my 8:17 PM post was you. That’s not whiny; that’s an indictment of posters such as you.
Phil Byler on January 11, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Round 3200 mils out!!!
Bend over and kiss your a$$ess goodbye!!!
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 9:03 PM
2nd look at John McCain illegitimate black baby!!! lol
froghat on January 11, 2008 at 9:07 PM
On national security, is John McCain correct to advocate closing Gitmo and to ban waterboarding when we know it elicited intelligence from khaled sheikh mohammed among others? And he correct to suggest that there is some moral equivalence between doing this to islamist terrorists and what they have done to Americans?
phronesis on January 11, 2008 at 9:09 PM
You have been getting whiny, very whiny, and none of this is an indictment of me or of “posters such as me”, whatever that means, as this is about McVain and not about “posters such as me” no matter how much you try to misdirect when you can not respond otherwise.
You are not doing McVain any good, really you are not.
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Looks like:
The parties over.
Thanks,
The late great USA
Dorvillian on January 11, 2008 at 9:13 PM
MB4, I will fistfight you at the gates of hell!!! How bout dem apples?
froghat on January 11, 2008 at 9:16 PM
I don’t think a McCain-Huckabee ticket is as likely as a McCain-Thompson ticket, which would be rather good, and certainly good enough nationally to beat the Dems. Thompson and McCain worked together well in the Senate, and a joint ticket would help to bring together the RINO Guliani wing of the party, and the hardliners. I don’t see Mac having any truck with Huck’s liberal policies on crime and spending, or his defeatism in the war on radical Islam.
McCain is solid on abortion, on stopping pork barrel spending, on foreign policy and security, on battling cuts in the military, on attacking socialised healthcare. The Amnesty question can be contained now that he’s publically committed to an anti-amnesty policy, and let’s not forget that Mitt has changed his mind on more issues than Mac. He deserves more credit than he’s getting round here.
We GOP supporters need to start focussing on the Democratic threat rather than bitching and sniping between ourselves.
Pax americana on January 11, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Isn’t Cheney younger than McCain? Draft Cheney.
phronesis on January 11, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Is there anyone who is not totally loco en la cabeza who would ever trust ringleader Juan Plantation Strawberries McShamnasty on illegal “immigration” again?
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Bryan,
Love the pic.
Looks like a bad case of gas to me. Must have been taken shortly after a meal he consumed at this favorite Mexican restaurant type place.
No doubt one run by some of his precious illegal criminals.
Dave R. on January 11, 2008 at 9:21 PM
And I thought I was done – my work continues.
I have immense respect for McCain as a person, as a veteran, and as an honorable man. But he is just flat out wrong on the most important issue facing our country outside of the WOT. I have taken the time to write him and express these sentiments twice, and he replied with platitudes about the Patriot Act allowing the Matricula Consular card, etc. That was not true, though. The Patriot Act does NOT allow the M C card – it is silent on that issue. It just doesn’t DIS-allow it. The FBI pleaded with Congress to outlaw it for ID, but McCain’s side prevailed.
I’m back.
The law enforcement provisions are fine. If they had left out all the REWARDS, like Z visas for 12 to 20 …..,
the bill would have been fine. But amnesty fans held our country’s security hostage by insisting on amnesty.
Now Mccain says he has “learned his lesson” – but all he has done is rearrange the deck chairs – he now will permit law enforcement BEFORE amnesty and Z visas. Why does he still insist on rewarding illegal behavior? Why can’t he and others just enforce our laws??
I am well aware – and 6 amnesties since then, in case you didn’t know. Reagan was ‘promised’ that the border would be enforced if we could only let these 2 to 3 million illegal aliens stay in our country. Kennedy promised it would be a “one-time” amnesty. Reagan, Congress or whoever didn’t get the border sealed. Big mistake. And then 6 more amnesties to boot.
Amnesty is no fine, no jail. I’m fine with that. I just don’t want to REWARD law breakers, which will only cause MORE law breaking. We have been proving that since 1986.
I invite you to see the Zogby poll of the year before where people were asked for the first time to compare enforcement only, enforcement plus amnesty, and mass deportations. Please read carefully, as this is the only poll I have ever seen that offers all 3 choices.
Ah – that’s the kicker. Why doesn’t law enforcement come first AND last? Why ruin a perfectly good law enforcement policy by rewarding law breakers with the exact ill-gotten gooods that came to steal (residency), and then solicit a
finebribe of $3000?No, they don’t. Hunter, Thompson, and the departed Tabcredo don’t. And see the above Zogby poll. You are just regurgitating Karl Rove with that.
The above two agree with all the Democrats on this issue from what I hear from them – they all voted together on it.
I admire your son’s service and your family’s sacrifice – but that does not make McCain right on this issue.
fred5678 on January 11, 2008 at 9:23 PM
I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell – you see, I have friends in both places.
- Mark Twain
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Ah yes, another poll from our friends at the Clinton (Communist) News Network.
P. James Moriarty on January 11, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Okay, so you think his stand (and I mean not the stand where he found “conservatism” but the stand of record) on immigration is something you embrace.
And you think the McCain/Feingold was done to ensure freedom of speech?
Then justify away…
right2bright on January 11, 2008 at 9:32 PM
I think a McCain-Thompson ticket is more likely than a McCain-Huckabee – there’s not likely to be much sympathy from Mac for Huckabee’s liberal policies on crime and spending, or for his defeatism in foreign policy. McCain and Thompson worked together well in the Senate. A McCain-Thompson ticket would be rather good, attracting both the wet Guliani wing of the party as well as the hardliners, and a great ticket to throw against the Dems.
McCain deserves better than the filth that is being thrown his way on this site. His voting record in the 109th Senate was the second most conservative in the GOP. He is strong on pro-life policy, on cutting pork barrel spending, on foreign policy and tackling radical Islam, on stopping military cuts, on mandatory sentencing , on opposing socialised health care. The Amnesty question should be solid given that he’s committed publically to an anti-immigration ticket, and in any case he’s changed his mind fewer times than Romney, who seems to be above criticism on this site, and far less liberal than Giuliani has been.
We GOP supporters need to start focussing on how best to beat the liberal Democrats, and quit this bitching and sniping.
McCain/Thompson 2008
Pax americana on January 11, 2008 at 9:32 PM
Phil Byler is right.
I think a McCain-Thompson ticket is more likely than a McCain-Huckabee – there’s not likely to be much sympathy from Mac for Huckabee’s liberal policies on crime and spending, or for his defeatism in foreign policy. McCain and Thompson worked together well in the Senate. A McCain-Thompson ticket would be rather good, attracting both the wet Guliani wing of the party as well as the hardliners, and a great ticket to throw against the Dems.
McCain deserves better than the filth that is being thrown his way on this site. His voting record in the 109th Senate was the second most conservative in the GOP. He is strong on pro-life policy, on cutting pork barrel spending, on foreign policy and tackling radical Islam, on stopping military cuts, on mandatory sentencing , on opposing socialised health care. The Amnesty question should be solid given that he’s committed publically to an anti-immigration ticket, and in any case he’s changed his mind far fewer times than Romney, who seems to be above criticism on this site, and far less liberal than Giuliani has been.
We GOP supporters need to start focussing on how best to beat the liberal Democrats, and quit this bitching and sniping.
McCain/Thompson 2008
Pax americana on January 11, 2008 at 9:36 PM
True – but I will gladly vote for McCain if he becomes the nominee. I think McCain is more likely to be accepted by the more hostile likes of the conservative crowd. Most angry conservatives aren’t real fond of SoCons, therefore they attack them with all their might. So I’m very happy with McCain as a compromise or a second choice.
popularpolitics on January 11, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Good Lord, I just checked my main email account, the one that is under my real name, and found that I have a long letter from … … … … John McCain!!!
How he got my name, I do not know. Maybe some joker told him that I liked him?
They said nothing about his stand on the issues – probably wise on their part.
Couple of “tidbits” -
“We’re also focusing on building a strong team in South Carolina. Thanks to the efforts of our great South Carolina leadership, including Senator Lindsey Graham”
- and –
“Finally, help us get our message out in Michigan, South Carolina and beyond by making an online contribution immediately. The great news about online donations is they can immediately be put to use and your donation will help us make important strategic decisions to continue our momentum and keep winning.”
I wonder if I could donate one peso for Juan.
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 9:51 PM
I trust my 9:23 post was reasoned enough for you – my dinner was late because of you!! Four state legislatures had reasoned debates last year, and they all decided on enforcement only – including McCain’s own Arizona.
A general amnesty/rewards/whatever would be the single most transformational mistake of this century for our country. It would probably add 10% to our population immediately, followed by an additional new 30 million illegal aliens that saw what a great deal was to be had. Same problem all over again. No fence is tall enough if you keep REWARDING bad behavior!
Please spend some time, as I have over the past 7 years, getting informed on this issue, so that your son inherits a country he will be proud of. GOODNIGHT!
fred5678 on January 11, 2008 at 9:52 PM
OH. MY. GOD.
HarryBalzac on January 11, 2008 at 9:56 PM
That wouldn’t be the same Graham that called me a bigot while he was pandering to a
La RazaThe Race convention, would it? Now, where’s my wallet??fred5678 on January 11, 2008 at 9:58 PM
More bad news for Mitt:
Small Crowd Greets Romney’s Mich. Push
By GLEN JOHNSON – 5 hours ago
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWbI2rULUHnQwe-83Fd1Pb2lT8-wD8U3UA880
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — Despite embracing Michigan as the heart of his bid to revive his campaign, Republican Mitt Romney was greeted by anemic crowds Friday as he began his final push for votes in the crucial primary.
No more than 150 people were on hand for his appearance at Macomb Community College’s Center for Alternative Fuels, in a space set up for an audience twice that size. Romney delivered an unusually short, 13-minute address, breaking with recent practice and taking no questions from his audience.
froghat on January 11, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Video: Rush Limbaugh on Fred’s “Stellar Performance”
bnelson44 on January 11, 2008 at 10:15 PM
DUDE.
jummy on January 11, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Bnelson:
Red truck update
$775,000
redneck hippie on January 11, 2008 at 10:38 PM
This is essentially what I see going on thus far during the GOP primary process:
“Conservative voters” are dilly-dallying between propping up rinos and knocking down true conservatives and then complaining some and more all the while. This disturbing behavior is called psychosis and we’re in a deep grip that’s tightening with each passing day where we continue to ignore the essence and heart of our core beliefs. The sooner we put an end to it the better for all of us.
When are we all going to bite the reality sandwich and see what we’re doing to ourselves???
We all agree we don’t want liberals running the show come Nov, yet many of us continually (ignorantly) support rinos so much so that come election day we’ll have no choice but to decide between a Liberal and a Liberal as POTUS.
If you truly care about not only the future course of this great nation of ours, but also, the heart and soul of the GOP then stop with all this defeatist nonsense about it’s too late to vote a true conservative into the highest most honorable office in our land. It’s never too late to save ourselves from socialist, to defeat them soundly!! If anyone knew that it was the Gipper! Not even a handful of caucuses have been decided and already we’re throwing in the towel?? C’MONNN Conservatives wake up already!! I personally refuse to look back come election day and ask myself, “heck, what the hell was I thinking!!??? What on God’s dear earth fogged my judgment so much that I contributed to this madness??!! Oh my.. did I just embolden our enemies globally, give free refuge to millions of illegal immigrants, allow matrimony to all the Adam and Steves out there, did I just give my paycheck a huge kick in the pants, how could I let a bunch of demented hippies decide what my children must learn in school.. on and on and on.” Save yourselves the agony!! Save yourselves from countless hours of lost sleep, restless agitation, and painful retrospection..
There’s one clear choice, one clear voice of conservatism left in this race with more than a real chance to save us from Dante’s inferno, don’t blow it ladies and gents – as a proud conservative, avoid the agony that awaits us and vote with your heart of hearts, rise above the psychosis the msm is weighing on us liberally, show those who want us defeated, want our nation weaker in every sense and way – and refuse steadfastly to vote a liberal as our GOP nominee.
Fred is the last true steward and statesman of conservatism who can and wants with all his heart and mind to steer us away from our own demise, who understands profoundly that we can’t defeat socialism with socialism. That what truly makes the USA the most formidable power in the world, are the true conservative principals we follow and stand by at every opportunity. As Fred often reminds us “when we’ve strayed we’ve paid”. That some of us think we can combat socialist agendas with liberal ways and ideals and or ignorantly choose not to see these liberal influences creeping into the GOP is truly mind boggling and discouraging to say the least!
ousia on January 11, 2008 at 10:39 PM
McCain really SHOULD join as a running mate to whatever Democrat wins…..he’s essentially a Dem wearing a Republican hat anyways. And regardless of all his verbal judo on the immigration issue it remains clear that he STILL DOESN’T hear the American people. We don’t JUST want the border secured, Senator. We also want the friggin laws enforced so all the illegals will go home. Of all the Republican candidates, I trust him the least….Huckabee is a not so distant second, but at least he’s for the Fair tax.
Livefreeordie on January 11, 2008 at 10:46 PM
It appears that this situation is making you reassess your beliefs too…but I thought that Huckabee would have done that to you.
Entelechy on January 11, 2008 at 10:47 PM
Boy, where to start…
First off, why does your post read like a press release by the McCain team?
Second, being right about the surge working in Iraq, as he, and his fans so often remind us, does not instantly make him the best choice for national security matters. Even a broken clock is right twice a day and all that.
Also, please do not utilize poor rhetoric like taking the one point I made in my earlier post and acting as though it’s the sole reason I oppose McCain being elected. I could care less about us having the “ideological high ground.” That’s a democrat talking point and a poor one at that. You mention the U.S being forbidden to torture. That’s a moot point, because it only applies to enemy combatants, not uniform-less cowards that hide among the general populace and belong to no official army or country. They don’t play by the rules, neither should we, especially when it can save lives. But I guess you and McCain’s precious “high ground” is more important than that.
I would appreciate not being called short-sighted and uninformed by an obvious shill who relies on rhetoric in place of logic to argue his point.
Grayson on January 11, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Just Send McCain supporters these links:
Fiscal Record:
McCain Boasts That He Voted Against The Bush Tax Cuts (Video)
McCain Would Vote Against Tax Cuts Again (The Club for Growth)
- He sponsored and voted for an enormous 282% tax increase on cigarettes in 1998
- He was one of only two Republican senators to oppose the 2001 tax cuts
- He was one of only three Republican senators to oppose the 2003 reductions
- He supported an amendment sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) against full repeal of the Death Tax
- He voted against repealing the Death Tax in 2002
Foreign Policy:
McCain to Close Club Gitmo: “The first day I am President” (Video)
Global Warming:
McCain and Lieberman Push for New Anti-Global Warming Legislation (The National Center for Public Policy Research)
Senators McCain and Lieberman Propose Energy Tax (The National Center for Public Policy Research)
Poptech on January 11, 2008 at 11:02 PM
I agree that this is becoming more about fending off bad candidates then about consolidating around one good conservative. It looks like we are going to get compassionate fools who want to fight the global warming scam instead of terrorists! Send McAmnesty supporters this:
McCain Boasts That He Voted Against The Bush Tax Cuts (Video)
McCain Would Vote Against Tax Cuts Again (The Club for Growth)
- He sponsored and voted for an enormous 282% tax increase on cigarettes in 1998
- He was one of only two Republican senators to oppose the 2001 tax cuts
- He was one of only three Republican senators to oppose the 2003 reductions
- He supported an amendment sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) against full repeal of the Death Tax
- He voted against repealing the Death Tax in 2002
McCain to Close Club Gitmo: “The first day I am President” (Video)
McCain and Lieberman Push for New Anti-Global Warming Legislation (The National Center for Public Policy Research)
Senators McCain and Lieberman Propose Energy Tax (The National Center for Public Policy Research)
Poptech on January 11, 2008 at 11:09 PM
SECOND LOOK AT REASSESSING YOUR BELIEFS!
wccawa on January 11, 2008 at 11:14 PM
BACK in July 2007, John Heilemann, a writer for New York magazine and an alumnus of this newspaper, argued that it was possible to imagine John McCain winning the Republican nomination—but only if you had been fortified by “half a bottle of Maker’s Mark, followed by a nitrous-oxide chaser”. Mr McCain is now back. But a bigger question remains. Do you need to partake of Mr Heilemann’s chemical cocktail to believe that the Republican nomination is worth having?
The Republicans look like dead men walking. Almost two-thirds of Americans regard the Iraq war as a mistake. A similar proportion think that the country is on the wrong track. Americans regard the Democrats as more competent than Republicans by a margin of five to three and more ethical by a margin of two to one. They prefer Democratic policies on everything from health care to taxes.
These figures have come to life in Iowa and New Hampshire. Twice as many Democrats turned out to caucus in Iowa as Republicans. The Democrats are fired up with Bush-hatred and ready to take the White House. The Republicans are despondent and defensive. “I’d rather vote for a dead dog than a Democrat”, one New Hampshirite told this columnist. “But the way things are going it might have to be the dead dog.”
The party has flailed around for a champion without success. Rudy Giuliani led the national polls for months only to implode. Fred Thompson sped to the front for a while only to fall asleep at the wheel. The party is divided into warring factions. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have as much in common as their respective alma maters—Harvard Business School and Ouachita Baptist University. The party is also in danger of going off the deep end. Mr Huckabee denies that man is descended from the apes. Everyone except Mr McCain seems to think that it’s a good plan to send 12m illegal immigrants back home.
- Economist
MB4 on January 11, 2008 at 11:23 PM
MB4 I sent several direct mail fundraising letters I got from his campaign empty with the note “Get it from your friends in Mexico” written across the insert. I also didn’t put the stamp on the pre-paid envelope to help save them money either.
The NRSC’s been getting the same thing for a couple of years too. Not that it’s done anything, but it does feel kinda good.
funky chicken on January 11, 2008 at 11:24 PM
I’d still hold my nose and vote McCain if he was running against Obama and Hillary. I don’t believe the man hates this country. Hillary and Obama? Uh, not so sure I can tell what they feel. Especially, unfortunately, Obama.
I just read he is a supporter of the shariaphile bastard who is destroying Kenya? Gee CNN, where’s that info been?
funky chicken on January 11, 2008 at 11:28 PM
I’d like to thank you for that. I’ve been shaky on the amnesty thing for a while, and that just sealed it for me. Well done.
Good night. ;-)
OneGyT on January 11, 2008 at 11:34 PM
Lots of zippies unmasked in the last few days. Lots of great new posters, too.
MB4, HA veteran – good job. *respect*
RushBaby on January 11, 2008 at 11:37 PM
DAILYKOS: Vote for Mitt!
bnelson44 on January 11, 2008 at 11:38 PM
Too bad Mark Levin does not get enough exposure in the mass media. He takes down McCain here. Something all so-called conservatives should keep in mind when rethinking their support for John McCain.
Also, be sure to listen to Mark Levin with Fred Thompson here, as Mark gives Fred some advice for attacking McCain.
Michael in MI on January 11, 2008 at 11:43 PM
How come you never see Ron Paul’s name on “Fact Check” after a debate?
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/myrtle_beach_blarney.html
Because he speaks the truth!
Fed Up on January 11, 2008 at 11:48 PM
[redneck hippie on January 11, 2008 at 10:38 PM]
Endorsement update: NYS’ Conservative Party.
On a slightly separate note, Fred has already been working here for some time. I got a call tonight and it seems to me he’s planning way ahead and getting ducks in a row.
w00t!!
Dusty on January 11, 2008 at 11:49 PM
Not if someone, anyone will hold McCain accountable for his considerable sins, Republican voters will not tolerate his underhanded liberal machinations.
Is there no one on the national stage who will step up and expose the lies of this man?
Speakup on January 11, 2008 at 11:54 PM
Good discussion. I am working on the ambulance typing on iPhone.
Keep it short and sweet.
What else can I say?
Go Fred!
RobertInAustin on January 11, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I hope Fred verbally rips McCain’s balls off.
McCain said he learned his lesson, so did the guy who got caught screwing around on his wife. McCain never would have done the amnisty if he didn’t think he would have gotten away with it. He’s not sorry he did it, he’s just sorry he got caught.
Fred!
RobertInAustin on January 12, 2008 at 12:03 AM
I’m back from dinner. Your comment makes a nice dessert!
Thank you, and you’re more than welcome. It is hard work presenting logical arguments and facts when politicians and MSM can’t even use the word “amnesty” correctly. I have been focused on this issue since I started to listen to Howie Carr in Boston back in 2000, and I have seen no progress in semantics in this “debate.”
“Amnesty” is forgiveness for past misdeeds. It implies no jail time and no fines. So when McCain, Guliani, etc. argue that their plan is not amnesty – they are correct.
Their opponents on this issue, Thompson, Hunter, and now Romney (on paper, and I hope for real), should be framing their argument in terms of not REWARDING illegal aliens with their ill-gotten goods: presence in our country. And when they suggest a “fine”, it’s just soliciting a $3000 bribe, for Pete’s sake (corny, but safe from banishment)!
Ask McCain, Juliani, and Huck if they think there is any difference between:
1. A would-be illegal alien offering a $3000 bribe to a BP agent to illegally enter our country.
2. McCain, et al soliciting a $3000
finebribe from an illegal alien AFTER THE FACT.Smells like a protection racket to me.
When/if you next get stopped for speeding, the officer may grant you “amnesty” and not give you a ticket, but will he reward you by allowing you to resume speeding?? Even if you do pay a fine?
Does a judge ever award the stolen jewels to the convicted burglar, with or without “amnesty” (no jail and no fine)??
Please make up you own examples – you will quickly realize that “amnesty” for illegal aliens is a REWARD for bad behavior – simple as that. Is there any other crime that McCain, et al, deem worthy of ‘amnesty’, by rewarding the criminal with what he stole in the first place?
And if you have ever trained a dog, do you expect it to stop bad behavior by rewarding it?
I am all for walls (double, with a road in between, as Hunter’s San Diego fence), employer crackdowns, etc., but we will NEVER stop this invasion if we keep holding out enticements. NEVER.
Four states have it right so far. Attrition, without having to resort to mass deportation, is working just fine, thank you. And if you don’t believe me, listen to the illegal aliens themselves in the Georgia video on that page. And more to come, Maybe Washington, DC, will see the wisdom some day. Meanwhile we have to put up with this crap.
fred5678 on January 12, 2008 at 12:21 AM
We’re voting for non-conservatives because we’re chewing up a spitting out the conservatives and leaving these guys alone from the beginning now they’re the hold your noses last greatest hope to win… forget it! This proves Hucksters right, conservativism is dead and buried right next to President Reagan.
I won’t be voting for a liberal Republican. If there’s going to be a liberal in the White House it’ll be a True Full-Fledge Liberal, so they can get the blame for all the stupid A$$ bills that’ll be signed. Count on Shamnesty and Universal Healthcare by 2010! And when we can’t pay for social security, the Death Tax gets reinstated, capital gains gets increased, the tax cut gets revocated retroactively, I want to make sure it’s a Democrat in the White House doing it, not McShamnesty or any other Republican. I’m not having Conservativism being absconded by moderate liberals so that their ideas can be equated to conservativism and it get blamed for a Jimmy Carter style economy. I want the blame rested squarely on the correct shoulders. Which means I will be voting for Hillary over McCain, Huckster, or Rudy. You can take that to the bank!
Sultry Beauty on January 12, 2008 at 12:34 AM
Mark Levin is on fire tonight! He interviews Fred Thompson on the Air to discuss last nights debate and responds to Huckter’s Medamucil comment. Mark goes for McCaine’s throat with a vote by vote account of what he Stands for.
Egfrow on January 12, 2008 at 12:35 AM
I feel your pain. Let’s hope, and work ($$$), that we don’t have to. Standing on principles, something foreign to some candidates, is the only way to go. I have contributed, in order, to Tancredo, Hunter, and Thompson, to keep this most important issue front and center. The vast majority of Americans feel very strongly about illegal immigration (witness the Democrat AZ governor pressured into signing their law), and it is a big chasm between Conservative Republicans and all Democrats. It is the single issue that can win for Republicans – if we choose wisely.
fred5678 on January 12, 2008 at 12:49 AM
I’m one of those who won’t be voting for McCain, even if he gets the nomination. I figure why bother voting for Democrat Lite. I just won’t bother voting, or if I do, I’ll write Mickey Mouse in instead.
Snake307 on January 12, 2008 at 12:57 AM
Wrong. I rarely ever called anyone names like that. I slammed Fred and some Fredheads attacked me with personal insults. It escalated from their until many of them had complete meltdowns because I made them look at what they were. It reminded me of Ron Paul blaming America for the renewed attacks by the terrorists. But, that’s water under the bridge. And I appreciate it if you’d defend yourself and leave me out of your petty disagreements.
csdeven on January 12, 2008 at 1:04 AM
Neither Rudy nor McCain are for the universal healthcare. Rudy cut taxes in NYC where Dems outnumber republicans 5 to 1. Spending also increased at a rate lower than inflation. He is big on keeping the death tax dead and keeping the Bush tax cuts in place. Even Fred! applauded the tax plan Rudy just came out with in the last debate, joking that it is very similar to Fred’s plan. I understand the problems people have with Rudy (social issues and the personal baggage), but he’s no socialist and its ignorant to imply otherwise.
phronesis on January 12, 2008 at 1:04 AM
Yes, it does look like we are headed towards a McCain-Huckabee ticket. And, I won’t be voting in this election if that is the case, unless there is a 3rd party. And, if it’s McCain-Huckabee it is time to start a new conservative party.
joncoltonis on January 12, 2008 at 1:08 AM
The folks at the Economist are really too impressed with themselves. They have long since relinquished the ability to control their condescension toward Americans.
phronesis on January 12, 2008 at 1:13 AM
Muy excelente.
MB4 on January 12, 2008 at 1:25 AM
We need a jaundiced eye to keep us honest.
MB4 on January 12, 2008 at 1:27 AM
I don’t understand the McCain lovefest. He’s not a good speaker, he has a bad temper when challenged, he does odd things out of the blue, and besides his Iraq policy he stinks on issues. Plus, I thought everyone hated the Iraq war? If they hate it so much, why are they in love with the #1 war hawk?
froghat on January 12, 2008 at 1:29 AM
I have to agree with you. If there must be a Democrat in office, let it be one without an “R” next to their name. Besides, I’d rather have 4 years of disaster and then (hopefully) a better crop of candidates in 2012 than be stuck with a RINO for potentially 8 years. Regardless, I’m in the People’s Republic of California anyway, pretty much the bluest of the blue states, so my vote practically means nothing in the first place.
Grayson on January 12, 2008 at 1:38 AM
I’m listening live to news from Europe “…900 children in Kindergarten who don’t speak the local language…city X…demanding special treatment”.
A HA commenter recently posted that Enlish is being slowly eliminated from a local school, here in the U.S.
What if any of us would move to China and demand that they provide Kindergarten and schools in English…or to Venezuela, or Mexico, and demand the same.
Entelechy on January 12, 2008 at 1:40 AM
Correction – English is being slowly eliminated.
Entelechy on January 12, 2008 at 1:43 AM
I don’t vote for Democrats so I won’t be voting for McCain.
Buzzy on January 12, 2008 at 1:45 AM
Whoops, meant my post above to be in response to Sultry Beauty’s earlier post. Should of had a quote in it.
Grayson on January 12, 2008 at 1:49 AM
Vielen Dank und Tack så mycket
fred5678 on January 12, 2008 at 2:13 AM
Robert Bork denounced McCain and Huckabee as the filthy liberals they are (yesterday’s Mark Levin show).
Fred Thompson pointed out his own differences with McCain on immigration, taxation, and supporting conservative Supreme Court Justice nominees.
Fred, the conservative, is endorsed by the New York Conservative Party.
Fredmentum!
maverick muse on January 12, 2008 at 7:02 AM
A vote for McCain is a vote for his VP. This man’s prognosis is poor and he is living on borrowed time. Voting for him will be voting for an unscheduled federal holiday.
4Bear on January 12, 2008 at 9:03 AM
Beacuse…anybody who can score a hit against the US Constitution has got to be a good guy in the minds of the Democrats. McCain will go down in history for his McCain/Fiengold Act and little else if the story stops here. I shutter to think of the story going on.
4Bear on January 12, 2008 at 9:07 AM
I think it’s time to trot out the “Bomb, Bomb Iran” clip.
Seixon on January 12, 2008 at 9:09 AM
This is off topic as heck but I have to relate this….
Fox and Friends Saturday (Kelly Wright, Page Hopkins, and Greg Kelly) is getting pretty racy. They were discussing the twins who were separated at birth that met, got married, found out they were twins, and then had their marriage annulled….. Well, they did a split screen of Paige with herself inside a heart. Greg Kelly said hey that was pretty cool and all the guys would like to see some Paige on Paige action! Well, it escalated from there until they did the same split screen with Greg. He told the crew to get that crap of the screen. Paige replies saying that it was OK for her to do some Paige on Paige but it wasn’t OK for Greg. he said thats right and every guy watching knows exactly what he was talking about.
HAHAHA! What a riot!
Oh, and poor Kelly, who by my recollection is a regular church goer, just sat there shaking his head and laughing.
csdeven on January 12, 2008 at 9:48 AM
If we do wind up with a McCain/Huckabee ticket, the country will be doomed regardless of who wins the general. Open borders nominees on both sides. May as well disband the USCIS and ICE to save the money for all the social programs the
illegalsundocumented citizens will bewaiting injumping to the head of the line for.Texas Nick 77 on January 12, 2008 at 10:33 AM
It’s an age old formula. Mainstream Republicans (and perhaps Dems as well) want to support the candidate who they feel has the best chance of winning in the General. That’s what happened in CA when Schwarzeneggar got elected.
Therefore, are we looking at a McCain/Clinton matchup?
CliffHanger on January 12, 2008 at 10:57 AM
I just checked in on Fred’s website. Over $803,000 in the gas tank.
Go Fred!
http://www.fred08.com/
Texas Nick 77 on January 12, 2008 at 11:05 AM
@ Phil Byler on January 11, 2008 at 8:17 PM
You said MCCain is strong on military issues and national security. Curious how you don’t include the security of the borders as the MOST IMPORTANT NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. He is WEAK on national security because he refuses to fix the immigration problem.
muyoso on January 12, 2008 at 12:17 PM
It should be fine to attack the superficiality of people who support Obama because he’s the Black messiah. Thus, let’s demand that Republicans have a right to speak about race, not that Democrats are forbidden to speak about race. Enabling the racial Inquisition by demanding that we include Democrats will only empower the leftist arbiters of what constitutes racism even more. We need to smash these Torquemadas instead.
thuja on January 12, 2008 at 1:46 PM
I love this blog, but I must say … the photo used of McCain makes the person who chose it as biased as the AP or NYTs. You are becoming who you detest. Sad.
scotth on January 12, 2008 at 3:43 PM
.
He does it to everybody except MM and MLK, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it biased.
Blake on January 12, 2008 at 4:47 PM
muyoso, I have not been on this site today until now because I have been enjoying a Saturday on Long Island. My wife and I went to Robert Moses State Park and took a long walk along the Atlantic Ocean. I also went to the local YMCA where there is a weight room designed by former New York Jet great Freeman MacNeil and worked out on weights and where there is an Olympic size pool and took 1/3 mile swim. I have additionally been watching a great NFL football game — a snow bowl between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seawhawks; how can you not think Bret Favre is great? So I did not see your Saturday 12:17 PM post asking how I could on my Friday 8:17 PM post say how John McCain was so strong on military issues and national security given his support of immigration law reform. The short answer is that John McCain is heads above everyone else in terms of knowledge and experience with respect to military matters and national security, that the intention of immigration law reform was an attempt to deal with the de facto amnesty that resulted from the law signed by President Ronald Reagan back in the 1980’s and that John McCain has been saying for months that he got the message and understands that law enforcement must come first. I will explain.
Let me preface my explanation, though, by referring to the fact that I care deeply about who will be the next Commander in Chief. My older son is a U.S. Army First Lieutenant (with Ranger tab and paratroop wings) who for 15 months until October served as an infantry platoon leader in Iraq and for his service he earned a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal for Valor for actions under fire. My younger son will be commissioned a U.S. Marines Second Lieutenant in May after college graduation this semester having already passed officer training at Quantico. So I have flesh and blood on the line.
John McCain, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy Admirals and a U.S. Navy combat aviator, has spent a lifetime of service ot the nation. He is a genuine war hero and patriot. Since his election to Congress in 1982, John McCain has been involved in military affairs and national security matters; that is 25 years of experience.
The Iraq War has been a test case. He has visited the troops often; he voiced his criticism of the Rumsfeld light footprint strategy as leaving too few boots on the ground; and then he vocally and forcefully supported the surge under the leadership of General Petraeus from the start. While Democrats declared defeat and most Republicans either were looking for a way out (Senator Lugar) or were looking at their feet (Governor Romney), John McCain never wavered in his support of the troops and their mission. I know because my older son was an infantry platoon leader when truly supporting the troops was not politically popular. John McCain has been proved right; he took the positions he did because he knows his stuff.
That John McCain knows his stuff on military matters, national security and foreign affairs and is the best candidate to be Commander in Chief is reflected in the endorsements he has received: former Secretaries of State George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig; former Navy Secretaries John Lehman and William Ball; former national security officials Robert Inman, James Woolsey, Tom Ridge, Bud MacFarlane and Tom Kean; former Cabinet Secretaries (outside State) James Schlesinger, Jack Kemp and Robert Mosbacher; and national security savy Senator Joe Lieberman.
You say what about immigration? The problem with immigration is that we just cannot do nothing, which is what we have been doing for 20 years. We have had de facto amnesty because the the law enforcement provisions in the immigration law signed by President Reagan were not enforced. Last summer’s legislation was an attempt at comprehensive reform that did include strong law enforcement provisions. What John McCain understands is that the American people just did not trust that the law enforcement provisions in last summer’s proposed legislation would be enforced. If those law enforcement provisions were enforced, then you would not have de facto amnesty. But for now, however, what is a political imperative is that there be law enforcement provisons of current immigration law be enforced, and John McCain has stated steps that need to be taken, including the deportation of illegals cought committing crimes.
So, when you consider the whole of the matter and not be stuck in a mental rut about last summer’s debate over immigration reform, then it is not a close question: no one comes close to John McCain in terms of qualifications to be the next Commander in Chief.
Phil Byler on January 12, 2008 at 8:03 PM
McCain did screw around on his wife:
Betrayal, deceit, corruption and John McCain
Poptech on January 12, 2008 at 8:55 PM
Am I the only one who is upset that Republicans don’t get to pick the Republican nominee?
Independents are what carried John McCain in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney won the most Republican votes. Why do independents get to decide who the Republican nominee is? Shouldn’t Republicans get to pick their own nominee for President?
joncoltonis on January 12, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Let’s try one more time. McCain’s excellent military record and strong stance on the WOT does not mean that he is right on illegal immigration. national security is meaningless withou border security, and you will NEVER have border security, no matter how high and sturdy a fence you build, unless you remove the attraction to future border crossers. The attraction is periodic ‘amnesties’ which is not amnesty, but a REWARD.
‘Amnesty’ is forgiveness for past misdeeds – it is not a REWARD for illegal behavior. ‘Amnesty’ had been misused by all parties to describe rewards – not forgiveness of past crimes. How about we give true amnesty to all illegal aliens (no fines and no jail time) but not reward them with residency in our country – the exact thing they stole in the first place?
If a burglar broke into your home and stole your plasma TV,
would you object if the judge fined the burglar $300 (McCain’s “no amnesty – they have to pay a fine” strategy) but let the burglar KEEP YOUR TV?? Of course not – so why should we reward illegal aliens with their ill-gotten goods? It will only encourage millions more to cross our border, no matter how high a fence we build. You have to stop giving REWARDS of residency via “amnesty” or the flood will never stop. Why is that so hard to understand?
McCain wants to REWARD illegal aliens with a “pathway to citizenship” with the Z visa, which provides a
generouscynical 24 hours for DHS to process the applications of over 12 million illegal aliens – background check and health check – or they would get immediate permanent residency. How more cynical could it be??Why can’t he be satisfied with only strict law enforcement and not insist on REWARDS, as 4 states (including his own Arizona!) have now done out of frustration with Congress? And it’s WORKING!
McCain and Hillary basically said the same thing on TV news tonight: “You can’t deport 12 to 20 million illegal aliens THEREFORE we have to make them citizens”. B___S___T, to use a Navy term that McCain can understand. Both of them and all pro-”amnesty” proponents ignore the enforcement only option. They held America’s border security hostage last summer, denying increased enforcement, by demanding REWARDS for illegal aliens. America’s response: the capitol switchboard was shut down in protest. Mccain has not learned his lesson – he just wants to defer the rewards until after we have full enforcement. Why not just stop at enforcement and skip the rewards? See the only poll that offered all three choices – the results were overwhelming in favor of enforcement only.
demanding rewards for law-breakers in return for enforcing our laws.
Why not stop there? Why insist on adding REWARDS to the bill?
Exactly. But stop there and don’t add REWARDS of residency and ‘pathway to citizenship’.
Maybe you would like to see how the correct solution is working already in 4 states. And here is what McCain’s (and Hillary, Obama, Edwards, Huckabee, and Guliani) strategy ignores – a shanty town complete with brothels and Sunday Mass – in San Diego’s backyard. This will just perpetuate as long as you continue to offer the enticement of REWARDS of residency. No thanks.
fred5678 on January 13, 2008 at 5:53 AM
Both McCain and Huckabee should just go ahead and switch parties now.
At least then it would then be “official.”
God help us if either one is the nominee for the republicans.
Dave R. on January 13, 2008 at 1:05 PM
fred5678, first of all, let’s not tar John McCain with the nonsense of Hillary Clinton. Hillary is still condemning President Bush for not having passed comprehensive immigration reform, as if there had been no public revolt against last summer’s proposed immigration reform that carried with it what loosely was referred to as amnesty. John McCain has been saying for months (I heard it in person in September 2007) that we have to have law enforcement first.
Secondly, your immigration “solution” is to deport all 12 million illegals. Sounds nice, but you are not factoring in at all the tremendouss resources that it would take to accomplish that task, nor the disruption of the economy from the sudden departure of 12 million people from this country. John McCain’s point of departure is the same as what most people think is a matter of realism — that we are not in a position to be doing a massive deportation. We can and should deport all illegals who are caught committing crimes, and John McCain has said that. So the question is what do we do? Right now, we do law enforcement as best we can and until we get the borders secured; however, that is not going to result in deporting 12 million illegals. So what do we do at some in the future? One thing to consider is to provide an avenue of citizenship that is difficult and is not a reward; and that was the intention behind last summer’s bill.
Thirdly, I take it from your comment that you do not disagree with most of my Saturday 8:03 PM post. You are only arguing about the immigration part.
Phil Byler on January 13, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Phil – this is my last lesson. Please read carefully and pay attention. I have NFL games to watch.
I’m only tarring with a single issue – illegal immigration.
McCain, Guliani, Huckabee, Obama, and Edwards all get the same tar. And especially McCain – he was the prime mover behind the shameful Z visa of the shamnesty bill.
Loosely and incorrectly – see previous posts defining amnesty and rewards.
That’s exactly the problem, as I have explained many times before. It should be the ONLY thing, not the first thing. McCain’s lesson was one of politics – give the people what they want (enforcement) so he can later get what he wants – REWARDS for illegal behavior. Why not be happy with just enforcement – it’s WORKING! And it is what Republicans AND Democrats want – see this poll. Please see these examples - especially the Georgia video.
Are you hard of reading?? Are you a shill for Huckabee, Guliani, McCain, and all the Democrats? You gotta be putting me on. Hillary used the this quote last night: “You would need 20,000 buses in a line to deport all undocumented workers.”
I’ll say it one more time, then you promise to watch this video and hear it from the mouths of self-deporting illegal aliens. I am advocating ENFORCEMENT ONLY, not mass deportations. I have never suggested mass deporatations. Nor has Hunter, Thompson, Tancredo, or Romney. You constantly use the tired false argument of Bush, et al.
Again, you are not reading, listening, or paying attention. No mass deportations, just solid law enforcement that is working already in 4 states.
Drop your strawman, already.
No, we don’t. Only 4 states are “doing the job Bush and Congress refuse to do.”
We certainly don’t want to REWARD illegal behavior for the eighth time since 1986. Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results, is the definition of insanity – McCain’s and yours.
So I can steal you car, and if I pay a fine, I get to keep it? Duh. Any reward for a particular behavior begats more of the same behavior. You have never trained a dog not to poop on your rug, have you?
BINGO! You are paying attention at last. There is hope, after all. Please, please, read my previous posts. I grow weary of trying to explain to otherwise good folk who think that rewarding, in any way, illegal behavior will ever stop the illegal behavior.
fred5678 on January 13, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Phil – I grow weary explaining the same thing over and over – I have NFL football to watch. You are either hard of reading or a troll. I have never advocated mass deportations – go back and read my several posts carefully. I and the majority of American people advocate attrition by enforcement. Go to this informative web page, read the “Attrition Through Enforcement is Working” page, read the news stories, watch the news videos and learn the facts. Also read the Zogby poll, where a majority of Republicans and Democrats favor this approach.
I only tar McCain with only this single issue – and he deserves it more than any Republican for pushing REWARDS of residency for illegal aliens on the public last Summer.
It wasn’t amnesty – it was worse. It promised REWARDS of residency for illegal behavior. McCain gets to correctly call his plan not amnesty and confuse the issue because he imposes a small
finebribe to gain precious citizenship.“FIRST” – that’s exactly the problem. It should be first, last, and ONLY. We don’t need to reward illegal behavior. McCain held the security of this country hostage with his demands for the Z visa. If he had dropped the rewards part, that bill would have sailed through. He insisted on rewards, and enforcement at the national level continues to suffer. McCain IS the problem.
Again, not my solution. Read carefully.
More straw man argument – you are not arguing against what I am advocating, just like Bush, Hillary, and McCain do all the time. They continue to deny the third option- which is working just fine, thank you.
Wrong. See the Zogby poll. You sound like Karl Rove.
Straw man redux.
We certainly don’t want to repeat the same proven mistake as the last seven “amnesties” since 1986, do we?
Wrong again. Only 4 states are doing it. The national enforcement plan was held hostage by McCain last year.
Getting weary of this straw man. READ what I say.
Completely silly. You would award the convicted burglar with the stolen goods, as long as he has to pay a
finebribe.No. The intention of last year’s bill was to REWARD 12 to 20 million with immediate permanent residency, while holding our border security as hostage.
BINGO! You inderstood only one thing I wrote.
fred5678 on January 13, 2008 at 3:08 PM
“understood”
And now back to football. Have a nice day, and please read thoroughly these news stories and watch this video.
fred5678 on January 13, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3