MyDD :: Huge split in the party might damage November's chances!

Huge split in the party might damage November's chances!

by thezzyzx, Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:47:51 PM EST

People have been talking about this for a while now, the party has some serious divisions which lead to normal supporters wondering if they can even vote for the standard bearer for President, let alone donate money.

Today though, the posts aren't coming from the Democrats. In an installment of, "I'll go there, so you don't have to," let's look at some leading Republican blogs.

First, we have Red State. They're freaking out over McCain's global warming speech. Here are some choice quotes from the blog and the comments:

According to this story, McCain has confirmed my worst fears, and has endorsed a cap and trade system with a goal of reducing carbon levels to 70% below 1990 levels. It has the same effect as a carbon energy tax, but is more costly and far less efficient. Free-market my #$%*(#$ ass. I guess we should stop breathing.

Flashing lights should be going off in the heads of McCain staffers when they read that a small government / pro-gun guy don't see a difference between their man and Obama.

Reading this reminds me why I won't be voting for him this November in a swing state, and I can be happy about it. For all of his, I'm going to be good on spending, I'm going to cut the enormous growth in government, then he endorsed this cr*p. Nice job guys, we picked a real winner here

I am begining to think the libertarians getting 10 to 15%

Of the vote this year might not be such a bad Idea.

If the GOP wants to be Democrat lite so be it.

OK, that's just a blog. Surely National Review would be rallying behind their candidate. It's not like there's an editorial attacking him today or anything.

The scariest sentence in the speech was: "If the efforts to negotiate an international solution that includes China and India do not succeed, we still have an obligation to act." This is posturing in the place of thought. It puts us in the worst possible negotiating position, and confirms that Sen. McCain is not engaging practically with the costs and benefits of his own policy. It indicates a foolish willingness to sacrifice trillions of dollars on the altar of fashionable, though uniformed, opinion and political expediency.

It's not just the greenhouse gas speech that's causing such strife. Rumors of a Huckabee VP choice made Malkin's head explode:

All they need is sanctuary-friendly Rudy Giuliani as DHS Secretary, and the open-borders ~~dream~~ nightmare team will be complete.

Can someone please fast-forward to 2012? Please.

The comments there are filled with people threatening to not vote for the Republicans. I hate to give her any more traffic, but it might be worth clicking there just to read the dozens upon dozens of posts from people threatening to sit out in November. Things aren't perfect for us by any means, but at least most of our fights are over tactics. Policy disagreements are the way to create true lasting damage.

Tags: General election, McCain (all tags)

Permalink :: 29 Comments :: Post a Comment

Rec'd (none / 0)

Rec'd for delicious scheudenfraude.

by NewOaklandDem on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:54:15 PM EST

Re: Rec'd (2.00 / 1)

It's quite acceptable to bask in schadenfreude as long as its about Republicans.

Maybe McCain should choose Inhofe as VP to make a global warming - global warming denier unity ticket.

by emptythreatsfarm on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:57:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rec'd (none / 0)

The only thing I'm worried about is that the lunatic-free-market wing of the GOP (as opposed to the lunatic-militarist wing that McCain belongs to) is going to play "bad cop" while John McCain attempts to woo disaffected Clinton supporters.

"See? I'm not so bad! People who think that there should be a flat tax and that the IRS should be privatized hate me."

by Jordache on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:22:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Obama should start praising McCain on (2.00 / 1)

the issues that Republicans hate him for. I really think there is a possibility to exploit internal resentment against him.

by Fairy Tale on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:55:29 PM EST

Re: Obama should start praising McCain on (none / 0)

YES. I've long thought that the way to beat McCain is to highlight his DIFFERENCES with conservatives. We've seen right now that even though he's won the nomination, he is beholden to hardline conservatives, so he will panic and proclaim just how much he loves Bush, which not only reveals what a backtracker and liar he is, but also links him strongly to one of the most despised figures in American politics today.

Arianna Huffington was A GENIUS when she said that McCain told her he didn't vote for Bush. He had to spend days assuaging conservatives that he did vote for Bush and does espouse Bush policies.

John McCain hates terrorists, except the ones that hate women. Those are just swell.

by terra on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:03:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama should start praising McCain on (none / 0)

Clever!

by Jordache on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:23:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

And now they have Bob Barr as an alternative... (none / 0)

It's so beautiful I could cry.

John McCain supports privatizing Social Security.

by Travis Stark on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:03:27 PM EST

Not so different from Dem blogs (2.00 / 0)

I wouldn't get all excited about this. In the end, I think Republicans will fall in line like they always do. Sure, there has been lots of vocal, high profile opposition to McCain and lots of anger from the right wing of the party. But, there are plenty of high profile voices (like Rove) implying that McCain was probably the best choice Republicans could have made this year.

Look, Republicans had lots of choices and they didn't have significant numbers of voters from the other party influencing the outcome like the Democrats had in their primary. GOP voters picked McCain resoundingly. I think their voters will fall in line.

Unlike the Democrats, their party didn't choose the favorite of the netroots. That's why you hear all of the online bellyaching.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:04:46 PM EST

Re: Not so different from Dem blogs (none / 0)

When you're two months into a unity period and people are still mad and threatening to stay home, it's a good thing. The states that McCain needs to win are close enough that a 1-2% protest vote will be enough to send them easily to the Obama column.

Beat McCain!

by thezzyzx on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:17:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There is a difference in the splits (none / 0)

Their unhappy campers are the right wing for whom Obama is most likely to be an anathema. Our unhappy campers are comprised heavily of moderate and conservative Democrats for whom McCain is one of the more palatable Republican choices.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:31:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Funny (none / 0)

since most Democrats I know are more conservative that us here...pro-life, pro-gun, pro-bombing the crap out of Muslim countries. For them they either support Obama or McCain and HATE Hillary.

The American people; they were for the war before they were against it.

by nrafter530 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:39:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The old "those I know" line (none / 0)

Do you not realize how unconvincing that is? Like the old line lampooning the New York upscale liberal - "I don't know how Nixon could have won. Nobody I know voted for him."

There are obvious regional differences in Clinton's support (or opposition if you prefer). In eastern US, Appalachia, and southwestern US, she does well among moderate Dems. In the northern midwest/plains/rockies and the coastal south, people seem to have a strong dislike of her. Maybe you live in one of those places.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:46:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Actually (none / 0)

I live amongst the "New York upscale liberals" where she won 70% of the vote in February and now would be lucky to beat McCain one on one.

Things have turned on her here in New York...fast...and among the white middle-class too. The older vote is going to McCain regardless, the youngins are voting Obama or staying home if Hillary is the nominee.

The American people; they were for the war before they were against it.

by nrafter530 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:50:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I remain unconvinced by your anecdotes (none / 0)

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:00:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

As I yours (none / 0)

every Hillary supporter I know will vote for Obama except the very few who will never vote for a black man (I remember their staunch opposition to Carl McCall in 2002 and they let out a groan when Governor Paterson took office in 2002)

I believe the party will eventually unite behind the nominee, and Obama will work to get voters who didn't vote for him in the primary and if you truly feel the party has left you and you can't be a member of this party anymore, no one is standing in your way to the door. You can whine and moan about how thousands will join you, but I suspect you are going to find yourself standing outside the door with lonely company.

The American people; they were for the war before they were against it.

by nrafter530 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:11:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Thanks for your concern (none / 0)

But I'm a big boy and, if it comes to that, can survive periods of loneliness.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:15:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

As opposed to the Democrats (none / 0)

who up until now have NEVER chosen the candidate of the netroots.

The American people; they were for the war before they were against it.

by nrafter530 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:20:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

And we'll see if that becomes a good thing (none / 0)

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:25:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Huge split in the party (none / 0)

I think it's EXCELLENT news that McCain is choosing to alienate his rightwing base by talking up GLOBAL WARMING! Don't know who he's taking advice from (am betting NO ONE), but I say GO FOR IT!

"Not only do I want an elite president, I want someone who's embarrassingly superior to me." -- Jon Stewart, 4/15/08

by JulieinVT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:09:23 PM EST

His global warming position is not new (none / 0)

The topic has been central to his campaign all along. The Republican voters knew that and still picked him overwhelmingly above the others.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:27:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: His global warming position is not new (1.00 / 1)

Overwhelmingly? Not exactly....lol... Rubbing this in the rabid right's faces may have the same effect as if Hillary were the Dem nominee. Bringing them out in droves.

My sense is that he's trying to reach the biblethumpers, who're finally getting off cloning and onto something substantive.

"Not only do I want an elite president, I want someone who's embarrassingly superior to me." -- Jon Stewart, 4/15/08

by JulieinVT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:31:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

To be fair to McCain (none / 0)

He was making global warming a central campaign theme and talking about our duty as a nation to address it well before he clinched the Republican nomination and this Democratic split became so apparent. I saw him give a stirring statement about it right before the MI primary in January.

by lombard on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:10:13 PM EST

the Haters hate McCain (none / 0)

this could be good or bad.
either:
McCain's lack of race-baiting on immigration and his refusal to bow at the feet of Limbaugh and Co will mean the Haters, the GOP base, stay home and we win big;
or it could be that he explicity slaps them down, say by picking Rice or Powell or Huckabee, and they leave the party, but they replaced by the moderates who had left the GOP previously, and we could lose big.

the time to rise has been engaged.

by catchaz on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:53:49 PM EST

Re: the Haters hate McCain (none / 0)

I don't see your second case. It's more likely that we'd split the moderates, our base would still show, and theirs would be angry.

Although, hell, if McCain wants to turn the Republican party into one that follows 2/3 of our ideas, I'm perfectly fine with whichever one wins.

Beat McCain!

by thezzyzx on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:58:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: the Haters hate McCain (none / 0)

Very true. He seems to have realized he can't win with the Bush coalition, which is accurate. So he's trying to shore up his "moderate/maverick" bonafides.

I think he's weak there, against the right message, but we have to find it. What's nice about the extended primary is it's giving him time to alienate the conservative base by courting independents, so if we can compete with him there he's got no base to lean on. Thus, McSame.

Knock wood.

John McCain

by Mandoliniment on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:02:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I think Bob Barr (none / 0)

running as a libertarian is more hurtful to McCain's chances than a speach on Global Warming.

vote blue in 2008

by sepulvedaj3 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:23:09 PM EST

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