Thread: Conservatives to battle McCain over platform

How this man got the nomination still boggles my mind.
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Conservatives to battle McCain over platform
Activists don’t want his views on warming, stem cells, other issues adopted
By Michael D. Shear
The Washington Post

updated 9:21 p.m. PT, Sun., July. 6, 2008

Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party's official declaration of principles.

McCain has not yet signaled the changes he plans to make in the GOP platform, but many conservatives say they fear wholesale revisions could emerge as candidate McCain seeks to put his stamp on a document that currently reflects the policies and principles of President Bush.

"There is just no way that you can avoid anticipating what is going to come. Everyone is aware that McCain is different on these issues," said Jessica Echard, executive director of the conservative Eagle Forum. "We're all kind of waiting with anticipation because we just don't know how he's going to thread this needle."

McCain has spent the past year and a half trying to straddle the philosophical schism in the modern Republican Party. In primaries, he stressed his conservative credentials, but since clinching the nomination he has often reminded voters of his more moderate stances while professing his fealty to conservative positions.

A platform fight at the convention could disrupt that carefully choreographed effort by highlighting the stark differences in vision for the party separating McCain from some of the GOP's most dedicated activists.

The battle may not be avoidable. The current GOP platform is a 100-page document, and all but nine pages mention Bush's name. Virtually the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the president, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon.

It is the prospect of a total rewrite that worries some.

McCain is "really out of step with the strong majority of his party," said Myron Ebell, director of energy and global warming policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which opposes McCain's positions on climate change. "He might get what he wants. And he might get a change. But I don't think it's going to sit well with a lot of Republicans."

Officials in the Republican National Committee and in McCain's campaign say they have much in common with conservatives. They say their conversations as they approach the convention suggest there will not be a nasty platform fight.

"We are confident that this process will produce a platform that all Republicans will enthusiastically support," said Joe Pounder, a McCain spokesman. "Our party is united, and will continue to work together to elect John McCain in November."


Ken Blackwell, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and a former Ohio secretary of state, said he does not expect a "bloodletting" in the platform committee. He predicts that conservatives and McCain will be reasonable and stay focused on a November victory: "I don't think you are going to see any radical departures or inflammatory demands for change in one direction or another."

Those assurances are not enough for activists such as Echard, who have been on the front lines of GOP platform fights for years. She will be traveling to Minneapolis-St. Paul, site of the convention Sept. 1-4, for two weeks in August, with the primary goal of making sure the 2008 platform reflects conservative principles.

One main concern is immigration. The current plank on that issue calls for a temporary-worker program, something that both Bush and McCain have supported but that many conservatives view as unwarranted amnesty for people who arrived in the country illegally. She would like a much tougher position and is wary of McCain on the issue.

"Our job is to make sure that the grass roots continue to have a say," she said.


Activists are also watching closely what the platform says about the environment. The current document has only one paragraph about global warming, which talks about using "markets and new technologies" to solve the problem of climate change and states that the United States "strongly opposes" the Kyoto Protocol to curb emissions globally.

That contrasts sharply with McCain's message on the campaign trail. Government action to address global warming is a centerpiece of his campaign. He supports a cap-and-trade emissions plan that many conservatives oppose, and he has talked about trying to reach a global-emissions agreement that includes China and India.

"It is something that we are very concerned with," said Donald J. Devine, vice chairman of the American Conservative Union, which will have a convention operation to monitor proposed changes to the platform. In past years, the ACU has produced an alternative conservative platform as a guide to those working on the real one.

Devine said he is hopeful that the environmental planks in the platform will focus on McCain's support for nuclear power plants and his willingness to revisit offshore oil and gas drilling. But he is prepared for the worst.

"There's no question it's going to be changed radically," he said of the platform.

‘One issue that we're always ready to fight on’
Most platform fights at Republican conventions have centered around abortion. McCain is campaigning as an abortion opponent, but conservative activists say they will not take anything for granted.

"That is the one issue that we're always ready to fight on," Echard said. "We will never take that plank for granted. We want zero changes in it. We don't want a comma changed. We don't want a word inserted."

Colleen Parro, executive director of the Republican National Coalition for Life, said her group will "cause problems" if McCain or his allies try to change that plank. But she's also focused on stem cell research, an area in which McCain differs with many anti-abortion activists.

The current platform "recognizes" Bush's support for a limited amount of research on embryonic stem cells and praises his opposition to federal funding for the effort. McCain, in contrast, supports embryonic stem cell research, touting his position as evidence of the "straight talk" he offers to conservatives.

"We would very much like to see a resolution passed by the platform committee that would encourage a ban on killing of embryos for their stem cells," Parro said. "If that were introduced, we certainly would hope that Senator McCain would not oppose it."

The one area where activists are not gearing up for a fight is the platform's section on war and terrorism. As an early backer of the war in Iraq, McCain is seen as a consistent supporter of the military.


But he will no doubt want to revamp much of the national security platform. It was written in 2004 and reflects a positive view of Bush's management of the Iraq war — something that McCain regularly trashes on the campaign trail.

The current document says that "we are proud of the President's steady leadership in executing" the strategy in Iraq. In a recent fundraising appeal, McCain stated that "after four years of a badly mismanaged war, our new strategy is succeeding and we are now winning in Iraq." Almost two pages of the platform are devoted to halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Ebell said McCain should be careful as he and his allies seek to change the platform to reflect his political sensibilities.

"He attracts a lot of votes in the middle — independents and moderates," Ebell said. But "if he pushes on each one of these issues — campaign finance, immigration, or global warming and energy issues — he's likely to keep a lot of people at home on Election Day."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25561143/

One main concern is immigration. The current plank on that issue calls for a temporary-worker program, something that both Bush and McCain have supported but that many conservatives view as unwarranted amnesty for people who arrived in the country illegally. She would like a much tougher position and is wary of McCain on the issue.

"Our job is to make sure that the grass roots continue to have a say," she said.

Of course, in McCain world "temporary worker," equates to permanent amnesty.

Anyway, I read that Echard is leaving the Eagle Forum. Does anyone know where she is going?

"We are confident that this process will produce a platform that all Republicans will enthusiastically support," said Joe Pounder, a McCain spokesman. "Our party is united, and will continue to work together to elect John McCain in November."

Joe is a liar just like McCain!

Yesterday, I watched a video of Newt Gingrich speaking to a Baptist congregation in Atlanta. Once again, Newt's values and beliefs resonated in my heart and soul. Back in November of last year, I had sent some emails to Newt encouraging him to file for the Presidential campaign. Stories abounded that he would not have a chance because of issues in his personal life.I did not believe that then, I do not believe it now. The fantasy that I have is that, at the Republican convention, one delelgate has the spine to stand up and say something like, "The state of XYZ nominates Newt Gingrich for Prsident. The best man in America to restore our country. Newt's eleven points to save America are on target. No other candidate left in the process has Newt's sense of and knowledge of history. No other candidate has any intention of standing for the American Constitution as Newt will. "

OK, so, I admit it. I am a dreamer. I pray every day that something like this will happen. I pray and ask God, "Why have we come to this? Why is America being punished with men who would give away what others shed their blood for?"
"Is it because we have turned our backs on you? If so, I understand, but Lord there are many of us who have not turned our backs. We believe You to be the foundation of the backbone of this country. Please Lord, come to us, be our SAVE act. Bring us a leader who believe in our country and the spirit of those who founded it. Bring us a leader who will stanf firm in the path of righteousness and lead us back ibn the direction of strength and goodness. Bring us a leader who will help us to restore the America we knew for our children and grandchildren. Lord, also, help our young Americans to know You and how this country was based on Judeo-Christian practices.
I implore you as your humble servant, save our country".

I recommend viewing Newt at the church on Sunday. It is enlightening, inspirational and moving.
http://www.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKI ... _on_TV.htm