McCain Campaign Courts Conservative Bloggers
By Bluey Posted in 2008 | Featured Stories — Comments (25) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Like him or hate him, you have to give John McCain credit for hiring a smart campaign team. Today, senior staffers for McCain, including campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief political strategist John Weaver, spent 45 minutes listening to the advice of conservative bloggers.
Bloggers -- and more importantly, blog readers -- are generally hostile toward the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. (He's at 2.9% in the Pajamas Media Presidential Straw Poll.) So what better way to figure out why than to consult with bloggers?
Read on ...
This afternoon's on-the-record teleconference included six conservative bloggers: Paul Mirengoff of Power Line, Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters, Mary Katharine Ham of Townhall, David All of the David All Group, Lorie Byrd of Wizbang and myself.
The idea was hatched by McCain's online guru Spencer Whelan and consultant Patrick Hynes of Ankle Biting Pundits. Even though I've written negatively about McCain -- as others on the call have done as well -- Whelan and Hynes were kind enough to give me a forum to air my grievances and offer my two cents.
I began by encouraging McCain's staff to take seriously the senator's invitations to speak at CPAC and the Club for Growth conference, both of which take place in March. Having missed National Review's Conservative Summit and the Heritage Foundation's Conservative Members Retreat, McCain needs to avoid any more absences at conservative events. Secondly, and more importantly, I strongly encouraged McCain to remain above the fray and not engage in the petty mudslinging that's already started among some candidates.
Ed Morrissey echoed my latter point, and I hope other bloggers do as well. If we are able to do one thing to make a difference in 2008, it's avoiding the dirty politics that Republicans so often turned to in 2006. Unfortunately, some campaigns are already starting to use bloggers to attack their competition, as Matt Lewis noted today on Townhall. In some cases, campaigns have had success, but at other times it can backfire.
Today's call is the first of many McCain's operatives said they would hold with bloggers in an effort to keep open the lines of communication. While specific policies weren't the focus of the call -- Lorie Byrd did ask about campaign-finance reform -- I hope they play an important role in the future. For now, the mere fact that bloggers are commanding the attention of McCain's team is positive step.
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McCain Campaign Courts Conservative Bloggers 25 Comments (0 topical, 25 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
How about when it's not to his immediate advantage? I like knowing what/who I'm dealing with, personally.
McCain likes to be a "maverick" and move around. He also has a fetish for campaign finance reform. But, we can not deny he has been a good soldier the last few years. He could have been much worse for Bush. I think a lot of that stuff in the first term was personal. I am not defending McCain, I think we can do better. But, McCain is simply more conservative than Rudy when you look at the entire record.
I could vote for Rudy, I like Rudy, but I have a SERIOUS problem with someone who still thinks gun control works. Even the majority of Dems have dropped this issue. If Rudy were so smart, he could read scientific studies that have shown that it simply does not work. And if that is not enough for him, he could read the Constitution.
Molon Labe!
McCain is a huge fan of government power. Just look at his most recent bill to turn us all into unpaid police, where our job is to police websites and report any suspicious images (unless we want to end up in jail).
I suspect he wouldn't have a problem signing just about any kind of gun control legislation that came across his desk. He has even proposed some of his own provisions (background checks on private transfers, for instance... he also voted to reauthorize the AWB). He has a very mixed record on gun control... and that's when he knows he's being watched by the NRA and cares what they have to say. I don't trust him any more on this than Rudy.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I once thought that McCain was a man of principle and Rudy was an opportunistic politician. Now I believe 180 degrees different.
I would never support McCain, but I will probably vote for Rudy in the primaries (though its still to early to say).
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Not just on guns and abortion either, McCain supports a presidential line-item veto whereas Giuliani was the one who brought the lawsuit (City of New York v Clinton) which lead to the Supreme Court striking it down.
IMO the biggest complaint that conservatives have about both the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans has been spending – Medicare Part D, the Farm Bill, the Energy Bill, the Transportation Bill, and the outrageous surge in earmarks.
Whether some with to admit it or not, McCain has been on the right side of all of these issues and he hasn’t had a lot of company including from some of the other presidential wannabes.
I'm not a South Park Republican, I'm a King of the Hill libertarian.
find a way to win over Rush. Rush can not stand him and has a lot of power.
Molon Labe!
time trying to be a media darling to ever get back into the good graces of conservative scions like Rush Limbaugh.
McCain's only hope is to resort to the dirtiest mud-slinging imaginable. And that will only get him the GOP nomination. It won't get him elected president.
The McCain team is willing to play ball and hear people out. Excellent!
Still not impressed.
And to think that I used to blindly support this guy.
McCain can help himself with conservatives by ceasing to write and push legislation that violates free speech. He can also apologize, publicly, to all the conservatives he's burned over the last six years.
Anything else shouldn't even get him a ticket into bloggers doors.
1. He needs to repudiate campaign finance reform.
2. He needs to repudiate the Gang of 14 compromise.
3. He needs to repudiate the Al Qaeda Bill of Rights he pushed.
4. He needs to stop throwing Conservatives under the Straight Talk Express for camera time.
And:
5. He needs to get Al Gore to invent a time machine so he can go back and do this starting a decade ago or so.
That about covers it.
in a primary (I would probably hold my nose and vote for him in a general, but it would be really, really hard).
For me to even consider McCain he has to repudiate campaign finance reform (ie anti free speech).
He has to stop playing the Maverick.
And honestly I don't trust him on judges. He has always been a good one to vote for judges that didn't have obvious flaws as a senator-but that doesn't convince me he would nominate a John Roberts or Alito, just means if he is a senator he believes in the presidents right to nominate them.
All in all I don't trust McCain.
that he'd be looking for the next Sandra Day O'Connor if he needed a Supreme Court justice? Heck, it sounds like she regrets leaving; maybe he could just renominate her.
Those conservatives who cannot support Rudy because of the social issues might be better served by him in the area of supreme court appointments judging by his recent pledge to appoint Strict constructionists (on Hannity's show)
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Which he won't do.
Moe
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
That is why I am paranoid about him and judges. His love of CFR makes me believe he will appoint judges to protect it.
The man is hostile to freedom of speech, and I will never vote for him. If he is the Republican nominee, I will vote for either the Libertarian or Constitution Party candidate.
The only candidate who means what he says and says what he means is Rudy.
I respect McCain and his service to our nation. God bless him and all men and women who have served gallantly in the armed forces of our country.
But when it comes down to who will energize the Republican Party in 08'. Who will rally crowds? Who will bring people to their feet? Who will give Hillary a run for her money in debates? Who has the oratorical skills, prosecutorial skills and gravitas to be our next President. I can only see Rudy in that role.
Rudy in 08' is our only hope. The country does not want a continuiation of the past 8 years. They will vote for change. McCain is not change for them. Rudy is.
As a life long Republican and New Yorker I believe and trust in Rudy. Rudy tells it like it is.You can trust in him. You may not always like his decisions but their is no one I feel more confident in as a man.
A vote for Rudy is a winning vote. A vote for McCain is a vote for the democrats.
Go Rudy.
"But when it comes down to who will energize the Republican Party in 08'....."
Some parties may be energized, but the Republican Party won't be one of them.
I can't think of a worse nominee than Giuliani. If we wanted to split the republican party, to injure the republican party, we couldn't make a better choice. Except maybe to create a "path to citizenship" for 20 million illegals from socialist Mexico.
I've listened to Rush and Hannity lately and it sounds like they are both going to jump on the Giuliani bandwagon, for reasons I can't even fathom. So you may very well get your way, at least for the nomination.
First runaway spending and cowardice loses us the Congress. Now I read our "only hope" is a New York liberal.
Something is seriously wrong.
Will win the primary if it is between himself and Rudy. Rudy is pro choice and pro gun control. His interview on Hannity and Colmes last night, shown on Powerlineblog only reinforced to me his gun grabbing ways. I do respect Rudy for standing by his beliefs, but whether people want to admit it or not, McCain is to his right. As for me? Still looking for the real Godlwater/Reagan guy that can win.
Molon Labe!