Bloggin on down the Rogue

Daschle: McCain almost jumped ship

According to Tom Daschle, McCain almost left the Republican Party after the 2000 election. No surprizes there... he was as liberal then as now. He just knew that the Rockefeller Republican coalition was a better chance for him to get a nomination than his natural political aliies across the aisle.

http://www.newsmax.com/politics/ Daschle_McCain_dems/ 2008/06/ 02/100796.html

Daschle: McCain Sought to Join Democrats

Monday, June 2, 2008 12:26 PM

Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said that several years ago John McCain came close to leaving the Republican Party and caucusing with Senate Democrats.

During Daschle’s appearance Sunday on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Tim Russert noted that Daschle said in February, “It’s true that we were once close to bringing John McCain into the Democratic caucus. There are many who can verify that.” Russert asked, “John McCain almost became a Democrat?”

[more]

[Geeez... they just discovered what we have known for ages. McCain is a liberal RINO and he has a bunch of Rockefeller libs fronting for him on the campaign trail. With his cave-in to the tree huggers and global warming weenies he is coming out and completing the visible transformation. No one should doubt his liberal credentials now.]

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McCain's not-so-secret plan to lose Michigan

Susan J. Demas: McCain's not-so-secret plan to lose Michigan
Column available online only
• MAY 9, 2008 • FROM LANSING STATE JOURINAL

Say you're running for president and dropping by the most economically ravaged state in the nation.

Your Democratic rivals are too busy butchering one another to campaign here, much less notice 7.2 percent unemployment, record foreclosures and skyrocketing demand at local food banks.

So naturally, you'd give a speech on child pornography and human trafficking around the world, right?

It's not that John McCain's 20-minute indictment of these heinous crimes at Oakland University in Rochester Hills on Wednesday wasn't admirable.

But it was a speech you deliver outside the United Nations, not a few miles from Delphi world headquarters, which just emerged from bankruptcy after shuttering factories and slashing wages in half for many autoworkers.

In Michigan, it's the economy, stupid.

Republican after Republican I talked to, including McCain's most diehard supporters, were floored by the misstep. He has a great shot at winning the Mitten State thanks to a botched Democratic primary, but his advisers seem intent on blowing it.

Most of the 700 attendees stared at McCain with slack-jawed politeness before the town hall portion, in which they hungrily fired off questions about jobs, the Iraq war, fuel-economy standards and even his temper (to which he drolly shot back, "How dare you ask me that question.")

My man McCain, whom I proudly voted for in the Jan. 15 primary, is not a born orator. He gives a tired, rambling speech with the same awkward punchlines ("The French now have a pro-American president, which shows that if you live long enough, anything can happen") he unfurled back in the start of primary season.

He also took a long layover in Panderville to appease a crowd more conservative than he, filled with party activists who voted for Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee and cried for days when Mighty Mac crushed them. McCain's lines about trial lawyers, conservative judges, victory in Iraq and nuclear power won cheers; his straight talk on global warming was met with crickets.

Even the barebones traveling press corps seemed exhausted and cranky, perhaps knowing the A-Team was having a blast covering the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama smackdown. During the heat of the Michigan primary, I wanted to break out the popcorn as Time magazine columnists Joe Klein and Ana Marie Cox sniped over who got to cover McCain in Howell.

In Rochester Hills, the only person who looked like he wanted to be there was Michigan Co-Chair Chuck Yob, who held court at the jumbled affair for more than an hour before McCain arrived.

McCain has a window to define himself in Michigan. Democratic hopefuls have barely stepped foot here since National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell hatched her harebrained primary scheme that cost the state every delegate, a mess they're still trying to mop up.

He failed this week. He failed when he turned down the keynote address at the influential Mackinac Policy Conference this month to do a fundraiser in Grand Rapids. McCain's not going to get that many more chances before the Dems (finally) get their act together.

If you want to know why the virtually nonexistent McCain Michigan campaign is wheezing, look no further than Yob, a knee-jerk reactionary who miraculously hung onto his job after spouting off that women make fine secretaries of state "because they like that sort of work."

Yob and his boy, John Patrick, launched a boneheaded West Michigan strategy (their only strategy) that handed McCain a 9-point primary loss. Keep in mind that McCain won a stunning upset here against George W. Bush in 2000, back when his campaign was headed by the brilliant former U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz.

The Yobs are completely tone-deaf when it comes to Oakland County, which will be the key to a McCain victory in November. Where was iconic County Executive L. Brooks Patterson on Wednesday? Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop couldn't even make it back to his district because the event was scheduled at the exact same time as session.

That's who you want on stage, not state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo, the sacrificial right-wing lamb praying to break 40 percent against U.S. Sen. Carl Levin this fall.

What's best for McCain would be turning the Yobs loose to pursue their true passion, polarizing the party and making state Chair Saul Anuzis' life miserable (sorry, Saul, I'm rootin' for you).

When Chuckie was making noises about running for party chair in 2004, Attorney General Mike Cox adeptly surmised it would be disastrous because "he's more concerned with party elections than with beating Democrats." Cox went on to be McCain's state chair, only to quit last summer after chafing with the Yob West Michigan mafia.

What McCain should do now is aggressively court powerbrokers like Patterson, Bishop and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller to be his ambassadors in Southeast Michigan. And he should give his old friend Joe Schwarz a call and beg him to run the show again, since he's about the only credible moderate voice left here who could woo votes away from Obama.

That's just good politics if you're serious about winning Michigan. Your move, McCain.

Susan J. Demas is a political analyst for Michigan Information & Research Service.

She can be reached at sjdemas@gmail.com or http://susanjdemas.blogspot.com.

Run, Cole, Run

This guest editorial was received in email!

[ed: The moderate Republican wing tries to portray the refusal of conservatives to support Liberal John McCain as suicide, when it is really moderates playing russian roulette with a revolver with one cylinder empty.]

In this article:

• Republicans finally realize they're in big trouble (duh!)...
• So they're talking about getting new leaders, replacing ones like Rep. Tom Cole (well, that's a start)...
• But they seem to be as clueless as ever about what they really need to do...
• It's going to take more than shuffling the deck chairs on the G.O.P. Titanic

Run, Cole, Run

By Richard A. Viguerie

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)-the core GOP committee responsible for getting Republicans elected to the House, with majority control always as the ultimate goal.

Well, Cole and his NRCC haven't been doing so well lately, as you know if you've been watching the news at all. The Republicans have lost three straight special House elections this year-in Illinois, Louisiana, and most recently Mississippi-in three of the most conservative House districts in the nation.

That portends disaster in November. Predictably, a lot of House Republicans are calling for Cole's head. They want him replaced as chairman of the NRCC.

I have no problem with that. For over two years I've called for the wholesale replacement of Republican leaders in the Senate, the House, and the various GOP committees from the Republican National Committee on down. Cole is definitely on my "X" list.

But it's not enough to just shuffle the deck chairs on the G.O.P. Titanic. Yes, the current pilots of the ship headed the Republican Party directly toward the iceberg with their welfare-warfare policies, but it does no good to simply replace them with another set of navigators following the same charts.

The current Republican leadership must be replaced by principled small-government conservatives who will recreate the GOP as the Conservative Party. Only that will get the conservative base out of the lifeboats and back on board.

Make no mistake about it, Democrats didn't win in those three special House elections this year because their districts had suddenly turned liberal. The Republicans lost because the base of the GOP-conservatives-is so discouraged and angry over the big government policies of the national party.

And Rep. Tom Cole just doesn't get that.

Asked a year ago why the Republicans lost the House in 2006, Cole responded: "Oh, I don't think the problem was spending. People who argue that we lost because we weren't true to our base, that's just wrong."

He pooh-poohed the idea that the GOP was hurt by appropriating federal money for bridges to nowhere in Alaska.

Well, Congressman, how are you doing without your base?

"I think we've hit our floor," Cole said a year ago. "For us to lose more seats, it's going to take a catastrophic presidential election."

Well, Congressman, it looks like you're headed right for that perfect storm-a catastrophic presidential election and, according to current estimates, a loss of 20 more GOP seats in the House and equally disastrous results in the Senate.

By all means, fire Cole and all the rest of the Republican leadership. But if the Republicans are taking their "Change you deserve" antidepressant pills, and are no longer suicidal, they must replace the Coles with leaders who understand one simple axiom:

You lose by rejecting your conservative base and trying to buy elections with liberal big-government bribes. You win by energizing your conservative base and then reaching out to like-minded independents.

--30--

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (The Washington Times). His latest book is Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big-Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books), which Jerome Corsi wrote in WorldNetDaily, is "destined to become a classic of conservative thinking" and "may be the most important conservative book written in the last quarter century."

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Liberal Gospel According to McCain: Global Warming is REAL

McCain has abandoned any chance of support from REAL conservatives.

Neo-cons/faux-cons falling all over themselves to support McCain while saying "What choice do we have?" Michigan's Chuck Yob (google him) and his son are perfect examples of this mind set. They are the Michigan cheer leaders for McCain.

He has moved farther left and this is just the start as he tries to out-liberal career socialists.

That old liberal candidate chosen for the GOP by crossover Democrats says that global warming is real. He blames our exhalation of carbon dioxide as the primary green house gas. He is joining the liberals in their efforts to blame the USA for global warming. McCain is trying to highlight how different he is from Republicans to the right of his position, like George Bush. McCain wants to appear to his Democrat supporters as a good little liberal like Clinton and Obama.

I wonder if he has asked Algore to be his VP? Would Algore take something like this? NAH! That is just silly speculation. McCain doesn't need Algore to establish his liberal credentials. He has been flashing them for years. They have moved covert agents into the GOP in key positions to support this kind of candidate.

NOTE to grassroots conservative activists and candidates; You now have the opportunity to identify the close supporters and confidants of liberal John McCain. A purge of the party at the grassroots local party level will be necessary if the GOP is to recover. Party politics starts at the roots and radiates upward. Otherwise the party is on the way out and conservatives may have to form a new party to offset the New Liberal Republicans and the Socialist Liberal Democrats.

The choices this year are between a liberal Democrat and a liberal Republican.... damned poor choices either way. The differences between candidates are increasingly being seen as purely cosmetic surface appearances. They are politically compatible.

We can expect another 4 years of attempts to give amnesty to illegal aliens. McCain is promising this, and the Democrats have been 100% steadfast supporters of amnesty for illegal aliens.

Will the patriots have the patience and strength to hold out another 4 years of globalist traitors in the hopes of getting someone that is a patriotic American as president?

I admit to a feeling of fatigue and a sorrow at the direction the country is heading.

Also see:

David Limbaugh: John McCain Hops on the Global Warming Train

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GOP fund raising being killed by McCain

McCain - The Democrat Front Man in the GOP

a.k.a McCain - The Anti-Conservative

(He keeps Joe Lieberman handy on his campaign to help prop him up.)

No matter which of the Three Stooges [Moebama, HilLarry, or Curleycain... which stooge to elect?] wins, we LOSE!

McCain is a gift from the Democrats that just keeps giving. It makes you wonder... did McCain conspire with them during one (or more, ongoing?) of their huddles, that if he gave them a certain level of support on their pet projects (Lincoln Savings and Loan aka Keating Five, McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman, Gang of 14, etc.), they would then support him for his bid to be the RINO GOP candidate for president??? The Democrats have always been able to dig-up or bus-in votes whenever they are needed.

(support=as many crossovers as necessary to assure candidacy)

It sure seems to have worked.

I was just listening to Rush as he was speaking about the North Carolina State GOP and its refusal to pull, at the specific orders of John "Darth Sidious" McCain, an Exposing Obama ad. Rush also said that the NC GOP is having no trouble with fund raising as opposed to the national trend in the GOP.

[Over the past couple days I have watched the entire STAR WARS collection of movies. Lots of parallels: (a)Senators Palpatine and McCain both work to weaken the Republic to overthrow it from within (b)Both work with and lead conspirators outside of the visible conservative constituency (planet and party) that they are thought to be supporting (c)Both are wedded to the dark side, Palpatine as a Sith Lord and McCain as a RINO/shadow-Democrat.]

McCain the maverick thinks that he is already emperor. He claims to be conservative and is demanding fealty of us with no return loyalty on his part.

Fortunately he has not yet converted his toady acolytes into imperial storm troopers.

The McCain Campaign is having trouble raising money. Will we see an 11th hour play-acted conversion from Little Johnny McCain as a cynical attempt to fool conservatives with no real move on his part to conservatism? I am beginning to doubt that it will happen. McCain will be content to take the GOP down as his parting gift to his friends in the Democrat party (with the willing assistance of the Rockefeller wing of the GOP).

The national GOP, which supports the party nominee, is having trouble raising money.

Many state parties, that nominally support the party candidate, are having trouble raising money.

Conservatives are not going to donate to John McCain, directly or indirectly.

I wish my state party (here in Michigan) was more like the North Carolina state GOP. This is not through any fault of Saul Anuzis. The state of Michigan GOP has too many McCainiacs in key party positions. Here in Kent County, the Yobs are a power to be reckoned with. Kent County GOP HQ is hostile territory for conservatives. There are a lot of supporters for Republican candidates other than John McCain here, but the key party positions are filled with McCainiacs. Around here, they cant get enough precinct delegates and are urging people to adopt a precinct. I was quietly approached about running again as delegate for my precinct... NOPE!

I can NOT support wishy-washy maverick McCain. He is not conservative. Not even close! Four years of him is not four more years of Bush! McCain is no George Bush. He is certainly no Teddy Roosevelt, and definitely not a Ronald Reagan Republican.

GOP State Party organizations that want to survive as a viable political entity, distinct from the Democrat Party, are warned to start paying more attention to the mood of the grass roots as we are going to be watching who gets elected a little more closely. Wobbly RINOs like McCain might have a harder time in the future. His own state and district party would not elect him to the senate again.

It is time to start a campaign to replace McCain as the candidate by a write-in vote at the ballot box, or a concerted move at the convention.

Lets take back our Conservative GOP at the convention!

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A REAL economic stimulus proposed by John McCain

John McCain has proposed one of the boldest proposals to give citizens economic relief that should ripple across the economy.

The McCain "Tax Holiday" from Memorial Day to labor Day

If John can pull this one off, it cold be the feather in his hat for the upcoming election. To make this a reality every voter needs to get on the phone and call his/her representatives and senators to voice support for this temporary summer tax cut. It would reduce transportation costs for all types of goods from food to clothing.

Of all the plans that I have seen floated, this one looks the most promising if the rest of the government can be moved to support it.

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McCain Favorite of Liberals and Moderates

Todays clipping from the Crapitol News:

McCain Choice of Liberals

April 2, 2008

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Email from Michigan State Senator Mike Bishop

Thanks for the 'heads up' on this from Saul Anuzis "That's Saul Folks"

SENATE TAKES ACTION TO SAVE TAXDOLLARS, SPUR HOUSING MARKET AND SET NEW ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS

It has been a very busy couple of months in the Michigan Senate. Since the beginning of the year, we have hit the ground running with our agenda (visit www.senate.michigan.gov/gop) of turning Michigan around with strong public policy and restraint in state spending.

In just this week alone, while the Michigan House of Representatives enjoyed a spring break, Senate Republicans passed the Senate originated budget bills, a homeowner stimulus package and legislation for renewable portfolio standards which will assist our state in decreasing its own dependence on foreign oil.

The 2009 budget process, thus far, has been in stark contrast to last year's statewide nightmare. The Senate Republicans have moved budget bills far BELOW the Governor's budget recommendations, SAVING TAXPAYERS $147 MILLION DOLLARS - and we're just getting started! The Senate originated bills are only half of the overall fiscal year budget. We look forward to finding continued savings on the House originated budget bills in the upcoming weeks.

With the housing market at its lowest level in decades, Senate Republicans were able to pass a homeowner stimulus package for the ailing industry, providing immediate relief. The Senate plan nullifies the "pop-up tax" (where a home's taxable value increases to its market value when the home is sold) by allowing a homeowner to claim their "pop-up tax" liability against their state income tax liability. For example, a family of four with an income of $70,000 would normally see a state income tax liability of $2,100. With the new legislation, after subtracting their "pop-up tax" credit and their homestead tax credits, their overall tax liability would be virtually eliminated ($2,100 income tax less homestead and pop-up). Also included in the legislation is an increase in the homestead property tax credit from $1,200 to $1,300, an increase in income thresholds by $10,000 - allowing more individuals and families to qualify for the credit and extends principal residence exemptions to unsold homes.

We also moved renewable portfolio standards legislation this week. This legislation asks that the state lead by example in consuming renewable energy, requiring the Department of Management and Budget (DMB) to enter into contracts with electrical energy providers to purchase 3 percent renewable energy by January 1, 2009, 10 percent by 2010, 20 percent by 2020 and 25 percent by 2025. Language was included to ensure the purchase is "economically feasible", which is defined as no more than 105 percent of the cost of non-renewable energy. The package also includes a $200 tax credit to consumers to offset the cost of utilizing renewable energy and requires utility companies to notify customers of their renewable energy programs and available tax credits. Government should not mandate to consumers and businesses standards it cannot itself abide by.

Although each issue mentioned above is of great importance, it is just a small portion of what we hope to accomplish for the taxpayers of this state in 2008. I look forward to continued savings, efficiencies and progress.

My continuing regards,

Michael D. Bishop

Senate Majority Leader

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GOP looks to 'McCain Democrats', abandons conservative 'Reagan Democrats'

McCain Democrats = Liberals and Moderates that like his positions on free speech restricitons, restricting intel gathering to ease the job of terrorists, and the MSM that has kept his campaign alive plus crossover registered Democrats that wanted McCain as the candidate against whoever the Democrats eventually nominate.

Reagan Democrats = Working class conservatives that have identified with the Democrat party for reasons of geography, work place (both union and non-union), familiy ties, or simply tradition but hold conservative beliefs. Obama has insulted this group as gun lovers. To a liberal Democrat that IS an insult.

There IS a difference!

GOP looks to 'McCain Democrats'

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9229.html

By DAVID PAUL KUHN

A new analysis of March polling data suggests that John McCain's cross-party support surpasses that of either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton.

McCain’s potential to win more crossover votes than either of the Democrats, a finding that also surfaces in surveys conducted by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics and in private GOP polls, could upend the political calculus for the November general election. [...but only crossover libs and moderates]

Clinton, according to the Gallup findings, hemorrhages slightly fewer Democrats than Obama. But Obama more than compensates for Clinton’s strength among Democrats with his greater capacity to narrow McCain’s advantage among independents.

[ed: That should change at convention time once the Democrats and the MSM solidify around their candidate. MoveOnKoSoroStryker will issue the talking points and the daily buzzwords. Remember 'gravitas'? Watch for the panic from the McCain camp when the adoring libs all run back to the Democrats, as the MSM suddenly finds plenty of ammunition to use against McCain. McCain's big fault: He thinks that campaigning on Iraq will save him, as his only strong point.]

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Property values down, taxes UP

Michigan Congressman Tom Pearce (73-Rep) replies to an email I sent on the subject:

James, below is an editorial explanation, from the February 21 Lansing State Journal, that I think does a good job of describing the current property tax situation most people find themselves in.  I do think it is important to note that if you look at your tax bills you will find that the taxable value on your home has yet to reach the assessed value -- this is due to Proposal A, which the citizens of Michigan put in place back in 1994.

I believe the crafters of Proposal A never envisioned the kind of downturn we are currently experiencing in the state. For this reason, I do believe a fix needs to be put in place and I am supporting a bill that would make one change to Proposal A.  The bill, states that if the assessed value of your home drops, then the taxable value of your home would be frozen, rather than be allowed to increase by either 5 percent or the cost of living, whichever is less.

Looking Forward and Up,

Representative Tom Pearce

73rd House District

_____

Prop A driving tax bills

State law allows property taxes to rise as values dip

Maria L. Irish is the City of Lansing's Assessor

It is that time again for Lansing homeowners to receive their 2008 Assessment Change -- the annual statement of your home's assessed value and taxable value.

These two numbers -- taxable value and assessed value -- can be confusing.  The taxable value is the amount we use to calculate your property taxes. The assessed value (also known as the SEV ) represents one-half of your home's market value.  Depending on how long you have owned your home, there can be a big difference between these two numbers.  For many Lansing homeowners, the assessed value of their home is lower than last year's.  This is due to the weak state of Michigan 's economy and a soft real estate market.  Yet for many homeowners, the taxable value of their home has increased over last year.

How can this happen?  If the market value of your home is less, shouldn't your property taxes also be less?

The answer is: not necessarily.  The reason is found in the state law known as Proposal A, which was approved by Michigan voters in 1994.

Proposal A limits the annual increase in your taxable value to 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, adjusted for losses (demolition, for example) and any additions (such as new construction).

The assessed value of your home is not affected by Proposal A.  Therefore, even if the assessed value of your home is less than last year, your property taxes can still go up because the taxable value -- the number used to calculate your property taxes -- increased due to Proposal A.

This concept can be difficult to explain, so let me use an example:

Jack Anderson bought a home 10 years ago for $50,000 on Lansing 's east side.  The market value of his house has since increased to $100,000, which means the assessed value has increased from $25,000 10 years ago to $50,000 today.

Yet the taxable value of Jack's home this year is only $35,000.  This is because the increase in the taxable value of his home did not increase at the same rate as the assessed value.  It was limited each year by Proposal A, while the assed value was not limited.

Unfortunately, the market value of Jack's home this year dropped to $90,000 due to the soft real estate market.  Therefore, the assessed value declined to $45,000.  So, why didn't Jack's property tax bill go down?

Answer: Because the taxable value of his home increased due to the requirements of Proposal A.  As long as the taxable value remains below the assessed value, the taxable value on Jack's home can and will increase each year by the amount required under Proposal A.

This explains how your property taxes can increase, even when the market value of your home is declining.  However, when the property is sold, the taxable value is "uncapped" and once again becomes equal to the assessed value.

But that is a topic for another column.

_____

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William F Buckley Jr - Rest In Peace

Here is a statement on the passing of Bill Buckley from Saul Anuzis, Michigan GOP Chairman

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Little Johnny Two-Face speaks out both sides of his head

He co-authors anti-first amendment legislation taking away citizens free political speech but has lobbyists as staffers and campaign advisors.

He has an pro-amnesty and open borders advisor (Juan Hernandez) that was on the staff of Mexican President Vincente Fox. His campaign manager(Rick Davis) is president of his Soros and Heinz-Kerry funded Reform Institute and several other staffers also have drawn paychecks from there.

Does anyone REALLY believe that Juan McCain is a conservative?

McCain defends lobbyist ties

No link because Yahoo News links are crapola.

By LIBBY QUAID, AP Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Sen. John McCain said Friday that while lobbyists serve as close advisers to his presidential campaign, they are honorable and he is not influenced by corruption in the system.

No, McCain reserves all the corruption for himself.

McCain, who has styled himself as an enemy of special interests, defended having lobbyists working for his campaign.

How do you think he was able come back from nowhere to be the leader. He has all the corrupt connections via his Soros funded Corruption Reform Institute.

"These people have honorable records, and they're honorable people, and I'm proud to have them as part of my team," McCain told reporters.

Of course the reporters will not ask McCain about his Soros/Heinz-Kerry connection at this time.

===

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McCain - Unite with me on my conditions and terms

How does John McCain approach conservatives? Does he reach out to us?

NO! Any unity is entirely on his terms. He wants us to crawl to him.

Here is a party unity letter from McCain (with comments inserted).

It was a PAID POLITICAL AD by way of email from HumanEvent.com.

update: This just came in a paid political email from TownHall.comm

 

My Friends,

I am writing to you because today, we must begin to unite as party and prepare for the upcoming election in November. If I am so fortunate as to be the Republican nominee for president, I will stand on my conservative convictions and offer Americans a clearly conservative approach to governing. But my friends, I cannot succeed in this endeavor without the support of dedicated conservatives like you. And today, I write to ask for your support.

Will you join my campaign today by making a generous contribution? We will have a hard-fought battle against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, and I know that by joining together, our party will prevail on Election Day.

In just a few short days, Senators Clinton and Obama have raised nearly $10 million online for their respective campaigns. I know that I must take the time now to replenish my campaign's funds to prepare for what will undoubtedly be the most expensive campaign for president in our history. That is why I ask you to make an urgent contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or more today.

This election is going to be about big things, not small things. And I intend to fight as hard as I can to ensure that our shared conservative principles prevail.

[How about your liberal principles where you intend to change laws and legalize millions of illegal alien criminals? How about expansions of your violations of our rights of free speech? When will the gun grabs begins? John, you give conservatives nothing to work with and we will not move toward you on your terms.]

Senators Clinton and Obama want to increase the size of the federal government, raise your taxes, and withdraw our forces from Iraq based on an arbitrary timetable designed for political expediency. I intend to reduce the size of the federal government, cut your taxes and win this war. I have had the distinct honor of serving our great country for many decades and with your support, I will be able to serve her for a little while longer.

[John, you have been in the senate so long that you also think that the word is the deed and all we hear are words, but not the words we want to hear from you. Sorry Little Johnny Maverick... you have not convinced us yet!]

I am proud to have come to public office as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. My friends, twenty-five years later, I am still proud to be a conservative and it is my greatest hope that you will join me in this campaign today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

 

John McCain

===

This was received as a paid political ad via HumanEvents.com. The McCainiacs hope to use a venue that has conveyed conservative material to reach conservatives since the McCain campaign material is mostly preaching to his liberal tainted daisey chains.

They still do not get it. McCain is going to have to belly crawl to us the way he has to his true constitiuency, the Illegal aliens. He is discovering that while he has a love affair with them, they can not yet vote him into office, since he failed in the amnesty attempts over the past two years. His next best choice is to try to fool us into believing that he is really a conservative.

From the McCain campaign website under his Border Security and Immigration Reform heading:

• "Recognize the importance of a flexible labor market to keep employers in business and our economy on top."

We all know what flexible labor market he is addressing. It is the same one he tried to legalize in 2006 and 2007 but failed.

This is a sample of his conservatism? Employers are fleeing to other countries because they have cheap labor and subsidize industry while holding high tarrifs agaisnt improts from the USA. Since businesses can not obtain a level playing field on tarrifs from our government they go where they can have an advantage. Much of our heavy industry has relocated outside the USA. We are becoming a service industry country and will soon become a second or third rate country. There are efforts being made here to lower us from world power status. McCain's efforts to import milliions of cheap laborers aids the marginalizing of the USA while driving citizens into poverty.

How about John McCain's Reform Institute, funded by George Soros and Teresa Heinz-Kerry? Where do you think his inner campaign staff has been paid from between campaigns?

Sorry John! NO SALE to this conservative!

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McCain: Party Animal, Maverick - Please sit down

First and last, McCain is a maverick.

McCain's behavior is no accident and isn't caused by some hidden, latent mental disorder from his stay at the Hanoi Hilton. It is not an artifact of communist brainwashing to make him into a "Manchurian Candidate".

Our "Little Johnny", the son and grandson of US Navy Admirals with brilliant military records, was a carousing party animal and a maverick. Nothing changes on the latter part except that he has done damage to the country, our freedoms, and sovereignty of the US in his current billet. All the more reason to not promote him.

He was a maverick then and still is. I think that John really wants to be thought of as a conservative, but his wild undisciplined maverick side keeps dragging him in directions that are not conservative.

McCain is damaged product as far as conservatives are concerned.

cross posted from Potpourri

February 04, 2008

John Sidney McCain III entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1954. Young McCain wanted to become an admiral. He planned to be the "first son and grandson of four star admirals" to achieve such a distinction. But that was not to be. McCain III possessed none of the innate character and discipline traits that helped mold his father and grandfather into great military leaders.

His father, John S. "Junior" McCain, and grandfather, John S. McCain, Sr., were famous four-star Admirals in the U.S. Navy. His father commanded U.S. forces in Europe before becoming commander of American forces fighting in Vietnam. His grandfather commanded naval aviation at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Both men became highly influential in U.S. Navy operations.

At the Academy, aside being known as a "rowdy, raunchy, underachiever" who resented authority, Cadet McCain became infamous as a leader among his fellow midshipmen for organizing "off-Yard activities" and hard drinking parties. Robert Timberg wrote in his book, The Nightingale's Song, that "being on liberty with John McCain was like being in a train wreck."

McCain's grades were "marginal." He drew so many demerits for breaking curfew and other discipline issues that he graduated fifth from the bottom of the class of 1958. Despite his low "class standing," and no doubt because of the influence of his family of famous Admirals, McCain was leap-frogged ahead of more qualified applicants and granted a coveted slot to be trained as a navy pilot.

Good Party Animal - Bad Pilot:

He spent the next two and a half years as a "naval aviator in training" at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, flying A-1 Skyraiders.

While a pilot trainee, McCain continued to party hard. He drove a Corvette and dated an exotic dancer named "Marie the Flame of Florida." Timberg wrote that McCain "learned to fly at Pensacola, though his performance was below par, at best good enough to get by. He liked flying, but didn't love it."

McCain Lost Five Military Aircraft

McCain, the "below par" pilot, eventually lost 5 military aircraft, the first during a training flight in 1958 when he plunged into Corpus Christi Bay while trying to land. The Navy ignored the crash and graduated McCain in 1960.

While deployed in the Mediterranean, the hard partying McCain lost a second aircraft. Timberg described the crash: "Flying too low over the Iberian Peninsula, he took out some power lines which led to a spate of newspaper stories in which he was predictably identified as the son of an admiral."

Unscathed, McCain returned to Pensacola Station where he was promoted to flight instructor for Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi. The airfield at Meridian, McCain Field, was named in honor of McCain's grandfather.

In 1964 McCain became involved with Carol Shepp, a model from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he had met at Annapolis. They were married in Philadelphia on July 3, 1965.

Flight instructor McCain lost a third aircraft while flying a Navy trainer solo to Philadelphia for an Army-Navy football game. Timberg wrote that McCain radioed, "I've got a flameout" before ejecting at one thousand feet. McCain parachuted onto a beach moments before his plane slammed into a clump of trees.

The Navy dismissed the crash as "unavoidable" and assigned McCain to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal in December 1966, which was patrolling the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In Spring 1967, the Forrestal was assigned to join the Operation Rolling Thunder bombing campaign against North Vietnam.

McCain lost his fourth plane on board the Forrestal on July 29, 1967 when a rocket inadvertently slammed into his bomb laden jet. McCain escaped, but the explosions that followed killed 134 sailors. McCain was transferred from the badly damaged Forrestal to the USS Oriskany. Shortly afterwards, on Oct. 26, 1967, he was shot down and captured by the Vietnamese.

Post-POW Years: Political Ambition and a New, Young, Rich Wife

Upon his release from North Vietnam and return to the United States in 1973, McCain reunited with his wife, Carol, who had been permanently crippled in a car accident while he was a POW.

Still yearning to become an admiral, McCain enrolled in the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. and underwent physical therapy in order to fly again. The Navy excused his permanent disabilities and reinstated him to flight status, effectively positioning him for promotion.

Timberg described McCain's advancement: "in the fall of 1974, McCain was transferred to Jacksonville as the executive officer of Replacement Air Group 174, the long-sought flying billet at last a reality. A few months later, he assumed command of the RAG, which trained pilots and crews for carrier deployments. The assignment was controversial, some calling it favoritism, a sop to the famous son of a famous father and grandfather, since he had not first commanded a squadron, the usual career path."

While Executive Officer and later as Squadron Commander McCain used his authority to arrange frequent flights that allowed him to carouse with subordinates and "engage in extra-marital affairs."

This was a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice rules against adultery and fraternization with subordinates. But, as with all his other past behaviors, McCain was never penalized; instead he always got away with his transgressions.

Timberg wrote, "Off duty, usually on routine cross-country flights to Yuma and El Centro, John started carousing and running around with women. To make matters worse, some of the women with whom he was linked by rumor were subordinates . . . At the time the rumors were so widespread that, true or not, they became part of McCain's persona, impossible not to take note of."

In early 1977, Admiral Jim Holloway, Chief of Naval Operations promoted McCain to captain and transferred him from his command position "to Washington as the number-two man in the Navy's Senate liaison office. McCain was promptly given total control of the office. It wasn't long before the "fun loving and irreverent" McCain had turned the liaison office into a "late-afternoon gathering spot where senators and staffers, usually from the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, would drop in for a drink and the chance to unwind."

In 1979, while attending a military reception in Hawaii, McCain met and fell in love with Cindy Lou Hensley, 17 years his junior, who was the daughter of James W. Hensley, a wealthy Anheuser-Busch distributor from Phoenix, Arizona. McCain filed for and obtained an uncontested divorce from his wife in Florida on April 2, 1980 and promptly married Cindy on May 17, 1980.

He resigned from the Navy in 1981 and went to work for his father-in-law in Phoenix; where he used the opportunity to make powerful and wealthy friends in Arizona including banker Charles Keating and Duke Tully, the editor-in-chief of the Arizona Republic. Keating was later convicted of fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy and Tully was disgraced for concocting a phony military record of combat in Korea and Vietnam including medals for heroism.

McCain ran for Arizona's First Congressional District in 1982. McCain won the congressional seat. In 1987 McCain was elected to the US Senate.

===

cross posted from Potpourri - http://scotbrit.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 02/ will-real-mccain- please-sit-down.html

sourced from rense.com - http://www.rense.com/ general80/ real.htm

the original FreeRepublic discussion about John McCain - http:// www.freerepublic.com/ focus/ f-news/ 1961665/ posts

...in case anyone wants to know.

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Anuzis' Address at CPAC2008

Comments in italics are mine.

Anuzis' Address to CPAC

http://migop.blogs.com/ blog/2008/ 02/anuzis- address.html

Saul Anuzis

Chairman, Michigan Republican Party

Remarks at CPAC 2008, Feb. 8, 2008

Washington, D.C.

"Grass Roots to Conservatives: We’ve Got Your Back"

(Editor’s Note: Actual remarks may vary from prepared text)

I bring greetings from Michigan, the state where the Republican Party first nominated our greatest conservative president, Ronald Reagan

and produced America’s leading conservative mind, Russell Kirk, who gave American conservatism an identity and a genealogy and helped spark the postwar conservative movement.

I remember the 1980 Republican convention like it was yesterday.

Reagan's acceptance speech was fantastic.  Do you remember how he ended the speech?  After noting it wasn't part of his prepared text, Reagan looked out over the delegates and spoke from his heart to millions of Americans. He said:

"Can we doubt that only a Divine Providence placed this land, this island of freedom, here as a refuge for all those people in the world who yearn to breathe freely: Jews and Christians enduring persecution behind the Iron Curtain, the boat people of Southeast Asia, of Cuba and Haiti, the victims of drought and famine in Africa, the freedom fighters of Afghanistan and our own countrymen held in savage captivity.

"I'll confess that I've been a little afraid to suggest what I'm going to suggest -- I'm more afraid not to -- that we begin our crusade joined together in a moment of silent prayer. God bless America."

Reagan's words first changed a nation. They then changed the world.

Reagan certainly inspired me and my family.

My family emigrated here from Lithuania.  I didn't learn to speak English until I was about 6 or 7.  My father worked the line at General Motors  in Detroit for 32 years as a skilled tradesman.  He was in the UAW; I was a Teamster. In 1980, I was loading trucks to help pay my way through college. I was trying to figure out what I believed in. What I was willing to fight for.

Reagan gave us just what we needed – a rock solid vision for a better America and a better world.  Now, nearly 30 years later, it is an honor to join so many conservative activists, gathered here in Washington.  In fact, isn't it funny, to most conservatives, Washington is the enemy, yet everybody wants to come here, at least to CPAC!

But seriously, when conservatives get elected and get comfy in the halls of power here in our nation's capital, some lose their way.  Some forget who sent them here and why.  Some begin to believe that somehow "Washington knows best." Some commit the cardinal sin of forgetting the values and principles of the conservative grass roots who did the hard work of actually getting them elected.

[ed: And some never really had a conservative bone in them, being a maverick from the start. They use the leftist liberals and moderates to get to a certain point and discover that the conservative base is necessary after all.]

Well, I'm here with a simple message – the grass roots are watching, the grass roots are listening, and the grass roots will be voting.  And I can assure you of this: The grass roots will not be forgetting their values and principles when it comes time to vote.

And we will hold you accountable – not just in November, but in every election.

I think that when historians look back on this election campaign, they may pinpoint one week last September as a turning point.  That was the week John McCain visited Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina on his "No Surrender Tour."

What a great message.  No backing down.   No matter the odds. No matter the viciousness of the enemy. No matter the efforts of some in Washington to legislate defeat. 

And I give Senator McCain credit – this is a man who risked his life for our country in Vietnam and put his political life on the line over Iraq and the War on Terror. 

This is a man who says what he believes and believes what he says and will not back down.

For him, surrender is not an option.

[ed: This is what concerns conservatives about McCain's amnesty pandering. McCain is a HARD CORE panderer that would crawl across broken glass to lick the boots of illegal aliens. Look at his speech to CPAC and he totally ignores the disposition of the illegals already here. He is planning to legalize them. He has not surrendered or backed down on his position on amnesty.]

This fall, that's the message we need to take to the American people.

No surrender to our enemies!
No surrender to defending the dignity of every human life!

No surrender on securing the border!
No surrender on conservative judges!
No surrender on slashing pork-barrel spending!
And no surrender on cutting taxes.
[ed:No surrender to politicians that would give amnesty to illegal alien criminals.]

To the candidates who run with this message and this philosophy, I make this promise from the conservative grass roots of the Republican Party: "We've got your back."

Let me cut right to the chase.  Electing the next Republican president won't be simply about moving moderates into the Republican column.  It will be about moving conservatives of every stripe – or no stripe at all – to vote for our nominee. 

That's what Reagan did, and that's what we can do if Republicans rebuild our party as the champion of limited government and a strong defense, lower taxes and less regulation, more freedom and maximum opportunity. 

These principles are nonnegotiable. 

There will be no surrender!

Over the past couple of days, the pundits have been debating whether the campaign for the Republican nomination is a two man contest or a one man show to win the hearts and minds of all Republicans and America.

Well, as usual, the pundits miss the point.

This is a race to 50 percent plus one on Election Day this fall.  And give or take a few million votes, that means the winner on November 4th will have to win the hearts and minds of about 65 million Americans.

My job is to help win about two-and-half million votes in Michigan.

Sadly, it might even be less than that, if still more unemployed workers and families flee our state to escape the burden of higher taxes and the Democratic disaster called Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Remember just a few years ago when Michigan's Governor Granholm was the darling of the Democratic Party?  Her supporters wanted to change the U.S. Constitution to let foreign born citizens run for president. 

You don't hear much about those ambitions anymore, but you do hear about Granholm escaping Michigan to join a "new" Clinton administration in Washington.

As the mother of the biggest tax hike in Michigan history, Granholm will certainly fit right in with the tax raising plans of the Democrats.  Bonded in what I have called "holy taximony," Senator Clinton and Granholm share the belief that bigger government and higher taxes will erase Michigan's single-state recession or the highest-in-the-nation unemployment.

Yes, you heard that right, a single state recession, and the highest-in-the-nation unemployment.

So what did the Democrats in Michigan do to try and turn this dismal economic situation around?  What steps did the Democrats take to create more jobs and create more opportunities so our young people won't have to leave the state in search of jobs? What steps did the Democrats take in Michigan that might be an indication of what Democrats would do in Washington if a Democrat becomes President?

They raised taxes one-point-three billion dollars.

Last year, Governor Granholm and her Democratic economic wizards in the state legislature rammed a one-point-three billion dollar tax increase down the throats of Michigan's taxpayers late last year.

Virtually every Republican opposed the tax increase.

Virtually every Democrat supported it.

Virtually every Republican supported reforming government to cut wasteful and unnecessary spending. 

Virtually every Democrat opposed reform.

And when Governor Granholm threatened to shut down government, Republicans stood up to oppose such an irresponsible and unnecessary step designed to scare the people of Michigan.

So we went on the air with a radio spot, taking our message to the people.

I want to play this radio spot for you because I want conservatives to know that the coming tax fight we are going to have in Washington has already been underway in Michigan. I want conservatives to know that we are only going to win this coming tax showdown in Washington if we are willing to stand up and fight. 

Let's play it…we called it "Showdown":

[Audio of radio ad 1. All radio ads can be found at www.migop.org]

Legislators felt the heat.  Several Democrats even refused to cast a vote at all. Then it got ugly.   State House members were actually held hostage, kept in session for seven straight days and seven nights, not able to sleep or touch base with their constituents. Rumors began to circulate that certain legislators were being "bought off" by special interests working with the Governor. 

And in the end, Governor Granholm got her way, despite the fact that 70 percent of Michigan voters said to cut spending and reform government first.

So we went back on the air to reinforce that message.

Here the next ad we called "We Told You So":

[Audio of radio ad 2]

And then we sealed the deal with the people of Michigan with this final spot.

[Audio of radio ad 3]

Today, the Governor is singing a different tune, saying she'll never raise taxes again, because, in her words, "it's just too hard." 

And despite plans by the Democratic Speaker of the House to raise the state gas tax, Granholm said:   "I think raising the gas tax now is impossible, because people are hurting." 

Now, with recall campaigns sprouting statewide, the Governor called for a "cease fire" to foster bipartisanship in the legislature. Trouble is, the Democrats have done all the shooting, putting even more holes in Michigan's troubled economy with their partisan bickering.  And the voters are figuring out that for the governor, "bipartisan" is just a code word for spend more and tax more.

What has happened in Michigan is surely a foretaste of the coming tax fight here in Washington. And note these lessons:

If you stand with the taxpayer.  If you stand with the grassroots. If you are prepared to explain again and again that lower taxes creates more jobs and more opportunities, then you can win the argument about taxes with the voters.

But it won't be easy. You will even get some pushback like we did from your own side for being too vocal in the fight against tax increases. Apparently, some Republican politicians don't want to hear from the grass roots.

They are happy when we write checks, make phone calls and put up signs, knock on doors, deliver their literature, but then we're apparently supposed to go away and keep our opinions to ourselves, while they govern in our name.

Well let's just say, not in Michigan.  Not on my watch.  In Michigan, we will speak out and speak up for the conservative grass roots. And we will push the tax fight with all the voters, no matter the heat some members of our own party may feel.

Everywhere I go in Michigan, our grass roots are telling me that we need to return the focus to our Conservative principles and lower taxes.

This past summer in Michigan, this choice was made abundantly clear.

Democrats will raise taxes, and have. Republicans will cut them. 

This fall we Republicans need to make this choice equally as clear for the entire nation.  It is how we will put a swing state like Michigan in play.  And it doesn't matter if Senator Obama is their candidate or Senator Clinton. 

Listen to what Senator Obama said on Super Tuesday…  "Our time has come.  We are the ones we've been waiting for."

What Obama is really telling us, is give me the credit card, I'll pay you back for waiting patiently all these years. Like Senator Clinton, Obama has a big-government solution to every problem and the tax hikes to pay for them. And you think Charlie Rangel has big tax increases in mind?  Just wait for Barack Obama.

Apparently, when Barack Obama declares "yes, we can" there are three more words that remain unspoken – "yes, we can -- raise your taxes."

As conservatives, our mission must be to stand up together and speak with one voice to say: "no, you won't."

Senator Obama may speak eloquently about the American people's desire for change, but it was Ronald Reagan and conservatives who first changed the culture in Washington.

And we can do it again.

Remember: when conservatives put more money in mom and dad's paycheck; when conservatives promote and defend the culture of life; when conservatives inspire America to be that shining city on a hill; and, when conservatives candidates stand together on values and principles, be assured that the grass roots will support you. 

Because as I've said, we're got your back.

Thank you all, and God bless America.

===

It should be noted that, as state party chairman, Saul has to take a position supporting the candidate chosen by the party.

On the other hand, I am a conservative grass roots activist and do NOT have to support a candidate that has blown us off and uses crossover Democrats, liberals, and moderates, and his friendly king makers of the liberal MSM to achieve front runner status as the candidate for the liberal Republicrats. Notice I said Republicrats. He is NOT the choice of the Republican party, but a homogenous blend of mostly crossover Democrats and liberal to moderate Republicans along with his worshippers in the mainstream media best known as Republicrats. The same group viewed from the Democrat side of the wall would be called Demicans if they streamed over there to sway an election result.

He has just noticed that all those supporting liberals and Democrats will be voting for Billary or Obama, so now he wants conservatives to rescue him. He wants his conservative virginity back after whoring himself to the Democrats for decades.

At CPAC, McCain said "But even in disagreements, especially in disagreements, I will seek counsel of my fellow Democrats conservatives."

Yeah John, we recall how you sought the counsel of your fellow pandering RINO and Democrat senators for the past two years to attempt to push amnesty past us. All this while saying that we were racists and other vile crap for wanting to have the rule of law observed and wanted secure borders.

WE DO NOT BELIEVE YOU SENATOR MCCAIN.

I will be voting, but will use the write-in option to give the finger back to McCain.

Hey John...

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BOHICA - McCain and amnesty for illegals

Since my prime focus is the immigration mess that El Presidente Bush has help fester, the immigration issue will be left to the next administration. It is the intense desire of Bush (and McCain) to be the Abraham Lincoln (figuratively speaking) of millions of illegal aliens as his legacy. At this time, the El Presidente has been frustrated in the amnesty quest and will pass the mantle and responsibility of freeing the poor illegal aliens from the corrupt businessmen that hold them hostage with low wages because they can. Of course if these criminal illegals were not here, the point would be moot because the businessmen would have to pay at least a living wage to US citizens or move the business to Mexico or China. Some businesses can't be moved, example: lawn care and tree/plant nurseries. Construction is another line of business that loves to employ illegals.

McCain wants to legalize them in place, just hand them a green card with the promise of citizenship for a token fee, somewhere near $1000 to $3000 depending on which constituency he is pandering to.

We have fought HARD these past two years to stop McCain-Kennedy (with Bush as another major player) from succeeding in their amnesty quest.

McCain on immigration in his own words:

Immigration

"I have always believed that our border must be secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility to ensure that it is secure. If we have learned anything from the recent immigration debate, it is that Americans have little trust that their government will honor a pledge to do the things necessary to make the border secure. As president, I will secure the border. I will restore the trust Americans should have in the basic competency of their government. A secure border is an essential element of our national security. Tight border security includes not just the entry and exit of people, but also the effective screening of cargo at our ports and other points of entry."

This is a step in the right direction. Notice that he has carefully avoided mentioning his plan to legalize the in-place illegals and all who can swim, walk, crawl across the border and claim to have been here. No way to document, and this lack of documentation is forgiven by panderers like McCain. McCain will give them legal standing, social security