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David Keene: Will McCain try to re-write the GOP platform? -- TheHill.com, 3/31/08 John McCain snuggles up to conservative bloggers Washington Times – John McCain’s always had a cozy relationship with the mainstream media, but he’s also worked overtime to try and get in good with conservative bloggers as well. McCain’s made himself available for regular conference calls to ingratiate himself with the blogosphere, an effective strategy that certainly helped his campaign. Read more. 03/31 McCain needs more than a biography tour New York Times – Bill Kristol writes that John McCain needs more than an impressive personal history in order to be elected president – he needs a reformist agenda that gives people a reason to vote for the here and now rather than something he did decades ago. Read more. 03/31 The world according to John McCain Newsweek – John McCain’s lack of guiding principles is evident in his speeches and in his actions – he talks about the need to ‘listen,’ when it comes to foreign affairs, but then gets angry when he hears something he doesn’t like. McCain’s unpredictable nature is one of many concerns regarding his potential presidency. Read more. 03/31 McCain’s Democratic Realism – a departure from the Bush Doctrine? The Weekly Standard, 3/31/08 McCain’s incoherent new world order – GOPUSA.com, 3/31/08 Former Arizona GOP Governor nominee scolds conservatives Arizona Republic –Len Munsil was the Arizona Republican Party’s nominee for governor in 2006, and John McCain endorsed him. Munsil says conservatives are making a mistake by threatening to sit out the election, and then reintroduces the standard arguments for why conservatives should support McCain. Read more. 03/31 McCain still polling well amongst war and economic worries USA Today – It’s unfathomable to many that John McCain continues to poll well against potential Democratic rivals in the presidential race. Poll numbers don’t measure enthusiasm, however – and many conservatives remain wary of McCain. Read more. 03/31 McCain quietly courts the Catholic vote -- Dallas Morning News, 3/31/08 Republican Vice Presidential choices Boston Globe – Here’s a brief click-by-click rundown of many of the folks being mentioned as potential running mates for John McCain. Read more. 03/31 Bobby Jindal – Change you can believe in Human Events – Bobby Jindal and Barack Obama have one thing in common – they’ve both emphasized change in their respective campaigns. The similarity ends there, as Jindal’s actually enacted change during his brief tenure as Governor of Louisiana, adding an air of competence to the rhetoric that’s so easy to promise and not deliver. Read more. 03/31 McCain’s surprise: Jindal for VP? ABCNews.com John McCain leads the Gutless Old Party North Star Writers Group – Columnist David Karki writes that by nominating John McCain, the Republican Party has blown a historic opportunity to champion conservative principles. Karki says McCain is no conservative – and for the party to choose such a leader at a time when the Democrats are in-fighting, is simply gutless. Read more. 03/31 McCain worked with Obama on ethics reform – for a week Washington Post – John McCain’s fondness for working with Democrats once extended to a newly elected Senator from Illinois, as McCain and Barack Obama collaborated on pushing for ethics reform measures. Cutting corruption in Congress is a good thing, but both proved that playing politics was also high on their individual agendas. Read more. 03/31 The Republican Party’s case of the blues New York Times Magazine – It’s never been clearer that the leadership of the Republican Party just doesn’t get it, and here’s an in-depth look at why. Representative Tom Cole heads the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and he’s a shining example of why the GOP is suffering with the base – and why they’ll continue to lose seats. Read more. 03/30 Soft money will save national Republican Party Washington Post – The Republican congressional campaign committees are struggling mightily in fundraising, since the conservative grassroots just isn’t contributing. All’s not lost for the party, however, as independent groups will make up much of the difference with issue campaigns – but they won’t be a rubber-stamp for the party in all cases. Read more. 03/30 Dick Armey: How McCain should talk about economics Real Clear Politics – Dick Armey compliments John McCain for his emphasis on honor and fairness, and writes that McCain should include those values when the talks about economics. Armey says McCain can lead the charge against government waste while also fighting to simplify the tax code – which is a good place to start. Read more. 03/30 Gilmore trying to duck pro-life issue in Virginia Washington Times – Former Governor Jim Gilmore says he’s proud of his conservative credentials, yet still believes some Virginia Republicans are too conservative on pro-life issues. Bob Marshall is running against Gilmore for the Virginia GOP US Senate nomination, and Marshall’s correctly pointed out the flaws in Gilmore’s abortion views. Read more. 03/30 McCain’s memory and Mark Sanford as VP Wall Street Journal – Conservatives are waiting to see who John McCain picks for his running mate, and one name that generates a lot of excitement is Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. Sanford’s conservative credentials are solid, but he didn’t endorse McCain during the primaries – will McCain feel slighted enough not to consider him? Read more. 03/30 Is Bush more like Harry Truman or Woodrow Wilson? Los Angeles Times – George Bush continues to believe that his neoconservative foreign policy vision will ultimately be vindicated, and his presidency will be judged like that of Harry Truman. Here’s one writer who agrees that Bush will be judged like a former president, though the American leader that Bush most resembles is Woodrow Wilson, and won’t be favorable in the end. Read more. 03/30 Viguerie: Most top conservatives lukewarm on McCain US News & World Report – Richard Viguerie says that most conservative leaders are still unhappy with John McCain: “He hasn’t reached out to us. He’s trying to get our support on the cheap. The feeling is… the next step is up to McCain. We’re waiting to see if he’s going to reach out.” Read more. 03/29 McCain’s campaign hires demonstrate hostility to conservatives Human Events – John McCain has not demonstrated by his actions that he intends to bring conservatives into his administration – and upon examining the hiring patterns for his campaign -- if anything he’s anti-conservative. The people around McCain will certainly influence the direction of his policies, and thus far, he’s no conservative. Read more. 03/29 Bobby Jindal cleans out Louisiana Wall Street Journal – Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana ran on a platform of conservative principles and was elected with a strong mandate. Jindal’s wasted no time in calling two special sessions of the Louisiana legislature, pushed through ethics reforms and invested in the state’s hurricane-hit infrastructure. Jindal proves conservatism works. Read more. 03/29 RINO Don Young could have many challengers Anchorage Daily News – Sean Parnell rocked Alaska politics when he announced a Republican primary challenge to pork-king Don Young – but it looks like there are others who are looking to jump in against Young as well. Young’s ethical lapses and reputation for wasteful spending have many wanting to be rid of him. Read more. 03/29 Star Parker: An open letter to John McCain Human Events – Conservative activist Star Parker listened to John McCain’s foreign policy speech the other day, and like many conservatives, believes that McCain is way off base. Since conservatives are not yet on board with McCain, Parker writes an open letter to the candidate in hopes of helping him discover the conservative issues that he’s ignoring. Read more. 03/29 American Conservative Union PAC endorses Olson in Texas 22nd FOXBusiness.com – American Conservative Union PAC Chairman David Keene announced the committee’s endorsement of Pete Olson in the Republican primary for Texas’ 22nd district, the former seat of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Liberal Democrat Nick Lampson won the seat in 2006 after DeLay resigned. Read more. 03/29 Family Research Council Action endorses Woody Jenkins News Blaze – Woody Jenkins is a principled conservative running for Congress in Louisiana’s 6th district, and he recently received an endorsement from Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. If elected, Jenkins will not only provide another conservative voice in Congress, he’ll add badly needed leadership at a time when our country desperately needs it. Read more. 03/28 Social conservatives face a wilderness road to the White House World Magazine – The conservative movement remains as divided as it was a year ago, when conservative leaders couldn’t agree on one candidate to support for the Republican Party’s nomination. Now that John McCain’s the nominee, conservatives are still unable to unite on whether to support McCain or stay to the side – and time’s running out. Read more. 03/28 10 more of the greatest pieces of conservative wisdom Townhall.com – Last week, blogger John Hawkins laid out ten great pieces of conservative wisdom, then commented on how they fit into our culture and society. This week, Hawkins reveals ten more pieces of conservative wisdom for our enjoyment and reflection. Read more. 03/28 McCain needs Southern Baptists to win Newsmax.com – Presidential Historian Doug Wead states it plainly when he says that John McCain needs the support of Southern Baptists to win in November – and that as of now, McCain hasn’t secured the base. Wead says that every president since Reagan has worked hard to establish relationships with Southern Baptist leaders, and McCain hasn’t done that. Read more. 03/28 How the GOP lost the West New York Post – The American mountain west used to be solid Republican, but no more writes Ryan Sager, who recently attended a meeting of conservatives in Denver. Like it’s done in other parts of the country and in Congress, the west’s GOP delegations lost track of what they were really all about – and conservatives just won’t support them anymore. Read more. 03/28 Big surprise: McCain’s Senate record not always conservative McClatchy Newspapers – It’s surprising that some people are just discovering it, but John McCain is no principled conservative. Throughout his career in Congress, McCain has supported some conservative issues and strongly opposed others – the only sure thing about McCain is that he appears to believe in what he feels like at any given time. Read more. 03/28 Can McCain learn from the British (Tory) model? Washington Post – Michael Gerson is advocating for ‘compassionate conservatism’ (translation: big government) again – this time, encouraging John McCain to take a page from British conservatives (Tories). Gerson says the Tories are pushing forth ‘compassionate’ policies to bring about social change, but behaving like Bush is the last thing McCain needs. Read more. 03/28 McCain planning on California push Washington Times – John McCain’s feeling mighty bold these days, touring the country trying to get the conservative GOP base excited about him. McCain is so optimistic that he plans to compete in California, the left-coast bastion of liberalism that hasn’t voted Republican in 20 years. Maybe he thinks Nancy Reagan’s endorsement will provide a spark. Read more. 03/28 Anti-war can be liability in GOP Politico.com – One tragedy stemming from George W. Bush’s presidency is the perception that all ‘conservatives’ support the Iraq War. While most Republicans still support the war, some conservatives have spoken out against it – and they’ve suffered because of it. It’s yet another reason to see conservatism as independent from the GOP. Read more. 03/28 Telling the truth: Conservatives are more charitable than liberals Washington Post – George Will exposes a myth that liberals love to perpetuate – that they ‘care’ more for the poor than conservatives. Facts are stubborn things, Will writes, as red state voters tend to be more religious and donate a significantly higher percentage of their incomes to charities, while liberals just want the welfare state to take care of them. Read more. 03/27 Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) for McCain’s VP? Human Events – John Gizzi writes of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Forget the ‘balancing the ticket’ arguments, Palin is much more than just a ‘woman’ candidate. She’s a solid conservative and represents a new generation of conservative leaders who uphold principle over power, as demonstrated by her support of cleaning out the Alaska Congressional delegation. Read more. 03/27 Robert Novak: A tax McCain could cut Washington Post – Robert Novak says John McCain has a real opportunity to seize on a popular issue with the American public, but isn’t taking advantage of it. Novak writes of the chance to cut the regressive payroll tax that everyone pays – it’s much more damaging than the income tax because of its reach, and McCain doesn’t seem to get it. Read more. 03/27 GOP looks to ‘McCain Democrats’ Politico.com – Democrats and Independents were largely responsible for nominating John McCain in the first place, so it’s no surprise that the Republican Party will look to these groups to help get him elected in November. McCain and the GOP leadership know they can’t count on enthusiastic conservative support, so they have to get votes from somewhere. Read more. 03/27 Conservative group picks battles, makes impact RealClearPolitics.com – Liberal advocacy groups like MoveOn.org have definitely altered the political landscape, pouring money into hotly contested political races with measurable effect. Conservatives are responding in kind with organizations such as Freedom’s Watch, which picks its battles and seeks to impact the way the message is delivered to voters. Read more. 03/27 The Supreme Court gets it right on the balance between law and politics National Review Online – The editors of National Review applaud the Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the State of Texas’ refusal to enforce a Bush Administration order to reconsider the case of a Mexican murderer. Bush’s appointees to the court were instrumental in achieving the proper outcome, which highlights the need for a restrained judiciary. Read more. 03/27 One conservative’s argument for McCain Townhall.com – Colorado native Mark Hillman says he’s a conservative first and a Republican second, but he’s decided to support John McCain – and believes principled conservatives should do the same. Hillman says the alternative is simply too unacceptable – an Obama presidency would set conservatives back in many areas. Read more. 03/27 McCain says he’s a ‘realistic idealist’ on foreign policy Washington Times – John McCain continues in his attempts to define what he really believes in, calling himself a ‘realistic idealist’ on foreign policy, and expecting the American public to understand what that means. One thing’s for sure – McCain’s vision is a far cry from a traditional conservative non-intervention approach to foreign affairs. Read more. 03/27 Conservative Economics 101 The American Spectator – John McCain admitted he doesn't understand economics as well as he should, so Quin Hillyer has laid out an economic platform for him. Hillyer’s ideas involve ending subsidies and instituting more freedom, tried and true economics principles that would certainly work if we had politicians with enough guts to implement them. Read more. 03/27 Bush rakes in millions for the GOP Washington Times – George W. Bush’s presidency has been an unmitigated disaster to the good name of conservatism, but he’s still able to get big Republican donors to write big checks to the Republican National Committee. All the money in the world won’t get the conservative grassroots to work for Bush or McCain, however, unless they make it worthwhile on principle. Read more. 03/27 National Review endorses Parnell in Alaska CBSNews.com – The state of Alaska only has one seat in the House of Representatives, yet it’s still drawing quite a lot of attention. National Review magazine is endorsing the challenger (Sean Parnell) of the incumbent Republican, Don Young, figuring it’s time to get the pork spending embarrassment out of Congress and let conservatives take over. Read more. 03/26 John McCain’s assault on the individual New York Times – Author Matt Welch examines John McCain’s history and concludes that one common theme throughout is McCain’s attempts to quell an individual’s pursuit of happiness in favor of the collective ‘common good.’ Such an attitude is found in McCain’s crusade for campaign finance reform, but it shows up in other places, too. Read more. 03/26 Huckabee blames social conservative leaders for loss Washington Times – Wishy-washy Republican Mike Huckabee came up short in the Republican primaries, and now he’s rationalizing why he lost – he’s blaming leaders in the social conservative movement for his failure to win. In reality, Huckabee was never able to broaden his support, and his big government fiscal record is what ultimately did him in. Read more. 03/26 McCain says he supports limited federal role in economy Washington Times – John McCain is beginning the long process of explaining his positions on economic issues, and he began by addressing the problems in the mortgage industry. Unlike his Democratic counterparts, McCain says he favors little federal interference with the economy, which is a good place to start. Read more. 03/26 Will the Republicans fix the 2012 primaries? Human Events – Jed Babbin writes that the Republican National Committee will meet soon to discuss how to handle the 2012 primary schedule (amongst other things). Babbin says the issue of cross-over voting needs to be considered as well, since votes from independents and Democrats likely gave us John McCain as the GOP nominee. Read more. 03/26 McCain’s problem with Christian voters National Review – John McCain is polling well nationally in head-to-head match-ups with Hillary and Obama – but he’s still not getting the enthusiastic support of Christians, one of the GOP’s core constituencies. McCain must do more to shore up the Christian vote by addressing issues important to socially conservative Christian groups. Read more. 03/26 Saving taxpayer money? McCain rejects Secret Service on campaign trail Arizona Republic – For whatever the reason, John McCain has rejected Secret Service protection on the campaign trail, claiming that it’s inconvenient and a waste of taxpayers’ money. McCain enjoys mingling with voters and the Secret Service would be wary of the practice, so the former Vietnam POW has just decided to go it alone. Read more. 03/26 Polls show Bush may not hurt McCain as much as expected Politico.com – Pundits and Democrats are fond of saying that John McCain will suffer because of George W. Bush’s failed presidency, but recent polls reveal that McCain probably won’t be hurt badly by Bush’s unpopularity. Most of the voters who claim that Bush’s presidency would rule out McCain aren’t likely McCain voters anyway. Read more. 03/26 Stingy Senators stiff GOP The Hill – It turns out that the conservative grassroots aren’t the only ones turning a cold shoulder to the national Republican campaigns – GOP Senators are doing the same thing to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. About half the Senators have either done nothing or are way behind committee-set fundraising goals, and just don’t seem motivated. Read more. 03/26 Nancy Reagan endorses McCain Associated Press – It’s not exactly surprising that Nancy Reagan endorsed John McCain for president, but one wonders whether Ronald Reagan would feel good about McCain leading the GOP. Reagan wasn’t perfect, but he championed conservative causes his entire life, while McCain has yet to demonstrate his dedication to conservative principles. Read more. 03/26 Is this the year for a third-party candidate? World Net Daily – With Hillary, Obama and McCain vying to be the next president, many conservatives feel detached from the process. None of the three represents the limited government, constitutionally based vision that conservatives are looking for – which inevitably leads to talk of a potential third party run. Is this the year? Read more. 03/25 Supreme Court turns back Bush on presidential powers Washington Post – The George W. Bush Administration received a severe rebuke from the Supreme Court today, as the Court ruled that Texas would not have to comply with an Administration order to overturn a death sentence at the request of a foreign court. It’s a victory for states’ rights as well as US sovereignty, denying Bush absolute authority to enforce treaties. Read more. 03/25 Why we should fear a McCain presidency Financial Times – It turns out that American conservatives aren’t the only ones who fear a potential McCain presidency. Europeans view McCain as more aggressive even than George W. Bush, a man quick to anger at personal slights and someone who wouldn’t hesitate to employ neoconservative notions to spread Democracy at the point of a gun. Read more. 03/25 Righting the right Washington Post – Liberal columnist EJ Dionne examines the deep divisions within the Republican Party, and says something that most conservatives would agree with – that George W. Bush has severely wounded the conservative cause. Dionne then shares a liberal’s usual advice for conservatives – he argues the Republican Party must become more moderate. Read more. 03/25 McCain represents the no-name generation Wall Street Journal – Age is certainly going to be an issue in this fall’s presidential campaign, but here’s one writer who believes John McCain’s generation and experience gives him a leg up on his competitors. McCain has certainly lived through some critical world crises and experiences, forging a character that’s beyond reproach – a product of his generation. Read more. 03/25 GOP fundraising for House seats lags Washington Times – The situation is still bleak for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), as its fundraising lags horribly behind its Democratic counterpart. The NRCC doesn’t learn, either, as it dumped about 20% of its available cash in promoting the losing GOP establishment candidate in Illinois – and the leaking won’t stop. Read more. 03/25 Has the right really embraced McCain? Newsmax.com – Radio talk-show host Michael Medved has been in John McCain’s corner since the beginning, so it’s no surprise that Medved claims that conservatives have now come around to supporting McCain. Medved says the conservative rift is a product of the mainstream media – but does Medved keep up with conservative media as well? Read more. 03/25 A present for McCain as the other side fights New York Times – Now that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are continuing their running war of words pursuing the Democratic nomination, Republicans are starting to feel better about their prospects in November. They should contain their overconfidence, however, as there’s much work to be done, and conservatives still aren’t sold on McCain. Read more. 03/25 Ron Paul on why he’s still running for president Newsweek – The news media and the political establishment don’t seem to get why Ron Paul is still running for president. It’s arguable that Paul’s campaign has never been about winning, since there was no way the GOP would allow him to be nominated. Paul remains in the race because he’s got something to say, and his supporters will be with him until the end. Read more. 03/25 GOP state parties are in dire straits Politico.com – It’s no secret that the national Republican Party is having its troubles, suffering through fundraising, recruiting and retirement woes. But it’s becoming clear that the problem extends to the state and local level as well. The GOP’s lack of principles and leadership is killing it with conservatives, who won’t just ‘go along’ any longer. Read more. 03/24 McCain twice flirted with the Democratic Party New York Times – John McCain continues to call himself a conservative, though looking back at his behavior following the 2000 election, and again in 2004, it’s clear that personal vendettas and ambitions would seem to trump any attachment to principles. McCain’s uneven behavior calls into question his dedication to conservative causes. Read more. 03/24 Unfortunately, RINO Graham looks safe in South Carolina CQPolitics.com – Officials in South Carolina acknowledge that Democrats love RINO Senator Lindsey Graham more than his own base, but they also admit that it appears Graham will not be seriously challenged in the primary. Conservative Buddy Witherspoon is challenging Graham, but needs more support to seriously make it a contest. Read more. 03/24 McCain’s defining choice National Journal – Ask a hundred people who John McCain should choose for a running mate, and you’d likely get a hundred different answers – but there seems to be one common element with most people weighing in. If McCain fails to choose a principled conservative to be his second-in-line, then he might as well just dismiss conservative support altogether. Read more. 03/24 McCain traveling along a tightrope Washington Post – John McCain’s jaunt to the Middle East and Europe was ‘intended’ to be a fact-finding mission for his role as a Senator, yet the aura of the presidential campaign was never far away. Even on foreign soil McCain had a hard time distinguishing himself from George W. Bush’s foreign policy, which leads many to be wary of him. Read more. 03/24 Democrats’ bickering boosts McCain Washington Times – John McCain will continue to struggle with winning over true conservatives, but he seems to be benefitting from the Democrats’ drawn out nominating process and their increasingly negative attacks on each other. Recent polls revealed that McCain now leads both Clinton and Obama in key states… but it’s only March. Read more. 03/24 The GOP and the Christian Right: At odds with each other Townhall.com – Radio talk show host Austin Hill takes social conservative leaders to task for what Hill says is their contradictory actions, and for their disconnect from the Republican Party. Hill calls for sound economic policy, which is good, but fails to comprehend the reasons behind social conservative dissatisfaction with John McCain and the GOP. Read more. 03/24 McCain and Romney – Mitt’s moment at last? Boston Globe – It’s fun for some to speculate that John McCain is going to choose Mitt Romney to run with him, but Romney’s not nearly as good a fit as it would appear. Romney became the best conservative choice in a poor Republican field – but that doesn’t mean that he’s the man to compliment John McCain, who’s already got enough to worry about with conservatives. Read more. 03/24 Mr. Constitution: Clarence Thomas Wall Street Journal – Justice Clarence Thomas is often reviled by the left for doing what all conservatives would admire him for – standing on principle. Thomas refuses to inject his own personal opinions into the constitutional issues that he faces, the textbook job description of what Supreme Court Justices are supposed to do. Read more. 03/23 Conservative rising star in Virginia Washington Times – As Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Bill Bolling doesn’t have many opportunities to influence policy – but he’s taking advantage of the chances that he gets. Bolling is doing his best to score wins for conservative issues amongst an increasingly hostile environment in the Old Dominion, and he deserves credit. Read more.  |
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