McCain Sees Right-Of-Center Nation As He Moves Against Obama

[qrayjack]

McCain Sees Right-Of-Center Nation As He Moves Against Obama - AP

WASHINGTON -- Republican John McCain's game plan for beating Democrat Barack Obama rests on one huge assumption: Despite an unpopular war, an uncertain economy and the GOP's beleaguered status, the country still leans more to the right than to the left.

"There are going to be stark choices between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican," McCain says at nearly every turn as he seeks to portray Obama as out of step with the nation. The more the GOP nominee-in-waiting can frame the debate along those lines, and capture a larger chunk of the electorate's center, the better his chance to eke out a victory in an extraordinarily challenging political environment.

Of course, a slew of other factors will come into play, including experience, character and outside events.
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*Finally John McCain says something I agree with.

[Petertherock]

Maybe he's finally listening to Rush!

[slinkiecat]

Yes, according to ontheissues.org, America does lean right. So why does John McCain keep pushing leftward? He's losing millions of conservative voters while trying to appeal to the left with his embracing of liberal causes like the global warming scam, the right to health care, and amnesty for illegal aliens.

[ONTIME]

The nominee for the party said to be on the right, has not considered his past actions, what he says now are contradictory and is not indictative of what Real Republicans ask for. This path of denial will not net him friends, votes or the money needed to end his quest in victory.

[Nicholas]

'''There are going to be stark choices between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican,' McCain says at nearly every turn as he seeks to portray Obama as out of step with the nation."

At least, there would be if a conservative Republican were running for President.

"Fundraising figures and primary turnout numbers also indicate that the GOP base isn't nearly as revved up as its counterpart."

That might be because the GOP base doesn't see anybody they like, hmmm? You don't suppose?

"They say his reputation for bucking the GOP on salient issues like climate change allows him to reach beyond the traditional Republican base when the party's ''brand'' is broken to attract independents and moderate Democrats."

Not only to reach beyond the traditional Republican base, but to leave it behind and ignore it! Oh, well, he's been ignoring it for years as a Senator.

"Mindful that the unpopular Bush is a liability, McCain has started to distance himself from the president in speeches that encapsulate his own vision. Still, McCain is signaling he will use Bush where necessary; the two, for example, are appearing at a joint fundraiser later this month."

And has he ever considered that - contrary to the same msm that reports the country being so far left - maybe Bush's unpopularity is due to his relentless push for Amnesty-that's-not-called-Amnesty?

"McCain is taking a campaign approach unlike Bush's elections in 2000 and 2004, which emphasized turning out the party's base. Rather, McCain has started shifting to the electorate's center, a recognition of his ideological reach as well as the need to capture swing voters against an opponent who also attracts independents."

He has always been in the center - he's not just starting to shift now.

"He hopes his crusade against climate change -- an issue that appeals to people of all stripes -- will help him build a winning coalition of voters."

Sorry, it doesn't appeal to me very much. I'm certainly in favor of clean air and clean water, but in thirty-some years of watching government, politics, and the economy, I've become convinced that more government regulation won't get us there. Increasing CAFE standards in the 1990's got us SUV's, not noticeably better national average gas mileage. Instead, one way or another, make it profitable for companies to clean up their factories' smokestacks and wastewater. Tax credits, for example.

What would appeal to me most of all is a Conservative - ie, NOT RINO - approach to illegal aliens: a double fence along the border, with accompanying armed Border patrols, enforcement of laws concerning employment of aliens, deporting illegal aliens already here, etc. Of course, after McCain's record of the last several years in the Senate, I'm not very convinced by any promise he makes to do something like that. "We'll build the damn fence," for example. Using an expletive here does little to satisfy me - it sounds too much like he's just saying it now, with no intention to actually do it.

"To do so, McCain is targeting traditional swing voting groups, like independents and Catholics, as well as others where Obama has shown weakness in the primaries, among them conservative-leaning so-called Reagan Democrats, blue-collar whites, Jews and Hispanics."

May I point out that Hillary hasn't given up yet? Has he considered that the Democratic nomination shows every indication of going to a floor fight in Denver, and the result of that might be Obama, or Hillary, or some other Democrat being nominated? That the floor fight in Denver may include riots, spray paint on Obama's car, and who knows what else? I know spray paint and toilet paper in a Presidential race sound childish, but Hillary's hissy fits don't seem terrifically mature, either. The Clinton political machine has a history of getting them what they want, and it's very plain that Hillary wants this nomination so bad she can taste it.

[qrayjack]

So why does John McCain keep pushing leftward?

Iconic. Inscrutable. Maybe McCain is the Manchurian Candidate.