Does McCain stand a chance in 08?

[JP]

(Somebody's bound to wonder if this is some weird sort of "tit for tat" counterattack on my comrade Doom's '08 thread on Hillary (http://www.mainsquare.org/showthread.php?t=499), but it isn't.)

McCain's one of the front-runners along with Romney and Giuliani. Does anyone think he'll get the nomination, and if so that he could beat the (generic, or fill in the blank) Dem candidate?

He was popular with us liberals, at least up until he caved on prisoner rights in a "compromise" that gave George everything he asked for, though his trying to act like a good social conservative now isn't helping. On the other side, my take is the Right doesn't trust him - he seems to have only lately discovered party loyalty and social conservatism.

But I'm a liberal, and thus not up on the most recent conservative thought. Can he conceivably make it into the presidency?

[jgickler]

I think it depends on whether McCain runs as a Democrat or a Republican.:coolsmiley:

In all seriousness, I don't see him winning the nomination. I think you nailed it when you said that the Republicans don't trust him. He has sided too much with the left in congress to expect a McCain presidency to be any different. I think that the Republican nominee will be someone farther to the right then McCain.

[pseudonym]

Seven years ago I would have seriously considered voting for him. However, he's spent so much of the past two Presidential terms cozying up to the same religious right and pro-war nuts that he didn't mind pissing off during his first run that I wouldn't even think about voting for him in 08.

Of course, I'm not really in the target demographic for Republican candidates. :)

[Mikkel_Knight]

I think it depends on whether McCain runs as a Democrat or a Republican.:coolsmiley:

In all seriousness, I don't see him winning the nomination. I think you nailed it when you said that the Republicans don't trust him. He has sided too much with the left in congress to expect a McCain presidency to be any different. I think that the Republican nominee will be someone farther to the right then McCain.
Exactly - he would lend a lot of credence as a VP candidate, but I just cannot see the GOP "rewarding" him with their nomination...

[doom1701]

I think McCain has just as good of a chance as Hillary. Heck, they are both more or less in the same position. They've pissed off their "base" on numerous issues. McCain enjoys a little more support than Hillary on the opposite side of the aisle, but since McCain has done a pretty good job pretending to be a Republican the past year or two, he's losing those Dem votes he may have gotten.

[aindik]

I think it depends on whether McCain runs as a Democrat or a Republican.:coolsmiley:

In all seriousness, I don't see him winning the nomination. I think you nailed it when you said that the Republicans don't trust him. He has sided too much with the left in congress to expect a McCain presidency to be any different. I think that the Republican nominee will be someone farther to the right then McCain.

Who is to the right of McCain that has announced an intention to seek the nomination?

[jgickler]

Who is to the right of McCain that has announced an intention to seek the nomination?

Lieberman hasn't announce yet has he?



Newt is definately to the right of McCain, some of the others are a bit more moderate, but I think that once the dust settles, we will see someone like Romney who also to the right of McCain ( Pro-life, fiscal conservative, anti-gay marriage, pro business) becoming a real contender.

[pseudonym]

McCain has been moving to the right faster than a truck driver who's about to miss his exit.

[DMHinCO]

Seven years ago I would have seriously considered voting for him. However, he's spent so much of the past two Presidential terms cozying up to the same religious right and pro-war nuts that he didn't mind pissing off during his first run that I wouldn't even think about voting for him in 08. :)

Precisely, except if he wins the nomination, you can't say you wouldn't THINK about it until you know his opponent.

jgickler, has he really VOTED with the Dems on much of anything? I'll agree with you that he has in the past failed to parrot the Republican party line. But that affliction has mostly gone away in the past two years, hasn't it?

Brownback will likely be the RR's candidate, though I think he won't win the nomination.

I don't think McCain is Bush's (read: Cheney/Rove's) choice. So I don't think he'll win the nomination. If he gets close, he'll be SouthCarolina'd again.

[DMHinCO]

McCain has been moving to the right faster than a truck driver who's about to miss his exit.

To the social right, yes.

I think he has been one of the few senators who by nature has always been on the fiscal right - which doesn't mean just cutting off funding for opponents' ideas.

Sadly, though, he wasn't effective in stemming the massive flow of money. I'm not sure he voted against many spending bills. He just bitched about them, which is his style.

[smak]

Say what you want about W, at least he sticks to his guns. Even if he's 100% wrong, he still believes what he believes.

McCain is just a phony pos. The way his family was treated in the 2000 primaries, and the way he forgot about it when it's politically expedient is just telling about the kind of guy he is.

Plus he keeps putting his foot in his mouth. On how he knew the Iraq war would be hard, when he's on film in 2002/2003 saying how easy it would be.

Plus this troop surge thing, where he keeps on asking for more than will happen so he can say he was right when nothing good comes of it.

-smak-

[aindik]

To the social right, yes.

I think he has been one of the few senators who by nature has always been on the fiscal right - which doesn't mean just cutting off funding for opponents' ideas.

Sadly, though, he wasn't effective in stemming the massive flow of money. I'm not sure he voted against many spending bills. He just bitched about them, which is his style.

McCain is less than a "true believer" on tax cuts. He seems to put deficit reduction ahead of spending reduction on his list of budgetary priorities. He's candidly (i.e. in an article interviewing him that I can't find now) supported increases in taxes on the rich to close the deficit.

He also created McCain-Feingold, which used to be opposed by Conservatives (though, not so much anymore). It's an abomination to free speech. He said
But I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government.

I can't vote for that. Though the likelihood of my voting Republican in 2008 wasn't very high to begin with.

[mercurial]

Seven years ago I would have seriously considered voting for him. However, he's spent so much of the past two Presidential terms cozying up to the same religious right and pro-war nuts that he didn't mind pissing off during his first run that I wouldn't even think about voting for him in 08.

Of course, I'm not really in the target demographic for Republican candidates. :)


You summed up my thoughts. I voted for him in the Republican primaries back in VA (which were open to independents (and democrats?)). However, since then, he's lost a lot of the respect I had for him. Real shame. Seemed to be one of the few viable centerist candidates out there back then.

[mbklein]

Mitt Romney, the self-serving, lying bastard who got himself elected governor of Massachusetts by pretending to be a reasonable human being, apparently raised $6.5 million (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070108-115828-3529r.htm) in a single day, leaving McCain in the dust financially. He also got an endorsement (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/01/09/weld_backs_romney_for_oval_office/) from moderate Republican (and former Massachusetts governor) William Weld, who is a good friend of Rudy Giuliani (and much closer to him on most social issues).

[smak]

I'm not saying Hilary or any potential Dem 2008 candidate is a picnic, but if the Republican candidates are Romney, Guiliano, Gingrich & McCain, what a hive of snakes that would be.

First one to tell more lies, and divorce more wives wins.

-smak-

[TreborPugly]

Mitt Romney, the self-serving, lying bastard who got himself elected governor of Massachusetts by pretending to be a reasonable human being, apparently raised $6.5 million (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070108-115828-3529r.htm) in a single day, leaving McCain in the dust financially. He also got an endorsement (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/01/09/weld_backs_romney_for_oval_office/) from moderate Republican (and former Massachusetts governor) William Weld, who is a good friend of Rudy Giuliani (and much closer to him on most social issues).

I really, really, hope Romney's presidential bid crashes and burns.

I could stomach McCain, although I'd probably not vote for him. And frankly, a Republican candidate that doesn't get the "Oh, I hate him" response from liberals is what the Republicans need if they hope to win.