Democrats say McCain nearly abandoned GOP

[RamboLiberal]

Source: The Hill

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.

In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.

Democrats had contacted Jeffords and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in the early months of 2001 about switching parties, but in McCain’s case, they said, it was McCain’s top strategist who came to them.

At the end of their March 31, 2001 lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Bethesda, Md., Downey said Weaver asked why Democrats hadn’t asked McCain to switch parties.

Downey, a well-connected lobbyist, said he was stunned.


Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/democrats-say-mccain-nearly-abandoned-gop-2007-03-28.html

[Stuckinthebush]

1. If true, this could kill his nomination

Flip this around. If you heard that Clinton or Obama had been contemplating leaving the Dems would you vote for them? Hell no you wouldn't.

This will get very interesting!

[calimary]

2. Oh yeah!

Needs to be said, read, and SPREAD!

Definitely a keeper!

:toast:

[ladywnch]

3. need some kind of confirmation/corroboration first

[sofa king]

22. Just wait until after next Tuesday, eh?

By Wednesday next week, there's a pretty decent chance that the expected nominee in the Republican race will emerge, and then he's fair game. But it would be a bad idea to smear McCain now, on the off chance that it actually works too well and throws Super Tuesday to the snake handler.

Of course, we're gonna win any way that it pans out: our opponent is either going to be a guy who considered being a Democrat, or a sociopath with no real party allegiance, or a guy who consults an ancient version of Grimm's Fairy Tales to make policy.

[Mithreal]

19. Many hardcore Republicans already distrust McCain and this is old news.

It will not kill his nomination. I would wager the opposite. Plus it really is old news, I heard it years ago on msm.

[DRoseDARs]

4. Well either way, in retrospect, why would we even WANT McCain in our party?

:shrug:

[FightTheRight89]

5. I'd want the McCain of 2000.

He was the man. The McCain of 2007/2008 is kind of a prick.

[KTinOhio]

6. Come to think of it...

...the George H.W. Bush of 1980 - before he sold his soul to Ronald Reagan - wasn't a bad candidate either. He was pro-choice, and saw Reaganomics as the voodoo it was.

[bunkerbuster1]

20. Yep, the sensible Republicans. I remember them too.

They weren't extremist antichoice right-wing pricks, and knew "voodoo economics" when they saw it.

[fujiyama]

7. Yeah this should definitely be news...and could be damaging in the primaries

But it really is a double-edged sword and ironically may help him in the general election - after all it goes with the whole maverick myth persona propagated by the media over the years.

Either way, I know Romney has tried painting McCain as republican-lite, and so far it doesn't seem to be working too well for him.

[Mithreal]

16. Double-edged sword is right, very much agree. nt

[tidy_bowl]

8. Of course this could be....

...just a ruse the Rupug McCain would have us lulled into a stuper.

[intheflow]

9. This is what I was thinking.

New CM/RW meme: John McCain is the moderate candidate who will unite this country! :puke:

[salin]

13. yet he campaigns on bush positions - that should

be easy enough to cancel out his supposed "moderation".

[NWHarkness]

10. Push this story everywhere you can

The GOP doesn't like McCain, and he is working hard to win them over. This is a great opportunity to throw a monkey wrench into that effort.

When the Rudy Giuliani thing about the cops being used as a taxi service for his mistress came out, I said "This is the magic bullet. If we can get this story in front of enough people,his candidacy is dead." I was right. Now, let's do the same to Mccain.

[Mithreal]

18. What are the consequences of pressing this story now?

The well-informed Republicans all already know this story and many are suspicious of McCain. Consider the consequences of this story on Independent voters.

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

11. Remember in 2004, when he was talked about to be Kerry's VP.

[Window]

12. HA! (that would be a Chris Matthews' "HA!")

No wonder he and Lieberman are so close. LOL!



Peace:thumbsup:

[salin]

14. I just realized this article is from last March...

clearly it didn't come out in the MSM.

[Mithreal]

15. Yes the story did come out in msm back at the time it happened.

I know because I only listened to corporatist media at the time and I absolutely do recall the stories.

[CGowen]

17. He could start his own party with Lieberman n/t

[Olney Blue]

21. "independent republicrats"

[yurbud]

23. funny synopsis for this on Digg.com: ''McCain is a liberal Democrat'' LINK

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/McCain_is_a_liberal_Democrat

Vote it up to make freepers even madder.