If McCain is so repulsive to conservatives, how the hell has he managed to win every state

[blondeatlast]

elected office he's ever run for?

Yes, Arizona WAS once the bastion of Goldwater Conservatism. But it's a far different state now than it was alsmost 30 years agao and now we have a strong grass-roots neoconish population. New money pretty girls and boys with the best educations money can buy and lots of time to listen to Rush and Billow and attend the golf tournament and the auto shows and the Super Bowl while exploiting migrant labor for FUN and profit. Oh, and to fly to florida and piss on elections, I might add.

My answer? Look at the Lincoln Savings and Loan debacle that killed off some reasonably decent political careers. He barely got scratched and it was very early in his political career. Simply put, local powers that be saw in him a Teflon candidate (b-b-but how can you say such a thing? He's a HERO!) He's so overtly politically ambitious that he can broach the RRR for money and successfully does and PUBLICLY give them the shaft--while voting their way in Congress every time. He's Big Stinking Biznuss's wet dream and he'll pander to the neocons and the RRR to get where he thinks he's entitled (oh, yes) to be--Commander-in-Chief (if you've seen his recent commercials, you'll know why I use that term).

If he's so vile to them, how does he manage to win with the support of three types of conservatives?

We're being set-up, folks. Prepare yourselves.

[KoKo]

1. Media decided to push him....ignoring his "dirty jokes" and the rest.

He's all they have. So, they put lipstick on him and dressed him in a suit.

[bryant69]

2. I am not sure I agree

Well let me qualify that - I don't think that McCain is actually a liberal or a moderate; when it comes to the most important issue of the day, he's as bad as Bush and possibly worse (although maybe he won't torture). So anybody who is fooled into thinking that "Well Ann Coulter hates him so he must be ok" is making an error.

That said, I think they genuinely don't like him; but the conservatoid voices, the Limbaughs and Coulters, don't wield the power they once did over the rank and file.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[blondeatlast]

3. I've watched his political career for almost 30 years as a vic--err, constituent.

He hasn't a moderate bone in his body, he just knows he needs the Sun City Goldwater Republicans for the money and the activism (they kick ass in both regards).

He talks the talk, then stabs the Goldwater types every time he votes (fwiw, the remaining Goldwaters frequently support his Republican opponents and the name still carries enormous weight).

[Gman]

4. It's the 30% that are making the most noise about McCain

and the 30% make up less than 50% of the GOP.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. I thoroughly enjoy the fact he's pissing off so many rightie wackos

It's nice to watch them running around in a state of panic.

[mikeytherat]

6. Name recognition and a crappy selection of other candidates.

America's Mayor and Grandpa Fred flamed out early, Huckabee and Romney are still largely unknowns, and Ron Paul is a loon. But John McCain? Why, I've heard that name before. He''s been in government for years, and he's some sort of "maverick," and he's a war hero. I'll vote for him.

mikey_the_rat

[Windy]

7. I think that some repubs are sick of their own noise machine, i.e. limbaugh, hannity etc

they want someone different.

Not that McCain is any great shakes, but he at least appears to be more honorable than bush to them.
At least that's the sense that I get from some rightwing family members.

[blondeatlast]

13. "...appears to be more honorable than bush to them." THAT is the problem. He's managed to project

that image for nearly 30 years--yet he was deeply involved in the Keating/Lincoln Savings scandal and clearly was guilty of corruption in it and walked.

Your family members are what makes me worried about him--he is NOT what he projects to the media and his temper is one reason he may keep the scandals away.

True thing: Local reporters and production crews are known to draw straws to keep from having to cover him. He's that nasty--and therein lies the Teflon.

[KharmaTrain]

8. Whose Being Set Up?

Few people are being fooled by McCain. Those voting for him are doing so as the "lesser" of evils...and that the GOOP field is so poor that he's the most acceptable in a field of losers...and even the GOOPers know it. It's fun watching the cannibalism...I've never seen it as viscious as I have this year and hope it continues. I've seen how a divided party "wins" elections...they don't. I expect GOOP vote will be 10-15% less in '08 than it was in '04...people staying home or having left the reservation. Those who think McCain can unite that party is understimating the vitriol that has been generated during this primary. Yes, some GOOPers will come home, but McCain offers as much excitement to these people as BobDole did.

Another wild card is the GOOP still doesn't know who they're running against. They salivate for Hillary (stupid fools) and fear Obama...and the longer the Democrats take to nominate, the harder it gets for the GOOP. They can't launch their sleeze until they know who to sleeze...along with the fact that McCain is already broke and will be lucky to keep his Bullshit Express bus filled up through the entire campaign.

Set up? Hardly.

[blondeatlast]

10. My point wasn't clear. He's VERY electable. I've seen the same sort of campaign every six years

from the '70s.

I'm not worried about the Republican base, they will likely fall in line. But middle America is easily fooled. Not every voter listens to the RW spiel, they base their votes on the ads.

We underestimate him at our own peril.

[KharmaTrain]

16. And That's The Reason More People Have Voted In Democratic Primaries This Year??

I far from understimate the GOOP...and I've been involved in campaigns since the early 70's. McCain may be the most electable repugnican but that's not going to be an asset this year. The mask is off the GOOP pig this year...people see it as the party that got us into the Iraq mess, ruined the economy, screwed up health care and schools and is full of crooks and hypocrites.

The problem Democrats have this year is to prove we're not the same. I've long said Democrats must win this election on their merits and not expect to win by default.

Neither of us can predict what the mood will be in November, but I suspect that "change" will be as important then as it is now. If that's the case, McCain looks like brown shoes on the tuxedo. Not that Hillary looks much better...but it's McCain's inept and corrupt party that has affected virtually every voter this year. That will be the determinator as to who votes and who they vote for.

Cheers...

[blondeatlast]

17. I'll keep the good thought. It's just impossible to adequately express how much

I want to see his political career die--spectacularly, if possible.

Maybe the time has come? If he does get the nod it could happen. :shrug:

[KharmaTrain]

18. Listen To Hate Radio...

This kinda reminds me of 1972...a very divisive election. Establishment Democrats were torn between Wallace, Muskie and Humphrey while us real hippies were humping our asses off for McGovern. Thanks to GOOP dirty tricks, the primaries that year was brutal and there was a nasty delegate fight at the convention. The party came out fractured and people picked up on that weakness and "extremism" that worked in Nixon's favor. I see things working in an opposite direction this year.

McCain will be stuck in a pickle this year. Once he wins the nomination, where does he go? Does he stay on the far right and go down with the 25 percenters? Or does he try to run back to the middle and piss off the Rushbos and others even further? The extremism of the GOOP primary has turned the bullshit express into a bowl of contradictions and I expect the Democratic nominee to point these out early and often.

McCain's 15 minutes ended in March, 2000...whatever "integrity" he ever had was long sold out (not that he ever had any in the first place).

Let McCain run on a 100 year occupation and no economic plan...he'll make Herbert Hoover look like Raygun.

[Mike Daniels]

9. Probably because most of the primaries were either open or you have moderates/independents

registering as Republicans to vote in the closed primaries.

You also have Huckabee and Romney splitting the evangelical portion of the base. If Huckabee wasn't involved in Super Tuesday I have a feeling McCain would be getting his clock cleaned.

[dmallind]

11. Same reason Hillary won despite being hated by progressives

The truly vicious hardcore conservatives (on the real scale not the comparison to DU, where the DLC are accounted to be fascists) are a minority like the ultra progressives are amongst Democrats. Especially online but also in the chattering classes, hardcore conservatives dominate the partisanry (and outside the netroots, far more than the progressives do on our end), but they do not dominate the electorate. Conservative true believers have more party power than progressive true believers only because Republicans eventually always fall in line, and Democrats don't - both a blessing and a curse.

[ikojo]

12. I have an older sister, who is very much a social

conservative, she is thinking of voting for Barack Obama in the Illinois primary just to keep Hillary Clinton from getting the nomination. I don't know if this is part of a coordinated effort or what, but if it is then it says McCain is more fearful of a Hillary opponent than he is of an Obama opponent.

[blondeatlast]

14. Note--this isn't about the primaries. This is the GE I'm talking about.

He will take a sizable middle-of-the-road vote. Count on that, he always does. I know plenty of transplanted midwest and east-coast Dems who HAVE VOTED FOR HIM in Arizona.

[BridgeTheGap]

15. Any more, you have to define what you mean by "conservative"

or "liberal" for that matter.
Generally, people have a mixed view of issues - conservative on one, liberal on another.
The modern g.o.p. was built on the dixiecrats, abortion & gun rights. Taxation has always been an issue they held to.
Who are the repubs who are pushing so hard against McCain and what ax are they grinding here? Because he was against Bush's tax cuts!?! Well, in part, maybe, but there has to be more to it than that.

[OHdem10]

19. The Rush Limaughs do not count the people's vote.

It is just a bunch of Washington Types aalong with Hate Radis Talkers.

Exit Polling show conservatie rank and file voting for him.

[L. Coyote]

20. This "fix" started when McCain saved Bush/Cheney 04 by covering up Abramoff

just before the 2004 election. That "favor" (read crime) spared the Rs a huge humbling in November 2004. Now, he gets the crown of R emperor.