Thread: Crowning Front-Runner McCain

Ali-pacers, we definitely need to respond to this obscenely bias and misleading article about McCain and Romney. It was just posted on the GOPUSA website and has yet to be commented on. Post if your able, we can't allow the media to choose McCain for us.

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/rnovak ... 1221.shtml

Front-Runner McCain
By Robert D. Novak
January 22, 2008

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Sen. John McCain's win over Mike Huckabee in South Carolina was no landslide, but stands as by far the most important win in his quest for the presidency. It means that McCain by any measurement is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. He clearly leads in Florida's Jan. 29 primary, and a victory there will send him into the virtual national primary Feb. 5 threatening to wipe out his opposition.

The question is whether the Republican establishment's grudges will persist, as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's have, to somehow keep from the nomination the candidate the Democrats feel is the strongest Republican in a general election. The probable answer is no, because it is in the nature of Republicans to abhor a Democrat-like free-for-all and seek an anointed candidate. McCain is far closer to such a status than his principal rival, Mitt Romney.

That is the importance of McCain's winning in conservative South Carolina, where George W. Bush trounced him in 2000. Huckabee's strong showing was an aberration (as was his win in the Iowa caucuses), with his disproportionate support from self-identified evangelical voters. Romney was the real threat to McCain here, but his massive television buy failed. Romney's embarrassing fourth-place finish was preordained when he abandoned the state two days before the election to go to Nevada, where he was unopposed and his win in the state's caucuses was fueled by fellow Mormons.

Nofacts is wrong as usual. Romney has more votes, more delegates, and has won more states at this time than McCain.

McCain barely won SC, by only three pts with the help from independents. He also only won NH by about 5-6 pts.

More points from Michael Graham written in the National Review. Use these:

...tell me again how McCain is winning?

As I predicted here at NRO, John McCain came out on top in South Carolina by getting the same 1/3rd of the vote in the Palmetto State that he got in New Hampshire and Michigan. But did he "win?"

In 2000, running against George W. Bush and the entire Carroll Campbell machine in South Carolina, John McCain got 42% of the vote, and 240,000 votes out of 573,000 or so cast.

Tonight, he got 33% of the vote in a field where his top challengers—Romney and Giuliani—aren't even running, and 135,000 actual votes. If just the same people who voted for McCain in 2000 had voted for him today, he would have won 50+% of the South Carolina vote. That would have been truly impressive.

Instead, John McCain LOST the support of 100,000 people—and he's the winner?

McCain had the same "success" in New Hampshire (McCain, 2000: 48%, 116,000 votes; McCain 2008: 37%, 89,000 votes) and Michigan (2000: 50%, 600,000 votes; 2008: 30%, 257,000 votes).

Yes, overall participation in the GOP primaries is down this year—a fact that should concern Republicans regardless of who they choose as their nominee. But that doesn't mitigate McCain's overall weakness. In fact, as the one person who's run for president before and who is touted as a crossover candidate with broad appeal, his slice of the electoral pie should have MORE impact as the number of challengers rises and the number of voters declines.

McCain is a weak candidate by any measure. Only once in his two presidential races has John McCain ever won a majority of the vote, and that was Michigan in 2000. He has yet to crack 40% of the vote this year, and he's done even worse among self-identified Republicans (as opposed to independents and crossover Democrats).

If you really want to see McCain's weakness, however, try this thought experiment:

It's October, 2008. America's economy is in a recession. People are demanding change and new ideas, someone to give them optimism and hope on domestic issues. On stage, facing off in their final presidential debate to discuss jobs, economic policy and hope for the future are John McCain and Barack Obama.

And be sure to imagine how it will look on television, and to people who don't really follow politics (they are, after all, the swing voters who will pick the next president).

Now, tell me again how any Republican won tonight...?


01/19 10:59 PM

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/? ... BiYWIyYWE=

Maybe Moron Novak isn't aware of Romneys lead in Florida now

Hes a McCain shill , we all know that

Rush says that McCain & Huck are two-timing on Mitt.

Novak also says that McCain "clearly leads" in Florida?? Someone please tell him about the Rasmussen poll that shows Romney up by 5 at this time.

I just gave the GOP a piece of my mind.

Novack has his nose so far up mccain's butt it is unreal. I wouldnt believe a word this reconquista says.

Originally Posted by Saki

I just gave the GOP a piece of my mind.

Thanks Saki, I did too. The rest of the article was just as bias and false as the first 3 paragraphs.

Originally Posted by Mayflowerchick

Rush says that McCain & Huck are two-timing on Mitt.

You can add Thompson to that list against Romney. We have our work cut out for us.

Originally Posted by Populist

Nofacts is wrong as usual. Romney has more votes, more delegates, and has won more states at this time than McCain.

McCain barely won SC, by only three pts with the help from independents. He also only won NH by about 5-6 pts.

More points from Michael Graham written in the National Review. Use these:

Excellent points from M. Graham, populist. Thanks for sharing.

I believe the media continues to spout misinformation in hopes most Americans will began to believe it, if they hear it enough. That's why I think it's important, when we can, to comment and educate.

Don't forget to comment on the GOP article everyone.

Remember, in SC only three in 10 voters there who said they voted for McCain characterized themselves as Republicans. The conservative base does not like McCain and are not fooled by him trying to hide his record.